Tuesday, April 7, 2020

April 7 Update: New Amex Offer for Direct Energy, Visa & Mastercard raise tap limits to $250 and Royal Air Maroc officially joins oneworld


Another new offer is out with Amex offers. The latest is spend at least $100 in qualifying electricity and natural gas purchases with Direct Energy and earn a $25 statement credit. Limit of 6 credits. Simply register for the offer via the Amex App or your American Express account online. Personally I received this offer on my Platinum Card from American Express. This offer has also been added to our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'


Late late week both Visa and Mastercard agreed to raise tap limits on cards in Canada to $250 to help minimize interaction and touch points when it comes to making purchases. This is all in an effort to help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. While Mastercard said it they are enacting it immediately it may not work on all networks just yet. Visa didn't give a time line as to when their change will take place. (Source Globe & Mail)

 Royal Air Maroc has now officially joined the oneworld alliance. The airline became an official member on April 1st but without much fanfare thank to the current situation of world travel. This is a great addition to the alliance and a really good option for travel (well future travel) out of Montreal as that is the only city in Canada that RAM serves. When the time comes we'll provide more coverage of how this can and most likely will be a great option for those collect Avios in the British Airways Executive Club program and even for other oneworld airlines. And who knows it might even be a good option for Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members once Alaska joins oneworld in 2021. Also don't forget RAM's own Safar Flyer program - they are famous for some great discounted award flights like the 80% off offer seen in 2018.



This will probably not come as a surprise to anyone - there are no Miles & More Award bargains this month for flights out Canada. Although Lufthansa are flying several flights per week to Montreal they are not offering future looking discounts on award travel. They are however offering some discounted awards out of the U.S. for travel in July and August. (Source Lufthansa)


IHG Rewards Club is finally providing an extension on points expiry. Any member who has points slated to expire between April 1 and December 31 (yours truly included) will have them extended to the end of the year. Find out more here.

In Alaska Airlines latest schedule update they are only going to be flying one of their Canadian routes until the end of April by offering 7 weekly flights between Vancouver and Seattle. (Source RoutesOnline)


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:


Posts since our last update:

Deals:

Indigo plum PLUS members enjoy 2x plum points on all purchases* (Until April 30)


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 Canada Aeroplan / Altitude
- Earn up 25,000 Altitude Qualifying Miles when you donate Aeroplan Miles to a charity engaged in fighting the COVID-19 crisis. More... Until Apr 30, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stay at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West. More... Until May 1, 20

Other Bonus Offers


Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles for stays at participating Shangri-La Hotels in Hong Kong More... Until Jun 30, 20

Iberia Plus
- Earn up to 18,000 Bonus Avios when you subscribe to the Economist. More... Until May 31, 20

IHG Rewards Club
- 50% Bonus IHG Rewards Club Bonus points for stays at select New IHG hotels in the U .S. and Canada More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 31, 20

TAP Air Portugal
- OFFER EXTENDED 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. More... Until Apr 30, 20
- Earn up to 4x Miles&Go miles when you buy miles online. More... Until Apr 30, 20




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Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa 2 Bedroom Villa - The Second Chapter

The Rewards Canada family took a last minute vacation back to the Palm Springs area during the high season (right after Christmas) and hotels were at a premium. When we travel we always get two rooms now as a room with two queens and one bathroom just doesn’t cut it for two adults and two teenage daughters. In many cases this means paying full price for two rooms or at the very least full price for one room and up to 50% off for the second room.

Rewards Canada Tip:
The 50% off for the second room typically isn’t advertised by hotel chains as they know in many cases when you are booking online you think you have to pay the full price and do so. Case in point is Hyatt Hotels - when you book online you won’t find family rates that offer 50% off the second room but if you call Hyatt reservations and specifically ask for the family rate for multiple and/or connecting rooms they will give you the discount. Now this could vary by location but it has worked for us at a few different hotels.

Having this in mind and seeing what places like the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage were asking per room we decided see what we could get a two bedroom villa for at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa. We had stayed there earlier in the year (read the review here) and loved the resort and even though we’d have loved to try somewhere new this resort beckoned us back with decent pricing for a two bedroom villa. So we had it booked once again and I’ll say it’s not cheap but getting a whole two bedroom villa for less than two 2 queen rooms at the Ritz or other higher end hotels in the area I consider it a deal.

Now when booking I did see two bedroom bungalows listed as well and thought to myself that’s weird, I don’t recall there being two bedroom bungalows when we stayed there about 8 months prior. Turns out two bedroom bungalows is something new the Hyatt Indian Wells is trying out. They are the 600 series of renovated villas that we were in during our first stay. Makes sense why they were newly renovated at the time as that was part of the plan of the new 'bungalow' rate option. So what exactly is the difference between a two bedroom bungalow and a two bedroom villa? Outside of being renovated nothing at al. They are the same size and have the same layout. The difference comes in what is offered with the bungalow. When you book a bungalow you'll get the renovated room plus daily valet or parking fee, the resort fee, bungalow host gratuity, daily housekeeping gratuity, and a $300 daily resort credit redeemable at any property food/beverage outlet, Agua Serena Spa, Camp Hyatt and the Indian Wells Golf Resort. The 'Villa' option doesn't have the $300 daily credit, fees covered etc. However when I was booking the 'bungalow' rate was $700 more per night than the 'villa' rate. Now, even if math isn't your strong point $700 per night for about $400 worth of credits doesn't seem like a good deal. So that settled it for us - a villa suite it is! Just so you know the villas still have the butler service as we detailed in our last review which is no longer called butler service but rather a dedicated host service. The difference is that you'll have to tip as the 'bungalow' rate includes the gratuity.

We arrived to the Hyatt in the early evening as we took one of WestJet's later in the day YYC-PSP flights and were able to get the keys to our villa right away. You may recall from my last review that wasn't the case for our first stay! We were now assigned a 700 series villa which are the non-renovated ones and weren't sure what to expect as we hadn't seen them before. We made the 5 minute or so walk to our villa as we wanted to avoid using the dedicated host golf cart service not to mention it is nice to walk about when it 18 degrees C outside when back in Calgary it was much colder!

The villa we were assigned was actually two separate rooms - a one king room attached to a one bedroom villa when combined made it a two bedroom two bathroom villa. Obviously these ones can be sold as separate rooms if need be. This was one difference we noted over the 600 series villa we had before - it was a true two bedroom as it could not be split. That being said the layout and size of 1,350 square feet are exactly the same and we just had to enter both rooms separately to begin with and open up the connecting door. We never used the entrance to the one king room after that.
The main entrance for the villa
This villa was definitely a throwback! It felt like we were back in the 70s and 80s! The decor was kitschy but we loved it and thought it was awesome. The colours may not have been as bright as a renovated room but honestly it felt as comfortable as the renovated one although it show some wear and tear. Perhaps Hyatt will renovate these soon to take away the worn feeling. Don't get me wrong - they don't feel that warn, they are totally acceptable and we even said that if we come back we'd be totally happy staying in one of these older villas. Take away the flat screen TV and updated microwave and you wouldn't think it was 2019 in these photos of the living room:

Don't you just love the mirrored backsplash of this unit?

Overall our villa had two king beds, two full bathrooms each with double vanities, separate shower and tub and separate WCs. The living room as you can see from above featured a dining table, sitting area with chairs and a pull out sofabed. The villa also has its own private yard space with chairs to sit in, an outdoor dining table and of course a hot tub!

Here are the photos of one of the king rooms that were part of the villa:
Feel like this fan is better suited for a tropical themed hotel!
The bedrooms provide a lot of room and we find the beds here to be really comfortable. We don't spent a lot of time in them but it is nice to have all that space so that you can utilize two luggage racks in each room.

And one of the bathrooms:
 
 
 
 
If you checked out the review from our first stay you'll notice the difference between the bathrooms as well. These ones were totally fine despite the aged look and colour scheme. There was definitely some water pressure issues (I'd give it 4 out of 10) and temperature as well.  Sometimes it took upwards of 5 minutes to get hot water from the shower and sometimes it would just be warm. That didn't occur at the other villa we had before. Now each villa is part of a bigger complex of four villas so perhaps this set of four is due for a new boiler - that is if that's how the complex works.

The bonus of this villa and other 700 series villas is that you get the updated hot tubs! These ones have a waterfall which any kids (and parents) will love

700 Series hot tub

Compare this to the 600 series hot tub we had before



Another view of the hot tub and patio area:



Service wise the resort the hotel does a pretty good job for the most part. As mentioned above all villas and bungalows come with a host (formerly known as a butler). We only utilized the service a couple of times to restock the fridge as the villas and bungalows come with unlimited free water bottles, juice, pop and sparkling water. One of the hosts was a gentleman who retired to the Palm Springs area from Vancouver but needed to get out of the house so he took the host job! These hosts do a great job (at least for the small things we asked for) but I'm sure they step up to the plate for those who like to make the most of all the things afforded to them for a stay in the villas.

We visited the main restaurant Lantana several times and really enjoy the food there. The Short Rib was pretty amazing! We did order room service twice and that's were the service seemed to fail a bit as it always took much longer than they promised. The one I recall was a 30-35 minute delivery time, at 60 minutes I called and was told it would be another 5 minutes but it ended up being 15 more minutes.

Surprisingly this trip we didn't make use of the pool area as on this trip as we spent more time exploring the area and using our villa's hot tub and yard! The resort does have several great pools and was actually just in the midst of building their new water park that will include a lazy river and new waterslides. From my last review they stated it was set to open in late 2020 so lets hope that's still the case.

Overall we really enjoyed staying at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells for a second time within a year and are pretty sure it may become our usual base for the Palm Desert area. Don't get me wrong, we do love other hotels here and always talk about staying at some new ones but the villas are such a good option for our family, the resort itself is great (and will be even more fun with the new waterpark), it has self-parking (if you know me from other reviews we have a tough time with valet only hotels) and being in Indian Wells it is central to being able to explore the are both east and west with decent drive times.

And I leave you this photo of the amplifier/receiver in the living room shelving unit 😄

Hotel details

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa (Book here)

Points required for a free night:
  • 20,000 Points for standard room
  • 27,000 Points for Regency/Club Grand Room
  • 32,000 Points for standard suite
  • 40,000 Points for premium suite
Points+Cash rates:
  • 10,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms
  • 16,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard suites
  • 20,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for premium suites 
Points for upgrades:
Room Upgrade Award Points Per Night
Regency Club®/Grand Club® Upgrade  3,000
Suite Upgrade  6,000
Premium Suite Upgrade 9,000

Talk to us! Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa? What are your thoughts of the hotel? Or are you planning to and looking forward to it? Let us know below!

All images courtesy of the author
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New earning and redeeming structure coming to the no fee BMO CashBack Mastercard on May 1


BMO has revealed to us (and on to everyone on their website) that they are making changes to their no fee BMO CashBack Mastercard. Kicking in on May 1 there are changes both to the earning and burning side of the cash back program.


Earning changes
Currently the card provides 1% cash back on all purchases made with the card however as of May 1 that will change to the following:
    • 3% cash back on eligible grocery purchases, up to a maximum of $500 spent for each statement cycle
    • 1% cash back on eligible recurring bill payments, up to a maximum of $500 spent for each statement cycle
    • 0.5% unlimited cash back on all other purchases
    As you can see they are boosting the earning rate for grocery purchases to 3% with a cap of $500 spent for each statement cycle. That means you can earn $15 cash back each month for groceries, well you can earn more but that's how much you'll get at 3%, the remainder will be 0.5%. So if you spend $1,500 a month on groceries you would receive $20 in total cash back ($15+$5) with the new earning structure. Under the old structure it would be $15. Outside of groceries the card has in fact become worse - well not for recurring bill payments but for everything else. So that will be the key with this card - you need to be mainly putting grocery purchases on it. If you make lots of purchases that do not count as grocery you might be better off with a different card albeit most no fee cash back cards in Canada have similar earn rates - 0.5% for non-category bonus purchases and higher rates in select other categories. So you can see that BMO has made these changes to actually bring the card in line with many of its competitors.

    Redeeming changes
    The changes for cash back redemption have made this card more liquid - that is, it will become easier to redeem for your cash back. The current redemption model for the card requires you to achieve $50 in cash back to redeem for a one-time or recurring redemption. The new model that comes on May 1 allows you to redeem as little as $1 for a one-time redemption or $25 for automatic recurring redemptions. This will move the card up our list in Guide to Credit Card Cash Back Liquidity to the top with the Brim Mastercards.


    Overall I would say the positive changes outweigh the negative changes with the card. Being able to redeem for $1 is great, the 3% return on groceries is great however the 0.5% on all other purchases gets a  👎

    Learn more about the card and the changes here.

    All images via BMO
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    Brim World Elite Mastercard - First year annual fee waived & $500+ in first time bonuses


    Brim is amping up their game to compete with the other big wig banks for the premium card market with this offer for their Brim World Elite Mastercard. That offer sees the first year annual of $199 waived when you apply for and are approved for their top end card. The offer also states that you receive $500+ in first time bonuses with select merchants that partner with Brim. You have to be a new Brim customer and apply by April 30 to get the first year annual fee waiver.

    If you are not familiar with Brim Financial they are the first non-bank issuer of Mastercards in Canada. They launched a couple of years ago with a trio of credit cards from a base level no annual fee card to their top level World Elite Mastercard. Despite having some issues when they first launched the company now has gotten their act together and are really progressing with their product and loyalty program. All the details on the program and their cards can be found here.

    The World Elite card is the only card from their portfolio with this limited time annual fee waiver and it provides 2% back in points (essentially cash back) on the first $25,000 in spending on the card annually. After that it drops to 1%. The card has a very strong insurance package and also offers free Boingo Wi-Fi (this was a feature before all Canadian cards received on April 1, 2020 - read about that here)  This card along with all other Brim cards also provides No Foreign Transaction Fees on all purchases that are not in Canadian dollars.

    It's nice to see them offer this card with an annual fee waiver so that people can try out them out as at $199 per year otherwise this card is overpriced.  When you compare it to other World Elite, Visa Infinite and some American Express cards you are (or will be) paying $49 to $79 more per year and your limited on the rewards side - a card that charges $199 per year should not cap its 2% earning at $25,000 in spending - many other cards will earn more on the rewards side. It also has competitors that offer no Foreign Transaction fees and now that all World Elite Mastercards have free Boingo Wi-Fi they have lost that competitive advantage for that benefit. I recall a good media friend of ours who said they like this Brim World Elite card as they got free Wi-Fi on WestJet flights but now that can be had on many cards and at a lower cost with the potential for higher rewards.

    Overall this is a good offer from Brim Financial especially if you have been considering the card but were hemming and hawing over the annual fee. You can try the card out for a year at no cost and seeing that you can redeem as little as 100 points for a $1 credit you don't have to hoard your points and worry about losing them if and when you cancel the card. You can also hope, as we do, that Brim reevaluates this card and gives it some extra benefits or higher rewards to make the $199 annual fee worth it. Or maybe they would consider lowering that annual fee to place it in line with many of its competitors.

    Learn more about this offer here.


    Image via Brim Financial


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    Monday, April 6, 2020

    Air Canada providing Altitude elite status extensions, ability to share status and more


    Air Canada is next out of the gate with news for their elite status members. We've heard from airlines like WestJet, United, Delta and more over the past few days and weeks and now here it is for all you Altitude members.

    Here is what Air Canada is offering their Altitude members:
    Automatic extension of 2020 Altitude Status:
    All Altitude status for 2020 will automatically be extended through to the end of 2021. Should a member reach a higher status before the end of this year, they will enjoy it upon qualification, and maintain it through 2021 as well.

    Share Altitude Status with a loved one
    Since Altitude status is secure through 2021, if a member has already achieved status for next year, or does so by the end of 2020, they can gift it to a friend or family member.

    Keep earning Altitude Status and Aeroplan Miles from home
    While at home, a member can still earn Aeroplan Miles, progress towards Altitude status and make a difference with their miles. From now until April 30, for every five Aeroplan Miles a member donates to a charity engaged in fighting the COVID-19 crisis, they will receive one Altitude Qualifying Mile – up to a maximum of 25,000 AQM – all of which count towards 2021 status for the member, and a loved one. 
    Great news from the Air Canada team here for those who have status or will be able to still achieve it this year. The extensions are similar to United and Delta's as you will now hold onto your status until the end of 2021 but I love that they added in the ability to gift that status to someone if you have or will meet 2021 status requirements this year. Finally the ability to earn ability to earn AQMs for donating Aeroplan miles is a neat way to make it easier to earn status for next year or perhaps bump you up to the next level. 25,000 AQM's is the first step to getting Prestige 25K status as you'll still need 3000 AQDs. Sure to get 25,000 AQMs you'll need to donate 125,000 Aeroplan Miles - not an easy task for a lot of people but for those who have flown lots in the past and are sitting on hundreds of thousands if not millions of miles like many of the Super Elite 75K and 100Ks are, this just might be the ticket for you. Or maybe you are one of these people putting through $50,000 a month on your TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card so donating 125K miles is not a big deal especially when you get elite status in return for yourself or as a gift to someone else.

    Hopefully there will be even more coming from them in terms of criteria for earning status for 2021 seeing that flying is not happening for many right now. For example Delta is providing rollover MQM's and United cut their requirements to achieve status in half. Air Canada already stated this a few weeks ago that they are looking at it:

    "We're watching the situation very closely and, as travel patterns unfold over the coming months, you can count on us to address this unusual situation. Rest assured that we'll do right by you with policy changes and special offers for Altitude status qualification." 

    Air Canada Altitude qualification requirements:

    However this still eludes us and the question remains will Air Canada lower the requirements to earn Altitude status? At the very least it would be nice to see a reduction in AQD since you can donate miles to earn AQMs but ultimately a reduction in both would be the most ideal route for Air Canada to take.

    Learn more about Air Canada's announcement here 

    Image via Air Canada
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    Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for April - 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 April 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 only change this month sees the new offer for the HSBC World Elite Mastercard take over fifth spot from the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite card. 

    Editor's Note:
    As travel is curtailed right now these offers are more forward looking and can and should be used towards your long term travel plans - whether that's later this year, next year or even beyond. Getting the cards now allows you to achieve the sign up bonuses as you wish and then continue to spend to build up those points and miles balances to make those future vacations that much better. - Or in the case of all the cards except the Alaska Airlines Mastercard you can also look at cash back or cash back equivalents like gift cards from each program if you are looking at short term financial help. If you are going for the latter focus on the cards that have no fee in the first year so that you can maximize your value.

    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 April (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

    TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card - 30,000 Miles (Apply here)
    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

    HSBC World Elite Mastercard - 60,000 points (Apply here)
    This card offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 points, split between 20,000 on first purchase and 40,000 more when you spend $6,000 within 180 days of getting the card. The annual fee of $149 is waived in the first year as well meaning these points come to you at no cost other than card spend.The card has a lot of other good benefits like no foreign transaction fees to consider as well! Those 60,000 points are worth $300 in travel rewards but those points can also be converted to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. 
    Minimum Income: $80,000 personal or $150,000 household or $400,000 in assets at any Canadian Financial Institution

    If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with anywhere from $1,700 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. 
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    A look at the new benefits that have been added to all World & World Elite Mastercards in Canada


     Last week we brought you the details about new benefits that Mastercard Canada released on April 1st for their World and World Elite Mastercards. We focused on how the new Boingo benefit will be really enjoyed by those who hold the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard as it provides free Wi-Fi access on WestJet flights but this holds true for anyone who holds a World or World Elite Mastercard in Canada.

    In this post we'll look at that and all the other benefits that Mastercard has added for these cards.


    Boingo Wi-Fi
    All World and World Elite Mastercard holders in Canada now get Boingo Wi-Fi access at no extra cost and with no added fees. Boingo is available at over 1 million locations worldwide and also includes Wi-Fi on select airlines including WestJet. Learn more about and register for the Boingo offer here
    Image via Boingo


    Foodora
    World and World Elite Mastercard holders will receive $15 off their first order of $30 or more with Foodora. This is followed with an offer of $5 off every third order made with Foodora. Note that you must make the two previous orders in the same month to get the $5 off voucher, which is then valid for 30 days. Learn more about the Foodora offer here.
    Image via Foodora


    Ritual
    World and World Elite Mastercard holders will receive up to $20 in Ritual vouchers when you sign up for Ritual. The vouchers are awarded as one $5 voucher when you first join then you'll get $5 vouchers after each order for your first three orders. You'll also receive automatic Ritual Elite status for the first month and then that elite status continues as long as you place an order each month.  If you don't you'll then have to make 8 orders in the next month to regain that status. Finally you'll also receive 1,000 bonus points each month that you purchase five hot beverages. Learn more about the Ritual offer here.
    Image via Ritual

    Mastercard Travel Rewards
    The Mastercard Travel Rewards program that now comes standard on all Canadian World and World Elite Mastercards launched last year IIRC for cardmembers in other countries. I don't recall if it was available to at least some Canadian cards prior to now but nonetheless it is here now.

    Mastercard Canada describes their Travel Rewards programs as such:
    Shop, dine and relax when you travel outside of Canada and receive automatic cashback from participating merchants such as Target, Bloomingdale's and many, many more. 

    These offers will definitely become more useful when the world returns to normal as some of the current offers like $5 off when you spend $100 at Target are only valid until June 30, 2020. You'll want to make sure you check the Mastercard Travel Rewards website frequently before you travel so that you know which stores to use your Mastercard at and even before you book hotels as they do have offers such as a $50 statement credit when you spend $500 at Loews Hotels. Learn more about Mastercard Travel Rewards here.

    Example of a Mastercard Travel Rewards offer

    These new benefits add to existing ones like the Mastercard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey and Priceless Cities experiences. The Mastercard Airport Experiences provides business class lounge access and other airport benefits at over 1,000 airports around the world while Priceless Cities provides over 2,000 experiences around the globe.

    As we have already mentioned these benefits now apply to any and all World and World Elite Mastercards in Canada.

    Here's just a small list of World and World Elite cards in Canada that these new benefits come standard on now:

    Word on the street is that Mastercard isn't done yet and there will be more benefits coming in the future - primarily in their Digital Everyday offers category that Foodora and Ritual fall into. It is these type of benefit additions that are key to trying to differentiate and compete among card issuers. Mastercard does appear to be taking a stab at Visa Infinite and Infinite Privilege cards and as we have mentioned time after time for many years these type of additions are necessary as there isn't much room left to compete on the actual rewards side of things.

    Learn more about all these new and existing benefits here.
     

     Unless otherwise noted all images via Mastercard
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