COASTING ON POINTS

Airport lounges. I love them. If you haven't been to an airport lounge, you're missing out. Just think of it as a peaceful all-you-can-eat-and-drink affair right before your flight. Trust me - once you've experienced a good airport lounge, you get addicted!

Many premium travel credit cards offer welcome bonuses for new customers, but they are usually contingent on meeting a certain level of spending in 3-6 months. Most cards require spending $1,000-$1,500 in 3 months, which is fairly doable for most people. On the other hand, cards such as the American Express Platinum Card or the BMO World Elite MasterCard ask for $6,000 and $3,000 in the first 90 days respectively, which can feel difficult to meet unless you start spending more than you usually do. I personally don't believe in changing your spending habits for the worse for these more premium cards. However, with some maneuvering, you can re-arrange your payments  without increasing your spending . Here are thirteen (13) legitimate ways to meet your minimum spend, without compromising your regular spending habits: 1. Charge your every day expenses to your new card (groceries, dining, gas, etc.) ✔  No additional fees ✔  MasterCard, Visa, Amex This is an ob...

While you can pay with credit card anywhere in the world nowadays, most cards come with an annoying 2.5% "foreign transaction" fee that is charged on any purchase that isn’t in Canadian dollars. Sometimes, it’s on top of an exchange rate that already has a 1-2% spread on the market rate. If you prefer not to incur that 2.5% surcharge, keep reading to find out which Canadian credit cards waive the foreign transaction fee, along with other benefits! Last Updated: September 21, 2022 Disclaimer: Some of the links below are referral links, which means I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This post is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own. The TL;DR BEST NO FEE PERMANENT CARD: Home Trust Preferred Visa . Runner-up: If you have a Scotiabank chequing account, Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite or Scotiabank Gold American Express  and maintain the minimum balance to get the annual fee waived BEST CARD...

While I've previously sung the praises of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card to earn points for hotel redemptions, there are actually credit cards that can help you earn credits toward AirBnB costs. After  multiple devaluations of the Marriott program , AirBnB might become a more attractive travel reward. There isn't really an "AirBnB credit card" in Canada, but there are credit cards that allow you to earn points to redeem as a statement credit - almost every bank will have this kind of card. However, only select credit cards offered by Scotiabank and TD will give you a higher than normal redemption rate if you redeem for a travel-related reward, such as AirBnB. Last Updated: March 20, 2022 Disclaimer: Some of the links below are referral links, which means I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This post is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own. TD Rewards Any card that collects TD ...

Another year, another post on how to get the most out of an RBC credit card! Today, I'll be focusing how to get the most out of the RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard. As the name suggests, this card is mostly good for flying on WestJet. There are a few reasons why I've been keen on the card lately: RBC started marketing this credit card more actively in 2019, including upping the welcome bonus, Silver Elite Status, waiving the annual fee for the first year, and so on. Cardholders are eligible for a welcome bonus of at least 250 WestJet dollars after first purchase, contrasted with other travel credit cards that require a minimum spend of $1,000-$5,000 in the first 3 months. Without further ado, let's get into how we maximize everything this card has to offer! Last Updated: March 19, 2022 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard: The Lowdown Annual Fee:  $119 Minimum Welcome Bonus: up to 450 WestJet dollars = 250 WestJet dollars upon first purchase + 200 ...

For Canadians, the cost of traveling to Hawaii can add up very quickly, especially with the weak Canadian dollar. Logistically, it can also be a pain to get to because unless you live in Vancouver or Calgary, you're facing at least one layover, often more if you want a cheaper flight. The good news is, you can still get that vacation budget down by being savvy with your travel rewards programs and credit cards - keep reading to find out more. Disclaimer: Some of the links below are referral links, which means I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This post is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own. Last Updated: March 19, 2022 Flights (Economy Class) Cash fares to Hawaii can be as low as $400 from the West Coast of Canada or as low as $600 CAD from the East Coast. This is especially true if you're willing to fly out on a weekday, or during non-peak season. Doing a quick search on Google Flights, I fou...

Business Class flights come with so many perks. More leg room, better meals, lounge access - if only those flights didn't cost thousands of dollars! That doesn't mean you have to pay  Business Class fares to fly Business Class though. That's where points and airline loyalty programs come in.  So how do you fly Business Class for the same price as an Economy Class flight? 1. Earn a lot of airline points from credit cards There are several airline loyalty programs that provide opportunities to book Business Class on points. Aside from actually flying these airlines, you can also accumulate points through credit cards. Let's walk through a few examples. Example: Earn Aeroplan miles to fly EVA Air Business Class Aeroplan is Air Canada's loyalty program and is by far the easiest program for Canadians to earn points. There are multiple cards from American Express, TD and CIBC that earn Aeroplan miles and come with a high sign-up bonus. As an example, take the American Ex...