American Express (AMEX)

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Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated November 1, 2018)

ByMatt

It has been 6 months since my last update, so I think it was due. Since last time, I started a new ranking system where I just flat our ranked the credit card companies, rather than grouping them. Note that promotions are factored into the rankings, but because they are only temporary offers, more weight is put into their regular offers.

Below are my personal rankings of each company, along with a commentary and a list of some of my top credit card picks for each financial institution.

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Priority Pass in Canada (updated September 10, 2018)

ByMatt

In light of the one-time fee increase (from $27 to $32 for American Express cardholders), I thought it was an appropriate time to update this post. Priority Pass continues to increase their inventory, including many more restaurants added to the portfolio. There is also over 1,200 lounges worldwide (up from 1,000 last time). Furthermore, several credit cards needed an update regarding their lounge access. 

This post will list the Canadian credit cards that provide a free Priority Pass membership, along with lounge access specifics. 

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Priority Pass to Increase One-Time Visit Fee from American Express

ByMatt

Effective October 1, 2018, Priority Pass is increasing its one-time lounge visit fee of $27 to $32 for American Express credit card holders. Priority Pass explains that it has been over 10 years since there has been an increase. As far as increase in fees are concerned, this is a fair one in my opinion. It does not devalue the program is a very negative way and it maintains most of its value. 

Here are my two ways of looking at the fee:

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Comparing Canadian and U.S. SPG American Express (updated August 29, 2018)

ByMatt

There have been quite a few changes since my last post Comparing Canadian and U.S. SPG American Express; namely the merger between Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest. As a result, this post is definitely due for a major update.

One major change is that 1 Starpoint (in my previous post) is now worth 3 Marriott points. So we need to factor in this correlation if comparing to the old versions of the cards. However, for today’s post, I will focus on comparing the Canadian and U.S. version as they are currently, rather than worrying about the past.

Changes to the American Express Canada SPG Co-Brand Credit Cards

ByMatt

American Express Canada issued a Press Release informing the changes to its Starwood Preferred Guest Co-Brand Credit Cards that are set to come into effect in August 2018. Which should correspond with the full integration of Marriott and Starwood. 

Below are the key highlights of the changes to the business and personal versions of the credit cards. I put the expected changes in bold with a commentary in brackets:

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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for June 2018

ByMatt

Quite a few expiry promotions going on. There is a chance that they can be extended or a new promotion may be offered instead. 

Note that we also have two other types of monthly lists going on:

Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers
Top Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonus Offers
If you would like to see other lists as well, please let us know in the comment section below.

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Top Credit Cards to Use on Road Trip (updated June 12, 2018)

ByMatt

As we approach the summer months, road trips become more popular. What you want to do is have a nice batch of credit cards to use to optimize spending during the trip. Depending on where you are going, you may want to consider a different grouping of cards.

As a Canadian, generally road trips will either be across Canada, into the United States and some even all the way to Mexico. So I will provide a sample of some of the combinations that can put together.

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Credit Cards which offer Free Airport Lounge Access (updated May 28, 2018)

ByMatt

A few changes to the industry means that this post was due for an update from last time, namely,

Now unlimited access on National Bank World MasterCard (now the same as the World Elite version)
Addition of Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
Addition of Priority Pass access to the American Express Business Platinum Card

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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for May 2018

ByMatt

We are back again with our monthly update on the first year fee waived credit cards list.

Note that we also have two other types of monthly lists going on:

Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers
Top Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonus Offers