The cards Rewards Canada recommends to replace the devalued Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard

Last week news broke that one of the best long running travel rewards cards in Canada was being devalued. That card is the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard and although it hasn't been available to new customers for nearly three years now, those who did have the card were able to keep it and continue earning and burning on it like before with it's 2% return on all spending and the 10,000 point anniversary bonus being grandfathered in. That 2% and 10,000 points made it worthwhile for the majority of cardholders to keep the card in their wallets but that has changed now.

As reported last week the card will be devalued as of August 5. The earn rate will drop to 1.5% which is still respectable however in the grand scheme of looking at the whole picture of what cards provide and how the competitors ramp up against the card it makes the card weaker. Then by taking away the 10,000 point anniversary bonus cardholders are losing out on a $100 value - which many competitors offer in another form. Whether its the first bag free on the WestJet RBC Mastercard, to the $100 in travel credits on the HSBC World Elite Mastercard or Priority Pass lounge visit passes on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card, the market is ripe with better options than the Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard.

Here are the top travel cards Rewards Canada recommends as replacement options for the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard:

HSBC World Elite Mastercard
This card also earns 1.5% back on spending that can be redeemed towards any travel however that gets boosted to 3% on travel purchases which puts it ahead of the Aspire card. On top of that the card has no foreign transaction fees - which means purchases in US$ or other currencies will be 2.5% cheaper than the Aspire card plus the card provides an annual $100 travel enhancement credit that can be used towards things like seat selection, baggage fees and more. Finally the other big bonus this card has over the Aspire card is the ability to convert the points earned to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Learn more about and apply for the HSBC World Elite Mastercard here.



MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
The MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard is the closest replacement to the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard in terms of earn rate. The card earns 2 points per dollar spent and those points can be redeemed for any travel booked via MBNA Rewards at a rate of 5,000 points to $50 which means it is a full 2% return. For cash back redemptions it drops a little to 1.67% but we're more concerned with the travel redemption rate and that is equal to the old Cap One rate. Learn more about and apply for the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard here.



WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
This card provides a 1.5% return on all spending except for purchases with WestJet which will earn 2%. So on the earn side it is pretty equal with Capital One however if you are someone who flies WestJet the extra benefits this card provides over Capital One are what you need to look at such as the first checked bag fee being covered for you and up to 8 people on the same reservation and then the coveted annual companion voucher where someone can travel with you for only $119 to $399 depending on where you are flying to. Both those benefits provide a ton of value when compared to the Aspire card. Learn more about and apply for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard here.

American Express Cobalt Card
This is the number one travel rewards credit card in Canada and if you are good to go with Amex then this is the card to get. It has super strong earn rates ranging from 1 to 5 points per dollar spent which translates to a 1% to 5% return towards any travel you book by yourself. Redeem those points via Amex's Fixed Travel Points program and that return can be as high as 10%! You also have the option to convert points to Marriott Bonvoy which can then be converted to over 40+ airline frequent flyer programs. Learn more about and apply for the American Express Cobalt Card here.


Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
Another big earner like the Cobalt Card, the Scotiabank Gold American Express card provides returns of 1% to 5% when you redeem your points towards travel that you book from any travel provider. It will also save you 2.5% on foreign currency transactions since the card has No Foreign transaction fee.  Learn more about and apply for the Scotiabank Gold American Express card here.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card provides a 1% to 2% return on spending when you redeem for travel booked via any travel provider so on average you may come out at about the same earn rate as the newly devalued rate on the Cap One card. Like the HSBC card this card has no foreign transaction fees meaning it will save you 2.5% on any non-C$ purchases then add in the fact the card provides 6 free airport lounge visits per year and you should be pulling more value out of this card than the Cap One card. Learn more about and apply for the Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card here.

TD First Class Visa Infinite Card
This card also allows you to use your points for booking travel via any provider at a minimum return of 1.2 to 1.5% - so not as good as the Cap One Aspire card however that rate gets boosted if you make purchases or end up redeeming your points to book travel via ExpediaForTd. That's the key to this card is utilizing TD's partnership with Expedia to extract the most value out of the points.  For example booking travel via ExpediaForTD online earns you 9 points per dollar and those points when redeemed on ExpediaForTD would net you a 4.5% return. Learn more about and apply for the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card here.



Now these aren't the only options to replace the Capital One Aspire World Elite Travel Mastercard - you have a whole slew of other travel rewards cards, cash back cards from the big banks, little banks and credit unions but the above list does represent the best overall options for anyone reading this post from coast to coast to coast. As always we do recommend that you do your research and find the card that will work best for you.

July 3 Update: 2x Coast Rewards Points + up to 40% off Coast Hotel Stays and 20x PC Optimum points for Shoppers Drug Mart online purchases

Coast Hotels is offering double Coast Rewards points and up to 40% off stays at their hotels in Canada until August 15. Find out more here.

You can earn 20x PC Optimum points when you spend $75 or more with Shoppers Drug Mart online between today and July 5. Find out more here.

Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature 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!

LOT Polish Airlines is planning to fly twice weekly between Toronto and Warsaw for the first part of this month (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:

• Qatar Airways launching new flights between Toronto and Doha tomorrow!
  Qatar Airways came out with a surprising announcement earlier this week - they are launching flights between Toronto and…
• Earn 5,000 bonus points on every Radisson stay until the end of the year
  Over the past few weeks as travel has slowly started to trickle back into people’s lives we’ve started to…
• RBC Points For Canada - Earn 2x points at restaurants and save 30% in points on dining and shopping redemption options
  On July 1st RBC launched their big initiative that closely follows what many of the other major card issuers…
• July 2 Update: Canada makes the EU's shortlist for approved visitors, Alaska Airlines will issue Yellow Cards for not wearing masks & Air Canada cuts 30 routes and 8 cities in Canada
  Last week we let you know that the EU was getting ready to release a list stating which countries…

Deals:

Fairmont Hotels Stay Close - Buy Night 1 Get 1 Night free at select hotels in Canada, U.S. and Mexico. Find out more here

Instacart: Get $10 when you place your first order with Instacart! Register 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

Best Western Rewards
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at Best Western Hotels in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. More... Targeted offer – may not work for everyone Book by Jul 5 for stays until Aug 31, 20

Coast Hotels Coast Rewards
- Double Coast Rewards Points on all stays at Coast Hotels in Canada and the U.S.. More... Until Aug 15, 20

Radisson Rewards
- Earn 5,000 Bonus Radisson Rewards points on each stay at all Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 20

Other Bonus Offers

N/A


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Qatar Airways launching new flights between Toronto and Doha tomorrow!

Qatar Airways came out with a surprising announcement earlier this week - they are launching flights between Toronto and Doha, Qatar. It isn't the route itself that is surprising - it's when it starts. Tomorrow is the first flight on this new route. That's right, they are starting it during the pandemic when travel is at an all time low and technically Canadians can't even travel to Qatar right now! However Canadians and other nationals are allowed to transit via Qatar to other countries and that is where Qatar Airways makes their living anyways - its not travel to Qatar, its connecting via Doha to other destinations beyond.

The new flights will operate 3x per week between Toronto and Doha and this is on top of the airline's 4x weekly flights between Montreal and Doha. This route comes about from an expansion in the agreement between Canada and Qatar allowing more flights. The Toronto flight will be operated with an Airbus A350-900 on the following schedule (Source RoutesOnline)

QR767 DOH0830 – 1500YYZ 359 246
QR768 YYZ2050 – 1615+1DOH 359 246

On the miles side you can earn and redeem Qatar Airways Privilege Club Qmiles on these flights and recently Qatar lowered their carrier surcharges for their redemption which is good news for those who do utilized Privilege Club. However in Canada the only way to earn QMiles outside of your standard travel providers (flights/hotels) is via the Marriott Bonvoy program which means you can access those miles via American Express (see here: Complete list of Airline & Hotel loyalty programs that you can earn miles or points in with Canadian Credit Cards). However the actual number of miles Privilege Club requires is a lot more than other programs. These means the best option for Qatar Airways flights is utilizing their oneworld partner airline programs and in Canada that primarily means British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and American AAdvantage. All three programs have lower mileage requirements for flying on Qatar Airways than Qatar's own Privilege Club so earning via credit cards like the Amex suite of Membership Rewards cards,  RBC Visa Infinite Avion or HSBC World Elite Mastercard and converting to something like Avios makes more sense than trying to convert from Marriott to Qatar's Privilege Club. You can still choose to convert Marriott to British Airways, Cathay Pacific etc. and that's totally fine and doable!

It's great to see an airline launching new flights during this downturn and while the flight may not make Qatar any money right now you can bet it will once travel opens up again in the next few years. So one can hope Qatar will keep the flight going and if their past history is any indication I feel like they will keep this route going for a long time.

You can book Qatar Airways flights here. (This link earns RC a commission - you don't have to choose to use it but thank you in advance if you do so!)

HT One Mile at a Time

Title Image via Qatar Airways

Earn 5,000 bonus points on every Radisson stay until the end of the year

Over the past few weeks as travel has slowly started to trickle back into people’s lives we’ve started to see hotel chains respond with new systemwide bonus offers. This is not lost on any of those chains and they know to encourage bookings and actual stays they will need to put out some attractive incentives. Step in Radissson Hotels Group and their Radisson Rewards program who this week revealed one of the best hotel promotions for this new era of travel.

The bonus is a flat 5,000 Radisson Rewards points per stay. Simply register for it before your first stay and you will earn that bonus on each and every stay until the end of the year. The promotion is capped at 30 stays for a potential of 150,000 bonus points and with the way travel is right now I don’t think many people need to be concerned about reaching that cap. Other than that no other restrictions are really in place as even award nights will earn the 5,000 bonus points! Since it is a flat rate bonus the biggest value comes from one night stays preferably at cheaper hotels but no matter what getting that 5,000 extra points per stay is something you want to make sure you take advantage of. Most people value Radisson Rewards points between C$ 0.5 and 0.7 cents which translates to those bonus points being worth around $25 to $35.

Offer details:
Earn 5,000 Bonus Radisson Rewards points on each stay at all Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels worldwide. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required) Until Dec 31, 20

Here's an example of one those lower rate one night stays at the Country Inns Saskatoon in the midle of August:

A one night stay here would earn around 1,100 base points + the 5,000 bonus points for a total of 6,100 points. If you take the low end value of 0.5 cents per point you are getting a $30 return on that $80 stay. That's a pretty good return! Plus if you have elite status in the Radisson Rewards program you'll earn even more points. (Gold Elite comes free with the Platinum Card from American Express)

RBC Points For Canada - Earn 2x points at restaurants and save 30% in points on dining and shopping redemption options

On July 1st RBC launched their big initiative that closely follows what many of the other major card issuers have done and that is to provide incentives to use credit cards for dining and shopping purchases. The campaign is called Points for Canada and runs for the entire month of July and comprises of six incentives from earning bonus points to being able to redeem less points.

Those six incentives are as follows:

1. Earn 2x points at restaurants - eligible cards will earn double the points on restaurant purchases (dine in, take out) and also on most third party food delivery services. This first incentive is the only that requires cardholders to register to be able to take part in the promotion. You can register your RBC card here. 
2. Save 30% on dining cards - When you redeem RBC Rewards points for select gift cards for restaurants across Canada they will cost you 30% less in points
3. Dine with points for 30% more value - You'll get 30% more value when you choose to Pay In-Store with Points at restaurants across Canada
4. Shop Canada with 30% off gift cards - When you redeem RBC Rewards points for gift cards for select Canadian retailers or a RBC Visa Prepaid card they will cost you 30% less in points
5. Save more with Petro-Canada - Save 30% when you redeem for a Petro-Canada gift card and get 30% more value when you Pay In-Store with RBC Rewards points through your RBC Wallet app at a Petro-Canada location
6. Shop with points for 30% more value - You'll get 30% more value when you choose to Pay In-Store with Points at retailers across Canada where tap payment is accepted.

With this campaign and their WestJet campaign launched on June 30th RBC has now joined the ranks of American Express, TD and CIBC who are or have provided incentives to pull out your credit card and use it more. This offer is especially appealing to RBC Avion cardholders (all versions) as they are the best RBC Rewards earning cards and will earn 2 to 2.5 points per dollar spent at restaurants with this promotion. My only gripe with the promotion would be the month long window for taking part. Most of RBC's competitors have their incentives running with a longer duration which make them that much more appealing. No matter what though if you hold an eligible RBC Rewards points earning card* and it is a primary card for you where you aren't interested in the incentives from other issuers then do your best to make the most of the promotion for this month!

Learn more about Points for Canada here!

*Eligible cards:
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC Avion Visa Infinite, RBC Avion Visa Platinum, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, Signature RBC Rewards Visa, RBC Rewards+ Visa, RBC Rewards Visa Gold, RBC U.S. Dollar Visa Gold, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business, and RBC Avion Visa Business.

July 2 Update: Canada makes the EU's shortlist for approved visitors, Alaska Airlines will issue Yellow Cards for not wearing masks & Air Canada cuts 30 routes and 8 cities in Canada

Last week we let you know that the EU was getting ready to release a list stating which countries they were planning on allowing visitors from and Canada was rumored to be on that list. Confirmation came out earlier this week that indeed Canada is on the approved list of countries that meets the European Union's criteria for being consider safe. That being said it is still up to each individual country in the European Union as to whether or not they will allow Canadians to visit and pretty much all of them are still closed to travellers from Canada. (Source National Post)

If you do end up travelling outside of Canada you do have to keep in mind that when you return you will have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. That rule was recently extended to August 31 along with the extension of the Canadian border being closed to most non-essential foreign travellers until July 31. (Source CBC)

And on the travelling front Alaska Airlines is taking an interesting step in safety on their planes. They have announced heightened enforcement of mask wearing on their flights by having flight attendants issues Yellow Cards to those who repeatedly refuse to wear a face mask or covering.

With that warning – in the form of a yellow card handed to them – the guest's travel will be reviewed and could be suspended for a period. It's a decision that would not be made lightly."

 The yellow card is the final warning that will be issued to the traveller at which point if they don't comply they could face a suspension from being able to fly on Alaska Airlines. (Source Alaska Airlines)

Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature 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!

Air Canada announced on Tuesday that will discontinue service on 30 routes within Canada and stop serving 8 smaller Canadian cities as part of a cost reduction program. The cities they will no longer serve are Bathurst (New Brunswick) Wabush (Newfoundland and Labrador) Gaspé (Quebec) Baie Comeau (Quebec) Mont Joli (Quebec) Val d'Or (Quebec) Kingston (Ontario) and North Bay (Ontario). The 30 discontinued routes are seen in provinces from Saskatchewan eastward to the Maritimes. (Source Air Canada)

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:

• Earn 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points on all Best Western stays until the end of August (Targeted offer – book by July 5)
  Select Best Western Rewards members including ourselves received this email today offering 3,000 Bonus Best Western Rewards points on…
• Preferred Hotel Group offering bonus iPrefer points and automatic Elite status with a single two night stay in Canada
  Preferred Hotel Group brings to us a new promotion for stays at any of their 4 hotels in Canada.…
• OFFER EXTENDED – Receive a 60% bonus when you buy Marriott Bonvoy points until July 15
  The best ever bonus for buying Marriott Rewards points was supposed to end on June 30th but the offer…
• WestJet RBC Mastercards will earn 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases until August 31
  Sometimes it can be a good thing to take a wait and see approach to get a feel of…
• Grandfathered Capital One Aspire World Elite Mastercard will be devalued this August
  Once upon a time there was a credit card that ruled the land. The Capital One Aspire Travel World…
• New tool shows you where you can travel within Canada and what countries are open to Canadians
  Many of Canada's travel providers, agencies and tourism boards joined forces in May to create the Canadian Travel & Tourism…
• Earn 10x miles when you shop online at select retailers via the Aeroplan eStore from June 29 to July 5
  It's time to earn extra miles again for your online shopping! This time Aeroplan is providing 10x the miles…
• Earn 1,000 bonus points per night at the newly opened Element Toronto Airport
  Before the pandemic hit Marriott Hotels was planning on opening 14 new hotels in Canada in 2020 but of…
• Air Canada and WestJet to stop blocking middle seats on flights as of July 1, Air Canada will let you rebook if your flight is close to capacity
   News came out over the weekend that Canada's two major airlines will stop blocking middle seats on their flights as…
• June 26 Update: Choice Hotels earn a free night promo won't start until July 10 for Canadians, 2 new RBC offers & Canadians could possibly visit Europe soon
  Early in June we passed along the details of Choice Hotels new where you book 2 stays and earn…

Deals:

Fairmont Hotels Stay Close - Buy Night 1 Get 1 Night free at select hotels in Canada, U.S. and Mexico. Find out more here

Instacart: Get $10 when you place your first order with Instacart! Register 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

Icelandair Saga Club
- Double Saga Club Elite Tier Credits for all flights on Icelandair that are booked in July and flown between September 1 and December 31. More... Book by Jul 31 for travel Sep 1 - Dec 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- OFFER EXTENDED Receive a 60% Bonus when you buy 2,000 or more Marriott Bonvoy Points. More... Until Jul 15, 20
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for up to five nights at the Element Toronto Airport. More... Jun 30 - Sep 7, 20

Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus iPrefer Points + Automatic Elite Status for stays of 2 or more nights at participating Preferred Hotels in Canada More... Book by Jul 31 for stays until Dec 31, 20

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- OFFER EXTENDED Earn up to 4x Miles&Go miles when you buy miles online. More... Until Jul 7, 20


Follow Rewards Canada:

Earn 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points on all Best Western stays until the end of August (Targeted offer – book by July 5)

Select Best Western Rewards members including ourselves received this email today offering 3,000 Bonus Best Western Rewards points on all stays in July and August so long as they are booked by July 5. This offer can be stacked with both of the $25 Gift Card offers which means you can earn $50 in Gift Cards, 3,000 bonus points, your base points and credit card points/miles all with just one Best Western stay.  Read more in our post about earning $50 in one stay: Confirmed! You can earn $50 in Best Western Gift Cards with just one stay this summer!  While it is targeted you can always try to register for it and hope for the best!

Offer details:
3,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at Best Western Hotels in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Full details, online registration & booking  (Registration is required) Book by Jul 5 for stays until Aug 31, 20
Targeted offer – may not work for everyone

You can stack this offer with the following two offers:

Receive a $25 Best Western Gift Card when you complete one stay at a Best Western Hotel in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Full details, online registration & booking  (Registration is required) Until Sep 7, 20
THIS OFFER CAN BE COMBINED WITH THE OTHER $25 Travel Card offer below!
For residents of the U.S. and Canada only

Receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card when you complete 1 stay at a Best Western Hotel and submit a gas receipt or electric vehicle charging receipt within 10 days of your stay. Full details & online booking 
Until Aug 31, 20
For residents of the U.S. and Canada only

Preferred Hotel Group offering bonus iPrefer points and automatic Elite status with a single two night stay in Canada

Preferred Hotel Group brings to us a new promotion for stays at any of their 4 hotels in Canada. The offer provides 2,500 bonus iPrefer Points and automatic elite status in the iPrefer program for a single 2 night stay at one of those four hotels. If you happen to already have iPrefer Elite status (they only have one elite status level called "Elite") they will award you with 5,000 bonus points instead.

 The four hotels in Canada that are part of the Preferred Hotel Group are:

Offer details
Earn up to 5,000 Bonus iPrefer Points + Automatic Elite Status for stays of 2 or more nights at participating Preferred Hotels in Canada. Full details & online booking Book by Jul 31 for stays until Dec 31, 20

• 2,500 bonus points for Insider Members and new I Prefer Members
• 5,000 bonus points for already-qualified Elite I Prefer Members

Once you complete that stay you'll get iPrefer Elite Status for one year - here is what Elite gets you:

As you can see Elite provides a 50% bonus on points earned per US$1 spent on stays as well as a welcome amenity when compared to the base level Insider level. That being said I would tend to think that Elites have better odds with the Room Upgrade and priority early check/late check out benefits - at least I would hope they do!

OFFER EXTENDED – Receive a 60% bonus when you buy Marriott Bonvoy points until July 15

The best ever bonus for buying Marriott Rewards points was supposed to end on June 30th but the offer has now been extended to July 15th. The bonus is 60% when you buy 2,000 or more points in one transaction. Marriott has also increased the annual limit for buying points to 100,000 for the duration of the promotion. To buy 100,000 you’ll have to make two transactions of 50,000 points each as that is the maximum Marriott allows for each purchase. Those amounts do not include the bonus so if you buy 100,000 points you’ll end up with 160,000 points in your account.

Here is an example of the cost of buying 50,000 points:

As you can see you’ll be buying points at 0.78 US cents each. Most valuations of Marriott Bonvoy points has them valued at 0.7 cents each however that is the minimum value. There are many redemption options for award nights where you can get much more value out of each point so buying them right now for future travel can make a lot of sense.

Offer details:
Receive a 60% Bonus when you buy 2,000 or more Marriott Bonvoy Points. The annual limit of points that can be bought per member. has been increased to 100,000 during this promotion. Buy Marriott Bonvoy Points here. Until Jul 15, 20

Image via Marriott

WestJet RBC Mastercards will earn 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases until August 31

Sometimes it can be a good thing to take a wait and see approach to get a feel of what the market and your competitors are doing. That's exactly what WestJet and RBC have done for their WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and WestJet RBC Mastercard cardholders. For the next two months those who have a card or apply for and get one of the cards will earn 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases once they register for the offer. For these type of purchases this translates to a 3% return for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and a 2% return on the WestJet RBC Mastercard.

We've seen accelerator offers from a handful of Canada's credit card issuers which have revolved around dining, groceries and/or food delivery and WestJet and RBC have followed suit. Where their offer differs from some of the others is that they are giving you three options to choose from on how you want to receive your double rewards.  Those options are double your WestJet dollars (the regular type of earn for these cards), a statement credit (cash back) or a donate those rewards to help support your community.

When you go to the offer registration page you will be asked which reward you want and you'll need to  input your 16 digit card number as well as your WestJet Rewards ID.

This is a smart move by WestJet and RBC to offer the various reward options due to the uncertainty of travel for many Canadians right now and have been holding back on using their WestJet cards for purchases. By providing the additional reward options outside of just earning WestJet dollars it will definitely encourage cardholders to shift their spend back to these cards. I have a feeling there will be a lot of those cardholders who will be choosing the statement credit option to help keep finances in check. The good news about the  statement credits is that they will post within 3-5 days after each transaction, you don't actually have to wait until your statement date to receive them. Then there will be some who are planning for future travel who will obviously be choosing to earn the extra WestJet dollars while a smaller percentage will say I don't need more WestJet dollars, I don't need statement credits, I'm going to donate those double rewards which by the way will be going to Food Banks Canada.

The double rewards will be awarded on all eligible grocery, restaurant and fast food purchases until August 31 with Mastercard's Merchant Category Codes: 5411, 5812 and 5814. Popular food delivery services likes UberEats and DoorDash are included in those. However some like Costco are not but I do recall some readers of ours letting us know that Walmart Supercentres do code as grocery so it should count towards double rewards.

The double rewards will be offered on all eligible purchases up to $10,000 per primary and secondary card. That means if you have one WestJet card and have a supplementary user on your account you can each earn the double rewards for $10,000 spend on each card ($20,000 in total). For example in our household both of our kids are supplementary cardholders on my wife's account which means each cardholder gets that $10,000 cap or the potential to earn double rewards on up to $30,000 in spending. Add in my separate WestJet card (my wife and I each have our own accounts: Why my wife and I each grabbed our own WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercards) and we have $40,000 total in our household that we can earn double rewards on. I don't think we'll be spending $40,000 over the next two months in those categories but it's nice to know we're not capped like some other issuers who have done so at amounts as low as $1,000.

Click here to learn more and to register your card to take part in the 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases on WestJet Mastercards

If you don't have a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or WestJet RBC Mastercard the great news is that you can also get in on this offer. As soon as you apply and are approved for the cards be sure to register for the offer and you'll start earning those double rewards. I would recommend applying sooner than later so that you can maximize the time period you have for earning the double rewards. Ideally you'd want to go for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard as it has a boosted welcome bonus of 350 WestJet dollars (which has now been extended until October 31) and the ever famous companion flight vouchers and first bag free benefits for when you are ready to travel again but if you don't need those extra benefits or don't meet the eligibility criteria for it the WestJet RBC Mastercard is also a great option.


Images via WestJet/RBC