Author: Matt

Matt has been an avid points collector since 1992 (an elementary school student), when his dad signed up for the new (at the time) Air Miles program. Since then, Matt took a keen interest in learning how the miles and points world works. He quickly found out that there is a lot of value in leveraging miles and points to fund his passion for travelling.
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Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated October 1, 2016)

ByMatt

A reader asked me last time, what the purpose was of this ranking. Basically, you do what you want with the list, take it for what it is. As a consumer, this list can give you an idea on where to shift your business. For example, if you want to see some of the smaller companies survive and thrive, you will know where to move your business.

Rundown of VIA Preference (updated September 9, 2016)

ByMatt

I thought I’d do a proper rundown of my favourite loyalty program in Canada. The main reason why it is my top pick is because travelling by train is my most preferred mode of transportation. The icing on the cake is that VIA Rail’s, VIA Preference, offers a very competitive loyalty program with lots of value to be had.

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[INTERVIEW] Podcast with Marriott Rewards about the Merger with SPG

ByMatt

Last time around, we ended up doing an email interview with Marriott Rewards. This time around, I managed to have a phone interview instead Senior Vice President David Flueck (Starwood SPG) and Vice President Thom Kozik (Marriott). The purpose of the interview get an update on the recent merger between Marriott and Starwood.

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[INTERVIEW] Marriott Questions Answered

ByMatt

Apologise for the delay. We did our best to arrange a time, but due to Michelle Bozoki’s (Vice President of Marketing at Marriott International, Canada) busy schedule, we were unable to interview her over the phone. Instead, she provided us with an email response to the questions so that there would not be a longer delay in getting back to everyone.

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American Express Membership Rewards Program: U.S.A. versus Canada (updated on September 21, 2016)

ByMatt

There have been a few changes to the American Express Membership Rewards program, since my last post when comparing the Canadian and U.S. versions. So let’s do another rundown.

Don’t Underestimate Shopping Portals

ByMatt

I have been guilty lately of buying items online and completely forgetting about going through a shopping portal, so please don’t make the same mistake as I did!

Basically, major airlines, hotel chains and some credit card programs have an online shopping portal, which allows you to earn bonus miles or points with online purchases. This is a great way to accumulate extra miles and points, but more importantly, it’s a very simple way to keep your accounts active.