April 2 Update: Earn bonus points with Dell via Amex Offers, Marriott Amex cards in Canada will not earn 30 nights elite credit & Hotels.com reward night and elite status extensions

There is a new Amex Offers offer for shopping online with Dell. The offer I received on my Platinum from American Express is Earn 1 bonus Membership Rewards point for every dollar in qualifying purchases using your registered Card. To check if you have the offer simply log in to your American Express account online or via the American Express app. You can find this offer and many others listed on our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'

** Have you received an offer that we don't list on our Amex Offers page? Let us know in the comments section of this post or the guide and we'll add it!

If you follow any U.S. points and miles blogs you'll have seen most of them post about being able to now earn 30 nights of elite credit via Marriott Bonvoy American Express cards. Previously if you had both the personal and business versions of the card (both of which award 15 nights towards elite status) you would only be credited with the nights from one card. They have now changed that so that the 15 nights from both cards count giving you 30 nights elite credit if you have both cards. Our reader Ron J. asked if the same thing is applicable here in Canada. I reached out to American Express and unfortunately it isn't the case here in Canada. You will continue to only earn 15 nights even if you have both the personal and business versions of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards.

Images via Amex Canada

WestJet has confirmed they are booking flights with seat distancing in mind:

Moving forward, from now until May 4, 2020, the middle seat on our Boeing 737s and 787 aircraft and every other seat on our Bombardier Q400 will be unavailable to book. 

We’ve made this change to ensure our guests and crew can continue to fly safely and have more space to adhere to social distancing guidelines. 

Find out more about this on WestJet's blog

Image via WestJet

 

Although it isn't officially published, Hotels.com Rewards is extending free nights that are set to expire. You have to talk to an agent about it so you should expect long waits to get through if this is something you want to try. I recommend reading this post and related comments on Doctor of Credit

And speaking of Hotels.com - if you happen to hold Silver or Gold Elite status with the Hotels.com Rewards program that was set to expire between February and May they are extending the status until 2021. Find out more here.

Image via Hotels.com

 Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.
Other resources on Rewards Canada to help you make the most of your points and miles right now:

• Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times
  
• In light of what's going on in the world should you shift to a cash back credit card instead of a travel card? Why not a card that has both?
  
• Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card

Posts since our last update:

• TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card - No annual fee in the first year & 6% back on all purchases for the first three months (up to $2,000)
  A new limited time offer came out sometime ago for the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card that we…
• April 1 Update: Aeroplan extends cancellation policy to April 30, Tokyo Olympic games dates set for 2021, Alaska & American expand reciprocal mileage earning
  Aeroplan announced last night an extension to their great refund and cancellation policy until April 30. This policy allows…

Deals:

Enterprise: Student Travel Assistance – Waiving young renter fees and reducing the minimum age to 18 for rentals through May 31, 2020. Find out more here

Missfresh: Simplify your life with 45% off your first 2 consecutive orders with code SIMPLIFY45. Find out more here.

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

ALL Accor Live Limitless
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points when you rent with Hertz for 2 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by Apr 30 for rentals until May 31, 20

Finnair Plus
- Triple Plus Points for Sixt rentals of 3 or more days at participating locations Worldwide More... Until Apr 30, 20

Hyatt World of Hyatt
- 30% Bonus World of Hyatt Points when you buy 5,000 or more points. More... Register by Nov 16, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points, up to 30% off and an upgrade for stays at W Hotels in Amman, Doha or Muscat. More... Until May 22, 20



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TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card - No annual fee in the first year & 6% back on all purchases for the first three months

This offer has expired. Please see the latest offer details here:

TD further increases the welcome bonus on the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card, now earn up to $290 cash back

The card details below show the latest offers on this card and may not be representative of the discussion above:
 

April 1 Update: Aeroplan extends cancellation policy to April 30, Tokyo Olympic games dates set for 2021, Alaska & American expand reciprocal mileage earning

Aeroplan announced last night an extension to their great refund and cancellation policy until April 30. This policy allows you to cancel Aeroplan tickets and receive all the miles back along with a complete refund of any taxes/fees paid. Learn more here.

The Tokyo Olympic games now have set dates for 2021. The games will take place from July 23 to August 8. With it being over a year away you can start setting your sights on attending and planning your travel. This goes for those who already have tickets or those who now see the opportunity of attending. Airlines don't have schedules yet for that time nor are hotels bookable yet but you can start researching what event or events you may want to attend and figure out which hotel etc. would be best for you. Most hotel chains let you book a year out so you can start looking this July and airlnes typically are just under a year so early August would be the time to start looking. Think JAL with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles! (Source IOC)

Speaking of Japan however - they have now put in restrictions that ban Canadians from entering the country if you have been in Canada or any one of another 70+ countries. This ban goes into effect on April 3 (well April 2 our time) Learn more here. (HT Running with Miles)

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and American Airlines AAdvantage expanded their reciprocal mileage earning as of today. Mileage Plan members can now earn miles (both redeemable & elite qualifying) on all American Airlines flights while AAdvantage members can earn redeemable miles on all Alaska Airlines flights. If you would like to learn more about this partnership I recommend you read our post from February. (Source One Mile at a Time)

Marriott has updated its Coronavirus policy by extending the date of which stays can be cancelled or changes with no fee until June 30. Learn more here.

Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.
Other resources on Rewards Canada to help you make the most of your points and miles right now:

• Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times
  
• In light of what's going on in the world should you shift to a cash back credit card instead of a travel card? Why not a card that has both?
  
• Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card

Posts since our last update:

• 40% Discount for buying Etihad Guest miles - use to plan future travel like Prague-Seoul in business class for only US$312
  Etihad Guest is the latest airline loyalty program to launch a buy miles offer in attempt to boost some…
• OFFER EXTENDED: WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard - 350 bonus WestJet dollars on 1st purchase
  The limited time increased welcome bonus of 350 WestJet dollars on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard that we…
• Rewards Canada's Guide to Credit Card Cash Back Liquidity
  For nearly a month now we have been looking at how you can use your loyalty programs and credit…
• March 31 Update: Earn up to 48,000 Avios for free, major schedule update from Air Canada, 20x PC Optimum points with Beauty Boutique & more
  With the new HSBC World Mastercard World Elite offer we updated our Travel Hacking 101 post. With this new…

Deals:

Doordash $5 Deals. Use Code: 5DEALS at checkout! Expires April 15. Find out more here

Enterprise: Student Travel Assistance – Waiving young renter fees and reducing the minimum age to 18 for rentals through May 31, 2020. Find out more here

Missfresh: Simplify your life with 45% off your first 2 consecutive orders with code SIMPLIFY45. Find out more here.

Canadian Bonus Offers

AIR MILES
- Earn up to 100 Bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles when you book a hotel stay via AIR MILES Travel Hub. More... Until Jul 31, 20

Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 1,500 Bonus Mileage Plan miles on every bouquet ordered with Teleflora. More... Until Dec 30, 20

Etihad Guest
- 40% Discount when you buy 1,000 or more Etihad Guest Miles. More... Until Apr 7, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 3+ nights at the Residence Inn Beaumont. More... Until May 15, 20

Millennium Hotels My Millennium
- 2,000 Bonus My Millennium Points + 10% off + complimentary upgrade for stays of 2 or more night at participating Millennium Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 31, 20



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40% Discount for buying Etihad Guest miles - use to plan future travel like Prague-Seoul in business class for only US$312

Etihad Guest is the latest airline loyalty program to launch a buy miles offer in attempt to boost some much needed cash flow. Until April 7 you can buy miles with a 40% discount which translates to a per mile cost of US 1.2 cents. Etihad flies from Toronto to Abu Dhabi, normally, but of course right now they aren't flying the route. Also redeeming miles on Etihad tends to be an expensive proposition, for example, to redeem for Business Class round trip between Toronto and Abu Dhabi costs just over 200,000 Guest Miles. However Etihad does have a lot of partner airlines where using their miles can make sense. One of those sweet spots is redeeming Etihad Guest miles to fly on Czech Airlines between Prague and Seoul. The redemption amount is ridiculously low - only 25,610 miles for business class one way. So just over 51,000 round trip if needed.

With this 40% discount on buying Etihad Guest miles you can get that one way trip in business class for only US$312 (+GST/HST as Points.com is a Canadian company)

This is an unbelievable deal to be able to fly in business class - yes Czech Airlines business isn't the same as Etihad's but for about $450 to fly this route is amazing. Of course you would be buying the miles speculatively right now as Czech Airlines isn't flying right now nor is Etihad and most flights their partners offer aren't in the air either. The good news is that Etihad states right on the buy miles page that any miles bought are valid for a minimum of two years so it will give you some time to plan some potentially amazing trips. This is definitely one of the better speculative offers out in the market right now.

Offer details:
40% Discount when you buy 1,000 or more Etihad Guest Miles. Buy miles here. Until Apr 7, 20

OFFER EXTENDED: WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard - 350 bonus WestJet dollars on 1st purchase

The limited time increased welcome bonus of 350 WestJet dollars on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard that we have seen since November has been extended to June 30. The regular bonus of 250 WestJet dollars when you apply for and receive the card is still the norm but if you get the card now you'll get an additional 100 WestJet dollars when you make your first purchase on the card within three months of being approved for the card. That's a really easy welcome bonus to earn considering most of the cards competing with this card have a lot of spend requirements tied to them! You literally only have to make one $1 purchase on the card and you have 350 WestJet dollars to use right away towards to flights or vacation packages with WestJet.

Related: What you actually have to spend to get some of the best credit card welcome bonus offers

Even though there isn't much travel happening right now, especially to destinations outside of Canada this may be an offer you'll want to check out if you are starting to plan for future travel.

Not only is the welcome bonus an attractive offer there are other benefits on the card that are the reason why it is the best airline card in Canada. Once you have the card you get the first checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others travelling on the same reservation. With checked bags on WestJet running between $30 to $35.40 for the first bag you can already see how this card can provide some huge savings on WestJet travel.

Related:  Credit cards that help you avoid those dreaded airline fees

Then the card has the best companion voucher benefit of any credit card in Canada. You can use the voucher for travel anywhere on WestJet's network for travel in Economy or Premium Class. Business Class is not included. Essentially what this voucher is that you buy one ticket at a regular price and you can have a companion travel with you for only $119 in Canada and the Continental U.S. and $399 anywhere else WestJet flies plus you have to pay the taxes and fees. Seeing that Premium Economy tickets can run into four figures for round trip getting one of them for only $399 can provide some immense savings. If you have a family of four or more it can make sense to have two separate WestJet RBC World Elite Credit Cards as that will give you two companion vouchers to use. This is exactly Why my wife and I each grabbed our own WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercards. In the couple of years of both of us having the cards we have saved thousands of dollars on flights, especially when we had to buy last minute travel which as we all know tends to be really expensive!

Related: The Ultimate Flight Companion Pass Credit Card portfolio

The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard does have a $119 annual fee that comes on it but when you look at getting 350 WestJet dollars with it (so a net benefit of 231 dollars to start) and then the baggage fee savings and companion voucher benefit you can see how this card is extremely valuable to get! Even if you have just one WestJet flight planned and none after that, being able to use the equivalent of 231 dollars towards that flight makes this card worth getting. 

Click here to learn more about this offer and to apply for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

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Rewards Canada's Guide to Credit Card Cash Back Liquidity

For nearly a month now we have been looking at how you can use your loyalty programs and credit cards to help you out financially during these difficult times. In many of our articles we talk about the liquidity of your points, miles and even cash back as there is a lot of variation from each of the programs and card issuers. It is the latter where much of that variation comes in - that is how quickly or how easily can you access your credit card points or miles or cash back to help lower your credit card statement balance.

The reason we look at this is front and centre in our news and world today. Thousands of Canadians are being laid off from work or are working much less hours from home or at their workplace and this means lower to even no income. On the date of publishing this article a survey reported that 49% of Albertans were already feeling a financial pinch. That's where you can look at your credit card reward programs as source of financial aid by using the rewards or cash back to help pay down your expenses. We won't go into huge detail in this article since we have covered it in great depth in the following articles:

• Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times
• In light of what's going on in the world should you shift to a cash back credit card instead of a travel card? Why not a card that has both?
• Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card
• Low Interest Credit Card Options

The one recurring theme you'll notice in many of those articles is our warning about many of the most popular cash back credit cards. They are being heavily promoted right now since travel is almost nonexistent but you have to be aware that a lot of them don't give you easy access to that cash back. Many of them only provide you your cash back return once annually - something that doesn't work for many who may need access to those rewards in the short term. That is why we developed this feature so that you can compare the various cash equivalent redemption options of many of Canada's popular credit cards.

Continue on the the main feature....

March 31 Update: Earn up to 48,000 Avios for free, major schedule update from Air Canada, 20x PC Optimum points with Beauty Boutique & more

With the new HSBC World Mastercard World Elite offer we updated our Travel Hacking 101 post. With this new card offer you can now earn up to 48,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios at no cost outside of credit card spend. Learn more here.

Our feature on What you actually have to spend to get some of the best credit card welcome bonus offers has been updated with the new HSBC World Elite Mastercard offer. See the feature here.

Air Canada provided a major schedule update yesterday amidst their announcement of up to 16,500 lay offs. It's insane as to how little their entire operation will be in April Their page shows a small amount of flights within Canada and flights to the U.S. are only out of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver (and there aren't very many of those flights). To Europe there will be up to 30 flights per week out of the three same cities, five flights per week in total from Vancouver to Hong Kong and Tokyo. Air Canada will also operate a handful of flights from Toronto to Mexico City and Barbados. All other international flying including all flights to Australia, Africa, and South America will not fly in April. You can find all their scheduled flights for April here.

WestJet provided an update yesterday on in-flight service:

WestJet is committed to providing our guests and WestJetters a safe travel and work environment. We have taken many extra precautions since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak and as of today have made additional changes to our inflight service. 

On flights under 90 minutes:
We will no longer offer service on these flights in any cabin
Water and complimentary snacks will be available for emergency use only

On flights over 90 minutes:
We are suspending beverage service in all cabins
Economy Guests will receive a complimentary snack, water bottle (small) and napkin on their seat prior to boarding for all occupied seats
Additional water will be available on request
Premium and Business Guests will receive a premium snack box, napkin and water bottle (small) on their seat prior to boarding Additional water will be available on request

You can earn 20x PC Optimum points when shop online at the Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique. This offer runs until April 3. Find out more here.

 Last week we had a post stating If you want to redeem your points and miles for gift cards you may want to do so sooner than later as some U.S. based loyalty programs had removed the option to redeem your points or miles for gift cards. The trend south of the border continues with both American Airlines AAdvantage and Delta SkyMiles cutting off access to gift cards. It also appears Capital One in the U.S. has done the same. We haven't seen this happen yet here in Canada, in fact we are seeing the opposite with AIR MILES adding the cash eVoucher options for Uber Eats and Door Dash (read about that here) and Scotia delaying the points increases to some cash back and gift card options. Still you may want to take these moves from the U.S. and be proactive here in Canada. (Source Doctor of Credit)

Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.
Other resources on Rewards Canada to help you make the most of your points and miles right now:

• Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times
  
• In light of what's going on in the world should you shift to a cash back credit card instead of a travel card? Why not a card that has both?
  
• Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card

Posts since our last update:

• AIR MILES adds Uber Eats and Door Dash as Cash Miles redemption options
  AIR MILES let us know this morning that they have added two new awesome Cash Miles redemption options. You can…
• OFFER EXTENDED RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card - 35,000 points upon approval, no minimum spend requirement
  RBC has once again extended the great offer of 35,000 RBC Rewards Points on the RBC Avion Visa Infinite…
• Last day to apply for Tangerine Mastercards with their $250 welcome bonus
  Today is the last day that you can apply for either the Tangerine World Mastercard or Tangerine Money-Back Credit…
• Hertz waiving young renter fees for those aged 18-24 on rentals in Canada and the U.S.
  Similar to the Enterprise offer we posted about last week, Hertz is also waiving young renter fees on their…
• New HSBC +Rewards Mastercard offer - Up to 10,000 bonus points + first year annual fee waived with an 11.9% interest rate
  Now that we are covering low interest cards more due to demand we wanted to let you know about…
• New HSBC World Elite Mastercard offer - Up to 60,000 bonus points + first year annual fee waived (90,000 points + annual fee for Quebec)
  HSBC's latest offer for their World Elite Mastercard is out now and it is one of the better ones…
• March 30 Update: Low interest credit card offers, WestJet provides schedule updates & more
  One credit card topic we have covered very little of on Rewards Canada in our almost 20 year history…

Deals:

Doordash $5 Deals. Use Code: 5DEALS at checkout! Expires April 15. Find out more here

Enterprise: Student Travel Assistance – Waiving young renter fees and reducing the minimum age to 18 for rentals through May 31, 2020. Find out more here

All 2020 Books $10, 15% off 2 or more with code SPRING + Free Shipping at Shop.Entertainment.com! (Valid 03/30 - 04/06 @9:00 am EST)


Missfresh: Simplify your life with 45% off your first 2 consecutive orders with code SIMPLIFY45. Find out more here.

Canadian Bonus Offers

No new bonus offers added today

Other Bonus Offers

No new bonus offers added today




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AIR MILES adds Uber Eats and Door Dash as Cash Miles redemption options

AIR MILES let us know this morning that they have added two new awesome Cash Miles redemption options. You can now redeem your AIR MILES Reward Miles for eVouchers to use with Uber Eats or Door Dash. Here is what they told us:

Effective today, AIR MILES Collectors can use Cash Miles towards Uber Eats and Door Dash eVouchers. For 190 Cash Miles, Collectors will get a $20 eVoucher code to use on their next Uber Eats or Door Dash order!

These redemption options follow the same the redemption rate of all other Cash Miles rewards of 95 miles = $10 however you do have to redeem 190 at a time to get that $20 eVoucher. I applaud AIR MILES for adding these two options - they couldn't come at a better time and I expect them to be extremely popular among AIR MILES collectors. We as a society in this pandemic are using food delivery services more than ever yet many Canadians are already feeling the financial strain that is ever too present so being able to use AIR MILES Cash Miles to supplement your dining budget in this matter is awesome.

If you have heeded our advice from a couple of weeks ago in our feature Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times you have shifted your AIR MILES earning to 100% Cash Miles instead of Dream Miles and hopefully you have built up those balances so that you can redeem for Uber Eats or Door Dash.

You can learn more about the Uber Eats redemption option here and the Door Dash redemption option here

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All images via AIR MILES

OFFER EXTENDED RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card - 35,000 points upon approval, no minimum spend requirement

RBC has once again extended the great offer of 35,000 RBC Rewards Points on the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card. It was supposed to end today but that has now been pushed back to April 30.

The 35,000 RBC Rewards Points are awarded on approval - no minimum spend, no spend this much each month over this many months. You simply have to be approved for the card and the bonus is yours. Yes you do have to pay the annual fee of $120 but it is more than worth with the value of the bonus and the fact you get the points in your first billing period. No waiting 3 months, 6 months or longer. You can travel a lot sooner with this bonus.

Here is what the 35,000 points will get you:

• One economy class flight anywhere in Canada or the U.S. (Hawaii and Alaska excluded) or two economy class flights to a neighbouring province or state when redeeming via the RBC Avion Air Travel Redemption schedule. Taxes and fees are not included but you can redeem points towards them at 100 points to $1 rate or just pay for them with your credit card
• $350 credit towards any other travel booked via RBC Rewards (100 points = $1)
• Convert the 35,000 points to WestJet Rewards at a 100 to 1 ratio. This means the offer provides 350 WestJet dollars. Several times per year RBC also offers a bonus when you transfer to WestJet. That bonus tends to be 10% so these 35,000 points could be converted to 385 WestJet dollars or more if the bonus is higher
• Convert the 35,000 points to British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 ratio. 35,000 Avios will get you an economy class flight between Toronto and Dublin (as little as 26,000 Avios required) or a whole slew of other flight options. RBC also offers transfer bonuses several times per year (which should see the next one around May or so) and those range from 30% to 50% meaning you could potentially have 52,500 Avios. 

Recommended reading: Utilizing British Airways' Executive Club for flights in North America
 
Now the above redemptions are all travel related - which of course at this time is next to non-existent but it doesn't hurt to start planning for the future and this card with this offer can be a great boost towards those future vacations.

On the non-travel side the 35,000 points are worth a little over $200 as a statement credit towards your card balance. With a $120 annual fee the means you would be $80 ahead if you are looking for some access to a cash equivalent right now.

Going back to travel - this is a pretty amazing offer considering there is no spending required at all other than paying your $120 annual fee. You have until April 30 to apply for the card and get this bonus offer. Note the excerpt from the terms that I have listed below - there are restrictions for those who hold existing RBC products.

Find out more and apply for the card here.


T&C's Excerpt:
Additional cardholder(s), as well as existing RBC Avion Visa Infinite or RBC Avion Visa Platinum, Cathay Pacific‡ Visa Platinum, British Airways‡ Visa Infinite, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Rewards+ Visa, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege and RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking cardholders, applying for or transferring to an RBC Avion Visa Infinite card or RBC Avion Visa Platinum as of the offer eligibility period, are not eligible for this offer.

Last day to apply for Tangerine Mastercards with their $250 welcome bonus

Today is the last day that you can apply for either the Tangerine World Mastercard or Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card to receive their current welcome bonus offer of $250.

To receive the bonus on either card you have to spend $5,000 in your first three months and you'll get a $250 bonus over and above the regular cash back you earn with the card. Since you can earn 2% cash back in select categories with the cards (3 for World, 2 for Money-Back) that means you could pull a 7% cash back return on that first $5,000 if you funneled all your spending on the 2% categories. All other purchases earn 0.5% so you could come out with no less than 5.5% cash back on that first $5,000 in spending.

Learn more about and apply for the Tangerine World Mastercard® here or  the
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card here  

The card details below show the latest offers on this card and may not be representative of the discussion above:
 

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