Monday, September 24, 2018

CIBC Aventura Card enhancements coming on October 15 - Priority Pass with lounge visits, NEXUS credit and more


CIBC has been a bank that has kind of sat on its laurels over the past few years with their credit cards. After the last major Aventura update back in October 2013, they haven't done much other then the typical increased sign up bonuses or first year free offers on this suite of cards. They were do for an update or some sort of enhancement and we are happy to report that come October 15 they are doing just that.

For the most part the cards aren't changing that much, in fact on the rewards side not at all. The earn and burn remain the same but we are seeing additional benefits being added to the cards at no extra cost to the cardholders. This is a welcome enhancement that will make these cards more valuable and bring them up to speed with many of their competitors. One benefit however is one that we have not seen on a Canadian card but is seen on many U.S. cards. We'll explain more below.


Priority Pass Membership + Lounge Visits
Primary Aventura cardholders (Gold through to Infinite Privilege) will get basic Priority Pass membership included with their card. This represents a US$99 value (although with our special Rewards Canada partnership that is only $79 in the first year ) plus cardholders will get 4 free lounge visit passes per year. Each pass is worth US$32 so you can value this new addition to the cards at US$227.  This move is really seen as a necessary competitive move to compete with cards like the BMO Rewards World Elite Mastercard (and basically all other World Elite Mastercards with LoungeKey) and the Scotia Visa Infinite Passport which offer lounge access and passes. You can learn more about how Priority Pass works in our Guide to Business Class Lounge Access.


NEXUS Rebate
Primary Aventura cardholders (Gold through to Infinite Privilege) will get rebate when the apply for and charge their NEXUS application fee to their Aventura card. This rebate is valid once every four years. The current cost of NEXUS is US$50. This is the benefit we mention above that we have yet to see on a Canadian card! Many U.S. credit cards offer credits/rebates for getting Global Entry (you get this with NEXUS) and/or CLEAR.


Enhanced Insurance Coverage
All Aventura cards will offer mobile device insurance and hotel burglary insurance as of October 15th while Infinite and Infinite Privilege Cards will get increased Trip Cancellation Insurance.

Here is a great summary of all these enhancements:


Learn all about the new benefits coming to the Aventura Cards here!

It's great to see CIBC updating these cards with these benefits - we have been stating that there isn't much more card issuers can do on the earn and burn side - they have to look to other benefits to really compete and potentially set them apart. The benefit that excites me the most is that NEXUS credit as now we may see other card issuers include that as well and seeing that I don't personally have an Aventura card it would be nice to see it on other cards.

What are all your thoughts on these true enhancements to the Aventura suite of cards?

NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 163 Hotels for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night


The latest IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks hotels are now available for booking! We didn't get any previews this round other than the IC Mendoza so the entire list is a surprise! This set has 163 hotels that can now be booked for 5,000 points to 15,000 points per award night for stays until November 30, 2018. For those traveling within our borders there are six Canadian properties participating and all are in Alberta.  Remember the PointBreaks rules are that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at PointBreaks hotels and 2 at Last Minute Reward Night hotels).  My tip to get around this would be to book 2 reservations with one IHG Rewards Club account and then have your spouse book 2 more etc. Of course this is dependent on both accounts having enough points to redeem for these awards.  Also be sure to book these ASAP as soon as the list comes out as once the allotted nights are booked at certain locations those hotels will fall off the list.

Why are IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks such a great deal? Because they offer reward nights at participating IHG hotels Worldwide for as little as 5,000 Rewards Club points. For those of you not to familiar with IHG Rewards Club , normal redemption rates for Rewards Club reward nights run from as low as 10,000 points for some Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express locations to 70,000 points for ultra-luxurious InterContinental locations and even these locations can participate in Pointbreaks.

This is now the fourth set of PointBreaks that now have multiple redemption levels where all hotels are not 5,000 points like they used to be, some are now at that level but there are also hotels at 10,000 and 15,000 points. IHG states this allows them to provide more hotels for the promotion and so far that is holding true with each list being above 150 hotels compared to about 100 or so when the list used to only be 5,000 points.

An example of a good deal on this list the IC Mendoza This hotel normally starts at 25,000 points for a standard room so the 10,000 point rate is more than 50% off. Something to look at if you are heading to the Mendoza region! There are a total of 11 IC hotels available this time!


Click here to view and book any of the current PointBreaks offers.

Canadian Properties:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fort Saskatchewan 5,000 Points
Holiday Inn & Suites Grande Prairie-Conference Ctr 10,000 points
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sherwood Park-Edmonton Area 10,000 points
Holiday Inn Calgary-Macleod Trail South 15,000 points
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Calgary 15,000 points
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Calgary South-Macleod Trail S 15,000 points


5,000 Point Hotels

10,000 point hotels
United States

ALABAMA
Holiday Inn Express Atmore

ARIZONA
Holiday Inn Express Peoria North - Glendale

ARKANSAS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bryant - Benton Area

CALIFORNIA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Camarillo

COLORADO
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Denver Northwest - Broomfield

CONNECTICUT
Crowne Plaza Stamford

DELAWARE
Crowne Plaza Wilmington North

FLORIDA
Candlewood Suites Miami Intl Airport - 36Th St

ILLINOIS
Crowne Plaza Chicago Sw - Burr Ridge
Crowne Plaza Chicago-Northbrook

INDIANA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Evansville North
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mishawaka - South Bend
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Portage
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Schererville

IOWA
Holiday Inn & Suites Des Moines-Northwest

KANSAS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Atchison
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lenexa - Overland Park Area
Holiday Inn Express Wichita South

KENTUCKY
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cincinnati South - Wilder

LOUISIANA
Holiday Inn Covington
Holiday Inn Express Donaldsonville

MAINE
Candlewood Suites Portland - Scarborough

MARYLAND
Holiday Inn Belcamp - Aberdeen Area
Holiday Inn Express & Suites College Park-University Area

MICHIGAN
Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - Airport
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Southgate - Detroit Area

MISSISSIPPI
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Columbus North

MISSOURI
Holiday Inn Joplin
Holiday Inn Express & Suites West Plains Southwest

NEBRASKA
Candlewood Suites Omaha Airport
Holiday Inn Omaha Southwest
Staybridge Suites Omaha 80Th And Dodge

NEW JERSEY
Holiday Inn Express Bordentown - Trenton South
Holiday Inn Express Princeton Southeast

NEW MEXICO
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Deming Mimbres Valley

NEW YORK
Holiday Inn Express Rochester - Greece
Holiday Inn Rochester Ny - Downtown
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Salamanca

NORTH CAROLINA
Crowne Plaza Hickory

OHIO
Holiday Inn & Suites Mansfield-Conference Ctr
Holiday Inn Express Lordstown-Newton Falls/Warren

OKLAHOMA
Holiday Inn & Suites Oklahoma City North
Crowne Plaza Tulsa - Southern Hills

PENNSYLVANIA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Gettysburg
Crowne Plaza Reading

SOUTH CAROLINA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Blythewood
Holiday Inn Express & Suites I-26 & Us 29 At Westgate Mall

TENNESSEE
Holiday Inn Knoxville N - Merchant Drive

TEXAS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston Sw - Sharpstown
Staybridge Suites Odessa - Interstate Hwy 20
Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio South
Staybridge Suites Nw Near Six Flags Fiesta
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Schulenburg
Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio North - Windcrest

UTAH
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brigham City - North Utah
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lehi - Thanksgiving Point

VIRGINIA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites South Hill
Holiday Inn Express Quantico - Stafford

WASHINGTON
Holiday Inn & Suites Bellingham

WISCONSIN
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Platteville

WYOMING
Candlewood Suites Cheyenne


Worldwide

ALBERTA, CANADA
Holiday Inn & Suites Grande Prairie-Conference Ctr
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sherwood Park-Edmonton Area

STATE OF MEXICO, MEXICO
Crowne Plaza Toluca-Lancaster

VERACRUZ, MEXICO
Hotel Indigo Veracruz Boca Del Rio

ARGENTINA
InterContinental Mendoza

EL SALVADOR
InterContinental San Salvador-Metrocentro Mall

AZERBAIJAN
Staybridge Suites Baku

FRANCE
Holiday Inn Express Paris - Cdg Airport

GERMANY
Holiday Inn Express Augsburg
Holiday Inn Hamburg - City Nord

MALTA
Holiday Inn Express Malta

MONGOLIA
Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar

ROMANIA
InterContinental Bucharest

TURKEY
Crowne Plaza Bursa
Crowne Plaza Istanbul - Harbiye
Holiday Inn Istanbul - Sisli

UNITED KINGDOM
Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen City Centre
Holiday Inn Express Chester - Racecourse
Holiday Inn Express St. Albans - M25, Jct.22

SAUDI ARABIA
Crowne Plaza Madinah

SOUTH AFRICA
Holiday Inn Cape Town

ZIMBABWE
Holiday Inn Mutare

INDIA
Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport
Holiday Inn Chennai Omr It Expressway

JAPAN
ANA Crowne Plaza Wakkanai
ANA Crowne Plaza Yonago

LAOS
Crowne Plaza Vientiane

SHANGHAI, MAINLAND CHINA
Crowne Plaza Shanghai Xiayang Lake

MALAYSIA
Holiday Inn Melaka

NEPAL
Crowne Plaza Kathmandu-Soaltee

TAIWAN
Crowne Plaza Tainan



15,000 point hotels
United States

CALIFORNIA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Carpinteria
Holiday Inn Express Sunnyvale - Silicon Valley

COLORADO
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Loveland

FLORIDA
Holiday Inn Express Fort Walton Beach Central
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Saint Augustine North

ILLINOIS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago-Midway Airport
Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk

KANSAS
Holiday Inn Express Kansas City - Village West

MICHIGAN
Holiday Inn Express & Suites South Haven

MISSOURI
Hotel Indigo Kansas City Downtown

NEW JERSEY
Holiday Inn Express North Bergen - Lincoln Tunnel

NEW YORK
Holiday Inn Plattsburgh (Adirondack Area)
Crowne Plaza Syracuse
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Watertown-Thousand Islands

NORTH DAKOTA
Staybridge Suites Fargo

OHIO
Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square

PENNSYLVANIA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Erie (Summit Township)
Hotel Indigo Pittsburgh East Liberty

SOUTH DAKOTA
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rapid City - Rushmore South
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sioux Falls At Empire Mall

TEXAS
Hotel Indigo Frisco

WASHINGTON
Holiday Inn Express Vancouver North - Salmon Creek

WISCONSIN
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Superior - Duluth Area




Worldwide

ALBERTA, CANADA
Holiday Inn Calgary-Macleod Trail South
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Calgary
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Calgary South-Macleod Trail S

BRAZIL
InterContinental Sao Paulo

COLOMBIA
InterContinental Cartagena de Indias

PANAMA
InterContinental Miramar Panama

FINLAND
Crowne Plaza Helsinki - Hesperia

GERMANY
Crowne Plaza Berlin - Potsdamer Platz

ITALY
Crowne Plaza Venice East - Quarto d'Altino

NETHERLANDS
Independent QO Amsterdam

RUSSIA
Crowne Plaza St. Petersburg - Ligovsky
Hotel Indigo St. Petersburg - Tchaikovskogo

SLOVENIA
InterContinental Ljubljana

SWITZERLAND
Holiday Inn Express Luzern - Neuenkirch

UKRAINE
InterContinental Kiev

UNITED KINGDOM
Crowne Plaza London - Heathrow
Holiday Inn Express London - Wandsworth

LEBANON
InterContinental Le Vendome Beirut

OMAN
Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC

SAUDI ARABIA
InterContinental Al Khobar
Crowne Plaza Jeddah
Holiday Inn Jeddah Gateway
Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel & Convention

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi

VIETNAM
InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72 

Thursday, September 20, 2018

September 20 Update: 9% cash back returns on TD Cash Back Visa Infiinte, great bonus for flying on Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian + more!


The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card is once again offering 9% cash back on gas, grocery and recurring bill payments for the first 3 months up to a total spend of $3,500 in the first three months of having the card. If you reach that spend it is the equivalent of getting a $210 bonus on the card. The only difference with the offer this time versus the previous version is that the card's annual fee is not waived in the first year like we previously saw. This offer is good for applications completed by December 3, 2018


If you are thinking of or needing to fly to Europe in November or December check out this bonus offer from Miles & More! It awards up to 21 bonus Miles & More miles per Euro spent on airfare for travel on Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian or Eurowings.The normal earn rate is 4 miles per Euro (upped to 5 or 6 if you have Elite status) and this offer boosts the earn 25 miles per Euro spent! Buy a ticket worth 1000 EUR before taxes and fees and you have 25,000 miles! Austrian, Swiss and Lufthansa all fly from Canada so be sure to check them out to see if this offer makes sense for you. The only caveat is that you must book by September 30 for travel only in November and December. Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

  • N/A
Travel Deals
Europcar:
Save up to 35% on all Europcar rentals! Book by Sep 30 for rentals until Dec 16, 18. Find out more here

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
TD
- Earn 9% on gas, grocery and recurring bill payments for the first 3 months up to a total spend of $3,500 on the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card. More... Must apply by December 3, 2018.

Other Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Quadruple Asia Miles for Hertz rentals of 5 days or more at participating locations in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Asia. More... Until Oct 31, 18
- 200 Bonus Asia Miles when you join the Asia Miles program and complete your first Hertz rental that is credited to Asia Miles. More... Until Oct 31, 18

Emirates Skywards
- 20% Discount when you Buy, Gift or Transfer more than 2,000 Skywards Miles. More... Until Sep 30, 18

Hilton Honors
- 5,000 Bonus Honors Points when you stay 3 or more nights at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Williamsville Buffalo Airport. More... Until Oct 1, 18
- Fast Track to Hilton Honors Gold Status - Receive gold status when you complete two qualifying Hilton stays. More... Targeted offer - may not work for everyone Until Dec 31, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Honors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. More... Until Oct 30, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points for stays on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at any one of 11 hotels in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York or Rhode Island. More... Until Nov 17, 18

Miles & More
- Earn up 21 Bonus Miles & More Miles per Euro spent on air fare purchased for travel on Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss or Eurowings. More... Book by Sep 30 for travel Nov 1 - Dec 31, 18

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn up to 3x ROP Miles on Hertz rentals of 3+ days in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. More... Book by Oct 31 for rentals until Nov 30, 18


Follow Rewards Canada:
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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

September 19 Update: Our podcast returns next week, Lowe's YYC grand opening bonus & Lufthansa Eastern Europe sale

Where's the Rewards Canada Podcast? Some of you have been asking when the Podcast will resume and the good news is the next episode after our summer hiatus will be out early next week! Stay tuned for it! Find out more about and subscribe to our Podcast here

You can get 50 Bonus AIR MILES if you spend $100 or more at the newest Lowe's location in Calgary. Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals
Lufthansa
has Eastern Europe on sale for their flights out of Canada! Book today for travel until Dec 10. Find out more here


Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book a round trip or two one way segments on Air Canada inEconomy Flex, comfort or Economy Latitude class. More... Book by Oct 3 for travel until Dec 14, 18
- 4,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book a round trip or two one way segments on Air Canada in Premium Economy, Premium Rouge, or Business fare class. More... Book by Oct 3 for travel until Dec 14, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Avianca LifeMiles
- Quadruple LifeMiles for stays at La Quinta Hotels in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. More... Until Dec 31, 18

JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly JA L between Tokyo Haneda and Manila. More... Feb 1 - Mar 30, 19
- 1,000 Mileage Bank Mile Rebate when you redeem Mileage Bank miles for award flights between Tokyo Haneda and Manila. More... Feb 1 - Mar 30, 19

Norwegian Reward
- Double CashPoints with Norwegian Hotels (powered by Hotels.com) More... Book by Sep 24, 18

Radisson Rewards
- Double Points for stays at participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa. More... Book by Sep 30 for stays until Mar 30, 18


Follow Rewards Canada:
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Earn 4,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book an Air Canada Premium Economy, Premium Rouge or Business Class fare


Offer details
4,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book a round trip or two one way segments on Air Canada in Premium Economy, Premium Rouge, or Business fare class. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Book by Oct 3 for travel until Dec 14, 18
Valid on new bookings only


Find many more Aeroplan bonus offers here!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Earn 750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book an Air Canada Economy fare


Offer details
750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book a round trip or two one way segments on Air Canada in Economy Flex, comfort or Economy Latitude class. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Book by Oct 3 for travel until Dec 14, 18
Valid on new bookings only

Find many more Aeroplan bonus offers here!

September 18 Update: Priority Pass continues to add more restaurants, WestJet up to 20% discount for today only & more


Priority Pass continues its expansion beyond business class lounges - they have added more than half a dozen new airport restaurants to their list of where Priority Pass members can dine with a credit. The list of new restaurants can be found here. Some of the airports that are included are San Francisco, Boston, Houston and more. The amount of credit tends to be US$28 per guest. That means this really only makes sense for those who get visit passes for free or have one of the higher memberships that pay the per lounge visit fee otherwise you'll be paying US$32 to get the $28 credit. If you don't have a Priority Pass membership and are looking to acquire one not via a credit card remember that Rewards Canada has a special partnership with them offering up to 20% off membership fees. You can find out more about our offer here.

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals
WestJet
has a one day Autumn sale today offering up to 20% off Econo (Lowest), Econo and Plus (Lowest) base fares anywhere they fly. Book today for travel until Dec 15 Find out more here


Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for Friday or Saturday night stays at the Courtyard Montreal Airport. More... Book by Nov 4 for stays until Dec 1, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 4x Asia Miles when you book hotels via Trip.com More... Book by Sep 30 for stays until Oct 31, 18

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- Earn up to Quadruple Dynasty Flyer Miles for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in USA (exclude Alaska), Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. More... Book by Sep 30 for rentals until Dec 14, 18

Hilton Honors
- 1,000 Bonus Honors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Hot Springs Arkansas. More... Until Jan 6, 19

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios for stays at NH Hotels in Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Marseille, Las Palmas, Lanzarote, Turin, Bolonia or Seville. More... Until Oct 31, 18

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to 200 Bonus Returns points when you use La Quinta Moblie Check-in and Checkout with the La Quinta app. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays of 3 or more nights at the Domes Noruz Chania, Autograph Collection. More... Until Nov 5, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2 nights Thursday-Sunday (Friday or Saturday required) at the Kigali Marriott Hotel. More... Until Nov 17, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2 nights Thursday-Sunday (Friday or Saturday required) at the Cape Town Marriott Hotel Crystal Towers. More... Until Nov 17, 18
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel. More... Until Nov 2, 18

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IHG Rewards Club Buy Points Sale Flash Sale - 100% Bonus until September 20


It's time for another IHG Rewards Club Buy Points Flash Sale! This time everyone can get a 100% bonus if buying 5,000 or more points. If you do buy points and buy the highest amount you can score IHG Rewards Club points for only half a US cent each. The maximum number points you can buy depends on if you have bought any yet this year. If you haven't then you can buy 100,000 points and get 100,000 bonus points on top of that.

For example I can only buy 95,000 as 5,000 have already been bought earlier this year to keep my points from expiring:


This 100% bonus from IHG is always a good way to score some stays for really cheap, especially if you are redeeming for a PointBreaks hotel! By the way the new list of IHG PointBreaks hotels should be released towards the end of next week (Week of Sep 24)

Offer Details
100% Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you buy points online.  Minimum purchase of 5,000 points. Buy Points here Until Sep 20 18

Find many more IHG Rewards Club bonus point offers here