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travel rewards

The Freedom to Choose Your Rewards

April 16, 2013 By Lena

Two months ago, I asked y’all to suggest some road trip ideas –

“Where should my family’s next travels take us? A road trip to Montreal? Perhaps Ottawa? Or maybe a weekend shopping in the States? I’m looking for your best road trip ideas from Toronto – no more than 5-6 hours away.”

Why was I asking? I had racked up a ton of Scotia Rewards on my handy little Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, and wanted to use them to offset the cost of a fun family road trip. So how did I earn enough points to fund our hotel stay?

It’s simple. Not only did I receive the introductory 20,000 bonus points with my first purchase because I signed up for the card early (new cardholders now earn 15,000 bonus points on their first purchase – worth $150 in travel!); I also earned 4x Scotia Rewards points for every $1 I spent at eligible gas stations, grocery stores, on dining and entertainment. Translation: while I was out and about spending money on my everyday purchases like groceries and gas, I was actually earning rewards that brought me that much closer to a much-needed vacation. Four times closer, in fact.

So, armed with ideas for a March Break mini vacation or staycation, I was ready to cash in my rewards for a fabulous little hotel stay in Montreal. And then, this happened –

“We are pleased to invite you to the 2013 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. This invitation-only professional conference for social media-minded moms and dads will take place May 8-12, 2013 at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.”

EEK! Okay, for those not in the know, receiving an invitation to #DisneySMMoms is like receiving a golden ticket to a chocolate factory – but better, because Disney chocolate is shaped like Mickey’s ears.

However, as the invitation came through right around the time I was planning to book our mini getaway, I had an interesting dilemma on my hands. You see, while most costs are covered at the Disney Social Media Moms conference, I did have to come up with airfare: four plane tickets to be exact. So, I had to make the following decision – and quickly:

1. Book the mini getaway as planned, and pay full price for four plane tickets.
2. Cancel the mini getaway and use my Scotia Rewards towards the cost of one of the flights to Orlando.

Hmm… mini getaway in Montreal, or 5-day vacation at Walt Disney World? Can you guess what I decided?…

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Filed Under: Family Tagged With: review, Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, travel rewards

Rewarding Travel – Faster? That’s Gold.

February 20, 2013 By Lena

I want to put out a question to you, friends –  where should my family’s next travels take us? A road trip to Montreal? Perhaps Ottawa? Or maybe a weekend shopping in the States? I’m looking for your best road trip ideas from Toronto – no more than 5-6 hours away.

The reason I ask? The new Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, which I introduced to y’all a few months ago.

You may have seen the post and thought to yourself, “Well, I don’t need another credit card.” Or perhaps you looked at the write-up and bookmarked it for future use. Or maybe, just maybe, you did me proud by applying for the card online at that very moment.

Whatever your reaction, I’m here to tell you that after using the card for the last 3 months, I can confirm that it’s all that – and a bag of chips. Or perhaps a hotel stay. Or trip to New York.

A refresher course in why the Gold card is awesome:

Not only do you receive 20,000 bonus points when you make your first purchase – you’ll also earn 4x Scotia Rewards points for every $1 you spend at eligible gas stations, grocery stores, on dining and entertainment. Translation: while I’m out and about spending money on the boring stuff like groceries and gas, I’m actually earning rewards that will bring me that much closer to a much-needed vacation. Four times closer, to be exact.

Next, once I’ve earned all the points I need, I can redeem them for my complete trip – including taxes and surcharges. That means nothing out of pocket, which of course means more money to spend on pre-trip clothes, post-trip souvenirs, and a margarita or two in between :)

Key features of the card:

• 4 POINTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR spent on the card at gas stations, grocery stores and on dining and entertainment, 1 point for all other purchases with the card

• No blackouts, no points expiry, no seat restrictions and no booking fees

• Travel service with access to global concierge specialists

• Ability to redeem points at or after booking for travel including airfare, hotel, car rental, cruise and vacation packages. Points can also be redeemed for merchandise and credits to Scotiabank investment and credit products

• Highly competitive insurance benefits included, such as Travel Emergency Medical (including travelers age 65+) and Rental Car Collision insurance

• $99 ANNUAL FEE. Additional card annual fee is $29 and the interest rates are 19.99% on purchases and 21.99% on cash advances, balance transfers and Scotia Credit Card cheques…

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Filed Under: Family Tagged With: review, Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, travel rewards

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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