Air Canada and SriLankan Airlines to start codeshare service

At the end of this month Air Canada and SriLankan airlines will begin codesharing on services between Canada and SriLanka via Europe.With this announcement we have now launched a page on Rewards Canada covering bonus offers for the SriLankan FlySmiles frequent flyer program. You can visit that page here.

Air Canada operated by SriLankan Airlines
Colombo – Frankfurt
Colombo – London Heathrow
Colombo – Paris CDG

SriLankan Airlines operated by Air Canada
Frankfurt – Calgary
Frankfurt – Montreal
Frankfurt – Ottawa
London Heathrow – Calgary
London Heathrow – Edmonton
London Heathrow – Halifax
London Heathrow – Montreal
London Heathrow – Toronto
London Heathrow – Vancouver
Paris CDG – Montreal

Source: Airline Route Updates

British Airways adds new Elite level: Bronze

Not too long ago BA announced that it will be changing and updating their Executive Club program which also includes the integration of the U.K. Air Miles program and Spain's Iberia Plus program into one program called Avios. Some of the changes, most notably some reward ticket redemption levels have already been released that have not been well received by the frequent flyer community in North America because of the increases doled out for mileage redemption.

That being said, the latest news to be released about the program is the addition of a new elite tier from British Airways. This new tier fills a large gap between Blue (non-status) members and the old first tier level called Silver. Qualification for the new Bronze tier will require half the number of points and/or flights then is required for Silver, namely to reach Bronze you will require 300 tier points or 25 single flights.

The benefits included with the new Bronze tier are:
Business class check-in
Seat selection seven days before departure
Earning 1.25 Avios (formerly Air Miles) for every mile flown
Dedicated telephone number (UK & US)
Bronze tier luggage tags

Air Algerie to increase Montreal service for winter season

According to Airline Route Updates, Air Algerie will be adding a third weekly flight between Montreal and Algiers. The new flight will operate on Saturdays with an Airbus A330.

1.5 million Etihad Guest Miles to be won with Hilton Worldwide

Another contest from Etihad Airways to celebrate the 5th anniversary of their Guest Rewards program. This time they have teamed up with Hilton where members will be entered into the contest each time they complete a stay at any Hilton hotel. Every stay between 1 October and 21 December 2011 gives you an entry into the prize draw to win one of the following prizes
• 1st Prize =  750,000 miles
• 2nd Prize = 300,000 miles
• 3rd Prize =  200,000 miles
• 4th Prize =  150,000 miles
• 5th Prize =  100,000 miles

Full details can be found on the Etihad website

The American Express Gold Rewards Card: How does it stack up?

Over the last five to seven years, there has been an emerging trend in the travel loyalty industry when it comes to credit card rewards. It used to be that credit cards were strictly tied into another provider’s loyalty program – or what they call in the industry a co-brand card. These cards, such as those tied into a frequent flyer program, meant you had to keep your loyalty in one program and had no flexibility in choosing how you would like to be rewarded.

With the advent of travel anywhere credit cards, flexibility is the new rewards reality. You’ve seen the ads – “any airline, anytime.” The explosive emergence of these cards would make you think that they all offer the same value. This, however, is not the case. When you look at all the cards in the Travel Points and Hybrid* categories of our latest rankings and how you can be rewarded with each one, you’d be surprised at how different the cards can be.

The primary difference lies in the flexibility the cards offer in terms of redeeming the points or miles you have earned. The American Express Gold Rewards Card is among the most flexible cards in its category, and one of my favourites. Why do I consider the American Express Gold Rewards to be one of the most flexible in its class? Here’s a re-cap:

1. With the TripFlex option, you do not need the full amount of points to redeem for a flight or other travel – you can start at as little as $10 all the way up to the entire amount, right down to the cents.

2. You can book your travel with who you want, when you want, where you want. You can even be on your vacation, put a tour on your card and redeem your points for that charge when you get back from your vacation. The good news for mileage hounds and points junkies is that your bookings are your standard revenue tickets and hotel stays – which means you can still earn frequent flyer miles and frequent guest points while continuing to build up your elite status qualification

3. You have up to 12 months after the charge posts to your account to redeem your points towards it.

4. There is no set reward chart that you have to follow when redeeming for flights, which allows you to redeem the least amount of points possible. Programs that have set reward charts have a maximum ticket price level, and if your ticket does not reach it, you still have to redeem the set amount of points.

5. You are not limited to flights. You can book any travel to redeem your points against whether it is air travel, hotels, car rentals, rail, cruises and more.

See how the Gold Rewards stacks up against the competition:

RBC Avion Visa: You have to book 14 days out to get the best redemption rate and the travel has to be booked through RBC.

Capital One Aspire World MasterCard: You have to the have the full amount of points to redeem against the charge on your card

BMO World Elite MasterCard: To redeem you have to book travel via BMO Elite Rewards and if you book over the phone you are charged a booking fee.

MBNA Travel Platinum MasterCard: You have a set reward chart and only 22 cities in Canada that you can depart from for flights.

CIBC Aventura Visa/MasterCard: You have to book via CIBC’s travel agency and there are only a select amount of redemptions available at their lowest redemption levels

Most other travel points credit cards force you to redeem via their own travel agency and do not allow you to book travel anywhere which typically means you have to redeem before you travel with no option of redeeming afterwards.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Gold Rewards Card,

* "A Hybrid card is a combination of an airline and/or hotel card and a travel points card. You can convert your points to airline or hotel frequent travel programs or use the points to book travel via the credit card's travel agency or with some cards to book travel how you want and then redeem the points against the charge on your account."

Turkish Airlines: Married Couples get a companion ticket for only 1 Euro or 1 Miles&Smiles miles

Turkish Airlines has launched an interesting companion ticket promotion for their Miles&Smiles members that are married. For the month of October, members who book a revenue ticket can buy a second ticket for only 1 Euro or for those who book a Miles&Smiles award ticket a companion ticket can be had for only 1 Miles&Smiles mile. The offer is good for both Economy and Business Class tickets to the following Turkish destinations:

Europe 1: Chisinau, Tirana, Podgorica, Pristine, Skopje, Belgrade, Sofia, Bosnia, Zagreb
Europe 2:Baku, Bucharest, Odessa, Dnepropetvosk, Athens,Kiev, Donetsk,Tbilisi, Budapest, Lviv,Simferopol, Prague, Thesaloniki,Batumi
Europe 3: Milan, Rome, Ljublajana, Venice, Bologna, Naples, Turin, Cenova, Nice, Toulouse, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Paris, Lyon
Lisbon, Brussels
North Africa: Cairo, Alexandriaelnohza, Dakar, Khartum, Tunis, Casablanca, Algeria, Nairobi, Darusselam, Lagos, Accra, Tripoli, Benghazi, Adisababa, Entebbe
Near East: Amman
Middle East: Muscat
Central Asia: Askabat,Bombay
Far East: Beıjıng, Osaka
South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape Town

Full details of this promotion can be found here.

Terms and Conditions

• Member with award ticket may get an another award ticket which will be 1 mile, will be redeemed for the passenger accompanying miles&smiles member.
• Promotin is valid only for married couples. Document (Marriage Certificate) will be checked during check-in . Marriage date will be disregarded.
• Promotional award tickets shall be issued for travels between 1 October- 31 October 2011 and travel must be completed between these dates.
• A member can only benefit once from this promotion.
• Promotion is valid for seat limited Economy, Comfort and Business reservation classes .
• Promotion will be applied for only Miles&Smiles members howewer membership obligation for second passenger in the reservation will not be needed.
• The member and accompanying passenger must travel together on all sectors.
• The member and accompanying passenger must be on the same reservation.
• Promotion will be applied on condition that 2 passengers exist in the same reservation. If there are more than 2 passengers in the reservation, regular mileage value will be redeemed.
• The promotional award ticket will only be issued by Turkish Airlines Sales Offices and Call Center, it will not be available through the web site.
• Refund: refund is not allowed .
• Rebooking/rerouting:Rebooking/Rerouting is allowed on condition that the reservation is made within promotion dates and promotional destinations for two award tickets at the same time.
• The validity of the award tickets will be restricted as 31 october.
• Member is also responsible for all taxes and other charges of one mileage ticket.
• This promotion will be applied only for Turkish Airlines scheduled flight. Promotion is not permitted on Codeshare flights and Star Alliance member airlines flights.

4th Quarter Hotel Promotion Round Up

Taking a page from Ric Garrido's Loyalty Traveler blog, we thought it best to also do a round up for our readers of all the fourth quarter hotel loyalty promos that are currently underway 

Best Western Rewards
Earn up to Triple Rewards Points after your 2nd qualified stay at any Best Western branded hotel worldwide. Earn double points for your 2nd qualified stay* or triple points if you stay at 2 different types of Best Western® branded hotels (BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® or BEST WESTERN PREMIER®).
Full details, Online Registration and Booking (Registration is required) Until Nov 20, 11
Restrictions
* For residents of North America, Asia, Afica, and South America
* Bonus can be earned twice for regular members, four times for elite members

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
Earn a Free Night when you stay two or more consecutive nights, Sunday-Thursday, at participating Country Inns & Suites By Carlson hotels in the U.S. and Canada. Use promo code 'FALLSTAY' when you book online at Country Inns & Suites  Until Dec 1, 11
To get the free night, members must register their 2 nights stay on or before December 22, 2011, and Club Carlson will send you a Free Night Reward Certificate that you can use for a free night between December 15, 2011 and February 15, 2012.

Coast Hotels Coast Rewards
Triple Aeroplan Miles on all qualifying Coast Hotels stays in the U.S. and Canada. Full details. Until Nov 30, 11

Hilton HHonors
Double HHonors Points or Free Night Stays when you stay at participating Hilton locations Worldwide. If you select double points, the bonus will be earned on each night you stay. If you select free night, you will earn a free night certificate after every 4 stays or 10 nights. The free night certificate is valid at participating hotels in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio for 6 months after the date of issuance, as noted on the certificate.
Register online (Registration is required) then book online at Hilton.com. Until Dec 31, 11
For a list of excluded properties please see here

Hyatt Gold Passport
5,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points after every 3 eligible nights at Hyatt hotels Worldwide. Maximum bonus is 30,000 points. Full details and online registration. Until Nov 15, 11

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club
500 Bonus Priority Club points PER NIGHT+ Double, Triple or Quadruple Points for stays at participating InterContinental® , Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Express by Holiday Inn™, Holiday Inn Express® and Holiday Inn Club Vacations® hotels, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® worldwide. You will earn 500 points per night and at the end of the promotion the total points will be
doubled if you stay at any 2 IHG brands
tripled if you stay at any 3 IHG brands
quadrupled if you stay at 4 or more IHG brands
up to a maximum of 80,000 points.
Full Details, Registration and Online Booking (Registration is required) Until Dec 31, 11

Marriott Rewards
Marriott Rewards MegaBonus - Bonus Points or Free nights for stays at Marriott locations Worldwide during the promotion period that are paid for with a VISA card. Bonus offers depends on each member and will be revealed once you log in and register. You can log in and book your stays at Marriott.com Register by Oct 31 for stays Sep 15, 11- Jan 15, 12
Here are some of the offer members are getting:
- 1 free night after 2 paid stays (up ot 2 free Categaory 1-4 nights awarded)
- Earn 5,000 points for each 2nd paid stay—up to 20,000 points
- Earn 25,000 points after 15 paid nights + an additional 15,000 points after 20 paid nights- up to 40,000 points
- Earn 35,000 points after 20 paid nights + an additional 15,000 points after 25 paid nights - up to 50,000 points

Melia International Mas Rewards
1,500 Bonus Mas Points per stay a Melia Hotels Worldwide. Bonus can be earned a maximum of 4 times. Full details and Online Booking. Book by Oct 31 for stays until Dec 15, 11

Starwood Preferred Guest
Earn up to Triple Starpoints for stays at more than 875 participating hotels and resorts worldwide.
* Earn triple Starpoints on stays including a Thursday or Sunday night
* Earn double Starpoints on all other stays
There is no limit to number of bonus Starpoints you can earn.
Full Details, Registration & Online Booking. Register by Nov 15, 11 for stays Sep 6 - Dec 18, 11

Voila Hotel Rewards
1.Double Voila Rewards Points for every stay at all VOILÀ hotels Worldwide when you Donate 1,000 Points to World Reader. Register Online (Registration is required) Until Dec 30, 11
2.Double Elite Qualification Credit for every night you stay at all VOILÀ hotels Worldwide. Register Online (Registration is required) Until Dec 31, 11

Wyndham Rewards
Double Wyndham Rewards Points for 3 separate qualified stays at Wyndham locations Worldwide. Valid for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd qualified stays. Plus receive a $20 (USD) VISA gift card after 2nd qualifying stay, 4th qualifying stay, and a 6th qualifying stay. Register Online (Registration is required) Until Nov 18, 11
Restrictions
Valid for residents of the U.S. Canada and Mexico only

WestJet and Emirates sign interline agreement

This news came out last week and brought a touch more fan fare then the El Al announcement. This time it was announced that an interline agreement has been set up between WestJet and Emirates. Passengers will now be able to travel on one itinerary when flying WestJet and connecting to/from Emirates flights in Toronto.

Source: Newswire.ca

American Express Doubles the Sign Up Bonus for Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card

 For a limited time, American Express is doubling the sign up bonus for one of the top Canadian Travel Rewards cards, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card. Normally the sign up bonus is 10,000 Starpoints but if you apply by December 15th and spend $1,000 within the first three months of cardmembership you will receive 20,000 Starpoints. This is enough Starpoints for 5 free nights at a Category 1 Starwood property. For more details and/or to apply for the card please visit Americanexpress.ca



Other features and benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
- Earn 1 Starpoint for every $1 in purchases charged to the Card
- Enjoy a Free Weekend Night Award when you reach $40,000 in purchases each year
- Experience Starwood Gold Preferred Guest status when you reach $30,000 in purchases each year
- $120 annual fee (annual interest rate 19.99%)

Starwood Award Stays to Count Towards Elite Status

Gary Leff from the View From The Wing blog broke this story a few days as a rumour and then confirmed that effective October 1st, 2011 all Starwood Award stays and nights will count towards your elite qualification in the SPG program. The only other hotel programs to offer this benefit are Choice Privileges and Hilton HHonors.