June 9 Update: Mandatory hotel stay and quarantine requirement to be dropped for fully vaccinated Canadians & 35,000 bonus points on more Avion cards

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. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 bonus points and no annual fee in the first year! 

News emerged today from our federal government that we can expect to have the mandatory hotel stay and 14 day quarantine requirements when returning to Canada to be dropped for Canadians and permanent residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Travellers who meet the criteria will still be required to have a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding a flight back to Canada and will have to take one more test upon return and quarantine until those test results are received and are negative. It is hoped that these new rules will be in place by the beginning of July so long as our COVID-19 numbers continue to drop. (Source Canadian Travel News)

What happens to points & miles when a person passes away?

 

This week sees the return of a not so often talked about topic in the points and miles world and that is "What happens to your points and miles after a person passes away?" Global BC's Consumer Matters reached out to me for an interview (see the piece here) as one of their viewers contacted them when her husband passed away and all his Canadian Tire Money was lost. In the end it was good news for her as they provided her with a gift certificate worth more than the points that were lost but it still stands to bring forth the details and to discuss this subject.

Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions – June Edition

 Here is your monthly update of all the global hotel bonus points promotions that are available. One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of these systemwide bonuses that come from many of the big chain programs and also from the lesser known programs. In fact, right now it should be rare for you NOT to earn a bonus. Unless you are staying at a boutique hotel or perhaps an independent hotel most other hotels out there have a bonus. So take advantage of it! These systemwide bonuses simply require you to register beforehand and they do not affect hotel pricing as long as you book a point eligible rate which are most rates out there. Of course booking through a third party site like Expedia or Rocketmiles does not count as most chains only award points on bookings that are made directly with them.  Here are all the current promotions that are available to everyone this month:

The Ultimate No Fee Cash Back Credit Card Portfolio

In this feature of Rewards Canada' Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios we look at the ultimate one for earning cash back without paying annual fees on any of the cards. We have always recommended that you should carry a Visa, a Mastercard and an American Express card in your wallet and that's what these portfolios encompass. The reason why is that there are benefits, promotions and earning potential unique to each brand of credit card. We won't go into detail here as you can read all about it in our feature on how to Maximize your Miles and Points but in this feature we outline one card from each brand that will help you build up those cash back returns faster than ever all the while not taking a dime out of your pocket for annual fees. Ultimately there are various options that could be utilized for a no fee cash back portfolio but we look at one card from each issuing family that provide the strongest cash back earning along with some added benefits.

June 8 Update: CIBC AC Conversion Visa offering 1% cash back until Oct 31, up to 5x points via the Aeroplan eStore & 50% bonus points for Esso purchases

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. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 bonus points and no annual fee in the first year! 

 
CIBC's AC Conversion Visa - the prepaid credit card option offered by CIBC and Air Canada has introduced a limited time 1% cash back offer for all spending on the card until October 31st. Learn more about this card here.

How to score 350 to 700 WestJet dollars for only $120 to $240

Right now there are two RBC credit card welcome bonus offers that provide the potential to come out with at least 700 WestJet dollars for as little as $240 in annual fees and purchases. The two cards are the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and the RBC Avion Visa Infinite  card.

Best ever 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 (now gone) The Platinum Card®, the Choice Card from American Express™ (now gone) as well as offers on the SimplyCash™ Preferred Card from American Express and the SimplyCash™ Card from American Express. Of course we also saw increased welcome bonuses for the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express® Card come out earlier this year to which this post is a reminder of the amazing offers on these two Marriott cards!

Podcast Episode 80 - How to earn bonus miles and points on travel, shopping and credit cards

 

 In this episode we look at all the steps is takes to earn those coveted bonus miles and points from promotions being offered from airlines, hotels, car rental companies and credit cards. From how to find the offers, to registering and how to chase after them if they don't post. This How To episode guides you in your quest to earning the most points and miles on all your travels, shopping and credit cards!

Flight Review: Air Canada AC215 Calgary to Vancouver - There is nothing like that new plane smell

It's time for another Bill W review for you! Bill is a true road warrior, his work has him driving and flying across Western and Central Canada every week while staying in a variety hotels from a variety of chains.  Bill has been reading, following and even giving Rewards Canada tips and updates for a very long time so let's welcome him back with this contribution!  COVID-19 put a stop to much of his travels for awhile but he's back at it now!

I am on my first Air Canada flight of 2021 and was booked on Air Canada’s newest aircraft, the A220-200. For this flight I was able to upgrade to Business Class which on this aircraft is 3 rows, 12 seats.  

WestJet providing elite tier status extensions to December 2022

 

On top of the earlier news of WestJet providing up to 2x qualifying spend on WestJet flights, the airline also announced today that they are going to extend current member's elite status to December 31, 2022.