Your BC getaway
Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway or a family vacation, summertime is a perfect time to use your loyalty and rewards points to maximize your holidayfun.
Look inside your purse or wallet and you’re sure to find a loyalty rewards card. Chances are you’ll find more than one. Not surprising then that a recent Maritz Canada report found that 94% of Canadians are members of at least one loyalty rewards program, with the average belonging to four. And with all those cards, many of us have lots of unused points.
Travelling in BC can often provide the best value when redeeming travel rewards. Consider that you’d need at least 60,000 Aeroplan points for one ticket on Air Canada to Europe. Yet, for the same number of points, a family of four can fly anywhere Air Canada’s partner, Jazz, flies in BC.And given that sometimes fares can be high throughout the province, using your points this way can make a lot of sense.
Diversity of rewards
Aeroplan, one of Canada’s largest loyalty travel rewards program with more than 4.6 million members, used to be solely about offering flights, but in recent years it has expanded its rewards to include merchandise and a wide array of travel activities. “We realized that the base of our members is quite broad, and we are no longer catering just to frequent flyers,” says Aaron Carr, Aeroplan’s GM Product Management. “We are always looking at offering distinctive programs and activities, and so you can use your points for a private glass blowing lesson in Vancouver, whale watching adventures in Victoria, or even tickets to shows and spa getaways.”
Flexible rewards
The biggest trend in loyalty reward programs is flexibility. Both TD and Capital One offer such in their programs. “What appeals to me about our TD First Class Infinite VISA Travel Card is the flexibility,” says Barb Stangoe, a TD branch manager. “You can use your points for any type of travel purchase— car rental, flights, activities, cruises, even airport parking. Some programs are very limiting, but it’s nice to have a rewards card that is simple to use.” TD has teamed up with Expedia to make travel booking easier, and offer bonus points
when booking with Expedia.
Travel points
Laurel Ostfield of Capital One agrees that a program should be flexible. And that’s exactly what the Aspire Travel World MasterCard is. It offers the same kind of flexibility as TD’s Travel Rewards program, both of which provide sign-up bonuses, and where members can book and pay for travel purchases on their credit card, and then opt to use their reward points when their monthly statement comes out. There are no blackout dates to worry about, or limits to the number of seats available on a flight. “A credit card is a great financial tool, and it can also help people attain great travel rewards,” says Ostfield.
Summer is a fantastic time to explore the diversity of British Columbia. Now is the time to use those loyalty points you’ve been wondering what to do with, and travel to a place you’ve never been before, or return to a destination you’ve been meaning to get back to.