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.

Happy New Year! 2021 Wish List

ByMatt

Happy New Year Everyone!!

A new year means a new wish list. Note that we generally provide a mid-term report on Canada Day (July 1) and a final report on New Year’s Eve. To be fair, all wishes need to be a win/win/win scenario for everyone involved in the transaction. The 3 wins includes the loyalty company, credit card company and customer. Furthermore, most items on the wish list are long shots, which means that it is not easy to get a high grade. But that is what makes it so much fun for me!

New Year’s Eve! Recap of 2020

ByMatt

As we close out 2020, we continue with our year-end series of grading our 2020 wish list from the beginning of the year. This report card is a continuation from our mid-term report back on Canada Day.

Keep in mind that all wishes are generally a win/win/win scenario for everyone (loyalty company, credit card company and customer) involved in the transaction. In some cases it is just win/win because there is no middle retailer (i.e. just the credit card company and the customer)

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[READER QUESTION] What to do with RBC Avion Points?

ByMatt

I cannot believe that it has been almost 6 years since I last wrote a post about RBC Avion points program. The reason I am writing about it today is because many people were able to snag the 25,000 or 35,000 Avion points sign up bonus (first year fee waived) promotion with the RBC Avion Visa Infinite just under a year ago (offer expired February 28, 2020). For the churners out there who do not want to pay the annual fee, they will need to decide what to do with their points, but there has yet to be a transfer bonus to frequent flyer programs.

Merry Christmas from the Pointshogger Team!

ByMatt

Over the years, Pointshogger has accumulated a wealth of shopping tips on Christmas Day: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

It might seem a little funny that we are providing shopping tips after the period of time that you need it. So we may start a new tradition on Christmas Day going forward. If you have any ideas, feel free to share in the comment section below.

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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for December 2020

ByMatt

Quite a few offers and ending this month and will not show up on next months list. So if you are thinking about those cards, best to sign up now before the month ends.

Limited Time First Year Fee Offers

We have listed the cards different going forward. From now on, cards are listed based on the expiry dates. So most recent ones first. If there is a tie break, then it will be listed by their annual fees, from lowest to highest. Furthermore, a subtitle is now added which specifies which month the cards are ending.

What is a Good Credit Score and How Can You Maintain It?

ByMatt

Today we feature guest writer Jason O’Brien from SMB Compass who will be explaining how to keep credit scores up, specially for small businesses. Thank you Jason and keep up the good work on your endeavors!

If you’re a small business owner seeking financing, your credit score will play a big role in the loan application process. In fact, it’s one of the first things that banks, alternative lenders, and credit unions look at when evaluating your company’s qualification. Although some lenders will allow you to borrow money with a less than ideal credit score, maintaining a good credit standing increases your chances for being approved and receiving better loan terms from lenders.

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Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers for December 2020

ByMatt

There are not many current higher than normal cash back bonuses, we’ve trimmed down to 4 cards left on this list, with the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card promotion expiring first. Keep in mind that this monthly post only includes temporary offers with higher than normal cash back offer. We have a list of ongoing offers in the Top Cash Back Credit Cards page with a more complete list.

Top no annual fee cash back credit card offers for December 2020

Updated “Understanding Credit Cards” Due to Changing Times

ByMatt

We generally have 2 types of article, posts (more date sensitive) and pages (more up to date information). Posts are what we publish regularly that is date stamped. So the information provided in the post, is date sensitive. However, the ongoing updated pages are found on the menu bar. These pages are updated regularly, so you will not see the historic information, as they are deleted once updated.

A week ago, we updated our Pointshogger 101 page, which is really the first page that we recommend new people to read. The second page to read is the “Understanding Credit Cards” page. After reading these two pages and establishing some foundation, the main posts will make a lot more sense.