A trip to Walt Disney World in Florida (or Disneyland in California) is getting more expensive all the time. With the recent announcement of Genie, Genie+ and Lightning Lane, budget considerations have really taken centre stage. Even some Disney diehards are now saying they’ve finally been priced out. In this post I’ll share a few ideas on how to choose a Canadian points strategy to keep a Disney trip within reach without sacrificing too much on the experience. [Read more…]
Matching Rewards Credit Cards to Travel Plans (6 Examples for Canadian Points and Miles Collectors)
If you’re thinking about applying for a new travel rewards credit card, it’s wise to choose one that suits your particular travel plans. At the moment, there are a wide variety of better than usual sign-up offers so it can be a challenge to narrow it down and make a decision. In this post are a few examples of cards and trips that might go well together. [Read more…]
Summer Explorer Promo at 18 Canadian Hotels (IHG, Hilton, Marriott etc.) Book by July 16, 2021
I recently noticed this “Summer Explorer” hotel promotion in a Travelzoo Top 20 email and it looks pretty enticing. For stays of two to four nights, guests will receive a voucher ranging from $25 to $250 to use for a future stay at one of the 18 participating hotels. If you have any plans to travel within Canada this summer, you should probably take a look. [Read more…]
Two Double/Queen Bed Hotel Rooms in Europe – Marriott, IHG, Choice, Hilton
If you’ve done much travelling in Europe, you’ve likely discovered that the standard hotel room commonly found in North America with two double or queen beds is relatively scarce over there. If you’re travelling with family or friends and are okay with sharing one room, it could be a challenge to find suitable accommodation and even more so if you want to book a reward stay. In light of this reality, I thought it might be useful to highlight a few chain hotels that offer larger rooms bookable with points. [Read more…]
Marriott Bonvoy Amex – How a Budget Traveller Can Use 65,000 Hotel Points
There was good news in the Canadian points and miles world this week with a new welcome offer from the Marriott Bonvoy Amex. If you do not have a Marriott credit card and would like an idea of how you could stretch the points if you got one, this post has a few suggestions for free nights in Europe along with some important details about the program. [Read more…]
Member Exclusive Rate: 3500 Bonus Marriott Points Per Night (Fairfield Inn & Suites/SpringHill Suites Manhattan Times Square South)
If you’re a points and miles enthusiast, it’s good to be on the lookout for interesting bonus point package rates in hotel loyalty programs like IHG or Marriott. In this post I’ll highlight one such opportunity to rack up some extra Marriott Bonvoy points on a future stay in New York City. If you’re optimistic about the resumption of travel outside Canada and want to make a speculative booking, this option would be worth considering. [Read more…]
Points and Miles Tips for a Budget Trip to Ottawa
We as Canadians are very fortunate to live in this country. If you have not yet visited our nation’s capital, I suggest you consider putting it on your list of places to visit someday after leisure travel eventually resumes. To help make it happen on a budget, I’ve compiled a few tips that might be useful for anyone planning a trip and interested in using points and miles. [Read more…]
Marriott Promo 2500 Points Per Stay (Until Oct. 18, 2020) Stack With Point Package Rates
[UPDATE: promo has been extended to November 10, 2020] Marriott Bonvoy recently announced its latest global promotion. Registered members receive 2500 bonus points per qualifying stay and an additional one-time bonus of 5000 points after the 3rd stay. This is not a huge sum, but if your chosen hotel offers a good bonus points package rate and/or you’ve received a great targeted promo, you can accumulate even more Marriott points. [Read more…]
Searching For New Hotels In Various Loyalty Programs
A recent post on this blog was about a new hotel in Venice with potential for a high value redemption of Choice Privileges points. Consequently, I thought it might be useful to go over a few resources for finding new properties in various hotel chain loyalty programs. Whether it’s a recent construction or a rebranding of an existing hotel, it’s nice to discover new options for redeeming your points. [Read more…]
Marriott Bonvoy Category Changes 2020 (Budget Travel Prospects)
Whenever a hotel loyalty program releases its reward rate changes, it’s almost always bad news. This recent Marriott list is no exception. As of March 4, 2020, far more hotels are going up a category than down. Unless a hotel that you happened to have your eye on is moving to a lower category, the only positive is that you now have some relative certainty around which you can plan travel in the near future. I looked through the list to find some good prospects for a budget traveller. [Read more…]