British Columbians can once again collect reward points on pharmacy purchases thanks to a successful legal challenge by Sobeys.
On Friday, July 25, the Supreme Court of British Columbia struck down the College of Pharmacists of BC bylaws that, since December 2, 2013, have prohibited pharmacy patients in the province from earning loyalty rewards, including Safeway’s AIR MILES® and Club Thrifty Foods Points on non-government funded pharmacy prescriptions.
Sobeys frequent flyer miles.
“We are delighted that as a result of our efforts, Safeway and Thrifty Foods’ pharmacy customers will once again be able to earn the rewards they enjoy to enrich their lives, help buy products and travel,” said Sandra Aylward, Vice President, Professional and Regulatory Affairs, Sobeys Inc.
“Safeway and Thrifty Foods will now move quickly to reinstate our Safeway AIR MILESÒ and Club Thrifty Foods Points reward programs so that pharmacy customers at both banners will once again be able to earn rewards on their non-government funded pharmacy purchases,” said Aylward.
British Columbians that shop at Safeway, Thrifty Foods and Sobeys banner stores will also continue to earn loyalty rewards for purchases made throughout the balance of the store.
This is a beautiful ship – very tasteful and classy but it is not extravagant. There is plenty of room for everyone on board and no major bottlenecks for passengers. You will find official documentation and instructions in Italian, German, French, Dutch, and English.
MSC CRUISES – Great ship.
We had some hits with the food on board (veal shanks and roasted salmon and cheesecakes) and misses like gnocchi where you needed to chew (instead of melting in your mouth – no potatoes?).
We really enjoy the breakfasts (enough of our breakfast cereal favourites and great coffee) on the cruise and versatility of the menus for a 10-day cruise.
Enjoying the pool
The entertainment was incredible – I could sit at the piano bar every night and I was a happy guy! The musicians and singers are talented performers.
Incredible entertainment each night.
The main problem with this cruise line is the service and communication. First, English is a second or third language for many employees and this doesn’t work when the majority of passengers are from North America.
I asked numerous employees for directions on board and I received answers like “Yes, Sir”. Well, I didn’t ask for a yes or no answer, if you do not know then ask a supervisor.
Relaxing with the baby carrier.
Another thing employees must realize is that even though someone may not look Italian, they can understand what you are saying (employees were speaking about us one evening when going to the formal restaurant).
Also, the main managers of the area, cafeteria, entertainment, security, excursions, always had a frown on their face. I mean to see them smile I would expect them to make an announcement on the intercom!
Cleanliness is important in the dining areas and I expected an employee to force all passengers used hand sanitizers when using the buffet. I didn’t experience too much confidence in the cleanliness and I spoke to other passengers that felt the same way.
My daughter and I sleeping in the room.
One excursion that we booked was the Montego Bay Shuttle Bus (for $20 per person). This was from the Falmouth, Jamaica stop. I recommend staying at the port and avoid this tour because this just takes you to the same type of shops in Montego Bay. This city I will never go back to (vendors are pulling you into their shops and areas to buy their t-shirts and souvenirs). The port area is easy to access and less pressure to buy anything.
Finally, another major problem is that even though it seems to be family friendly the cruise line is not when it comes to toddlers and infants. Children under 3 cannot take part in any of the official Kids Club or Mini Club activities. All I was looking for was an area where we can bring her to crawl around and play with some toys – not a miracle to ask for.
I like some aspects of this cruise line but I wanted to point out some of the problems of the ship before making your decision to book your next cruise.
Housekeeping was not as one would expect on this cruise line. I actually made a complaint because my rooms was not cleaned at 4:00pm not to mention the smelly diapers starting to stink up the whole cabin. Needless to say I think my I made a statement when I placed the garbage filled with spoiled diapers in the hallway because that never happened again.
Children’s pool was not open throughout the whole 11 night cruise but we overlooked this when taking her to a wading pool in the main lounge.
As a Canadian, Aeroplan is my favourite frequent flyer program. I have flown to Hawaii, Ontario and have a BIG trip planned for 2015 (future blog post).
They are constantly evolving and they try to improve the program ( I know many programs are being devalued but understand that it is a business and they have many great redemptions for Canadians). It basically started as a promotional tool for Air Canada’s business travelers but has evolved to the Distinction program with all sorts of retailers involved. It is also a spin off of Air Canada that was the first publicly traded loyalty company.
We have a great contest for our Canadian Travel Hacking and Boarding Area readers.
How about a chance to win 30,000 Aeroplan Miles (That’s enough for 2 short-haul ClassicFlights or 1 long-haul ticket in North America or one-way ticket to Europe).
I love the Aeroplan distinction program as it is not just a frequent flyer program (I no longer travel frequently for work).
It gives you many nice bonuses like bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays, reduced miles for Market Fare Flight Rewards, bid miles on dExclusives, one-of-a-kind experiences and items offered through an exclusive online auction site.
Distinction benefits
I don’t fly as much (2 little ones and I have been busy this year).
I wanted to show Canadians that even if you do not fly a lot that you can still earn many frequent flyer miles!
Look at my statement below, shopping at Thriftys, pump my gas at Esso, and I bought a vanity with a promotion at Shop.ca. These are activities where I just purchased at my favourite merchants but I planned to stack to earn the bonus miles. The way I looked at this is that I earned a free flight!
Earn frequent flyer miles without flying.
As a result of my careful spending, I became a Distinction Silver member this month – without flying with Air Canada or any other Star Alliance members once all year!
I love to save money on hotels as status is not that important as I like to stay at different chains.
Have you ever heard of a “out of order” rate for a hotel?
Out of order rate.
One time our Priceline reservation was for the wrong day but the manager gratiously offered a spare room (with just a sofa bed) – we were grateful, but I have never used this before.
Apparently, a hotel can have a room or two with a minor problem like a broken TV, refrigerator, or a table. These rooms can’t be charged at full price and they aren’t in the hotel’s inventory of rooms. These are called “out of order” or dirty rate rooms. You’ll have to call the hotel directly to book these rooms.
Do any of my readers have any experience with these type of rooms?
Germanwings is a low-cost airline based in Cologne, Germany, which is wholly owned by Lufthansa.
On July 1, 2013, it launched an entirely new product and brand concept, and over the space of twelve months it has developed to become the third largest airline in Germany. Germanwings offers service to over 130 destinations throughout Germany and Europe.
Germanwings – Aeroplan partner
Aeroplan Miles earned on all eligible Germanwings flights are also Air Canada Altitude™ Qualifying Miles, and each eligible Germanwings flight will also earn one Altitude Qualifying Segment. Altitude Qualifying Miles and Altitude Qualifying Segments count towards Air Canada Altitude status.
Star Alliance™ Gold and Silver Benefits are not extended by Germanwings.
You can earn Aeroplan Miles on most scheduled flights operated by Germanwings.
Earn miles when you purchase an eligible booking class and travel on flights operated by Germanwings. Some exceptions may apply.
Currently flights booked through germanwings.com do not auto-accrue mileage, therefore flights must be booked through your travel agent.
Be sure to provide your Aeroplan number when you make a reservation through your travel agent.
Aeroplan Miles earned on all eligible Germanwings flights are also Altitude Qualifying Miles and count towards Air Canada Altitude™ status. For more details, please consult altitude.aircanada.com.
Always save your itinerary receipt, ticket (where available) and boarding pass until the miles have been credited to your account. If the miles for a recent activity have not been credited to your Aeroplan account, you can request to have the missing miles within six months of the activity date. Learn more about Requesting Mileage Credit.
Please refer to the charts below to see how many miles you will earn.
Booking classes not listed in the charts below are not eligible for accumulation.
Codeshare flights operated by Germanwings and marketed by a Star Alliance member airline, Germanwings determines how many miles you earn for your flight. Therefore, the booking class that appears on your ticket may differ from the booking class that the operating airline uses to determine flight miles earned. Refer to the Eligible Flights Tab of the operating carrier.
Mileage earned is based on actual miles flown, the percentage of booking class accumulation and the minimum mile rule.
Charter flights operated by Germanwings are not eligible.
Have any of our readers flown with them before? A good opportunity to pad your balance while travelling this discount airline in Germany.
For a limited time, you’ll receive Double Aeroplan® Miles each time you fly round-trip to select destinations in Canada until October 31, 2014.
Double Aeroplan Miles for travel in Canada
Simply register and book by August 29, 2014 . Make sure you register even if you don’t plan to fly (you never know when you might see a good seat sale or book a trip for work)!
Must register between July 8, 2014 and August 29, 2014. A one-time registration is required and can be completed online at www.aeroplan.com. Due to GMT time on web, the registration page will remain active until August 30, 2014 at 02:59 Eastern Standard time.
The Bonus Aeroplan Miles for eligible flights flown will be awarded for new bookings only made between July 8, 2014 and August 29, 2014, for travel on select eligible flights between July 8, 2014 and October 31, 2014. In order to qualify as a new booking, the booking must have been created for the first time with a new booking reference number during the eligible booking period of the promotion. Any booking made prior to the start of the promotion that is subsequently changed to include travel dates within the qualifying travel period will not be considered a new booking that is eligible for the promotion.
The Double Aeroplan Miles will be applied exclusively towards miles earned based on distance flown as per the fare mileage accrual rules. The class of service bonus miles and miles earned in conjunction with the Altitude Bonus Select Privilege are excluded.
Valid on select eligible scheduled non-stop flights operated by Air Canada (including flights operated under the Air Canada Express brand) only for travel between July 8, 2014 and October 31, 2014.
To qualify, the round-trip or two one-way flight segments must be travelled in the eligible fare options (booking classes) within Canada:Tango (S,T,L,A,K); Flex (M,U,H,Q,V,W,G); Latitude (Y,B); Premium Economy Lowest (E,N); Premium Economy Flexible (O); Business Class Lowest (D,Z,P); Business Class Flexible (J,C).
A minimum of one round-trip or two one-way segments is required to earn any Bonus Aeroplan Miles.
Valid on published fares and Flight Passes which are eligible for Aeroplan mile accumulation. Offer is not valid when traveling on an Air Canada Unlimited Flight Pass.
Bonus Aeroplan Miles are not Altitude Qualifying Miles and do not count towards Air Canada Altitude.
Bonus Aeroplan Miles will be credited up to three weeks after the qualifying flights are completed.
Upgraded flight segments (eUpgrades, Last minute paid upgrades, Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, etc) will be tracked for this promotion based on the eligibility of the original Economy Class fare purchased.
Aeroplan Flight Rewards are not eligible for mileage accumulation.
Bonus Aeroplan Miles cannot be sold and are non-transferable. They have no cash value and cannot be converted to cash or refunded if unused.
Offer is subject to change at Air Canada’s sole discretion without notice; other conditions and restrictions may apply.
Thankfully I don’t have this problem anymore but for my readers under 25, when you rent a car, you usually need to pay a hefty surcharge (because you are an inexperienced driver).
What most companies think all young people drive!
I feel for you as I remember paying these for a trip but I have some tips and tricks that will help you out!
1. Get a AAA or CAA membership.
Young renters usually have to pay $15- $25 extra per day for a “Young Rental” fee. Did you know that owning a AAA card waives this fee?
2. Get a free USAA membership (US Only).
All you have to do is sign up for a free USAA account here. Click on “Our Products”, then “Retail Discounts”. Finally, click “Learn More” underneath Rental Cars. They have a table with each company listed with their discount code and a list of the benefits.
Each code knocks off underage driver fees and additional driver fees for Avis, Budget, Enterprise and Hertz. You also get a discount beyond that (25% with Avis and Hertz).
