Welcome back to our series on how credit card multipliers can increase your chances of earning. In Part 1, we focus on the cards issued by American Express.

American Express is a huge bank with which points can be collected due to the huge array of transfer partners. It also has a co-branded card with Air Canada, which makes it easy to collect airplane points, a major player in our Canadian landscape.

Unfortunately, not all retailers accept Amex by paying their high merchant processing fees. There will definitely be a time when you need to get a MasterCard or Visa, so in Part 2 of this series, we’ll see. Multiplier of cards issued by other banks.

For simplicity, we will only focus on Canadian cards as opposed to cash back cards or other point currencies that earn airline point currencies or their equivalents.

Canadian Bank with airline partners

American Express has the most flexibility in transferring partners, including a total of six airline partners and two hotel partners. However, there are still some good Visa and MasterCard options.

In Canada, RBC, HSBC, CIBC, and TD all have credit cards that can earn you airline points.

RBC

RBC offers several credit cards that can earn airline currency directly:

RBC has its own Avion credit card line that earns RBC rewards points, which can be transferred to up to four airline partners.

The transfer ratio from RBC award to airline currency is as follows:

RBC Avion Transfer Partner

British Airways Executive Club

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Benefits of American Airlines

With these partners and ratios in mind, let’s look at what credit card multipliers are

RBC earnings rates are pretty easy to remember. Without the money spent on premium cards and airline expenses, you will earn Costs 1 point per dollar.

For a high earning rate 1.25 points per dollar, Take a premium card, but make sure you can justify a higher annual fee (probably redeeming 2 cents per point for a business class flight).

HSBC

HSBC offers their own group MasterCard which earns HSBC award points, which can be transferred to three airline partners in the following proportions. Note that a minimum of 25,000 HSBC reward points have been transferred.

With these partners and ratios in mind, let’s see what credit card multipliers are.

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

Sometimes looking at multipliers can be confusing. You also need to consider the transfer ratio.

Let me give you an example to illustrate this. Imagine that you have to spend $ 15,000 on a two-week Mediterranean cruise.

If you put this cost on an HSBC Travel Rewards Card, you will earn 3x points on the trip, thus earning 45,000 HSBC Reward Points. When transferred to a British Airways Avios account, you will have 18,000 Avios for an effective earnings rate 1.2 Avios per dollar. Not bad for a card that doesn’t have an annual fee.

If you spend on an HSBC World Elite MasterCard, you will earn 6x points on the trip, you will have 90,000 HSBC reward points. By converting these to 36,000 Avios, you will have a higher effective earning rate 2.4 avios per dollar For a card that has a $ 149 annual fee, with an annual 100 travel credit it effectively brings it down to $ 49.

Looking at the other advantages of this card, it does not take any foreign transaction fee, which makes it my top choice when traveling abroad.

TD and CIBC

I grouped TD and CIBC together because they both have only one airline partner, Aeroplan, although keep in mind that any Aeroplan points can be redeemed at any one of the many airline partners.

Redeem Aeroplan points for ANA first class

Both banks offer different tiered Visa cards that will directly earn airplane points:

Let’s take a look at how their income rates compare:

Air Canada, Gas and Grocery

Air Canada, Gas and Grocery

Air Canada, Gas, Grocery, and Starbucks

Air Canada, Gas and Grocery

Gas, groceries, travel, dining and Starbucks

Gas, groceries, travel, and dining

Shipping, communication, travel, dining and Starbucks

Shipping, communication, travel, and dining

Remember that for TD cards with a Starbucks multiplier, you must link your TD credit card to your Starbucks account to earn the multiplier.

Earnings rates are quite similar between different levels of TD and CIBC cards, so when deciding between a TD or CIBC card, it can come down to other factors such as welcome bonuses and other credit card benefits.

If you are looking for a no-fee entry-level keeper card, the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card is a better option than the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum, which charges an annual fee of $ 89.

Keep in mind that TD and CIBC often offer first year free discounts on their Visa Infinite cards, so with a higher income rate, you may be better off choosing one of these cards for at least the first year.

Which non-Amex credit card should you use?

To determine which card will best maximize your earnings, you need to do a personal analysis to see what you need. Cost and travel patterns Is

Your spending patterns will determine which factors are most relevant to you Your travel types will determine which airline program you want to invest in, how many points you may need, and whether you can justify a higher annual fee in exchange for other benefits that come with the card.

Below is a chart of the various expense categories and credit card summaries, including the best multiplier based on which airline currency you want to deposit.

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC airplane visa business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Infinite Privilege

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege

RBC Avion Visa Unlimited Business

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

When collected Airplane points Your goal, the only option one TD or CIBC Airplane Visa Card. Which level of card you choose will depend on what you spend the most on, whether your spending can support the annual fee and the welcome bonus at that time.

If you can justify an unlimited privilege card annual fee, you can maximize your earnings 1.25x And as a base earning rate 1.5x Most of the expenditure is on the main department.

Such as if you are saving for an ambitious flight experience Singapore Suite, Then your only option would be HSBC and the best card for cost HSBC World Elite MasterCard Or HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard, Which will earn a minimum of 1.08 miles per dollar spent.

If you are planning to fly on an airline that is part of it One world Alliance, then consider your spending patterns.

For regular costs, it’s an intimate race in between RBC Avion Visa is an infinite privilege Or RBC Avion Visa Business, Which earns 1.25 avios or Asia Miles per dollar HSBC World Elite MasterCard Or HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard, Which earns 1.2 Avios per dollar for your Oneworld redemption.

For any travel-related expenses, the Twin HSBC Premium Cards are rewarded at 4 2.4 Avios or 1.96 Asia Miles for every dollar spent.

Consider possibly having both an RBC Visa and an HSBC MasterCard so that you have one in each of your wallets, as not all merchants will accept both.

I intentionally omitted the American Airlines AA Advantage program from the charts for simplicity, because the conversion from Avion is not the largest and both Avios and Asia Miles can be used to redeem for their flights.

There is really not much use for the AAdvantage program in the Canadian landscape due to Qatar Airways joining the Quechua Avios family. However, there may be an exception if you want to book Qsuites with minimal taxes and fees – in that case, RBC Avion cards would be the preferred choice.

If you’re looking at higher base income rates, you’ll want to look at Visa Infinite Privilege Cards, which earn 1.25 points per dollar at regular costs and 1.5 points per dollar at dining.

However, higher income rates alone may not justify a higher annual fee of $ 599, unless you take advantage of the other benefits that come with the card.

And finally, if you’re a Starbucks fan, you’ll probably want to see a TD card instead of CIBC, because they’re offering a 50% earnings bonus if you link a TD Airplan card to your Starbucks account.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, there are still many merchants who don’t take American Express, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop earning airline points.

RBC, HSBC, TD, and CIBC are the banks that offer MasterCard and Visa, which in some cases offer better earnings rates in airline currency than American Express.

Take some time to analyze your own costs and travel types and see which cards or cards will help you quickly reach your travel goals.

Shop Small and a $ 30 grocery credit Amex offer that appeared this week, American Express now also offers their best statement credit offer Lululemon Shopping, exclusively on American Express Platinum card.

Also, other Amex cards have some different Lululemon offers, so let’s take a closer look at all the possibilities.

Amex Platinum Card: Spend $ 50, get $ 50 twice with Lululemon

From now until now June 30, 2023, Members of the American Express Platinum Card can register their card and then earn $ 50 statement credit by spending $ 50 with Lululemon, up to a total of two. Up to $ 100 in statement credit.

The offer is valid in all Lululemon locations across Canada, through the Lululemon mobile app and the Lululemon website. After spending $ 50, you will get a full refund as a statement credit, which means there are no out-of-pocket expenses to take advantage of.

The first $ 50 purchase must be completed by December 31, 2022, and the second $ 50 purchase must be completed between January 1 and June 30, 2023. For each purchase, you will receive a $ 50 statement credit, two credits up to a total of $ 100.

This particular offer seems to be limited to American Express Platinum card members, with other cardholders having no option to register manually.

Keep in mind that a growing Lululemon purchase will count for offers, so even if your items are shipped separately and therefore charged separately, this shouldn’t be a problem.

And if you have multiple Platinum cards in your home, you can ask Lululemon Cashier to split your purchase into অংশ 50 + portions to maximize the credit on each card.

The terms of the offer specify that the credits will be applied to your account “within 90 days of 30/06/2023”. However, in reality, you should see them within a few days of completing your purchase.

Other Lululemon Amex offers

Also, there have been a few different Lululemon offers in the last few months, although they are not as lucrative as the new Platinum Card offer listed above.

Still, if you have at least one American Express card, you’ll be able to get some discounts on Lululemon purchases in the next few months.

Spend $ 125, get $ 25 with Lululemon

The offer has been seen on a wide range of American Express personal and business credit cards.

After spending $ 125 on one or more purchases from the Lululemon mobile app or the Lululemon website, you can earn a one-time 25 statement credit – equivalent to one 20% discount.

This offer expires on August 31, 2022 and has a registration cap of 40,000 cardholders, so be sure to register if you want to take advantage.

Spend $ 150, get $ 15 with Lululemon

It represents the least effective version of Lululemon Amex offers, but it is still a great way to recoup some costs if you shop there.

After spending $ 150 on one or more purchases from the mobile app or Lululemon website, you can earn a one-time $ 15 statement credit – equivalent to a 10% discount.

This offer is valid till August 31, 2022, with registration cap for 20,000 cardholders.

It is also worth noting that unlike many other Amex offers we have recently seen, none of these Lululemon offers can be registered manually using a Scotiabank-issued Amex card.

What is Lululemon Gift Card Count?

The usual rule of buying a gift card applies: theoretically, no, but in reality, it could be.

The terms of the offer are as follows:

Only valid purchases made or shipped within Canada and paid in CAD. Excludes outlet location, B2B and strategic sales, phone orders and gift card purchases. Shopping for Lululemon Like New and The Mirror has also been dropped.

In practice, however, purchasing a ul 50 gift card at a Lululemon store should work in addition to a regular purchase, since the charge looks like a Lululemon in any way. Lululemon also sells gift cards online and it seems to be charged just like regular online shopping.

Conclusion

American Express has long had one of their best Amex offers: “Spend $ 50, get $ 50 twice” for a total of $ 100 in free Lululemon gear.

The first $ 50 statement credit will now apply to any Lululemon purchase between December 31, 2022, while the second $ 50 statement credit will apply to purchases between January 1 and June 30, 2023.

The offer should appear on all American Express Platinum cards, unless you have had the card for several months and have started seeing Amex offers roll.

In the meantime, for non-Platinum cardholders, there are two more less lucrative deals, but it’s worth taking advantage of the way you shop at Lululemon anyway.

Now that we’ve reached July 2022, if you’re an Airplane Elite Status member, you can now choose the best Select 2022 facility After logging in to your Aeroplan account in the member portal.

Since valid in July of any given year through eUpgrade credit Follow In the calendar year, you can now start searching for eUpgrade space and apply “Latitude Attitude” to upgrade to Business Class for Air Canada flights in 2023.

Choose your 2022 Select Benefit

Airplane Elite Status benefits are divided into main benefits and selection benefits.

All members automatically receive the main benefits associated with their status level at the beginning of the year and have the option to choose from two separate bundles of select benefits, based on which improving the travel experience may be most important to them.

As an Aeroplan Elite Status member, you can select your Benefits for 2022 via the “Choose Benefits” option under the “Benefits” tab of your dashboard.

The Select Benefit Bundles available for each Airplane Elite Status Level are summarized as follows:

(Benefit 1 Bundle is a more meaningful set for most travelers. Bundle 2 offers eUpgrades or status qualifying miles in exchange for buying a flight using Air Canada Flight Pass, so it will not be relevant if you do not normally travel using a flight pass.)

Which selection facility should you choose?

Among the Select Benefit choices, I would definitely recommend choosing 7 Allocate additional eUpgrade credits As one of your advantages (or your only advantage as an Aeroplan 35K member).

Collecting more e-upgrades is invaluable, since the “Latitude Attitude” strategy allows you to redeem airplane points for an economy latitude ticket and instantly upgrade to Business Class.

With direct bookings in business class often dynamically priced at a high level, latitude attitude can be an invaluable strategy.

EUpgrades is extremely valuable for booking Air Canada Business Class and avoids dynamically high prices.

Meanwhile, choosing a second option for Aeroplan 25K, 50K, 75K and Super Elite members will depend on your own preferences as a traveler.

Anyone who frequently takes a paid flight can pay bonus airplane points on an Air Canada flight, anyone who wants to share their benefits with their loved one can choose a status pass or status gift etc.

Earn valid e-upgrades until 2023!

From January 1 of this year, it has been possible to choose your selected benefits So why is it more convenient to do it now starting from 1st July?

OK, the validity period of eUpgrades is determined as follows:

  • Any e-upgrade acquired between January and June of a given year has a validity period within that year.
  • Any e-upgrade acquired between July and December of a given year has a validity period Through the next year.

What does this mean in practice? OK, e-upgrades are being chosen as your preferred feature from today, July 1, 2022, That means those e-upgrades will arrive in your account by the January 16 expiration date, 2024Rather January 16, 2023!

And remember: the trip must be within the validity period of the eUpgrade credits to apply those eUpgrade.

So if you want to use the Latitude attitude to ensure a business class upgrade for any trip that takes place in 2023, you will need -2023 e-upgrades through that valuable legit to do so.

Now by choosing eUpgrades as your Select Benefit, you’ll get a prime start to secure upgrades on the 2023 flight.

Effectively, by delaying your Select Benefit decision so far until July 2022, you’ve got a valuable head start to grab the alluring “R” space and ensure your instant upgrade across Air Canada’s 2023 Business Class flight.

After locking the benefits of your choice, additional eUpgrade credits may take a few days to appear. Once they are done, you will be able to plan your 2023 trip in Air Canada Business Class with “Latitude Attitude” in mind.

Conclusion

Now that it’s July 2022, members of Aeroplan Elite Status can choose their Select Benefit Bundles in an optimized fashion, securing an allocation of valuable e-upgrades that are valid until 2023 and January 2024.

Personally, I have so far waited to pick my electoral benefits for this exact reason, so that I can earn valid eUpgrade credit for an instantly confirmed upgrade from Latitude Economics for the next 18 months.

Remember: Once you select Select Benefit Bundles, they cannot be changed, so it is important to take some time to think about your decision before locking it.

Mahjong piece scene + loyalty has started to fall into place in the program.

On the one hand, the company is stealing the Sobeys partnership from under the nose of the sick Air Miles program. On the other hand, Scene +’s main partner and major shareholder, Scotiabank, is fighting hard to create a place for itself in the increasingly-competitive Canadian loyalty market.

What does this mean for you? Bank of Nova Scotia is making it clear in no uncertain terms that it plans to supercharge its credit card suite to make it more attractive to customers.

Scotia Amex Gold: Sobeys Grocery Store 6x Views + Points

I have already covered the changes to Scotiabank’s credit card portfolio on July 1, 2022. These include, but are not limited to:

As it turns out, these upgrades are not savings for the Amex-powered Scotiabank portfolio. From October 1, 2022, exciting changes are taking place in both the Baseline Red Card and its high-class cousin, the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.

As we can see, the earnings rate of Gold Card is going up Cost 6 dollars per scene + points Participating Sobeys-affiliated grocery stores: Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés TradItIon, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.

The basic “red” Scotiabank American Express card is also improving somewhat. Its increased earnings rate per dollar cost is 2 cents + point, coming July 1, 2022, it will be further increased. Cost 3 dollars per scene + points On the same list of Sobeys-affiliated grocery stores.

This is equally great for moviegoers and travel enthusiasts, because it means that Visual +, a great program to achieve both, is trying to gain market share from its competitors by encouraging you to use their products.

The revenue they have increased in detail will make the Scotiabank Gold American Express card the most competitive in the market, especially when one considers that it does not pay any foreign transaction fees.

The inability to transfer points to competing partners such as Airplane makes American Express cobalt cards, which earn Cost 5 MR points per dollar, A little stronger in my eyes. However, the new Scotia Amex Gold earnings rate is really fantastic.

Scotiabank Visa Card: Up to 3x View + Points at Sobeys Grocery Store

However, love does not stop with Scotiabank’s Amex card. Their co-branded Visa cards that earn Scene + points will also receive a similar upgrade. Let’s take a look:

Scotiabank Passport Visa Unlimited Card

Welcome bonus

25,000 Scotia award points

Annual fee

$ 139

First year value

$ 121

While it is unfortunate that the annual fee for Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite will increase from $ 139 to $ 150, it can be easily offset by getting a free card in the first year.

Alternatively, if you have the liquid capital you need, you can open a Scotiabank checking account that waives credit card fees. Still, the Cost 3 dollars per scene + points A welcome addition.

In the case of the co-branded Scotiabank Scene + Visa card, it will no longer just be a card to remove from the drawer on movie night.

Instead, it needs to start earning 2 views + points cost per dollar In the Sobeys suite at the grocery store, it makes a no-fee card without the need for any income that earns 2x more frequently locally. Not too bad.

+ A beautiful future for the scene?

All of these improvements to Scene + co-branded credit cards are so exciting because the program is now becoming the most versatile in Canada.

The ability to bring your own travels to any scene + the denominated card makes them much more powerful to keep in your wallet, as you can choose to spend points for the type of travel you want at 1 cents per point (cpp) flat.

Scene + is one of the best ways to offset the cost of a cruise, for example.

One feels compelled to ask the question: Is this increase in scene a sustainable future for the Sobeys-Cineplex-Scotiabank Trinity?

The ability to burn at 1cpp on your favorite trip is undoubtedly a surprise, but the IT of the Visual + app is still not perfect, and I have read or heard (or lack) multiple complaints from travel enthusiasts about customer service provided by Scotiabank and Scene + Call Center Being.

I certainly wish the scene success + because it surpasses Air Miles and competes among Canada’s top loyalty programs, but it would be terrible if this program followed the next trajectory. Multiple underestimation of Air Miles has ultimately turned it into one that customers have treated cautiously and partners have publicly avoided and should therefore avoid.

View + One of the best ways to keep customers at peace is to invest in superior customer service and IT, which is not something that customers are observing right now.

Conclusion

Changes in Scotiabank’s credit card portfolio show that they want a competitive advance in the market and that banks and Scene + partners are ready to work for their customers.

In particular, the Scotia Gold Amex Sobeys-affiliated grocery store increases its earnings rate by 6x Scene + points, making it one of the best grocery returns you can find on any Canadian credit card.

Here it is to be hoped that the story of Scene + will not try to lower the price of travel or increase the price of complimentary movie tickets. Until then, I say guys go out and give Scotiabank’s revised products a spin – some other financial institutions should take note.

Until next time, never let your point balance dry up.

As the world returns to travel at breakneck speeds, airports, airlines and government agencies are struggling to keep up with unprecedented demand.

Let’s look at the best techniques for handling any type Flight delay or cancellation This affects your travel, which is also known as “IRROPS” (irregular operation) in the language of aircraft.

The best practice is Knows how to find solutions quickly When you are in the situation, and after the truth you are getting compensation for any loss.

The former allows you to take the initiative for yourself instead of waiting for the airlines to take care of things for you and it can even be a secret opportunity. Improvement Better air travel, routing or getting time to travel.

Meanwhile, the latter confirms that you are fully suffering for any loss, especially in the face of an airline industry that is not always willing to own its own mistakes.

Before your trip: Strategies for forecasting delays

The best way to deal with delays and cancellations is if you can actively avoid them first, or take steps in advance to make your life easier if they do occur.

Credit card insurance

Start with the expected strategies Choosing the right credit card On which you make your booking. Most premium travel credit cards will provide a pretty strong travel insurance coverage on any flight booked directly using the card, which includes benefits such as compensation for flight delays and trip interruption insurance.

However, if you book a flight over the point, you’ll want to understand which credit cards offer rewards travel insurance, as there are several subtleties between major credit cards when it comes to starting coverage.

For example, the powerful Amex Platinum insurance package will not apply to your flight booked at Airplane Point, even if you charge taxes and fees on the card. For this booking, you’ll need to use TD or CIBC Aeroplan-branded cards, or World Elite cards from BMO or National Bank, which cover prize tickets booked using any type of point currency.

Once your flight is booked using the correct credit card, you will now have the peace of mind that you can claim some insurance if the delay or cancellation affects your travel plans.

Monitor your booking

The next step is Monitor your itinerary in days and hours until your flight, Be aware of any potential obstacles that you may see early on.

For example, in the case of a wide range of issues affecting a particular airport or region (consider catastrophic weather or widespread civil disobedience), airlines often issue Travel waiver Which allows passengers to change their plan at no cost. Planning alternatives during this time allows you to avoid a major headache later in your travel time.

Meanwhile, during flight times, you can check the airline’s app or search your flight number on Google, where any delays or cancellations are often posted a few hours in advance.

The sooner you find a delay or cancellation and make alternative arrangements, the better You’ll be reluctant to arrive at the airport to find your travel plans in isolation, with the rest of the crowd having no choice but to jump at the ticketing desk.

BOS-YYZ-Cancel.png

Your travel time: Strategies for finding alternatives

So, your flight plan has been hit with a delay or a cancellation. What now?

In the event of a cancellation or significant delay, the airline will often book you an alternative flight, which may depart that day or the next day. Sometimes they will put you on an alternative route through a different airport or on a flight operated by one of its airline partners, or both.

Either way, if you’re happy with this alternative arrangement, you really don’t need to do anything other than double check your reservation to verify your new flight details.

However, if you are in any way dissatisfied with this alternative plan, or if you feel You can do better (Which is very likely!), Then it’s time to take matters into your own hands.

Research your desired new itinerary

In case of delay or cancellation, the airline may force you to re-book your destination Leverage Any Seats available Any Flight To do this within its interline partner network.

They may not be active I want To do this, since re-booking at partner airlines can be more complicated than re-booking in their own metal, you’ll get there.

This is a situation where a fee of US $ 100 / year on ExpertFlyer can be paid for itself. There are two main features that you will find particularly helpful in dealing with an airline booking confusion.

First, ExpertFlyer allows you to find out which airlines have an interline agreement with the airline you are traveling with. Any such partnership means that the airline is able to re-book you to its interline partner in case of delay or cancellation.

Note that interline partnerships typically extend beyond the three major airline alliances It is very common for Star Alliance Airlines to enter into interline deals with several OneWorld and SkyTeam airlines.

Use Interline agreement Tab, under Travel information Search function in the sidebar, and find the airline you’re traveling with. If an airline shows an e-ticket under the Interline Agreement heading, you can ask them to re-book one of their flights.

Now that you know which partner airlines you can use, you’ll also need to find out which seats and flights are available in your chosen category before heading to the affected airline to re-book. After all, there is no point in asking for a specific flight if all the seats are already occupied by paying the passengers.

For this, use Flight availability Search function to search the specific flight in question. If you travel in business class, you will usually see “J”, “C”, “D”, or “P” fare codes, where if you travel in economy you will see “Y” rent bucket or something after that.

If the number of open seats matches the number of passengers in your group, you know that you can ask to re-book that flight. So for example, if you travel as a couple in business class, you are looking for a flight that has at least “J2”, “C2”, etc.

Use delays or cancellations to get a better itinerary

In this situation do not be afraid to gain your knowledge about the airline route. If you have booked LOT Polish Airlines for a trip from Toronto to Warsaw, for example, you can request LOT to re-book a combination of Air Canada flights to Zurich, then a Swiss flight to Warsaw, allowing availability.

Remember, in case of “IRROPS” or irregular activities, there is no change fee, fuel surcharge or anything like that. This is a potential opportunity to change your itinerary, if desired.

You can ask for a direct flight if you are booked with a connection, possibly to get you to your destination. Or you can choose your airline or try a new one to get a good business class product, without paying any change fee.

If treated with the right mindset, delay or cancellation can really be a wonderful blessing in the guise of an intelligent traveler.

Ask the airline to change your ticket

Once you have found your preferred alternative routing, it is time to go to the airline to state your wishes.

Be smart about it: if you see a lot of crowds at the airline ticketing desk, don’t waste your time there – give the airline a call instead. If hold times are unbearable, try to reach out on social media, as teams monitoring those platforms may be able to speed up the process.

There is no need to be upset.
There is no need to be upset.

If you have lounge access, go to the concierge desk in the airline’s lounge, as agents there can usually handle ticketing as well. And if you have any kind of elite status with the airline (even if it’s low-level status), throw your weight around and politely insist that you should prioritize the rest of the push.

No matter where the conversation is, it is important to contact the airline representative Calm and cooperative attitude. Pear-shaped travel plans can certainly evoke strong emotions in people, but letting go of those emotions will get you nowhere.

Instead, your focus should be on working together with the agent to find a solution, and you should emphasize the fact that you have already found an alternative solution that will work best for you and you simply want the agent’s help in implementation. It is

After your trip: Tactics for seeking compensation

You should also be familiar with the various ways to seek compensation for losses due to delays or cancellations. There are various legal and commercial channels through which you can do this, so let’s give a quick overview of each here.

EU261 for flights from Europe / Europe

The European Union’s EC261, commonly referred to as EU261, is the most well-known example of a legal ruling requiring airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays due to reasons within airlines’ control.

If you fly in Europe on an airline, in Europe on an EU-based airline, or outside Europe on an airline, You are entitled to up to 600 per person as compensation, Depending on the distance of your scheduled flight.

There are several other terms and exceptions governing EC261, which you can see on the EU website.

Keep in mind that airlines do not always cooperate in paying this compensation, and some airlines will even lie to you and blame factors beyond their control for delays when they should actually be paid. Threaten to take legal action if necessary, but do not hesitate until you receive the compensation you deserve.

Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations

Canada has introduced its own Air Passenger Protection Regulation, effective December 15, 2019. The big difference between EC261 and APPR is that Canadian regulations require that compensation be paid only when the cause of the delay is under the control of the airline. And not related to security.

Guess what? So each airline can blame their delays for mechanical issues related to safety, or for crew schedule issues that they claim as a knock-on effect from the COVID-19 epidemic beyond their control.

In addition to legal means, you can also specify specific airline charges, which outline some of the key provisions that airlines must pay in the event of a controllable delay.

Examples may include food vouchers and overnight stays and if these provisions are not handed over you can present to the airline staff including tariffs.

Note that if it is late, all of the above will not apply due to some uncontrolled cause like bad weather. And in this situation why you should also have travel insurance, it comes as an advantage in your credit card or you bought it separately.

As we discussed above, if you are sure that your credit card provides insurance at the time of booking, you can go with any peace of mind regarding any delay or cancellation that you must pay for any meal, taxi or overnight stay. Book in case of delay or cancellation, even if the airline is not obliged to do so.

Finally, if you ever need any help in the process of seeking compensation, the Air Passenger Rights (Canada) Facebook group is an excellent resource. Gaber Lukakus, the founder, is doing an excellent job protecting the rights of his fellow Canadian travelers, so I would recommend posting to the group for advice if you need it.

Conclusion

Flight delays and cancellations are likely to occur sooner or later during your trip, and the best way to deal with them is to fully equip yourself with how to pre-empt, deal with and “make sure you’re fully compensated for irregular operations.” “When they happen.

By learning and implementing the strategies in this article, you can hopefully come out with less headaches and more enjoyable travel than your next flight being delayed or canceled. And maybe a nice piece of cash in your bank account!

Check out your Amex offer section and you’ll see a brand new offer খরচ 30 refund if you spend $ 60 for groceries three times – Eligible American Express Card for an easy 17% discount on your grocery order.

Spend $ 60, up to 3 times, get $ 30

The offer is valid for seven participating grocery retailers in Canada: Farm Boy, Foodland, Freshco, Longos, Safeway, Sobes and Thrifty Foods. Significantly, it is not eligible for save-on-foods or metro locations or with any grocery delivery service.

Any purchases made from these retailers will be counted for this offer and after three such purchases, you will receive a one-time statement credit of $ 30. The offer is valid until August 31, 2022.

The offer structure is really a bit weird, because you have to effectively spend $ 180 to get a 30 refund (in three increments of $ 60) – the equivalent of one 16.67% Discount On buying your groceries.

The offer is limited to the first 80,000 cards registered, so be sure to take action and click “Add to Card” as soon as possible to secure your space.

Note that the offer specifies that only the “participating” positions of the above-mentioned retailers are eligible. After clicking the “View participating locations” link, you’ll be shown a list of participating grocers with their address.

Comparing this to the “Our Shops” list of each grocery chain, it seems like a complete list of all the locations across the country, but just click on the link and quickly check the location you are going to. Eligible

Of the seven different eligible outlets, this Amex offer provides better coverage of Canadian grocery chains that American Express accepts. In the end, for most Canadians it should take an easy advantage, it fits as well as $ 30 in your pocket.

The terms of the offer specify that the credits will be applied to your account “within 90 days of 31/08/2022”. However, in practice, you should see them within a few business days of competing with your purchase.

Are gift cards counted?

Some readers may be familiar with the fact that places like Sobes and Farm Boy don’t just sell groceries; Also, they sell gift cards that can be used for other stores or retailers in Canada.

Specifies the terms of this offer:

“Any purchase that is not made directly with a qualified merchant is excluded. Gift Cards, Oil, Gas, Fuel, Safety Planning, Service Planning, Insurance Planning, Financial Services, Technology Services, Postal Services, Lottery Services, Flower Services, Cash & Carrying, Convenience Stores, Wine, Wine, & Alcohol Shopping, Wine, Alcohol, or grocery purchases at the counter or location, charity and medical or pharmacy services are also excluded. “

In practice, however, purchasing a 60 gift card should work alongside a regular grocery order, since the charge looks like a grocery store in any way.

Then again, most offer recipients probably have to buy groceries anyway, I think it’s easiest to shop for just three separate $ 60 + groceries without having to worry about gift cards in the summer.

Free groceries end at $ 150 +?

The previous iterations of American Express’s “Free Groceries” offers in the summer of 2020 and 2021 brought মু 150, $ 200, or $ 250 in completely free groceries on premium travel credit cards.

By comparison, it’s significantly less generous: not only was the amount of dollars higher before, but it was also a one-for-one statement credit, where you get the full amount credited.

Now that most aspects of life have returned to “normal”, regression in the construction of Amex offers is also in full swing.

I imagine American Express has decided that travel credit card users don’t need to encourage their cards to have statement credit on things other than travel, so grocery incentives have been reduced from $ 150 + to free groceries by 17% accordingly. $ 180 + discount on purchases.

I want to be proven wrong, but I think this is the end of an era where premium American Express cardholders can expect to get $ 150, $ 200, etc. back in their pockets at once.

Scotiabank American Express cardholders can also register

As usual, this Amex offer is scalable via Scotiabank American Express Primary and Supplementary Cards.

A manual registration option is available on the Scotiabank American Express Card, the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card. Registration can be done through this link.

Unlike Amex-issued Amex cards, you can register as many Scotiabank-issued Amex primary or supplementary cards as you wish for this Amex offer, so this card is a great way to multiply your $ 30 statement credit if you create a large roster.

Conclusion

While we’ve seen over the last few years generous less than $ 150 + in free groceries, it’s great to see Amex offers back for groceries for another round.

If you have an American Express card that the Amex offer is starting to come in, you can earn $ 30 credit by spending $ 60 three times on participating grocery chains for an effective 17% discount on $ 180 groceries this summer. Be sure to register the Amex card as much as you can and enter a grocery store August 31, 2022.

Scotiabank is the latest Canadian credit card issuer to offer a spectacular welcome bonus on the trio of their American Express Travel credit cards in 2022.

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card: 40,000 views + points + first year free

Scotiabank Gold is offering American Express cards Up to 40,000 points For new applicants, split as follows:

  • Make money 20,000 views + points The first three months cost $ 1,000
  • An earning Additional 20,000 Sin + Points The first year cost $ 7,500
  • To get First year annual fee waiver (Usually 120)

Scotiabank usually has very achievable cost requirements and this offer is no exception: only $ 1,000 for most of the bonus.

And if you spend a lot on the bonus sections of the card, I would say it is appropriate to go to the second spending threshold. The Scotia Gold earns Amex 5 points per dollar spent for groceries, With a boost Empire grocery stores cost 6 points per dollar.

For the উপযুক্ত 7,500 spent on eligible merchants, you’ll earn up to 45,000 points per day in addition to the full 40,000 points with the signup offer!

That will bring your grand total 75,000 views + points, Or worth 850. This is incredible for a card that does not offer outsize redemption, only fixed-value points.

If you spend in other categories, you may earn a little less, but the rewards can still be plentiful. The total income rate is as follows:

  • Cost 6 dollars per scene + points Empire Grocery Store
  • Cost 5 views + points per dollar Other grocery stores, dining (including restaurants, bars, cafes and catering), and entertainment tickets
  • Cost 3 dollars per scene + points In gas, transit and streaming services
  • 1 scene + points cost per dollar On top of everything else

As before, the card has no foreign transaction fees – always a nice touch on a lifestyle card marketed to travelers. And although the card is not issued by American Express (instead it runs on the Amex payment network), it is still eligible for Amex offers for cardholders, a timely benefit because the shop is back for a small summer.

This offer is Available until October 31, 2022So you have plenty of time to decide if you are interested, or where this card will fit into your big-picture strategy.

Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card: Maximum 60,000 SIN + points

Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card is Offering an All-Time High Welcome Bonus Up to 60,000 sin + points For new applicants, split as follows:

  • Make money 50,000 views + points The first three months cost 3,000
  • An earning Additional 10,000 views + points The first 14 months cost 10,000

The annual fee for the card is $ 399 for the primary cardholder.

The Scotia Platinum Amex has traditionally not been very attractive, especially compared to American Express’s own premium travel credit card.

However, a welcome bonus of up to 60,000 Scene + Points makes it worthwhile to apply despite the $ 399 advance annual fee, as you will unlock $ 200 + worth in the first year. There is also a priority pass membership with 10 lounge visits.

As part of the recent changes to the Scotiabank Amex card, Scotia Platinum Amex will no longer charge foreign transaction fees, in that sense it will be higher than Amex’s own Platinum cards.

In the meantime, earnings rates on this card are more simplified than the Gold version:

  • 4 scenes + points Cost per dollar Gas stations, grocery stores, dining and entertainment
  • 1 scene + points cost per dollar In all other purchases

This offer is similar to Scotia Gold Amex Available until October 31, 2022, So until then you have to take this card for $ 200 + price and another slot for your Amex offers.

Scotiabank American Express Card: Up to 10,000 Sin + Points

Scotiabank American Express Card is offering an all-time high welcome bonus Up to 10,000 sin + points For new applicants, the distribution is as follows:

  • Make money 5,000 views + points The first three months cost $ 750
  • An earning Additional 5,000 Sine + Points The first year cost $ 5,000

This is Scotiabank’s no-fee Amex product, so its lower welcome bonuses are consistent with an ongoing annual fee of $ 0. The second part of 5,000 sin + points to spend $ 5,000 reasonably offers a rather weak price, amounting to just 1% more than the cost.

However, there is still a very compelling reason to get this card: Easy access to Amex offers via no-fee primary and supplementary cards.

Amex-issued Amex cards cannot be manually registered for Amex offers outside of targeted cards, Scotiabank-issued Amex cards To be able to. The Scotia Amex card can basically be used as a “farm” to register for things like িয় 250 off Marriott shopping with $ 50 off, স্ম 25 off statement credit through Shop Small, and so on.

In terms of earnings, Scotiabank American Express Card offers a uniform earnings rate 1 scene + points cost per dollar In all purchases – the equivalent of a flat 1% return.

As such, using this card for your day-to-day expenses is only recommended for people who are creating new credit files or sticking to a tight budget in terms of annual fees.

If you do not currently have this card and would like to receive it for the benefit of its Amex offer, be sure to apply first October 31, 2022 To capture advanced welcome bonuses while you do this.

Conclusion

Scotiabank has increased the advancement of their American Express products, retrieving a highly competitive welcome offer on the Scotiabank Gold American Express card, raising the Scotiabank Platinum American Express card and the Scotiabank American Express card to an all-time high.

Three welcome offers will expire October 31, 2022, So now is a good time to start with Scotiabank, if you haven’t already, for the flexibility of Scene + points, the strong grocery income rate at Scotia Gold Amex, or the scalability of additional Amex offers by manually registering.

BMO Rewards has made a favorable permanent change to its program: you no longer have to redeem points through the BMO Travel portal; Instead, you can book any trip using your BMO Rewards credit card and apply points at an optimal ratio of 0.67 cents per point (cpp).

Permanently redeem BMO rewards at 0.67cpp

BMO is one of the banks whose reward program we have criticized in the past, especially for its unpopular move to reduce the travel redemption rate from 0.71cpp to 0.67cpp..

To add insult to injury, this results in the ideal redemption rate 150 BMO reward points for 1 The price was exclusively available on the BMO Prize travel portal, which can often be quite boogie.

Earlier this year, if you wanted to redeem BMO rewards for any other type of purchase not made on their web portal, you would have to openly accept the patent rate. 200 BMO reward points = $ 1. This is an inspirational 0.5cpp amount.

Now, BMO has at least acknowledged that they need to experiment with the rigidity of redemption models and offer consumers a little more punch for point redemption.

That’s why, you can redeem your BMO reward points All travel shopping anywhere The standard rate mentioned above is 150 points per $ 1, or 0.67cpp.

Unless your BMO rewards credit card purchase codes as flight, hotel, car rental, cruise, bus, train or any other type of travel, you can go when it’s time to burn your BMO reward points.

To redeem, just sign in to bmorewards.com, select the “Pay with points” tab, and use as many points as you want to offset your eligible purchase.

Why would I pay using my BMO reward points?

This permanent change is ideal, as it not only allows you to redeem your points the way you want, but also allows you to avoid the bank’s in-house travel agency (if and when it reopens). Oh, did I not mention that there is trouble in Paradise?

At the moment BMO Rewards’ own internal travel portal is not working at all and the issuer has not indicated any timeline for when it can reopen. Therefore, this option to redeem on your own way to travel is the only way to get the most value out of the BMO rewards program.

In general, flying on an itinerary booked with an inbound travel agency like BMO can prevent you from getting rewards like Airplane Point or Alaska Miles. Hotel bookings will similarly prevent you from earning sweet prizes, such as the World of Hyatt Point or the Marriott Forest Fear Elite.

Similarly, you will not be able to avail the benefits like suite upgrade or free breakfast which you can earn as an elite member of the hotel. In addition, you can’t use eUpgrades to use “Latitude Attitude” and instantly convert your cheap economy seat to a Business Class One.

This new option to redeem travel “as you go” offers a much more competitive experience: you can book any trip directly with the provider, entitle you to all the points, nights and benefits offered by your chosen loyalty program, and then offset the charge Use BMO reward points.

Effectively, BMO Rewards is now the currency of Canada’s more flexible travel rewards, along with HSBC Rewards and Scotiabank’s Scene +. Now if only the remaining 5 big banks could catch – I’m looking at you, CIBC Aventura and TD Rewards.

The best BMO credit card to win a BMO award

The most basic BMO rewards product, aptly named BMO Rewards Mastercard, has a welcome bonus of less than 10,000 points, equivalent to $ 67 per trip. It’s just even a megabus ticket.

At the other end of the spectrum is the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege. This card has a hefty $ 499 annual fee, but it offers a $ 200 annual credit to offset costs, as well as a welcome bonus. 50,000 BMO reward points After spending $ 6,000 in the first three months of holding the card. It also has six Dragonpass lounge passes.

These points will cost $ 365 towards the onward journey. Therefore, after paying a high annual fee, your profit will be only $ 66, and some lounge visits.

However, I think it’s BMO’s middle-of-the-road card that offers the best value under the current promotion.

Although BMO Ascend World Elite MasterCard is second in comparison, it still offers a decent sign-up bonus. 30,000 points After spending $ 3,000 in the first three months, as well as a $ 150 annual fee waiver.

বিনামূল্যে 200 on free travel is not insignificant, and the card comes with four complimentary DragonPass Lounge visits per year.

On the other hand, you have the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite, which in my opinion is the clear winner. Its $ 120 annual fee is waived in the first year, and you’ll immediately receive a lifestyle credit of $ 50 per calendar year.

In addition, its a welcome bonus 30,000 BMO reward points After spending $ 3,000 in the first three months, BMO Ascend equals it with World Elite MasterCard, And It earns 5x points on food, drink and groceries.

Credit card The best opportunity Value

Up to 60,000 BMO award points

First year free

Up to 60,000 BMO award points 320

Apply now

2,000 air miles

First year free

2,000 air miles $ 265

Apply now

Up to 60,000 BMO award points

First year free

Up to 60,000 BMO award points $ 221

Apply now

10,000 BMO prize points

$ 0 annual fee

10,000 BMO prize points $ 77

Apply now

Up to 90,000 BMO award points

$ 499 annual fee

Up to 90,000 BMO award points $ 74

Apply now

Conclusion

When it comes to the Bank of Montreal, I often have mixed feelings. The constant devaluation of their signature products leaves a bad taste in the mouths of consumers, and I have felt in recent years that the company does not keep pace with their competitors at all.

As a result, it’s nice to see this financial institution make an active choice by trying to refresh their broken in-house BMO rewards program by finally being able to redeem points against any trip at the best price of 0.67cpp.

Nevertheless, if the BMO is to be a serious competitor, it is an initial step in rebuilding the customer’s goodwill and competitive advantage. Due to the recent pattern of devaluation, it is almost certainly better to redeem quickly without trying to hide BMO rewards.

Until next time, do not use in-house online travel agency.

Air Tahiti Nui 7 now available for redemption with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan This, combined with the airline’s upcoming launch of a new route from Seattle, unlocks some exciting release opportunities.

Seattle is easily accessible to many Canadians, including the main airports in western Canada, as well as direct flights from Toronto and Montreal. Thus, this new route provides more convenient access for Canadians on their way to a dream vacation in Tahiti in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Mileage Plan has been expanding its partnership extensively in the recent past, and it’s great to see the addition of a remote partner airline, making it easier to access a remote, highly sought-after vacation destination. Unlike other recent additions, redemption costs are much more mandatory.

Let’s take a look at the details.

Alaska Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui Partnership

Note that as of April 1, 2022, Air Tahiti Nui and Alaska Airlines have entered into a formal partnership. This means that it is now possible to earn and redeem Alaska miles for travel on Air Tahiti Nui, and vice versa through Air Tahiti Nui’s Club Tiare Frequent Flyer Loyalty Program.

Bora Bora, located in Tahiti, is a destination at the top of many bucket lists, made much more accessible by Alaska Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui Link Up.

St. Regis Bora Bora

Air Tahiti Nui’s new Seattle route

A new route between Seattle and Puppet has added more interest to the Alaska Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui partnership.

From October 4, 2022, Air Tahiti will start service twice a week between Nui Papi and Seattle. The flight will last about nine and a half hours on both sides, and is scheduled to operate on the following schedule:

  • TN52 Papeete (PPT) to Seattle (SEA), departs at 10 pm and arrives at 10:25 am the next day
  • TN51 Seattle (SEA) to Papeete (PPT), departs at 12:40 pm and arrives at 7:30 pm

Flights will leave Papeete on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and flights will leave Seattle on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 aircraft with 30 lie-flat business class seats, 32 premium economy seats and 232 economy seats. The business class cabin is in a 2-2-2 formation across five rows.

With the exception of Seattle, Air Tahiti Nui’s only North American destination is Los Angeles, which is served daily.

Reaching this part of the world can be difficult, so it’s great to see another option very easily accessible by Canadians. There are direct flights from Seattle to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal with Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, or WestJet at various points throughout the year.

Book Air Tahiti Nui with Alaska Mileage Plan

To make it even better, the route, as well as all other routes served by Air Tahiti Bui, can now be booked using Alaska Miles.

Alaska Airlines has loaded Air Tahiti Nui in search of its rewards, and has also released rewards charts for flights to its various destinations.

Air Tahiti Nui’s network is fairly limited compared to most airlines. From its hub in Tahiti, the airline flies to Auckland, Tokyo, Seattle, Los Angeles and Paris (as the fifth-independence flight from Los Angeles).

Despite Air Tahiti Nui’s limited network, it’s exciting to watch Too Reasonable price for rewards on the airline. Since joining OneWorld, Alaska Airlines has added multiple redemption partners at a lower price than the standard award; Fortunately, this is not the case with Air Tahiti Nui.

From North America to the South Pacific (including Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand and other islands in the region), business class prize bookings begin 60,000 miles, When the flight starts in premium economy 45,000 miles. Flying out prices in the economy 30,000 miles.

The cost for the fifth Independence flight from Los Angeles to Paris is the same:

If you want to travel a long way from North America to Japan via the South Pacific Ocean, you can pay double to go directly to Tahiti. Keep in mind that it would be a better deal for Japan Airlines or Cathay to unload Alaska miles from Pacific North America to Asia.

The price of flying from Tahiti to Asia is out 35,000 miles In economics, 50,000 miles In the premium economy, and 70,000 miles In business class. In this case, it would be better to use the American AAdvantage Mile, which charges only 40,000 miles for the same ride in business class.

Meanwhile, Air Tahiti Noi flies from Tahiti to Europe at the same cost as flights from North America to Asia.

The best sweet spot is flying between North America and the South Pacific Ocean, which offers an excellent opportunity to reach one of the world’s hardest-to-reach at a prize redemption.

For example, the price of a flight from North America to Auckland via Puppet 40,000 miles In economy class, 60,000 miles In the premium economy, and 80,000 miles In business class.

Compared to other recent partners, such as Iberia and Royal Air Maroc, these prices are much more reasonable. Indeed, given the remote, ambitious location, it can present an excellent value.

In addition, you can add one Stopover in Tahiti at no extra cost, Which is a significant advantage for using the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

If you’re able to find space (which can be a bit tricky), it’s a very compelling option to combine two ambitious trips into one.

Is Booking Air Tahiti Nui a good deal with Alaska Airlines?

The first thing to consider is that accessing points in Tahiti can be challenging. There are only a handful of airlines that fly to Papu’s, and an even smaller proportion of them are available for release.

Air France has a fifth-independence flight from Los Angeles to Papi, which can be booked for 64,000 Flying Blue Miles, the equivalent of 85,333 American Express membership prize points.

Flying 60,000 miles from Los Angeles or Seattle to Papua is a relatively good deal, with caution that Alaska miles are relatively more difficult for Canadians.

It is also possible to book Air Tahiti Nui with American Airlines AAdvantage Miles. Cost of one way flight in business class 80,000A Advantage miles.

For Canadians, AAdvantage miles are not easy either. In addition to doubling US credit cards, AAdvantage is a transfer partner from RBC Avion at a sub-optimal ratio of 10: 7. Again, the mileage plan of Alaska Airlines is the winner for booking Air Tahiti Nui.

Moreover, in sin-Auckland flight opens a mandatory way to enter New Zealand.

Finding a business class award space in New Zealand at a reasonable cost can be really difficult.

By using Airplane Points, you’ll either be at the mercy of dynamic pricing on Air Canada flights (unless you find a place at the bottom of the dynamic spectrum or e-upgrade space), or you’ll have to take longer via the Middle East, Asia and / or Australia. Even then, the cost price would be 105,000 airplane points.

Having said that, airplane points are comparatively much easier than Alaska miles in Canada, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.

Finally, there is a respectable mention of the fifth-independence flight from Los Angeles to Paris. Having another option to get an exciting-competitive seat across the Atlantic is always a boon, and although this flight will not be a game changer for everyone, it presents a difficult option in the absence of other flights.

With OneWorld, British Airways has the most rewarding places, but the worst carrier-imposed surcharges. Air Tahiti Nui’s flight from Los Angeles to Paris offers a solid alternative, priced at 60,000 Alaska miles and very little US $ 19 in taxes and fees.

On a westward day trip, having a premium economy available without business class space can be an excellent fallback option.

Of course, instead you can book Japan Airlines First Class or Cathay Pacific First Class and get significantly higher prices from Alaska Airlines’ mileage plans, but Air Tahiti Nui still offers good prices for transatlantic trips.

Conclusion

Air Tahiti has announced a new direct flight between Nui Puppet and Seattle, starting October 4, 2022. The route is the airline’s second North American destination, quite easily accessible by Canadians.

In addition, Alaska Airlines’ mileage plan has now added Air Tahiti Nui as a redemption partner. Redemption rates offer great value when accessing the South Pacific, New Zealand, and even France from North America, so this is another way to consider when redeeming your hard-earned Alaska miles for some ambitious travel.

The ever-popular American Express Shop Small Promotion is back in another round, proving very popular in the first few rounds between 2018 and 2021.

From June 29 to August 24, 2022, American Express cardholders can register their card and then earn $ 5 statement credit by spending $ 10 with participating shop Small Merchant, up to five times the total on each eligible card. Up to $ 25 in statement credit.

Register for shop small

This round of American Express Shop Small Promotions is available to participate in designated physical small businesses in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary, as well as online small businesses across the country.

That way, even if you live outside of one of these major cities, you can take advantage of Shop Small promotions by shopping online at a qualified retailer near you.

To register with Shop Small, go to your Amex offers section in your online dashboard, and you’ll see the offer available for registration. The Shop Small offer has been spotted on a wide range of Amex cards including Platinum Cards, Business Platinum Cards, Cobalt Cards and more.

Once you are registered, you can take advantage of the “Spend $ 10, Get $ 5” offer from any participating Shop Small retailer in Canada, with a total statement credit of up to 25.

(The 5 $ $ 5 structure is less generous than the previous year, when we had 10 $ $ 5 statement credit, up to a total of $ 50. I imagine the argument here is that small businesses may not be Required As much as they supported in the summer of 2020 and 2021 in 2022.)

There is a limit of 100,000 registrations, so it’s worth clicking “Add to Card” as soon as possible to make sure you qualify for it before the offer expires.

Consistent with the new registration cap, as in previous years, the Shop Small offer will appear on only one Amex product per cardholder instead of each Amex card you hold.

This is a disappointing development for those of us who have made the most of Shop Small offers across 10+ cards over the years, although there is a solution through Scotiabank-issued Amex cards if you want to fully support your local small businesses.

How it works

As before, you can use Amex store small map Filter “Shop Small” to find participating retailers.

You will find a list of participating locations in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary, all marked with the Shop Small logo.

You can also browse a list of in-store small retailers, including stores and online locations. There are several registered charities on this list, so if you have extra credit by the end of the summer, you might consider donating এই 10 to these charities and benefiting from both a $ 5 statement credit and a tax receipt.

The promotion is intended to reward you for shopping at 10 different bars at five times Different Shop small retailers. To that end, the terms say:

To be eligible for the $ 5 (CAD) Statement Credit, an eligible purchase of at least $ 10 (CAD) per transaction, after tax, must be charged to your registered card at up to 5 different participating locations in Canada during the offer period and subsequently posted to your account. At least $ 10 (CAD) in a single transaction is an eligible purchase that is made directly to a different participating business or a different location of the same participating business with a $ 5 (CAD) statement credit, up to a total of 5 statement credits. Or a maximum of $ 25 (CAD) per statement credit on each registered card during the offer period. One or more purchases made directly in the same business location or in the same online business will only be eligible to receive a $ 5 (CAD) statement credit.

Therefore, to get the full 25 on statement credits you will probably need to shop with five different shop small merchants.

However, if you or your family members have multiple American Express cards and have registered them, you can always split a large transaction into multiple একাধিক 10 payments on a separate card, thus triggering one in five $ 5 credits for each card used.

If you put extra pressure on your cashier or waiter during the process of splitting a large bill, be sure to give a generous tip (probably using another American Express card from your pack)!

Scotiabank Amex cardholders can also register

Like many previous Amex offers, Shop Small promotions are also available for Scotiabank American Express cardholders to register through this link.

The manual registration option is available for primary and supplementary cardholders of Scotiabank American Express Card, Scotiabank Gold American Express Card and Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card.

Unlike Amex-issued Amex cards, you can register as many Scotiabank-issued Amex primary or supplementary cards as you like for Shop Small, so it’s an ideal way to multiply your Shop Small earnings and truly maximize the offer. There are piles of these cards sitting around.

Conclusion

American Express Shop Small is back for 2022, supporting small businesses on one of your American Express products as well as allowing you to earn up to $ 25 statement credit for all your ScotiaBank-issued Amex cards.

This promotion has certainly been less generous than the previous year, when Shop Small offered a statement credit of up to $ 50 (or more in some cases) and it was also possible to register all your Amex cards under the Amex offer dashboard.

Still, it’s a chance to earn a $ 25 refund when you drink coffee and ice cream, and you can scale these earnings with other cardholders in your family or through a strong portfolio of Scotia Amex cards. Go ahead and register all the Amex cards you can get your hands on – and then get the cost!