TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card now offering 10% cash back on all purchases with first year no annual fee for new cardholders

The cash back market is heating up as many Canadians are considering a shift in their loyalty rewards strategies away from travel rewards. Cash back cards are now front and centre in the marketing strategies for card issuers and while we have seen these type of welcome offers in the past there is a definitely an influx of them now!

The newest offer to hit the market is for the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card which as of today is offering 10% cash back on all purchases made up to $2,000 in the first three months. On top of that they are waiving the first year annual not only for the primary card but also for the first additional card. This offer runs until September 8, 2020.

All told if you do spend that $2,000 in the first three months you are looking at $200 cash back and saving up to $170 in annual fees in the first year ($120 for the primary card and $50 for the first additional card). Remember if you have a TD All Inclusive bank account it also covers the annual fees on these cards as long as your bank account is active and in good standing. 

Once you have hit that $2,000 in spending or have had the card for three months your cash back earning will revert to the standard rates as follows:

• Earn 3% in Cash Back Dollars on eligible grocery Purchases and gas Purchases, and on regularly recurring bill payments set up on your Account
• Earn 1% in Cash Back Dollars on all other Purchases made with your Card

The accelerated earn rates of 3% is awarded on the first $15,000 spent in each those categories, so you could potentially spend $45,000 across the three and earn $1,350 in cash back rewards. Once a limit is reached in any of the categories you’ll earn 1% cash back on all purchases in that category. Unlike some of this card’s major competition where you only have access to cash back once per year the TD Cash Visa Infinite* Card lets you cash out anytime your cash back balance is $25 or more.

The card also features Out of Province Emergency Travel Medical Insurance, Trip Interruption Insurance, Flight Delay and Baggage Insurance as well as some of your across the board insurances like Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Protection.

With the release of this new limited time welcome offer the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card is one of the best in market. Yes there are others that are offering or will be offering 10% cash back however some of those others only allow you to receive your cash back once per year whereas this card allows you to redeem anytime you have a cash back rewards balance of $25. For many that can be the tipping point even if another card may earn a little more cash back as the question they will want answered is how quickly can I start using my cash back rewards and with this card it is pretty darn quick.

This is a limited time offer and only valid until September 8, 2020.

Learn more about this offer and apply for the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card here. 

This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here.  

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Podcast Episode 67 - The return of the Rewards Canada Podcast - A look back at the past few months

 

Episode 67 - June 1, 2020
The return of the Rewards Canada Podcast - A look back at the past few months

It has been over 2 months since the last Rewards Canada podcast and we're ready to kick into high gear again! We return with a recap episode - looking back at the past two months of the state of credit cards and loyalty programs during the peak of the pandemic. The episode is hosted by Rewards Canada founder Patrick Sojka and he dicusses the features seen on the site during this time, what credit card companies have been doing, a look at how Aeroplan has been the program that shined during these times and how amazing travel deals are now starting to emerge.

Click Here to download the podcast (mp3)

or Download/subscribe via:

Links relating to this week's topics:

• Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times
• Rewards Canada's Guide to Credit Card Cash Back Liquidity
• Rewards Canada's COVID-19 Resources
• Fairmont Chateau Laurier Ottawa and Faimont Royal York Toronto now part of Stay Close Buy 1 night get 1 free offer!
• In light of what's going on in the world should you shift to a cash back credit card instead of a travel card? Why not a card that has both?
• The ultimate guide to earning miles, points, and cash back for online shopping and food delivery services
• American Express® Gold Rewards Card sees increased earn rate of 5 points per dollar with Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats
• Qatar Airways Travel with Confidence - The best airline rebooking policy yet that can be used to obtain cheap business class flights to destinations around the globe
• Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card sees increased earn rate for groceries, food delivery and take out until the end of August
• Redemption Stories: Using Scotia Rewards points for an All Inclusive Vacation and utilizing free lounge passes from the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
• American Express provides extensions to meet required spend for welcome bonus offers
• Financially stable? Now's the time to rack up some of the best travel rewards points & miles
• Aeroplan further extends reward flight flexible cancellation policy & pausing of mileage expiration

Today is the last day to grab the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card with up to 30,000 Aeroplan Miles

The current welcome bonus offer for the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has been one of the better ones in the market and today is the last day to apply for it. The bonus is up to 30,000 Aeroplan Miles along with the primary card having a first year annual fee rebate and a first year annual fee rebate offer for the first additional/supplementary cardholder.

Welcome Bonus Breakdown:
Welcome Bonus of 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you make your first Purchase with your card¹.
+
5,000 Aeroplan Miles in each of the first 3 months when you spend a minimum of $1000 per month, up to a total of 15,000 Aeroplan Miles¹ 

 In light of the current situation in regards to travel and the COVID-19 pandemic you may be asking why would I want to get an Aeroplan credit card? There are two primary reasons why you could or should get this card within the next couple of weeks:

• You love to travel. Even though we all may not be travelling now you have it in your blood. Once borders open up and travel is safe you are planning to jetset somewhere near or far. If that’s the case you can start building up your Aeroplan balance with this card. Outside of actual spend on the card, your first year will not set you back anything with this card so you can score 30,000 Aeroplan miles at basically no cost. Then you can start looking at how you can use those miles - whether it is the 30,000 or more if you already have Aeroplan miles accumulated.
• You are looking at a way to help supplement your finances. Aeroplan is not just a travel program. You can redeem Aeroplan miles for gift cards from popular retailers or pre-paid credit cards. For 28,000 miles you can get a $200 Best Buy Gift Card or Chapters Indigo card. And you still have 5,000 miles left since the welcome bonus is 30,000 miles and you had to spend $3,000 to get the bonus for a total of 33,000 miles (at a minimum). You can then redeem 3,500 miles for a $25 gift card from numerous retailers. All in you have just added $225 to your finances.

Now that we’ve looked at the gift card options let’s go back to travel and see what you can try to plan for the future with 30,000 miles.

Looking at the Aeroplan Classic Flight reward chart there are lots of round trip options that run from 15,000 to 30,000 miles and even more one way options since they are exactly half of the rates listed on the chart:

Here are some of the possible redemption options for the 30,000 mile level:

• 2 Round Trip Economy Class Short Haul tickets
• 1 Round Trip Business Class Short Haul ticket  
• 1 Round Trip Economy Class Long Haul ticket in Canada and the U.S. (with 5,000 miles left over)
• 1 One Way Economy Class Ticket to South America or Europe

The value you get out of the sign up bonus will really vary based on what you redeem your miles on. In many of our past posts we see Aeroplan miles being worth as little as 1.2 cents for economy class flights to well over 6 cents per mile for business class flights. That means the 30,000 mile welcome bonus is worth anywhere from $360 to $1,800+ which makes it one of the most worthwhile sign up offers in the market seeing that it comes to you at no cost since the first year annual fee is waived.

As you can see even with no travel happening right now you shouldn’t discount a program like Aeroplan as the program allows you to not only bank for future travel but use miles earned for cash equivalent requirements in the short term.

This is a limited time offer and only valid until May 31 2020.

Find out more and apply for the card here.

This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here.  

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American Express Experiences presents a virtual concert with The Black Crowes and The Trews on May 30

As soon as I posted about the AIR MILES Facebook Live event that you can tune into on Sunday an email came from American Express with an event for Saturday! This event is part of American Express Experiences who have shifted from providing access to actually going to live events to giving access to virtual events.

American Express has partnered with Budweiser Stage at Home which is a new concert television series that starts tomorrow to share music and entertainment with the community. As you may know, Amex is a sponsor and partner of the Budweiser Stage in Toronto where Amex has a lounge and dedicated entry points for cardholders for events. The stage was set to reopen this month but that all changed due to the global Coronavirus crisis. That leads us to Budweiser Stage at Home -. an initiative from Budweiser, American Express and Live Nation to bring the Budweiser Stage to TVs, laptops, tablets and phones across Canada. The first event goes live tomorrow (May 30) at 8pm ET and it  will feature The Black Crowes with The Trews and will be hosted by Tara Slone.

You can tune into the event on Citytv, the simultaneous live Stream on Citytv.com, Citytv iOS app, AppleTV apps and  Live From Home - Live Nation’s All-New Virtual Music Hub.

Don't have an American Express card? Don't worry you don't actually have to be an American Express cardmember to watch the event!

Learn more about this experience here. 
 

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AIR MILES Facebook Live Event on Sunday will feature an all-star cast to support Kids Help Phone Never Dance Alone-a-thon

Another great at home initiative from AIR MILES sees the loyalty program teaming up with Kids Help Phone for the charity's Never Dance-Alone-a-thon.

On Sunday, May 31, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, AIR MILES and Jessi Cruickshank, star of New Mom, Who Dis? will be hosting a virtual event on Facebook Live that celebrates the Kids Help Phone's Never Dance Alone-a-thon, powered by BMO, with the help of some famous faces. 

The highly anticipated event, in partnership with Kids Help Phone – who have been collaborating with AIR MILES since 1997 – includes live musical performances by an impressive roster of well-known musicians and dancers including Sarah and Gianni from Walk Off The Earth, Blanco Brown and Danny Fernandes, among others. Canadians from coast to coast can engage with these favourite performers just by tuning into the AIR MILES Facebook page. 

"We can't think of a better way to celebrate our long-standing relationship with Kids Help Phone than by rewarding Canadians with a Sunday they won't soon forget," said Blair Cameron, President AIR MILES Reward Program. "Together with Kids Help Phone and BMO, we can't wait to see Canadians from coast to coast put on their dancing shoes, come together and strut their stuff in support of all the Canadian youth that lean into the work of such an incredible organization."

Confirmed Appearances: Kids Help Phone's Never Dance Alone-a-thon powered by BMO

• Jessi Cruickshank – television personality and star of New Mom, Who Dis?
• Sarah and Gianni from Walk Off The Earth – two of the members of the Juno Award-winning, multi-platinum musical phenomenon
• Blanco Brown – viral sensation and singer/songwriter of international hits including "The Git Up," "Do Si Do" and "I Need Love"
• Danny Fernandes – R&B/pop singer, songwriter and dancer
• Milk & Bone – Juno Award-winning electro-pop duo from Montreal

This virtual event which is part of AIR MILES ongoing Happy Every Day community sounds like tons of fun for kids and adults alike! To watch the event simply visit the AIR MILES Facebook page on Sunday May 31 at 3pm ET.

If you want to do more than watch you can get in on the action can do so by uploading your best dance moves online with #NeverDanceAlone and tagging @airmiles_canada on their social media channels. If dance moves aren't your thang, you can also look at supporting the initiative by donating AIR MILES to Kids Help Phone - every 500 miles is a $50 donation. Learn more about donating miles here.

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May 29 Update: More American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations, the recipe for Cathay Pacific's Cathay Delight drink, Disney World set to reopen in July

Big thanks to American Express who saw our American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations feature from last week and provided us with more confirmed 3x points merchants. The updates are primarily in the office and electronics category and includes retailers like Apple, Best Buy, IBM and Sony. We also received an update the Car2Go codes as 3x points not as a 1x point merchant. Check out our American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations feature here.

If you have flown Cathay Pacific in business class or first class you should be familiar with the Cathay Delight. The signature drink the airline serves in those premium cabins and in their lounges. Since many travellers can't enjoy it in the air, the airline shared the recipe for the drink late in April for those who wanted to 'delight' in the drink at home. In case you missed it being shared, no worries they have posted a Google Doc with the recipe so that you can give it a shot.

CNN broke the news earlier this week that we will see Disney World reopen on July 11 with a phased reopening plan. Both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will open on the 11th followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on the 15th.  Disney has outlined the plan in great detail on their website.

Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

British Airways has canned their Calgary-London Heathrow route for 2020. Word is they are planning to bring the route back in 2021 but only time will tell. This should bode well for WestJet as they are planning on restarting London service soon. (Source RoutesOnline)

China Eastern is continuing with 1 flight per week between Toronto and Shanghai for June. (Source RoutesOnline)

Korean Air's June flights will provide 4x weekly service from Vancouver to Seoul and 3x weekly service from Toronto to Seoul (Source: RoutesOnline)

Philippine Airlines is looking to fly twice weekly out of Toronto and Vancouver to Manila for the month of June as the airline slowly resumes international operations. (Source RoutesOnline)

Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.

Posts since our last update:

• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions – May Edition
  Here is your monthly update of all the global hotel bonus points promotions that are available – and for…
• Receive up to $780 in statement credits on the Business Platinum Card® from American Express
  For the past two months American Express has done an amazing job amidst the pandemic with lots of support…
• Earn 5x Aeroplan Miles on all eStore purchases made on May 30 and 31
  As we mentioned on Wednesday Aeroplan has been promoting an eStore Mega Event for this coming weekend and the…
• Get every second night free at two Sandman Hotels in downtown Vancouver (limited to first 100 bookings)
  Sandman Hotels is taking a page out of Fairmont Hotels' playbook with their own every second night free offer.…
• Hilton Honors 100% bonus when you buy points has been extended to June 3
  Hilton Honors has extended their  100%  buy points promotion to June 3. It is a flat rate bonus of…
• Save up to 20% and earn 2,500 bonus Radisson Rewards Points for stays at 22 Canadian hotels this summer
  As the country slowly opens up many of us are starting to plan some summer trips which for most…
• May 27 Update: Last few days to grab the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card with 65,000 points, Aeroplan eStore Mega Event this weekend and a targeted Starbucks Rewards offer
  Thinking of applying for the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card? There are only a few days left to…

Deals:

Fairmont's Stay Close - 6 Canadian and 3 U.S hotels offering every 2nd night or 2nd room free for the rest of 2020!

Travelzoo and Whistler's Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers that provide up to a 40% savings and includes breakfast & parking. Stay in a Deluxe King Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for two $139 (one night, check in June 1 - July 2; Aug. 30 - Sept. 30) Stay in a spacious Executive Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for four $149 (one night, check in July 3-31) $299 two nights, (check in Aug. 1-28) Find out more here. 

Travelzoo and Brewster's Mountain Lodge in Banff are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for starting at $179-$199 each for June, $199-$239 for July and $269-$319 for August & September. Based on these numbers looks like they are anticipating a decent return to travel in late Summer. We did a quick check for a mid-week stay in June and Brewster's wanted $339 for the same room and the cheapest 3rd party rate we could find was $209. Sot the $179 voucher definitely provides some savings. Find out more here. 

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

Rewards Canada receives a small commission when you use any of the above offers. You don't have to chose to use our links but we thank you in advance if you do.

Canadian Bonus Offers

Radisson Rewards

- 2,500 Bonus Radisson Rewards Points and up to 25% off for stays at participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson, Park Plaza, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia Pacific. More... Book by Jul 14  for stays May 27 – Aug 31, 20

Other Bonus Offers

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- Double Dynasty Flyer Miles when you rent a car at participating Hertz locations for 3 or more days in the USA, Asia, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. More... Book by Jul 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 20

Hilton Honors
- OFFER EXTENDED 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. More... Until Jun 3, 20



Follow Rewards Canada:

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Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions – May Edition

Here is your monthly update of all the global hotel bonus points promotions that are available – and for the first time in a long time the list is really thin! This comes as no surprise as very few people are traveling and most hotel companies have let their late winter/early spring offers run their course without coming out with new offers save for the few on this list.

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. Without further ado here are all the current promotions that are available to everyone:

Provider	Offer	Validity Date
ALL Accor Live Limitless	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all ALL Accor Live Limitlessbonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's ALL Accor Live Limitless page
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	No Offers at this time	--
	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 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required )	Until Sep 7, 20
	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	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all IHG Priority Club bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's IHG page
Marriott	2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points on each stay starting with your second stay at over 7,200 Marriott Hotels worldwide. Full details, online registration & booking. (Registration is required)	Register by May 31 for stays Mar 17 – Jun 14, 20
	For a complete listing of all Marriott Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Marriott page
Millennium Hotels My Millennium	2,000 Bonus My Millennium Points + 10% off + complimentary upgrade for stays of 2 or more night at participating Millennium Hotels Worldwide. Full details & online booking.	Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 31, 20
	For a complete listing of all Millennium Hotels My Millennium bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's My Millennium 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	2,500 Bonus Radisson Rewards Points and up to 25% off for stays at participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson, Park Plaza, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia Pacific. Full details & online booking.	Book by Jul 14  for stays May 27 – Aug 31, 20
	For a complete listing of all Radisson Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Radisson Rewards page
Red Roof Inns RediRewards	No offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Red Roof bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's RediRewards 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	30% Bonus VHR Points for each stay at any participating VOILÀ hotel Worldwide. Full details & online registration (Registration is required)	Until Jun 30, 20
	For a complete listing of all Voila Hotel Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's VHR page
WorldHotels Rewards	No offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Wyndham Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's WorldHotels 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

Receive up to $780 in statement credits on the Business Platinum Card® from American Express

For the past two months American Express has done an amazing job amidst the pandemic with lots of support being placed behind their consumer products. From increased earn and burn offers, great Amex Offers offers and extending the time period to meet minimum spending on new cards - you name it Amex seems to have done it. Now we see them move to the small business side of things with some extra support for the Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

American Express is offering up to $680 in additional value for Business Platinum Cardmembers and their evolving needs in the areas that matter most right now with access to statement credits earned on purchases made at select electronics, shipping and wireless merchants. This includes:

• $250 statement credit toward purchases with Dell Technologies: Business Platinum Cardmembers can use their Registered Card to spend at least $250 in qualifying purchases (after taxes) online at www.dell.ca/amex or via a Dell Technologies Advisor at 1-800-296-7154 by August 27, 2020 and earn a one-time $250 statement credit.
• Up to $270 in statement credits toward purchases with FedEx: Business Platinum Cardmembers can use their Registered Card to make a qualifying purchase (after taxes) of at least $45 online at fedex.ca or at participating FedEx location(s) by December 31, 2020 and earn a $45 statement credit. Cardmembers can earn a maximum of six statement credits per Registered Card during the offer period for a total value of up to $270.
• Up to $160 in statement credits toward purchases with Mobile Service Providers: Business Platinum Cardmembers can use their Registered Card to spend at least $40 in qualifying purchases (after taxes) at participating mobile service providers in Canada by December 31, 2020 and earn a $40 statement credit.Cardmembers can earn a maximum of four statement credits per Registered Card during the offer period for a total value of up to $160.

On top of the above offers American Express is also providing a $100 statement credit to all Business Platinum Cardholders on account renewal. This credit is automatic meaning there is no action needed on your part and even if your account was already renewed between January 1 and May 31 you will receive it.

If you already have the card you can learn more about these incentives and register for them here.

I may sound like a broken record here but I'll end this with my usual line - "It's nice to see" American Express now offer some support for small business cardholders. If evidence holds true we should see some offers come out for their other business cards shortly as on the consumer side it was the Platinum Card that had offers released first that were quickly followed by offers on many of their other consumer cards.

Learn more about and apply for the Business Platinum Card from American Express here.

Title image via American Express Canada