Weekend Reading: Best Offers Yet Edition

Weekend Reading: Best Offers Yet Edition. Most travel rewards credit card issuers hit pause on their generous welcome bonus offers when the pandemic shut down global travel last March. What good are perks like airport lounge passes and priority boarding when nobody is traveling?

American Express consistently offers some of the most generous benefits, including luxury travel perks with its iconic Platinum Card. Existing Platinum Cardholders (like me) were pleased to see an extraordinary effort by Amex to keep loyal customers happy by offering easily attainable statement credits.

In addition to providing its annual $200 travel credit, Amex offered two $200 statement credits on grocery purchases. This helped ease the pain of paying a $699 annual fee without receiving typical travel perks like Priority Pass lounge access and elevated hotel status.

As more countries look to ease travel restrictions we can finally look forward to booking – not just dreaming about – that next trip. American Express has launched its Best Offers Yet with new welcome offers on seven Amex travel cards. They’re not just for new customers, but existing cardholders can take advantage of extra bonus points on spending throughout the summer.

To say I’m excited about this development is an understatement. Here’s a quick rundown of the new offers:

American Express Platinum Card

Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $6,000 in the first six months. Plus, earn a total of 10x points for every $1 in eligible eats and drinks purchases (groceries, dining) in Canada for the first six months, up to a maximum of 50,000 points. Finally, you can also earn an additional 30,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months of Cardmembership. That’s a total of up to 150,000 bonus points. The offer ends on August 3, 2021.

Sign-up for the Amex Platinum Card here.

American Express Membership Rewards points are incredibly flexible. My preference is to transfer the points to Aeroplan where I believe I can reasonably earn 2 cents per mile. That means if I earn the full 150,000 bonus points I can turn that into $3,000 in-flight rewards.

Need I remind you that Aeroplan did away with fuel surcharges on Air Canada flight redemptions so now you can redeem your Aeroplan miles for a good value on flights and pay very little in terms of fees and taxes.

American Express Business Platinum Card

This one isn’t new – it’s the same offer I shared several weeks ago. Business owners can sign up for the American Express Business Platinum Card and earn up to 100,000 in Membership Rewards points when they spend $10,000 in the first three months. A tall order, for sure, but doable if you out a lot of charges through on your business card each month (or have a large one-time expense due shortly).

Sign up for the Amex Business Platinum Card here.

Again, I’d transfer these points to Aeroplan and strive to earn 2 cents per mile on flight reward redemptions. That’s $2,000 in travel rewards value.

Marriott Bonvoy

Earn 65,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 in the first six months. Plus, earn a total of 5x points for every $1 in eligible eats & drinks purchases (groceries, dining) in Canada for the first six months, up to a maximum of 25,000 points. You can also earn an additional 15,000 points when you make a purchase within 14 to 17 months of Cardmembership. They can earn a total of up to 105,000 bonus points. The offer ends on August 3, 2021.

Sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy card here.

I value Marriott Bonvoy rewards at 0.9 cents per point, so the full 105,000 points would be worth ~$945.

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

This is a new one for me (I just signed up for it yesterday) but it might be the most lucrative of the bunch.

Earn up to 100,000 Aeroplan points + 10x points on eligible eats & drinks (groceries and dining), up to 50,000 points. Also, enjoy benefits like Maple Leaf Lounge access, an annual Worldwide Companion Pass, and priority airport services.

The annual fee is a steep $599 ($100 less than the Amex Platinum Card) but I like this offer slightly better because it won’t take as long to earn the full welcome bonus (six months).

Sign up for the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card here.