I don't think it ever left, did it? It's been FYF for a few years now. The one change they made recentley (Sep 2014) was that the welcome points were elevated from 15K to 25K MR.

Wait...what year is it?? :D
(JK'ing)

was always here, right?

Hi everyone! I'm new here, but I've been reading for a while...I think this is probably the most appropriate place to ask my questions/get advice, but if there's a better thread, please let me know :).

So, I'm one of those CIBC Aerogold people who is being switched over to TD. I'm not impressed with the way it is going, particularly because I have been given the TD Platinum instead of the TD Infinite.

I understand that I will continue to pay 120$/yr for the same benefits as I had with CIBC. What irks me is that TD's 120$ product (Infinite) is superior to the Platinum card, but if I want the Platinum card, I have to reapply and take the credit check hit. If I'd wanted to do that, I would have done it while I could get the FYF and bonus point promos. But they only told me that I'd be getting the Platinum instead of the Infinite after the deadline for the promos. Editted to add that I also just got billed last week by CIBC for my 120$ AF!

So if I'm going to go through the hassle of reapplying, changing all of my pre-authorized payments, and taking the hard credit check, I figured I'd shop around for a new card that better suits my needs.

- I currently charge about 50k to my card/yr; I estimate about 18k in groceries/gas, 5-10k in travel, the rest is restaurants, merchandise, services.

- My priority is getting the best travel insurance.

- My next priority would be rewards; they don't need to be Aeroplan, as I don't usually redeem for actual flights (they just don't work for me - I travel with my kids, and since none of them can fly alone, I'd need enough points for all of us). I'm open to cash back or hybrid cards...

- I have found that there is not really one single card that can do it all well. I am open to using 3-4 cards to cover my wants, but will start with 1, then add others later. I don't want too many hard hits on my credit file, and I need it to be impeccable in 2 years.

So here is what I have come up with for now:

National Bank World Mastercard
pro's
- By far the best insurance coverage out there - it covers Travel medical for trips up to 60 days if under 55yrs, 31 days 55-64yrs, and 15 days 65-74 yrs; Trip cancellation $2500pp no max; Trip Interruption $5000pp no max; Flight delay, bag delay; triple warranty; purchase insurance 180 days.
- 1.5 pts/$1 spent up to 20k, then 2 pts/$ from 20-30k
- redeem points for statement credit 11k pts =100$; 50k=$500; easy process
- $125 yearly fee, 2nd card free
- estimated savings if I put everything on this card: 80k pts = about 680$/yr after AF
- estimated savings if only 33K in non-grocery/gas: about $380/yr after AF
- extra bonus is the National Bank World lounge access at Montreal airport - I work there and often have 3-4 hr breaks at the airport.

Con's:
- no promotions - no bonus points, FYF, GCR etc. Nothing.
- only lounge access is the one in Montreal
- no travel accident insurance (common carrier), but honestly, the odds of getting killed in a plane crash, on a purchased ticket, are slim. And even then, I'd be covered by personal life insurance and AD&D coverage, and the airline's own compensation.
- don't know why this card isn't more popular??
- I'm looking for stories of real-life experience with insurance claims - there's no point in getting this card for the improved insurance if it is going to be a battle every time.

Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite
- great cash back 4% on groceries/gas; 2% on pharmacy and recurring bills 1% everything else.
- 99$/yr, 2nd card 30$/yr; FYF for both cards; 100$ gift card through GCR
- while it does have some insurance, it doesn't have the more important Trip Cancellation that I am looking for.
- savings if I only charge 18k/yr groceries and gas = $620 after AF
- if this card had an expanded travel insurance product, I wouldn't need any other card :(

Amex
- I'm thinking of adding an Amex product, mainly for the bonus points and to use for groceries/gas at Costco. But which one? I'd use the points for Aeroplan, either collecting into Aeroplan directly, or converting 1:1
- I would be churning this one
- I checked the insurance benefits, and there's nothing there that seems to improve on the NB World, other than having high satisfaction when claiming.

Chase Amazon
- I do a lot of travelling to the US and it would be nice to avoid foreign transaction fees.
- For now I have an RBC account in the US and use a visa debit card for purchases. I fund the account through XE.com or CanadianForex.com (which just reduced it's minimum transactions to 1000$. I could look into getting the credit card that goes with this acct.

Have I missed any significant options?
Is there a card in here that I should apply for first?
Which Amex card would you recommend?
And will churning the Amex cards affect my credit score?

Thanks so much!

Wow, you've got my vote for best First-Post! That is a mouthful!

You asked a lot, but I'll address what I can in rapid fashion.

You probably had the regular gold CIBC Aerogold Visa, that's why you were sold into a TD Platinum. If you carried the CIBC black AeroInfinte, then it would have converted to a TD Infinite Aero Visa... btw, the AF of the Platinum Visa is actually $89/yr, not $120.

Yes, correct, you're going to get a new credit pull with any new card application. Unless you can convince them to upgrade your new/existing TD Platinum Visa to the Infinite, which would then bypass the credit pull. If you're really lucky they might even upgrade you with the $0 FYF and 15,000 Aeros, as some people got this a month or two ago.

The National Bank of Canada World MC, I have the World Elite version of the NBC MC, via a targeted postal mailer sent to me with "By Invitation Only", but others had been able to get it by calling in to enquire (not easy though). It was on promo earlier this year at $0 FYF. Also, it provides up to $250 credit for various aiport fees ($100 parking, $100 baggage fees and $50 airline seat selections). If you go for this card, call and ask if they still have this promo, and for these features. I too like the 60days medical coverage, and you don't need to use it to purchase your travel/flights for this coverage.

The Amex Gold will not count for 2x points on groceries at Costco/Walmart, unless you can call and convince them. Use the GCR $50 cash rebate to apply for this one, for 25,000 MRs and $0FYF.

You said you don't care much for Aeroplan, but the Amex Aeroplan Plus Gold is the only really good option as a $0 FYF card with 30,000 Aeros using a referral (5,000 less via direct signup, such as $40 cash rebate at GCR).

The Chase Amazon.ca Visa is a no-fee and no forex fee card, so it's a keeper. Be careful with using this for rental cars out-of-country, as I don't think there is any insurance coverage. I would avoid if that is the case, I just don't recall right now but can check on it later.

Credit scores, for the most part, are less affected by applying for CHARGE cards (the Amex Rewards and Aeroplan Plus are CHARGE cards). Visa and Master generally will result in bigger drops in your score, but it's really on a per person basis, so YMMV.

Regular Aerogold got transferred to a grandfathered TD platinum with $120 annual fee and 1 mile per $1

The public TD Platinum has $89 annual fee and 1 mile per $1.50

Uggg...that suck'eth!! I didn't pay attention to the package that came with my converted TD Platinum Visa. Definitely going to burn this one.

Is there any VISA/MC GCs sold in Canada that can be used on websites that specify a US CC? I need to load my Spotify Premium account.

I'm not fully sure what category this should go in, I thought this was probably the most appropriate.

Is the biggest sign up bonus there's ever been on the Best Western card 50K? The bonus now is 20K. Any guesses on when a bigger bonus may come around?

It was 60K bonus last summer for MBNA BW card.

Right. More specifics on Page 4 of this forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-canada-4.html

It's been 'forever' at 20K on the mbna.ca and GCR website ($60 cash rebate).

As for past (recent) promos, my 'rough**' notes are:

1. Aug 29 - Oct 05, 2012, spend $1000 by Oct 31st for 50,000 BWRs
2. Jun 10 - Jul 31, 2013, spend $1000 by Jul 31st for 50,000 BWRs, spend another $1000 by Aug 31st for extra 10,000 BWRs (i.e. 60,000 BWRs after $2,000 spending)
3. Sep 21 - Nov 30, 2013, spend $1000 by Nov 30th for 50,000 BWRs

**I may be off on the exact dates.

So, looking at those dates, would you say that it's getting close to time for another elevated 50K promo to appear for the this card? Someone mentioned that they got a targeted offer about a month ago...otherwise, it's still 20K at GCR+$60 cash, and nothing else but crickets.

I am into my second month (and billing cycle) after having met the $500 minimum spend, and STILL no 25K welcome bonus. I've sent an inquiry by secure message, but just wondering if anyone else has had issues with getting the 25K bonus on a churn. This is my second time holding this card and I waited 8 months before reapplying...

I have an alternate billing address in the US with my BMO MC in Canada. Not a problem for online purchasing where the billing and shipping address must match.
YMMV

I just got my first statement from Chase for the Marriott card and it says I got the 50,000 points transferred to Marriott. However, I went online and found that there were 0 points there.

So I called the number on the statement, and the guy said that I had gotten the points and redeemed them on the statement date. But I told him this was impossible because today was the first day I got the statement. So then he gave me the Marriott Rewards number and I called them instead.

The Marriott Rewards line has this weird automated robot, but I was eventually able to get a person. And the person says that it may take 4-8 weeks from my first purchase to get the points and so he told me to stay put for a while longer.

Anyone else experienced this? It's ridiculous!

it takes a few days from statement date to the points showing up. usually mine appear on the 18th
my statement date is the 11th

In fact, it seems that ALL Canadian cardholders of the Chase Marriott Visa cycle on the 11th, bill appears online on the 12th, and points get posted by Chase to Marriott and then the Marriott account sees the points on either the 18th or 19th.

ibo, relax, your points will be there soon. :cool:

Thanks for the assurances guys. I guess I was more pissed off that the rep told me I had received and redeemed the points. What an accusation!

is the mariott card lucrative? I need a card with no foreign exchange fees, and that seems like best one. what do you think?

also, can I "convert" the mariott points somehow?

In Canada, I think Chase Canada is still the only CC issuer that offer no FX fee and only the following cards from Chase are FX free:

- Amazon VISA
- All Sears M/C
- Marriott VISA

Amazon give you 1% rebate, so if you think you can get 1 cent return $1 spend on Marriott VISA (1/2/5 points per $1, depending what you are buying) then Marriott will be better. Amazon and the Basic Sears M/C do not have Annual Fee, so that might be better if you do not want to deal with Chase Canada approval department after you get the card at first.

You can convert Marriott points to others FFP:

https://www.marriott.com/marriott-re...avel_unwind.mi

Yep...mine, too...

As alc mentioned, if you're strictly after a no-fee No-ForExFees card, you should go for the Chase Amazon.ca (or Sears) Visa instead. A lot of people, myself included, applied for the Chase Marriott Visa first, to get the 50K $0 FYF and 1-nite e-cert. But, if you can't justify paying the $120 AF on renewal (they will issue you another e-cert for up to Cat 5) then you'll want to cancel, and THEN you will likely find that you miss the No-ForExFees, so you'll eventually end up getting say the Amazon.ca card anyway, and keep it. You get a $20 credit to your Amazon.ca account on signup, plus you earn 1% everywhere (2% at Amazon.ca) and can redeem as cash rebate, not tied to being a Amazon.ca credit (eg, not like accumulating and being stuck with Canadian Tire money).

The Chase Marriott Card is not easy to churn, though some people are reporting getting 50K and $0 FYF.

As for converting the the 50K Marriott Rewards points, to something like Aeroplan...I would never do this, with Marriott, Best Western nor Choice Privs...their value on hotel stays exceeds the value of the points when converted to Aeroplan, at least from my personal experience.

someone should edit to add mbna sony card of 10k bonus points + wireless speakers.

also regarding hotel points and best western, I ran too many credit hits, and got denied for choice, but looking back I'm not sure if I should regret it because maybe when my score is back up next summer, western @ 60k vs choice @ 24k will be worth it more?

I honestly think only place to redeem choice would be in montreal where taxes on regular rooms are high (19%) and hotels are crazy expensive but point redemption isnt bad (or they havent updated their point redemption systems properly yet, wouldnt be surprised I bank with some french banks and I'm SMH every single time i have to deal with them)

that said you guys think we can get a western 50-60k offer anytime soon and is western a higher end hotel in general than choice? Redemption isnt that great, usually 20k min

edit: cant wait for 6 months, not touching my equifax score till then in order to get approved for marriot's 50k (had only 1 inquiry, limit increase on LOC like a month ago, and clean slated completely before for like 6+ months and they still denied me just because of it, whereas next inquiry 72 hours after chase at BMO World CC automatically approved me lol)

not sure if these these are that great, but the net benefit even after annual fee seems decent to me

BMO Air Miles Gold World Mastercard
2000 Air Miles, $99 annual fee
offer good until August 31, 2014

link is directly available from BMO website
http://www.bmo.com/home/personal/ban...les-mastercard

RBC British Airways VISA Infinite
15K Avios + 15K after 5K spend in 2 months, $165 annual fee
offer good until December 31, 2014

link is from Avios website click thru (not sure if targeted)
http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-c...4B6D7B056C1DAF

I just got a targeted offer from British Airways Avios, 30k instead of regular 15k Avios for sign up.... but problem is the rbc card doesnt waive the $165 fee in any shape or form.... and 30k for $165... especially since unlike TD you cant get annual fee waived with a $5k chequing account... any input guys?

edit: someone needs to edit wiki, add sony card as above, and delete the choice, promo ended on 10th

wow just saw this, i got a personal email from British airways directly, but im going to dig deeper to see if i can get 30k + 15k extra.. for 45k avios maybe $165 annual fee is worth it?

edit: nvm its the exact same thing british airways sent me, so 30k after $5k spend in 2 months with fixated $165 annual fee is not worth it in my personal opinion (especially since you can get amex MR or rbc rewards and convert to avios during 50% bonus)

also dont bother with airmiles, presumably the program sucks but if youre really interested, amex has FYF and offers 1500 airmiles https://www.americanexpress.com/ca/e...ilter=airmiles

air miles has decent value. its easy to redeem for 20 cents per mile value net, after all fees/surcharges.

of course i prefer to not have to pay AF and get the same net benefit, but once no AF offers are on cooldown, 2nd best is better than nothing.

I updated this thread's wiki for link to latest Marriott 50K promo (expires July 31st, 2014).

But, I left the link to the MBNA Choice Privileges card, and just added a note that the promo has expired, and that MBNA has chosen to stop issuing any more new Choice Privileges MCs. We can remove that in another few weeks or month, but for now I left it there in case anyone wants to find that thread discussion.

I abandoned collecting Air Miles a decade ago (or more), but with the free points from the Amex (currently 1500 AMs and $0 FYF, till June 30th) and BMO MC (500 AMs, no AF) cards, I would get those before going for the BMO Gold MC at $99 for 2000 AMs....but, yes, if you are hungry for points, go crazy and get them all.

Without very, very LITTLE effort on my part to spend to collect Air Miles, and just mainly using card signups, plus Amex allowing two different card accounts to funnel points into the same Air Miles account, we've collected over 6000 Air Miles in the past year and a half.

I rarely go out of my way to shop to earn Air Miles, yet surprisingly it's been fairly easy to accumulate the points. We only needed to get to 3000 points for 2 tix from YYZ to YYT, but overshot our target by two-fold! :cool:

is the ba offer a personlized link? or just an offer code?

Assuming the 50% MR to Avios comes back....

Not sure but the guy just one post below was able to post the link, if you can log in and still be able to go through with the application, then its probably a general offer, but for myself it was a personal offer (like one you would get from western or marriot for new cc sign up)

That said i personally dont recommend signing up, 15k on signup, and must spend $5k (only get 1pt per $1 no exceptions like groceries so its horrible) to get 30k avios..
why are you guys so pessismitic, look at the history, theyve been offering it 2x, but atleast 1ce min (usually oct-dec) time... Avios are great for short travel and diversifying your points is essential so yes look forward to this, but also have other types of account open and available as well.

edit: also to add to wiki, mbna sony s offering 10k sign up bonus points + wireless speakers (read it on rfd).. probably could double dip via GCR to get $60 more

deleted

Canadian residents are everywhere :))

Mr prmetime and I both received the RBC BA 15K + 15K after $5000 spend in the first 2 months offer. I doubt that I will take them up on this offer as I believe the past couple of years the offer was for 50K and 45 K respectively (please correct me if I am wrong). Big spend requirement as well and no offer of FYF.

You are right. Back in 2012 I got 50000 avios with 5000$ spent within three months. I was interested in the card at that time, but found it not so usefull and very expensive considering its low benefits.

Now that would be interesting. I could probably justify the high spend for that.

Thanks for verifying this info. I might be enticed at 50000 level being in YVR where I can use it for AS flights as well. But at $1 spending = 1 pt I'm better off using my Amex Gold MR which I use for $1/2 pts purchases only and can transfer to Avios if I wish to.

I have this card and like it because the 2-4-1 on points each year provides good value imo.

Most of the points I collect are amex MR points, but can transfer them to avios account to make best use of the 2-4-1

For a better long-term card, the RBC Platinum/Infinite Avion gives 1 RBC Rewards for $1 spend and normally lets you convert to Avios at a 1:1 ratio. However, they usually run promos letting you convert at a 1:1.5 ratio, meaning that <650 mile flight only costs $3,000 spend on the RBC Avion (which has the same issuer and annual fee as the BA card!). Bonus 15k points ~ 22.5k BA Avios

Only downside is the delay in converting from RBC Rewards -> BA.

Thanks for the response. Yes I'm aware of this card and may apply in the future. However, I actually prefer cards that allow me to transfer to multiple airlines such as BA and AP as this allows for much better flexibility.

Hey guys, just got rid of my Marriott Rewards Visa and now only have an AMEX; need a new MC or VS as backups;

Any good free promos running at the moment with juicy sign up or spend bonuses?

I deal with SPG/Marriott and Aeroplan, but would consider something that can transfer or that I can at least cash in for decent gift cards