Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast

Episode 52 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast has Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca talking about the latest news in miles and points, including the all-new Hilton Honors American Express Card in Canada, plus some exclusive and limited-time credit card welcome offers you should be taking advantage of. The hosts share news of a new direct-to-Europe route from Edmonton, as well as the recently launched Calgary to Abu Dhabi Etihad route. They discuss the World of Hyatt to Aeroplan status match details, WestJet Rewards increasing elite status threshold, Aeroplan Harbour Air redemptions, and Air Transat’s new loyalty program Staria. The Avion to Avios 30% transfer bonus is back for November, Accor Gold is now available for Amex Platinum cardholders, and Flying Blue Promo Rewards have taken quite a hit. Plus, the team reviews the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege Card, which got a positive refresh, and discusses the upcoming changes to the American Express Marriott Bonvoy cards, plus the addition of a new no-annual-fee card in 2027. RBC 30% Avios transfer bonus; Accor Gold for Platinum holders; Flying Blue promo rewards becoming nonrefundable “light” fares; a SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam status match; BMO Eclipse VIP updates; and a new no-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bright card alongside Marriott Amex fee increases and new spend requirement for the annual free night. The episode wraps up with a listener data point about their experience getting Barclays cards as a Canadian, plus a question about welcome-bonus strategy tips.

In episode 51 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca review upcoming changes to Canadian Aeroplan credit cards, including new benefits and higher annual fees, effective in January 2027. New benefits across all cards include 15% off Aeroplan flight rewards on Air Canada aircraft, semi-annual Air Canada wallet credits ($100/year premium; $50/year core), fourth night free on hotel redemptions, fourth day free on car rentals, and vague “priority security” at select airports; premium cards also add expanded Maple Leaf Lounge access in Frankfurt, London Heathrow, and Paris with one guest. The team discusses the benefits that they think will have value and the ones they view as hard to use, flags the 15% discount as a possible cause for concern, and calls out major annual fee increases. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve card gains a $200 annual dining credit, Priority Pass visits, and Aspire Lounge visits, while the Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve just might be the biggest loser amongst all of these changes.

Episode 50 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast has Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca talking about the latest news in miles and points, including the details of the finally revealed Blue Rewards and Porter Airlines VIPorter partnership. They cover the high-level changes coming to Canadian Aeroplan credit cards (complete with new benefits and higher annual fees), a new World of Hyatt promo, and the surprising launch of the Capital One Quicksilver cards in Canada.

In episode 49 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca review and discuss the newly refreshed Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card. Key changes include a $100 USD annual fee increase (now $195 USD), new card design, automatic Aeroplan 25K status without the prior $15,000 spend requirement, updated earn rates (including 3x on Air Canada and general travel, reduced grocery earn), two semi-annual $50 Air Canada statement credits, and a 15% discount on Aeroplan redemptions for Air Canada-operated flights. The team discusses the limited value of statement credits, who benefits from 25K status (especially if not already earned via Marriott), concerns about Aeroplan devaluation, and the Chase Pay Yourself Back option at 1.25 cents USD per point (capped at 200k Aeroplan points/year). They also cover welcome bonus details (up to 115k points), SQC earning thresholds, and conclude the card is situational, with the old version preferred mainly due to the lower fee.

In Episode 48 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca cover the latest news in miles and points, both from Canada and the United States, and answer a few listener questions. The hosts talk about Flying Blue adding three new award tiers to saver ticket redemptions, Chexy now supporting mortgage payments via bank withdrawal while earning Aeroplan points, how Qatar Airways Privilege Club has suddenly dropped its qualifying-activity requirement to add nominees for bookings that consist of more than just the account holder, and the Chase Aeroplan Card refresh. They also review the limited-time promotion where Canadian Aeroplan cardholders receive a15% Air Canada award discount, new Canadian and United States credit card offers, Amex Canada’s “Add a Card” promotion, a 15% RBC Avion-to-Asia Miles transfer bonus, Air Canada app improvements, several new routes from Porter Airlines and Air Canada, a newly announced Hyatt–Delta partnership, and a modest Marriott promo. The episode wraps up with two listener questions about last-minute hotel deals and credit card portfolio optimization.

In episode 47 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca take a look at the United MileagePlus Neo World Elite Mastercard, the newest co-branded airline credit card in Canada. Offering a low annual fee and okay earning rates, the card shines when it comes to benefits with United Airlines and, more particularly, with MileagePlus Miles redemptions on United Airlines and Star Alliance airline partners. While they cover the additional travel benefits of the card, the hosts also share a few of their preferred MileagePlus Miles redemptions, plus how you can pool MileagePlus Miles as a household. They wrap up by discussing the secured version of the card, which can be a great option for those younger applicants who want to get involved in miles and points.

In episode 46 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca take a deep dive into the recently announced World of Hyatt and Air Canada Aeroplan partnership. The hosts outline enhanced earning on Hyatt stays when paying with Aeroplan credit cards. Premium Aeroplan cardholders can access a 90-day Hyatt status challenge that requires staying a heavily reduced number of nights to earn status, in addition to complimentary cardholder benefits such as Discoverist status and five annual tier qualifying nights. They explore new redemption opportunities, which include transferring points between the two programs and redeeming Aeroplan points for World of Hyatt Free Night Certificates. They also discuss a $20 annual Air Canada credit for Hyatt elites and a planned but yet-to-be-finalized World of Hyatt to Aeroplan elite status challenge. Wrapping up the episode, the hosts compare World of Hyatt points to Marriott Bonvoy value, a possible “status merry-go-round” between loyalty programs, and an indirect path from Amex Membership Rewards US to Hyatt via Aeroplan.

In Episode 45 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca cover a packed Canadian miles-and-points news episode plus listener questions. They preview a deeper upcoming dive on the new Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt partnership, including status matches, reciprocal point transfers, and redemption options. Exclusive BMO credit card offers and FlyerFunds Rebates for August on the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard and BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard are discussed. The hosts discuss Accor Live Limitless becoming an Amex Canada transfer partner and Platinum card offering Accor Gold status, Porter Airlines’ award redemption fuel surcharges returning to $40, and Marriott’s new partnership with Japan Airlines MileageBank. Several Emirates changes when booking with Aeroplan points are discussed in addition to the introduction of basic fare classes on Air Canada premium cabin tickets, and the team reviews two current transfer bonuses to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and American Airlines AAdvantage Miles. The hosts highlight elevated Amex Canada Marriott Bonvoy welcome offers, new Seats.aero eUpgrade and Chrome tools, plus the newly added Amex US transfer partner of Leading Hotels of the World. The episode wraps up with several listener questions that ask about the best Canadian travel points, cross-border banking, Europe deals from Western Canada, and family-travel perspectives.

In episode 44 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss what they would do with 100,000 American Express Canada Membership Rewards points across the available frequent flyer and hotel loyalty program transfer partners (minus Delta). With Jeff based in Vancouver, Josh in Edmonton, and Daniel in New York City, they share the best redemption options they found in their home region for each transferable frequent flyer program, including total points cost, taxes and fees, and how they found availability. The episode wraps up with the hosts discussing some of the value that transferring to Marriott Bonvoy can offer, and why you should always avoid transferring your Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors.

In Episode 43 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca kick the episode off by reviewing recent Qatar Airways Privilege Club changes that make it much harder to book award flights for family and friends. The hosts discuss how Alaska Airlines raised its non-refundable partner award booking fee to $20 USD per person per direction and how Philippine Airlines is set to join Oneworld in 2027. They cover Chase Sapphire Preferred changes, the very meaningful Tim Hortons’ card discontinuation, new Scotiabank and RBC credit card offers, targeted Amex Cobalt-to-Gold upgrades, and Porter Airlines and Cathay Pacific fuel surcharge reductions for award flights. The episode wraps up with listener comments and questions on the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, an ITIN executive order, a battle of frequent flyer programs, prioritizing transferable currencies, and opening a first Chase card.