Airmiles Armchair Chatter

Switch your account to Cash miles. That way when you redeem them, you can just put that money into a savings/travel fund and use it however you want to. I still have 7,400 Dream miles after using 10,000 on our FL flights (!). I have had our two AM accounts as Cash miles for a couple of years now and redeem them regularly.
This is what I think I’ll do going forward too. It works for PC points and it feels less risky than letting a bunch of points sit through uncertain waters. Though I hope the experts here are right, and the program survives just fine.
 
Yes. The gift card amount depends on the length of cruise, and the type of cabin you book, and is sent out approx 2 weeks after you get home from the cruise. However, the timing may change now that the GCs are being sent electronically.

The value of the gift card you get actually depends on what you pay for your cruise. Of course, the price of the cruise does reflect in the length of cruise and type of cabin. I have had several price reductions on our RCL cruises and have had the GC value reduced a few times. Rather save a few hundred on the cruise and loss $10 on the GC but they always want me to be aware of the change. The price paid is the main reason I'm getting $500 for two weeks in a balcony cabin on RCL and $1600 for three ocean view cabins for one week on DCL.
I have found that while the cruises offered through Costco travel are a good value because they are the same cost as the cruise line directly, the other travel options are seldom very good. I have always found a better price somewhere else even when I include the GC so keep that in mind if your looking for a AI through Costco.
Thanks for the information Kerreyn and Tinkerone! I will have to remember to look at Costco the next time we book a cruise. We'd like to go again in 2-3 years.


Switch your account to Cash miles. That way when you redeem them, you can just put that money into a savings/travel fund and use it however you want to. I still have 7,400 Dream miles after using 10,000 on our FL flights (!). I have had our two AM accounts as Cash miles for a couple of years now and redeem them regularly.

I switched to Cash Miles in October 2019 and do the very same thing. I use them when I purchase groceries, and then take that amount out of our grocery fund and put it into a travel fund. $10 short of $5,100 right now. My goal was $3,500 a year but the pandemic pushed that down.
 
OT question.....

So my oldest DD has a great new job and it involves a fair bit of travel. Some components of the travel the company deals with and pays directly. There are other things that DD has to pay for and get reimbursed for....... this weeks trip hotel, car, food. I have suggested that she get a credit card, strictly for work, that gives some sort of rewards. What cards are out there that give rewards but are no annual fee (preferably) or a very low fee? She has looked a little and so far only found annual fees of $139 or more. I'm not really sure that she knows what sort of reward she would want.

Thanks!
 


OT question.....

So my oldest DD has a great new job and it involves a fair bit of travel. Some components of the travel the company deals with and pays directly. There are other things that DD has to pay for and get reimbursed for....... this weeks trip hotel, car, food. I have suggested that she get a credit card, strictly for work, that gives some sort of rewards. What cards are out there that give rewards but are no annual fee (preferably) or a very low fee? She has looked a little and so far only found annual fees of $139 or more. I'm not really sure that she knows what sort of reward she would want.

Thanks!
I suggest the scene no fee card with Scotia bank
 
OT question.....

So my oldest DD has a great new job and it involves a fair bit of travel. Some components of the travel the company deals with and pays directly. There are other things that DD has to pay for and get reimbursed for....... this weeks trip hotel, car, food. I have suggested that she get a credit card, strictly for work, that gives some sort of rewards. What cards are out there that give rewards but are no annual fee (preferably) or a very low fee? She has looked a little and so far only found annual fees of $139 or more. I'm not really sure that she knows what sort of reward she would want.

Thanks!
I actually just changed over my Visa at CIBC to a Dividend Credit card with no annual fee and you earn rewards. Now that is all I can tell you because I just did it now.
 
OT question.....

So my oldest DD has a great new job and it involves a fair bit of travel. Some components of the travel the company deals with and pays directly. There are other things that DD has to pay for and get reimbursed for....... this weeks trip hotel, car, food. I have suggested that she get a credit card, strictly for work, that gives some sort of rewards. What cards are out there that give rewards but are no annual fee (preferably) or a very low fee? She has looked a little and so far only found annual fees of $139 or more. I'm not really sure that she knows what sort of reward she would want.

Thanks!

BMO Airmiles MC gives AM and no fee (the basic BMO card, not the higher level one). CIBC Dividend Visa give a % back as cash and no fee. Otherwise I'd look at what points plans she'd want to boost and go from there. I think there is an aeroplan card as well.
 


Lots of good suggestions...I will add the PC Mastercard is no fee as well
LOL.....that would be employer related.

BMO Airmiles MC gives AM and no fee (the basic BMO card, not the higher level one). CIBC Dividend Visa give a % back as cash and no fee. Otherwise I'd look at what points plans she'd want to boost and go from there. I think there is an aeroplan card as well.
She will likely only be flying AC and WJ. She has signed up for both programs. Of course I'm thinking she should go for travel based rewards as I don't see her ever spending money on a vacation. However, a cash back might be a good option for her.

I suggest the scene no fee card with Scotia bank
She used to go out a lot (as in far too much) and had thousands of Scene points but I think those days are over. It's a good idea though....who doesn't like a free movie and I know there are some other options now. Thanks.
 
LOL.....that would be employer related.


She will likely only be flying AC and WJ. She has signed up for both programs. Of course I'm thinking she should go for travel based rewards as I don't see her ever spending money on a vacation. However, a cash back might be a good option for her.


She used to go out a lot (as in far too much) and had thousands of Scene points but I think those days are over. It's a good idea though....who doesn't like a free movie and I know there are some other options now. Thanks.

Scene is travel based now too.
https://www.sceneplus.ca/
 
She texted me last night to say that something travel based would be her preference. She would like to be able to get a free flight.
I am in kind of in the same boat here,,, however I am looking for hotel accommodations.
I am thinking Expedia might work for me,,, thus I am thinking of going with Scotia Bank.
Thinking maybe the Scotia Scene Visa No fee ,, earn 5,000 first three months when you spend $750.

https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/visa/scene-card.html
OR
https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/american-express/no-fee-amex-card.html

A lot of this is dependent on what type of program scene+ runs with it's new sponsors ,


I do like the PC program but it doesn't offer me the rewards I am looking for,

Hugs Mel
 
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She texted me last night to say that something travel based would be her preference. She would like to be able to get a free flight.

aeroplan or westjet but then you are limited to those carriers, airmiles but who knows if the value is there (flights seem extra pricey now!) or scene+ since they partner with expedia for the travel rewards. But then, as with airmiles, you are booking 3rd party so changes have to be through them.
 
aeroplan or westjet but then you are limited to those carriers, airmiles but who knows if the value is there (flights seem extra pricey now!) or scene+ since they partner with expedia for the travel rewards. But then, as with airmiles, you are booking 3rd party so changes have to be through them.
Oh Boy
Making any type of change through Expedia just turned me right off my own ideas ,,,ignore my above post.
Good thing I have a few months to figure this out.


Hugs Mel
 
And just a heads up about currently booking with 3rd party vendors right now. Even though you may have paid and have a reservation, I have been hearing horror stories of over sold flights, and overbooked hotels where they will only give room to those guests that booked through the actual company and NOT value the third party vendor. It seems to be a very buyer beware outlook right now.

Here is a current story from this past weekend.

We had family flying in from Atlantic Canada to meet us in E-Town for the Garth Concert! They had booked their flights through Wj...so they were all good there. We met them at the airport to pick them up. They were staying at the same hotel as the rest of us, but they had booked their room through expedia. Guess what....they didn't get their room they paid for. As the hotel gave rooms to those who booked either through their corporate website OR called in ( which is what we did) as we didn't want to not have a hotel room with 120,000 people trying to find accommodations in the city close to the venue or train system to access the venue.

Just another thing to " consider" when looking at points and using 3rd party vendors right now and the mess with travelling right now.
 
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Hugs
Mel
 
I don't have any flights currently booked but I got an email from Air Canada with a bunch of blah blah explanations of why things are the way they are right now, and a note that they apologize for the flights they are about to cancel in July and August. I guess I won't be booking any last minute summer trips! I hope no one here is impacted. I know this isn't really AM related, I wasn't sure where to put it though.

"However, to bring about the level of operational stability we need, with reluctance, we are now making meaningful reductions to our schedule in July and August in order to reduce passenger volumes and flows to a level we believe the air transport system can accommodate."
 
I don't have any flights currently booked but I got an email from Air Canada with a bunch of blah blah explanations of why things are the way they are right now, and a note that they apologize for the flights they are about to cancel in July and August. I guess I won't be booking any last minute summer trips! I hope no one here is impacted. I know this isn't really AM related, I wasn't sure where to put it though.

"However, to bring about the level of operational stability we need, with reluctance, we are now making meaningful reductions to our schedule in July and August in order to reduce passenger volumes and flows to a level we believe the air transport system can accommodate."
Hubby was just on the phone with our daughter and while she was whining at him for over 40 minutes he got a text that was over 4 pages long stating similar things, signed by the President of Air Canada's via his Aeroplan #.

I think the main take-away message for any upcoming travel is "buckle up and prepare for things to not go as planned!"
 

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