Canadian Travel Hacking

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  • 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles For Fueling up at Esso – Ends October 5, 2014

    Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you fuel up at Esso stations between August 11 and October 5, 2014.

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    Register to be eligible for this promotion and then remember to swipe your Aeroplan Card (or Speedpass™ linked to your Aeroplan Account) at the pump or in-store to get closer to your next reward.

    Your bonus is on top of the miles you already earn on eligible** purchases at Esso stations:

    • 1 mile per $3 spent on Regular Grade gasoline and other eligible** purchases
    • 2 miles per $3 spent on Extra Grade gasoline
    • 3 miles per $3 spent on Supreme Grade gasoline

    Register now and visit an Esso station near you to take advantage of this exclusive offer – until October 5.

  • Amex Member Offer – $100 off Fairmont Stay (Minimum spend $500)

    Great offer to get $100 statement credit with a $500 Fairmont purchase on your AMEX Canada.

    This offer is only available to Canadian American Express Basic and Supplementary Consumer and Small Business Cardmembers. The American Express Card registered must be the same Card used when making the qualifying purchase. Maximum of one (1) $100 (CAD) statement credit per registered Card during the offer period.

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    To be eligible for this offer:
    – Your account must be in good standing
    – You must register your eligible Card in the American Express Registered Card program between September 9, 2014 and December 30, 2014 at amexnetwork.ca/fairmontoffer. Registration Period starts at 12:00:01 a.m. ET on September 9, 2014 and ends on December 30, 2014 11:59:59 p.m. ET.
    – Use your Registered Card at a participating Fairmont Hotels & Resorts property during the offer period between September 9, 2014 and December 31, 2014
    – A purchase made during the offer period prior to registration of your eligible Card in this Program is not considered a qualifying purchase

  • WestJet to charge economy passengers $25 for first checked bag

    WestJet Airlines (TSX:WJA) says it will charge a $25 fee for the first checked bag for passengers travelling on economy fares within Canada and also between Canada and the U.S.

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    The new fee will apply to bookings starting Monday for travel as of Oct. 29. WestJet says the new charge is expected to affect one in five of its travellers since different baggage allowances apply to those in other fare classes or those using its new loyalty program also launched Monday.

    Passengers flying to international destinations, including Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe will continue to be able to check a first bag at no charge.

    Baggage allowances for military personnel, infant and child equipment, mobility devices, and those travelling in connection with other airlines are not affected.

    The Calgary-based carrier charges all customers for a second checked bag.

    Will Air Canada not charge or meet this ancillary fee?

    Read more at CTV News.

  • Avoid Hotel Wi-Fi Blocks With a Google Chromecast

    I am a big fan of hotel wifi (when it is fast)!

    Most modern hotel rooms have Ethernet jacks.  In our experience the Ethernet jacks in hotel rooms are very rarely secured in any fashion and you can simply plug in a device and go.

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    Although its rare, if the hotel does have a login/authentication splash page for Ethernet users you can simply visit it with one of your devices (while connected to the wi-fi router). The router has a single IP/MAC address and doles out access (just like your home router) to all the attached devices. Once you accept the terms of agreement with one device through the unified access point the security system will let anything connected to the portable Wi-Fi router, including the Chromecast, pass through just fine.

    Read this interesting article from WiseGeek, How Can I Use My Google Chromecast In a Hotel Room.

  • Cathay Pacific – Economy Class Sale to Hong Kong from Vancouver

    Cathay Pacific is having a sale to Hong Kong from Vancouver (starting from $1151).

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    Offer Details:

    Departure Period Sep 10, 2014 – Dec 10, 2014

    Min/Max Stay No Min Stay / Max 6 Months

    Book Now to Save! Promotion until Sep 24, 2014.

    Terms and conditions on the website.

    You can also experience the latest in movies, TV shows or games in the StudioCX in-flight entertainment system. You can also stream audio and video from your personal devices to their 9-inch high-resolution Personal TV displays. Even more, the seats are equipped with USB port and in-seat power supply to keep your smartphone, laptop or other devices charged throughout the flight.

    Here is a link to the promotion.

     

  • Free Equifax monitoring for 1 Year – Home Depot data breach

    The Home Depot is truly sorry for any inconvenience caused by the data breach and is letting affected Canadian customers enroll in the Equifax Premier service at no cost to them at any time during the next 12 months.

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    These services are available through September 8, 2015, and include credit monitoring and an identity theft insurance policy.

    You are eligible to receive these services if you used a payment card at one of The Home Depot’s stores in 2014, from April 1, 2014 on.

    Here is a link to the offer.

  • 10 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for every dollar your donate to the Canadian Red Cross

    Earn 10 Aeroplan Miles for every $1 you donate this September to the Canadian Red Cross. Feel good knowing you’re supporting one of Canada’s leading humanitarian charities and feel even better knowing every dollar you donate will put 10 Aeroplan Miles in your account. The sky’s the limit – the more you give, the more you’ll get.

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    Where Does Your Donation Go?

    87 Cents of Every Dollar supports Programs and People in Need
    (based on a 5 year average cost of fundraising)he donation page.

    Here is the donation page.

  • Air Canada: 50% Bonus Aeroplan Miles on all Air Canada flights – Book by October 31, 2014

    Go anywhere with Air Canada and receive 50% Bonus Aeroplan® Miles. Offer valid on all flights* and fares for travel until April 30, 2015.

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    Simply register and book by October 31, 2014 to take your Aeroplan Mile balance to new heights.

    Here is a link to the promo.

    Valid on eligible scheduled non-stop flights operated by Air Canada (including flights operated under the Air Canada Express brand) and Air Canada rouge only.
    To qualify for this promotion, you must be an Aeroplan Member. If you are not an Aeroplan Member, you can visit the Aeroplan web site (www.aeroplan.com) and enrol today. Membership is free.
    To qualify for this offer, you must register between September 2, 2014 and October 31, 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 November 1, 2014, at 02:59 Eastern Standard time.
    The 50% Bonus 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.
    Bonus Aeroplan Miles for eligible flights flown will be awarded for new bookings only made between September 2, 2014, and October 31, 2014, for travel between October 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015. 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.
    Valid on eligible scheduled non–stop flights operated by Air Canada (including flights operated under the Air Canada Express brand) and Air Canada rouge only for travel between October 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015.
    To qualify, the flight segments must be travelled in the following eligible fare options (booking classes): Tango; Flex; Latitude; Premium Economy Lowest and Premium Economy Flexible; Premium rouge; Business Class Lowest and Business Class Flexible.
    Valid on published fares and Flight Passes which are eligible for Aeroplan Mile accumulation. Offer is not valid when travelling on an Air Canada Unlimited Flight Pass.
    Bonus Aeroplan Miles are not Altitude Qualifying Miles and do not count towards Air Canada Altitude.

  • Triple Aeroplan Miles with Choice Hotels- September 1, 2014 to November 30, 2014

    Earn 3x the miles this fall. It is the perfect time to take in nature’s bold colours and earn more for your qualifying Choice Hotels stays.

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    Earn 3X the miles this fall. To take advantage of a great offer book your qualifying stay at a Choice Hotels location by November 30, 2014, and earn more!

    Not a Choice Privileges member? Join now. It’s easy and free to sign up.

    To earn 3X the miles:

    • Provide your Aeroplan Number when you book your qualifying stay and present your Aeroplan Card at check-in.

      OR

    • Select “Aeroplan” as your earning preference in your Choice Privileges profile prior to arrival.

    Here is a link to the promo.

  • Free Personalized Travel Map (mustseemap.klm.com)

    KLM always has some interesting freebies.

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    Request a free personalized map and get tips from your friends!

    Simply choose a destination they travel to and build a map that they ship to you.

    Here is a link to the builder tool (it is free to request a map).