Switching Banks or Complementing Your Service: Getting the Most for Your Money + MORE Oct 6th

Written by Barry Choi and Jackie Rosen
The big five banks are constantly trying to acquire new customers, offering everything from 40” TVs and tablets to straight out cash if we open certain accounts with them. These promotions aren’t aimed at customers who are brand new to banking. Instead, they’re trying to get customers to leave their current banks and start fresh.
Switching is no easy task. Many of us have our credit cards, payroll deposits, investments and many other services all integrated with our bank, so we would need a pretty big incentive to make a switch – hence why some of the giveaways are rather generous. But not all banks rely on giveaways. Some – like EQ Bank – offer bank account shoppers the full package: a high interest rate that others might not be able to match in an easy-to-understand, no-fee product.
Your money is just like your health. When something doesn’t feel right, you go to the doctor to check things out. When your money isn’t working for you the way it should, it’s time to strive for more and find out who – and what – can help…

If you’re one of the frustrated Air Miles collectors who feel like there are rewards being kept from you, there’s good news. Air Miles has adjusted the rules for its loyalty program, putting an end to limited rewards options, reports CBC.
Before this, the company gave members access to rewards based on their personal preferences. But after receiving complaints, Air Miles has changed its tune and announced that members’ access to rewards will now be based entirely on their status level or tier within the program: gold or onyx. (Gold status is achieved by collecting at least 1,000 miles in a year, while reaching onyx status requires collecting at least 6,000 miles.) The onyx tier has the widest selection of rewards.
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So what does this mean for you? Now, depending on your status level, you will have access to all the rewards offered to card holders in those tiers—not just the ones that the Air Miles formula tailored to your personal tastes…

When you don’t stay at or aren’t loyal to one hotel brand your best bet for earning miles or points is not with a hotel loyalty program but rather with an airline partner. For most of us Canadians thatmeans Aeroplan. They have a large portfolio of hotel partners and right now you can earn bonus Aeroplan miles with a whole bunch of them! So if you have one stay at a Novotel in Toronto and then a stay with Best Western in Edmonton this fall you can earn thousands of extra miles with Aeroplan. There are several that require registration before you stay so we recommend registering for them right now so you don’t forget and miss out on those miles!Here is the current list of hotel bonuses that Aeroplan members can take advantage of:Accor Earn up to Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for stays at participating Accor hotels Worldwide. Earn 3x miles until Dec 15 and 4x Miles from Dec 16 to Jan 5. Full Details, registration and Online Booking (Registration is required)Select automatic conversion to convert your Le Club AccorHotels points into Aeroplan in your Le Club AccorHotels account preferences Book by Dec 31 for stays until Jan 5, 17 Best Western 2,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at any Best Western in the United States (including its territories), Canada, the Bahamas, or Haiti that is booked via the Air Canada website…

News, Tips & Tricks Another Tips & Tricks feature was released on the main Rewards Canada site today! This feature looks at the Expiry and Inactivity Rules of Canadian Loyalty Programs. Its only fitting seeing all the news surrounding AIR MILES this year and their upcoming expiry. In this piece we look at the two different types of expiry rules employed by loyalty programs and list those rules for 16 of Canada’s major loyalty programs. You can read the full feature hereThe Canadian Points University in Toronto is a little over 2 weeks away! If you haven’t got your tickets yet you can use our code RewardsCanada to save $40! Rewards Canada’s Jeff Fredericks will be lunch keynote speaker! Find out more and purchase your tickets hereFinally check out the bonus offers section today! There are lots of great bonuses to take advantage of! Some of our favourites are the Cathay Pacific bonus of 6x miles for stays at Fairmont Hotels in Canada, the U.S. and beyond.The Air France KLM promo from PointsHound is also pretty crazy and if you need to top off your Hyatt Gold Passport account for an award night now is the time to do it as you can get up to a 40% bonus when buying Gold Passport points…

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