Using CC Points for summer vacation - Canada

[andreamac]

So we wanted to take a bigger trip to NYC and Washington DC and see the sights but we wanted to save as much money as possible. Since the Canadian dollar has been predicted to do down further this year it's much more costly for Canadians to travel to the US.

This is how we have done it. Please note, there are restrictions to signup depending on your household income for some of the cards

We signed up for the following cards:
-TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card (25K aeroplan points and no annual fee for 1st year)
-TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite* Card (40K TD points and no annual fee for 1st year)
-MARRIOTT REWARDS PREMIER VISA (30K plus one free night and no annual fee for 1st year) X 2 (my husband also got this card)
-Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard (40K - $150 annual fee)

How we used the following points:
-Flying to NY and back from Washington - used 30K aeroplan points (I had 5K already from previous CC). I still had to pay $200 per return ticket for fees and taxes (aeroplan has gotten worse for this).
-Hotel for Washington (Was able to stay near downtown but regular cost is $350 US a night) - 2 free nights at Marriott & 2 nights for 50K points

redeemed
-Hotel for NYC, we have chosen a B&B in Brooklyn ($130 US night) but in safe area and really good reviews. We had a gift card of $325 from in-laws for a B&B and was able to use this, then was able to use the Capital one $400 redemption for the rest of the time. Used TD points for last night at La guardia airport before we flew out.

Both of our accommodations have a small kitchenette and grocery store nearby so we plan to make some P&J etc and eat out once a day. We plan to do mostly free/cheap things in both places except for a Broadway show in NYC.

So yes, we will spend some money on this trip but we already have the cash saved from our budget to do so. We are just able to stay longer since most of the accommodations are taken care of!

[Chaplin]

Nicely done! I've been looking into what the options are for some Canadian CC churning and travel hacking, but haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.

This site: http://canadiantravelhacking.boardingarea.com/top-canadian-travel-credit-cards/ calls the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express the best rewards CC in Canada. Any thoughts on it?

[andreamac]

I looked into it awhile ago and it wasn't worth it for me to sign up and pay the $120 annual fee but I will take another look at it for sure.

Also another tip, I sign up using great canadian rebates website and get money for signing up as well in amazon cards!

Nicely done! I've been looking into what the options are for some Canadian CC churning and travel hacking, but haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.

This site: http://canadiantravelhacking.boardingarea.com/top-canadian-travel-credit-cards/ calls the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express the best rewards CC in Canada. Any thoughts on it?

[The Fake Cheap]

Nice to see some Canadian based info here.  The CC promos here are so crappy compared to the states.  I churned the TD Aeroplane last year as my first official churn, and it's time to look at a few more options.  Thanks for the info.

[RetiredAt63]

I posted in my BC thread - I do something similar, but more Canadian for travel.  A lot would work in the US as well.

AirMiles - car rentals, hotels.  They charge for each reservation, so it can get expensive.  Car rentals - check first re your regular car insurance, with mine car rentals are covered so I never take the extra insurance.  I haven't had good luck with actual flights, so I use my points on these instead.

MasterCard - some have the new points - I got an Elite MasterCard (promo, no fee for a year) and the points were really useful, 5 hotel nights (including the Best Western Plus in Chemainus BC, very nice, and with a kitchenette).  They don't charge the application fee that AirMiles does.

Kitchenettes - great if you are staying more than a day, you can do breakfast and dinner in the hotel, and with the fridge you can also prep lunches for away.

DD was doing a lot of flying with WestJet, so she got the RBC WestJet MasterCard, and had no trouble getting the flights she wanted.  Of course for specialty cards like this you have to want exactly what they offer.