Air Canada Signature Suite in Vancouver set to open on March 14

Last night Air Canada gave a sneak peek of its brand new Signature Suite in Vancouver to the media and we now know the new lounge will open on March 14. This will be Air Canada's second Signature Suite in their business class lounge network after the one in Toronto which debuted in 2017.

Recommended Reading: Air Canada debuts Signature Suite for Premium International Customers at Toronto Pearson 

Air Canada's Signature Suites differ from their Maple Leaf lounges in that access is only granted to those who are flying on a paid business class ticket (J, C, D, Z, P booking classes) for international travel to Europe, Asia or Australia.  This means Aeroplan (or other Star Alliance) award tickets do not get you access, nor does having elite status.

The new lounge is located in YVR's D Concourse on the second floor of the International Maple Leaf Lounge. You access the lounge via the same entrance as the Maple Leaf lounge.

Rewards Canada was unable to attend the event last night but Air Canada has been kind enough to provide us with complete details and photos of the lounge as well as a link to a virtual tour of the new space.

Air Canada unveiled its second Air Canada Signature Suite for its eligible Signature Class customers travelling to intercontinental destinations from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The airline’s second exclusive airport retreat continues to enhance its award-winning premium offering with another space where eligible customers can relax before their flight from YVR. It features à la carte dining at a complimentary, full-service restaurant from a menu created by acclaimed Vancouver-Chef David Hawksworth.

The Air Canada Signature Suite officially opens March 14, 2020 and is accessible and fully complimentary to Signature Class customers, excluding upgrades and point redemption programs. The 4,400-square-foot (408 square metres) suite, conveniently located in Air Canada’s international departure area at YVR above the International Maple Leaf Lounge, can accommodate seating for up to 105 premium customers. It hosts a full-service restaurant offering à la carte dining from a Hawksworth-designed menu. The suite also features a cocktail lounge space with full-service bar and a selection of specialty snacks, a quiet sitting area and concierge service.

Other notable features of the Air Canada Signature Suite at YVR include:

· High quality spirits supplied by the airline’s partner Diageo, Moët & Chandon Champagne (both brut and rosé available) and Signature cocktails;

· Works of art drawing inspiration from and celebrating the Pacific Coast landscape and waterways include pieces such as Shape Agenda by Vancouver sculptor Jordy Buckles, and photographic work of Montrealer Nicolas Ruel, Victoria Peak.

· Cloudscape chandelier by acclaimed Toronto design firm Moss & Lam;

· Luxury skin care products from Molton Brown.

The interior design is a defining element of the experience

Designers Heekyung Duquette and Eric Majer have created an intimate sequence of spaces. Features of the design offer a retreat from conventional airport frenzy, providing customers with a serene, luxurious atmosphere:

· Arrival is marked by smoked glass walls containing bronze mesh sculptural screens. Customers are greeted by concierges stationed at bronze podiums fronting a luggage checkroom, allowing visitors to explore the space unencumbered.

· Ascending stairs up to the main space brings visitors into abounding natural light and impressive panoramic views of layered feature spaces: bistro, bar, and dining area.

· Locally-produced bronze wall panels exude warmth and luxury, leading to the à la carte dining area and private dining room.

· Telupana Blue stone – quarried on Vancouver Island – delineates and enlivens the bar.

· Sumptuous custom hand-made wool carpet emulates the grey-blue hues of ocean vistas.

· Nature makes its way into the à la carte dining room with a burst of forest flora contained within sculptural vessels that evoke the undulating inlets of the BC coast.

· The dining scene comes alive with glowing cube lamps reflected in glassware, and the expansive view of the tarmac beyond.

· Within this space is a bronze-clad private dining room for a more exclusive dining experience.

· Its smoked glass doors are overlain with a filigree pattern of maple leaves in the wind, another reference to Air Canada imagery.

· Throughout the Signature Suite, a heightened sense of quality is conveyed through the display of noble materials, the intricacy of its details and craftsmanship, as well as proudly showcasing Canadian craftsmanship, furnishings and art.

Recommend Listening:  Episode 42 - Meet the Collectors Podcast Edition: Greg LeBlanc - an avid Air Canada Flyer and Aeroplan member  (and his review of the Toronto Signature Suite)

Let us know if you are travelling Air Canada in paid business class anytime soon via Vancouver and plan on visiting the new Signature Suite! We'd love to have you do a Lounge Review for us. Simply comment below or email us at info@rewardscanada.ca!

Click here to learn more about the new Air Canada Signature Suite in Vancouver

All images courtesy of Air Canada

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No fee changes and cancellation to be allowed for travel booked with AIR MILES Reward Miles

If you follow Rewards Canada on Twitter you would have seen our tweet detailing AIR MILES new change policy for travel that has been booked with AIR MILES Reward Miles. Essentially they are matching what Aeroplan began offering on March 11 and that is the option to change or cancel itineraries without change fees. AIR MILES statement to us does not indicate what travel dates are included but I am going to assume it is for March and April as we have seen with other programs and airlines. Perhaps we will learn this tomorrow when they send out their email to members.

UPDATE: AIR MILES has confirmed this is for travel until April 30 but "will continue to monitor the situation as new information becomes available and provide updates should anything change"

 Here is the latest statement we have received from AIR MILES:

At AIR MILES, the health and safety of our 11 million Collectors is our highest priority. We have been closely monitoring COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and as a result of the World Health Organization's March 11th declaration of a global pandemic, we have updated our policies related to travel changes and cancellation fees.

Effective March 12th, Collectors who have booked travel through AIR MILES are eligible to change or cancel their itineraries without AIR MILES change fees. AIR MILES change fees related to cancellations or rebooking of flights, hotels or cars have been waived until further notice by AIR MILES.

Please note that changes to travel bookings may still be subject to fees through the travel provider’s policy and Collectors are encouraged to contact the airline, cruise line or tour operator directly for information pertaining to their personal itinerary.

AIR MILES is proactively informing affected Collectors of our change in policy on airmiles.ca as well as through a planned email deployment for March 13.

For Collectors who have booked travel with AIR MILES that wish to make changes to their plans, please contact the call centre at: 416-226-5171 or toll free: 1-888-AIRMILE (247-6453).

Due to an expected increase in call volume, we are asking Collectors to contact the call centre within two weeks of their departure date, enabling us to assist Collectors with immediate travel plans.

Image via AIR MILES

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Elite Status Match offer + other anniversary offers

Earlier this month TAP Air Portugal released a bunch of offers to celebrate the airline’s anniversary. We’ve had those offers listed on our Miles&Go page for a little while now but wanted to provide more details on the main offer here. This offer runs until March 31 and is only available to new Miles&Go members who haven’t joined the program yet or only signed up for it in 2020.

Now there is one small caveat to getting your status match in Miles&Go. You either have to buy a Club Miles&Go Membership (read all about that here) or purchase some Miles&Go miles. The latter is the cheapest route as you can buy the minimum of miles (which is 2,000 but bonused to 8,000 right now) for 70EUR.  Once you have completed the registration, submitted your other elite status details and bought miles or joined Club Miles&Go you will be given status in the Miles& Go program until September 30. However if you earn 25,000 Status Miles with TAP in that time period you’ll get Gold Status extended or 10,000 miles for Silver.

Offer details:
Elite Status Match Challenge – If you hold elite status with a SkyTeam airline, oneworld airline, Azul, Emirates or Gol you can join TAP Air Portugal and receive TAP elite status for six months if you join a Club TAP Miles&Go or purchase miles to be eligible for Silver or Gold status. Full details & online registration Until Mar 31, 20

Here are the other anniversary offers:

• 1,000 Miles&Go miles when you join  the Miles&Go program. You must use promo code BIRTHDAY01 in the promotional code field to earn the bonus. Full details
• Earn up to 5x Miles&Go miles when you buy miles online. Click here for more details or to buy miles with this deal!
  Receive quadruple miles when you purchase up to 18,000 miles; Receive quintuple miles when you purchase 20,000 miles.
• Triple Miles&Go miles when joining  Club TAP Miles&Go. Full details
• 1,000 Miles&Go miles when you refer a friend to the Miles&Go program. Maximum of 5 friends can be referred. Full details

Key terms:
To be eligible, you must be a member of a status/miles programme that is covered by this scheme (see below). Only registered TAP Miles&Go clients will automatically be eligible to participate in the Challenge from Mars 2, 2020. When registering with the TAP Miles&Go Programme, you must provide your Customer Card from another eligible Miles Status/Program that proves you have a status that is the equivalent of the TAP Miles&Go status you are applying for. If you are already registered in the Program since January 1, 2020 you can participate in the Challenge by sending an email to promo@tapmilesandgo.com, with your name and TAP Miles&Go Client number, as well as your Customer Card from another eligible Miles Status/Program that proves you have a status that is the equivalent of the TAP Miles&Go status you are applying for. 
Once you have signed up you must join a Club TAP Miles&Go or purchase miles at our miles store in order to be eligible for Silver or Gold status.

Airline / Alliance	Status	TAP Miles&Go Equivalent Status
Azul	TudoAzul Diamante	Gold
Emirates	Emirates Skywards Platinum	Gold
	Emirates Skywards Gold	Gold
GOL	Smiles Diamante	Gold
oneworld	oneworld Emerald	Gold
	oneworld Sapphire	Gold
SkyTeam	SkyTeam Elite Plus	Gold

Airline / Alliance	Status	TAP Miles&Go Equivalent Status
Azul	TudoAzul Safira	Silver
Emirates	Emirates Skywards Silver	Silver
GOL	Smiles Ouro	Silver
oneworld	oneworld Ruby	Silver
SkyTeam	SkyTeam Elite	Silver

March 12 Update: Aeroplan to allow changes or cancel for full refund for March/April travel, Earn 5x CIBC Rewards Points for Air Transat Europe flights & a Hertz Elite Status Match offer

As of yesterday Aeroplan's Coronavirus policy was set in line with Air Canada's. If you have Aeroplan flights booked for travel in March and April you can change them once or cancel for them a full refund. This could also explain why the Aeroplan website is down and from what I can see on Twitter there are very long wait times when you call in. It does appear that contacint them via Twitter may be the best course of action if you want to change or cancel. At least if you try and don't get a response you have an electronic record of you doing so! Thanks to long time Rewards Canada reader Kevin A.  for the details!

We have reached out to AIR MILES to see what their course of action is going to be as right now they are stating they are following to policies of the airlines - which should mean that if you have an Air Canada or WestJet flight booked with AIR MILES you should be able to change those flights at no cost. Still would be nice to see a no charge cancellation policy in place like Aeroplan's!

If you are willing to try to book travel to Europe for late spring/early summer or late summer/early fall and are a CIBC Aventura cardholder you can earn 5x CIBC Rewards Points when you book Air Transat flights via CIBC Rewards. This offer runs until March 31 and the good news is Air Transat has a liberal no change fee policy for flights that are also booked by that date! So if you want to score extra points, get in on some cheaper fares this may be the time do it! Learn more here.

If you hold elite status in the Avis, Enterprise or National car rental progams you can have that status matched by Hertz Gold Plus Rewards! Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

• IHG Rewards Club lowers elite status qualification requirements and waives all cancellation fees globally for stays until April 30
  Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. who provided the Scotia Rewards redemption story from earlier this week forwarded to us…
• Podcast Episode 66 - Taking advantage of last minute deals for Spring Break, that is if you are willing to travel
  Episode 66 - March 12, 2020 Taking advantage of last minute deals for Spring Break, that is if you…
• 50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Miles when you fly Alaska Airlines until April 11
  We are beginning to see more bonus miles offers being released to encourage people to fly and hopefully others…
• March 11 Update: Summary of all major Canadian airline flight change waivers - Air Canada & WestJet extend offers to existing bookings
  With Italy being effectively shut down, Air Canada has cancelled all their flights to/from Italy until April 30. The…

Travel Deals

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers

CIBC Rewards
5x CIBC Rewards Points when booking flights to Europe with Air Transat through the CIBC Rewards Centre. More... Book by Mar 31 for travel May 1 - Jun 30 & Sep 1 - Oct 31,20

Other Bonus Offers

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
- Elite Status Match - Hertz will match your status that you have from Avis, Enterprise or National. More... Unknown end date

Jumeirah Hotels Sirius
- Triple Sirius Points for stays of 2+ nights on the Business Comforts Package at participating Jumeirah Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 30, 20
- Double Sirius Points for stays on the Jumeirah Breaks Package at participating Jumeirah Hotels in the UAE and the Maldives. More... For GCC Residents only Until Dec 30, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 2 nights or more at the Aloft Cleveland Airport. More... Until Mar 31, 20

SAS EuroBonus
- Earn up to 6,000 EuroBonus Points in total when you rent with Avis for 3 or more days in Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Asia, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. More... Book by Mar 31 for rentals until Apr 30, 20
Stash Hotel Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Stash Rewards Points when you book any hotel via Stash Rewards. More... Book by Mar 31, 20

Turkish Miles&Smiles
- Earn up to 20,000 Miles&Smiles Miles when you stay at Rixos Hotels in Turkey, Unites Arab Emirates and Egypt. More... Until Aug 31, 20
- 1,000 Miles&Smiles Miles per day when you rent a car with Rent Go in Turkey. More... Until May 31, 20


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IHG Rewards Club lowers elite status qualification requirements and waives all cancellation fees globally for stays until April 30

Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. who provided the Scotia Rewards redemption story from earlier this week forwarded to us his email from IHG detailing their actions for Coronavirus.

This change from IHG addresses the typically cheapest non-refundable or non-cancellable rates that have become so prevalent in the world of hotel stays and now allows you to cancel them with no penalty if your stay is planned up until Apr 30. They also recommend that if you book stays beyond April 30 to book best flexible rate (or it can be another rate like the CAA/AAA rate) which allow you to cancel with no penalty up to one or two days prior to arrival. Personally here at Rewards Canada those are the only rates we ever book - we have never booked a prepaid non-refundable rate as travel plans can and do change.

Also seeing that hotel stays are being severely affected by the Coronavirus outbreak IHG is lowering the elite qualifying criteria to earn or retain status for 2021.  I like that they have lowered the rates to qualify but am a little surprised they aren't extending status for their members like we have seen from Best Western & Shangri-La. Here are the revised requirements for IHG Rewards Club status in 2021:

As you can see you can get Gold Elite status with IHG for 30% less than standard while Platinum sees requirements cut by 25% and Spire is just under 27%.

You can learn more about IHG's response to the Coronavirus here.

Podcast Episode 66 - Taking advantage of last minute deals for Spring Break, that is if you are willing to travel

Episode 66 - March 12, 2020
Taking advantage of last minute deals for Spring Break, that is if you are willing to travel

With the March and April school breaks just around the corner we take the Rewards Canada podcast into All Inclusive and Last Minute travel mode. We talk about the deals that can be had for all inclusive packages plus how you can use points and miles for those packages. We do also discuss the latest news with the Coronavirus and how flights and travel might be affected. We delve into travel waivers from airlines, package operators and tips for your travel insurance.

Click Here to download the podcast (mp3)

or Download/subscribe via:

 

Links relating to this week's topics:

• Government of Canada Travel Advisories
• The Ultimate Guide to Credit Card & Loyalty Programs for the All Inclusive Vacationer
• March 11 Update: Summary of all major Canadian airline flight change waivers - Air Canada & WestJet extend offers to existing bookings
• Redemption Stories: Using Scotia Rewards points for an All Inclusive Vacation and utilizing free lounge passes from the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
• The Platinum Card from American Express receives a limited time increased welcome bonus of 60,000 points

 

50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Miles when you fly Alaska Airlines until April 11

We are beginning to see more bonus miles offers being released to encourage people to fly and hopefully others will follow the lead of Alaska Airlines with this promotion! Of course this one is more suited for those in B.C. and Alberta as Alaska only flies to those provinces! Simply register for the promotion to be eligible – and based on the T&C’s if you already have flights booked those will count as well as long as you are registered for the offer.

Offer details:
50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Mileage Plan miles when you fly on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Airlines. Full details and online registration (Registration is required) Until Apr 11, 20

Here are some other Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers to check out:

• Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly on Aer Lingus between Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle and Dublin. Full details & online registration (Registration is required) then book online at aerlingus.com.
• Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly on Condor between Seattle and Munich. Full details & online registration (Registration is required)
• Double Mileage Plan Miles when you book direct and stay at any Coast Hotel in Canada or the U.S. Full details
• Find these and many more offers on our Mileage Plan page

March 11 Update: Summary of all major Canadian airline flight change waivers - Air Canada & WestJet extend offers to existing bookings

With Italy being effectively shut down, Air Canada has cancelled all their flights to/from Italy until April 30. The last flight from Rome to Montreal is operating today. WestJet has made no mention yet of what is planned for their new Calgary to Rome route that is slated to launch on May 2. There also hasn't been official word on what's happening with Air Transat's Italy flights however they have instituted change policies for travel that was booked until June 30. And that brings us to more travel updates. This time we cover the major Canadian airlines and give shouts out to Air Canada and WestJet for expanding their policies for existing bookings for travel in March and April while we find it (not) surprising that Flair Airlines has been totally silent on the matter.....

AIR CANADA
Air Canada has extended a better waiver policy now - this one is good for those who booked prior to the current 'book now for travel and we'll waive the change fee if you change your plans' offer that most airlines have been offering. Here are the details if you have booked travel prior to March 4 and want to push it back to later this year:

For tickets purchased before March 4, 2020 with an original travel date on or before April 30, 2020, a one-time change fee waiver will apply for travel completed before December 31, 2020, provided changes are made at least 24 hours before your departing flight. Kindly note that any fare difference will apply.

 This new waiver came into effect today and you can read more about it here.

And the 'if you want to book now and then change' waiver has been further updated today allowing you to change your flights up to 24 hours prior to departure:

A one-time change fee waiver will apply to tickets purchased between March 4 and March 31, 2020 provided all travel is completed before December 31, 2020, provided changes are made at least 24 hours before your departing flight. Kindly note that any fare difference will apply and any residual value resulting from a lower fare will be lost. 

Read about the new booking policy here

AIR NORTH
Here is AIR NORTH's policy that was last updated on March 10. They are only waiving fees on new bookings at this time.

Given the concerns around the novel COVID-19, Air North, Yukon’s Airline is allowing passengers to shift their travel plans without incurring a change fee. This goodwill policy will provide a one-time waive of change fees for travel on all routes, for bookings made between 10 March and 5 April 2020, for travel between 20 March and 15 December 2020. Modifications to itineraries must be made at least 10 days before scheduled travel date. 

Find out more here.

AIR TRANSAT
At this time Transat is only allowing waivers on new flights booked between March 4 and 31. No word yet if they will provide some sort of waiver on existing travel booked prior to March 4.

Book a flight to any destination or a South package between March 4 and 31, and if your travel plans change, no worries, we will waive the change fees. | You can change your travel dates, hotel or destination—or all three!—at no charge up to 24 hours before departure.| You can reschedule your travel for any time within 12 months of your original travel dates.

Find out more here

Although they now have the following for Italy:

Following this notice, Air Transat has decided to implement a flexibility policy for its flights to Italy, based on the following parameters:

• All customers who have booked a flight to Venice on or before March 2, 2020 for travel between now and June 30, 2020 are entitled to change their reservation date or destination without penalty for travel between now and October 31, 2020. Customers will, however, have to pay any difference in price.
• All customers who have booked a flight to Rome or Lamezia on or before March 9, 2020 for travel between now and June 30, 2020 are entitled to change their reservation date or destination without penalty for travel between now and October 31, 2020. Customers will, however, have to pay any difference in price.
  Cancellation requests are subject to the terms and conditions.

Find out more here

CANADIAN NORTH
Has only enacted a change fee waiver for travellers connecting to/from other airlines to/from International destinations

In order to ensure that our customers are able to book and travel with confidence, Canadian North will temporarily waive change fees upon request, for customers travelling to or from international destinations via connections with other airlines. We will also permit cancellation of the same reservations upon request for customers traveling internationally, with the refund to be issued as a travel credit voucher that will be valid for one year from the date of issue.

This is valid for travel on Canadian North until March 31. Find out more here.

FLAIR AIRLINES
To the best of our knowledge Flair hasn't stated anything about waivers.

PORTER AIRLINES
At this time Porter is only allowing waivers on new flights booked between March 6 and 31. No word yet if they will provide some sort of waiver on existing travel booked prior to March 6.

Buy a ticket between March 6 and March 31, 2020 | Change your flight once without a change fee | Change your flight at least 14 days before departure | Travel on your new flight

Find out more here.

SUNWING
At this time Sunwing is only allowing waivers on new bookings made between March 4 and 19. No word yet if they will provide some sort of waiver on existing travel booked prior to March 4.

For new bookings made between March 4th and March 19th, 2020 Sunwing will waive any administration fees associated with the first change. This applies to all new bookings with a departure date from now up to and including June 24th, 2020. Any change must be requested at least 14 days prior to travel or normal conditions will apply.

Find out more here.

WESTJET
WestJet has followed Air Canada's lead and not only do they have their new bookings waiver policy in place they are now providing no fee changes for March and April flights that were booked prior to March 3. Find out more here.

New Flight policy:

• All new flight bookings made between March 3, 2020 and March 31, 2020 will be allowed a one-time change fee waiver.
• The one-time change fee waiver is available for any itinerary change made more than 24 hours from departure.
  To change or cancel a flight booked between the dates above, please contact us. If you booked through a travel agent, please contact them directly.

Existing Flight policy:
For flights booked before March 3, 2020 for travel in March or April 2020:

• $0 one-time fee waiver for changes or cancellations
• Change or cancellation must be requested at least 24 hours prior to departure
• Value of cancelled flights will be returned as a credit to your Travel Bank
• If you change your flight, the difference in fare applies

 Title image via Air Canada

Posts since our last update:

• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for March - These cards provide some of the best value out of their welcome bonuses
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of March 2020! This is…
• Redemption Stories: Using Scotia Rewards points for an All Inclusive Vacation and utilizing free lounge passes from the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
  Today we welcome back Jeff W. who has contributed several articles in the past to Rewards Canada. Jeff has…
• March 9 Update: What you actually have to spend to get some of the best credit card welcome bonus offers, Targeted Air Canada Flight Bonus, Most Popular Posts from Last Week
  Since we have seen a few new card updates this month we have updated our "What you actually have…
  
   

Travel Deals

Aer Lingus has summer flights on sale from Toronto to Dublin and beyond. You can enjoy Summer in Ireland from $749*when you fly between July 1, 2020 and August 22, 2020. Find out more here.

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Mileage Plan miles when you fly on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Airlines. More... Until Apr 11, 20
- 500 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles on Hertz rentals of 1 or more days in U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. More... Until Dec 31, 20

British Airways Executive Club
- 50% Bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios. More... Until Mar 22, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 2 nights or longer at the Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Santorini. More... Apr 9 - Jul 2, 20
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Charlotte - Lake Norman. More... Until Mar 31, 20

SATA Azore Airlines Imagine
- Triple Imagine Miles when you rent with Sixt Worldwide. Rentals must be made online. More... Until May 31, 20




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Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for March - These cards provide some of the best value out of their welcome bonuses

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of March 2020! This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition (welcome/sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when some of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards. This month we see three first year free cards on the list!

The National Bank of Canada World Elite Mastercard limited time offer has ended so it leaves our list. That means the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard jumps up to fourth spot and fifth is now taken by the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card. The first three cards have not changed this month.

Remember as well that you will find this list smack dab in the middle of the Rewards Canada homepage for easy reference!

Here are our top 5 credit card sign up offers for March (in order of welcome bonus value, calculated as minimum mile/points value minus annual fee)

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card - 50,000 Points (Apply here)

No changes to this card means it stays put on the list The 50,000 points, awarded after spending $1,500 on the card in three months are worth at least $500 in our minds which means after subtracting the annual fee you are coming out ahead by $380. In reality you can pull even more value out of the card (into four figures) as we outlined in our post A look at how The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card provides huge value!  Don't forget you get an annual free night with the card as well on the card anniversary date!
Minimum Income: N/A

OFFER EXPIRED TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card - 30,000 Miles 

This is the only first year free card on the list this month and if you are just starting out I would recommend getting this card first thanks to that annual fee waiver! The bonus is awarded as follows: 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you make your first Purchase with your Card + 5,000 Aeroplan Miles when you spend $1,000 per month in the first three months (up to 15,000 miles) Depending on how you redeem those Aeroplan miles should be worth no less than $360 but more likely closer to $800 or more! In fact if you take the per mile value from our post from late July 2019 this welcome bonus would be worth $1,800 or more.
Minimum Income: $60,000 Personal or $100,000 Household

Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard - 30,000 Miles (Apply here)

This card offers a welcome bonus of 30,000 miles when you spend $1,000 on the card in the first three months of having it. This is one of the easiest bonuses to achieve and this card is one of the most churnable in Canada. There are really no problems in getting it 2-4 times in one year alone! Those 30,000 miles are worth no less than $330 when redeeming for economy class flights and just go up from there like the TD Aeroplan card.
Minimum Income: $80,000 Personal or $150,000 Household

BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard - 3,000 Miles (Apply here)
This card offers a welcome bonus of 3,000 AIR MILES Reward Miles, split between 1,000 on first purchase and 2,000 more when you spend $3,000 within 3 months of getting the card. The annual fee of $120 is waived in the first year as well meaning these miles come to you at no cost other than card spend. Those 3,000 miles are worth $330 at a minimum when redeeming towards travel.
Minimum Income: $80,000 Personal or $150,000 Household

OFFER EXPIRED TD® First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card - 65,000 Points 
The First Class Visa Infinite Card makes it back onto the list this month with its latest offer. You receive 20,000 points on your first purchase and 15,000 points per month in each of the first three months when you spend at least $1,000 per month. The card also has rebates on the primary and first additional card for the first year. At a minimum the points are worth $260 towards any travel but are worth $325 if you choose to redeem via ExpediaForTD
Minimum Income: $60,000 Personal or $100,000 Household

If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with anywhere from $1,600 to over $3,000 in travel value. However even if you only take on one or two you are helping your travel budget significantly at no cost other than regular credit card spend. We don't really recommend getting all five in one month unless you know you can meet the minimum spend for them all at once, rather you'd want to pick one or two right now, perhaps another next month and so on.

Disclaimers:
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link.

Sponsored advertising. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any TD product, please visit the TD site. 

Redemption Stories: Using Scotia Rewards points for an All Inclusive Vacation and utilizing free lounge passes from the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card

Today we welcome back Jeff W. who has contributed several articles in the past to Rewards Canada. Jeff has been a long time reader of Rewards Canada and we've had lots of discussions with him via email and Twitter as he is always looking to maximize his credit card, travel and other loyalty program rewards! He is heavily invested in Scotia Rewards and his next post details his most recent redemption with Scotia:
 
Hey fellow Rewards Canada Readers!  In the past I wrote how our family loves the Scotibank Gold American Express Card for the earning power it has.  Since the last time I wrote, the card has undergone some changes.  Rewards Canada has gone into detail about the changes, but for simplicity sake, you can earn 5%, 3% or 1% on various purchases.  We have also added the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite to our portfolio.  This gives us two cards now that earn Scotia Rewards points.  The Visa gives you 2% back towards travel on Grocery, dining, entertainment, and transit purchases, and 1% on everything else.  This card also has no FX fees, making it our ‘go to’ card when travelling outside of Canada. (Editors note: The Scotia Gold Amex also has no FX fees but will earn less points than the Visa on non C$ spending) The Visa has one last great advantage, as it comes with six Priority Pass lounge passes per year, perfect for our family of four.

Recommended Reading: A closer look at how a Winnipegger maximizes his Scotiabank Gold American Express Card purchases & Using the Scotiabank Gold American Express card to redeem for any travel - whale watches included!

The great thing about Scotia Rewards, is it doesn’t matter which card you earn the points on, you can transfer the points to whichever card you placed your travel purchase on.  You can also interchange SCENE points with Scotia Rewards points, thus whenever we have a stockpile of SCENE points, we always transfer them over to our Scotia Rewards points account.  This is the rewards program that we use for our winter vacations every other year.

You can convert in both directions between Scotia Rewards and SCENE

There are a couple of ways you can redeem your Scotia Rewards points.  The first, is pay for your travel on your card, once you see the charge applied, redeem your points towards this charge, either the full charge, or some of it, it's your choice.  The minimum you can redeem for is 5,000 (equal to $50) points.  The second way is to book through the Scotiabank Rewards website.  One advantage of booking through Scotiabank’s Rewards website is being able to book a flight on WestJet with a 5% discount (on the base fare) over their regular rates.  Scotia Rewards also offers a Best Price Guarantee on airfare (within 24 hours of booking).  So if you book, and then find a better price, Scotia rewards will match the price.  When it comes to redeeming, it’s really your own preference.

Also, if you don’t have enough points at the time of booking your vacation, you have up to 12 months to still accumulate the points to pay for your travel!

Scotia Rewards makes it easy to choose your redemption option

Any travel any time redemption steps

Steps to redeem for travel booked via Scotia Rewards

Summary page to Apply Points to Travel

So, to get into our winter vacation.  We booked as part of a group of family and friends to an all-inclusive resort in Mazatlan, Mexico.  Vacationing as a group is so much fun, and it gives you the leverage to get a discount on your booking as you are traveling in such a large number, this year we had 34 people (including kids).  As with most group bookings, we owed a deposit in August (5 months prior to traveling) of $600.  Because we use Scotia Rewards points for our major trips every other year, we had more than enough rewards points come August to pay off the full $600 deposit that we owed.  Keep in mind, when redeeming points for travel you have already charged, you are earning 1% in rewards points for that charge, rather than booking it through the rewards website.  In our case of the deposit, that earned us another $6 in travel points.  Step 1 - deposit, done and paid for.

Recommend Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Credit Card & Loyalty Programs for the All Inclusive Vacationer

Step 2, is paying the remaining balance of our all-inclusive vacation in October.  In our case, this was $6,100.  Paid for it on our Visa, earned another $61 in travel dollars.  Naturally we didn’t have enough points for this charge, so we decided to wait until we got home from our vacation in January to redeem our points.

Step 3, is our transportation to/from the airport in our home city of Winnipeg.  In our case, we are traveling with our 4 and 7 year old boys, both requiring car seats.  Now, we don’t need our car seats in Mexico so we can’t take a taxi.  We also didn’t want family to drive us at 3am, so we chose the Valet & Away option at the YWG airport.  This, in my opinion, is the only way to go when you have kids.  Pull up at the front of the airport, unload your kids, bags, and leave your jackets in the car and head on in.  They track your flight, and have your car ready and running upon your return (nice and warm).  This feature also gives you priority screening through security, so you don’t need to wait in a long lineup when you have kids with you.  It’s a fantastic service, and when you know your departure/return dates in advance, you can book the Black Friday sale in November and save more money.  Lastly, I paid this travel charge on our Visa, earned $2.64 in travel rewards then paid it off with our points.

Next thing to do before hopping on the plane is to feed the family.  Do we want to pay over inflated airport prices for breakfast for the four of us?  That could easily cost at least $60 if not more.  Well, we’re in luck...with our Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card, we have six lounge passes to use.  At the Winnipeg airport, kids are free into the lounge, so we simply use 2 of our six lounge passes and in we go.  Unfortunately at 4am, alcohol is not being served, but a full breakfast buffet is on the menu.  Eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, cream puffs, cookies, fruit, and beverages.  We also grabbed a few extra items for the plane, as well all know, the kids will be hungry again.

Recommend Reading:  Lounge Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Winnipeg &  Rewards Canada's Guide to Business Class Lounge Access

As an added note, the Lounge in the Mazatlan hotel is before security, and only provides beverages and light snacks, so we were forced to stop at a restaurant for breakfast.

Now that we’re into February, our trip is over, expenses calculated;  We spent $8,639 all tolled on our two week vacation.  $6,700 on the all-inclusive vacation, $264 for Valey & Away, $870 on Pesos, and $805 on Visa transactions.  Using our Visa while we were there, saved us $20 on not having to pay the 2.5% FX fee, and earned us up to $16 in additional travel points.  We have now redeemed $3,197 for our 2 week vacation in paradise, which equates to 37% of our bill, and makes our vacation expenses only $5,442.

Keep in mind, if you are doing excursions or sightseeing tours while you’re on vacation, these could also be categorized as “travel” expenses and could be valid for you to redeem your points towards.
Redeeming points on the Scotiabank Gold Amex or Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite cards is so easy to do online with no need to call anyone.  Charge my travel to my card, and then simply log in to Scotia Rewards to redeem my points.  Cards like these, that allow you to book your travel how you want are in my mind the best possible cards out there, as it allows you to maximize your savings.

Recommended Reading: Why proprietary credit card reward programs are the best option for most Canadians

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