Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa - Book by Jan 31

A friendly reminder of Hilton's weekend sale where you can save up to 25% on stays in Europe, The Middle East and Africa!

Make the festive season one to remember with the Hilton Sale and save up to 25% off breaks across Europe, The Middle East and Africa. For the best savings, simply join Hilton Honors for free while you book. Need some inspiration? Take a look below at some of our fantastic locations on offer to create your perfect break.

Stays must be booked by January 31, 2019 and completed on weekends until May 29, 2019. Remember that you should also be earning 2,000 bonus points on these stays with the current winter Hilton Honors promotion that runs until May 5. Find that and all other Honors bonuses here.

Discounts are up to 15% off the Best Available Rate and Best Available Bed & Breakfast Rate and vary by property. The Winter Sale Hilton Honors member rates are an additional 10% off of the Best Available Rate and the Best Available Bed and Breakfast Rate.

Click here to take advantage of the Hilton Winter sale 

January 21 Update: Lots more confirmed Cobalt multiplier locations, changes to Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, fly Montreal to Casablanca for $750

A big thank you to the Rewards Canada community for providing more locations that you can earn 5x or 2x points with the American Express Cobalt Card. Locations from Mexico, Montreal and more have been added to our Cobalt Multiplier page. Check it out here!

Hertz is making some changes to its Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program. Overall it looks to be worse for most members outside of increased points earning rates for Five Star and President Circle members. The negatives included increased requirement to reach Five Star status (although you can get that free with the Platinum Card from American Express), points expiration dropping from 24 months of inactivity to 18, elimination of activation bonuses and more. You can read more about all the changes here.

We've added some new Travel Booking Partners that you book direct with and support Rewards Canada. You can find all our partners on our Book Travel page.
These are the four partners that have recently be added:
Eurail.com
LATAM
Oberioi Hotels & Resorts
Trident Hotels

Posts since our last update:

• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - January Edition
  One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide…
• BMO World Elite Mastercard enhances current welcome bonus to include $100 travel bonus (up to $640 in value)
  Up until recently the welcome offer for the BMO World Elite Mastercard was already quite rich. When it came…

Travel Deals 

Royal Air Maroc has dropped prices on their Montreal-Casablanca route. You can fly round trip for as little as $750 all in. Book by Jan 25. Find out more here.  
 
Cathay Pacific's New Year's sale sees them offering flights out of Vancouver to Southeast Asia for as little as $895 round trip. Book by Jan 31. Find out more here.

Marriott is offering 20% off best available rates when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Sunday at 6 great locations in Toronto and Edmonton. Valid for stays until Feb 28, 19 . Full Details and online Booking

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa

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
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Avianca LifeMiles
- 2,500 Bonus LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty for 1 or more days in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 5x Asia Miles on Avis rentals of 3 or more daysi n Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America (exclude Alaska), Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More... Book by Jan 31, 19 for rentals until Feb, 28, 19

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S.. More... Until Feb 10, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Canberra. More... Book by Feb 13 for stays until Mar 17, 19

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Apr 7, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- 50% QMiles Discount when you redeem for an award ticket on Qatar Airways between Doha and Isfahan. More... Book by Jan 31 for travel Feb 4 - Mar 31, 19

Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points for stays in a Deluxe Room or Horizon Club Room at the Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 1,000 Flying Club Miles PER DAY when you rent a Group C car or larger with Avis in US, Mexico, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. More... Book by Jan 31 for rentals until May 31, 19

Follow Rewards Canada:

Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - January Edition

One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the 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.  Without further ado here are all the current promotions that are available to everyone:

Provider	Offer	Validity Date
Best Western Rewards	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Best Western Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Best Western page
Choice Hotels Privileges	Double Privileges Points when you stay at participating Choice Hotels Worldwide. Members must book stays via ChoiceHotels.com, ChoiceHotels.ca, the Choice Hotels mobile app, or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. A maximum of 30,000 bonus points, can be earned during the promotion. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only	Until Feb 15, 19
	For a complete listing of all Choice Privileges bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Choice page
GHA Discovery	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all GHA Discovery bonus offers please visit Rewards Canada's GHA page
Hilton	Earn 2,000 Bonus Honors points per stay at Hilton Hotels Worldwide plus earn an additional 10,000 bonus points for every 5th stay or 10th night completed, whichever comes first.  Full details, online registration and booking(Registration is required)	Registration is now open for stay Jan 4 - May 5, 2019
	For a complete listing of all Hilton HHonors bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Hilton page
Hyatt	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Hyatt Gold Passport bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Hyatt page
InterContinental Hotels Group	Earn 500 to 40,000 or more Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you complete stays at IHG Hotels Worldwide. Bonus varies by member. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)	Register by Mar 15 for stays Jan 15 - Apr 30, 19
	For a complete listing of all IHG Priority Club bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's IHG page
Le Club AccorHotels	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Le Club AccorHotels bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Le Club AccorHotels page
Marriott	Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Points for stays of 2+ nights at all participating hotels across the 29 brands of hotels worldwide. Earn 2,000 bonus points on all stays of two or more nights and 1,000 bonus points per brand, starting with your second brand. Earn an additional 10,000 bonus points for stays at 10 brands and 29,000 bonus points if you stay at all 29 brands Registration is now closed but you can still book online at Marriott.com and earn the bonus if you previously registered	Register by Jan 7 for stays until Jan 31, 19
	For a complete listing of all Marriott Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Marriott page
Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer	No offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's iPrefer page
Radisson Rewards	Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points for stays (including award nights) at all participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson hotels worldwide. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required) Stay 1 Night: Earn 1,000 Bonus Points Stay 1 additional Night: Earn 2,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 3,000 Bonus Points) Stay 3 additional Nights: Earn 7,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 10,000 Bonus Points) Stay 5 additional Nights: Earn 40,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 50,000 Bonus Points) Stay 10 additional Nights: Earn 70,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 120,000 Bonus Points) Once registered you can book direct at: Radisson Collection Radisson Blu®  Radisson®  Radisson RED Park Plaza®  Park Inn® by Radisson Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson hotels	Until Mar 31, 19
	For a complete listing of all Radisson Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Radisson Rewards page
Shangri-La Golden Circle	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Shangria-La bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Golden Circle page
Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Sonesta Hotels bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Travel Pass page
Voila Hotel Rewards	Double VHR Elite Status Credit when you stay 2 or more nights at participating VOILÀ network hotels Worldwide. Register Online (Registration is required)	Until Jan 31, 19
	For a complete listing of all Voila Hotel Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's VHR page
Wyndham Rewards	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Wyndham Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Wyndham page

BMO World Elite Mastercard enhances current welcome bonus to include $100 travel bonus (up to $640 in value)

Up until recently the welcome offer for the BMO World Elite Mastercard was already quite rich. When it came out on October 2nd, the offer provided 35,000 welcome BMO Rewards points along with the waiving of the first year annual fee. Now the ante has been upped even more. Taking a hint from some competitors that are trying to eat away at BMO's market the bank is not holding back. They came out with an incredible promotion by not only offering the same welcome bonus and the first year free but now they're throwing in a $100 bonus when you charge $100 of travel related purchases on your card within the first six months of having it. All combined this welcome bonus along with the airline lounge benefit provide up to $640 in value!

Here's a breakdown of the $640 the card brings in the first year:

Welcome offer: Get 35,000 points and the $150 annual fee waived in the first year ($250 value* towards a flight booked on bmorewards.com + $150 Value*).

Limited time offer: Get a $100 bonus when you spend $100 on travel related purchases in your first 6 months ($100 value).

Complimentary membership in Mastercard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey, with exclusive VIP access, plus four annual complimentary passes* ($140 Value/Year).

Let's add it up. $250+$150+$100+$140 = $640

That is a pretty rich offering. Remember you must spend $3,000 in the first three months to get the sign welcome bonus which broken down month by month of $1,000, isn't too bad. Then to get your $100 bonus for a travel related purchase all you have to do is complete a $100 travel related purchase in the first six months. That isn't very hard considering that if you make a travel purchase via BMO Rewards and incur a cash component you can use it towards that. For example, in month four of having the card you've already made your $3,000 in spending and have been awarded the 35,000 points. You book a flight between Vancouver and Toronto for $450 via BMO Rewards. You use your points, say 40,000 of them since you have been spending on the card for $285 credit toward that flight. You then use your card to pay for the $165 difference and voila you hit the $100 travel related purchase requirement. You are out of pocket cost for the flight is $65. Remember as well, this flight you bought was the flight you wanted, on the day you want, on the routing you want etc. Not what is determined by availability as found in other legacy reward programs. You can then use your lounge passes to access business class lounges when you take these flights! Another way is to pay for a hotel room on your card. Maybe you had enough points to cover the entire flight, well you might need a hotel in Toronto, simply pay for it on the BMO World Elite Mastercard as long as it totals $100 or more and you'll get the bonus credited to your statement. There are so many options here to utilize this $100 travel credit.

As a reminder here are some of the key features of the BMO World Elite Mastercard:

·         Get 3 BMO Rewards points for every $1 spent on eligible travel, dining and entertainment purchases
·         Get 2 points for every $1 spent everywhere else
·         Complimentary membership in Mastercard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey, with exclusive VIP access, plus four annual complimentary passes


Related: BMO World Elite Mastercard Review

This post was sponsored by BMO. The views and opinions expressed in this post however, are purely those of Rewards Canada.



January 18 Update: New coalition credit card comparison chart, WestJet takes delivery of their first 787, Air Canada reveals possible A220 routes

We've added a new credit card comparison chart to our list of charts! This one ties in to the new category we added to our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings last year and that is the Coalition Card category. What is a coalition card you may ask? A coalition program credit card earns points or miles directly into a single program that has lots of earning and redemption options. In Canada these are programs like Aeroplan, AIR MILES, More Rewards, and Scene (the latter will be added to the chart soon!) You can view the chart here.

 

 WestJet took delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner yesterday. The plane flew in the late afternoon from Everett-Paine field to cold and snowy Calgary! Here is a video WestJet posted just shortly after it landed with WestJet's VP of Communications giving a quick tour of the plane! Rewards Canada will be at the official unveiling event in a couple of weeks so we will be able to provide our own take on the plane and what it provides! Apparently the plane will fly from Calgary to Toronto today where it will be for a couple weeks for crew training, familiarization and so forth (due to the fact the 787 hanger in YYC isn't ready yet)

Source: Skyscraperpages

Air Canada revealed possible routes for their new Airbus A220-300 aircraft (Bombardier CS300) that will begin revenue service around this time next year! Granted a lot of times when these route possibilities are revealed, that's all they are, possibilities. Seeing that the aircraft will replace the E190 aircraft, they will first fly routes already being done so by the Embraer and older Airbus aircraft.

Rewards Canada contributor Bill W. notes this for us.

I find this interesting because it means they will be growing the available seats on the routes currently serviced by the E90’s by over 30%. E90 has 9/88 seats for total capacity of 97. The A220 has typical seating of 141 and max of 160 although it is believed AC will be in the 130 to 140 range. End result is that with higher capacity it could mean less frequency on flights typically served by the E90. Better for the airline, not so much for passengers. That being said however, there is nothing quite like that new aircraft smell…

Of course since Rewards Canada is Calgary based there is some excitement on our end about the two potential routes they show from YYC to BOS and IAD. Would be nice to have those flights! As well as replacing the A320 on the LAX route from YYC. Not leaving the rest of Canada out it is definitely exciting to see potential routes like Montreal to Seattle, Halifax to Vancouver, Vancouver to Washington, Toronto to San Jose and more! (Source Flight Global)


Posts since our last update:

• Rewards Canada Giveaway - Enter for a chance to win a pair of Maple Leaf Lounge Guest Passes!
  Rewards Canada Contributor Sol Z. has graciously donated 2 Maple Leaf lounge passes to give away! Enter by Sunday…

Travel Deals
Cathay Pacific's New Year's sale sees them offering flights out of Vancouver to Southeast Asia for as little as $895 round trip. Book by Jan 31. Find out more here.

Marriott is offering 20% off best available rates when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Sunday at 6 great locations in Toronto and Edmonton. Valid for stays until Feb 28, 19 . Full Details and online Booking

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa

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
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Avianca LifeMiles
- Double LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Best Western Rewards
- Triple Rewards Points for stays of 2+ nights Thursday through Mondays at the Best Western Tuscany On Tor Motor Inn Toowoomba More... Until Jan 31, 19
- Triple Rewards Points for stays on Monday, Tueday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday at the Best Western Amsterdam Airport Hotel Uithoorn More... Until Feb 1, 19
- Triple Rewards Points for stays of 3 or more nights Thursday to Sunday at the Best Western Hotel Danderyd More... Until Apr 29, 19
- Triple Rewards Points for stays of 3+ nights at the est Western Oglesby Inn. More... Until Apr 30, 19
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Plus Springfield Airport Inn. More... Until Feb 28, 19
- Double Rewards Points for stays of 3+ nights Sunday thru Thursday at the Best Western Plus Philadelphia Convention Center Hotel. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- Quadruple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Feb 11 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay at the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel or AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 3,000 QMiles when you fly Qatar Airways between Doha and Isfahan. More... Until Apr 30, 19
- Double QMiles on your next hotel booking made via Rocketmiles. More... Until Mar 31, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn up to 3x ROP Miles on Hertz rentals of 3+ days in Thailand. More... Book by Feb 28 for rentals until Mar 31, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

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Rewards Canada Giveaway - Enter for a chance to win a pair of Maple Leaf Lounge Guest Passes!

Rewards Canada Contributor Sol Z. has graciously donated 2 Maple Leaf lounge passes to give away! Enter by Sunday night and if everything works out right these will be sent out early next week to the lucky winner!

These are 2018 passes which means they expire on February 28th, 2019, so if you are travelling over the next few weeks be sure to enter below for a chance to win! These passes can only be used at domestic and trans border lounges in Canada as well as the MLLs in Los Angeles and New York La Guardia!

Here is how you enter:
Simply comment below on which lounge you are most likely to use this pass at! If you aren't sure yet simply let us know what your favourite Maple Leaf lounge is and why!

The giveaway closes on Sunday January 20th, 2019 at 11:59pm EST! Limit 1 entry per person Winner will be determined by random draw from all eligible entries received. Void where prohibited.  No purchase necessary.

Related Topics we recommend reading:

• Rewards Canada's Guide to Business Class Lounge Access
• Lounge Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge - Los Angeles International Airport Terminal  6
• Lounge Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge - Saskatoon Airpor
• Air Canada opens new Maple Leaf Lounge at St. John's International Airport 
• Air Canada opens Maple Leaf Lounge in New York-LaGuardia Airport’s New Terminal
   

January 17 Update: Avianca LifeMiles system outage at the start of February, Delta cuts Edmonton-Seattle route & Cathay Pacific New Year's seat sale

Avianca LifeMiles will be performing a major system update at the start of February and they have sent out emails that during the time between February 1 and 5 the program will essentially shut down:

• You will not be able to access or transact in LifeMiles.com or the LifeMiles Mobile App. Our Call Center and Service Centers will be open but will not be able to make transactions in our systems either during this period
• You will not be able to redeem with LifeMiles or any of our partners
• You can continue to earn miles as normal with Avianca, Star Alliance airlines and with most of our partners. These miles will be reflected in your account once the system upgrade is complete
• You can continue purchasing tickets and transacting with Avianca through their channels as usual
• Elite members will continue to receive benefits such as upgrades at the airport, access to VIP lounges, etc. as normal
• Your miles and information will be safe. Once systems are back up and running, you will be able to access your account with your pre-existing user name and password

Delta Airlines is cancelling their service between Edmonton and Seattle as of March 1st. You should receive notification if you have flights booked on this route after that date. If not we recommend contacting Delta right away to make other travel arrangements. (Source Routesonline)

Air Transat has decided to not go ahead with their Toronto to Split route this summer. Same thing as above if you have booked tickets for this route contact Air Transat to make other arrangements or to receive a refund. (Source Routesonline)

You can earn up to 100 Bonus AIR MILES for shopping at Rexall this weekend. No coupon is required.

Posts since our last update:

• An overview of the Air Canada Altitude 2019 program - very few changes from 2018
  Rewards Canada contributor and Air Canada Altitude member Bill Wheatley delves in the 2019 Altitude program and how is…
• Radisson Rewards: Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points on all stays Worldwide
  Radisson Rewards is the next hotel chain to release their first global systemwide promotion of 2019 (IHG, Choice & Hilton…
• It's confirmed - Marriott Bonvoy is the brand new name of the combined Marriott, SPG, Ritz-Carlton loyalty program
  Rumours about this name began swirling around a few weeks ago when the trademark applications were found and now…
• Hilton Honors: 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more points until February 26
  Hilton Honors has released their latest buy points promotion for their members. Unlike the offer towards the end of…

Travel Deals
Cathay Pacific's New Year's sale sees them offering flights out of Vancouver to Southeast Asia for as little as $895 round trip. Book by Jan 31. Find out more here.

Marriott is offering 20% off best available rates when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Sunday at 6 great locations in Toronto and Edmonton. Valid for stays until Feb 28, 19 . Full Details and online Booking

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa

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
- Earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at all participating IHG Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 19

AIR MILES (Canada)
- 5x AIR MILES Reward Miles at a large selection of retailers when you shop online via airmilesshops.ca. More... Until Jan 28, 19

Other Bonus Offers
Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Receive a free trip when you take three roundtrips (or 6 one way trips) on Acela or Northeast Regional on all qualifying Amtrak travel. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Hilton Honors
- 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. More... Until Feb 26, 19

JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles for stays at Okura Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Mar 20, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece. More... Book by Feb 3 for stays until Mar 10, 19
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Austria, Germany or Switzerland. More... Book by Feb 4 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Saturday (Friday or Saturday required) at Courtyard hotels in Amsterdam, Brussels and Gdynia. More... Until Feb 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay on Friday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Courtyard Brno, Courtyard Pilsen or Courtyard Prague Airport. More... Until Feb 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach. More... Until Mar, 12, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach. More... Feb 11 - May 6, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the AC Hotel Berlin Humboldthain Park More... Book by Apr 15 for sttays Mar 1 - Apr 15, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront. More... Until Apr 22, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night when you arrive on Sunday nigh at the Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone. More... Mar 17 - Apr 21, 19

Miles & More
- Earn up to Silver Status and additional bonuses when you fly 30 scheduled flights taken with participating Miles & More airline partners. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Radisson Rewards
- Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points for stays (including award nights) at all participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson hotels worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

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An overview of the Air Canada Altitude 2019 program - very few changes from 2018

Rewards Canada contributor and Air Canada Altitude member Bill Wheatley delves in the 2019 Altitude program and how is has not changed much from 2018:
 
The Air Canada Altitude program for 2019 does not seem to have changed very much from the 2018 program.

In order to qualify for the 2020 year, there have only been a couple of changes.

One these changes is actually a very positive one for fliers who are earning lower tiers.  As mentioned above, the Early Recognition benefit now applies to all tiers including Altitude Prestige 25K. Previously it started at the Elite 35K level. For example, if you were a non-Elite member at the beginning of the year, and you achieve the required Altitude Qualifying Mile (AQM) or Altitude Qualifying Segments (AQS) and Altitude Qualifying Dollars (AQD) by August 5th, you would immediately reap the benefits of becoming a Prestige 25K member. Some of the most noticeable benefits of achieving this level from not having status are: Priority Airport Check-in, Advanced boarding and possibly most beneficial, an increased baggage allowance. You would now have a guaranteed allowance of 2 bags (23kg) as opposed to having your baggage allowance determined by the type of fare purchased. In addition, you will receive 20 eUpgrade credits. If you achieve the next level (still prior to October 31st, 2019), you will be bumped up to that level for the balance of the year and receive the additional benefits that come with the new level.

Here is a reminder on standard qualification for Altitude:

The only other change is just to wording on the Priority Rewards benefits. These were described as “2x Classic Rate” in 2018 and now “2x Fixed Mileage Rate” for 2019. The redeeming procedure remains the same.

I think that Air Canada is holding the line on how the current program operates as they are busy preparing the new program ready to commence in June 2020. From a business perspective, it certainly make sense to leave the current program as is and concentrate on ensuring  that the new program rolls out without a hitch.

Some points to note:

• Aeroplan Miles will be transferable 1:1 into the new Air Canada loyalty program in 2020.
• There will be no changes to lounge access privileges offered to Altitude members and Business Class customers.
• Your Altitude status is independent from Aeroplan and the ability to earn or maintain status is not affected by this change. There are no changes planned to the Million Mile status when the new program launches. All earnings that go to your Altitude Million Mile status will be carried forward to the new program.
• Aeroplan members can continue to earn Aeroplan Miles with their Aeroplan credit cards, and redeem miles on a range of Aeroplan Rewards, including travel with Air Canada and the Star Alliance member airlines through June 2020. There absolutely will be credit card partnerships with the new program. More details will be announced closer to when the new program is launched. (American Express is as yet not confirmed).
• With the new program you will be able to earn and redeem miles with Star Alliance partners and other partner airlines.
• Currently, the Aeroplan program allows you to transfer miles to a friend or family member for a fee. Air Canada recognizes that enabling this kind of flexibility will definitely be important when building the new program, particularly if it’s valued and appreciated by their customers. More details will be provided as it gets closer to the launch date of the program.

One of the things that would probably be most welcomed in the new program would be if the “taxes, fees & surcharges” would be lowered (Air Canada fees tend to be much higher than other Star Alliance carriers).

Personally, I think that as Air Canada will now be overseeing and maintain the program themselves, it may allow for more flexibility in changing or adding benefits as they will not have to seek third party approval as was most likely the case with Aimia. It will remain to be seen how the new program compares to Aeroplan when it rolls out. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition and a positive experience for all.

You can also read Air Canada Altitude's 2019 overview here (PDF File)

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