Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for January - These cards provide some of the best value out of their welcome bonuses

 

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Travel Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of January 2021! This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition (welcome/sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when some of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards. This month we see three first year free cards on the list 

Marriott Bonvoy Elite Members to receive 50% elite night credits, will offer a double points/elite credit promotion & a discount on off peak redemptions

 
Marriott just announced they will once again be giving a boost to their elite members to make re-qualifying for status easier during these depressed travel times. This February all elite members will receive elite night credits equal to half of what it would normally take to earn the same status they currently have.

Fairmont's Stay Close offer of every 2nd night free returns for 2021 with the possibility to earn triple ALL Accor Live Limitless points on those stays

 

From May to August and then in the fall of last year we provided an abundant amount of coverage of Fairmont's Stay Close promotion. This is where the hotel chain offered every 2nd night free (or 2nd room) at many of their hotels in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The offer never went away but simply trickled down to only one hotel just before Christmas and then BAM! Once again it's here in full force at a select number of their hotels in Canada, the U.S., Barbados and Bermuda! 

It's time to pick your Aeroplan Elite Status Select Benefits

 

A new year means a new cycle to elite status benefits and the most prevalent in Canada happens to be Air Canada Aeroplan's Elite Status. If you hold status with Aeroplan that means you get to pick your select benefits for the year now. The benefits you get to select over and above your standards benefits depends on which level of Aeroplan status you hold. Those are as follows:

Podcast Episode 75 - 2021 Loyalty & travel outlook, predictions & trends with special guest Points, Miles & Bling's Anshul Singh

 

In this the first episode for 2021 Patrick is joined by special guest Anshul Singh of Points, Miles & Bling. Based in Ottawa Anshul is well known in the world of points and miles in Canada. He's famous for his weekly virtual meet ups with bloggers, experts and others from around the world. Anshul and Patrick discuss what travel may look like in 2021, what else we will see from the new Aeroplan program this year, Alaska Airlines joining oneworld and the effects it will have on the Mileage Plan program, what to expect in our credit card market and the loyalty programs to keep an eye out for this year!

Receive a 40% discount on AeroMexico Club Premier business class award tickets out of Canada for travel until the end of June (Book by Jan 8)

 

The following would be a speculative booking in my mind but for the next two days AeroMexico is offering its Club Premier members 40% off business class award tickets from the three Canadian cities they serve. Those cities are Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. If you have enough Club Premier points for the redemption and feel like you would want to travel to Mexico City by June this may be an offer to check out. Beware aof ny travel regulations that you need to follow and also beware those regulations may change by the time of your actual flights. 

Canada's new entry requirement now in effect - Negative COVID-19 test result required prior to flying to Canada

 Today, January 7th 2021 marks the day that any travelers flying back to Canada from outside our borders will need to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result prior to boarding their flights. The test must be administered within 72 hours of your planned departure time and if you don't meet the requirements you are to be denied boarding by the airline. This new requirement is in place for all travellers aged 5 years and up and is for both Canadian and foreign nationals. 

Air Canada Aeroplan adds Virgin Australia as their newest airline partner

 
Air Canada's Aeroplan keeps on adding more travel partners to program - namely airlines which shows they are hyper focused on the program being a true frequent flyer program rather than the coalition program they had been known as for the better part of almost two decades. In 2020 alone the program added four new airline partners Etihad, Azul, Vistara and Air Serbia and as of January 19 you can add Virgin Australia to that list.

January 6 Update: Spend $150+ online with Shoppers Drug Mart and get 50,000 bonus PC Optimum points & Sonesta buys Red Lion Hotels

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

You can earn 50,000 PC Optimum bonus points (worth $50) when you spend $150 or more on almost anything online with Shoppers Drug Mart. This offer runs until January 7. Find out more here.

Which credit card earns the most Aeroplan Points? Version 2.0

Way back in 2012 we published a feature and infographic that compared how various credit and charge cards in Canada earned Aeroplan miles. The last time it was updated was 2014 and a lot has changed since then! We've seen cards that were on that list disappear, cards go through earn rate changes and most recently seeing the entire Aeroplan program revamped and relaunched in November 2020. It is only fitting that we provide a new and revised version of that feature as well since there have been so many changes in those 7 years.