Tuesday, June 2, 2020

[OFFER EXPIRED] New Welcome Offer for the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card - 10% cash back on all purchases up to $2,000 and a first year annual fee rebate

This offer has expired

CIBC recently launched an excellent new offer for their premium cash back card the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card. The card has a welcome offer of 10% cash back on all purchases up to $2,000 made during the first four monthly statement periods. The offer doesn’t end there however as new cardholders will also get their first year annual fee rebated which means you can try this card out at no cost to you other than your actual credit card spending.

The 10% cash back on all purchases of up to $2,000 will translate to up to $200 cash back which is a decent welcome bonus for a cash back card and matches many that are in market right now. Once you have hit that $2,000 in spending or have had the card for four statement periods your cash back earning will revert to the standard rates as follows:

· 4% cash back on eligible gas and grocery purchases
· 2% cash back on Tim Hortons® and TELUS® purchases
· 1% cash back on all other purchases

The accelerated earn rates of 4% and 2% are awarded on the first $20,000 spent in those categories or when you reach $80,000 in total purchases in your account, whichever comes first. Once that limit is reached you’ll earn 1% cash back on all purchases. All cash back earned on the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card accumulates during the year and is paid out as a credit on your December statement. This is the only drawback on this card as we have recently seen many cash back cards move to an instant or monthly redemption model for cash back rather than the old school yearly credit. Granted, two of this card’s biggest competitors are no different and only pay out once per year as well so it isn’t alone. If you are OK with getting one big lump sum reward at the end of the year this offer and card is one you should consider.

The card also features a very good insurance and benefits packages that includes Out of Province Emergency Travel Medical Insurance, Trip Interruption Insurance, Flight Delay and Baggage Insurance, Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance, $500,000 Common Carrier Accident Insurance, and Auto Rental and loss Damage Insurance

It’s nice to see CIBC bump up the welcome offer for their Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card and Dividend Platinum® Visa* Card to compete with other cards in the market offering similar incentives. With much of the Canadian marketplace eyeing cash back or cash equivalent rewards instead of travel right now there is no better time to offer a sweet welcome bonus like this one and provide that nice incentive to switch to cash back.

Learn more about this offer and apply for the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card here.

If your income is below the required amount for the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card this exact same welcome bonus is also available on the CIBC Dividend Platinum® Visa* Card

The most current offer for this card is shown below:
 

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Monday, June 1, 2020

100% bonus when you buy Radisson Rewards points until June 30 with annual limit increased to 120K points


I have been waiting for this one – not to buy myself but in terms of so many other airline and hotel chains having offered buy miles and points bonuses over the past few months I figured it was only time before Radisson did so as well. Now they have revealed an offer for this month and the offer is their usual one at 100% bonus points. Good news is they have also provided a boost to the limit of the number of points you can buy annually to 120,000 points from 80,000. This means you can buy 240,000 points for US$840:


At that amount you are paying US 0.35 cents per point which is the mid-point of what most people place their point value at for the program. There are definitely opportunities where you can exceed that 0.35 cents per point when you redeem at some of the higher end or more expensive hotels.

Offer details:
100% Bonus Radisson Rewards Points when you buy points. Buy points here. Until Jun 30, 20

And remember that you can earn 2,500 bonus Radisson Rewards points on stays in Canada and worldwide with their Dream Deals offer.
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June 1 Update: Earn double AAdvantage Miles on all American Airlines flights and Amex Offers spend $10 at Panago get a $5 statement credit


American Airlines has brought our their second systemwide bonus AAdvantage Miles to try to stimulate travel during this pandemic. The offer will be better for most than the last 500 bonus miles per flight offer as it is a straight double miles on all eligible mileage earning tickets flown on American Airlines. The bonus does max out at 10,000 miles however and you do need to register for it beforehand. Not sure how it will play out for many of us Canadians as you do need to book by June 30 for travel until September 30 and we still don't know if our border with the U.S. will open up later this month. If anything just register for the offer no matter what - if you don't travel no harm no foul. Learn more about and register for the offer here


Another new Amex Offer came out today. This one is for Panago Pizza and it provides a $5 statement credit when you spend $10 by July 31. In our household we received it on one Platinum Card from American Express and one American Express Cobalt Card. The offer has been added to our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'.

And speaking of Amex offers here is one in action - the $20 credit when you spend $80 with Instacart (read about it here). We received it on two cards in our household and have hit that mark on one card. In fact the second card we have spent it as well but the charge is still pending so we haven't seen that $20 yet. I also recommend reading the following article: Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card




Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

No new route news today


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.

Posts since our last update:

Deals:

Fairmont's Stay Close - 6 Canadian and 3 U.S hotels offering every 2nd night or 2nd room free for the rest of 2020!

Travelzoo and Whistler's Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers that provide up to a 40% savings and includes breakfast & parking. Stay in a Deluxe King Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for two $139 (one night, check in June 1 - July 2; Aug. 30 - Sept. 30) Stay in a spacious Executive Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for four $149 (one night, check in July 3-31) $299 two nights, (check in Aug. 1-28) Find out more here. 

Travelzoo and Brewster's Mountain Lodge in Banff are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for starting at $179-$199 each for June, $199-$239 for July and $269-$319 for August & September. Based on these numbers looks like they are anticipating a decent return to travel in late Summer. We did a quick check for a mid-week stay in June and Brewster's wanted $339 for the same room and the cheapest 3rd party rate we could find was $209. Sot the $179 voucher definitely provides some savings. Find out more here. 

SkipTheDishes - Sign up with this link to get $5 off your first order over $15. Find out more here

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

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

N/A


Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Mileage Plan miles when you fly on Alaska Airlines. More... Until Dec 31, 20

American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles on all American Airlines flights (10,000 bonus miles maximum). More... Register and book by Jun 30 for travel until Sep 30, 20
- Earn up to 120,000 bonus miles when you buy AAdvantage Miles. More... Until Jun 30, 20

Asiana Club
- Double Club Miles for stays at all participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21
- Triple Club Miles for stays at all participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel More... Until Jun 30, 20


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Alaska Airlines extends 50% bonus elite qualifying miles on flights to the end of 2020



Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan was one of the first airlines to begin offering elite status miles for flying with them during the peak of the Coronavirus Pandemic with an offer that was launched in early March. That offer of 50% bonus elite qualifying miles was set to end on May 31 however Alaska Airlines sent us a press release today stating they will be offering the 50% bonus elite qualifying miles on all flights until the end of 2020.
  • For all flights completed June 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members will receive a 50% bonus of elite qualifying miles to help earn higher elite status more quickly. (*Registration isn’t required for this special, limited time offer.)
Unlike the first iteration of the offer you do not have to register for the offer this time. Simply ensure that your Mileage Plan number is included on all your bookings and you’ll receive the bonus elite qualifying miles.

They also revealed some offers for Alaska Airlines Visa cardholders in the U.S (should you as a Canadian have one of the U.S. cards you can also avail of these offers):
  • Earn toward status while you spend. Cardholders can earn 2,500 elite qualifying miles for every $5,000 spent on purchases with an Alaska Airlines consumer or business Visa card from June 1 through Sept. 30, 2020, up to a maximum of 10,000 elite qualifying miles per cardholder.
  • Want to support your favorite local restaurants? Alaska Visa consumer cardholders can earn two miles for every dollar spent, up to $1,500, at restaurants and take-out, including delivery services from June 1 through July 31, 2020.
We have reached out the MBNA and Alaska Airlines to see if they have similar plans for the Canadian MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Platinum Mastercard but had not heard back yet at the time of posting this article

This is great news from Alaska Airlines and hopefully as Canadians we'll be able to make use of it sooner than later on Alaska's flights out of B.C. and Alberta.  I’m sure some Mileage Plan members who don’t see this news and start flying soon will be surprised by the extra elite qualifying miles being added to their accounts!

Learn more about these offers here.


Image via Alaska Airlines

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TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card now offering 10% cash back on all purchases with first year no annual fee for new cardholders


The cash back market is heating up as many Canadians are considering a shift in their loyalty rewards strategies away from travel rewards. Cash back cards are now front and centre in the marketing strategies for card issuers and while we have seen these type of welcome offers in the past there is a definitely an influx of them now!

The newest offer to hit the market is for the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card which as of today is offering 10% cash back on all purchases made up to $2,000 in the first three months. On top of that they are waiving the first year annual not only for the primary card but also for the first additional card. This offer runs until December 6, 2020.

All told if you do spend that $2,000 in the first three months you are looking at $200 cash back and saving up to $170 in annual fees in the first year ($120 for the primary card and $50 for the first additional card). Remember if you have a TD All Inclusive bank account it also covers the annual fees on these cards as long as your bank account is active and in good standing. 

Once you have hit that $2,000 in spending or have had the card for three months your cash back earning will revert to the standard rates as follows:

• Earn 3% in Cash Back Dollars on eligible grocery Purchases and gas Purchases, and on regularly recurring bill payments set up on your Account
• Earn 1% in Cash Back Dollars on all other Purchases made with your Card

The accelerated earn rates of 3% is awarded on the first $15,000 spent in each those categories, so you could potentially spend $45,000 across the three and earn $1,350 in cash back rewards. Once a limit is reached in any of the categories you’ll earn 1% cash back on all purchases in that category. Unlike some of this card’s major competition where you only have access to cash back once per year the TD Cash Visa Infinite* Card lets you cash out anytime your cash back balance is $25 or more.

The card also features Out of Province Emergency Travel Medical Insurance, Trip Interruption Insurance, Flight Delay and Baggage Insurance as well as some of your across the board insurances like Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Protection.

With the release of this new limited time welcome offer the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card is one of the best in market. Yes there are others that are offering or will be offering 10% cash back however some of those others only allow you to receive your cash back once per year whereas this card allows you to redeem anytime you have a cash back rewards balance of $25. For many that can be the tipping point even if another card may earn a little more cash back as the question they will want answered is how quickly can I start using my cash back rewards and with this card it is pretty darn quick.

This is a limited time offer and only valid until December 6, 2020.

 Below is the latest offer for this card and may not reflect the discussion above
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Podcast Episode 67 - The return of the Rewards Canada Podcast - A look back at the past few months

 

Episode 67 - June 1, 2020
The return of the Rewards Canada Podcast - A look back at the past few months

It has been over 2 months since the last Rewards Canada podcast and we're ready to kick into high gear again! We return with a recap episode - looking back at the past two months of the state of credit cards and loyalty programs during the peak of the pandemic. The episode is hosted by Rewards Canada founder Patrick Sojka and he dicusses the features seen on the site during this time, what credit card companies have been doing, a look at how Aeroplan has been the program that shined during these times and how amazing travel deals are now starting to emerge.

Click Here to download the podcast (mp3)

or Download/subscribe via:

Listen on Google Play Music
Soundcloudacast


Links relating to this week's topics:
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Sunday, May 31, 2020

[OFFER EXPIRED] Today is the last day to grab the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card with up to 30,000 Aeroplan Miles


The current welcome bonus offer for the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has been one of the better ones in the market and today is the last day to apply for it. The bonus is up to 30,000 Aeroplan Miles along with the primary card having a first year annual fee rebate and a first year annual fee rebate offer for the first additional/supplementary cardholder.
Welcome Bonus Breakdown:
Welcome Bonus of 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you make your first Purchase with your card1.
+
5,000 Aeroplan Miles in each of the first 3 months when you spend a minimum of $1000 per month, up to a total of 15,000 Aeroplan Miles1 
 In light of the current situation in regards to travel and the COVID-19 pandemic you may be asking why would I want to get an Aeroplan credit card? There are two primary reasons why you could or should get this card within the next couple of weeks:
  • You love to travel. Even though we all may not be travelling now you have it in your blood. Once borders open up and travel is safe you are planning to jetset somewhere near or far. If that’s the case you can start building up your Aeroplan balance with this card. Outside of actual spend on the card, your first year will not set you back anything with this card so you can score 30,000 Aeroplan miles at basically no cost. Then you can start looking at how you can use those miles - whether it is the 30,000 or more if you already have Aeroplan miles accumulated.
  • You are looking at a way to help supplement your finances. Aeroplan is not just a travel program. You can redeem Aeroplan miles for gift cards from popular retailers or pre-paid credit cards. For 28,000 miles you can get a $200 Best Buy Gift Card or Chapters Indigo card. And you still have 5,000 miles left since the welcome bonus is 30,000 miles and you had to spend $3,000 to get the bonus for a total of 33,000 miles (at a minimum). You can then redeem 3,500 miles for a $25 gift card from numerous retailers. All in you have just added $225 to your finances.
Now that we’ve looked at the gift card options let’s go back to travel and see what you can try to plan for the future with 30,000 miles.

Looking at the Aeroplan Classic Flight reward chart there are lots of round trip options that run from 15,000 to 30,000 miles and even more one way options since they are exactly half of the rates listed on the chart:



Here are some of the possible redemption options for the 30,000 mile level:
  • 2 Round Trip Economy Class Short Haul tickets
  • 1 Round Trip Business Class Short Haul ticket  
  • 1 Round Trip Economy Class Long Haul ticket in Canada and the U.S. (with 5,000 miles left over)
  • 1 One Way Economy Class Ticket to South America or Europe

The value you get out of the sign up bonus will really vary based on what you redeem your miles on. In many of our past posts we see Aeroplan miles being worth as little as 1.2 cents for economy class flights to well over 6 cents per mile for business class flights. That means the 30,000 mile welcome bonus is worth anywhere from $360 to $1,800+ which makes it one of the most worthwhile sign up offers in the market seeing that it comes to you at no cost since the first year annual fee is waived.

As you can see even with no travel happening right now you shouldn’t discount a program like Aeroplan as the program allows you to not only bank for future travel but use miles earned for cash equivalent requirements in the short term.

This is a limited time offer and only valid until May 31 2020.

Find out more and apply for the card here.

This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here.  

Below is the latest offer for this card and may not reflect the post above 

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Friday, May 29, 2020

American Express Experiences presents a virtual concert with The Black Crowes and The Trews on May 30


As soon as I posted about the AIR MILES Facebook Live event that you can tune into on Sunday an email came from American Express with an event for Saturday! This event is part of American Express Experiences who have shifted from providing access to actually going to live events to giving access to virtual events.

American Express has partnered with Budweiser Stage at Home which is a new concert television series that starts tomorrow to share music and entertainment with the community. As you may know, Amex is a sponsor and partner of the Budweiser Stage in Toronto where Amex has a lounge and dedicated entry points for cardholders for events. The stage was set to reopen this month but that all changed due to the global Coronavirus crisis. That leads us to Budweiser Stage at Home -. an initiative from Budweiser, American Express and Live Nation to bring the Budweiser Stage to TVs, laptops, tablets and phones across Canada. The first event goes live tomorrow (May 30) at 8pm ET and it  will feature The Black Crowes with The Trews and will be hosted by Tara Slone.

You can tune into the event on Citytv, the simultaneous live Stream on Citytv.com, Citytv iOS app, AppleTV apps and  Live From Home - Live Nation’s All-New Virtual Music Hub.

Don't have an American Express card? Don't worry you don't actually have to be an American Express cardmember to watch the event!

Learn more about this experience here. 
 
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AIR MILES Facebook Live Event on Sunday will feature an all-star cast to support Kids Help Phone Never Dance Alone-a-thon


Another great at home initiative from AIR MILES sees the loyalty program teaming up with Kids Help Phone for the charity's Never Dance-Alone-a-thon.
On Sunday, May 31, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, AIR MILES and Jessi Cruickshank, star of New Mom, Who Dis? will be hosting a virtual event on Facebook Live that celebrates the Kids Help Phone's Never Dance Alone-a-thon, powered by BMO, with the help of some famous faces. 

The highly anticipated event, in partnership with Kids Help Phone – who have been collaborating with AIR MILES since 1997 – includes live musical performances by an impressive roster of well-known musicians and dancers including Sarah and Gianni from Walk Off The Earth, Blanco Brown and Danny Fernandes, among others. Canadians from coast to coast can engage with these favourite performers just by tuning into the AIR MILES Facebook page. 

"We can't think of a better way to celebrate our long-standing relationship with Kids Help Phone than by rewarding Canadians with a Sunday they won't soon forget," said Blair Cameron, President AIR MILES Reward Program. "Together with Kids Help Phone and BMO, we can't wait to see Canadians from coast to coast put on their dancing shoes, come together and strut their stuff in support of all the Canadian youth that lean into the work of such an incredible organization."

Confirmed Appearances: Kids Help Phone's Never Dance Alone-a-thon powered by BMO
  • Jessi Cruickshank – television personality and star of New Mom, Who Dis?
  • Sarah and Gianni from Walk Off The Earth – two of the members of the Juno Award-winning, multi-platinum musical phenomenon
  • Blanco Brown – viral sensation and singer/songwriter of international hits including "The Git Up," "Do Si Do" and "I Need Love"
  • Danny Fernandes – R&B/pop singer, songwriter and dancer
  • Milk & Bone – Juno Award-winning electro-pop duo from Montreal
This virtual event which is part of AIR MILES ongoing Happy Every Day community sounds like tons of fun for kids and adults alike! To watch the event simply visit the AIR MILES Facebook page on Sunday May 31 at 3pm ET.

If you want to do more than watch you can get in on the action can do so by uploading your best dance moves online with #NeverDanceAlone and tagging @airmiles_canada on their social media channels. If dance moves aren't your thang, you can also look at supporting the initiative by donating AIR MILES to Kids Help Phone - every 500 miles is a $50 donation. Learn more about donating miles here.


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May 29 Update: More American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations, the recipe for Cathay Pacific's Cathay Delight drink, Disney World set to reopen in July


Big thanks to American Express who saw our American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations feature from last week and provided us with more confirmed 3x points merchants. The updates are primarily in the office and electronics category and includes retailers like Apple, Best Buy, IBM and Sony. We also received an update the Car2Go codes as 3x points not as a 1x point merchant. Check out our American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations feature here.


If you have flown Cathay Pacific in business class or first class you should be familiar with the Cathay Delight. The signature drink the airline serves in those premium cabins and in their lounges. Since many travellers can't enjoy it in the air, the airline shared the recipe for the drink late in April for those who wanted to 'delight' in the drink at home. In case you missed it being shared, no worries they have posted a Google Doc with the recipe so that you can give it a shot.


CNN broke the news earlier this week that we will see Disney World reopen on July 11 with a phased reopening plan. Both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will open on the 11th followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on the 15th.  Disney has outlined the plan in great detail on their website.



Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

British Airways has canned their Calgary-London Heathrow route for 2020. Word is they are planning to bring the route back in 2021 but only time will tell. This should bode well for WestJet as they are planning on restarting London service soon. (Source RoutesOnline)

China Eastern is continuing with 1 flight per week between Toronto and Shanghai for June. (Source RoutesOnline)

Korean Air's June flights will provide 4x weekly service from Vancouver to Seoul and 3x weekly service from Toronto to Seoul (Source: RoutesOnline)

Philippine Airlines is looking to fly twice weekly out of Toronto and Vancouver to Manila for the month of June as the airline slowly resumes international operations. (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.

Posts since our last update:

Deals:

Fairmont's Stay Close - 6 Canadian and 3 U.S hotels offering every 2nd night or 2nd room free for the rest of 2020!

Travelzoo and Whistler's Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers that provide up to a 40% savings and includes breakfast & parking. Stay in a Deluxe King Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for two $139 (one night, check in June 1 - July 2; Aug. 30 - Sept. 30) Stay in a spacious Executive Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for four $149 (one night, check in July 3-31) $299 two nights, (check in Aug. 1-28) Find out more here. 

Travelzoo and Brewster's Mountain Lodge in Banff are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for starting at $179-$199 each for June, $199-$239 for July and $269-$319 for August & September. Based on these numbers looks like they are anticipating a decent return to travel in late Summer. We did a quick check for a mid-week stay in June and Brewster's wanted $339 for the same room and the cheapest 3rd party rate we could find was $209. Sot the $179 voucher definitely provides some savings. Find out more here. 

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

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

Radisson Rewards
- 2,500 Bonus Radisson Rewards Points and up to 25% off for stays at participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson, Park Plaza, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia Pacific. More... Book by Jul 14  for stays May 27 – Aug 31, 20

Other Bonus Offers

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- Double Dynasty Flyer Miles when you rent a car at participating Hertz locations for 3 or more days in the USA, Asia, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. More... Book by Jul 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 20

Hilton Honors
- OFFER EXTENDED 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. More... Until Jun 3, 20



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