You can now convert Air Canada Buddy Passes into 30,000 Aeroplan points!

GREAT NEWS: According to an interview with Air Canada Aeroplan execs that Anshul at Points, Miles & Bling had over this past weekend the buddy pass conversion option is based on the date you apply not the date the buddy pass posts to your account - this means you can apply for this card by April 30 and be able to convert the buddy pass to Aeroplan points once it posts to your account. Please note there are mentions on other sites the conversion option is being extended. There is no confirmation of this just yet - we have reached out to Air Canada and should know by April 23 if this will be happening

MAJOR UPDATE: We have been notified The Buddy Pass can only be converted by April 30th which means it is very unlikely any new applicants for the TD card will be able to get the pass in time to convert. This is likely to keep the card from having an influx of new applicants just  to convert the Buddy Pass over to points. 

Shout out to Ashul at Points, Miles & Bling and Ricky from Prince of Travel who broke the news last night that Aeroplan is now allowing members to convert the Air Canada Buddy Passes earned from an Aeroplan co-brand card into Aeroplan points! The option to convert has not been published publicly by Air Canada however Anshul and Ricky have confirmed with the airline that this indeed is true. And it is an awesome deal - Air Canada will give you 30,000 Aeroplan points if you choose to convert your Buddy Pass to Aeroplan points. To do so you simply have to call Aeroplan and tell them you would like to convert your Buddy Pass to points.

One week left for the best ever offer on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard: 450 dollars + a $0 companion fare

 
For just over a month we have the seen the best offer yet on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and this is a reminder there is only one week left to score this great deal. The offer might be prime for the picking right now for some of our readers who are excited about the news that came out today from WestJet on how they are going to restart flights to Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton, Sydney and Quebec City and resume flights between Toronto and St. John's.

The Platinum Card from American Express sees its 50,000 point welcome bonus return

 
Earlier today we let you know about the new increased welcome bonuses on Amex's Marriott Bonvoy cards and in that post we mentioned the Platinum Card seeing an increased bonus as well. That's what we'll cover here and it is the return of what had been the standard bonus on The Platinum Card and that standard bonus is 50,000 points.

For the better of a year now Canada's Top Ultra Premium card has had a low welcome bonus of 25,000 points and for good reason. American Express shifted from putting money behind new acquisitions on this card to supporting those that already had it during the pandemic. Existing cardholders saw some pretty amazing offers during this time from Double Points and Double Redemption value to $250 in grocery store credits and much more. Now that there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic albeit a very long tunnel still, American Express appears to be getting ready for everyone looking for revenge travel! They now have increased sign up bonuses on all their travel based cards except one - the American Express Gold Rewards Card stands alone as the forgotten child! 

Now back to this new offer on the Platinum Card of 50,000 welcome points. Those points will be earned when you spend $3,000 on the card in the first three months of having it. Those 50,000 points are worth no less than $500 towards travel when you redeem via the Flexible Points Travel Program, up to $1,000 when you redeem via the Fixed Points for Travel program or $500 to well over $2,000 when you convert to programs like Aeroplan and redeem for business or first class flights. 

Recommended reading: Redemption Stories: Saving $3,800 on last minute flights with the Platinum Card from American Express

Now the card does have one of the highest annual fees around - $699 per year but it comes with a slew of benefits and features that more than make up for that fee. There is a reason why this the best Ultra Premium credit card (well charge card) in Canada:

• 3 points per dollar spent on dining, 2 points per dollar on travel & 1 point on everything else
• $200 annual travel credit when you book travel via American Express
• The best airport lounge access program in Canada which includes Priority Pass Prestige for the cardholder and one guest
  
• Elite status with various hotel loyalty programs including Marriott and Hilton
• Access to Fine Hotels & Resorts which can add up to US$550 or more in value at luxury hotels around the world
• and much much more
  

Recommended reading: How to maximize the elite status benefits from The Platinum Card from American Express

Like we mentioned in the Marriott post from earlier today we are excited to see Amex boosting their welcome offers once again. It has been an unprecedented 12 months that I don't think any of us expected and it changed everything in the points and miles world. However when we see news like we did today it provides a glimmer of hope that in due time things will return to normal as now the Platinum Card is back to normal!

Learn more about and apply for the card here.

There is also a 60,000 point offer for the card via Amex's refer a friend channels. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in receiving that offer link.

Awesome new increased welcome bonuses on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards - 60,000 points + statement credits

After spending most of 2020 supporting existing customers we can say 2021 is the year American Express is back in the game for acquiring new customers! We've seen increased welcome offers on the American Express Cobalt™ Card, the Choice Card from American Express™ and the SimplyCash™ Preferred Card from American Express and now we can add three more cards into the mix! As of today there are now increased welcome bonuses for the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express® Card and the The Platinum Card® . In this post we'll cover the new Marriott bonuses and follow up with separate coverage on the Platinum Card. 

Earn 1,000 bonus points per night for stays at the Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel

 

For the months of April and May, Marriott Bonvoy members can earn 1,000 bonus points per night for stays at the Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel. Remember as well if you stay by April 27 you can earn Double Bonvoy Points and Double Elite Night credit for each stay of 2 or more nights. You can register separately for that offer here.

March 23 Update: Aeroplan points posting from the new Starbucks partnership, earn & redeem Be Well points with Well.ca & Mogo products now on Rewards Canada

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.

Aeroplan points are starting to post now from the Starbucks partnership that was announced earlier this month. To recap you earn 75 Aeroplan points when you load $50 to $74.99 on your Starbucks card or 150 points for $75+. On top of that there are limited time bonuses to celebrate this partnership of 25 bonus points when you make 4 or more transactions and 50 bonus points when you make two 150 Starbucks Stars redemptions. You can see from the screenshot of my account that I have already earned both of the limited time bonuses plus some of the standard points for reloading my account on the Starbucks app. Learn more about the Aeroplan Starbucks partnership here!

Podcast Episode 78 - A look at some of the exciting new hotels opening in Canada this year!

This episode is sponsored by the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®

In this episode we look at some of the exciting new hotels that are set to open in Canada this year. In a year where most Canadians will be staying in Canada for their travels staying at a new local hotel can make for an awesome staycation. We highlight a handful of hotels from the 29 properties that are set to open from Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Marriott that should be on your list if you do want to check out some place new! Scroll down for links to the topics in the episode.

Receive up to a 100% bonus when you buy Aeroplan Points

 We are just short of a year since Air Canada began selling Aeroplan points full time and without being a top off for an offer. In this short time period Air Canada has already made a name for itself in running some pretty lucrative bonus offers for buying their points and today we get another one of those limited time offers!

Earn up to 5x points with select retailers including Apple via the Aeroplan eStore

 

 Air Canada Aeroplan is running a 'Spring Refresh' event where you can earn up to 5x points for shopping online at select retailers via Aeroplan's eStore. This offer runs until April 4 and the participating retailers are Linen Chest, TSC, Well.ca, simons, Macys, Hudson's Bay, dyson & Bed, Bath & Beyond.

LAST DAY – Receive up to a 50% bonus when you buy Marriott Bonvoy Points

 

Today is the last day for Marriott Bonvoy’s buy points  bonus! Depending on the member that bonus will either be 40% or 50%. If it’s 50% you’ll definitely want to check it out as it can be worth buying the points with that bonus.