September 2 Update: 50,000 bonus PC Optimum points for Shoppers Drug Mart online purchases, 50,000 bonus Be Well points on Thursday and earn 150 AIR MILES on a free hearing test + MORE Sep 2nd

 It’s American Express’ turn to jump back into the 10% return welcome bonus market. We’ve seen it on many of Canada’s cash back cards this year and we even did our first Clash of the Credit Cards podcast on those 10% offers back in July. Recommend listening: Podcast Episode 68 Clash of the Credit Cards – The Ten PercentersAs of today if you apply for and are approved for the SimplyCash™ Preferred Card from American Express you will earn 10% cash back on all eligible purchases for the first 4 months of Cardmembership. The welcome bonus is capped at $400 cash back which is $4,000 in spending on the card or as little as $1,000 per month. The previous offer was the standard 5% for 6 months capped at $300 cash back. The card still has its $99 annual fee that you have to pay, no waiver for the first year like some of its competitors but once you earn the $400 you’ll come out with $301 in cash back. Even with having to pay the annual fee this new welcome bonus puts the SimplyCash Preferred Card at the top of the list in terms of initial value as the next closest card is $250 (and that card is limited to select spend categories) while most of the other majors are at $200…

Today and tomorrow you can earn 50,000 bonus PC Optimum points when you spend $150 or more online with Shoppers Drug Mart. Those 50,000 points are worth $50. Find out more here. Image via Shoppers Drug Mart Meanwhile Rexall will also be awarding 50,000 bonus points on beauty products but on Thursday only. There is a minimum spend of $50 for their offer and you have to login and load the offer to your account.Image via Rexall  AIR MILES has a new offer out with Hearing Life where you can earn 150 miles for completing a hearing test with them and up to 1,000 more miles if you purchase hearing aids. This offer is good to the end of September. Find out more here.Image via AIR MILES Airline Schedule Updates A summary Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!American Airlines is planning to add a new route between Calgary and Phoenix this November…

Now that Air Canada has acquired the Aeroplan loyalty program—and announced that it will be replacing Aeroplan with something new in 2020—we know that Aeroplan-affiliated credit card offerings will be changing in the future, too.
In the meantime, Air Canada has promised it will be business as usual when it comes to earning and redeeming Aeroplan rewards points, and for frequent flyers of Air Canada and Star Alliance partners, there are some lucrative rewards credit card offers to consider right now. We’ve selected the best Aeroplan credit cards based on our analysis of fees, points accumulation, redemption structures and flexibility to help get you to your next vacation faster. 
The best Aeroplan credit cards in Canada

Best overall Aeroplan cards: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite; CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite
Best for transferable rewards: American Express Gold Rewards
Best premium credit card for Aeroplan users: American Express Platinum
Best entry-level Aeroplan credit card: CIBC Aero Platinum Visa
About the program: Quick Aeroplan FAQ

Best overall Aeroplan credit cards
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite*

This card offers one of the largest and easiest to achieve sign-up incentives in the market today…

 Air Canada is once again offering some bonus Aeroplan miles for buying gift cards directly from them. Until September 7 when you buy an Air Canada Gift Card you will receive 2 Aeroplan Miles per dollar spent on cards up to $750 or 5 Aeroplan Miles per dollar when you purchase cards with a value over $750. The miles can be earned up to a maximum of $10,000 for 50,000 Aeroplan Miles. Note however that you can only buy a maximum of $2,000 per order so it would take 5 separate transactions if you do want to max this offer at the $10,000 level.This is quite an appealing offer as receiving 5 Aeroplan Miles per dollar spent is more than you would earn with any credit card out there for Air Canada flights. On top of that you also get whatever miles or points you earn on your credit card for the actual gift card purchase, so the earning potential is very attractive. The only concern that you need to take into account with using gift cards for flights is that you may not be covered by your credit card insurance for those flights in terms of trip interruption, cancellation, baggage delay and so on…

The number of Canadians redeeming credit card points for everyday purchases is surging during the pandemic, according to a study by CIBC. Typically, Canadians would use their credit card points to travel this time of year. However, COVID-19 continues to restrict border crossings and flights, which is causing an unusual trend in credit card redemptions.
CIBC is one of the five largest banks in Canada and is a global institution that has over 10 million personal, business, institutional and public sector clients. The bank’s recent study reviews the redemption of CIBC Aventura rewards points between March and June 2020. The study found an immense increase in the redemption of points for merchandise and gift cards.
“While travel redemption is down significantly, clients are finding value in the flexibility of using their Aventura points where it matters most to them in this environment,” Jennifer Davidson, the Vice President of Cards Products at CIBC, said in a press release.
Additionally, CIBC suggests that credit card rewards redemptions for electronics and house and home improvement categories are up by 72%…