Reader Question

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What are Grandfathered Credit Cards? (Thoughts on Rogers World Elite Devaluation)

ByMatt

This post was inspired by the upcoming devaluation of the Rogers World Elite credit card, which I will further elaborate on below.

What is the concept of “grandfathered credit cards”? This is a concept that is thrown around a lot, but let’s further clarify what it entails. Most people who are highly active in the miles and points industry are quite familiar with this topic, so this post may not be relevant to you. But if you want to learn about the different variations of grandfathering a card, then keep reading!

This post breaks down the various ways that a credit card company can grandfather a card.

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My 2020 Predictions for the Miles and Points World

ByMatt

Back in 2016, I began a new tradition of trying to predict the travel / rewards market in Canada. The first year was rough, but it got better over the years. How did it go this year though?

Below are my previous scores:

Thoughts on Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulation

ByMatt

CBC recently published a story about two stories of people who received compensation for being denied boarding. One from Air Canada and another from WestJet. It took some work to receive their share of the compensation, no shortage of frustrations, but they finally received what they felt they were owed. 

Basically, the Federal Government enacted a new law for more passenger protection. The new law comes into effect in two phases:

Since July 15, 2019, airlines have been required to meet new obligations concerning communication, denied boarding, tarmac delay, baggage and the transportation of musical instruments.
On December 15, 2019, the remaining obligations will come into effect.

Why Earn and Burn?

ByMatt

If you have been following us, you’ll know that one of our mantras has always been “earn and burn”. But why?

Have you ever met new people who just got started in the miles and points game, only to say: “I wish I started sooner, I missed out on so many opportunities”.

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My 2019 Predictions for the Miles and Points World

ByMatt

Back in 2016, I began a new tradition of trying to predict the rewards world. The first year was rough, but it got better (2017, 2016). Let’s see how I did this year and my predictions for the following year.

My Top 5 Miles and Points Addict Habits

ByMatt

I just wanted to put a disclaimer before I got this topic going. I’m not trying to brag or show off. But I do want to answer a frequent comment that I hear: “Matt, I don’t know how you do it” (i.e. the miles and points game).

You have probably seen lots of blogs posts and videos mentioning “top habits that rich people do or don’t do” lately. So I thought I’d write a post with a similar theme.

Did You Know There’s a Black Market for Stolen Points?

ByMatt

We are featuring Pointshogger contributor Paul Bischoff, who is a consumer privacy expert and the editor of Comparitech, a security-focused tech services review site. He’s been covering IT-related subjects for multiple outlets since 2012 and is passionate about privacy, free speech, and net neutrality. Today, he will share his thoughts on how points are being stolen and sold on the dark web, as well as provide his suggestions on how to protect against it. Thank you Paul for taking the time to share your expertise with us!

Are banks doing “Tied Selling”?

ByMatt

This may be my most controversial post yet. The concept of “Tied Selling”, as defined by Investopedia is:

Tied selling is the illegal practice of a company providing a product or service on the condition that a customer purchases some other product or service.
How close does that sound to “multi-product rebate”? Let’s look at what RBC promotes as “multiproduct rebate”: