Those 2 objectives are mutually exclusive.

Most people get the Amazon.ca CC but there's no points associated with that. Another option is the Sears Financial MC, which gets you Sears points, and doesn't have forex transaction fees.

If you really want the AP or Amex points, you'll have to suck it up and pay the transactions fees.

Marriott Chase rewards has no forex fee...you can convert from Marriott Points to AP, albeit at a bad rate

I also thought about which issue is more important AP points versus no forex fees - if used in the U.S. (vs international)

I have both AMEX Gold Rewards (Canadian) and a no-fee USD MC. Obviously anything spent on the AX will be 1:1 transferable to Aeroplan and Avios.

The US MC makes a huge difference as I am charged in USD and pay in USD. For certain purchases, I have accepted that I will sacrifice earning points for the ability not to have to pay USexchange.

You just need to decide what is more important based on your spending habits.

Sigh. Thanks (I guess) for the reality check. The thing is, travel is our major way of racking up points, so will really have to think on this one: in the past, we have thought it worthwhile, if we get enough points for Business class, but this is getting harder and harder....

To add to 24L, AMEX's forex fees are brutal. If you get a refund, you don't even get the 2.5% back. Be careful using an AMEX oversees. Same as visa/mc for fees, but you lose out on the refund as they dont give it back to you!

I was in the US recently and used my TD IP Visa... no services fees and just Visa's exchange fee at the time.

As I suggested, you really need to decide what is most important and what your goal is.

I pay for all of my travel and car rentals on the AX. If my flights originate in Canada, well no forex fees. But the real value is in the travel insurance (esp!!! having been stranded by another airline in ATL in April)

However, once in the U.S., I only use the USD MC.

Also note: If you use a Canadian card internationally, the purchase will be converted first into USD and then into CAD, although the banks all claim the 2.5% will only be charge once. Thus, I also use my USD card for all international purchases except for travel

I optimistically think that since more US banks are offering cards with no forex fee, it will eventually show up here. I've had a few conversations with AX Canada and the impression I get is that they would rather wait for the "second coming" before they are ever forced to offer this option.

Glad the Sears Financial was mentioned: I have one that I never use, so it's an option. I'm not sure what the TD IP card is: the Aeroplan Infinite card? If so, and they don't charge exchange fees, I would get one again (I had already cancelled mine).

I just got the Chase Marriott Visa (Canadian version.) It really makes no sense to pay 2.5% to Amex or CIBC to get Aeroplan points in foreign countries. I looked at various options and settled on the Marriott-branded card because it works in all countries, not just the US. Although the Marriott points aren't as valuable as Amex or Aeroplan points to me, I figure the 2.5% savings covers off those points I'm not getting and the Marriott ones are just a bonus. It does earn 2 points per $1 on car rental and restaurants, and 5 points at Marriotts, but only 1 point/$ at other hotels - I suppose that makes sense given it's a Marriott-branded card. It also gives Silver status by crediting you with 15 nights so you need _only_ 35 more nights to get Gold status.

They have a tiered system, so low numbers of points transfer at a lower ratios than higher. 10k Marriott points transfer to Aeroplan or Avios at a 5:1 ratio (yuck.) Once you have 70k it's 2.8:1. And, you can always use them for hotel stays.

So is the Alaska Airlines MasterCard worth churning now that the GCR rebate is gone? I was hoping to churn it a few times to get enough points for a business class international flight (150,000 points) but that would be equal to $450 worth of annual fees.

i'd definitely be willing to pay $450 for 150k miles. i think it's a decent offer, and it's not going to change in my opinion, so if you do need those alaska miles then get them.

Thanks. I did not know that Marriott points transfer to Aeroplan. First year is free, so I might as well get one!

Not sure what the the TD IP card is, but unless there's a legacy card I don't know about, the only time TD doesn't add the 2.5% fx fee is if you use their no-reward US $ card in the US. Here's the verbage from their T&Cs:

For TD Canada Trust Credit Cards except TD U.S. Dollar Credit Cards
We will bill you in Canadian dollars for any transaction made on your Account in a foreign currency. We will convert that transaction by applying our foreign currency conversion rate in effect on the date that the transaction is posted to your Account, which is the rate established by VISA applicable on the date that the transaction is posted to your Account, plus a foreign currency conversion fee of 2.5%. For complete details, see your TD Canada Trust Credit Cardholder Agreement.

For TD U.S. Dollar Credit Cards
We will bill you in U.S. Dollars for any transaction made on your Account in a foreign currency (including Canadian Dollars). We will convert that transaction by applying our foreign currency conversion rate in effect on the date that the transaction is posted to your Account, which is the rate established by VISA applicable on the date that the transaction is posted to your Account, plus a foreign currency conversion fee of 2.5%. For complete details, see your TD Canada Trust U.S. Dollar Credit Cardholder Agreement.

Are you thinking Emirates?

Hi Preacher, yes I am leaning towards wanting to try Emirates. Though Cathay Pacific would be a nice secondary choice :D

Thoughts?

I would go for Cathay Business over Emirates Business any day of the week...

For business, go CX over EK. For first, other way around. The showers are unbeatable. :)

alexisonsmith and pseudo - thanks for your feedback! Not to derail this thread into a different discussion, but I am not terribly picky at this point. I booked my first business class trip to SE asia next year (through AP) and I am flying a combination of Air Canada, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airlines.

I am sure I will have more discerning tastes after that trip :-)

I still have much to learn from you fine folks here (Just found out I could have avoided YQ on the thai airways segment of my trip...)

This is the TD Aeroplan Infinite Priviledge visa card. I also read in the terms that there is a 2.5% fee but I wasn't charged the fee. It may have been an exemption rather than the rule but I'm back in the US in November and again in Jan.

Credit card companies don't usually charge it as a separate fee. The 2.5% would be included in the Canadian dollar amount that shows for the transaction on your statement.

The Emirates first class experience (including the DXB F Loinge) is unbeatable, IMO. It's my favorite F redemption, edging out Etihad and Singapore, which are also great. Unless you're flying those airlines, and I've been told CX, the points premium for F over Biz is usually not worth it. Having said that, if you were planning on earning 150K AS miles, why not make one more churn and get the 180 K needed for a rt F flight on Emirates? OTOH, you could consider this: Use 90K for a one way DXB to somewhere in NA on the Shower plane. Fly biz on something else for the outbound and then you decide if the extra ponts are worth it. Last time I did this in April, it was me, George Clooney and his fiancée as the only 3 people in F for 16 hours!
An all-world Biz experience is also one of AP's best redemption options: TK Biz, with no YQ! So I'd try to use your AP points for that, and your AS points for the former. My 2 cents. Plus, you can also get AS points from an SPG transfer. That's one thing that the Canadian CC world has better than the US: Amex MR transfers are better in Canada...2:1 v 3:1.

I've cancelled my westjet world elite MC but got the $250 bonus and $99 companion voucher as well, but my interest is mostly using the benefits like first free checked bag. So if I log onto westjet and using my westjet account and the ID that was originally (and still is I believe) associated with rbc world MC card, and book a westjet flight using diff CC, do I still get the benefits of westjet world MC?

Secondly they never ask to see scan the card or anything? I still have the card but its cancelled so a flash would be okay, but a scan... erm would show them its cancelled

i personally wouldn't transfer amex -> spg unless you had lots of amex. if getting as i'd definitely use them for ek.

Agreed. Without a BA transfer bonus, MR transfers to AP make the most sense. For a short while, you could transfer them for a 16% loss to US through points.com. But with the historic United deval of 2013, AP now has the inside track on *A premium cabin redemptions. As I implied in my post above, I plan on using my Aeros for TK Biz redemptions.

What makes an SPG transfer tempting, though, is to hedge against an AP deval, which is always a possibility without warning. You know your SPG points will always be worth a lot.

Blended into the exchange rate

I'm amazed at the number of people who don't know this fee exists or think that it's just a poor Visa/MC fx rate.

I emailed GCR regarding the status of the Alaska airlines cash rebate and here is what they said. I will post this on the Alaska airlines Canadian MasterCard thread as well.

"MBNA is in transition to a new computer system. They should be back shortly however cash back rebates for MBNA cards may not be back till November."

Great marketing, TD/AC. Just got an offer to buy MLL membership... Despite me having status on AC. heh

Just in case there is someone else like me who might have missed it over the long weekend, lily23 noted in the TD Aeroplan thread in the AC forum that there is a FYF underway until October 31 on the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite.

15K for the signup and an extra 10K if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. TD's website says it's FYF although if you read the fine print it implies that the fee will be rebated within the first few months.

http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/product...te-card/ac.jsp

Thanks for the info!

That makes perfect sense. All the MBNA rebates are gone. This computer system change has set everything back literally weeks. But I believe the rebate will be back.

Thank you for this, heraclitus. I've missed lily23's post over the long weekend indeed. Thanks to you too, lily23!

You're welcome! I should add that it was pointed out that apparently the offer does not apply if you've had this card within the last 6 months. (I'm pretty sure I cancelled mine less than 6 months ago - d'oh.) I applied before I realized this.

I just saw this offer - not first year free, but offers hotel credit instead.

https://www.tdaeroplan.com/turnbuyintofly

This is great, lily23! The $250-400 hotel credit sounds very good, indeed! ^

http://there.aeroplan.com/#home

I've never seen this website before. It takes you to TD offers and a contest as well.

if I can get the FYF by opening a TD bank account and get that Aeroplan Visa plus the $250 hotel credit, that could be a no brainer.

If you're talking about the TD All inclusive banking plan, it doesn't waive the fee on the TD Aeroplan card.

Annual Fee waived for your choice of one of three select
TD Credit Cards2(opens new window)(opens new window): TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card, TD Platinum Travel Visa Card or TD Gold Elite Visa Card

I see there are offers to add supplementary Gold Cards for bonus points but when I look at my Aeroplan Plat Amex card, it seems I have to pay $50 for each supp card whereas the Aerogold gets up to 9 free for a year and the Gold MR gets 2 free.
Is the fee for supp card for Amex Aeroplat ever waived?

As for the TD Aeroplan Infinite hotel collection $250 credit, I could easily use that as I've booked through the Infinite concierge before. It would be nice to combine it with the no annual fee offer. http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/product...te-card/ac.jsp
It says on the left that this card is right for you if you want no annual fee for the first year.

Amex has a deal on Fairmonts where you get a 3rd or 4th night free, depending on properties and $25 resort credit. Fairmonts are also a Visa Infinite property (not all of them though) and you get late checkout, $25 hotel credit, auto upgrade and in my case, I've gotten better rates than through other promo codes, including FPC codes.