The 'BEST' credit card....

[Badhobz]

i made 50k status this year so I get access to global Star Alliance lounges. This card also skyrocketed my points from 100k Aeroplan points when I started about a year ago, to 650,000 points in 1 year. The higher your aeroplan status the more multipliers you get on travel points. So at 50k, i get 50% more Aeroplan points for every flight

(remember, with this card every 5k spent = 1000SQM, segment qualifying miles, you need SQM to achieve the higher tiers of status with aeroplan, so basically, I bought my way into 50k status this year)

Okay well 90,000 points was free from the credit card, and the rest was because

4x montreal (premium econ, 2x upgraded to buisness)
1x hong kong (premium econ, upgraded to business)
1x Atlanta (buisness)

and spending. There might be a rolex in that spending so yeah, 400k worth of Aeroplan points in about 1.2years is A SHIT TON OF POINTS.

still didnt cash out on the companion pass yet (you buy a ticket for regular price, your companion gets on the same flight for max 500 bucks, cheaper if its domestic or USA)

and all the regular 50% off vouchers that ive accumulated

p.s. your e upgrades, and SQM also roll over into next year so get an extra year to spend them with these credit card. If you guys do any traveling at all, this is essentially the best card

there's a CIBC aeroplan elite card that does about the same and also TD. So youre not locked into amex, but i think i went with amex because 1) metal card 2) slightly higher earn on points

https://www.cibc.com/en/personal-ban...lege-card.html
https://www.td.com/ca/en/personal-ba...privilege-card

If you guys want the amex, let me know and ill refer you. we both get additional 10k in aeroplan points

[68style]

this is essentially the best card.............. if you're rich lol

[EvoFire]

I was looking at the TD one as it would be no annual fee for me, but it's still not the most enticing. We kept the First Class travel card a few years ago when TD Aeroplan was being rolled out because TD 1st Class it gave us the flexibility that Aeroplan doesn't. Dislike being stuck with AC and in honestly we typically DO NOT fly them. Flying to Europe is usually with Lufthansa or Air France, flying to Asia is usually with Cathay. Only time I fly AC is domestic.

So at the end of the day, no change for us. And we ain't balling enough and we don't spend company money and get reimbursed for shit


LOL first world problems..... hahaha

[Badhobz]

yeah it doesn't work for a lot of people (lufthansa is also star alliance, so you would grab Aeroplan points on that as well https://www.staralliance.com/en/members), but it works if you combine daily spending with the occasional business trip. Everything I do gives me Aeroplan points, even those avis rentals and Amazon purchases.


its a shit ton of points per month

[bcrdukes]

Most of my domestic travel is on Air Canada so I leverage Star Alliance partners when travelling overseas so the TD Aeroplan Visa's perks have been benefit to us.

I've been traveling on Skyteam airlines, and had good experiences with them, but on credit cards, none of which will that provide any significant gain or advantage. I don't travel on OneWorld airline alliances so nothing of interest for me on their credit card partners.

[G]

Originally Posted by 68style

this is essentially the best card.............. if you're rich lol

Bingo - If you have high spend, higher tier cards work best. If you can't hit the minimum spend to get the bonus then theres no point getting a higher tier card and forcing yourself. I usually try to time large expenses like insurances and what not so that you can hit the minimum spend without struggling.

If you don't spend much but want to get some sort of benefit, the FYF (first year free) Aeroplan cards from either TD or CIBC are great. If you have an SO, then get them to sign up for one and you sign up for one so you get the bonus twice (as opposed to supplementary cards).

[mikemhg]

Originally Posted by TOS'd

There is actually an offer right now for the CIBC Aventura Visa

Get a total of up to 40,000 Aventura Points (up to $850 in travel value‡) during your first year:
15,000 Aventura Points when you make your first purchase†
5,000 Aventura Points on first purchase within the first 4 monthly statement periods†
20,000 Aventura Points when you spend $3,000 or more in the first 4 monthly statement periods†
Get 2 annual fee rebates ($278) for you (the primary cardholder) and up to three authorized users ($50 each): over $378 value†.
Elevate your airport experience with 4 complimentary visits at 1,200+ lounges globally through Visa Airport Companion Program2: over $190 value2
Plus, get a NEXUS™ Application Fee rebate♢: a $50 value†



You can even redeem Aventura Points for 1.25x the usual rate on travel purchaes. Ie. 40,000 Aventura points = $400 statement credit, but its now $500 statement credit until end of March 2024.

I used 80,000 points recently for $1,000 off hotels booked on Expedia.

Not bad, I signed up, receiving the card shortly here.

Currently just rolling with my HSBC World Elite MC, thinking about cancelling it next year.

I'll report back.

[whitev70r]

the best credit card is the one with no annual fee and the highest % cash back you can find. Period.

[Badhobz]

^i used to think that too. I was getting back about 1k a year on average but the savings I made on flights this year alone has way surpassed this figure

That Hong Kong trip that I got upgraded to business class saved me 4k right there. Those Avis presidential club upgrades also saved me hundreds (albeit I’d never pay my own money to rent a nicer vehicle)

So a ticket to New Zealand in Feb is around 50k in aeroplan points for economy. That means if I continue my regular spending I’ll have 2-3x tickets of that calibre a year. Base price of that economy ticket is around 2-3k cad each.

[Hondaracer]

Ended up going with the aeroplan reserve so I can ball like Hobz

[Badhobz]

Remember to link up all the other perks when you get your card

- Journie now gives aeroplan (that chevron shit)
- Uber eats / Uber gives aeroplan
- Avis go link that and then get upgraded to presidents club
- when you shop online go through the aeroplan website to trigger 3x or more points special on websites like Amazon, bestbuy, Apple, etc

They’ll send you a big ole fancy box too. Presentation of the card is really nice

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

the best credit card is the one with no annual fee and the highest % cash back you can find. Period.

At the sub $100k income level I'd agree but after that travel points return more value (assuming you travel). I'm about 2 years into a Cobalt card and a few months into a TD Aeroplan card and I've got about 400,000 points now and they are typically valued between 1.5-2 cents per point ($6-8k). The Cobalt and TD card probably only handle about 60-70% of my CC spend too - the cash back equivalent would have been a lot lower for me (I've never had more than $1200 or so in cash back in a single year).

[whitev70r]

Yah, I was definitely speaking for non ballers, <$100K per yr, non 1st class ticket world travellers. Just plain peasants .

[Badhobz]

I don’t think you need to be baller, you just need to fly or have a desire to fly. Amex is more restrictive on where it’s taken but I’d probably go cibc or TD and see if I can get a aeroplan Mastercard. That way you can use it everywhere including Costco.

Value for money is good with aeroplan only because there are so many airlines on star alliance you’re not restricted to just stupid air Canada

[Hondaracer]

That’s really our mentality but also MIGHT spend enough to get status

Have some bigger trips next year where Business class is a priority so while we may have been better off with some cash back card, the potential of the Amex is huge for us. Also the priority boarding, security, and lounge access almost pays for itself and makes a usually unbearable situation somewhat better.

Does your wife have a companion card Hobz? I think we’re gonna have to eat that $199 and get the companion card because wife travels a bit for work and can’t rely on me being there for the perks lol..

Even with the 599 + 199 companion, call it $800. I’m cancelling my avion ($150+ fee) and two Scotia infinite passports ($250 annual fees total)

So really, the companion fare with the Amex basically covers the difference and the rest is gravy

[sonick]

Are there cases where flights booked by aeroplan go 'on sale' and have deals compared to cash price?

Or is it pretty much tied to the cash price (e.g. if its cheap by cash, it'll be cheap by aeroplan, and vice versa)?

Whats the best way to see what deals there are to book by aeroplan?

[Badhobz]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

That’s really our mentality but also MIGHT spend enough to get status

Have some bigger trips next year where Business class is a priority so while we may have been better off with some cash back card, the potential of the Amex is huge for us. Also the priority boarding, security, and lounge access almost pays for itself and makes a usually unbearable situation somewhat better.

Does your wife have a companion card Hobz? I think we’re gonna have to eat that $199 and get the companion card because wife travels a bit for work and can’t rely on me being there for the perks lol..

Even with the 599 + 199 companion, call it $800. I’m cancelling my avion ($150+ fee) and two Scotia infinite passports ($250 annual fees total)

So really, the companion fare with the Amex basically covers the difference and the rest is gravy

I got her companion card for free. Call Amex, their customer service is top tier. Once your card comes in, see what they have as a member since XXXX. Mine was 2010 as that’s when I had my Amex Costco card and because of that they were able to throw in her card for free.

Just remember though her card will only boost up your aeroplan account. The way to get around that is to create a aeroplan family pool where all members are shared. Me and the wife are in this aeroplan family pool and she can use my points or vice versa. So every time we fly together we get double the points.

[Badhobz]

Originally Posted by sonick

Are there cases where flights booked by aeroplan go 'on sale' and have deals compared to cash price?

Or is it pretty much tied to the cash price (e.g. if its cheap by cash, it'll be cheap by aeroplan, and vice versa)?

Whats the best way to see what deals there are to book by aeroplan?

It’s usually tied up to cash. So 10,000 aeroplan is roughly 1000 bucks.

When you hit 25k tier (first tier on aeroplan status) you start getting these 50% off aeroplan vouchers to use within domestic and USA.

As you progress higher, you eventually get these 50% off international vouchers too.

With these vouchers any aeroplan points bookings are halved. So say you go YVR to Oahu. Regular might be 30k worth of points for economy. You apply your voucher and and it’s now 15k of points only.

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

I got her companion card for free. Call Amex, their customer service is top tier. Once your card comes in, see what they have as a member since XXXX. Mine was 2010 as that’s when I had my Amex Costco card and because of that they were able to throw in her card for free.

Just remember though her card will only boost up your aeroplan account. The way to get around that is to create a aeroplan family pool where all members are shared. Me and the wife are in this aeroplan family pool and she can use my points or vice versa. So every time we fly together we get double the points.

Yea fuck never had an Amex before so not sure if they will budge. Worth a shot though

[Badhobz]

You can get her a complimentary secondary card for free too but it lacks some of the perks like lounge access. However it will still go towards your overall accumulation.

As for lounge access, they give out vouchers quite frequently depending on your status so you can throw them around to anyone you want. I’ve accumulated so many of these stupid lounge passes that I never use and now they are expiring.

[sonick]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

It’s usually tied up to cash. So 10,000 aeroplan is roughly 1000 bucks.

When you hit 25k tier (first tier on aeroplan status) you start getting these 50% off aeroplan vouchers to use within domestic and USA.

As you progress higher, you eventually get these 50% off international vouchers too.

With these vouchers any aeroplan points bookings are halved. So say you go YVR to Oahu. Regular might be 30k worth of points for economy. You apply your voucher and and it’s now 15k of points only.

Thanks, do you suggest that it would be good to convert any Amex points into Aeroplan to maintain a certain tier?

I don't travel often these days but do plan at least one big trip a year, and I have decent amount of amex points that i dont really use day to day. Is it better off having it sit in Aeroplan for the tier than to have it sit in amex doing nothing?

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

You can get her a complimentary secondary card for free too but it lacks some of the perks like lounge access. However it will still go towards your overall accumulation.

As for lounge access, they give out vouchers quite frequently depending on your status so you can throw them around to anyone you want. I’ve accumulated so many of these stupid lounge passes that I never use and now they are expiring.

Can you just shoot these between aeroplan accounts? Or how do you transfer them

[Badhobz]

^these are just a QR code. You take a screenshot and send them to whoever you like. They then scan this QR code at the lounge and get in.

[Hondaracer]

Sweet that’s pretty easy then. Are they awarded just randomly or based on spending?

[Badhobz]

Originally Posted by sonick

Thanks, do you suggest that it would be good to convert any Amex points into Aeroplan to maintain a certain tier?

I don't travel often these days but do plan at least one big trip a year, and I have decent amount of amex points that i dont really use day to day. Is it better off having it sit in Aeroplan for the tier than to have it sit in amex doing nothing?

When you transfer Amex points into aeroplan points you don’t get the status. You only get the aeroplan points. So you can transfer in 50k but you won’t get 50k aeroplan status.

AC status comes from SQM and SQD.

Sqm is miles flown
SQD is dollars spent.

In order to reach a status, you need to spend and achieve a certain amount of miles / dollars. That status is then applied to when you achieve this status and into next year. So let’s say you hit 25k status by March 2024. You then get 25k status till end of 2024 and also in 2025. It rolls into one year.

Regular spending won’t give you status miles unless you have one of these special credit cards like the Amex reserve. Where 5k regular spending yields 1k SQM.

You want the aeroplan status because it unlocks e upgrades. Which is how I got from YVR to Hong Kong on business but only paid premium economy.