Episode 48 – Miles & Points News + Listener Questions
In Episode 48 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca cover the latest news in miles and points, both from Canada and the United States, and answer a few listener questions.
The hosts talk about Flying Blue adding three new award tiers to saver ticket redemptions, Chexy now supporting mortgage payments via bank withdrawal while earning Aeroplan points, how Qatar Airways Privilege Club has suddenly dropped its qualifying-activity requirement to add nominees for bookings that consist of more than just the account holder, and the Chase Aeroplan Card refresh.
They also review the limited-time promotion where Canadian Aeroplan cardholders receive a15% Air Canada award discount, new Canadian and United States credit card offers, Amex Canada’s “Add a Card” promotion, a 15% RBC Avion-to-Asia Miles transfer bonus, Air Canada app improvements, several new routes from Porter Airlines and Air Canada, a newly announced Hyatt–Delta partnership, and a modest Marriott promo.
The episode wraps up with two listener questions about last-minute hotel deals and credit card portfolio optimization.
(01:48) Flying Blue Devaluation
As of September 8th, Flying Blue has introduced three tiers for saver award tickets on Air France and KLM metal. Travellers redeeming Flying Blue miles for saver tickets will now need to choose between Light, Standard, and Flexible with differing costs and benefits.
(07:07) Chexy Now Offers Rewards on Mortgages
Chexy now allows users to pay their mortgage through their service. The cost is still 1.75%, and payment must be made from a bank account, but the benefit is that the user will receive 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent.
(13:14) Qatar Privilege Club Award Ticket Restriction Changes
In a sudden change, Qatar Airways Privilege Club has now gone back on recent changes. Members can now add other travel partners to their “Friends and Family” and “My List” features without having any activity credited to their Qatar account. The restriction of having the account open for 30 days still exists.
(16:01) Chase Aeroplan Card Refresh
The Chase Aeroplan Card has been updated with a new name, a new wooden look, a higher annual fee, and some additional benefits and credits. Keep an eye out for our next episode, which will be a deep dive into these changes.
(20:49) Canadian Aeroplan Cards Offering 15% Discount on Award Bookings
From now until January 11, 2027, Canadian Aeroplan cardholders can receive up to a 15% discount on Aeroplan redemption bookings on Air Canada flights. Travel must be completed by December 31, 2027.
(24:05) New Canadian Card Offers & FlyerFunds Rebates
Several new credit card welcome offers and elevated rebates on Canadian credit cards have launched since our last news episode:
(26:26) Amex Hilton Honors Cards With Free Night Certificates (US)
American Express US has recently launched some incredibly valuable offers on the Hilton Honors series of cards. Running until January 13, 2027, new cardholders can now earn a valuable free night certificate in addition to a chunk of Hilton points upon completing the minimum spending requirements.
(30:11) Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Business Card Rumor
American Express US has filed a trademark for “Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Business”, which means we might see a new card coming soon.
(31:46) Amex Canada Add a Card Promotion Is Back
American Express Canada is running its “Add a Card” promotion once again, where cardholders can earn additional points by adding supplementary cards and meeting a minimum spending requirement.
(35:07) Hard-to-Find Amex Canada Business Card Offers
While they aren’t available via referral or affiliate links, nor is there any guaranteed method to pull them, there are some excellent offers on the American Express Canada business cards if you are lucky enough to encounter them.
(37:18) RBC Avion to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 15% Transfer Bonus
Until October 16th, RBC Avion points can be transferred to Asia Miles with a 15% bonus. We don’t see this bonus often, so now is a great time to transfer if you are interested in the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program.
(39:31) Air Canada App Improvements
The Air Canada app has seen some great improvements, including the ability to chat with support and to give Air Canada staff members ‘Kudos’.
(41:55) Emirates Premium Economy Sweet Spot With Priority Rewards
If you have them available, Aeroplan Priority Rewards can offer some excellent value on Emirates Premium Economy, as one of the only partner airline premium economy cabins that is bookable with Aeroplan points.
(44:49) Porter Airlines Adds New London, Ontario Routes
Porter Airlines has added many new flights out of London, Ontario (YXU) to several sun destinations.
(48:52) Air Canada New Routes for Summer 2027
Air Canada has added a ton of new routes from Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.
(51:48) United Airlines Cardholder Award Space Improves
United Airlines has released a ton of award availability through their MileagePlus program, but only for those members who currently hold a United Airlines co-branded card. Thankfully, Canadians have one that is easily accessible.
(53:27) Hyatt & Delta Partnership News
World of Hyatt and Delta have announced a new partnership, but details are scarce so far. This means that the World of Hyatt and American Airlines AAdvantage partnership will end in the near future.
(54:38) Marriott’s Underwhelming Global Promo
Marriott Bonvoy has a new global promotion where members can earn bonus points on cash stays of two nights or more, or even more bonus points on resort stays.
(55:59) Listener Question: Last Minute Hotel Booking Deals
Darin asks if there are any tips or tricks to find last-minute hotel inventory at reasonable prices.
(59:22) Listener Question: Credit Card Portfolio Optimization
Susan asks a question about credit card portfolio optimization.
(01:01:40) 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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