American AAdvantage provides elite status extension, lowers qualification requirements and more

American Airlines is the last of the big 3 U.S. airlines to come out with details for the elite status portion of the AAdvantage program. Like most airline and hotel programs American is now offering extensions to those who currently hold elite status. On top of that they are providing a reduced qualifying structure to account for the lower demand in travel, extending the validity of upgrade vouchers and more.

Here are the details as provided by American:

• Extending elite status for AAdvantage members until Jan. 31, 2022.
• Reducing elite status qualifications for 2020.
• Extending Admirals Club® memberships purchased from American for 6 months.*
• Introducing up to $400 special credits for future travel on American Airlines Vacations packages for elite members.**
• Every dollar spent on an eligible AAdvantage co-branded credit card through the end of 2020 will count for one mile toward Million Miler℠ status.
• Award reinstatement fees waived for travel through September 2020.

Elite Status Extension
If your current elite status expires on January 31, 2021, we’ll automatically extend the expiration date until January 31, 2022.
You’ll continue to enjoy all the benefits that come with your status, and you can earn a higher status through lower elite qualification requirements this year.
Accounts will be updated by May 15, 2020.

Lowering elite qualification requirementsYou’ll be able to qualify for a higher elite status in 2020 with lower Elite Qualifying Dollar (EQD), Elite Qualifying Mile (EQM) and Elite Qualifying Segment (EQS) requirements.

Qualifying metric	Gold oneworld® Ruby	Platinum oneworld® Sapphire	Platinum Pro oneworld® Sapphire	Executive Platinum oneworld® Emerald
EQDs	$1,500	$4,000	$6,000	$9,000
EQMs	15,000	30,000	45,000	60,000
EQSs	15	30	45	60

Extending expiration of systemwide upgrades
Any unused systemwide upgrades with an expiration date of January 31, 2021, will be automatically extended through July 31, 2021.
While we’re not awarding new systemwide upgrades with the extension of Executive Platinum status, members who qualify or re-qualify for Executive Platinum status in 2020 will receive 4 systemwide upgrades valid through January 31, 2022.
Accounts will be updated by May 15, 2020.

Promotion to reach Million Miler status
We’re introducing a limited-time promotion to help you reach Million Miler℠ status and receive benefits like elite status. For all eligible Citi / AAdvantage^® and AAdvantage^® Aviator products, as well as select AAdvantage^® credit cards outside the U.S., every dollar spent on net purchases that post between May 1, 2020, – December 31, 2020, will count as 1 mile toward Million Miler℠ status.

Waiving award reinstatement and change fees for award bookings
Waived award reinstatement and change fees for awards booked by May 31, 2020, for travel through September 30, 2020. For award travel ticketed on or after June 1, 2020, we’ll waive change and reinstatement fees when the change is made at least 60 days before travel. A new fee structure will apply to changes made with fewer than 60 days before travel:

Elite status	Change made 60 days or more before travel	At least 7 days, but fewer than 60 days before travel	Fewer than 7 days before travel
Executive Platinum	$0	$0	$0
Platinum Pro	$0	$50	$75
Platinum	$0	$75	$100
Gold	$0	$100	$125
Regular member	$0	$125	$150

American Airlines Vacations credit
We’re giving AAdvantage^® elite members another reason to look forward to a vacation. On July 1, 2020, they’ll receive a special one-time credit of up to $400 to use toward an American Airlines Vacations package.

Elite status	Credit amount
Gold	$300
Platinum and Platinum Pro	$350
Executive Platinum	$400

Great news for the small amount of Canadians who do hold status with American AAdvantage as you now get to have it for one full year extra and have the possibility to boost that status higher with the lowered requirements if you get the chance to fly on American later this year. For the even smaller portion of our population, there may a select few of you who hold a U.S. based American AAdvantage credit card you have an amazing opportunity to boost your run for Million Miler status by having your credit card spend from May to December count towards that status.

I'm surprised at their reinstatement fee structure - having no fees for changing 60+ days out is the good part and sure you have no change fees at all for awards booked by May 31 for travel until September 30 but still with so much uncertainty around travel in the next 6 to 12 months to have fees that will be charged for travel changes within 60 days does seem a bit ridiculous.

We also see in the news release that people who have purchased Admirals Club memberships will have those extended for 6 months.

Overall this was expected from AA seeing that their competitors have already announced their elite status extensions and the such. And most of it is great news if you hold status or know that you can now qualify for it next year with the lowered requirements.

Learn more about this announcement here.

Title image via American Airlines

April 9 Update: Air Canada & WestJet to hire back laid off employees, even discontinued grandfathered Mastercards get new benefits & Air Canada's May flight schedule

Air Canada and WestJet will re-hire over 16,000 and 6,000 employees respectively thanks to the Government of Canada's Emergency Wage Subsidy. Here is a statement from WestJet's CEO Ed Sims:

“We are pleased to announce, after discussions with the federal government, that we will bring almost 6,400 employees back on the WestJet payroll, once the government has approved the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program.” 

“This does not automatically mean that they will be coming back to work as there may not be work there for them. But it does help them make ends meet and I am grateful for the hard work by the Government of Canada and of all governments across Canada to provide businesses with the tools to continue operating in these challenging times. We will be communicating with those WestJetters who are affected by this decision as soon as we can.” 

and from Air Canada's CEO Calin Rovinescu:

"The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy is an extremely important program to help employees and employers during this time of crisis, and as one of Canada's largest employers most affected by COVID-19, we want to acknowledge the leadership of the Government of Canada in introducing it," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. 

"While our seat capacity and operations have decreased by more than 90 per cent overnight, we are trying to keep as many of our employees as possible during the crisis and this measure will certainly help. Depending on wage levels, many furloughed employees will get a somewhat higher amount under CEWS than they would otherwise receive from Employment Insurance payments plus they will maintain their health insurance and other benefits and stay more connected to our company during the Program Period. Once the crisis passes and passenger demand increases, we look forward to returning as many employees as possible to active status as we resume normal operations," concluded Mr. Rovinescu.

Great news for those of you who have the grandfathered version of what used to be Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Card from years ago - the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard. Rewards Canada reader Leo T. asked if we knew if the card would also receive all the new World and World Elite Mastercard benefits we announced last week. He contacted Capital One who told him to contact Mastercard. Well he decided to just try it out on the Boingo site and Leo has confirmed that his card was eligible.

This should hopefully mean it also gets all the other new benefits that come with premium Canadian Mastercards. Read more about the new benefits here.

Top image via Mastercard

Air Canada has released their intended flight schedules for May and it sees international flights tripling from 30 per week to 90 as the airline slowly prepares for a hopeful early return to travel. Their page shows a significant increase in flights within Canada although it is still not even close to what it was before the pandemic. Flights to the U.S. are also being increased but are once again being limited to departures from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. You can find all their scheduled flights for May here. (List below is sourced from  RoutesOnline).

Here are Air Canada's planned international operations for May:

Montreal – Brussels 4 weekly A330-300 (service resumption)
Montreal – Fort-de-France 1 weekly A319 (service resumption)
Montreal – Frankfurt 1 daily 787-9
Montreal – London Heathrow 5 weekly A330-300
Montreal – Paris CDG 1 daily 777-300ER (400-seater)
Montreal – Pointe-a-Pitre 1 weekly A319 (service resumption)
Toronto – Bogota 3 weekly 787-8 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Bridgetown 1 weekly A319 (resumes on 16MAY20)
Toronto – Cancun 2 weekly A320 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Frankfurt 1 daily 777-300ER (400-seater)
Toronto – London Heathrow 2 daily 777-300ER (400-seater)/787-9
Toronto – Mexico City 1 daily A319
Toronto – Montego Bay 2 weekly A319 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Punta Cana 2 weekly A320 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Tokyo Haneda 4 weekly 787-9 (service resumption)
Toronto – Zurich 4 weekly 787-9 (service resumption)
Vancouver – Hong Kong 5 weekly 787-9
Vancouver – London Heathrow 5 weekly 787-8
Vancouver – Seoul Incheon 4 weekly 787-9 (service resumption)
Vancouver – Tokyo Narita 5 weekly 787-9

Image via Air Canada

 

Throwback Thursday - Here's a throwback to 2012 when Rewards Canada was featured as the Travel Website of the Week on Canada.com. Of note that's when the WestJet RBC World Mastercard became a World Elite Mastercard. Read the old article 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:

• Calgary Hotel Association stepping up with member hotels to provide accommodations for front line workers, self-isolation and vulnerable Calgarians
  I'm sure this is prevalent across Canada with various city, town and province hotel and tourism associations but seeing…
• AIR MILES will match collector donations made to Food Banks Canada and Kids Help Phone
  AIR MILES revealed a new campaign that starts today whereby they will match donations made by their members to…
• Select BCAA members may receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card for joining Best Western Rewards
  In my everyday search for new bonus offers to add to the bonus offers sections on Rewards Canada Frequent…
• April 8 Update: Alaska Airlines extending paid lounge access memberships, 500 free iPrefer points in your email, update to our COVID-19 page
  Yesterday we brought you the news about Alaska Airlines providing elite status extending elite status and voucher and wanted…
   

Deals:

Ready to plan some travel for 2021? Contiki has released their 2021 trips and are allowing you lock in at this years prices. Find out more here.

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

Hello Fresh: save $65 in total, including free shipping on the first box! Find out more here.

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

Rewards Canada receives a small commission when you use any of the above offers. You don't have to chose to use our links but we thank you in advance if you do.

Canadian Bonus Offers

Best Western Rewards
- Receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card when you join the Best Western Rewards program. Valid for select BCAA (British Columbia Automobile Association) members. More... Targeted offer - may not work for everyone Unknown end dates

Other Bonus Offers

Etihad Guest
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Guest Miles when you were due to travel between 1 March and 30 June 2020, and when you cancel your booking for Etihad Credit. More... Until Jun 30, 20

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Triple Infinity MileageLands Miles when you rent with Avis for 3 or more days in North America (exclude Alaska), Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More... Book by Apr 30 for rentals until May 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the Four Points by Sheraton St. Louis - Fairview Heights. More... Until Jun 6, 20

Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer
- Double iPrefer Points for stays at the Huntington Hotel San Francisco More... Until Dec 31, 20

Singapore Airines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you rent a car for 3 or more days with Budget in North America (excluding Alaska), Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More... Book by May 31 for rentals until Jun 30, 20




Follow Rewards Canada:

---

Calgary Hotel Association stepping up with member hotels to provide accommodations for front line workers, self-isolation and vulnerable Calgarians

I'm sure this is prevalent across Canada with various city, town and province hotel and tourism associations but seeing that Rewards Canada is in Calgary I wanted to focus on what the Calgary Hotel Association (CHA) is doing for the COVID-19 pandemic.  Working in conjunction with Tourism Calgary the association has set up a list of all their member hotels who are accepting reservations and providing special rates for front-line and health care workers and those people who need to self-isolate. They are also working closely with select member hotels to provide accommodations for vulnerable Calgarians during this time.

Front-line and Health Care Workers
The CHA has a list of hotels on their website where front-line and health care workers  seeking accommodation or isolation solutions while they provide critical services at Calgary’s primary facilities. The list of hotels provides contact details as well as distances from hospitals and urgent care centers. You can access the list here (Excel spreadsheet)

Self-Isolation
The CHA also has a list of member hotels who are providing accommodations to those people who need to Self-Isolate - whether that's from coming back to Calgary from overseas or being potentially exposed within the community. You can access the list here. You will notice they are all near the Calgary airport so if you are not in that part of the city you could reach out to the CHA or other hotels directly to see if they are accepting reservations for Self-Isolation.

I spoke with the CHA's Sol Zia (you may recognize Sol from his occasional posts here on Rewards Canada and his providing of extra Maple Leaf Lounge passes for some of our giveaways) as to whether the hotels are offering discounted rates for the above situations. While each hotel has a different policy in place Sol did state that "the rates are likely heavily discounted - I know many are in the $69, $79 and $89 range" We recommend that you call or email the hotel directly via the contacts from the above links to see what the special rates may be.

Vulnerable Calgarians
For vulnerable Calgarians the CHA is also working "in collaboration with the City of Calgary and Community agencies and shelters by connecting them with Calgary hotels directly to supply adequate and safe housing options for vulnerable Calgarians. At this point in time, the agencies are working directly with a select number of hotels determined as the best fit for each agency’s needs." This list of hotels is not provided for confidentiality reasons but it is great to know they are taking people in need at a time when it is needed the most.

Learn more about the CHA's COVID-19 initiatives here. 

Now it's your turn Rewards Canada community! 
 What is your local city, association, tourism board doing to help out? Let us know in the comments below so that they can all get a well deserved shout out!

Images via Calgary Hotel Association

AIR MILES will match collector donations made to Food Banks Canada and Kids Help Phone

AIR MILES revealed a new campaign that starts today whereby they will match donations made by their members to Food Banks Canada and Kids Help Phone. To participate you can redeem 500 Dream Miles to either of the charities which turns into a $50 donation to them. AIR MILES will then match all of the member donation amounts up to $500,000 or $1 Million in total between members and AIR MILES corporate.

These are the details AIR MILES provided us today:

• Starting today, AIR MILES Collectors can donate 500 Dream Miles to Food Banks Canada or Kids Help Phone
• For every Collector donation, AIR MILES will contribute $50 to the Collector's selected charity, and match it with a corporate donation of $50
• AIR MILES will match the first $500,000 in Collector pledges
• Collectors will receive a tax receipt from the charity via the email address associated with their AIR MILES Account
• Both donation opportunities are available through airmiles.ca/donate

You'll notice bullet point #4 which states you'll get a tax receipt - this is an extra bonus for anyone and everyone's generosity via this campaign. Most loyalty programs don't provide tax receipts for donations made with a loyalty currency, just an added incentive to bring down your tax burden for the year and keep your actual cash flow intact.

Images via AIR MILES

Select BCAA members may receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card for joining Best Western Rewards

In my everyday search for new bonus offers to add to the bonus offers sections on Rewards Canada Frequent Flyer Bonuses I came across this offer from Best Western Rewards for British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) members. Now before I get into the offer you should note that it is targetted - it says so right in the terms and conditions: "British Columbia Automobile Association (“BCAA”) members (“Member(s)”) who (a) have been selected to participate in this Promotion (which will be communicated to them via email), (b) enroll in the Best Western Rewards program (with a valid, subscribed email address) within 10 days of the date the email is sent to the Member." so if you have not received an email from BCAA asking you to join BWR there is a good chance you won't qualify.  

That being said - it never hurts to try. As we say in the world of points and miles, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) which means you may or may not get the offer but you do try for it.  If you do want to try you can either register your existing BWR number (this tends not to work with these new member bonuses) or you can join the program via the link and make sure you input your BCAA membership number during the registration process. 

The offer itself provides a C$25 Best Western Travel Card when you join the program that you can use towards a stay at any Best Western hotel. Problem is that Travel Card will expire within 3 months from date of issue and there has been no news from Best Western about any extensions to any travel cards because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  This offer is similar to one offer to Central Ontario CAA members last summer however that offer wasn't so deeply targeted.

Offer details:
Receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card when you join the Best Western Rewards program. Valid for select BCAA (British Columbia Automobile Association) members. Full details and online registration. (Registration is required)
Targeted offer - may not work for everyone

There's also one other note with this offer that gives me some concern. The landing page URL contains a '16' in it - this could indicate the offer is from 2016 however this page didn't show up anywhere in my scouring for bonus offers until late March. And Best Western does seem to have odd numbers at times in their URLs so the 16 may not mean anything.

If any of our readers in B.C. are BCAA members and did receive this email please let us know when you did and if you signed up for the offer! Or if you are member but didn't get the email let us know if you will try it right away to see if it works out for you.

April 8 Update: Alaska Airlines extending paid lounge access memberships, 500 free iPrefer points in your email, update to our COVID-19 page

Yesterday we brought you the news about Alaska Airlines providing elite status extending elite status and voucher and wanted to let you know they are also extending memberships in their paid lounge access program by six months. (Source Alaska Airlines)

If you are a Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer member be sure to check your email for a survey that will net you 500 free iPrefer points. I received mine on April 6. The link in the email is individualized so I won't be sharing it here.

We've now added a drop down menu for easier navigation of our COVID-19 page:

 

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
• The ultimate guide to earning miles, points, and cash back for online shopping and food delivery services  

Posts since our last update:

• Marriott Bonvoy now extending elite status of members to February 2022
  We've seen many airline and hotel programs providing elite status extensions over the past few weeks and now Marriott…
• The ultimate guide to earning miles, points, and cash back for online shopping and food delivery services
  Based on the current situation many find ourselves in right now online shopping and food delivery are at the…
• Earn up to 5x Aeroplan Miles with Aeroplan eStore's Spring Fashion Event
  Online shopping has always a great way to earn more miles, points and cash back thanks to online shopping…
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan provides extensions on elite status and credit card companion vouchers
  We are now getting news on a daily basis it seems from airline frequent flyer programs about extensions within…
• 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…
  
  

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 to 5x Aeroplan Miles when you shop online via the Aeroplan eStore at select fashion retailers. More... Until Apr 19, 20

Other Bonus Offers

JAL Mileage Bank
- Triple Mileage Bank Miles for stays at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort or Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger. More... Until Mar 31, 21

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga. More... Until Jun 15, 20
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for up to five nights at The Westin Charlotte. More... Until Jun 24, 20

Miles & More
- Earn up to 10x Miles & More Miles when you rent with Hertz for 1 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by Jun 30 for rentals until Dec 15, 20



Follow Rewards Canada:

---

Marriott Bonvoy now extending elite status of members to February 2022

We've seen many airline and hotel programs providing elite status extensions over the past few weeks and now Marriott has joined the ranks. Early on Marriott provided a pause on the expiring of points and extensions of free night awards but held off on any news about elite status extensions or reduced qualification requirements. Now we have news of extensions for anyone who earned status from 2019 but still no word about reduced qualification requirements for those who do not have status.

Here are the details as provided by Marriott:

Status Extension: We want you to be able to enjoy the status that you earned in 2019. With that in mind, the status you earned in 2019 will be extended to February 2022. 

Points Expiration: To provide you ample time to redeem points, the expiration of points will be paused until February 2021. At that time, your points will only expire if your account has been inactive for at least 24 months. 

Suite Night Awards (SNAs): We have extended the expiration of suite night awards by one year from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021. 

Free Night Award (FNA): Members who currently have an active Free Night Award (FNA) expiring in 2020 as part of their credit card benefit, annual choice benefit, promotions or travel package will be able to use it through January 31, 2021. (Exception: Members in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan the Free Night Awards will be extended 12 months into 2021 from the date of expiration).

The great news is that your 2020 status will now be valid until February 2020 instead of February 2021 - a full year of extra status.

A screen shot from my wife's account as she is the primary Marriott Bonvoy member in the Rewards Canada household stating the elite status extension:

As to points expiration, this has been extended even further. Originally Marriott was not going to expire any points that were due to be lost by August 31, 2020. Now that is pushed back to February 2021. Remember Marriott points don't expiry if you have some sort activity at least once every 2 years.

Suite Night and Free Night Awards extensions have not changed since the previous announcement. We have two Free Night Awards set to expire this September which means they should be extended to January 31, 2021. The expiry dates have not changed yet in the account so I'll be sure to keep an eye on those. These Free Night Awards include those provided as an anniversary bonus from the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card, so if you have the card and received the certificate in mid to late 2019 it should be extended as well.

The only news we are now awaiting from Marriott Bonvoy is if they will be reducing the criteria required for earning elite status. Holding out is something many programs seem to be doing as I think they are hoping there will be a return to somewhat normal travel sooner than later. If that's not the case, which seems likely, we may see these programs revisit that topic based on if and when we see that resumption in travel..

Again, this is good news from the Marriott Bonvoy program to now be following in the footsteps of other hotel and airline programs in providing elite status extensions.

Learn more about this announcement here.

The ultimate guide to earning miles, points, and cash back for online shopping and food delivery services

Based on the current situation many find ourselves in right now online shopping and food delivery are at the forefront of our shopping habits so it seems only fitting to provide a more detailed guide about online shopping. We've done it in the past for holiday and back to school shopping so you'll find many of those elements in this guide albeit with more of a focus on everyday shopping.

There was a 2014 report from Loyalty Magazine that stated 94% of all global consumers now shop online at some level and 35% of these online shoppers are making at least one purchase per week. Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic and my guess is that 35% of one purchase per week has now shot up to at least double that with most people staying home and social distancing. However even if 70% or 80% or more are now shopping once per week online there are still a large percentage of those who don't know they can be earning more miles,  points or cash back on those online purchases!

Image via Great Canadian Rebates

 The great thing about shopping online is that there are multiple avenues to earn miles, points or cash back on so many of those purchases. First you can earn miles or points on the credit card used for the purchase, second many retailers have their own loyalty program where you can earn on those purchases and finally many stand alone loyalty programs have online shopping portals whereby you can earn miles for shopping at those retailers online.

For Canadians the best online shopping portals are Aeroplan's eStore, AIR MILES airmilesshops.ca, Rakuten and Great Canadian Rebates. That being said if you are planning on shopping at U.S. or International retailers who ship to Canada (or to your U.S. mail forwarder) you can also add in programs like Alaska Airlines, United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage and many others!

The process to earn miles, points or cash back is quite simple however here is a step by step guide to how to earn the most miles, points and cash back when shopping online:

1. Surf to the online shopping portal you wish to use (we have links below)
2. Log in with your credentials 
3. Search the portal for the store you want to shop at (if it's not there, go back to Step 1 with the next shopping portal)
   Hint: Check multiple portals to see who is offering the best earn rate (ie a bonus) 
4. Click on the 'Shop Now' or whatever button that portal uses 
5. You are then taken to that retailer's website.
   Tip: Do not close that window before your complete your purchase. If you do, go back to Step 4 and start over 
6. Before finalizing your order be sure to log in or supply your credentials for that retailer's loyalty program. For example, Indigo - by logging in you can earn your Plum points for the purchase as well. Or retailers like Lowe's you simply add your AIR MILES number during check out 
7. Pay with a miles, points or cash back earning credit card

Here are the links to most online rewards earning virtual shopping malls:

Canadian Online Shopping Portals

• Aeroplan eStore
• AIR MILES airmilesshops.ca 
• Brim Financial eShop
• Great Canadian Rebates (Cash back)
• Rakuten,ca (Cash Back)

U.S. Online Shopping Portals

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan 
• American Airlines AAdvantage
  
• Choice Privileges 
• Delta SkyMiles Shopping 
• Hilton Honors 
• United Airlines MileagePlus 
• Wyndham Rewards

International Online Shopping Portals

• British Airways Executive Club 
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
  
• Norwegian Reward
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club 

If we are missing any please let us know below and we'll add them to the list!

Current bonus offers for these portals:


You'll also need to know that due to the COVID-19 situation Amazon.ca has become even more popular which has led them to no longer participate in these online portals. So you'll only earn points, miles or cashback with whatever credit card you use.

If you want to find out what U.S. retailers are participating in an online points or miles mall? Check out evreward.com and search your favourite stores to see where you can earn points or miles. When you do shop at online retailers from the U.S. or overseas you could and should utilize a credit that offers No Foreign Transaction fees like the HSBC World Elite Mastercard or the  Scotia Passport Visa Infinite card. 

Recommended reading: No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards for Canadians 

Now these shopping portals are not the only places being flooded right now due to increased online shopping demand. There are services that people will be making more use of right now during this time of having to stay home and the biggie here are food delivery services. From Skip the Dishes to Instacart to Chef's Plate - you name it they have all seen a huge increase in demand. Some of these services like Hello Fresh are actually found on some of these portals so you can earn some miles, points or cash back when you first subscribe to them. However after that you'll want to maximize the miles or points you earn with the credit card you use for those purchases. The best card for the majority of these is by far the American Express Cobalt Card - it earns 5x points with Skip the Dishes, Hello Fresh, Instacart, DoorDash and so on. Without going into deep detail on the card those 5 points per dollar translates to the following returns 3.5% for cash back, 5% for any travel, up to 10% for Amex' Fixed Travel redemption and 6%-10+% for Marriott point conversions.  Before you say that Amex isn't accepted at some of the more popular grocery stores (looking at the Loblaw family of stores primarily) you can use Instacart as a workaround since they count as a 5x merchant and accept Amex.  For more details I recommend reading our article: "Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card"

Here's a screenshot of just one purchase we personally made via Instacart to have groceries delivered from Real Canadian Superstore:

As you can see we earned 5x points for using our Amex Cobalt card for the purchase. And we still earned our PC Optimum Points as you simply input your number on Instacart's website. This screenshot is from another purchase we made via Instacart:

Another food delivery options to check out and maximize with a credit card is Ritual as it has an offer with Mastercard Canada. This offer is exclusive to World or World Elite Mastercards like the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard, Tangerine World Mastercard, Rogers World Elite Mastercard and many others! The offer provides up to $20 in Ritual vouchers when you sign up for Ritual 

Recommended reading: A look at the new benefits that have been added to all World & World Elite Mastercards in Canada

And don't forget that  AIR MILES added Uber Eats and Door Dash as Cash Miles redemption options so you can save some cash by getting evouchers to use for those food delivery options.

Finally many local restaurants are now offeriing delivery and take out service as they are closed for sit down service. For all these restaurants make sure you use a credit card that maximizes dining purhcases - there are quite a few that accelerate dining purchases from the Capital One Mastercard Exclusively for Costco members to the Scotiabank Gold American Express card and many more in between!
 
There you have it - a nice little guide to making sure you maximize your miles, points and cash back earning for your online shopping, food delivery services and more. If there is something I missed please let me know and I'll add to this guide. And yes like many of our guides it could be twice as long as this but if you're like me there's only so much I can read at once!

Earn up to 5x Aeroplan Miles with Aeroplan eStore's Spring Fashion Event

Online shopping has always a great way to earn more miles, points and cash back thanks to online shopping portals from various loyalty programs. However now with the world in the state that it is in now online shopping has become an even more important part of our daily lives. Each day when you  are planning to shop online you should always check the online shopping portals to see if the store you are considering is featured in a portal and if they are, check to see which portal may have a bonus for extra miles or cash back for those purchases.

That brings us to this latest portal offer, Aeroplan eStore's Spring Fashion Event. From now until April 19 you can earn up to 5x Aeroplan Miles for shopping online at select retailers that fall under their fashion category. From Adidas to Gap to Under Armour  you can earn anywhere from 2 to 5 times the regular miles.

There are 29 retailers in total where you can earn bonus Aeroplan miles at and here is just a snapshot of eight of them:

As we always remind you as well - make sure you use a miles or points earning credit card for the purchase, ideally an Aeroplan one to boost your miles even more and if the selected retailer has their own loyalty program make sure you login or provide that membership number on the purchase as well.

Learn more about Aeroplan eStore's fashion event here.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan provides extensions on elite status and credit card companion vouchers

We are now getting news on a daily basis it seems from airline frequent flyer programs about extensions within their programs. Just in the last two days we've received news from Air Canada, Delta and United - now it's Alaska Airlines turn!

This popular program for Canadians announced today that they extend the validity of the status for their elite members and more importantly for many Canadians - extend the validity of companion vouchers.

Here are the details from Alaska:

Will you be extending elite status?

Yes! Your current Mileage Plan status will be extended through December 31, 2021. That status will unlock even more benefits as we inch closer to our oneworld® launch in summer 2021.

What about companion certificates?

All companion certificates set to expire in 2020 will be extended. You’ll now have until December 31, 2020 to purchase new travel through November 26, 2021.

With the extension of my status through 2021, will all usual tier benefits apply?

All status benefits will apply, with the exception of the 50,000 bonus miles associated with earned 75K status. Look for more details in a few weeks with info on how 75K members can earn additional bonus miles for travel this year.

I don’t have elite status but was hoping to earn it this year. Will elite tier qualification requirements be adjusted for those trying to earn elite for the first time?

Tier qualification requirements are not being adjusted at this time, but look for more information over the coming weeks on ways you can earn additional elite-qualifying miles this year.

I signed up for a status match challenge, but due to business travel restrictions, wasn’t able to meet the challenge requirements. Am I out of luck?

Members who enrolled in a status match challenge between December 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 will have their trial status extended through the end of 2021.

The key points are the elite status extension as I know a lot of our readers have Mileage Plan MVP status thanks to their generous status match offer but I also know many more of our readers have the  MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite® Mastercard® which provides an annual companion fare voucher where your companion can fly for $121 (USD) ($99 plus taxes and fees from $22) on Alaska Airlines. Those vouchers are now extended to the end of 2020. To use simply book your travel with the voucher by December 31 for travel well into 2021. Also of note is that if you have signed up for the status match challenge in the last few months your trial status is being extended right to the end of 2021!! 

Much like Air Canada however, Alaska isn't reducing qualification requirements for those looking to achieve status but they do state that there will be opportunities to earn more elite qualifying miles in the future. I mean if you do find yourself on an Alaska flight between now and May 31 they will award you 50% bonus elite qualifying miles on those flights. You can register for that offer here. 

Learn more about Alaska's latest update here. 

HT Travel Codex

Image via Alaska Airlines