50 Bonus AIR MILES when you spend $100 or more via AIR MILES Shops + MORE Mar 24th

Last week we brought you the news that Scotiabank was raising the point requirements for select non-travel point redemption options – namely Points for Credit, Gift Cards and Apple/Best Buy Catalogues. In that post we stated the following:”It really sucks when redemption rates get nerfed like this and it’s taking place at a really bad time in the market. Looks like Scotia may be finding the increased earn rates on their Gold American Express card and No Foreign Transaction fees on their two most popular cards are cutting into their revenues and they need to make up for it elsewhere.As many Canadians are going to be stretching their dollars over the next few months and many are hoping to have their points help them along the way it may be time for Scotia to provide some good will and postpone these changes until late summer or early fall when (hopefully) things are back to normal in this world.”And thanks to Rewards Canada reader Vino V. for letting us know that Scotia has decided not to go ahead with the planned changes on May 4! Here is what they have put on their site:Update to Important Notice: We recognize that this is an uncertain time for everyone and are here to help our customers navigate this uncertain time…

When we were posting about the new bonus offer for shopping via airmilessshops.ca this morning there was a new pop up on the shopping portal’s site:”ATTENTION: Starting March 23, 2020, and until further notice, Amazon will temporarily be unavailable through airmilesshops.ca due to the impact of COVID-19. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.”This follows our post from last week discussing the Amazon.ca limitations that were put in place on most shopping portals where only Aeroplan and AIR MILES were rewarding shopping in select categories and all cash back sites stopped rewarding cash back. This means that as of this morning only Aeroplan eStore is offering miles on a very limited selection of categories with Amazon.ca but I expect that will change soon.

Early last week, the government announced a myriad of relief efforts, including immediate plans to extend the 2019 tax deadline for individuals to June 1, 2020. Following suit, major cities, including Toronto, granted extensions to grace periods for utility bill payments and launched measures for further aid.  
The top Canadian banks announced unprecedented mortgage relief to homeowners affected by COVID-19. “This support will include up to a six-month payment deferral for mortgages, and the opportunity for relief on other credit products,” the press release noted.  
To relieve financial pressures amid the COVID-19 crisis, many Canadian financial institutions are standing by their customers and supporting them through the uncertainty.  
Although most banks have closed their doors to safeguard the health and well-being of their staff and customers, online services and contact centres are open to answer questions and provide assistance. In terms of credit products, here is what customers can expect…

Many stores across Canada are closing their doors to help stop the spread of the Corona Virus. From Bed, Bath & Beyond to EB Games to Sephora – all have made moves to create social distancing and keep employees and potential customers safe. That means the world of online shopping becomes all that more important to every single Canadian. This also means making the most of online shopping portals to maximize your points and miles earning on those purchases. So when a bonus comes along you want to be able to see if you can take advantage of it.One such bonus is for airmilesshops.ca who are offering 50 bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles when you spend $100 or more in a single transaction until April 16. So if you need to re-stock on beauty products from Sephora, get some books from  Indigo or need some bedding from Bed, Bath & Beyond you’ll want to check out this offer.As we stated in our piece Shifting your loyalty strategy to help with these trying times last week, before you do your online shopping with AIR MILES be sure to move your earning preference to 100% Cash Miles so that you can use to miles to help pay for your groceries and other items in the future…

Last week we had our reader TitaniumTux let us know that Instacart is finally coding properly as a eats and drinks merchant with American Express. And do you know what that means? That means you can now earn your American Express Cobalt Card category multiplier for shopping at Loblaw”s family of stores:  Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and T&T stores. Loblaw Companies Ltd. launched with Instacart in late 2017 in the Toronto region and expanded Canada wide after that. This provided a workaround for those wanting to use an American Express card at their stores. Since all Loblaw Companies stores do not accept Amex this method of getting your groceries delivered via Instacart was the way you could use your Amex as you actually bought the groceries from Instacart and not Loblaws.There was an issue however – Instacart didn’t code as a eats & drinks merchant with Amex Canada so this meant you would not earn any category bonuses on the cards – you’d simply earn 1 point per dollar spent…