Canadian Travel Hacking

Blog

  • Delta Mistake Fares to Asia (from YVR, YYZ)

    Delta (DL) is selling YYZ-HKG or YYZ-ICN for ~$500 CAD per adult on some dates (7-day duration).

    I found many flights for 2015 still. I would book right away.

    Delta Mistake Fare.
    Delta Mistake Fare.

    Book fast!! You should have 24 hour cancellation on Delta.com

    YYZ-HKG $447 2-stop (YYZ-MSP-NRT-HKG)
    https://www.google.ca/flights/#searc…4-06-05;mp=600

    YYZ-ICN $468 2-stop or 1-stop YYZ-DTW-ICN
    https://www.google.ca/flights/#searc…13;mp=600;mc=p

    source
    DL yeg-hkg rtn $397us – Page 2 – FlyerTalk Forums
    http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milea…rtn-397us.html

    YYZ-Asia
    https://www.google.ca/flights/explor…5;d=2014-05-13

    I found many dates using Google Flight Explorer still.

     

    Enjoy!

  • Earn Free Marriott Rewards Points

    Marriott Rewards members can participate in Plus Points and earn up to 2,000 points per month.

    participating_brands-1906612eb094b32ade2f2bd69470d5ac

    You can earn points by:

    • Sharing or retweeting our posts to your Facebook or Twitter feeds each day
    • Checking into properties on Facebook or Foursquare every day you visit
    • Posting a photo each day to Instagram and tagging it with a property’s location
    • Using #LoveMarriottRewards, #RenHotels or #Autograph in your daily Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts
    • Liking and following select brands and properties in Facebook or Twitter

    Not a Marriott Rewards Member? Create an account here (its free!)

  • Porter Airlines To Start Charging For Baggage

    Porter Airlines To Start Charging For Baggage

    Porter is going to start charging for baggage!

    porter-racoon

    The first piece of luggage will cost $25, the second $35-40 and subsequent checked bags will be $100+.  There are added fees if your checked baggage is overweight, this is the fee for checking the baggage only.  These fees apply to flights leaving May 14th or later if you booked after April 21st.  Previously, Canadians paid $20-23 for the second checked bag so this is a huge increase to the cost of your trip.

    For travel to/from U.S. (all booking and travel dates)

    OR

    The following policy applies if you are travelling within Canada from May 14, 2014, on a flight booked from April 21, 2014. This policy does not apply if you travel before May 14, 2014, or for flights booked before April 21, 2014.

    Firm Flexible Freedom
    1st bag $ 25 – $ 28.25 $ 25 – $ 28.25 $ 0
    2nd bag $ 35 – $ 40.25 $ 35 – $ 40.25 $ 0
    3rd bag and subsequent $ 100 – $ 115 $ 100 – $ 115 $ 100 – $ 115
    Weight fee per bag
    of any one bag above 23kg    		 $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25
    Oversized fee per bag $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25

    Notes:

    • Fees are per direction, and include local taxes, depending on origin of ticket.
    • Fees are indicated in CAD/USD, based on originating airport.
    • Each bag weighing between 23 kg (50 lb) and 32 kg (70 lb) is charged a fee of $75 CAD/USD.
    • No single piece can weigh more than 32 kg (70 lb).
    • Any single piece measuring more than 158 cm (62 in) total dimension (the sum of the length, width and height) is charged $75 CAD/USD per direction.
    • No single piece can exceed 203 cm (80 in) total dimension.
    • If a bag is both overweight and oversized, the $75 fee is charged only once.
    • For 3rd and subsequent bags, no overweight or oversized bag fee is charged.
    • Strollers and car seats may be carried free of charge for children.

    The following applies if you travel within Canada before May 14, 2014 or for flights booked before April 21, 2014.

    Firm Flexible Freedom
    1st bag $ 0 $ 0 $ 0
    2nd bag $ 20 – $ 23 $ 20 – $ 23 $ 0
    3rd bag and subsequent $ 100 – $ 115 $ 100 – $ 115 $ 100 – $ 115
    Weight fee per bag
    of any one bag above 23kg    		 $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25
    Oversized fee per bag $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25 $ 75 – $ 86.25

    Notes:

    • Fees are per direction, and include local taxes, depending on origin of ticket.
    • Fees are indicated in CAD/USD, based on originating airport.
    • Each bag weighing between 23 kg (50 lb) and 32 kg (70 lb) is charged a fee of $75 CAD/USD.
    • No single piece can weigh more than 32 kg (70 lb).
    • Any single piece measuring more than 158 cm (62 in) total dimension (the sum of the length, width and height) is charged $75 CAD/USD per direction.
    • No single piece can exceed 203 cm (80 in) total dimension.
    • If a bag is both overweight and oversized, the $75 fee is charged only once.
    • For 3rd and subsequent bags, no overweight or oversized bag fee is charged.
    • Strollers and car seats may be carried free of charge for children.

    Source

  • Earn Aeroplan Miles at SHOP.CA–15 miles per $1 spent (first purchase).

    As of today, May 1, 2014, you can now shop and earn Aeroplan Miles at SHOP.CA!

    aeroplan-shop.ca

    To celebrate this great news, they are offering all Aeroplan Members 15 bonus Miles for every $1 spent and Distinction members can earn 16 bonus miles for every $1 spent on their first purchase on SHOP.CA until May 16th, 2014. To get started, simply attach your Aeroplan number to your SHOP.CA account (CLICK HERE) and you’ll start earning today!

    If you have already made a purchase before they launched with Aeroplan – don’t worry. As long as you attach your Aeroplan number to your account, you will get these bonus miles on your next SHOP.CA purchase.

    PLUS! After your first purchase bonus, Aeroplan Members will earn 1 Aeroplan Mile for every $1 spent and Aeroplan Distinction members will earn 2 Aeroplan Miles for every $1 spent on all purchases made at SHOP.CA.

    Great deal in my opinion – the prices are a little higher for many products but I will update this post with coupon codes!

  • Porter Discounts All Fares up to 60%–Ends May 2

    Travel aboard the world’s best small airline, as named by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, with saving up to 60% on base fares on all routes for travel through Sept. 3.

    Sample nonstop one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from Toronto are:

    • Windsor … $89
    • Ottawa … $94
    • Montreal … $102
    • Thunder Bay … $123-$135
    • Quebec City … $129-$135
    • Washington, D.C. (Dulles) … $134-$155
    • New York City (Newark) … $136-$142
    • Boston … $139-$150
    • Moncton (one stop) … $148-$180
    • Chicago (Midway) … $155-$165
    • Halifax … $169-$186

    Sample one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from Ottawa are:

    • Toronto (nonstop) … $98
    • Quebec City … $135-$146
    • Moncton (nonstop) … $142-$172
    • Halifax (nonstop) … $152-$172
    • Windsor … $155-$167
    • Thunder Bay … $178-$189
    • Washington, D.C. (Dulles) … $178-$188
    • Boston … $209-$219
    • Chicago (Midway) … $209-$219
    • New York City (Newark) … $209-$219

    Sample one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from Montreal are:

    • Toronto (nonstop) … $110
    • Sault Ste. Marie … $132-$143
    • Halifax (nonstop) … $154-$172
    • Washington, D.C. (Dulles) … $155-$165
    • Boston … $185-$195
    • New York City (Newark) … $213-$224
    • Chicago (Midway) … $234-$245

    Sample one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from Quebec City are:

    • Toronto (nonstop) … $142-$148
    • Ottawa … $144-$156
    • Boston … $178-$188
    • New York City (Newark) … $228-$238
    • Chicago (Midway) … $238-$249
    • Washington, D.C. (Dulles) … $239-$250

    Sample nonstop, one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from Halifax are:

    • St. John’s … $109-$166
    • Montreal … $154-$172
    • Ottawa … $157-$183
    • Toronto (one stop) … $178-$195

    Sample one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from Moncton are:

    • Ottawa … $138-$169
    • Toronto … $148-$180

    Sample one-way fares, including taxes and fees, from St. John’s are:

    • Halifax (nonstop) … $101-$158
    • Ottawa … $192-$209
    • Toronto … $229-$248

    This is part of a larger sale ending Friday, May 2. We suggest booking early to secure sale fares on popular dates before limited seats sell out. The lowest fares were found on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

    Note: A 21-day advance purchase may be required. Sale fares not available May 16-19; June 27 – July 1; Aug. 1-4, 29-31; Sept. 1. Click here for baggage and fee breakdowns and information about taxes, fees and charges.

    Book by May 2.

  • YVR to PEK (China) $530 US–October dates

    Great deal to China from YVR

    You can fly from Vancouver, Canada to Beijing, China for around $531 round-trip in coach.

    Search for the fare on Vayama, an online travel agency.  I found this price in October 2014, but didn’t check for other dates.

    image

     

    Source: Million Mile Secrets

  • Earn up to 25,000 bonus miles for converting Aeroplan points – Ends May 25, 2014

    From April 28 to May 25, 2014, convert points from a wide selection of partner loyalty programs to Aeroplan Miles for an amazing bonus reward.

    conversion_programs_bigImage_top_en

    Aeroplan will combine all the miles you convert with different partners to help you reach a higher bonus threshold and reap the rewards in thousands of extra Aeroplan Miles.

    Aeroplan Transfer bonus chart
    Aeroplan Transfer bonus chart

    Example, If you convert:

    5,000 points, get 1,000 bonus points
    10,000 points, get 2,000 bonus points
    20,000 points, get 4,000 bonus points
    50,000 points, get 10,000 bonus points
    100,000 points, get 25,000 bonus points

    As expected, Amex Membership Rewards has been excluded for the third straight year.

    If you transfer 80,000 SPG points you get 125,000 Aeroplan miles (enough for 2 round-trip tickets to Europe)! 

    Here is the transfer information.

  • Free trip to Ukraine – Must speak Ukraine

    Candidates must make themselves available for deployment for a period of eight weeks after April 28, 2014.

    CANEOM will deploy 38 Long-term observers (LTOs) to observe May 25 Presidential election in Ukraine as part of Canada’s Bilateral Election Observation Mission.

    Ukraine_1

    Skills and Experience:
    -Be in excellent health and fully mobile;
    -Be able to access email. CANEOM communicates instructions and information electronically, due to mission time constraints and observers being spread across a number of time zones;
    -Possess a Canadian passport valid for at least 6 months and has at least some blank pages in it to allow for visas;
    -Be flexible and willing to adapt to changing schedules;
    -Be able to deploy rapidly, and endure difficult conditions with only basic accommodations;
    -Have experience quickly fitting into multinational teams;
    -Have international experience in central and eastern Europe
    -Proficiency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is an asset.

    Details:
    The mission’s objectives are to observe and report on whether the election result genuinely reflects the democratic expression of the voters of Ukraine. The Canadian observers aim to observe, record, and report while in no way interfering or intervening in any electoral processes.

    We can ONLY accept candidates that are Canadian citizens. We cannot accept applications from Permanent Residents as selected observers need to enter Ukraine on a Canadian passport.

    The ideal candidate would have previous domestic or international electoral experience, in-Ukraine/regional work experience or some conversational knowledge of Ukrainian/Russian. We will consider any applicants with some combination of these that are Canadian citizens, have a valid passport and are available for the duration of the deployment.

    Compensation:
    All long term observers are provided a weekly honorarium. Selected candidates would have air transportation and insurance covered and would receive funds for their in country expenses (i.e. local transport, meals, accommodations, etc).Shortlisted candidates will receive more details on this.

    Available here to apply.

  • ‎Vancouver‬ to Hong Kong | $649 roundtrip including taxes

    Thanks to YVR Deals – we have the rock bottom price to get to Hong Kong in September.

    Here are the current cheapest roundtrip flight prices from Vancouver to Hong Kong, by airline, in the month of September. 

    As you can see, Delta is undercutting the next closest competing airline (Air China) by nearly 30% ! A ridiculous gap in the highly competitive world of airfares, especially from Vancouver to Asia.

    These cheap flights are currently showing in Delta’s system for the months of September, October, November, and very early December. Incidentally, October and November are often cited as the two best months of the year to visit Hong Kong when the temperatures are at their most comfortable (19C-28C) and plenty of sunshine.

    The available date combinations are pretty limited though. Wednesday to Wednesday flights look to be the best bet. They have 1 stop each way, in Seattle.

    Vancouver does have non-stop flights to Hong Kong, which take 12 hours of travel time each way, vs the 16 hours (including the stop) it would take with these Delta flights. To save nearly 50% off the cheapest non-stop flights (~$1200 with Air Canada) does seem worth it.

    What a great deal! I wish I could book this.

  • Redeem Aeroplan Miles for University or College Credit

    This is an interesting redemption offer. I don’t think this is the best use of Aeroplan miles (35,000 miles for $250 Tuition credit) but it is always good to have options.

    highered-points

    This reward, allows Members to redeem Aeroplan Miles and convert them in $250 increments which can be used to help pay for University and College tuition, meal plans and/or residence fees in Canada.

    Students, parents, relatives, and friends can use HigherEdPoints redemptions to defray the costs of higher education in Canada.

    In order to tranfer redemption amounts, an account must be created at HigherEdPoints.com, where members can safely transfer their redemptions into a student’s University or College school account. View a current list ofParticipating Institutions*.

    NOTE: Please check to make sure your institution is participating before you redeem for a HigherEdPoints Reward as these redemptions are non-refundable. All activities and transactions on Higheredpoints.com website are subject to HigherEdPoints Terms of Service.

    How to get started:
    Here is what you’ll need to make a fund transfer to your school account through HigherEdPoints.com:
    • Your 9-digit Aeroplan (Loyalty Program) Account Number
    • Your 11-digit Aeroplan Confirmation code (which will be emailed to your email address indicated in your redemption order): NOTE: If you make more than one redemption for this reward, please go to your Order History to obtain your full list of Aeroplan Confirmation codes
    • Student Information: Student’s first, middle and last name; Student’s date of birth; Name of the Participating* University or College to which the transfer will be sent; Student number