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.
| | | | | | | | | |

Favourite Hotel Elite Perks Listed by Loyalty Program

ByMatt

I was previously asked what are the best hotel elite benefits. I believe that this is a strongly personal question, because it is based on personal preferences, as well as specific travels. In other words, depending on where you want to go, you may want to take advantage of a different benefit. I would not get too caught up on very specific benefits, it is always better to remain flexible and open minded to what’s available, along with customizing to specific needs.

| | | | | | | | | |

List of Requirements for Attaining Hotel Elite Status (updated August 11, 2016)

ByMatt

A few updates to the hotel elite status programs means that this list is due for an update from last time. Some of the updates include: adding Le Club AccorHotels, changes to Best Western Rewards elite program, Delta Hotel and Resorts merger with Marriott, changes to the IHG Rewards Club program and changes to Wyndham Rewards.

| |

Credit Cards for Newcomers and Students

ByMatt

Newcomers to Canada and students are in a very similar situation where they have minimal to no credit history. So they have to start somewhere. There are several ways to get started. This is how I got started. I walked into a bank, locked in a some money into a guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) and was issued a secure credit card. At the time, I was given the CIBC Shoppers Optimum Visa (has since been discontinued). I used this opportunity to start building my credit history.

| | |

Top Credit Card Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonuses for August 2016

ByMatt

The list has really trimmed down for this month. I really hope that it picks back up as we lead into the fall. That being said, 2016 has been a pretty good year for credit card sign up bonuses, so we were due for a break month. I expect that things will pick back up in the fall, as companies will want to close out the year strong.

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated August 1, 2016)

ByMatt

It has been a few months since I last updated this list. The reason is because there was no significant shift in the industry until now.

I decided to change up my classifications a little bit. I’ve split up the credit card companies into 4 groupings: