American Express will issue replacement Annual Travel Credits for Platinum Cardmembers who didn’t use them during the pandemic + MORE Apr 8th

Here are Rewards Canada’s Top 5 Cash Back Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of April 2021. This is not a ‘best’ credit card list like our Top Cash Back Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition (welcome/sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when some of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards.This month sees no change to the top 5 cards from last month.Here are the Top 5 Cards for April in order of value:SimplyCash™ Preferred Card from American Express – 10% cash back on all purchases up to $4,000 (Apply here)Welcome offer cash back value: $301 ($400 – $99 annual fee) This card is offering 10% cash back on all spending during the first four months of having the card. The 10% is capped at $4,000 of spending for a maximum return of $400 cash back as your welcome bonus…

 The Platinum Card from American Express may be one of the most expensive cards to carry in your wallet at $699 per year but there’s good reason for that. You have an amazing lounge access program, you get automatic hotel elite status with numerous hotel chains, you get the Fine Hotels & Resorts program and much more. All of which are amazing travel benefits but there isn’t much travel going on.  The $699 fee is softened by an annual $200 travel credit that you can utilize for bookings made via American Express Travel, which pre-pandemic was utilized by many. But now that we are in the thick of things many Platinum Cardmembers have not been travelling and have not been able to use the travel credit (unless you know the hotel refund trick ). American Express knows that cardmembers have stayed and like everything else great they have done during the pandemic they are appeasing the customer and extending or issuing new travel credits for those that expired after October 1, 2020 or will expire by September 30, 2021Here’s the verbiage from the email we received yesterday and also pointed out to us by our Twitter follower Paul M:American Express is committed to serving its Canadian customers…

 In a move that is very similar to Air Canada Aeroplan’s Travel at Home campaign from spring 2020, Singapore Airlines has revealed a new promotion where you can earn elite status with their KrisFlyer program without even setting foot on a plane. With this promotion you have the ability to get yourself KrisFlyer Silver or Gold Elite status which translate to Star Alliance Silver or Gold status respectively. This promotion runs until February 28, 2022 so there is a quite a bit of time to achieve it and it awards elite qualifying miles for many non-flying activities within the KrisFlyer program. This includes such items like shopping online via the KrisShop, converting bank/credit card points and even converting hotel loyalty points.  Here’s a breakdown of how you can earn those elite status qualifying miles: Ways to earn1PPS Club members will earn2KrisFlyer Elite and KrisFlyer members will earn2 KrisShop Every SGD 1 spent3 on KrisShop purchases with credit or debit card 1 PPS Value for every SGD 1 spent4 3 Elite miles for every SGD 1 spent4 Kris+Every SGD 1 spent5 at Kris+ partners where KrisPay miles are earned 1 PPS Value for every SGD 1 spent 3 Elite miles for every SGD 1 spent Conversion of Bank Points to KrisFlyer milesMinimum of 10,000 KrisFlyer miles converted from reward points issued by any of our global bank partners (“Bank Points”) 1 PPS Value for every 10 KrisFlyer miles converted 1 Elite mile for every 5 KrisFlyer miles converted Conversion of Bank Points to KrisPay milesKrisPay miles converted6 from Bank Points issued by bank partners on Kris+ app 1 PPS Value for every 10 KrisPay miles converted 1 Elite mile for every 5 KrisPay miles converted Co-brand CardsMinimum of 100 KrisFlyer miles earned on spend with a co-brand card 1 PPS Value for every 10 KrisFlyer miles earned 1 Elite mile for every 5 KrisFlyer miles earned Spend or Conversion with Non-Air Partners7Minimum of 500 KrisFlyer miles earned with our non-air partners or a conversion of a non-air partner’s loyalty points into a minimum of 500 KrisFlyer miles 1 PPS Value for every 10 KrisFlyer miles earned or converted 1 Elite mile for every 5 KrisFlyer miles earned or convertedNow with the numbers in front of you, you can start to develop a plan on how you could earn 25,000 elite status miles to receive KrisFlyer Silver status or 50,000 miles to receive Gold…

Canadian Business is relaunching in fall 2021, building on its platform as a trusted media brand and social network for the country’s fastest growing companies and their innovative leaders, who are changing Canada for the better. 
Canadian Business gives these leaders—and those who want to learn from them—the resources, networking opportunities and inspiration to innovate, connect and continue to challenge the status quo. One of the ways we are doing this is through launching the Canadian Business Leadership Circle, CB’s leader-in-residence program where each month we engage a different C suite-level executive making an impact in their field. As part of the program, readers will have the chance to connect with these progressive-minded business execs for mentorship and professional development through exclusive content, virtual fireside chats and more. 
Joining us as leader-in-residence for April is Lisa Kalhans, president and CEO of Amex Bank of Canada. Here, she chats with writer Katie Underwood about the importance of empathy, her working-from-home sanity savers, COVID’s “crisis within a crisis,” and how economic leaders can bolster a robust female workforce well into the future…