April 6 Update: Fairfield Inn & Suites Salmon Arm now open, $150 grocery credit for Amex Aeroplan Reserve Cards & 7x miles on Aeroplan eStore for fashion retailers

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.

 
Another hotel that we listed in our New Marriott Hotel openings for 2021 opened up recently. The Fairfield Inn & Suites Salmon Arm in B.C.'s interior officially opened on March 19. This location seemed to open up with little fanfare as there isn't even an grand opening bonus points or rate offer. It does seem as the hotel is performing a soft opening right now. The hotel is a Category 3 property (Standard award night: 17,500 points // Off peak: 15,000 // Peak: 20,000) which means you can use your Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card annual free night award here. Learn more about Marriott's new hotel openings in Canada here.

Aeroplan Availability Alert: Business Class on Turkish Airlines out of Toronto for up to 4 people for Fall 2021/Winter 2022 travel

 

Spencer at Straight to the Points sent out an alert about business class tickets for up to 4 people being available on Turkish Airlines and since the airline is a Star Alliance member you can use your Aeroplan points to redeem for these flights. Availability is showing from September 2021 through to February 2022 for flights to Istanbul and beyond. Aeroplan charges 70,000 points each way for partner award flights in business class plus the $39 partner award booking fee.

The Anndore House in Toronto is officially a JdV by Hyatt Hotel!

 
We have exciting news for fans of Hyatt Hotels and the World of Hyatt program here in Canada! The Anndore House, a boutique hotel in Toronto officially became a JdV by Hyatt hotel on April 1st! As we had noted in our New Hyatt Hotel Openings in Canada for 2021 - Now 6 hotels confirmed including the reopening of the Park Hyatt Toronto we knew it was coming this year but not this soon so this is great news! The Anndore House becomes the first Joie de Vivre Hotel in Canada and will be followed closely by The Walper Hotel in Kitchener in May.

Air Canada's planned acquisition of Air Transat has been terminated

 

On Good Friday news came out that Air Canada and Air Transat agreed to terminate the agreement for Air Canada to buy Air Transat. The acquisition of Air Transat by Air Canada was subject to approval and conditions set out by various governments and regulatory authorities and one of them, the European Commission put onerous conditions in place according to Air Canada. Thus even after making some concessions the two airlines have agreed to call it off due to those conditions.

Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for April - These cards provide the most value out of their welcome bonuses

 
Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Travel Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of April 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

Earn double ALL Accor Live Limitless Rewards Points for stays at Fairmont and Accor Hotels in Canada

 Accor Hotels has extended the booking window of their Double Points offer for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Canada and this includes stays at Fairmont Hotels. You now have until April 15 to book this offer for stays until the end of June. Hotels in the U.S., Mexico and Panama are also participating.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites Orillia is now open and offering 5,000 bonus points per stay

Back in February we started off our 2021 series of looking at new hotels opening in Canada with what Marriott has planned and one of those nine hotels slated for this year has opened early! The Fairfield Inn & Suites Orillia was originally set to open on April 8 but it appears to have actually opened up this past weekend!

Earn Double Elite Tier Skywards Miles on Emirates flights out of Toronto and worldwide

If you find yourself requiring essential travel out of Canada this year and that travel will take you on Emirates you'll be happy to know that Emirates has brought back their Double Elite Tier Miles on all flights offer that we saw for the last few months of 2020. Well, in reality it just ended yesterday but you had to register for it back in December. Difference this time is there no registration requirement so all members will earn the extra tier miles so long as the flights are credited to their Skywards account and are booked by June 30 for travel until the end of the year.

April 1 Update: New Amex Offer for Direct Energy and more American Express Cobalt Card Confirmed Multiplier Locations

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.

Earlier today we brought you details of the awesome new Amex Offer for select Marriott Bonvoy cardmembers but that wasn't the only offer released today. We also see the return of the Direct Energy offer. We received it on our Platinum, Cobalt and Bonvoy Cards. The offer is as follows:

Awesome new Amex Offer for Marriott Bonvoy cards - 5,000 bonus points for every $2,000 spend (25,000 bonus points max)

Thanks to Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. for alerting us this morning to this amazing new Amex Offers offer that came out for the  Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card: