I received a great promotion from American Express for their Membership Rewards program (this is a flexible spending credit card). I personally own the American Express Gold Rewards Card (use this to book my travel to get reimbursed).
2,500 American Express Bonus Membership Rewards points offer
You can receive 2,500 Bonus Membership Rewards points when you purchase $250 or more (after taxes and fees) charged to an eligible card for eligible hotel and car rental bookings booked through americanexpress.ca/travel where American Express (not the hotel or car rental company) is the merchant. Purchase must be in a single transaction of at least $250 and cannot be cumulative purchases.
Basic Cardmembers enrolled in the American Express Membership Rewards Program that book travel through the American Express Travel website are eligible.
2,500 Bonus Membership Rewards points offer available on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made from August 1st, 2013 to September 30th, 2013. A one time bonus of 2,500 Membership Rewards points will be awarded per Membership Rewards account on
Use of Membership Rewards points and an eligible Card for payment qualifies for the bonus provided at least $250 is charged to an eligible Card.
The 2,500 bonus points is worth $25 in rewards redemption.
I am looking at purchasing a roadside assistance package and I am looking at the various options of roadside assistance packages for Canadians.
Costco Canada Elite Roadside Service Family-pack
I currently do not have any roadside assistance (we rarely take any long road trips and we do not have a cell phone so we are currently using self-insurance)!
You do not need to be a Costco member to purchase this from their website.
1. Unlimited Family Members (living at same address)
Each Costco Elite Roadside Services Family Membership includes additional member cards for an unlimited number of family members living at the same home address. This is a nice feature for large families.
2. Eight Roadside Assistance dispatches
Up to eight roadside assistance dispatches per year are included with your membership, with towing up to 250 kilometers per incident.
3. Fuel delivery – Out of fuel
A supply of fuel will be delivered to enable you to reach the nearest available service station.
4. Battery boosts or cold weather starting
When your battery is dead or vehicle won’t start a service provider will attempt to start the vehicle.
5. Tire changes
A service provider will install the inflated and usable spare tire, or tow the vehicle to the nearest appropriate repair facility.
6. Lockout services
A service provider will attempt to unlock the vehicle.
7. Mechanical breakdown coverage
A service provider will attempt minor adjustments or repairs to render the vehicle safely operational, or tow the vehicle to the nearest appropriate repair facility.
8. Winching/extraction – stuck
A service provider will attempt to extract the vehicle from mud, snow or ditch.
9. Towing
A vehicle, unfit to operate safely under its own power following a mechanical breakdown, will be towed under the membership, to the nearest appropriate repair facility within 250km.
10. Traffic accident benefits
Should your vehicle become disabled due to a traffic accident, DAA will reimburse your out-of-pocket expenses incurred for towing, emergency transportation, car rental, and emergency accommodations.Certain conditions and limitations apply.
11. Custom Trip routing
Members enjoy unlimited use of our trip routing services. Their custom travel plan packages provide both detailed maps and easy to-follow written directions for any journey through North America. Also included in each package are listings of local attractions and telephone numbers to call for construction updates, local tourism offices or nearby hotels.
Members may call anytime for free Canada & US city, provincial & state maps.
12. Rewards for Crime
Theft Protection Reward
They will pay a $500 reward to any member reporting information leading to the recovery of a member’s stolen vehicle and the arrest and conviction of the guilty party.
Hit and Run Reward
They will pay a reward of $500 to any member reporting information leading to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run perpetrator.
Luggage Theft Reward
If a member’s luggage is lost or stolen and the incident is duly reported to the police, they will post a reward of $200 for information leading to the recovery of the luggage and the arrest and conviction of the guilty party.
13. Legal Defense Benefits
They will pay the member up to $100 for his/her defense regarding traffic tickets. This benefit is paid directly to member upon presentation of an original paid receipt from member’s attorney.
If member sustains personal injuries in a traffic accident, they will pay the attorney of member’s choice a fee of up to $100 to prosecute a claim on their behalf. In addition, they will pay up to $100 to the attorney of member’s choice to prosecute a claim for damages to their vehicle sustained in a traffic accident.
They will assist in arranging a bail bond with a bonding company of member’s choice if they are charged in an accident in which someone is injured or killed. They will pay the bondman’s fees of up to 10% of the face of the bail bond set up to a maximum of $1,000.
14. Pedestrian Legal Benefit
Should the member, as a pedestrian, be involved in a traffic accident, they will reimburse up to $250 for legal fees, should the member be sued in a civil court for damages or should the member need to file suit in a civil court for damages or should the member need to file suit in a civil court to obtain compensation for injuries from the responsible party.
15. Hazardous Weather Benefits
Should a member experience delays and/or expenses due to snow, hail, ice, flood, tornado, hurricane, fog, avalanche or forest fire more than 80km from home, benefits will be reimbursed for:
Personal rescue
Emergency accommodation
Meals
Emergency communications
Personal necessities
Essential non-medical expenses
Benefits are paid at 75% of actual expenses incurred, to, a maximum combined total of $250.00 per membership, per year. Proof must be submitted that the roads were impassable, such as police report, government report or newspaper clipping describing the circumstances.
16. Fire, Theft and Vandalism Benefits
Should a member’s car be stolen or damaged to the point of being inoperable by fire or vandalism, DAA will reimburse up to $100 per category per membership, per year for:
Car rental
Transportation
Accommodations (including meals)
If, for any reason, you are not completely satisfied with your membership, you are entitled to a full refund of your membership fees (minus any claims paid) within the first 30 days of your membership year. To receive a refund, you must apply in writing and return your membership card.
I personally think this is a great deal for Canadians that have a larger family and don’t need the hotel discounts that CAA provides. The extra insurances are just bonus.
Have any readers used Costco Canada Elite Roadside Services?
I had a great experience for my first ever hostel stay at the Painted Turtle Guesthouse in Nanaimo, BC this past weekend, but there were still ten things I hated about staying at a hostel.
Painted Turtle Guesthouse Nanaimo Dorm Room
I have a followup post on ten reasons you should stay at a hostel (to show both sides).
I stayed in a room with three other males in bunk beds and it was clean and comfortable for the price I paid ($26 / night). It was just me travelling (rest of family in Chicago).
1. No upgrades or private lounge.
Being a Hilton Gold and IHG Platinum member I have had access to some incredible lounges.
2. Constant noise from bunkmates.
I love to have peace and quiet, and I absolutely cannot fall asleep unless my room is absolutely quiet. My two night stay was marred by street noise, window opening, smartphones buzzing, and noise in our hostel room.
3. Having too many names to remember.
I had three roommates my first night and two new roommates the second night. It was challenging to keep remembering new names.
4. Interesting Strange characters.
I met one guy that was from Switzerland and was staying ten days in Nanaimo and three months on Quadra Island! Who stays ten days in Nanaimo?
5. No privacy.
If you love privacy, don’t bother staying at a hostel (the only privacy you will have is in the bathroom). You won’t be able to close a door and shut yourself away. However, many youth hostels now offer four-person, two-person and even single rooms; they cost more per person than dorm bed space. I find many of these single rooms to be on-par price wise with a hotel.
6. No pool or spa.
I love to take a dip in the pool or hot tub when I travel after walking a lot during the day.
7. Charged for small items.
You’ll also need to bring soap, shampoo, and even face cloths as these are not available. The front desk had a sign of all the small things that they sold to guests.
8. Security
I had my laptop with me so when I went to Tofino for my day trip I took my laptop (which was OK but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving it there and the in-room safe was for smaller objects.
9. Wake up calls.
I love to have a good wake up call when I stay at a hotel. It gives me a comfortable feeling when I have a flight or an appointment scheduled the next day. This amenity was not available during my stay.
10. Unexpected wake up calls.
One of my roommates had to get up and pack their bag at 5am (unexpected wake up alarm).
If you are not comfortable around strangers, a hostel is probably not the best place to stay. Most people I found were travellers that were very friendly and looking to stretch their travel dollars.
