What Level are you?

​My name is Sarah and I like to chase Rocket ship launches.  I also like to travel in business class on longer flights, especially ones over water, and I hate sitting around airports waiting for flights on the hard, soulless chairs that greet you at airport gates.  My work doesn’t include a lot of paid travel and I forgot to marry to millionaire.  Which means I’m left to achieve the flying dreams for me and my family via points and miles - mostly derived from credit card spend, and taking advantage of key promotions offered by hotels and retailers.
Warning:  PAY YOUR CREDIT CARDS IN FULL. If you are not planning to do this, then please do NOT start down this road. It will likely not be worthwhile.

​Level 1: You like packaged vacations, cruises, all-inclusives. You don't like a lot of hassle planning and tracking things, but you like getting a bargain and maximizing value

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​Level 2: You don't mind investing some time planning your travel, and willing to pay a little in credit card changes to get a lot.  You are willing to search for uncomplicated flights bookings and stay at major hotel chains for free or discounted opportunities

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​Level 3: You are ready to juggle multiple airline programs, mixing and matching flight tickets as needed.  You like business class comfort, and are willing to invest time, some money and energy into truly maximizing credit card opportunities

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Level 4: You know the basics, juggle between various programs with ease, maximize your credit card bonuses and adhoc opportunities. You are ready to play in the ultra elite spacLevel 4: You know the basics, juggle between various programs with ease, maximize your credit card bonuses and adhoc opportunities. You are ready to play in the ultra elite spac

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1. If you like packaged vacations, cruises, all-inclusive and don’t like a lot of hassle in planning then the best type of credit cards for you are ones where you can redeem points for dollar equivalents and use the dollar amounts towards purchasing a package.  If you do this, then you want to look for cards that maximize points earning and have a good points to dollar redemption ration e.g.:
   1. Amex Cobalt - 5x spend on food, grocery and restaurants is my favorite feature; you can redeem at 100 points = $1 ($10/month cost)
   2. Capital One - 2x spend on everything 
   3. Scotia Gold Amex
   4. Because Amex is not taken everywhere I usually carry a visa or mastercard from TD, CIBC, BMO or RBC to complement the Amex suite.
2. If you don’t mind spending the time, and investing a little money, then there are multiple options. First you should be aware of the primary airline carriers and alliances: 
   1. Aeroplan/Star Alliance: For Canadians this is your best bet as there are the most options for flights originating in Canada. It also generally gives the best options for direct flights.  If you choose only one program, it should be aeroplan. Good cards to collect points are TD/CIBC aeroplan visa infinite, Amex Aeroplan platinum visa, Amex Gold card and Amex Platinum card.  Note Amex Gold and Platinum cards allow you to collect “Amex membership reward” points which are probably the most valuable types of points going, as they can be converted to aeroplan (1:1) and many other travel partners.
   2. British Airways Avios/One World Members:  As American Airlines is a member of the one world alliance, and you can use BA Avios points to redeem AA flights, this is a secondary sweet spot for Canadians.  Amex Gold and Platinum cards with Membership reward points convert to BA at 1:1(currently with a 30% bonus), and other cards to consider are the RBC Avion Infinite Visa or (if you really want to boost your BA points) the RBC British Airways Visa. One extra sweet spot with BA avios tickets on AA is that cancellation fees are often as little as $7.80 and never exceed $58)
   3. Delta/WestJet.  Westjet members get access to “member” fares (accounts are free for signup) and there are often good deals for $125 West Jet dollars to multiple destinations in North America.  Often missed is that their partner Delta, allows you to redeem 15,000 Delta Skymiles for a member ticket flight. Redemption fees are often reasonable. How do you get Delta miles in Canada? Easy, Amex membership rewards points transfer to Delta at a 1000:750 ratio.  Note this is not as good as the 1:1 transfer for Aeroplan and BA but it is a nice third option.
   4. I collect AirMiles as a hedging bet. I often travel with family and/or friends and need multiple tickets.  I tend to buy star alliance or one world seats as first choice, but if i can’t get enough seats through aeroplan or BA, generally i can pick up the remaining needed seats via AirMiles redemption.  As AirMiles are not associated with any one carrier, they offer seats across most airlines, making them a good “top-op” option when you need multiple seats. My favorite card in this space is the Amex AirMiles Reserve card (2400 airmiles sign up bonus, 2 for 1 yearly flight benefit, unlimited Plaza Premium and unlimited Priority Pass access for you and a guest).
   5. SPG/Marriott Hotels Highlights:  Gold status from Amex Platinum Card. Points transferable from Amex Membership Rewards.  Good redemption opportunities in the middle economy properties space.
   6. Hilton Hotels Highlights:  Gold status from Amex Platinum Card gives Hilton Gold status (includes lounge access).  Good redemption and upgrade possibilities in the middle economy properties space. Good options for family travel.
   7. Best Western:  A really nice card is the no-fee Best Western master card from MNBA.  With a minimum $1500 spend you can get up to 40K points which can be redeemed for 1-4 nights depending on the property.  No brainer for a few free nights.

Key Benefits of Popular Credit Cards besides Points:

1. Extensive Insurance - most of the higher end visa, Amex cards have extensive insurance coverage. I always have an active card in this space every year.
2. I like TD or CIBC aeroplan cards because I get one free checked bag, so I always hold one of these cards.
3. I love lounge access. Some of my favorite cards in this space are the Amex Platinum (yes I have a love affair with Amex - and they don’t even sponsor me), TD or CIBC aeroplan infinite $399 cards, Amex Air Miles Reserve, Amex Aeroplan Platinum.

I’m still building my content..if you want to know back..check back in a while or email me.