Back in 2016, I began a tradition of trying to predict the travel / rewards market in Canada. The first year was rough, but it got better over the years and recently dropping back down. How did it go in 2023? I wrote out my predictions on January 2, 2023.
There seems to be a lot of controversy regarding the PCR tests that airlines passengers must take on arrival in Canada. I thought it’s time for me to share my thoughts on this matter.
Arrival Testing Rules
First off, let’s go over some of the current rules and advisories in place, found on the Canadian government website:
Today’s post was inspired by one of our readers who suggested that we write more posts regarding the following idea: “Let’s get a bit bold and post articles making airlines accountable for their actions”. This seems like an interesting idea, thanks for your suggestion Ismail!
No Refunds, Credits Only?
We generally have 2 types of article, posts (more date sensitive) and pages (more up to date information). Posts are what we publish regularly that is date stamped. So the information provided in the post, is date sensitive. However, the ongoing updated pages are found on the menu bar. These pages are updated regularly, so you will not see the historic information, as they are deleted once updated.
A week ago, we updated our Pointshogger 101 page, which is really the first page that we recommend new people to read. The second page to read is the “Understanding Credit Cards” page. After reading these two pages and establishing some foundation, the main posts will make a lot more sense.
With all that’s been happening in the world and more specifically in the rewards industry, it was time to revamp our Pointshogger 101 page.
Milestones
You may have noticed a theme on our site, ever so often, there are so changes to the industry. So keeping up with the changes is an ongoing topic. Here are some of our previous posts that highlighted a milestone in the industry:
Today we feature Michael, who is an economics major with a passion for finance management and helping you find your way through the intricate modern financial system. He also enjoys travelling and pursuing amateur photography in free time.
The longer this pandemic (COVID-19) drags on, the more some people may be wondering whether they should take a pause with earning airline miles or hotel points. So what’s the alternative? Cash Back?
If you are thinking about constructing a cash back portfolio, there are some options to work with in Canada. I am going to provide a general strategy.
Pointshogger reader, Danielle Lauzon, from Fintel Connect, sent us a very relevant question: “Is this the time for a new credit card?” We will respond to this with a short and long answer below. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us Danielle!
Question
Is it the time for a new credit card?
Short Answer: No
Let’s get the elephant out of the room first, NO, it is not the time to get a new credit card if you cannot pay your balance in full.
Hey Everyone,
I hope that everyone is safe at home. We are writing this post in a letter format hoping that it feels a little more personable.
With the travel industry coming to a virtual halt and daily spending needed to be cut down, we want to put together a suggestion box. We would like to know what topics you would like to read about during this COVID-19 crisis. I think that we already covered what strategies to take during this time with the following posts:
There are probably a lot of topics that I will be introducing in this post that probably merit a more full blown post. If there is something that you would like me to elaborate on, please let us know in the comment section below.
Depending on which country you live in, seems like this COVID-19 lockdown may drag on longer than we might hope. So in the meantime, does it even more any sense to keep earning frequent flyer miles and hotels points? Should we really just switch to a more predictable cash back rewards option or other retail programs?