Ep 045 – Miles & Points News + Listener Questions

In Episode 45 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca cover a packed Canadian miles-and-points news episode plus listener questions. 

They preview a deeper upcoming dive on the new Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt partnership, including status matches, reciprocal point transfers, and redemption options. Exclusive BMO credit card offers and FlyerFunds Rebates for August on the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard and BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard are discussed.

The hosts discuss Accor Live Limitless becoming an Amex Canada transfer partner and Platinum card offering Accor Gold status, Porter Airlines’ award redemption fuel surcharges returning to $40, and Marriott’s new partnership with Japan Airlines MileageBank.

Several Emirates changes when booking with Aeroplan points are discussed in addition to the introduction of basic fare classes on Air Canada premium cabin tickets, and the team reviews two current transfer bonuses to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and American Airlines AAdvantage Miles. The hosts highlight elevated Amex Canada Marriott Bonvoy welcome offers, new Seats.aero eUpgrade and Chrome tools, plus the newly added Amex US transfer partner of Leading Hotels of the World. 

The episode wraps up with several listener questions that ask about the best Canadian travel points, cross-border banking, Europe deals from Western Canada, and family-travel perspectives.

(01:35) Aeroplan & World of Hyatt Partnership

Aeroplan and World of Hyatt have launched a partnership that is highly beneficial to members of both programs. Our next Miles Ahead episode will be a deep dive into this partnership, but for now, ensure you link your accounts to participate.

• Link your Aeroplan & World of Hyatt accounts here

(04:31) Frugal Flyer Exclusive BMO Card Offers & FlyerFunds Rebates

Frugal Flyer is running two exclusive promotions on the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard and BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard for the month of August:

• BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard – Exclusive Offer of Up To 115,000 BMO Rewards Points + $200 FlyerFunds Rebate
• BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard – Up To 70,000 VIPorter Points + Exclusive $200 FlyerFunds Rebate + Frugal Flyer Porter Airlines $500 e-Gift Card Giveaway

(06:08) Frugal Flyer Private Discord

We recently launched a private Frugal Flyer Discord server for readers who have been approved for at least one FlyerFunds Rebate or have attended one of our in-person meetups. 

• If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply for membership here

(08:12) New Transfer Partner: Membership Rewards to ALL Accor

American Express Canada has added a new transfer partner: ALL Accor! Cardholders can transfer Membership Rewards points to Accor points at a rate of 2:1. This transfer partner will see your Membership Rewards being worth around 1.6 cents CAD per point, which is solid value.

(16:02) Porter Fuel Surcharge Update

Unfortunately, Porter Airlines has increased its fuel surcharge on award tickets back to $40 per person, per direction of travel.

(17:25) Marriott Bonvoy & Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Status Match

Similar to what we saw with United Airlines and Marriott Bonvoy in the past, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and Marriott Bonvoy have now formed a mutually beneficial partnership. Members can receive status matches and more, so ensure you link your accounts.

(20:05) Booking Emirates via Aeroplan: Award Seat Changes

Aeroplan members can now only book Emirates First Class if they have Aeroplan 35k status or higher. On the positive side, Emirates Premium Economy is now available to book with Aeroplan points!

(22:32) Air Canada Adds Basic Fares to Premium Cabin Tickets

Following many of the changes we have seen with airlines in the United States, Air Canada now offers an additional ‘Basic’ fare class for their Premium Economy and Business Class tickets, unbundling some of the traditional benefits attached to the fare class.

(25:05) Asia Miles 10% Conversion Bonus From Several Programs

Until August 28th, points from several different loyalty programs will receive a 10% bonus when converting to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.

(25:46) RBC Avion to American Airlines 15% Transfer Bonus

Until September 4th, cardholders can transfer Avion points to American Airlines AAdvantage Miles with a 15% bonus!

(27:59) New American Express Canada Marriott Bonvoy Card Offers

American Express Canada has launched two new offers on their Marriott Bonvoy Cards, with both offering a welcome bonus of up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

(31:03) Seats.aero New Features – eUpgrade Finder & Chrome Extension

Seats.Aero has launched two new impactful features: an Air Canada Aeroplan eUpgrade Finder and a Google Chrome Extension that pairs with Google Flights.

• Learn about the Seats.Aero Google Chrome extension here
• New to Seats.Aero? Read our Seats.Aero guide to get up to speed with this amazing flight award search tool.

(38:50) New Transfer Partner: Membership Rewards (US) to Leading Hotels of the World

American Express Membership Rewards (US) can now be transferred to Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) at a rate of 4:1. One LHW point is worth 8 cents USD, so receiving 2 cents USD per Membership Rewards point is great value if any of their properties are of interest.

(42:00) Listener Question: Best Canadian Travel Points to Collect

Meagan asks the best Canadian travel points to collect and the best Premium card in Canada for travel benefits.

(46:04) Listener Question: RBC Cross-Border Banking for Canadians

Amber asks about RBC Cross-Border Banking and the best option for Canadians to pay off US credit cards.

Aside from cross-border banking, there are several other options to pay US credit cards. Some good options include Wise and Nortbert’s Gambit.

(48:20) Listener Question: Booking Flight Deals to Europe from Western Canada

Gina asks about the best ways to get to Europe from Western Canada, without needing to purchase or redeem for expensive positioning flights to Toronto or Eastern Canada.

(52:53) Listener Comment: Family Travel Perspectives

Rachel comments about how she would like to see more content surrounding family travel on the Miles Ahead podcast and on Frugal Flyer.

(56:27) Conclusion

If you have any episode-specific questions, leave a comment below. If you have any questions you want answered by the Frugal Flyer Team in a future episode, submit a question to the Miles Ahead podcast.

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