Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your bear daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year!
I received a bit of shock in my email inbox yesterday. BMO actually sent a Diners Club email that wasn't strictly an automated statement or payment reminder! First thing I thought is "What is going on?" I haven't had an email from BMO or Diners Club like this in years! And by years I'm thinking nearly a decade if not more. Are they actually starting to pay some attention to the card and the Club Rewards program now?
Perhaps they read my mind as at the start of this week I was starting to plan posts about the next five cards that need an overhaul and those thoughts really gravitated to the Diners Club card in my wallet. I was thinking how BMO has shown very little support for the brand since they took it over for North America. I kind of get it as to why BMO wouldn't want to promote it here in Canada, the Diners Club card even after being ignored for so long would prove stiff competition to BMO's own proprietary rewards cards. It is a hybrid card after all, a straight 1.5% return when redeeming for any travel (and this is any travel - not having to go through the card's travel agency) or you can convert to over a dozen airline and hotel programs. Then, Diners has their own lounge membership program with free access to lounges for the primary and any additional cardholders - no US$32 fee that the BMO cards see after you use up the annual free passes you get. It has one of, if not the best car rental CDW coverage in Canada. It is the card I use for car rentals as it does not have an MSRP cap. Yes, there are cars you can't rent like a Ferrari but a few years ago in Hawaii we got an upgrade to an luxury SUV that even Amex, Visa Infinite Privilege or several other cards wouldn't cover with their C$85,000 max MSRP. Diners on the other hand, not a problem.
Anyways, I've already rambled on way too long here but I think you can see how I really like this card, even if it is for more so for posterity sake. However, getting this email from them has given me a faint glimmer of hope that they may actually be planning on doing something with the card! Or maybe I'm just reading into this way too much as it is only one email.
Image via BMO/Diners Club
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WestJet's ULCC subsidiary Swoop announced a significant domestic expansion this week as they will be adding six new planes to their roster. Perhaps seen as a preemptive move as well towards the latest ULCC newcomers such as Lynx and Jetlines this Swoop expansion is primarily focused on the Maritimes and Prairie provinces. Examples of some of the new flights including Edmonton to Moncton, Halifax to Ottawa, and Saskatoon to Winnipeg. Click here to learn more.
Image via Swoop
Posts since our last update:
- February 10 Update: Could we see an update to the Marriott Amex card and Amex cards lose access to Quebec City's Jean Lesage VIP Lounge (could be temporary) Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your bear daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses,…
Deals:
Hilton Hotels at Disneyland offer! Take 5% off Disneyland tickets, receive a $20 Disney dining gift card, and enjoy breakfast or premium Wifi when you stay at select properties in the Anaheim, Orange County and Los Angeles areas between January 17th and March 1st! Click here to book this offer.
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