Royal Jordanian will launch nonstop Amman–Beijing service on January 26, 2027, creating a new North America–Amman–China routing. This guide covers the schedule, 787-8 business class, and sample Atmos and AAdvantage award itineraries.
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Airline Promotions ✈️ 2026
October 24, 2026: JetBlue is selling miles with a 120% bonus through November 5, for an after-tax cost of about 1.47 cpp USD (usual cost 3.0 cpp). United still has a targeted 100% buy-miles bonus through October 31, and this roundup also tracks current transfer bonuses and other mileage sales.
2026 Hotel Promotions 🏨 【Vancouver Stay $250, Hyatt, Marriott Q3, Hilton, IHG Q4】
Accor’s “Stay For More” promo doubles Reward points at participating Americas hotels through December 31, 2026—register first. This 2026 hotel-promotion roundup also tracks current GHA, IHG, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Choice, Wyndham, and other hotel offers.
Delta announced on October 19 that its free in-flight Wi-Fi, Delta Sync Wi-Fi, is now live across its Asia-Pacific routes — the final gap in its international network. Delta is now the only U.S.-based carrier offering free Wi-Fi across its entire international network, spanning six continents.
The essentials:
- Who gets it: SkyMiles members, free in all cabins regardless of tier. SkyMiles itself is free to join — sign up on delta.com or in the app before you fly, or right in the Wi-Fi portal on board
- What you can do: connect once the boarding door closes, on multiple devices at once — messaging, email, browsing, photo sharing and video streaming are all supported (the service is presented by T-Mobile, but your mobile carrier doesn't matter)
- How to connect: airplane mode on → Wi-Fi on → join the DeltaWiFi.com network → sign in with your SkyMiles account
- Scale: nearly 1,300 Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft, over 95% of the fleet; more than 195 million Delta Sync sessions logged since the 2023 launch
Worth knowing:
- The aircraft still being fitted are Delta Connection regional jets and the Boeing 717s, expected to finish by early 2027 — check for the free Wi-Fi badge on your specific flight rather than assuming a regional leg is covered
- Under local rules, South Korean and Hong Kong airspace restricts in-flight Wi-Fi below 10,000 feet, so expect a brief disconnect during climb and descent on those routes
- For Canada-based travellers connecting through Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit and Delta's other hubs to Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and beyond, the trans-Pacific leg — previously the paid / no-coverage segment — is now free end to end
Source: Delta News Hub https://news.delta.com/delta-expands-wi-fi-across-asia-pacific-routes-completing-global-connectivity-map
Qatar Airways is running a tier reinstatement offer: if your Privilege Club tier was downgraded between March 1 and December 18, 2026, a single eligible trip brings the old tier back — reinstated automatically once the flight activity posts to your account, with no need to re-earn the full Qpoints requirement.
The official terms:
- Book between October 11 and December 18, 2026 (tickets issued before the booking window don't count, even if reissued during it)
- Travel between October 11, 2026 and April 1, 2027
- The journey must originate in Doha — the key condition; a North America–Doha round trip does not qualify
- Travel must take place after your downgrade took effect
- Flights must be both marketed and operated by Qatar Airways; your Privilege Club number must be in the booking at the time of booking or before travel
- Once the eligible travel is completed and the activity posts, your previous tier is reinstated
Notes:
- The terms don't require a round trip, so a one-way departure from Doha appears to qualify (nothing in the terms excludes it) — a cheap fix if you are in the region or already have an ex-Doha segment coming up
- The terms don't specify a fresh validity period for the reinstated tier; it follows whatever your account shows once reinstated
- Quote reference code 2610PC080 if you need to contact the Privilege Club service centre about the offer
- The same offer page also mentions reduced Qpoints thresholds to retain or upgrade your tier for travel until December 18, 2026 — see the offer page for details
ANA has published its fuel surcharge levels for tickets issued in November and December 2026. Tickets issued on or after November 1, 2026 will be charged at the new rates, up roughly 12–19% from the September–October levels (the new levels remain subject to Japanese government approval).
The number that matters most for Canada-based travellers: on Japan routes originating in Canada, the surcharge rises from C$490 to C$583 per person, per sector (+C$93) — C$186 more on a round trip.
Key Japan-origin levels (per person, per sector):
- Japan–Europe / North America (excl. Hawaii) / Middle East / Oceania: ¥55,000 → ¥62,000
- Japan–Hawaii / India / Indonesia: ¥35,800 → ¥38,500
- Japan–Thailand / Singapore / Malaysia and nearby: ¥27,300 → ¥32,000
- Japan–East Asia (excl. South Korea, incl. China): ¥14,300 → ¥15,100
- Japan–South Korea: ¥6,500 → ¥7,100
For itineraries originating outside Japan (USD table), long-haul rises from US$352 to US$419 per sector.
Three things to know:
- The issue date is what counts, not the travel date — a ticket issued by October 31 pays the old surcharge even for travel next year; anything issued from November 1 pays the new one.
- Award tickets are not exempt: ANA charges the surcharge on its own mileage tickets, and ANA flights booked through partner programs (e.g. Aeroplan) collect the carrier surcharge at the rate in force on the issue date. If you have an ANA trip to ticket, do it before month-end.
- ANA reviews the surcharge every two months; even after this increase, the new levels sit below the July–August peak (¥65,000 on Japan–North America).
JAL is moving in parallel — its Japan–North America / Europe surcharge also rises to ¥62,000 per sector for the same issue window, so the same "ticket by October 31" advice applies.
British Airways has notified members of two changes to The British Airways Club taking effect April 1, 2027:
- Higher qualification thresholds (spend-based Tier Points):
- Bronze: 3,500 points — unchanged (oneworld Ruby);
- Silver: 7,500 → 8,000 points;
- Gold: 20,000 → 21,000 points.
Flight-based qualification remains 25 flights for Bronze and 50 for Silver. The Tier Point collection year still ends March 31, so the new thresholds apply to the 2027–28 collection year.
- Premium-cabin Tier Point bonuses cut (for flights taken from April 1, 2027):
- BA-marketed flights: short-haul bonuses and long-haul economy bonuses are unchanged. Non-refundable Premium Economy bonuses fall 36%; non-refundable Club World bonuses fall 60% (every Club World fare class loses at least 27%); non-refundable First bonuses fall 54% (all First fare classes lose at least 28%).
- American Airlines / Iberia-marketed long-haul flights: Premium Economy 275 → 175 points; Business 500 → 200; First 650 → 300. Short-haul Economy (75) and Business (175) and long-haul Economy (150) are unchanged.
The transition rule that matters most: bookings made by November 24, 2026 keep the current bonus rates even for travel on or after April 1, 2027 — the rule also covers partner-marketed itineraries. Bookings made from November 25, 2026 earn the new, lower bonuses. Anyone planning premium-cabin travel after April 2027 toward BA status should pull the booking forward before that deadline.
Manulife Bank of Canada launched two new cards on October 22, quietly retiring its low-profile ManulifeMONEY+ cards (dating from 2018) from its website:
Manulife Bank Visa Infinite ($139 annual fee, waived for the first year; income requirement $60,000 personal / $100,000 household): 2% back on health, wellness and medical purchases (first $25,000 per year), 1.5% on travel, dining and entertainment (first $25,000 per year), 1% on everything else. Limited-time welcome offer: 10% back on eligible purchases for the first three months, the first-year fee waiver, and an introductory balance-transfer rate.
Manulife Bank Visa Platinum (no annual fee): 1.5% on health, wellness and medical (first $15,000 per year), 1% on travel, dining and entertainment, 0.5% on everything else.
Both cards run on the new Manulife Better Rewards program. Two caveats: the "health" category is determined by Visa merchant category codes as defined by Manulife Bank, and no public merchant list has been published yet — whether a given pharmacy or gym counts will only be clear once transactions post. And for now, applications are open only to existing Manulife Bank customers (via online banking and the advisor network); the bank says public applications are "coming soon."
Effective October 24, Visa is expanding its reduced small-business interchange programme in Canada from under $300,000 to up to $750,000 in annual Visa sales, with lower rates for qualifying merchants; CFIB estimates newly eligible businesses could save thousands of dollars a year. Mastercard is not following — its threshold stays at $175,000. At the same time, both networks are adding a fee of US$0.018 (≈CA$0.025) on every domestic transaction. This is not interchange and does not go to issuers — it is a network fee the schemes charge for themselves, billed to processors and typically passed on to merchants. Mastercard expanded it to all transactions this week; Visa will levy the same amount starting April 2027.
For merchants, the saving is proportional (interchange) while the new cost is per-transaction: on a $5 coffee, CA$0.025 equals roughly +0.5 percentage points, so high-volume, small-ticket cafés and restaurants are hit hardest, while businesses above the thresholds save nothing and pay the new fee in full. For consumers, there is no line item — the cost seeps out through prices: more small shops may turn on credit-card surcharging (legal in Canada since 2022, capped at 2.4% with disclosure) or fold the cost into shelf prices. For cardholders, the fee bypasses issuers, so it does not directly fund or cut rewards in the short term; the real change is at the till — paying a surcharge can wipe out a card's cash back, so check for a surcharge sign before tapping at small merchants. CFIB's summary: governments pushed interchange down, and the networks are clawing part of it back through their own fees.
Next-generation KrisWorld inflight entertainment
- Visual and audio upgrade: selected aircraft and cabins get 4K high-resolution touchscreens, immersive spatial audio, and Bluetooth pairing so you can use your own headphones.
- More content: more than 2,500 entertainment options refreshed every month.
- Wellness and meditation: new wellness planning with sleep and meditation audio, breathing exercises, light onboard stretch videos, and healthy-living articles.
- Seamless connectivity: sign in with a KrisFlyer account for personalized recommendations, resume watching across flights, and save favorite titles. First and Business Class passengers can also save and apply preferred seat positions.
High-speed connectivity (Starlink satellite broadband)
- Starlink low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband will roll out gradually on selected aircraft for faster, smoother connectivity from takeoff to landing.
- Free for most passengers: (1) First / Business / Suites and PPS Club members get unlimited free high-speed Wi-Fi; (2) Premium Economy / Economy passengers get free access with a KrisFlyer membership.
- Rollout is planned from early 2027 on selected types such as the Airbus A380 and A350.
Other cabin upgrades
- Beyond entertainment and connectivity, the refresh covers next-generation cabin products, upgraded dining, new amenity kits, and ground services.
American Express has updated the benefit terms for the Platinum Card® and the Business Platinum Card®: effective January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts® bookings will require a minimum two-night stay to be eligible for the semiannual hotel credit of up to US$300 (US$600 per year; the amount is unchanged). The Hotel Collection already requires two nights, so the rule is now uniform across the programme. Only the credit is restricted — one-night FHR stays will still receive daily breakfast for two, the US$100 property credit and guaranteed 4 p.m. check-out, just without the US$300 statement credit.
The updated terms also rename the benefit the Lodging Credit and add a new redemption option: prepaid Airbnb Luxe stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App (also subject to the two-night minimum, with a linked Airbnb account). Separately, multiple outlets report that a qualifying Luxe booking will unlock up to US$250 per year in Airbnb Experiences statement credits (reversed if the Luxe booking is cancelled); this has not yet appeared in the published terms, so treat it as pending Amex's final wording.
Because the credit is tied to when the prepaid charge is processed, one-night FHR stays prepaid during 2026 — even for travel in 2027 — will most likely still qualify under the current rules, which is worth noting if you still hold an unused 2026 credit.
See their latest Instagram update🔗: a Platinum card, a Cobalt card, and a slip of paper with a question mark.
Rogers has announced that starting January 17, 2027, customers who pay their Rogers or Fido bill by credit card — including Autopay — will be charged a 1.6% credit card processing fee, which Rogers says reflects the fees it is charged by the card networks. The notice is already showing on Rogers' support pages and in the app's payment settings. Notably, Rogers Bank's own credit cards are not exempt.
Exemptions and fee-free alternatives:
- Quebec customers are exempt (provincial consumer protection law bans such fees), as are select specialized plans such as Connected for Success and migrated former Shaw Mobile plans
- No fee if you pay by pre-authorized bank debit, online banking, Visa Debit / Debit Mastercard, prepaid card, cheque, or Rogers gift card
What it means for cardholders: any card earning less than 1.6% back on your Rogers bill now loses money on the transaction, and the Rogers Red card's headline 5% back on Rogers purchases drops to roughly 3.4% net once the fee kicks in. Since Rogers' Autopay discount only recognizes bank-account debit or a Rogers Bank Mastercard, switching Autopay to pre-authorized bank debit before January 2027 is the cleanest way to keep the discount and dodge the fee.
Hilton announced Pay with Points on October 21: Silver, Gold, Diamond and Diamond Reserve members can now apply Hilton Honors points toward eligible charges on their folio during Digital Check Out in the Hilton Honors app — no front desk visit needed. Hilton bills it as the first fully digital pay-with-points checkout from a major hotel brand.
The feature is live at 150 U.S. hotels, expands to 800+ by the end of 2026, and rolls out to more than 6,000 properties across the U.S. and Canada in early 2027.
One key detail is still missing: Hilton has not disclosed the redemption rate, and which charges qualify varies by property. Points redeemed for award nights can be worth 0.5 cents each or more, while pay-with-points schemes have historically valued points well below that — until the rate is confirmed, this is best seen as a way to burn small orphan balances, not your main stash.
The standout of Air Canada's winter 2026–27 network is Tenerife (Tenerife South, TFS) in Spain's Canary Islands — what the airline bills as North America's only nonstop service to the Canaries, a trip that previously required a connection via Madrid, Lisbon or another European hub.
- Toronto–Tenerife: launches October 25, twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays), departing 8:35 p.m. and arriving 9:00 a.m. the next day; seasonal through April 29, 2027
- Montréal–Tenerife: launches October 31, once weekly (Saturdays, 9:00 p.m. departure), through April 24, 2027; returns depart Tenerife at 10:55 a.m.
Both routes are flown by the Airbus A321XLR in a 182-seat layout with 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats — a single-aisle jet with a true premium cabin crossing the Atlantic, exactly the playbook for opening thinner European markets.
The same winter wave adds Montréal–Santo Domingo (four times weekly from December 10), Roatán from Toronto and Montréal (December), Mérida from Toronto (late November) and Mazatlán from Vancouver (mid-December). Roatán, Mérida and Mazatlán remain subject to government approval, and schedules may change.
ALL Accor has quietly updated its program terms: using points toward a hotel bill in France used to require a minimum of 2,000 points (€40), while the rest of the world started at 1,000 points (€20). The France exception is now gone — 1,000 points works in France too. The Greater China exception (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mongolia), starting at 500 points (€10), remains in place, as does the cap of 1 million points per stay. Point value is unchanged (1,000 points = €20), but it's a small win for members with modest balances who only stay with Accor occasionally — leftover points are now easier to spend in France.
Air Serbia will add six destinations in summer 2027, headlined by Belgrade–Miami nonstop service starting May 20, 2027 — twice weekly on A330-200s. Miami becomes the carrier's third US destination after New York JFK and Chicago O'Hare, and its fourth in North America including Toronto Pearson. The other five: Yerevan (March 28), Helsinki (April 1, resuming), Cluj-Napoca (May 31), Chișinău (June 3) and Menorca (June 16). CEO Jiri Marek announced the expansion in an RTS interview; tickets went on sale October 20 on the airline's website.
Alaska Airlines has officially announced Osaka Kansai (KIX) as Seattle's third nonstop destination in Asia, joining Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon. The route launches May 14, 2027, with 4x weekly service (Seattle departures Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun) on Hawaiian's A330-200, featuring lie-flat business class Suites and free Starlink Wi-Fi.
Schedule: Seattle 12:10pm → 4:00pm; Kansai 6:00pm → 12:20pm. Also announced: Seattle–Papeete (Tahiti), 3x weekly from June 11, 2027. Both routes are subject to government approval, and schedules are subject to change.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Intro | A Quiet Devaluation
The December 3, 2025 update is a silent devaluation of Turkish Airlines domestic awards. Economy one-ways in China, Canada, and the U.S. rose from 10,000 to 15,000 miles, and Hawaii costs more. This guide still covers elite status, earning, and award sweet spots.
🇨🇦 Hilton Honors Amex Canada Preview: Up to 70,000 Points + Free Night, $150 Fee & Gold Status
Hilton’s pre-release Canadian card record lists up to 70,000 Hilton Honors points plus a Free Night Reward after $3,000 in spending, a $150 annual fee, and complimentary Gold status. The currency, final terms, and launch date remain unconfirmed.
Royal Jordanian to Launch Nonstop Amman–Beijing Flights on January 26, 2027 | A New Route to China? Business-Class Award Examples
Royal Jordanian will launch nonstop Amman–Beijing service on January 26, 2027, creating a new North America–Amman–China routing. This guide covers the schedule, 787-8 business class, and sample Atmos and AAdvantage award itineraries.
🇨🇦 ALL Accor+ Mega Bonus: Get 20 Status Nights for €179 and Earn the Fee Back in Points
The ALL Accor+ Mega Bonus runs from October 22 to November 20, 2026. Earn 5,000 or 9,000 points after an eligible stay by January 22, 2027. Compare the 10- and 20-night tiers, check the booking rules, and see who should subscribe.
GHA DISCOVERY Explained: The World's Largest Independent Hotel Alliance, 45+ Brands, and Discovery Dollars
Buy DISCOVERY Dollars at a 15% discount through November 19, 2026, at US$0.85 per D$ (up to D$5,000 per person). This guide covers GHA DISCOVERY's 45+ independent hotel brands, elite-status shortcuts, and how to earn and spend D$.
🇺🇸 Amex Delta SkyMiles Gold Card
The current referral offer is 80,000 Delta SkyMiles plus a US$250 statement credit after US$3,000 in eligible purchases in the first six months. This guide covers the card's Delta benefits, earning rates, credits, baggage perks, award-ticket discount, and insurance.
Latest IHG One Rewards Promotions【100% Bonus】
October 12, 2026: IHG is offering a 100% bonus on purchased points through November 5 at an effective cost of about 0.5 US cents per point. This page also tracks the Ruby hotel offer of 10,000 points every two nights through November 4 and other IHG One Rewards promotions.
🇺🇸 BOA Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature Card 【80,000 Miles + $99 Companion Fare】
October 21, 2026 update: the 80,000-mile welcome offer is back, plus a $99 Companion Fare. The BOA Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature Card also earns 3x on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, offers a free first checked bag, and helps earn status points.
🇺🇸 Bank of America Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Card | 100,000-Point Welcome Offer Is Back
The 100,000-point welcome offer is back for the Bank of America Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Card: spend $6,000 in the first 90 days for 100,000 points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award, plus lounge passes, airline perks, and status points.
🇨🇦 Vietnam Airlines Paid Status Match: Buy SkyTeam Status from US$129, Aeroplan 50K Can Choose Elite Plus — Is It Worth It?
Vietnam Airlines’ paid Lotusmiles status match starts at US$129, while Platinum/SkyTeam Elite Plus costs US$359. Aeroplan 50K holders can choose Platinum. Compare the fees, eligible source programmes, SAS EuroBonus, and whether this shortcut makes sense for Canadian travellers.
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