An Introduction of Diners Club
For those that are familiar with this program, the Diners Club International (DCI) is a charge card company which was first created in 1950. It was a monopoly in its time until American Express and Carte Blanche was introduced as competitors in the travel and entertainment industry.
In recent years, Diners Club Rewards has collaborated with MasterCard to introduce the Diners Club Premier MasterCard which offers a number of “premium” benefits.
Here’s the highlights of the card:
Airport Lounge Access: You will have unlimited access to airport lounges around the world.
Club Rewards: You will earn 1 Club Rewards point per dollar spent and there is no limit to the amount of points you can earn.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: When you stay at any Fairmont Hotel or Resort you will have 10% off the best available rate. You will also be eligible for early check-in and late check-out.
Car Rental Discounts: You can enjoy discounts at car rental companies such as Avis and Budget.
When you earn Diners Club Rewards, you can transfer your points to a number of airlines or hotel brands.
Here is a list of transferrable partners and their conversion ratio: (Price: Earnings)
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (1250:1000) | Best Western Rewards (2250:3300) | Choice Privileges (2250:2400) |
| American Airlines AAdvantage (1250:1000) | British Airways Executive Club (1250:1000) | Delta SkyMiles (1250:1000) |
| Amtrak Guest Rewards (1250:1000) | HawaiianMiles (1250:1000) | EL AL Airlines Matmid Club (1250:20) |
| EVA Airways Infinity MileageLands (1250:1000) | Frontier EarlyReturns Mileage Program (1250:1000) | Hilton HHonors Points (2250:2000) |
| Hyatt Gold Passport Points (2250:750) | Icelandair (1250:1000) | IHG Rewards Club (2250:1500) |
| Marriot Rewards (2250:1500) | SAS EuroBonus Points (1250:1000) | South African Airways – Voyager (1250:1000) |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (1500:1200) | Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints (2250:750) | Thai Royal Orchid Plus (1250:1000) |
So depending on what you are looking to redeem for: either a flight or hotel, you will have to figure out the value of each point once you have decided. This may be valuable if you are having some trouble earning the points for that particular loyalty program.
As mentioned previously, you may only be earning 1 Club Rewards points for every dollar you spend which isn’t as valuable as other credit cards out there, but the list of transferrable programs is unlimited and gives you much choice. I am very surprised to see SAS EuroBonus Points, South African Airways and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards on this list, which makes it that much more appealing to travelers who are part of their loyalty program.
Another benefit I would like to mention for Corporate Cardmembers is the two full billing periods that Diners Club gives to make payment for your charges without any late penalties. This is very attractive for businesses who may not be able to make payment during an extended trip and creates a competitive advantage to the benefits which other credit cards offer.
The bottom line is, the Diners Club Rewards program is extremely versatile, and good for cardmembers who would like to keep certain accounts active. It is also one of the very few cards which offer unlimited airport lounge access for a very minimal annual fee.
What you forgot to mention in your article is that Diner’s Club IS NOT available in the US. It was then shut down US applications, withdrew many of the cards that had been issued. That was awhile ago and nothing since.
Yes that’s correct, thank you for clarifying that.
How does one apply in Canada? I can find no online application
Hello, you will need to go into a BMO branch and apply as there is no application located online.