There’s always plenty of news and promotions in the wonderful world of travel rewards, and we were more than due for the October update. If you even slightly enjoy earning free travel, I invite you to join the thousands of savvy travelers who have signed up to our free newsletter specifically about travel rewards to never miss anything!
As always, you can use the table of contents to navigate to the sections that interest you.
Here are the 15 travel rewards updates.
Reminder: 4 best credit card offers of October 2025
There are exceptional offers, as always! Don’t miss out!!! Any welcome bonus is better than using a card on which you aren’t unlocking a bonus, obviously! That’s the most basic of the basics.
Here are the essentials:
- BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard
- ≈ $1590 in net value
- Relatively fixed value (more simple type)
- Gives 2 Canada-Europe flights (roundtrip)
- Redeemable for certain Porter or Air Transat flights
- Travel benefits on Porter
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
- ≈ $716 in net value
- Extremely variable value (more lucrative type)
- Gives 1 Canada-Europe flight in business class (one-way)
- Redeemable for certain flights on 40+ airlines
- Travel benefits on Air Canada
- TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
- $1000 in net value
- Completely fixed value (more simple type)
- Gives $1000 in guaranteed fixed value
- Redeemable for almost any travel expense
- 4 free passes for VIP airport lounges
- Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
- $875 in net value
- Completely fixed value (more simple type)
- Gives $875 in guaranteed fixed value
- Redeemable for literally any travel expense
- Phenomenal earn rate of 5%-6%
You can read more details in our summary page of the 4 best offers of the month (or our ranking of the best cards with all sub-categories).
Live video on travel rewards: Best deals of the month and Q&A session
The date is chosen for the October edition of our monthly video, and I’d love to see you there! You can also join the video on travel in general as a last resort if you’re not available on Tuesday (I’ll be live from the Chicago Seminars points travel conference, where I’m speaking again).
Here are the essentials:
- Video on travel rewards
- Tuesday, October 21 at 9 PM
- Video on travel in general
- Sunday, October 26 at 9 PM
You can set up a reminder for the video by entering your email address on our live videos page.
Last chance for the record-high offer of $875 free in simple points: NOT to be missed for beginners especially!!!
I want to highlight this one in particular, because ALL travelers should at a minimum get this deal! These are the simplest points that exist. An excellent card for beginners, and it’s its highest offer ever seen. And it ends on October 31.
Here are the essentials:
- $875 welcome bonus
- Record-high offer for this card
- Ends October 31
- Perfect for beginners
- Points redeemable very easily
- ANY travel expense
- Booked on ANY website
- One of the best cards overall
- Excellent insurance
- Excellent earn rates
You can read all the details on our card resource page, as for all cards (or the summary version if you prefer for this amazing deal).
New Scene+ Points Days promotion: Easy bonus points to earn
Getting the Scotiabank Gold Amex Card will also allow you to maximize the new Scene+ Days promotion coming in November. But everyone can participate (it’s just better for cardholders, as many things are).
Here are the essentials:
- For Ontario and Québec residents only
- I honestly don’t know why
- You must register for the promotion in 1 click
- As is very often the case
- 3-day promotion
- From November 7 to 9
- Bonus points for all
- 1000 pts ($10) bonus on $100 purchase at Sobeys/FreshCo/Foodland/IGA
- 100 pts ($1) bonus on $50 purchase at Home Hardware
- 2X pts for travel booked on Scene+ (in cash)
- 2X pts at Cineplex cinemas
- 2X points at Harvey’s and other restaurants
- Bonus points for holders of popular Scene+ credit cards
- 1 bonus pt per $ in all spending categories
- So 7 pts/$ at grocery stores with the Scotiabank Gold Amex Card
- 4 eligible cards
- 1 bonus pt per $ in all spending categories
You can read all the details on the official Scotia Scene+ Points Days page.
Major changes to the lounge access benefit of Amex Platinum Cards
Free access to VIP airport lounges is awesome. But there’s very bad news for the best premium card in Canada, with unlimited access. It’s only changing in 2027, but this honestly makes it so much more important for you to receive our upcoming guide on how to get US-issued credit cards as a Canadian (as we do ourselves).
Here are the essentials:
- Affects the 2 Amex Platinum Cards (issued in Canada)
- Takes effect January 1, 2027
- At least they’re giving a lot of advance notice
- Access to certain networks doesn’t change (unlimited)
- Amex Centurion Lounges
- Escape Lounges
- Swissport Canada Lounges (Aspire and more)
- Access to certain networks changes drastically
- Priority Pass lounges
- Plaza Premium lounges
- Those will be limited to 6 passes per year (per network; so 12 total)
- Or 2 (4 total) for supplementary (joint) cards
- Unless you spend $20,000/year on the card (you keep unlimited access)
- The calculation starts in 2026 for unlimited access in 2027
You can read our guide on the lounge access benefit of Amex Platinum Cards to know how it works until 2027, and we’ll update it with the new rules very soon. This honestly completely changes the lounge strategy for Canadians, so we’re going to update our ultimate guide to lounges, which was finally ready, and share it with you very soon.
Chexy promotion: Aeroplan bonus points for using credit cards to pay rent, taxes, and more
You should have started using the Chexy bill payment service a long time ago, but better late than never, if not! By the way, I hosted a panel with a Chexy executive at a finance marketing conference last week, and he told me that plenty of interesting new features are coming!
Here are the essentials:
- 5000 Aeroplan points bonus (≈ $75)
- For new Chexy users
- Less than the 10,000 points at launch
- Better than the 0 points since
- To pay plenty of expenses by credit card
- Rent, income taxes, property taxes, etc.
- ONLY if you use the right credit card
- It’s frankly stupid otherwise
- 3-part bonus
- Create account, link accounts, make 1st payment
- 1,000 points (≈ $15)
- Make $3,000 in payments
- 3,000 points (≈ $45)
- Make 12 consecutive monthly payments
- 1,000 points (≈ $15)
- Create account, link accounts, make 1st payment
You can read the details of how bill payment services work, and then our guide on Chexy specifically.
Closure of 2 Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges for renovations (and 3 new lounges opening)
For those who have access to Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges (a more exclusive network than other VIP airport lounges) and who are flying from Montreal and Halifax, expect some inconvenience in the coming months. I just happened to be able to test this out myself yesterday. But new lounges are coming soon, too!
Here are the essentials:
- Montreal (YUL): Maple Leaf Lounge Domestic closed
- Until approximately January 2026; for major renovation
- Air Canada Café Lounge Domestic Montreal open
- New Aspire Amex Lounge Domestic offered for free*
- *Not for those with the lounge access credit card benefit
- Halifax (YHZ): Maple Leaf Lounge Domestic/International closed
- Until early 2027 (!!!); for complete rebuild
- No other lounges in the airport
- So no alternative
- Montreal (YUL): New Air Canada Café Lounge Transborder opening
- Early 2026
- Vancouver (YVR): New Air Canada Café Lounge Domestic 1 opening
- This fall
- Vancouver (YVR): New Air Canada Café Lounge Domestic 2 opening
- Early 2026
You can read the details in our guide on the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge access benefit (or our review of the relatively new Air Canada Café Lounge Domestic Montreal (YUL) for all other ways to access this lounge network).
Marriott Bonvoy seasonal global promotion: 2025 points (≈ $18) per stay
This is certainly not the most generous promotion, obviously (Marriott global promotions rarely are these recent years), but if you maximize it with single-night stays that don’t cost much, it’s a decent additional return that’s nice to get (but rarely worth planning a stay around).
Here are the essentials:
- 2025 bonus points (≈ $18) per stay
- Only those paid in cash (as always)
- Offered a maximum of 3 times
- So 6075 bonus points (≈ $55) for 3 stays
- The cheaper the stay, the better the percentage back is
- Obviously; it’s basic math
- You must register for the promotion in 1 click
- As always
- You must respect the dates
- Registration before December 27th
- Stays from October 28th to January 10th
- There are also 2000 extra bonus points possible
- For Marriott Outdoors destinations only
- The next global promotion will likely be the best
- To get double elite nights for elite status
You can read the details and register now on the official Marriott promotion site (as always, you need to sign in first).
New Marriott search feature: Filter to spot hotels with VIP lounges
Hotel VIP lounges are great, but are more difficult to access than airport ones. Those who have Marriott Bonvoy elite status have access to lounges in the world’s largest hotel chain, and it’s now easier to find which specific hotels have one!
Here are the essentials:
- Only certain hotel brands have VIP lounges
- And not all properties of the brand do
- It wasn’t easy to know at a glance
- It was a common frustration of members
- A new “Elite Member Lounge” filter has been added
- In the search tool you should master
- Just click on “All filters” to make it appear
- It will show which hotels have a VIP lounge
- Reminder that Ritz-Carlton lounges are excluded from the free access
You can read other tips on the basics of hotel searches with Marriott Bonvoy.
Changes to TD Rewards points redemption options: Rare enhancement (to avoid anyway)
In a world where changes are negative more often than not, TD is offering another enhancement (after adding 4 lounge passes to the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card). But you should avoid taking advantage of it anyway if you’re a savvy traveler who wants to maximize!
Here are the essentials:
- Increased value for a redemption option
- Option that savvy travelers avoid, though
- Redemptions for travel on any site
- 0.44¢/pt instead of 0.4¢/pt before
- 11% increase
- It’s still less than the 0.5¢/pt value that’s so easy to get
- For travel booked on the TD Rewards website
- This allows booking almost any hotel in the world
- And most flights (but it’s better for hotels)
- That’s obviously the smartest option to maximize
You can read the details in our guide on how to redeem TD Points.
Status match promotion: oneworld elite status now accessible
Having elite status is amazing. Especially airline elite status (especially with an airline part of an alliance), as it’s much harder to get. If you have one, status match promotions are great! This one is a rare one that even matches hotel elite status (like Marriott Bonvoy elite status) to airline elite status!!!
Here are the essentials:
- Royal Jordanian status match available
- Silver Jay or Gold Sparrow status; depending on status you have
- Valid for 12 months
- Gives you status on all 15 oneworld airlines
- Silver Jay = oneworld Ruby
- Gold Sparrow = oneworld Sapphire
- oneworld Sapphire includes free lounge access on oneworld flights
- Paid status match
- Not free as sometimes offered
- 49 USD for RJ Silver Jay
- 149 USD for RJ Gold Sparrow
- Marriott Bonvoy elites eligible
- All levels = Silver Jay
- Air Canada Aeroplan elites eligible
- 25K & 35K = Silver Jay
- 50K & above = Gold Sparrow
- WestJet Rewards elites eligible
- Silver = Silver Jay
- Gold & Platinum = Gold Sparrow
- No public end date
- Could end at any time
- I’ll almost certainly take advantage of this myself
- Easy to do online (as always)
- On the official status match website
- After first creating a free Royal Jordanian account
You can read all the details on the official Royal Jordanian status match page.
Aeroplan eStore promotion coming soon: 20 pts/$ (≈ 30%) on the luxury bedding I love
Last year’s incredible promotion will be back! Getting 20 pts/$ (≈ 30% or much more) is just crazy. It’s obviously in addition to your credit card rewards, as always. It’s seriously so sad that so many people still don’t use shopping portals!!!
Here are the essentials:
- Promotion from November 3 to 16
- We’re giving you the info in advance
- Set yourself a reminder
- Canadian Down & Feather Company quality products
- Canadian company
- I love their products myself
- The CEO is a friend and a points enthusiast
- 20 Aeroplan points per $ spent (≈ 30%)
- Or 40% and more if you redeem them well
- Like for flights in luxurious business class
- When shopping via the Aeroplan eStore
You can read the details of the Canadian Down & Feather Company promotion, including my impression of some of their most popular products.
AIR MILES redemption promotion: Up to 200 bonus miles back (40% discount)
AIR MILES miles can no longer give outsized value like in the old days, but it obviously remains a currency to keep in your rewards arsenal, like all the others that exist. Their best redemption is always during these relatively frequent redemption promotions, as your miles give you more value!
Here are the essentials:
- Miles redemption promotion
- With bonus redemption
- It increases the value of your miles
- 200 miles back on a redemption of 500 miles
- 40% discount
- You must register in 1 click
- As always
- From October 17 to 19
- Today is your last day
You can read the details of the AIR MILES redemption promotion.
Buy Aeroplan points promo: Up to 75% bonus
The very frequent promotion is back, and as usual, you probably shouldn’t take advantage of it. It’s so easy to get plenty of Aeroplan points if you’re on top of things!
Here are the essentials:
- 75% bonus
- Some lucky ones even see 90%
- Until October 29
- On the points purchase site
- There are a few scenarios where it can make sense
- They are detailed in our guide below
- Plenty of cards give you plenty of points
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card (57,000 pts)
- Amex Cobalt Card (60,000 pts)
- Amex Gold Rewards Card (72,000 pts)
- Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card (69,375 pts)
- Aeroplan Amex Card (44,000 pts)
You can read the details in our guide on the Aeroplan buy points promotion.
50% transfer bonus from American Express to Hilton Honors (to avoid)
Transfer bonus promotions are great… sometimes. This one isn’t at all, because American Express Membership Rewards points are literally the most valuable points in Canada… and the transfer rate to Hilton is terrible! Even with a 50% bonus!!!
Here are the essentials:
- 50% transfer bonus
- From Amex
- To Hilton Honors
- Gives 1.5 Hilton pts per Amex pt
- Still a terrible value
- Imagine without the 50% bonus
- Gives ≈ 0.75¢ per Amex pt
- Our Flytrippers Valuation is ≈ 1.5¢/pt
- The value is 2¢/pt and more for flights in luxurious business class
- Until October 31
- At the only place where you can do everything with your Amex points
- That is on the Amex website (as with any rewards program)
You can read the basics of American Express points transfers.
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Summary
This regular roundup post of travel rewards world updates keeps you informed of all our content on the subject. Our tips and the relevant news, promotions, and changes.
What would you like to know about these travel rewards updates? Let us know in the comments below.
See the deals we’ve found: Cheap flights
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn tips from the pros: Travel tips
Discover free trips: Travel rewards
Cover photo: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam (photo credit: Marina Lobato)
