Earlier this year rumors floating around on the web suggested that American Express was going to release a new card modeled after the popular CHASE Aeroplan Card in the US that offers richer benefits and higher status earning.

The benefits of the new American Express® Air Canada® are fantastic to say the least. Here’s the rundown:

| Access to Air Canada Ground Services

Before you’ve even left the airport this new American Express card is going to next-level spoil you with access to Air Canada Concierges and ALL Air Canada lounges worldwide.

Yup. ALL LOUNGES! That includes the Air Canada Signature Suite for you (the cardemember) and one guest when flying on an AC ticketed flight.

| Aeroplan Elite 50K Status

This benefit is free for the first year. After that you’ll have to meet the minimum $50k spend to maintain it. This shouldn’t be a problem for anyone who is focused on winning the points game.

What does Aeroplan Elite 50K Status get you?

Before you fly:

• Priority call centre access
• Priority watilist for full flights
• Priority seat selection: take a seat at the front of the Economy cabin on any flight

At the airport:

• Priority check-in
• Priority stand-by
• 3 free checked bags !
• Priority baggage handling…your bags get to the carousel first!
• Sports equipment handling fees waived
• Free Maple Leaf Lounge access in Canada, LAX, LGA and EWR
• 3 Maple Leaf Lounge one-time guest passes
• Access to Air Canada Cafe
• Complimentary access to Star Alliance Gold lounges
• Priority security clearance for you and up to 9 companions on the same reservation
• Priority boarding

During your flight:

• 20 eUpgrade Credits
• 20 additional eUpgrade Credits
• Free preferred seats on Flex fares in NA, 50% off in international markets

These are just some of the sweet perks that come with Elite 50K status. Head of to AirCanada.com to see all of the other rewards, offersnad status matching that Elite 50K status gives you.

| Exclusive Invite Only

The new American Express Air Canada card isn’t something you can apply for — it’s invite only.

No details are available yet on who will be targeted for this card. As soon as we know we’ll be sharing it right away so be sure to follow our facebook, twitter, instagram as well as sign up for our newsletter.

| Bottom Line

The new American Express Air Canada card offers amazing benefits for big spenders who don’t fly enough to earn Elite status.

If you love upgrades, lounges and free travel on points you’d be crazy to ignore this offer. But the devil is always in the details. We definitely want to see what’s “under the hood’ of this new American Express card.

The post American Express Releases ‘Invite Only’ Air Canada card with Elite 50K Status first appeared on PointsAndTravel.ca.

The long game for points junkies usually means churning through an issuers stable of cards to cash in on the sign up bonuses. But you either eventually run out of cards to churn or simply find one that packs the most bang for the buck.

For us, it’s The American Express Platinum Card.

(We may earn referal points when our readers sign up for credit cards through our partner links.)

But there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about signing up. If you go over to American Express Canada’s website you’ll see that the current signup bonus for the Platinum Card is 110,000 Membership Reward points. You’ll get 90,000 points for spending $6000 in the first 90 days of card ownership and up to 20,000 additional points at a 10x earn rate per dollar spent on food and drink. And that’s on top of the other points earned based on your spending.

But if you sign up for The Platinum Card with our exclusive referral link you’ll get 95,000 points instead of just 90,000 for your initial $6000 spend.

The current sign-up bonus offer is good til October 26, 2022.

The annual fee for The Platinum Card is $699, which might seem steep, but hear us out on the benefits first!

$200 Annual Travel Credit

Every year American Express gives you a $200 Travel Credit to use on the Amex Travel site. You can put it towards a hotel, flight or package. No strings attached. This travel credit alone brings the sting of the annual fee down to $499.

$100 NEXUS Statement Credit

If you haven’t joined NEXUS yet, you need to get on that grind right away. Breezing through security and fast-tracking through customs make this Trusted Traveler program a “must have” for anyone who travels. Good for 5 years at a time, a NEXUS membership might be the best money you spend on travel, and AMEX is going to reimburse you for the fee!

If you’re keeping track, that annual fee is now down to $399!

|Apply for The Platinum Card|

Global Lounge Access

Nothing makes travel more pleasant than access to VIP lounges. Once you start using them, you’ll never go back to hanging out with the human meat kettles at the gate.

The lounge access that’s built into The Platinum Card is really one-of-a-kind. Unlike TD’s Aeroplan Infinitie Visa Card that gets you into Maple Leaf Lounges, The Platinum Card gets you into 7 different lounge providers in more than 1300 airports.

• The Centurion Lounge
• Plaza Premium Lounges
• Delta Sky Club
  • accessible when traveling on a ticketed Delta flight
• Airspace Lounges
• Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner
• Priority Pass
• Executive Lounges by Swissport

We haven’t sampled them all, but we definitely do have favorite lounges and we’re add new ones to the list all the time. The Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas is fantastic, as is the WestJet Lounge in Calgary just to name a few.

Based on all of free food and beverages you and your guests receive each time you use a lounge, you can see very quickly how much value you’re getting for that annual fee. And we haven’t even scratched the surface yet!

No Income Thresholds

A few years ago American Express in Canada quietly dropped the income thresholds to qualify for it’s various cards, opening up a long runway of “card churning” to savvy points hounds.

Unlike TD’s Aeroplan Infinite Visa with it’s hefty $250,000 household income threshold, anyone with good credit can take advantage of the thick American Express sign-up bonuses.

Upgraded Hotel Status

If you’re into upgraded rooms, late check out, free breakfasts and more then you’ll love the status lift you get with Marriott, Hilton and Radisson hotels loyalty programs.

Platinum Cardholders get instant Gold status at these hotel programs.

Hilton Honors Gold

• 80% Bonus on Base Points with every stay
• Daily Food & Beverage Credit (US Hotels) or Continental Breakfast (Non-US Hotels)
• Space available room upgrades
• Earn 10,000 bonues points every 10 nights after you’ve stayed 30 nights in a calendar year
• No resort fees on reward stays
• Hilton Honors discount rates
• Digital check-in/out
• Free wifi
• Digital key
• Choose your room
• Free 5th night
• Elite rollover nights

Marriott Gold Elite

• 25% more points on your spend
• Priority late checkout
• Space available upgrades
• Free wifi
• Exclusive Gold Elite rates
• Mobile check-in/out
• Mobile key

Radisson Gold

• Save up to 10% on members only rates
• 25 points / $1 spent
• Complimentary bottle of water
• Space available room upgrades
• Free breakfast

American Express Membership Rewards – The King of Points

As a premium brand, American Express Membership Rewards points are respected across the industry and transfer to other hotel and airline programs.

You can use your Amex points for purchases or travel within the American Express ecosystem, or transfer them to your favorite travel partner like Aeroplan, Delta, Hilton, and more.

Once you join The Platinum Card club and start accumulating American Express points and enjoying the benefits you’ll wonder how you ever traveled before.

Do you have a favorite Amex Points Redemption experience or tip? Let us know in the comments and me may share your ideas in a future article!

The post Best Travel Card in Canada: American Express Platinum Card first appeared on PointsAndTravel.ca.