[HOTEL] 2016 Reward Chart Changes with Marriott
Marriott Rewards has released their 2016 hotel category changes that come into effect on March 24, 2016. First off, let’s recap the number of points required for a reward night with Marriott.
Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy)
AccorHotels (Le Club AccorHotels) | Best Western (Best Western Rewards) | Choice Hotels (Choice Privileges) | Club Carlson (Merged with Radisson Rewards) | Hilton (Honors) | Hyatt (World of Hyatt) | Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG Rewards Club) | Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy) | Omni Hotel (Select Guest) | President's Club (Merged with Le Club AccorHotels) | Starwood Preferred Guest (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy) | Wyndham Rewards (Wyndham Hotels & Resorts)
[HOTEL] Expiry Policies (updated February 18, 2016)
It has been a while since my last hotel expiry policies update. There have been a few changes ever since, so I thought I’d give my list a quick update. In deciding my preference for hotel loyalty programs, I give a lot of consideration to the expiry policy. I have been focusing my energy on 4 hotel rewards programs: Best Western Rewards, Hilton HHonors, IHG Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest.
22 Delta Hotels Joins Marriott Rewards
Delta Hotels and Resorts was bought out my Marriott Hotels and Resorts about a year ago. Another step towards it integration has taken place. As of January 28, 2016, 22 of Delta’s hotels, located in Canada and in Orlando, Florida have now fully joined Marriott Rewards.
Best Western (Best Western Rewards) | Hilton (Honors) | Hyatt (World of Hyatt) | Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG Rewards Club) | Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy) | Starwood Preferred Guest (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy) | Wyndham Rewards (Wyndham Hotels & Resorts)
Best Price Guaranteed: Booking With Third Party versus Direct
Most people believe that third party sites such as Priceline and Expedia offer the best prices in terms of hotel room rates, but is this really the case? With the Best Price Guaranteed policy offered by most hotel brands, you can easily find yourself locking in a good deal.
Air Canada (Altitude) (Merged with Air Canada Aeroplan) | Expedia | Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy) | Porter Airlines (VIPorter) | Special Days | Starwood Preferred Guest (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy) | WestJet (WestJet Rewards)
Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Deals for Canadians
It’s Black Friday and there are deals everywhere as we wish our neighbours in the United States and Happy Thanksgiving! In recent years, both Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been combined into a long weekend of unbelievable discounts assisting our needs into the holiday season.
Air Canada (Aeroplan) | Chase Canada (Discontinued) | Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy) | Scotiabank | Starwood Preferred Guest (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy)
Saturday Updates (Aeroplan Bonus, Scotiabank-Sears, Starwood-Marriott)
It is Saturday again, so we’ve got another round of weekly updates for you. This week, we saw the Aeroplan conversion bonus back, Scotiabank officially taking over the Sears credit cards and a historic merger, pending final approval, between Marriott and Starwood.
New Link for the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa
As you already know, the Chase Canada website has taken off the link to sign up for the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa. But the website is advertising for only 30,000 sign up bonus points. There has been a special link for the 50,000 sign up bonus points instead, but that seems to have discontinued. Furthermore, the old 30,000 link also discontinued, so I almost thought the credit card was finished until I saw this new link with the 30,000 sign up bonus offer.
Best Western (Best Western Rewards) | Hilton (Honors) | Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG Rewards Club) | Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy) | Starwood Preferred Guest (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy)
Top 5 Hotel Loyalty Programs for Canadians
The top 5 hotel loyalty program for Canadians to sign up for and why. The rank as follows: IHG Rewards, Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Best Western Rewards and Hilton HHonors.
Best Western (Best Western Rewards) | Choice Hotels (Choice Privileges) | Club Carlson (Merged with Radisson Rewards) | Delta Privilege (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy) | Hilton (Honors) | Hyatt (World of Hyatt) | Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG Rewards Club) | Marriott Hotels & Resorts (Marriott Bonvoy) | President's Club (Merged with Le Club AccorHotels) | Starwood Preferred Guest (Merged with Marriott Bonvoy) | Wyndham Rewards (Wyndham Hotels & Resorts)
List of Requirements for Attaining Hotel Elite Status (updated May 22, 2015)
Hotel elite statuses can be very valuable to some people. There are essentially 3 different ways to achieve hotel elite status, through nights, points or stays.
[READER QUESTION] What is Happening with the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Card?
As you may have already noticed, it seems that you cannot apply for the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Card through the Chase Canada, because the “Apply Now” button has disappeared. However, it has been known that there are still two separate links that work with the 50,000 sign up bonus and the 30,000 sign up bonus.
There is no way to know how much longer this credit card will be around for, so if you have been thinking about it, I would go for it sooner rather than later. Here is a quick reminder of the highlights of the credit card: