There were multiple reports in this thread of this change in rules. But I recall the change was that you can no longer hold more than one Alaska card concurrently, not that they were no longer giving out repeat bonuses. I recall one poster had been denied for a second concurrent card, but once he cancelled his existing card and re-applied he was granted the bonus again.

Just noticed that the Alaska card was downgraded from World Elite to Platinum Plus. I guess they are earning less interchange revenue from the card and have to tighten up on churners to save some bucks.

According to their terms "Limit one-time bonus Miles offer (no cash value) per new account". My previous conversations with MBNA always noted that an account would be reopened if closed within the previous 90 days.

My wife was approved for her 2nd AS MBNA MC earlier this month... haven't received it in the mail yet, but once it comes I'll post the results.

There has always 2 variations. It's based on your income level. But really, there was no difference b/w the two cards.

If anything, MC earns more $ when a customer swipe a 'premium card' at a merchant.

Happy Canada Day, guys!

From your double-dippin' ex-pat in the States...and a HUGE Calgary Flames fan!

Is anyone aware if the insurance benefits of the Capital One Aspire card cover flights booked using rewards and have taxes etc charged to this card?

Officially they do not other than medical (not full fare). The TD Aeroplan and CIBC Aeroplan have specific language covering Aeroplan flights.

But that doesn't mean it can't or hasn't happened

Thanks. This is a non- Aeroplan reward. I'm hoping someone might have a definitive answer :)

National Bank cc
 

Just a warning about this cc from National bank: a nightmare. Just to have it approved they asked for income statements,pay stubs,etc to be faxed. Then we attempted to get a second but different product and had to really persist to get any bonus. We received a reduced one. To take advantage of any of the travel benefits, it is a real chore. Lots of time wasted in my view for little gain. Every call to CS is met with attitude and a heavy french accent. Any issues with the account must be dealt with by the primary account holder only.Even authorized users cannot discuss any issues.The website is a joke as well as the rewards website. Still waiting for a credit to be applied and then we will cancel all. Anyone else have any issues?

Definitively, they do not cover anything that is part paid points. Full fare must be charged to the card.

Thanks. This is definitely something for me to consider when it's time to renew the AF.

Any MCs out there that will?

Definitely a pain in the ..., I agree. You would think claiming the parking credit would be a simple thing, but it involved sending them copies of receipts and about an 8 week waiting period. Since the parking charge was on the cc, why you can't just simply claim it and get credit through the site is baffling. It's as though they make it tough so people will give up on the process.

I saw an option to transfer my point balance to a National Bank TFSA so I did that. I had to make an appointment with a manager in branch to open it but at that point I was committed to the idea.

Good value, but I don't think I'll deal with them again.

Be wary of the travel insurance coverage
 

I never have a problem communicating with them, and I do find them friendly, if not the most efficient. Then again, I am bilingual, so I don't notice the accent as much, even when conversing in English. As an aside, I have recently noticed a drop in the service standards at my main bank, TD.

However, the travel coverage dealing with lost or delayed luggage is deceptive in that it will only come into effect if you have purchased the entire cost of the trip with the NBC M/C. By entire, I mean every hotel night and the r/t airfare. I had the sad misfortune of finding that out when my bags went AWOL for 3 days in HKG. I had used points for a couple of hotel nights and was bluntly told by the issuing insurer that, as a result, I was not covered. Escalating the issue to a supervisor and subsequent complaints to NBC did no good. Luckily, the airline took care of my expenses.

I have used the parking benefit every year, and have had no problems getting the credit. They improved the procedure last year by implementing an online process where you simply upload a scan of the receipt and the statement on which the charge appears. Don't forget, this is not handled by NBC itself, hence the seeming redundancy.

What if you stayed with family or had a vacation property? Not everybody needs a hotel...