westjet tweaks its program -- it's now a bit more competitive

westjet recently announced its latest improvements to its rewards program. i would definitely say its an improvement to its current program in that it rewards users for increased travel. it becomes a frequent flyer program rather than a rebate program.

until october 29. 2014, members earn 1% back in westjet dollars on the first $1,500 spent in a year, and then 2.5% back on everything after that. note that taxes and surcharges are not included.

after october 29, 2014, they are introducing new tiers:

the minimum earn remains the same, but on amounts after $1,500 a year, the earning rate increases from 2.5% to 3%. after $4,000 a year, it increases to 5%. again, taxes and surcharges are not included.

milestone awards

the milestone for getting a bonus $35 westjet dollar voucher remains the same -- it is awarded after $1,500 in spending. however, in the old program, one would get an additional $25 for every $1,500 spent after that. these are gone in the new program. at 5% of each dollar spent, each $1,500 increment would yield $37.50 above what one would have earned if they were to have just gotten 2.5% back under the old program. therefore, this new scheme, even without the milestone bonuses, is a good thing for consumers. and one does not need to actually hit the individual $1,500 thresholds to get the bonus (i.e., it's not all or nothing).

the companion flights remain the same. after spending just $4,000 a year, you can get a free companion flight anywhere westjet flies. this can potentially be quite a value. (in the old program, the first companion flight was awarded after $4,500 a year in spending).

flight benefits

in trying to copy most of the legacy airline frequent flyer programs, westjet introduces flight benefits. now that westjet has started to charge for its first bag, silver and gold status now have extra value. it's like what star gold (and previously, what star silver) does for the star alliance member carriers.

there's no way to get unlimited lounge access, even after having spent $6,000 a year on westjet flights. but you are able to get priority boarding and security at the highest level.

overall analysis
without a doubt, this is a better deal than what they used to offer. i also appreciate that unlike air canada's aeroplan or american airlines' aadvantage (where you could credit your westjet flights to), you get the equivalent of cash. you don't have to hunt for award space. you don't have to take flights at inconvenient times just to use your miles. you can use them whenever you want.

i like that they reward people who fly more with their airline. it shows the frequent flyer that the airline understands how important frequent and repeat flyers are. the little perks such as advanced boarding are helpful so that a frequent flyer will never be forced to gate check their carry-on luggage in an effort to avoid the check-in fee.

i like how all flights count towards "status" in an equal sense. lowest fares will earn lower westjet dollars, but it still counts in a real way when trying to achieve the next tier. unlike air canada, domestic tango fares (which are typically $65 + tax less than their flex fares) will only fetch you 25% of the status miles, and it is only by paying the flex fare will you get all the miles that you've actually flown. it just feels more fair.

i still think there is room for improvement. partner airlines don't count (unless it's a westjet flight number). the flight benefits are not applicable to partners. you're also limited to the few routes that westjet flies, and there is more to this world than canada.

but i don't want to focus on those small details. in reality, i think this is an excellent step that westjet has taken.

50% bonus aeroplan miles on flights

in their new promotion, you can get 50% more aeroplan miles for 100% of their world. it's a great promotion, i think, where all flights and all booking classes are eligible provided it's on an air canada flight.

• register by 31, 2014;
• book between september 2 and october 31, 2014; and 
• fly between october 1, 2014 and april 30, 2015

it's only valid on new bookings. i personally think this is a very generous promotion.

intercontinental hotel group announces "into the nights"

the IHG group announced their new "into the nights prom." this is very similar to last year's the big win promo. in both of these promos, personalized offers are given, and if you complete enough offers, a large reward is offered.

this year, register here between september 4, 2014 and december 31, 2014 for your individualized offers. my offers this round were as follows:

• 8,800 points for 6 staying 6 nights
• 100 points for taking their short survey
• 5,600 points for booking 3 stays on the IHG app
• 4,800 points for 2 holiday inn hotel stays
• unsure if this means we need two different holiday inn hotels or two holiday in stays all together
• 2,000 points for booking one stay using the bonus points package plus breakfast
• 28,700 points or two free nights for completing 4/5 offers
• i can't find anywhere what "two free nights" really means. does this mean two free nights at any hotel (i.e., hotels that normally cost 50,000 points per night), or does it mean that the total number of points earned is enough to redeem for two nights (i.e., at hotels that normally cost 15,000 points per night).

last time, i ended up staying at a holiday inn right beside my house in order to get over 100,000 points. the amount that i spent was less than the value of the points that i earned in the bonus, so it was worthwhile for me.

this time, in order to get 41,200 points, i would need to book at least three nights.

• do the survey
• two holiday inn stay booked via the IHG app
• one IHG hotel stay with a bonus point package booked by the IHG app

if the two free nights really is for any two nights at an intercontinental hotel, then i'd be willing to play this game. so let's see if they can clarify this for me soon.