May 2017 - The Ph.D Guy-Doctor of Points and Travel

The Ph.D Guy-Doctor of Points and Travel

The ultimate guide to Canadian credit cards. We also provide tips for making easy money and maximize your points value.

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SPG Buy Points Promotion

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

【Drop Deal】Save Extra 2 Dollars On Amazon

May 30, 2017 0
I have previously mentioned Drop, an app that can help you accumulate points to redeem many free stuff through spending on your linked cards. 


 There is a deal recently that may be of interest to many of you: Spend 50 dollars on Amazon and get 2000 extra points, that's equal to a 4% cash back!

 If you haven't used Drop yet, you can download it using our link to get a 1,000 sign-up bonus (worth 1 dollar):  https://b.ewd.io/custom-code?c=phdguy

Alternatively you can enter the refer code: phdguy 

 If you don't see this offer on your Drop, try this link:http://b.ewd.io/agtq/UksjSgAbAD
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Hyatt Gift Cards 23% off at CardCash (One Day ONLY)

May 30, 2017 0
If you have plans to put your future stays with Hyatt, you definitely should go for this deal: for today only, you have have 23% off purchasing Hyatt gift cards at CardCash.

 Purchase Link: Click Here. 
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Thursday, May 25, 2017

16 Billion Dollars of Loyalty Program Points Unused in North America

May 25, 2017 0
I read this article on Money Sense today (read news first), and according to my personal experience, it is very true that lots of Canadians don't bother use their points. 
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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Save an Extra 8% with Swagbucks When You Book Marriott Hotels

May 23, 2017 0
There are lots of cashback websites out there with which we can save a lot of money making purchases online. From my personal perspective, Swagbucks is one of the best when you want to make reservations with Marriott, and there is a trick here you can make use of:

 If you are using Google Chrome, search "Swagbucks" and you will find SwagButton in the results. Simply install it and log into your Swagbucks account. Next time when you are on Marriott.com official website, you will be reminded to activate Swagbucks for extra cashback-and that has been at 8% ! 

 If you don't have Swagbucks account, you can register using our referral link: http://www.swagbucks.com/p/register?rb=21979409 You will get extra 500 Swagbucks (worth of 5 dollars) as a sign up bonus, and so will we. 

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Last Day to Register: Save up to 5 Dollars or Earn 50 Air Miles with Shell

May 23, 2017 0
This is a limited-time offer by Airmiles and Shell：send a text message SHELL to 111222, and reply accordingly to choose your offer. You will be asked to provide your Airmiles collector number.

 Check the promotion link for more details. 
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Marriott Q2 MegaBonus is Here!

May 16, 2017 0
After the long wait, Marriott has launched their 2017 Q2 MegaBonus Promotion here, and you have the chance to earn an additional of 4,000 points for your stay. 

More details are enclosed below.
Register Now. 
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Monday, May 15, 2017

Updates on AC Oversale Issue

May 15, 2017 0
There are a few things to clarify:

 1. I asked for compensation at YWG when I had my changed flight. I did not feel like taking the red-eye flight so paid the hotel myself, and I did not ask to be compensated for that. 

 2. Some people (or competitors? who also run a blog) post my link on the website indicating I am trying to "self promote my website through this experience", which sounds really ridiculous: if I need to promote my website, why didn't I go to the forum and post this myself? And what is the point of leading "fire" to my personal website here? 

 3. News coverage is focused on attracting readers' eyes. I did not write out the story and try to make "emotional thing" the leading angle there. If you read my post, I am calm and recapping the facts here. 
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Buy Alaska Miles, Get up to 50% Bonus

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Sunday, May 14, 2017

Air Canada Being Arrogant about Denying Boarding

May 14, 2017 0
CBC has the exclusive news on my experience here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/air-canada-passenger-bumped-wants-compensation-1.4114718

 I have reported the "overbooking" story of United Airline on my Simplified Chinese version of website before, but have never thought of that I would personally encounter overbooking myself. Here is a brief recap of what I have witnessed and experienced myself: 

My girl friend and I were supposed to take the Air Canada (AC8297) from Winnipeg to Saskatoon on May 13, 2017. We were at the airport an hour or so before departure time: and it proved to be plenty of time ahead given the fact that YWG was not busy at all on Saturday morning. When we were checking in, I was told that since I used United Airline Silver Status, they need to clear my identity before giving me the boarding pass. So I waited for around 20 minutes until they finally managed to get the phone call through and "clear my identity". 
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Thursday, May 11, 2017

Ebates.ca 15% Cash Back on Selected Retailers !

May 11, 2017 0
This is probably the biggest saving day since 2017 from Ebates here, and if you sign up your account now through our referral link, you will be entitled another 5 dollar cash back as a welcome bonus! 

Ebates is one of the oldest and most popular cashback website in North America, and has its specific site for Canada as ebates.ca. 

 If you like to shop online, Ebates is definitely a good choice to boost your savings. The cash back you earned will be issued by ebates on a quarter basis, and you can choose either Cheque or paypal as a payment method. 
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New and Big Changes to Air Canada Frequent Flyer Program

May 11, 2017 0
Many people may be confused by the relationship between Aeroplan and Air Canada, but now it seems that this confusion will be cleared in the near future: since 2020, Air Canada will end its contract with Aimia, which has operated Aeroplan for a decade. 

 Official announcement: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/frequent-flyer/home.html

 The Ph.D guy thinks that this will not only bring about major changes to Air Canada, but also exert influence on credit card points system, especially American Express. As we know, Membership Reward Points can be converted to Aeroplan miles by 1:1, but what will happen since 2010? Let's wait and see. 
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Monday, May 8, 2017

CIBC Smart Account Offer is Back: It is the Time to Enroll!

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Sunday, May 7, 2017

Maximize Your Amex Platinum Card: Fairmont Benefits

May 07, 2017 0
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has been merged with Le Club Accor Hotels and provides status match since late last year. But no public link pages were found for the status match: members can only match their accounts by registering through invitation emails. 


Now the good news is that these invitation emails are back: check you inbox to find out the email and follow the steps, your status with another program is within reach. 
                             

Once you match your status, you can see this: 

In Canada, if you have the Platinum card with American Express, you can make use of their Fairmont benefits: if you charge five nights in a calendar year using your Platinum card, you will be upgraded to platinum status with Fairmont. Be aware that you have to contact Amex for the enrollment of this offer and reaffirm with Fairmont customer service once you have five nights.

Although the annual fee for the Platinum card is 699 CAD per year, the accompanying benefits and privileges are well worth it. Take Fairmont as an example: if you get upgraded into platinum status, you will have a free night certificate (at least 300 CAD value, I used it at Fairmont Peace Hotel this year), two suite upgrade certificates, four room upgrade certificates and 100 USD dining and SPA credit. And you will get welcome gifts upon check-in. 
Fairmont Peach Hotel in Shanghai, China

You can apply for this card using our referral link here, and have the chance to get 60,000 membership points (instead of 40,000 points with non-referral links)if you spend 3000 dollars in the first three months: apply now. You can also apply for the Business version of this card, which has a lower annual fee of 399 CAD: apply now. 

                                
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Friday, May 5, 2017

Ebay.ca: Sephora Gift Card 50 for 45, and Some Additional Tips

May 05, 2017 0
Mother's day is around the corner, and have you figured out what to put into your gift cart? Good news is that on Ebay.ca Sephora gift card is now on sale:
Here are a few tips for the purchase：

1. If you have never hear of Great Canadian Rebates (GCR), we strongly recommend you register an account with them:

You may use our referral link and fill in our email to get a 2.5 CAD bonus when signing up:

(‘I was referred by’ qingyangliurick@gmail.com)

2. On GCR, you can find their Ebay.ca portal here:
https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/register.php?r=203630&p=eBay.ca-Bid

3. By clicking on the link in step two from GCR, you will be redirected to ebay.ca, and every purchase you make will earn you extra cash back (and that's GCR's job).

 4. Unfortunately, the gift card you purchased can only be redeemed in store. 

 Terms and conditions:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/50-Sephora-Gift-Card-for-45-/192176793716


If you are a regular customer to Sephora and do a lot of online shopping, we recommend you sign up with Topcashback：Sign Up Here, Topcashback usually has a 5% cashback with Sephora, and at least 10 USD for signing up with our link. 
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Make 3 Purchases Using Your TD Aeroplan Visa Card with Apple Pay to Win 1000 Aeroplan Miles

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Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Use Offers at 5 Partners to Get 1250 Bonus Miles

May 02, 2017 0
This offer is valid between May 1 and May 31, 2017. 
Click here for Details. The detailed available offers may vary across different provinces. 

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Exclusive News: Apple Watch Offer Starts Tomorrow for Banking with RBC

May 02, 2017 0
We have the exclusive news that form tomorrow, if you open a new account with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and meet the certain requirements, you will be able to get a free Apple Watch (Series1). 

 The official terms&conditions regarding this offer:

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Monday, May 1, 2017

Beginner's Guide to Canadian Credit Cards: Basics You Should Know

May 01, 2017 0
As beginners to the world of credit cards, we must grasp the basic principle of using credit cards: to maximize our spending and privileges in the most secure way. We must realize that, using credit cards wherever and whenever you need to make payments should be a routine for you. 
Credit cards payments are gradually taking over debit card and cash payments (https://www.payments.ca/sites/default/files/cpmt_report_english_0.pdf)

There are lots of benefits if you use your credit cards, and here are some of the major ones: 

1. Easy way to build up your credit rating. 

Every Canadian resident has his or her own credit profile kept by the credit bureaus (i.e., Trans Union and Equifax). Using credit cards and paying off the bills on time can help you build up a solid credit-rating, which will benefit you a lot if you are leasing a car or having some bank loans. 

2. Sign-up bonuses = free money.  

Many of the issuing credit cards in Canada have the so called "sign-up bonus": a welcome incentive for the approval (and usually achieving the spending requirements)  of a certain credit cards. Those welcome bonuses usually come in the form of points or frequent flyer miles. If you know well about how to maximize the points value, you will find it easy to use the sign-up bonus to cover lots of your travel-related fees.  

3. Great package of insurance and protection. 

Credit cards have "zero liability" which means all of your transactions must be authorized by you to be validated. You don't have to worry about fraud purchase using your credit card information because you can always claim it by just making a phone call. 

There are also different types of insurance coverage depending on which card you get, including the awesome travel insurance benefits and retail coverage.  

4. Easy access to lots of privileges 

You may be envy of those upscale people who walk in and out of the guest lounges in the airports and always have the priority check-in and reserve the business class seats. These may not be so difficult if you can make the most of your credit cards: some the high-end credit cards can offer you free access to those lounges, faster way to redeem your business class flight with ease, and instant upgrade to high tier membership tiers with lots of hotel loyalty programs. If you travel a lot each year, those FREE privileges can win you a huge deal! 

5. Universal acceptance and much greater spending power. 

Lots of debit cards are not accepted if you are travelling abroad: does it mean you have to carry lots of cash with you? No, you just need your credit cards to deal with this.  

The spending power of credit cards is much higher than that of debit cards: you can boost your credit limit if you keep good records paying off your statement balance. You don't have to worry about transferring money from your savings account to your chequing account before large purchases. 

6. Much better rewards. 

Whether it is a cash back card or a points card, credit card can help you accumulate your rewards: you can usually have at least 2% return on your purchases if you know how to choose which card to pay. 
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Welcome to my website,and this is mainly targeted on readers in Canada. I am glad to share with you everything about credit cards, points and travel.