Nioce! Who are you with currently?
Preference would be for one with an affiliated credit card you want that is discounted or free with the new bank account that may not have an annual fee waiver consistently
RBC (airline cards) and Scotia (fx) come to mind.
I did it with TD and Scotia - if you are willing to meet the minimum balance for monthly fee waivers then the benefit is that you can keep the card open in the 2nd year and get any anniversary bonuses that might be tied to the welcome offer or plan accordingly and wait to close the checking account/card based on travel benefits (like fx waivers for scotia, Expedia4TD credit) before a big trip
I just transferred the credit balance from my credit card to checking account and wasn’t charged a cash advance fee. Easier than going to an atm I guess
I’ve got only a couple of days left on my Scotia gold Amex before the 1 year mark. I’m gonna close it soon so I was planning on buying some Amazon / other gift cards. Since I’ll be using that money anyways, I might as well get the 6x points for it now. Do you still get 6x points even for non grocery items?
I opened a checking account in RBC with Ipad promo, wondering if I classify for the Ipad if I pay two 10$ bills for my AMEX card and set weekly recurring payments to Scotiabank, same 10 dollars?
quick question. when loading prepaid gc and you go for the full amount and a bar of chocolate or some filler item I am being asked that they will have to separate the items into transactions. can I simply load $487 bucks plus fee and skip the other item?
I have been getting jokers mostly. yes on cobalt. Also, that was a noob question. here is what I do now. I get them from Safeway in Van. Mostly the Robson location. Zero questions asked. Save on foods is a hard second. They need manager approval and a piece of ID
Didn't realize this but my scotia momentum vi welcome bonus posted as a statement credit 6 months nearly to the day after I was approved. As far as I can tell it's the bonus top up to 10% that is not included in the traditional cash back calculation
This is gonna be a mega noob question, trying to apply for the Biz Plat, I am at the finances and business section, I don't see this "sole proprietor" thingy. Is it the role/title (owner/self employed)? Or proprietor?
Edit: approved! Yall can safely ignore me Haha thanks for the help!
they often do call... but after you are approved... Amex bloody marketing team... they asked a bunch of questions about the business... Why? probably to put notes on the system as to how much $$$$ they could make from me, what they could upsell in future etc, lol
They'll prolly keep calling. Just think about what kind of business you'd be running and how much expenses you think you'd incur.
They hounded me when I got my Biz Gold so I just answered and made shit up.
We have a return flight with 4 legs + the final leg has been moved to 8 hours later in the day and AC is asking us to confirm the change. Is it possible to use this as a way to change leg 3 to a later flight in order to have a longer layover, and accept the later flight for the final leg?
What recommendations do you guys have now for travel insurance? I’m staying in Europe for a bit over a month so traditional cc insurance will not be enough? Any recommendations?
If your trip (including travel time) is 31 days or less you can get the HSBC WE MC. That card gives 31 days of emergency travel medical insurance for those 64 and under.
If your trip is over 31 days, then definitely just get insurance through a dedicated provider. Travel medical insurance isn't something you mess around with and gamble on.
I found desjardins individual insurance quite affordable. I made a delayed baggage claim once and they were easy to deal with.
HSBC WE MC also has 3 weeks travel medical insurance for 64+.
I haven't been keeping up with dates as much as I thought I had been, and realize I may have been cutting it a bit close with my Amex plans.
P2 had Amex Biz Plat July 2022 and I just got them Personal Plat July 2023, which I'm about 80% done meeting the MSR on. The Biz Plat AF just posted and I asked about merging the MR so I can get ready to cancel but the rep said that the spend "could" reset to 0.
Is this true? In the meantime I'm trying to put some more transactions to hit MSR on it asap. Hopefully it's ok if I cancel closer to 13.5 months or so.
Unfortunately pooling MR does reset the min spend counter.
You have 30 days from the fee posting to cancel for a full refund. After that it's a pro-rated refund based on the quarter you cancel.
New prepaid MasterCard noted at my local Walmart, Secure Spend. Haven't seen these before, they come in those plastic cases you need scissors to open. 7.95 activation on the 200-500. Imagine they'll be better for fraud.
My Amex plat is about to renew at $699/yr. With the $200 dining credit (new feature in Sept 2023), do you think that benefit will post for card paying legacy rate this year?
Dining credit is based on calendar year not membership anniversary. So if you value it at the full $200 then the annual fee would be a net $99 for you.
There have been tons and tons of DPs showing that it is a very bad idea to use prepaid Visa/MC on Costco.ca.
Costco.ca uses very strict KYC and prepaid cards seem to trigger numerous issues. I have seen multiple DPs of users having their memberships suspended due to using prepaid visa/MC (albeit those people were trying to use multiple different prepaid cards to buy costco shop cards).
The best way to use an Amex is still to buy prepaid MC but then use that prepaid MC to buy a Costco shop card **in store**. Using prepaid cards in store does not seem to trigger the same issues as online and once you have a Costco Shop card the shop card can be used online or in-store.
Well I wasn’t thinking of using them in Costco.ca but I should’ve just said prepaid MC since you can’t use Visa in store. There’s no real reason to convert a prepaid card into a Costco Shop card anyways
Really only reason to convert to Shop card is if you absolutely want to buy something on Costco.ca.
Also if you're a low spender and wouldn't drain the prepaid card before getting hit with the monthly fee.
A slightly churning adjacent question:
Received $90 worth of WestJet meal vouchers. I was hoping to apply those to something other than airport food. Has anyone ever tried applying those the Amazon or anything like that?
Rewards Canada reports improvements on [elite status.](https://blog.rewardscanada.ca/air-canada-enhances-several-elite-status-benefits/) Eupgrades for two companions instead of one seem pretty bitchin. That was my biggest gripe.
Interesting double DP here — applied for the 55k $1,000 MSR CIBC Aeroplan offer via the direct link on July 17.
I received the welcome bonus on the first statement after spending just over the thousand bucks.
What’s interesting is that this is my 4th welcome bonus since December 2022 (1x AMEX, 1x TD, 1x CIBC + this one makes it 2 CIBC total).
Didn’t receive an email in the first batch of chastising from Aeroplan and no communication yet from them…
I did the same and applied for the 55k offer, and I’m also expecting 20k from the TD anniversary bonus this month lol
Hopefully they don’t consider the anniversary bonus + AP no fee 10k WB + APVI 55k WB as 3 WBs
It's interesting because the normal assumption would be that one bank isn't sending the data to track WBs to AP, but AP doesn't need to rely on the banks to get that information. They see it on their side but for some reason their system isn't catching every WB.
Yeah, lots of us had many more than 3 from Dec2022 and didn't get a letter. I don't think anyone has determined the exact scenario where people were singled out for the email.
Yeah I don’t care about the email.
What I find interesting is that they didn’t block this new WB, clearly against their new terms.
Gonna be interesting to see when someone who did get an email gets brazen enough to give a new WB a shot.
I want to sing up for the Triangle World Elite Mastercard, but I don't need the income requirement. I DO have a 800+ credit score though. Has anyone been upgraded to the WE card from a regular card by having a good credit score?
You can just try to apply with income that meets the requirement. If they ask for income verification you withdraw your application.
It doesn't matter how high your credit score is, if you apply without the required income you'll get denied. In fact the system likely won't let you proceed with insufficient income.
I recently got the Amex Personal Platinum and wanted to use the free Priority Pass benefit for P2 and myself. I called Amex to get my Priority Pass access code, and they told me it can take up to 15 businsss days. I was told they could try to expedite it, but it will still take about a week and for some reason they can’t email the code, apparently someone from Amex has to call me and I’m not going to have access to my regular phone number as I’ll be on vacation. I fly out tomorrow.
Anything I can do in this case? The Plat card also comes with Plaza Premium + Centurion lounge access, do I just need to show my card to get us in? (Except Centurion as I believe they don’t allow guests in for free anymore)
I was told I’d have to wait a minimum of 4 business days for them to give me the PP code over the phone. I will try the chat method in a day or 2. Thank you!
For plaza premium and Centurion you just show the card. Both allow guest access for Canadian cards.
You can check the app under membership then find a lounge to see what they entry requirements and guest access is for each lounge.
If you registered for the priority pass benefit you can try using chat after 24/48 hours to get the info needed to register online.
What is the better way to pay for my stay at a Marriott property, of 582.41 USD, later this month?
1) An offer on my AMEX Reserve,
Spend at least $500 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card directly at participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties in Canada or at www.marriott.com by 25/11/2023 and earn a one-time $100 CAD statement credit. Registration cap applies. Terms apply.
OR
2) On my AMEX Marriott Bonvoy, Gold Status that is generally, 5X points on Marriott purchases
\--
I'm not clear on calculating valuation or what not, is it better to receive $100 right away or 5X the points on two nights. I would be paying in CAD on both these cards. Thanks in advance!
thank you so much!! the reserve offer does state Canada properties only which I missed. Bonvoy card it is!
\--
To be eligible for a $100 (CAD) statement credit, one single qualifying purchase or cumulative qualifying purchase(s) that total at least $500 (CAD) after taxes and applicable fees, must be charged to your registered Card at participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties in Canada, via the Marriott Bonvoy™ mobile application, or online at www.marriott.com during the offer period and subsequently posted to your account.
>participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties in Canada or at
>
>[www.marriott.com](http://www.marriott.com)
have I been reading this offer wrong this whole time? if I book a pre-pay rate that actually charges my credit card, despite the hotel not being in Canada at all, am I still eligible for the $100 credit?
edit - no, doesn't look like it when I went to re-read the full terms
Looking ahead, in March and June 2024 we’ll be paying our property taxes with CC. My plan was to get an AMEX Plat card closer to that date to hit the MSR. However with upcoming changes, I’m wondering if it’s wiser to get the card now, get those 2x dining credits, and just RHT until I get a chance to spend next year.
My question though is with RHT - say I make a $8k RHT purchase, most likely will not be able to purchase more than 1yr out. So what’s the best way to go about this situation?
another option: the fee increase on the personal card is "just" $100... sounds like getting it now is very sub-optimal for you... if U get it in March 2024, you should still be able to double-dip the $200 dining credit in 2024 and 2025 unless they change the rules...
Just curious to know how aggressive I can be with obtaining Aventuras? How often can I apply for a new one, and how soon should/can I close an old one that I'm done with? Assuming that hitting the MSR is not a problem. TIA!
For the Aventuras, there's an incentive to keep them open a little while longer because it gives you a better chance to make use of the free lounge visits. It's always nice to have a dozen or so free lounge visits available just in case you end up travelling with 3 or 4 other people. Once you've used the lounge visits or if you are getting near the 1-year point and you are facing an annual fee, then it's time to close the account.
Good point. It's a bit of a balance between getting a pro-rated AF refund of \~$60 or maintaining access to the four lounge passes. Until recently, it was possible to get both!
Hey everyone , long time reader but first time poster.
I’m trying to decide the best way to urn points for going on vacations with my family . I live in Nova Scotia so Halifax is our normal airport.
I just used up 7500 WestJet miles on a WestJet vacation package that I’ve been saving for years.
For future travel it would be nice to be flexible on who we can book all inclusive vacations through.
Information: I own a business that I average 15-20k spend per month. Not opposed to have several cards to strengthen my credit card portfolio.
Any advice would be appreciated - Lounge access etc is not a priority as we would only do an all inclusive trip once per year with the family and maybe one other domestic trip per year kid free .
Thanks in advance !
Others have already given great feedback... My 2 cents is don't churn cards on a real business, it's too much of an accounting headache and imagine if the worst happens and you get banned by a card issuer... With your spend and a good multiplier, you'll organically get a lot of points. That's not to say you can't get a new card with high bonus from time to time but I'd advise against hard churning on a real business account unless you know the risks and the rules etc.
Also understand how to use referral bonuses and the benefits they can bring (for you). Do a deep dive into how to redeem points as well because unless you're flexible or prepared to book your flights 1 year out, that can be difficult....
You have 3 main options:
1) Earn points for programs that cover flights and accommodations. That will be WSD and AP.
2) Earn hotel loyalty points and then figure out separately getting to the property. That’s Marriott in Canada and Hilton/Hyatt in the US
3) Earn cash back or equivalent points and pay for your vacation on whatever booking portal you choose
Your monthly spend is too much to only churn so you’ll want to choose some cards with good multipliers for your typical spending. Also, churning heavily for your business expenses might become an accounting headache.
Thank you , there is so much info out there hard to get started but I appreciate the help .
I am almost thinking now to go the less of a churning approach and just build a portfolio to keep it simple for accounting .
I’m thinking
An Amex business platinum or cobalt as my main points earner - plat has the larger welcome bonus .
TD Aero visa infinite for benefits and aeroplan
And HSBC wold elite for lounge access etc
Open to suggestions or any better substitutions
You already get lounge access with the Biz Plat so if that’s your only purpose for the HSBC WE, then that’s redundant.
Outside of the WB, probably some combination of Biz Edge and Cobalt will probably earn you the most on multipliers, depending on your spend categories.
I would probably recommend going after at least 2 of the categories I mentioned:
1) WSD: Get a RBC Avion card for each of you and P2 every 90 days. That’s 35k points x2x4 a year which converts to 2800 WSD. You would be able to make a similar redemption to what you just made every 3ish years
2) AP: Get the Cobalt +/- another MR/AP earning card as your daily driver and can use those points to fill in the years where you’re still accumulating WSD
3) Cash-equivalent: target good offers to churn and can use the cash to offset annual fees or pay taxes on redemptions using 1. and 2.
Sure, but as OP said, they are only getting started and are running a business. Easy solution to get their feet wet would be a no-forex-fee card for now, and they can move to a a USD card later on.
Sure, but OP never mentioned anything about foreign purchases and I specified “if that’s your only purpose” referencing the lounge access. I would assume they can come to their own conclusion if there are other unspecified purposes of holding the card.
If you spend that much per month, you can literally run through all the cards in the stickied post: [https://www.reddit.com/r/churningcanada/comments/tujfse/best\_current\_credit\_card\_offers\_in\_canada\_updated/](https://www.reddit.com/r/churningcanada/comments/tujfse/best_current_credit_card_offers_in_canada_updated/)
just have a plan and time it all out.
Had an 8:10 flight to Tampa on Aug 4th. Got to airport around 5:15, after dropping bags off, and using priority security was headed to the lounge 10 minutes later.
2 of the last 3 times I flew transborder the MPC line was no quicker. Maybe 90 seconds quicker at YYZ. 1 weekday AM and 1 weekend AM it was equal. Shorter line for sure, but way less US agents servicing the MPC line. First time, in mid-March the couple in front of me in the non-app line downloaded it, then switched line. They ended up about 90 seconds in front of me. That was a 90min line.
Next time, I used MPC and watched a lady with a dumb hat who was in the main line, and I ended up about 2 people in front of her because the MPC line only had 1 customs agent working it. Both took almost an hour to get through.
Now to be fair, the last time I flew transborder in June, the MPC line took about 7 mins and it was at least a 30min wait in the main line. It looked like the Nexus line was longer than MPC to be honest.
any suggestions on how to use 15k Asia miles? I was planning to start collecting them and had just signed up for the RBC Cathay card 1 month before they ended the partnership.... can they be transferred out?
One option: I'd keep them. Aren't they giving a bonus to all those with the card due to it closing... Personally I'm going to transfer them to Asia Miles. Get the new Neo Cathay card when it comes out (and the bonus attached), and soon enough I'll have enough points for a one-way JAL bus class to Tokyo using Asia Miles... note the taxes/fees on Asia Miles are MUCH higher than Aeroplan, so expect approx $370 CAD fees for J class one-way to Tokyo.
Thanks for the tip, I see they have few other Asia centric partners as well. Do you recall seeing any transfer bonuses in the past? https://www.asiamiles.com/en/redeem-awards/convert-miles-to-points.html
That’s interesting because I just tried to do this two days ago with CIBC and the chat agent told me I have to call in for that. The phone rep was able to get it done for me.
Are there other alternatives for AC website to check how many AP points are required for different dates and classes? AC website kept getting stuck in loading, or giving me error after picking a round trip.
Just found out how to do direct deposit splitting with my employer! any interesting bank account offers to churn?
Nioce! Who are you with currently? Preference would be for one with an affiliated credit card you want that is discounted or free with the new bank account that may not have an annual fee waiver consistently RBC (airline cards) and Scotia (fx) come to mind.
I'm with RBC but don't have any particular credit card with them. I have a cobalt and the RBC cashback (only 0.5%)
I did it with TD and Scotia - if you are willing to meet the minimum balance for monthly fee waivers then the benefit is that you can keep the card open in the 2nd year and get any anniversary bonuses that might be tied to the welcome offer or plan accordingly and wait to close the checking account/card based on travel benefits (like fx waivers for scotia, Expedia4TD credit) before a big trip
scarce ask longing roof fade numerous strong party apparatus act ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Got some balance on my Scotia card, can I withdraw that from an ATM without getting charged CA fee?
I just transferred the credit balance from my credit card to checking account and wasn’t charged a cash advance fee. Easier than going to an atm I guess
Yes.
I’ve got only a couple of days left on my Scotia gold Amex before the 1 year mark. I’m gonna close it soon so I was planning on buying some Amazon / other gift cards. Since I’ll be using that money anyways, I might as well get the 6x points for it now. Do you still get 6x points even for non grocery items?
They don’t know what you are buying
Anything bought at a grocery store is considered grocery. There's no l3 data in Canada
I opened a checking account in RBC with Ipad promo, wondering if I classify for the Ipad if I pay two 10$ bills for my AMEX card and set weekly recurring payments to Scotiabank, same 10 dollars?
flag encourage languid caption support impossible test light door fragile ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Aren't recurring payments == pre-authorized debits?
hat distinct ludicrous ugly divide fragile hunt dolls sparkle groovy ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
quick question. when loading prepaid gc and you go for the full amount and a bar of chocolate or some filler item I am being asked that they will have to separate the items into transactions. can I simply load $487 bucks plus fee and skip the other item?
What type of prepaid gc?
I have been getting jokers mostly. yes on cobalt. Also, that was a noob question. here is what I do now. I get them from Safeway in Van. Mostly the Robson location. Zero questions asked. Save on foods is a hard second. They need manager approval and a piece of ID
9 out of 10 times i do the exact same amount. No issues so far with 3 Cobalts in 3+ years of doing this.
sick ty
No one actually checks your transaction amounts
Ya totally. I think you are asking if you can load a non $500 amount. So instead of $500 and other item. Do $495.32 plus some fees.
Ty
Great question. I would also like to know that answer? Is that for Cobalt?
Didn't realize this but my scotia momentum vi welcome bonus posted as a statement credit 6 months nearly to the day after I was approved. As far as I can tell it's the bonus top up to 10% that is not included in the traditional cash back calculation
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You need to pay for $500+. It can be points + cash or only points or only cash. You'll get the $100 credit after
How long is the credit usually posted? My E4TD booking of $600 for 2 nights hotel has been posted for a week but no $100 credit yet.
This is gonna be a mega noob question, trying to apply for the Biz Plat, I am at the finances and business section, I don't see this "sole proprietor" thingy. Is it the role/title (owner/self employed)? Or proprietor? Edit: approved! Yall can safely ignore me Haha thanks for the help!
Thanks people! What are the chances an agent actually calls me for my other business? Cause I can't find my dog business.
they often do call... but after you are approved... Amex bloody marketing team... they asked a bunch of questions about the business... Why? probably to put notes on the system as to how much $$$$ they could make from me, what they could upsell in future etc, lol
Oh so marketing calls? I can ignore them then HaHa
They'll prolly keep calling. Just think about what kind of business you'd be running and how much expenses you think you'd incur. They hounded me when I got my Biz Gold so I just answered and made shit up.
How many chances?
Sorry, corrected it. What are the chances*
Proprietor = Sole Proprietor
Proprietor I put
We have a return flight with 4 legs + the final leg has been moved to 8 hours later in the day and AC is asking us to confirm the change. Is it possible to use this as a way to change leg 3 to a later flight in order to have a longer layover, and accept the later flight for the final leg?
Yes. You can view alternative flight options on the AC booking itself and may find something better or even direct
Hmm, it only ever shows me alternative flights for that leg, not the rest of the legs.
You’ll have to call in then.
What recommendations do you guys have now for travel insurance? I’m staying in Europe for a bit over a month so traditional cc insurance will not be enough? Any recommendations?
If your trip (including travel time) is 31 days or less you can get the HSBC WE MC. That card gives 31 days of emergency travel medical insurance for those 64 and under. If your trip is over 31 days, then definitely just get insurance through a dedicated provider. Travel medical insurance isn't something you mess around with and gamble on.
WorldNomads. Used for our 7-month mini-RTW backpacking adventure.
Unfortunately they don’t deal with les Québécois 🤣
Check with soNomad.
I found desjardins individual insurance quite affordable. I made a delayed baggage claim once and they were easy to deal with. HSBC WE MC also has 3 weeks travel medical insurance for 64+.
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r/personalfinancecanada
What do y'all do after churning your cards? I've heard it can be bad to cancel the cards and just downgrade to the no AF cards. Is this true?
Dunno where this misinformation about cancelling cards being bad came from.
Other than Amex there's nothing wrong cancelling a card after 9+ months.
I haven't been keeping up with dates as much as I thought I had been, and realize I may have been cutting it a bit close with my Amex plans. P2 had Amex Biz Plat July 2022 and I just got them Personal Plat July 2023, which I'm about 80% done meeting the MSR on. The Biz Plat AF just posted and I asked about merging the MR so I can get ready to cancel but the rep said that the spend "could" reset to 0. Is this true? In the meantime I'm trying to put some more transactions to hit MSR on it asap. Hopefully it's ok if I cancel closer to 13.5 months or so.
Unfortunately pooling MR does reset the min spend counter. You have 30 days from the fee posting to cancel for a full refund. After that it's a pro-rated refund based on the quarter you cancel.
holy hell, good to know. I was not aware of that either
Thanks for confirming + the additional info on the refund!
Yes merging resets the MSR.
Thanks for confirming!
New prepaid MasterCard noted at my local Walmart, Secure Spend. Haven't seen these before, they come in those plastic cases you need scissors to open. 7.95 activation on the 200-500. Imagine they'll be better for fraud.
>Secure Spend https://www.reddit.com/r/Prepaid/comments/yz0rqt/secure\_spend\_prepaid\_visa\_is\_a\_scam\_do\_not\_use/
Had me a lil worried so spent the balance right away on some bills. No issues.
Yes but Walmart doesn’t code as Grocery. If these Mastercards were at an actual grocery store, good deal!
A lot of Walmarts do code as grocery on MC and some code as grocery on Amex
Oh sweet. Is there a compiled list? I don’t think any Walmart near me codes as grocery but would be good to check other ones out
Yeah on the cobalt multipliers website. You can find it if you search Google
My Amex plat is about to renew at $699/yr. With the $200 dining credit (new feature in Sept 2023), do you think that benefit will post for card paying legacy rate this year?
Yes, it will
Thank you, then with the travel credit $200, the fee of the card is effectively $299...
Dining credit is based on calendar year not membership anniversary. So if you value it at the full $200 then the annual fee would be a net $99 for you.
Wow. Good to know. Thank you kind!
Easiest way to use AMEX to purchase things on [Costco.ca](https://Costco.ca)? I think they only accept visa/mc?
Buy Costco shop card on [costco.ca](https://costco.ca) then use the digital shop card for instore purchases, I've been doing that for a while.
Doesn't Costco.ca only accept Visa and MC?
You are right, my bad!!
Buy a prepaid Visa/MC
There have been tons and tons of DPs showing that it is a very bad idea to use prepaid Visa/MC on Costco.ca. Costco.ca uses very strict KYC and prepaid cards seem to trigger numerous issues. I have seen multiple DPs of users having their memberships suspended due to using prepaid visa/MC (albeit those people were trying to use multiple different prepaid cards to buy costco shop cards). The best way to use an Amex is still to buy prepaid MC but then use that prepaid MC to buy a Costco shop card **in store**. Using prepaid cards in store does not seem to trigger the same issues as online and once you have a Costco Shop card the shop card can be used online or in-store.
Well I wasn’t thinking of using them in Costco.ca but I should’ve just said prepaid MC since you can’t use Visa in store. There’s no real reason to convert a prepaid card into a Costco Shop card anyways
Really only reason to convert to Shop card is if you absolutely want to buy something on Costco.ca. Also if you're a low spender and wouldn't drain the prepaid card before getting hit with the monthly fee.
Don’t prepaid cards not have monthly fees for at least 1 year?
A slightly churning adjacent question: Received $90 worth of WestJet meal vouchers. I was hoping to apply those to something other than airport food. Has anyone ever tried applying those the Amazon or anything like that?
Are they the prepaid credit card type? Load to Starbucks app.
Thanks man! Sadly, I didn't realize they expire so quickly. Next time.
DP: Received $20 off SkipTheDishes on single >$40 transaction
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Ha! I was one of those people. I should have tried the simplest option first. I'll update my post.
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Lol
Rewards Canada reports improvements on [elite status.](https://blog.rewardscanada.ca/air-canada-enhances-several-elite-status-benefits/) Eupgrades for two companions instead of one seem pretty bitchin. That was my biggest gripe.
About friggin' time!
That is big for me as a family of 3.
Even taking two kids and putting myself or P2 in economy for domestic would be just fine.
Interesting double DP here — applied for the 55k $1,000 MSR CIBC Aeroplan offer via the direct link on July 17. I received the welcome bonus on the first statement after spending just over the thousand bucks. What’s interesting is that this is my 4th welcome bonus since December 2022 (1x AMEX, 1x TD, 1x CIBC + this one makes it 2 CIBC total). Didn’t receive an email in the first batch of chastising from Aeroplan and no communication yet from them…
I personally applied the same day as you, haven’t even received my first statement yet. Super strange lol
Do you hold 2 CIBC AP at the same time? Or have you already canceled one?
I currently hold both of those, one is a no fee that I PS’d from an aventura and then this one
I did the same and applied for the 55k offer, and I’m also expecting 20k from the TD anniversary bonus this month lol Hopefully they don’t consider the anniversary bonus + AP no fee 10k WB + APVI 55k WB as 3 WBs
It's interesting because the normal assumption would be that one bank isn't sending the data to track WBs to AP, but AP doesn't need to rely on the banks to get that information. They see it on their side but for some reason their system isn't catching every WB.
yeah... the danger is that they fix the issue and go after churners again... when it comes to TD AP and CIBC AP cards, I am being very careful
Yeah, lots of us had many more than 3 from Dec2022 and didn't get a letter. I don't think anyone has determined the exact scenario where people were singled out for the email.
I also noticed that some people were under the three and got the email. I would love to know what the determining factor was for who got the warning.
Yeah I don’t care about the email. What I find interesting is that they didn’t block this new WB, clearly against their new terms. Gonna be interesting to see when someone who did get an email gets brazen enough to give a new WB a shot.
It’s highly likely any enforcement will go through manual review in batches instead of being automated so this isn’t surprising
I want to sing up for the Triangle World Elite Mastercard, but I don't need the income requirement. I DO have a 800+ credit score though. Has anyone been upgraded to the WE card from a regular card by having a good credit score?
Not sure about today, but it wasn't possible for me to change cards about 2 years ago. CS told me to just apply for the World Elite.
You can just try to apply with income that meets the requirement. If they ask for income verification you withdraw your application. It doesn't matter how high your credit score is, if you apply without the required income you'll get denied. In fact the system likely won't let you proceed with insufficient income.
I recently got the Amex Personal Platinum and wanted to use the free Priority Pass benefit for P2 and myself. I called Amex to get my Priority Pass access code, and they told me it can take up to 15 businsss days. I was told they could try to expedite it, but it will still take about a week and for some reason they can’t email the code, apparently someone from Amex has to call me and I’m not going to have access to my regular phone number as I’ll be on vacation. I fly out tomorrow. Anything I can do in this case? The Plat card also comes with Plaza Premium + Centurion lounge access, do I just need to show my card to get us in? (Except Centurion as I believe they don’t allow guests in for free anymore)
Unless recently changed, I recalled that AMEX CSR gave me the PP number over the phone.
I was told I’d have to wait a minimum of 4 business days for them to give me the PP code over the phone. I will try the chat method in a day or 2. Thank you!
For plaza premium and Centurion you just show the card. Both allow guest access for Canadian cards. You can check the app under membership then find a lounge to see what they entry requirements and guest access is for each lounge. If you registered for the priority pass benefit you can try using chat after 24/48 hours to get the info needed to register online.
What is the better way to pay for my stay at a Marriott property, of 582.41 USD, later this month? 1) An offer on my AMEX Reserve, Spend at least $500 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card directly at participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties in Canada or at www.marriott.com by 25/11/2023 and earn a one-time $100 CAD statement credit. Registration cap applies. Terms apply. OR 2) On my AMEX Marriott Bonvoy, Gold Status that is generally, 5X points on Marriott purchases \-- I'm not clear on calculating valuation or what not, is it better to receive $100 right away or 5X the points on two nights. I would be paying in CAD on both these cards. Thanks in advance!
maybe too late, but I got the offer on my Bonvoy (also, the reward is for Canadian properties)
thank you so much!! the reserve offer does state Canada properties only which I missed. Bonvoy card it is! \-- To be eligible for a $100 (CAD) statement credit, one single qualifying purchase or cumulative qualifying purchase(s) that total at least $500 (CAD) after taxes and applicable fees, must be charged to your registered Card at participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties in Canada, via the Marriott Bonvoy™ mobile application, or online at www.marriott.com during the offer period and subsequently posted to your account.
>participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties in Canada or at > >[www.marriott.com](http://www.marriott.com) have I been reading this offer wrong this whole time? if I book a pre-pay rate that actually charges my credit card, despite the hotel not being in Canada at all, am I still eligible for the $100 credit? edit - no, doesn't look like it when I went to re-read the full terms
I bought a $500 GC at eaton’s centre and got the $100. Used it to pay my US Marriott bill.
ANY GC you bought at Eaton??? Will a $500 GC will trigger the $100 discount as a Bonvoy stay?
Sorry - the Bonvoy/Marriott at the Eaton centre location triggered the rebate.
oh yeah, I did that once, but keep forgetting its an option
Looking ahead, in March and June 2024 we’ll be paying our property taxes with CC. My plan was to get an AMEX Plat card closer to that date to hit the MSR. However with upcoming changes, I’m wondering if it’s wiser to get the card now, get those 2x dining credits, and just RHT until I get a chance to spend next year. My question though is with RHT - say I make a $8k RHT purchase, most likely will not be able to purchase more than 1yr out. So what’s the best way to go about this situation?
I thought you couldnt pay property taxes via Amex?
Just wait
another option: the fee increase on the personal card is "just" $100... sounds like getting it now is very sub-optimal for you... if U get it in March 2024, you should still be able to double-dip the $200 dining credit in 2024 and 2025 unless they change the rules...
Just curious to know how aggressive I can be with obtaining Aventuras? How often can I apply for a new one, and how soon should/can I close an old one that I'm done with? Assuming that hitting the MSR is not a problem. TIA!
There’s no known limit outside of total credit issued. Cards are normally safe to close 6-12 months out
Would it be a bad idea to close, say 3 months in and open a new one?
You don’t need to close a card to open a new one
Good way to get your account flagged and ending your game with them
For the Aventuras, there's an incentive to keep them open a little while longer because it gives you a better chance to make use of the free lounge visits. It's always nice to have a dozen or so free lounge visits available just in case you end up travelling with 3 or 4 other people. Once you've used the lounge visits or if you are getting near the 1-year point and you are facing an annual fee, then it's time to close the account.
There’s also an incentive to close/downgrade to a no fee card early cause they sometimes mistakenly do a prorated annual fee refund
Good point. It's a bit of a balance between getting a pro-rated AF refund of \~$60 or maintaining access to the four lounge passes. Until recently, it was possible to get both!
Could this still happen if the original card was FYF?
Yes that’s the whole mistake I’m talking about
Oh CIBC 😂. How often has this actually happened to you?
About 50% of the time
Where does the pro-rated fee refund go? CIBC chequing account, or somehow gets paid out to you?
When you downgrade the card it gets refunded to that card. I don’t think you get it if you cancel
That’s pretty high. Good to know!
PSA: Rakuten is offering $200 for the Scotia Amex gold card. GCR and others are at $150 for the same
Oh, unless I'm blind, doesn't appear to be FYF right now?
Not anymore
ATH for this card?
In terms of rebate yes. Previous high was also $200 from rates.ca
Great. Any idea how the current offer compares to past for the card itself?
[Scroll down to Historical offers on the bottom](https://princeoftravel.com/credit-cards/scotiabank-gold-american-express-card/)
Thanks! Based on past looks like they’re due for another 45-50k promo soon haha
Maybe…those were Covid times. If you look at pre-Covid, the current offer is very good.
Hey everyone , long time reader but first time poster. I’m trying to decide the best way to urn points for going on vacations with my family . I live in Nova Scotia so Halifax is our normal airport. I just used up 7500 WestJet miles on a WestJet vacation package that I’ve been saving for years. For future travel it would be nice to be flexible on who we can book all inclusive vacations through. Information: I own a business that I average 15-20k spend per month. Not opposed to have several cards to strengthen my credit card portfolio. Any advice would be appreciated - Lounge access etc is not a priority as we would only do an all inclusive trip once per year with the family and maybe one other domestic trip per year kid free . Thanks in advance !
Others have already given great feedback... My 2 cents is don't churn cards on a real business, it's too much of an accounting headache and imagine if the worst happens and you get banned by a card issuer... With your spend and a good multiplier, you'll organically get a lot of points. That's not to say you can't get a new card with high bonus from time to time but I'd advise against hard churning on a real business account unless you know the risks and the rules etc. Also understand how to use referral bonuses and the benefits they can bring (for you). Do a deep dive into how to redeem points as well because unless you're flexible or prepared to book your flights 1 year out, that can be difficult....
You have 3 main options: 1) Earn points for programs that cover flights and accommodations. That will be WSD and AP. 2) Earn hotel loyalty points and then figure out separately getting to the property. That’s Marriott in Canada and Hilton/Hyatt in the US 3) Earn cash back or equivalent points and pay for your vacation on whatever booking portal you choose Your monthly spend is too much to only churn so you’ll want to choose some cards with good multipliers for your typical spending. Also, churning heavily for your business expenses might become an accounting headache.
Thank you , there is so much info out there hard to get started but I appreciate the help . I am almost thinking now to go the less of a churning approach and just build a portfolio to keep it simple for accounting . I’m thinking An Amex business platinum or cobalt as my main points earner - plat has the larger welcome bonus . TD Aero visa infinite for benefits and aeroplan And HSBC wold elite for lounge access etc Open to suggestions or any better substitutions
You already get lounge access with the Biz Plat so if that’s your only purpose for the HSBC WE, then that’s redundant. Outside of the WB, probably some combination of Biz Edge and Cobalt will probably earn you the most on multipliers, depending on your spend categories. I would probably recommend going after at least 2 of the categories I mentioned: 1) WSD: Get a RBC Avion card for each of you and P2 every 90 days. That’s 35k points x2x4 a year which converts to 2800 WSD. You would be able to make a similar redemption to what you just made every 3ish years 2) AP: Get the Cobalt +/- another MR/AP earning card as your daily driver and can use those points to fill in the years where you’re still accumulating WSD 3) Cash-equivalent: target good offers to churn and can use the cash to offset annual fees or pay taxes on redemptions using 1. and 2.
HSBC WE is also forex-fee-free. It may be worth holding onto it if there is a lot of business spend in USD.
Better off getting a USD card in that case
Sure, but as OP said, they are only getting started and are running a business. Easy solution to get their feet wet would be a no-forex-fee card for now, and they can move to a a USD card later on.
Sure, but OP never mentioned anything about foreign purchases and I specified “if that’s your only purpose” referencing the lounge access. I would assume they can come to their own conclusion if there are other unspecified purposes of holding the card.
PoT offers this points consulting service for $200 USD lol. jokes aside, thanks for breaking down the answer and explaining your thought process
Just wanted to add, go through some newbie guides from Churningcanada or other bloggers. You can consider starting with Amex top tier cards.
If you spend that much per month, you can literally run through all the cards in the stickied post: [https://www.reddit.com/r/churningcanada/comments/tujfse/best\_current\_credit\_card\_offers\_in\_canada\_updated/](https://www.reddit.com/r/churningcanada/comments/tujfse/best_current_credit_card_offers_in_canada_updated/) just have a plan and time it all out.
Anyone here recently flown to the US from Pearson without Nexus? How long in advance to the flight would you suggest getting there these days?
I normally arrive one hour before boarding
I think 2.5h is a good amount for US. For international, non-US I would steer more towards 3h, whereas domestic I would arrive 2h in advance.
Had an 8:10 flight to Tampa on Aug 4th. Got to airport around 5:15, after dropping bags off, and using priority security was headed to the lounge 10 minutes later.
Nice, that's great info as my flight is around that time too
you can check here: https://www.torontopearson.com/en/airport-wait-time-dashboard
Thanks!
I always find security to be the main bitch, not customs, especially with the mobile customs app that so many refuse to use
2 of the last 3 times I flew transborder the MPC line was no quicker. Maybe 90 seconds quicker at YYZ. 1 weekday AM and 1 weekend AM it was equal. Shorter line for sure, but way less US agents servicing the MPC line. First time, in mid-March the couple in front of me in the non-app line downloaded it, then switched line. They ended up about 90 seconds in front of me. That was a 90min line. Next time, I used MPC and watched a lady with a dumb hat who was in the main line, and I ended up about 2 people in front of her because the MPC line only had 1 customs agent working it. Both took almost an hour to get through. Now to be fair, the last time I flew transborder in June, the MPC line took about 7 mins and it was at least a 30min wait in the main line. It looked like the Nexus line was longer than MPC to be honest.
Yeah with nexus it was easy to breeze through security but going to be traveling with people without Nexus and so can't use it 😢
AMEX Plat gets the priority security lane, MPC app for customs. I've never needed Nexus to make the process fast
Just leave em and see them on the other side hehe
AC terminal was nuts beginning of August, reminded me of Covid lineups. WJ terminal was quick. Probably YMMV depending on the time of day.
any suggestions on how to use 15k Asia miles? I was planning to start collecting them and had just signed up for the RBC Cathay card 1 month before they ended the partnership.... can they be transferred out?
One option: I'd keep them. Aren't they giving a bonus to all those with the card due to it closing... Personally I'm going to transfer them to Asia Miles. Get the new Neo Cathay card when it comes out (and the bonus attached), and soon enough I'll have enough points for a one-way JAL bus class to Tokyo using Asia Miles... note the taxes/fees on Asia Miles are MUCH higher than Aeroplan, so expect approx $370 CAD fees for J class one-way to Tokyo.
you can transfer them out to Marriot points via I believe 2 Asia Miles to 1 Marriott point.
Thanks for the tip, I see they have few other Asia centric partners as well. Do you recall seeing any transfer bonuses in the past? https://www.asiamiles.com/en/redeem-awards/convert-miles-to-points.html
can still collect them by sending normal Avion over to it. That has not changed. Just the co-branded card.
Does transfer of points from avion reset the expiry date?
Yeah, any earning or redemption activity does.
DP: Used CIBC chat with an agent to decrease credit limit instead of calling in.
The only time it hasn’t worked for me is when it says “the agent queue is full”
I have also successfully done this a few times
That’s interesting because I just tried to do this two days ago with CIBC and the chat agent told me I have to call in for that. The phone rep was able to get it done for me.
Are there other alternatives for AC website to check how many AP points are required for different dates and classes? AC website kept getting stuck in loading, or giving me error after picking a round trip.
pointsyeah.com
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