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 of Pioneer Bonus Bucks (updated March 11, 2019)

ByMatt

When I first wrote about Pioneer Bonus Bucks gas loyalty program, I did not live anywhere near any of the stations. But now I do and now I have a membership. So I thought this would be a good time to update this post. As you probably already know, most of my post ideas come from personal research. What I try to do is share my research with everyone in this blog.

Earn Filling Up Gas
Not much has changed in the last 5 years (since I last wrote about Pioneer Bonus Bucks), but this chart now has much more meaning to me.

Marriott Bonvoy’s First Ever Promotion: Double Take

ByMatt

Marriott Bonvoy is offerings its first ever significant promotion since it re-branded itself, called “Double Take”. Marriott has 30 brands reaching 130 countries with over 6,900 hotels. In Canada, there are currently 230 hotels.

Promotion Details
The details of the offer are as follows:

Register by May 21, 2019.
Stay between March 19, 2019, and June 4, 2019. Note that a “stay” is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.
Earn 2x the points starting with the second stay.

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Credit Cards which offer Free Airport Lounge Access (updated March 9, 2019)

ByMatt

Due to the popularity of this post, I think it was due for an update. Along with several changes to the industry since the last time. The most significant addition is the CIBC Aventura cards. The most significant change is that BMO left Priority Pass in favour of MasterCard Airport Experiences.

Just to avoid confusion, this post refers to only cards that give at least 1 free lounge pass. It does not refer to cards that give you Priority Pass membership, but a fee to access the lounge.

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

ByMatt

Quite a few promotions that were carrying over from 2018 came to an end last month. Some were extended and some were changed. This month is the beginning of many new 2019 offers. Several other 2018 promotions are coming to an end this month.

Featured Card
This is going to the be the first time that I give this idea a try. Every time I post a monthly top credit cards post, I will try to feature at least 1 credit card that I think is worth mentioning. There could be some months that I do not mention any cards. For this month, I would take a second look at the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card.

What to do ahead of Cineplex’s Scene Rewards Program Changes

ByMatt

Cineplex’s Scene Rewards program is going through some changes effective April 17, 2019. In summary, for the most part, you will be earning points faster, but need more points for some reward redemptions. I will discuss the changes and offer some strategies.

Movie Tickets
Below are the movie earning and redemption schedule changes.

Rundown of VIA Preference (updated March 1, 2019)

ByMatt

I have mentioned this many times throughout my blog that travelling by train is my favourite mode of transportation. The two mains are because it feels the most comfortable and most eco-friendly option.

Before owning a car, travelling by train was my primary mode of transportation within the Windsor-Quebec City corridor with VIA Rail, which I enjoyed very much.

It has been over 2 years since my last VIA Preference update, so I was due.

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Air Canada Renews Partnership with American Express

ByMatt

Air Canada and American Express Canada have come to a new agreement to renew and expand their partnership. The plan is for American Express to continue beyond 2020 when Air Canada launches their new loyalty program, as this is a new 10-year deal. 

If you read the news release closely there are some hints to some positive news.

Rundown of Marriott Bonvoy for Canadians (updated February 27, 2019)

ByMatt

Best Western and Marriott Bonvoy are the only two hotel chains that have a co-branded credit card in Canada (unless you count Hilton as an AMEX transfer partner). Not coincidentally, along with Marriott is another one of my favourite hotel chains. Marriott has gone through many changes in the past few years, namely buying out The Ritz-Carlton and Starwood Preferred Guest. You may still see the names of these two brands still floating around, but they are mostly merged under Marriott now.

Let’s give a rundown of what are the most relevant highlights of Bonvoy for Canadians.