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.

In fact, we like the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege benefits so much we’re giving it a Top Card ranking right out of the gate despite it’s $599 annual fee.

Unlike other travel rewards cards that just get you points, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card gets you some bonus Aeroplan benefits we know you’ll love.

Signup Bonus

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege sign up bonus has two components: initial spend and sustained spend. Right out of the gate you’ll receive 20,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first purchase with the card. You can earn another 85,000 points when you spend at least $1,000 each month for the first 10 months the account is open, or 8500 points per month on top of the points earned by spending.

This brings your initial points haul to at least 105,000 Aeroplan points.

Aeroplan Perks

When you use your card to purchase travel with Air Canada you earn 2 points for every dollar spent. As an affinity cardholder you also get preferred pricing on some flights (and flight rewards) at the aircanada.com website. We actually discovered this by accident when we were trying to book with a friend to Europe. They couldn’t see the prices I had access to in my Aeroplan account because they weren’t a TD Aeroplan Visa client.

The primary cardholder also earns 1000 Aeroplan Status Qualifying Miles (SQMs) and one Status Qualifying Segment (SQS) for each $5000 of net purchases. This can be especially helpful for travelers who are close to reaching the next level of status in the Aeroplan system.

VIP Lounge Access

This benefit is huge on our priority list. VIP Lounges are part of the reason we travel. With other cards in our wallet we get great lounge access from half a dozen providers. But for Canadians the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege gets you the best in Canada: Maple Leaf Lounge access for you and 2 additional guests.

We used it for the first time earlier this summer at the international departures Maple Leaf Lounge at YYZ, one of our favourite lounges in the world and the best way to begin your journey.

|Apply for the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card|

Air Canada Bonuses

As a TD Aeroplan Visa cardholder you’re entitled to additional benefits when you book and fly on Air Canada. These benefits extend to your additional cardholders or up to 8 travel companions travelling on the same reservation.

• Free first checked bag
• Priority Check-In
• Priority Boarding
• Priority Baggage Handling
• Priority Airport Standby & Priority Airport Upgrades
• $99 Roundtrip Companion Passes when you spend $25K each year

NEXUS Fee Reimbursement

We jumped on the NEXUS bandwagon just over a decade ago. Being able to zip through security lines and fast-track through customs was life changing when our kids were younger. Today it makes our travel quick, effortless and leaves us with much more time in the VIP lounges. NEXUS costs just $50 for a 5 year membership and is worth 10x that in the convenience you receive.

With theTD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege you’ll receive a rebate up to $100 every for years for a NEXUS application/renewal charged to your card.

Card Benefits Far Outweigh the Fee

Canadians are a very fee averse crowd. We get it: from cell phones to internet to cable tv we’re among the most overcharged in the world. But when it comes to travel reward credit cards if you want to play the game you have to play it to win. The $599 annual fee might seem a bit steep but when you start adding up the benefits you get each year you’ll come out way ahead.

Income Threshold

Unlike American Express, which dropped it’s income thresholds a couple of years ago, TD qualifies applicants for this card based on individual or household income.

To apply for the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege you’ll need either $150,000 of personal income or at least $200,000 of household income.

Bottom Line

We highly recommend the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege for your points journey even beyond the value of the signup bonus.

This is a card you can plan to keep in your wallet for years to come as you continue to win the points game.

If you’re an existing TD Aeroplan or regular Visa customer we recommend you upgrade to the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege just to take advantage of the sign up bonus and additional benefits. Once you’ve received your bonus points you can always downgrade to one of the less expensive Aeroplan cards if the annual fee is justified in your case.

Are you maximizing all of the benefits of your TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege? Or do you have an epic reward experience to share with the community? Tell us all about it in the comments below. We may even use your story in an upcoming report.

The post TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Review – August 2022 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.