2014
20
March
Free roundtrip flight anywhere in North America | Amex Rewards card offer
20
March
It's not often that I plug a travel rewards card. In fact I don't think I ever have. When a travel blogger posts about such things, it's usually just a thinly disguised attempt to earn some referral income or benefit from the credit card companies. And I suppose this post is no different as you will soon find out.
But I can honestly say that this is one of the best travel rewards card offers I've ever seen, and one of the very few that's actually compelled me to sign up and share it with friends and family.
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IMPORTANT: As of September 1, 2014 the AMEX Aeroplan Plus Gold Card offer mentioned in this article has changed. You now get 26,000 Aeroplan miles instead of 30,000 - and the annual fee ($120) for this card is no longer waived for the first year. BUT, American Express is now waiving the annual fee for the first year on a *different* card, the Amex Gold Rewards Card (yes, it has a similar sounding name, but is a completely different card).. With the Amex Gold Rewards Card, you can get a bonus of 25,000 'Amex Membership Rewards Points' for signing up. And these points can be converted into Aeroplan Miles at a 1:1 ratio, at no cost. . So basically, since the Amex Gold Rewards Card annual fee is being waived, you are getting 25,000 Aeroplan miles for free (after you convert them). If you read through the rest of this article about the old offer, pretty much all of the same advice and terms will apply. Just remember to use the signup link that takes you to the correct card, the Amex Gold Rewards Card, which is:. https://www.americanexpress.com/canada/en/mgm/mgmeeApplynow.cgi?mgmerCard=goldCard&MGM_URN=AAAAEggRAxoTDw==&CPID=100074907 The rest of the links in the article below will take you to the Aeroplan Plus Gold Card, which as I mentioned, is no longer free.. |
The free flight offer
American Express is offering a staggering 30,000 Aeroplan bonus points to anyone who signs up for their AMEX Aeroplan Plus Gold Card.
As you can see from the Aeroplan rewards chart, this is enough for a free flight from Ottawa to anywhere in Canada or the Continental USA and still have 5,000 points left over.
In fact, if it's a short haul flight (anywhere between Ottawa and Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, Nunavut, or virtually anywhere in the NE region of the U.S.A.) - it's actually enough for 2 free flights!
But another interesting thing about this offer is that after you've signed up, you will receive a referral link of your own, and for every person that signs up for the card through your link you receive another 10,000 Aeroplan points on top of the 30,000 !
So basically, for every 3 friends or family that signs up for the card through your link, you receive another free flight. There doesn't appear to be a limitation on how many people you can refer and how many points or free flights you can earn.
If you send it to 7 people, and they all sign up for the card, you'd earn an additional 70,000 Aeroplan points, which is enough for a free trip anywhere in the world! And really, it wouldn't be that difficult to convince 7 people to sign up, considering they're each guaranteed a free flight of their own when they do.
Ok, what's the catch? Is there an annual fee?
Amazingly, American Express is waiving the annual fee for the first year, so this is truly a free offer at no cost to you. Of course, they are hoping that you'll keep the card beyond the first year, at which point there is an annual fee for the card.
*But*, you can cancel the card at any time and keep the 30,000 points without ever having to pay a dime! Just be sure to set up a reminder in your calendar to cancel the card before the 1 year is up.
The only other condition to note is that you need to spend a minimum of $500 (total) with the card within the first 3 months, to receive the 30,000 Aeroplan point bonus.
How do I get the 30,000 free Aeroplan points?
1. Go to the following offer page at the American Express website:
The offer is the first one at the top, titled 'The American Express® AeroplanPlus®* Gold Card'
2. Put a checkmark beside 'I have read and accept the referral program terms'
3. Hit the Apply Now button
Fill out the application, and you're done!
*Note* You do need to use the offer link above to receive the bonus 30,000 Aeroplan points. If you search for the offer on the American Express website without going through the link above, it will only show a bonus of 20,000 Aeroplan points.
Common questions...
Is it really a truly 'free flight' ?
Not entirely. Airlines can still charge the 'taxes & fees' when booking an Aeroplan flight, meaning the flight is not entirely free. Typically you end up paying around $100-$150 to redeem your 'free roundtrip flight' with Aeroplan points no matter how they were earned.
Certain airlines do not charge some of these extra fees when redeeming Aeroplan points, such as United, SWISS, and Air New Zealand. Air Canada definitely does though! I usually avoid redeeming with Air Canada, if possible, for this reason.
Here's a good article
I'm going to get my significant other to sign up for this as well so we can get 60,000 points between us. Is it possible to pool the points together into one Aeroplan account?
No, you will each need to sign up separately to each earn the 30,000 points. And each of those 30,000 bonus points will need to be linked to a separate Aeroplan account.
One thing you can do though, is have one person sign up (earning 30,000 points), and then send your referral link to your significant other to sign them up. Your significant other will receive 30,000 points of their own, and you'll receive 10,000 extra points for signing them up. Meaning you will receive 70,000 free points between the two of you. Not too shabby!
Where do I find my referral link after signing up?
Log into the American Express website and click on the 'Rewards' tab. Then click on 'refer a friend' to send them an e-mail with your referral link.
Beware that the referral e-mail may end up in the SPAM folder of the e-mail account of the people you're trying to refer. At least, it did for me, in my Gmail account.
To avoid this, you may want to try to find your actual referral link and send that link to your friend's and family in a more personal e-mail. For example, my referral link is:
Yours will be identical, except for the part in bold, which should be different.
How many points can I accumulate with this card using it normally?
In addition to the 30,000 point bonus for signing up, you will receive...
1 Aeroplan mile for every dollar spent, up to the first $10,000 annually
1.25 Aeroplan miles for every dollar spent over $10,000 annually
Seems crazy not to sign up. What's to stop people from cancelling the card as soon as they redeem their 30,000 bonus Aeroplan points for the free flight?
Nothing, people do it all the time. American Express is just hoping a certain percentage of people will keep the card beyond the first year. They know that the vast majority will cancel the card, and from what I've heard, it's very painless, with just one phone call, to an American Express agent that cancels hundreds of these cards a week and doesn't try to convince you to keep it.
Does it impact your credit score if you cancel the card before the first year is up?
Nope!
And you are receiving a 10,000 point referral bonus from American Express when I sign up?
Yes, to be very transparent about this, when American Express gives you your free 30,000 Aeroplan points, they also give me a 10,000 point bonus for referring you, assuming you signed up using one of the links on this page.
I already have enough Aeroplan points of my own for a few flights, but could always use the extra points to buy some gift cards through the Aeroplan store to help pay for server hosting & e-mail fees, and other costs associated with running the site.
Or if you would rather see those 10,000 points donated to a charity just pick one from the Aeroplan Donation Page and then give me a shout by e-mail or through the contact page after you have submitted your application to let me know which one to donate them to. I'll send you back a screenshot of the donation after it is made.
Okay, okay, I'm convinced. What's the signup link again?
This offer is open to residents of Canada only.
I still have a question!
Comment below and I'll try to answer it as best I can.
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27 Responses to "Free roundtrip flight anywhere in North America | Amex Rewards card offer"
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So 25,000 points is for a return flight or just one way?
If I'm approved, you're getting an extra 10,000 points from me. Thanks for the tip!
Hi, thanks for this! Do I need to get approved before getting my own referral link?
Alex: 25,000 points is for a roundtrip flight, anywhere in Canada or the Continental USA.
Shawna: Thanks, much appreciated!
Katie: Yes, once you're approved, you can enter your card number into the Refer A Friend page on the American Express website, and generate your referral link.
Chris,
Just applied. Thanks for the tip. 10k aeroplan points coming your way. Happy travels! Now just need to find who in Ottawa takes Amex...any tips there? :P
The screenshot you put of the round-trip rewards. Are these regardless of the season of the year? Or will the points vary in relation to the actual price of the tickets. For example high season vs low season - Would it still be 25K for economy Canada ?
Thanks
Thanks Phil! Costco is the first place that comes to mind when I think of places that take Amex. While it's certainly not as commonly accepted as Mastercard or Visa, I've actually been surprised at the number of places that do take Amex these days. Seems to be more common than it used to be.
Maria: It will always be the same number of points, but the limiting factor will be how many seats the airline has put aside as 'reward seats'. For higher demand periods, they will likely get snatched up quickly, so a person usually needs to book further ahead. It can be worth looking even up to 364 days ahead,.
Another 10k points coming your way
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the heads up! I was invited by my friend to join the AMEX Gold (not the AMEX Aeroplan Plus Gold) but this one is a much better card, even though it doesn't come with the travel insurance perks!
10,000 points coming your way, which if you want to donate to charity, would be best given to War Child, I think. Totally up to you though :)
Cheers,
Amy
Thanks James, and Amy!
Amy, I will donate the 10,000 miles to War Child on your behalf via the Aeroplan site.
Hey Chris,
I've already signed up and gotten you 10,000 more points but I have a few questions. Do you have to spend the points before you cancel the credit card? I assume the points would stay in your separate Aeroplan account after the cancellation, right? On that note, can you still earn referral rewards after cancelling the credit card if you keep the link?
Thanks Mitch!
"Do you have to spend the points before you cancel the credit card? I assume the points would stay in your separate Aeroplan account after the cancellation, right? "
Yes, once the points are in your Aeroplan account, they are there forever until you use them, even if you cancel the credit card.
"On that note, can you still earn referral rewards after cancelling the credit card if you keep the link?"
My guess would be no, because you need a card number to generate the referral link, so your referrals are likely tied to your card number. Plus, I think a monthly statement needs to be generated for the referral points to be posted to your account.
I already have a Costco AM Ex. Can I have 2 cards?
How did you find your own referral link? Amex wanted me to enter my friends' addresses directly!
Hi Fiona,
I'm pretty sure you could. The American Express Aeroplan card is likely in a different group of cards.
Shawna: Try sending an e-mail to yourself. In the e-mail, click on one of the links. Then in your browser bar, you will see your referral link. It should look similar to the format of the links in my blog post above.
If you have a spam folder, be sure to check it.
Hi Fiona,
I have an Airmiles Amex and was approved for the Aeroplan Amex. Which is timely, because I'm about to hit the year for the Airmiles one and was going to cancel it before the annual fee kicked in.
10,000 miles have been donated to 'Rescue A Boxer' on behalf of Veronique. It seems to be their first Aeroplan donation ever.
screenshot: http://s13.postimg.org/ayw01gz2f/Clipboard01.jpg
10,000 miles have been donated to the Iqaluit Humane Society on behalf of Julia. screenshot: http://s14.postimg.org/hhq9o9scx/Clipboard01.jpg
5,000 miles have been donated to Doctors Without Borders behalf of Stephen, who asked that 50 percent go to charity. screenshot: http://s1.postimg.org/dy39rayr3/Clipboard01.jpg
5,000 miles have been donated to the Canadian Animal Assistance Team on behalf of Tracey, who asked that half go to charity.
screenshot: http://s12.postimg.org/69ek5jdp9/Clipboard01.jpg
Hi Chris,
Signed up so you get the extra 10,000 points:). A few questions though. When I refer a friend (my husband:) do I have to wait to get my card? When I went to do it they wanted my card number. Is there an expiry date on this deal?
Thanks Jackie! Yes, you do need your card number before you can refer someone (so that the referrals are tracked to your account). And I do believe the only way to get the card number is to wait for it in the mail. I think mine took about a week after being approved.
I have heard through the grapevine that this offer will be expiring on July 14, 2014 - but I'm still waiting for official word back from Amex.
Hi Chris,
I just signed up for the card with your referral link! Thanks for this and enjoy the 10,000 bonus miles.. Pending my approval of course :)
From one Chris to another, thanks!
Hi Chris,
I'd like to sign up for this but I'm worried I'm too late to get the same deal as you posted. It looks like for the Gold Card they are now only offering 26, 000 points, but even worse there's an annual fee of $120. Was that fee always there?
Cheers
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