Avianca LifeMiles potentially becomes a better frequent flyer program for Canadians

Avianca LifeMiles is an extremely popular frequent flyer program for mileage maximizers, points hounds or whatever term you would like to call us. The use of buy miles bonuses to fly business or first class on Star Alliance airlines around the globe has been a key factor in that popularity. However the program is rarely looked at for flights within North America but that may change now. As reported earlier today by Ben at One Mile at a Time, LifeMiles has made some changes to their redemption model for flights in Canada and between Canada and the U.S.. And unlike most changes to programs this one actually makes it better if you can find flights to redeem for!

November 11 Update: Hotel Belmont Vancouver to join Accor Hotels and Best Western Rewards extends status for all elite members to 2023

 

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 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

In writing our post yesterday about the new ALL Accor Live Limitless triple points offer we came across a new hotel in the listing of Accor properties in Canada. That hotel is the Hotel Belmont Vancouver MGallery. Right now the Hotel Belmont Vancouver shows as an Ascend Collection hotel from Choice Hotels but from what we can tell that will change on December 1st when the hotel moves over to Accor as part of their MGallery brand. MGallery is Accor's boutique hotel division with over 100 locations in 30 countries. The hotel is the second MGallery hotel in North America with the other being in Miami and it is the first non Fairmont Accor Hotel in Canada outside of Ontario and Quebec.  Click here to learn more about this hotel 

Offer extended: Welcome bonus of 100,000 PC Optimum points on PC Financial Credit Cards

 

 

We see the extension of the 100K credit card offer for getting a PC Financial Mastercard. They have now decided to keep it in place for applications until December 31, 2021 and is good for any one of the three cards in their portfolio:

Check out these regional tourism board offers for hotel stays across Canada - receive free gift cards, discounts & more

 
Regional and city tourism boards here in Canada are back at it again looking to stimulate travel and have people stay in their areas! Over the summer we saw many of them provide incentives for hotel stays in their respective regions and a lot of those offers are back for the fall and winter. Typically the incentive is providing a gift card, discounts, free nights or other perks for booking and staying at hotels in that said region or city. This type of promotion is steadily increasing in  popularity in Canada ever since one of early trendsetters started it off many years ago. That trendsetter was Tourism Vancouver  and Vancouver Hotel Destination Association who launched BeVancouver as early as 2015. Now known as StayVancouverHotels we see them run their gift card offers for stays in the Vancouver region several times per year.

Earn Triple ALL Rewards Points at Accor & Fairmont Hotels in Canada, the U.S., Mexico & Panama

Accor Hotels' Triple Points offer for stays at their locations in North America and select Latin American countries has returned. This includes all the Fairmont Hotels in Canada and the several Novotel, Sofitel Hotels in Ontario and Quebec. It also seems like we have our first MGallery Hotel in Canada, the Hotel Belmont in Vancouver appears to be changing from Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels to this Accor brand later this month. Simply register for this offer to have it ready for any bookings and stays you complete with the chain’s hotel brands. You can easily tie this in with the current Take Your Time discount promotion and their upcoming Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.

November 10 Update: Save up to 15% on Hyatt stays, 30,000 bonus PC Optimum points at Shoppers Drug Mart & 12,500 bonus Be Well points at Rexall

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 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

 Hyatt Hotels launched a big sale this week that provides up to 15% savings for reservations booked by December 21, 2021, for stays through April 30, 2022. World of Hyatt members can enjoy this added savings on top of already reduced member rates. Click here to learn more and/or to book this offer.

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

Here are Rewards Canada's Top 5 Cash Back Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of October 2021. This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Cash Back 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

November 9 Update: Get ready for a bunch of loyalty program news, Marriott adds a new hotel in Sarnia and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection joins Marriott Bonvoy

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 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

 
Be prepared for a whole bunch of loyalty program news, changes and more over the next couple of weeks! 

• The week of November 14 should see:
  
  • Two totally new credit cards 
  • A whole new loyalty program being revealed.
    
  • and the details of the new AIR MILES Flights (they stated November 18)
• The week of November 21 will see the launch of Scene+, which is the new combined program of Cineplex's SCENE and Scotia's Scotia Rewards programs.

HSBC's low interest Mastercard is offering a welcome bonus of 30,000 bonus points and no annual fee in the first year

 
There's been a lot of focus around the return of the 100K points offer on the HSBC World Elite Mastercard and that's kind of overshadowed a pretty decent offer on their lower end rewards card. That card is the HSBC +Rewards™ Mastercard® which is their entry level and low interest rewards card which right now comes with a 30,000 point welcome bonus and the first year $25 annual fee rebated*. This is one of the best offers seen on this card to date.

Awesome deal - Stay 3 nights at the St. Regis Toronto and only pay for 2 plus get a $100 hotel credit

 
We found an amazing offer for longer stays at the luxurious St. Regis Toronto hotel! They currently have a book three nights but only pay two offer that also includes a $100 hotel credit that can be used for food and beverage or at the spa. This offer is available for stays until March 31, 2022 and we checked it out to see if it is a good deal or not. And it is a good deal - read on to find out.