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.

Rundown on American Airlines for Canadians (updated August 12, 2019)

ByMatt

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last updated this post. I have personally been loading up my American Airlines AAdvantage (AA) account, partially due to the uncertainty with Air Canada. Even though Air Canada’s loyalty does not seem up in the air as much anymore, it is still good to keep my portfolio diversified.

One AAs best value is that it is a member of Oneworld alliance, which means that you can earn and redeem miles with any of its member partners. Furthermore, if you redeem directly with American Airlines, the taxes and fees are fairly reasonable (especially compared to Aeroplan reward flight with Air Canada).

Chase Bank Forgives All Debt Owed by Canadian Customers

ByMatt

In a surprising turn of events, Chase Canada has decided to forgive all outstanding debts owed by former cardholders of the Chase Marriott and Amazon credit cards. Just to recap, back in 2017, Chase Canada shut down two of its most popular credit cards, and then in January 2018, they down the grandfathered cardholders’ accounts.

Even though cards were discontinued, it meant that we can no longer use those cards. However, any outstanding balances are still owed. Chase continued to collect any debts owed to them until now. Seems like Chase has decided to call it quits and leave Canada completely, forgiving any remaining balances.

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Aeroplan Back to School Promotion!

ByMatt

Aeroplan is currently offering up to bonus miles opportunities with Back to School promotions.
The good part about Air Canada buying Aeroplan out is that there is less uncertainty about our miles come June 2020. I still wish that Aeroplan was going to branch off from Air Canada and compete directly with them. But if the two can create more value by joining forces, then it might work out! 

I don’t know about you, but when I was young, I dreaded going back to school.

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Top Credit Card Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonuses for August 2019

ByMatt

Most significant offers ended in June, and the next big batch ends on October 31, 2019. However, there are some TD promotions ending September 3, 2019, which would be before my next update. So if you are thinking about signing up for those cards, you may want to move fast before the offer expires. 

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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for July 2019

ByMatt

Many promotions ended in June, but new promotions are being offered in July. So the list has trimmed down quite a bit for this month.One card that I would pay closer attention to is the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card, which currently has a $99 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before October 31, 2019). However, the annual fee goes up to $120 on August 1, 2019. I am going to assume that Scotiabank is going to honour the October 31st promotional period. But if you want to be safe, I would apply for this card before August 1 to take advantage of the current offer. See the other two monthly lists on how we highlighted the featured card:

Laurentian Bank Phasing out Tellers

ByMatt

By Monday, July 22, 2019, most of Laurentian Bank’s tellers will be out of work, a phase out process that started back in 2016. I have no written extensively about Laurentian Bank (category), but I am watching it closely for my financial institution rankings (most recent post). In an era where more and more virtual bank (i.e. no physical branch offices with tellers) have become more popular, this is a bold move by Laurentian Bank and I look forward to seeing what potential can come with this. 

Earn Cash Back with Paymi App

ByMatt

Paymi is a shopper rewards program that allows you to earn cash back on in-store and online purchases as specific retailers. Basically, you spend normally with your existing credit and debit cards and earn additional account back on top of the rewards that you normally earn with your credit/debit cards.Below are the steps to get you started:

Thoughts on Air Canada / Aeroplan Changes Effective Today

ByMatt

Our buddy at DCTA already broke the news about some Air Canada and Aeroplan changes that are taking effect immediately.We expect to see more changes in the near future, ahead of the June 2020 full integration. I share most of the same sentiments as DCTA on the changes below, so below are some additional thoughts on each change.