Here’s your RWRDS Canada update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.
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BMO VIPorter Mastercards are eligible for chequing account rebates
Thanks to long time RWRDS Canada Community contributor Adam M. for finding out that BMO will in fact be offering annual fee rebates on the BMO VIPorter Mastercard®* and BMO VIPorter World Elite®* Mastercard®* when you have a BMO Premium Plan Chequing account.
For BMO VIPorter Mastercard (and BMO VIPorter World Mastercard) cardholders the $89 annual fee will be fully rebated while holders of the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard will have $120 of the $199 annual fee rebated.
NOTE: To get the rebate these cards will fall into BMO’s new rule of requiring $15,000 of spend annually on the card(s) but I think based on the wording you won’t have to worry about that until 2026 as it is based on “anniversary” following May 1 – which makes sense since you get the first year free anyways on these cards.
Effective the day after your next BMO Credit Card anniversary date following May 1, 2025: spend $15,000 or more in “Qualifying Purchases” annually (within a 12-month period between annual fee-billing dates) using your eligible BMO Credit Card.
AC Hotel Ottawa Downtown has opened its doors (Marriott Bonvoy)
The AC Hotel Ottawa Downtown officially opened its doors on April 24 – several months earlier than we had detailed in our Marriott’s New Hotel Openings in Canada for 2025! That’s something we don’t see too often in the world of new hotel builds (although when first announced they wanted to open in 2023 or 2024 I believe 😉 )
Located in the Byward Market district, The AC Hotels by Marriott Ottawa Downtown will feature 159 rooms, a pool, gym, sauna, seasonal outdoor patio, and five meeting rooms with natural light from expansive windows.
Dining options at this new hotel include the AC Kitchen and AC Lounge. The AC Lounge is described as offering “a curated selection of small shareable plates and handcrafted cocktails”
Right now this property is a great option for Marriott Bonvoy redemptions for this summer! Check out the lowest cash pricing (and these don’t include taxes and fees) for most dates in July versus the points requirement! On some nights you can get over 2 cents per point which is amazing! (That’s over a 4% return on base spending on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card!)
Click here to learn more and to book the AC Hotel Ottawa Downtown
Images via Marriott
Hard Rock Hotel opens in London, Ontario
And speaking of new hotel openings, Hard Rock Hotels opened their first hotel in Canada this week in London, Ontario. Hard Rock has their own loyalty program called Unity by Hard Rock with which you can earn and redeem points on stays, at their cafes (Niagara Falls has one) at their casinos and more. The Hard Rock brand has over 200 hotel and cafe locations located all around the world. And now that we have a hotel in Canada (and another opening in Ottawa this year) their Unity program will receive regular coverage here on Rewards Canada!
Click here to learn more and to book the Hard Rock Hotel London.
Image via Hard Rock Hotels
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Posts since our last update:
- WestJet is adding new routes between Western Canada and Atlantic Canada
- RWRDS Daily Update April 24: Guide to No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards for Canadians
Canadian Bonus Offers
No new bonuses added today
Other Bonus Offers
No new bonuses added today
Deals:
TAP Air Portugal: Fly from Toronto or Montreal to Europe from C$579 in economy or C$2,099 in business class. Book by May 4, 2025, and travel between September 15, 2025 and March 22, 2026, except between December 15, 2025 and January 12, 2026. Click here to book this offer
Wealthsimple: Get a $50 cash bonus when you open your first Wealthsimple account and fund at least $500 within 30 days. Plus get up to 2.75% interest on your Cash account today. Click here to get this deal.