Canadian Travel Hacking

Year: 2016

  • TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card: 30,000 Aeroplan Miles and First Year Free!

    I found a great new offer for you to pad your Aeroplan miles!

    aeroplan_visa_infinite_affiliate_card

    In addition to the free 25,000 American Express Membership Reward Points (convertible to 25,000 Aeroplan miles) with no annual fee for the first year, TD has a new offer to give you 30,000 Aeroplan Miles and the first year free!

    • Receive a Welcome Bonus of 15,000 Aeroplan Miles with your first Purchase
    • You could receive another 10,000 Aeroplan Miles when you keep your Account open and active for 90 days after Account approval
    • In addition, you could receive 5,000 Aeroplan Miles when you add an Authorized User to your Account by May 27 (Authorized User must call and activate their Card by July 15, 2016)
    • Annual Fee Rebate for the first year(Primary Cardholder only) – that’s $120 in savings!
    • Offer Valid until May 27, 2016
    • Earn 1.5 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, grocery, drugstore and aircanada.com Purchases made with your Card.
    • Earn 1 mile for every $1 you spend on all other Purchases on your Card.
    • Earn miles twice when you pay with your TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card and present your Aeroplan Membership Card at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and with 100 online retailers
    • Your Aeroplan miles will not expire as long as you are a TD Aeroplan Credit Cardholder
    • Enjoy an extensive suite of travel insurances8 for peace of mind on your next getaway.

    Air Canada Benefits:
    • Your 1st checked bag is complimentary when travelling on an Aeroplan flight reward operated by Air Canada (for Primary Cardholder)
    • You get Priority Check-in when travelling on an Aeroplan flight reward operated by Air Canada (for Primary Cardholder)
    • You’ll enjoy Priority Boarding when travelling on an Aeroplan flight reward operated by Air Canada (for Primary Cardholder)

    So to summarize, you get 25,000 for meeting their requirements and 5,000 to add another authorized user (costs you $50). I would be happy with my 25,000 for no cost!

    Here is a link to signup.

  • The world’s most powerful passports revealed (and it isn’t the UK or US in the top spot)

    Germany has claimed bragging rights in an annual ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, while the UK and US each fell multiple spots.

    Best passport in the world - Germany
    Best passport in the world – Germany

    All three countries shared first place in last year’s study, but the UK and US have dropped to third and fourth, respectively, in this year’s list.

    German citizens hold the world’s most powerful passport as they can visit 177 countries without a visa, while British travellers can enter 175 and US tourists can travel to 174.

    Good news Canadians we were #6! 

    With a maximum attainable score of 218, the visa restriction index by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, ranks nations or territories based on the number of countries their citizens can travel to visa-free.

    It is based on visa restrictions that were in place on 1 January.

    Germany claimed sole possession of first spot this year after three countries lifted visa restrictions for its citizens, edging Sweden, which finished second with visa-free access to 176 countries.

  • Leap Year Into Savings at Starwood Hotels

    Starwood Hotels and Resorts across Canada are offering guests savings so great they only come around once every four years.

    Today only (Feb. 29), participating Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, Le Méridien, W, Element and Aloft hotels are offering travellers the chance to enjoy up to 29% off stays through April 30.

    The Leap Day sale is a limited time offer that must be booked by 11:59 p.m. EST today (Feb. 29). Rates vary by property, based on single/double occupancy and availability.

    A limited number of rooms are available at each property and blackout dates may apply. Rates require full advance pre-payment, rates are non-refundable, plus taxes and are commissionable to travel agents. These rates are not applicable to groups.

    Here is a link to the promo.

  • WestJet Canada Leap Year Sale: Save on Flights to Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe

    Westjet has jumped on the bandwagon with a new promo for leap year.WestJet-leap-year

    WestJet Canada has Leap into spring sale valid until Monday, February 29, 2016 at 11:59 pm MT. The offer includes:

    • Save on flights to select destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe.

    To get this WestJet offer:

    • Book by: Monday, February 29, 2016, 11:59 p.m. MT
    • Travel from: April 4 – December 15, 2016 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
    • Blackout dates:May 20-23, 2016, June 23 – September 5, 2016, October 7-10, 2016, November 24-27, 2016

    This WestJet offer is limited and subject to availability. Advance purchase of 21 days before departure date required.

    Click here to book your flights.

  • Aeroplan App Enables Your plan with Flight Bookings On The Fly

    Aeroplan today unveiled that members can now use the new Aeroplan app as an easy and convenient way to book flight rewards using their Aeroplan Miles.

    Internal_FlightSearch_EN

    Customers with iOS, Android and Blackberry mobile phones may now download the app from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Blackberry App World.

     

    “We know it’s increasingly important for our members to have useful travel tools when they’re on the go, and making our app available for flight reward bookings is another step in our efforts to bring more value to members,” said John Boynton, Chief Marketing Officer, Aeroplan.  “Our goal is to bring our members’ journey to life, to help members get the flights they want, to where they want to go, faster.  Whether on a bus or in an airport, all our members need to book a flight reward is a smartphone, and now they can also do that on Android, iOS and Blackberry.”

     

    Here is how it works:

    1. Under the ‘Use Your Miles’ section, select ‘Book a Flight.’ A Flight Rewards search form will appear.
    2. Select desired City/Airport location and select date field. Click ‘Done’.
    3. A list of potential itineraries will populate showcasing both of Aeroplan’s travel options: Fixed Mileage Flight Rewards (limited number of seats exclusively offered to members on Air Canada and Star Alliance) and Market Fare Flight Rewards (access to any seat, at any time, on all Air Canada flights based on market fares at time of booking).
    4. After you select a flight, a Trip Summary Page will appear.
    5. The member is then prompted to enter passenger details, contact information and payment entry information.
    6. Booked!

     

    Flight Reward bookings can be made for both roundtrip and one-way flight rewards.

     

    In addition to booking flights, the app also includes the following functionalities:

     

    • Goal-setting functionality – This feature is designed to help members set their goals in the program and help them reach their dream goal faster (whether it be a travel goal or a merchandise goal);
    • Account management – Members can view their account history, transactions, Aeroplan status etc.;
    • Partners and Promotions listings;
    • Partner locator map that pinpoints partners where members can earn miles based on members’ exact location;
    • A digital Aeroplan card that can be scanned to collect miles at Aeroplan partners (Partners with retail point of sale capability only);
    • Contact section including Air Canada Altitude status priority contacts.

  • 7 major U.S. cities where booking an Airbnb over a hotel

    Travel booking site Busbud analyzed nearly 220,000 Airbnb listings worldwide and compared their rates to the average rates listed in the Hotels.com price index.

    airbnb-vs-hotels-us-rates-745x1582

    They found that, on average, the U.S. cities of Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C. all had Airbnb rates that were better than hotel rates. And in some cities the price difference was enormous. In New York City, for example, Airbnbs were cheaper on average than comparable hotel rooms by $81.80 per night.

    I love staying at hotels but I can see how AirBnb can be cheaper in some cities.

    We are planning a trip to Tofino this summer and a VRBO or AirBnb provides a great value.

    What is your thoughts?

  • Beware next time Air Canada asks for volunteers to forgo a flight

    I read a strange story on CBC about a passenger that volunteered to forgo a flight in London UK and did not get fully re-imbursed.

    Seat Sale!

    Chris Johnson, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, was in London, preparing to board an Air Canada flight to Ottawa, where he lives. Then the aircraft broke down, and the airline’s ground staff began scrambling to assign passengers to other flights. They called for volunteers who might be willing to wait a day.

    “I was on vacation, not military duty,” Johnson told me the other day, “and there were a lot of people who had to get home right away, and I figured I can hang tight.”

    He was told to head to the baggage area and collect his suitcase, and wait for an Air Canada representative who would have hotel and meal vouchers. But that person never showed up, he later stated in an affidavit to the Canadian Transport Agency.

    Back at the departure area, the Air Canada staff had disappeared. Johnson then got on the phone to Air Canada’s customer service centre in Montreal. Go find a hotel, he says he was told, and submit a claim later.

    Johnson then took a bus (not a taxi, because “I was treating their money as though it was mine”) to the airport Holiday Inn, hardly luxury lodging.

    He ate supper at the hotel, and breakfast. The bill for the room, including taxes, was 257 pounds, which, if you know anything about London, is utterly average. He ate a modest Holiday Inn meal, and the grand total charged to his card came to $531.56 Cdn.

    When he submitted the claim, though, Air Canada regretfully informed him that “our hotel accommodation policy allows up to $100 reimbursement towards your claim. For meals we allow $7 for breakfast, $10 lunch and $15 for dinner.”

    Something doesn’t sound right in this story.

    Air Canada has always pre-paid for my expenses – I would never pre-pay the expenses and expect them to re-imburse me.

    What would you of done?

    Here is a link to the story.

  • Vancouver to Orlando, Florida – Approx $280 roundtrip including taxes (April 2015)

    United Airlines has added flights to Orlando from YVR $288 CAD roundtrip including taxes!

    disney-deal

    Availability for travel

    March and April 2016

     

    Try one of the following date combinations:

    March 5, 6, or 7 to March 9, 10, 11, 15, or 16
    March 8 to March 15 or 16
    March 29 to April 4 or 10
    March 30 to April 4, 5, or 11
    March 31 to April 4, 5, 6, or 12
    April 4, 5, or 6 to April 7, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, or 23
    April 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 to April 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, or 27
    April 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 to April 22, 23, 26, or 27

    Here is a link to the post.

  • WestJet Rewards – Fast Track to Silver Elite Status Offer (Ends April 3, 2016)

    Receive WestJet Rewards Silver Elite Status with a minimum $700 qualifying flight spend on flights flown (or minimum 5 WestJet flights flown). Register online (Registration is required), until April 3, 2016.

    westjet

    What does Silver Elite Status with WestJet provide:

    • First checked bag free
    • Four airport lounge vouchers
    • Four advance seat selection vouchers

    Normally you don’t hit Silver status until you spend $4,000 with WestJet (before taxes and fees) so this is pretty decent offer in that you only have to spend $700 to get it. Also I like that WestJet has added a flight component as an option so if you fly 5 really cheap WestJet segments you can also get the Silver Elite status.

    Offer details:

    • Guest must register for the offer prior to travel and include their WestJet Rewards ID on their bookings.
    • Both new and existing bookings for flights flown during the promotion period will be eligible, providing other conditions of the promotion are met.
    • Offer includes awarding of flight benefits only; milestone awards, such as companion flights, are not included. In order to receive milestone awards, member must achieve standard qualifying flight spend amounts.

    Source

  • The five European cities where you are most likely to be pickpocketed

    Yikes!

    Having travelled to several of these spots I can testify to this list.

    200px-Frontispiece_from_the_memoirs_of_George_Barrington

    Here are the five European cities that according to TripAdvisor are places to be especially aware of conniving pickpockets – and tips on how to avoid becoming a target.

    1. Barcelona – More than 300 thefts are reported every day in this spectacular city, earning itself the reputation as the pickpocket capital of the world.
    2. Paris – The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, was closed in 2013 also because of strikes related to pickpockets targeting tourists and employees. French police launched a major operation targeting pickpocket gangs last year.
    3. Madrid – Home to the infamous ‘Bosnian clan’. Four women who form the notorious pickpocket gang made a name for themselves in Barcelona – where they robbed thousands of tourists and Metro users – before moving on to Madrid. In 2013 the gang was banned from all of Madrid’s underground network, before the ban was overturned on a legal technicality. Pickpocketing on the Madrid Metro dropped by 40 per cent while the restraining order was in place.
    4. Prague – The pickpockets of Prague commonly target public transport, particularly the routes to and from Prague Castle and other major tourist sites. Charles Bridge, Karlova Street, Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square are also chosen areas for pickpockets and scam artists. Unlike most cities renowned for pickpocket gangs, here thieves usually work as individuals.
    5. Rome – Pickpockets congregate where the tourists are, in particular around the Vatican, the Spanish Steps and the Colosseum.

      It is one of those things to worry about when travelling but good to be aware.

    Does anyone have any good stories of near misses? The Barcelona authorities are so lax on pickpockets that is humorous!