If you’ve ever searched on popular travel booking sites (like Expedia and Orbitz), you’re probably familiar with their price match policies. But do any travel rewards programs offer the same guarantee?
We’ll cut to the chase—only Expedia For TD still offers price matching, but some reward programs allow you to redeem your points for travel with a number of partners. Explore your options below.
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What is price matching?
Price matching is the policy where a company will offer you a refund or a discounted rate if you find a lower price offered by a competitor.
Some travel sites offer price matching. For instance, let’s say you’re looking for flights on your favourite travel site, and you notice that another site has the same flight for a lower price. If your preferred website guarantees the lowest rate or a refund, it means they will match the lowest price you can find.
Seems straightforward, right? Things tend to get a little complicated if you’re using rewards programs, but we’ll explain each program’s requirements in a minute.
Price matching is only available on sites that allow you to book travel products from any provider (so this wouldn't include specific loyalty programs like Aeroplan or Marriott Bonvoy).
It's also only for sites that allow you to pay for your full booking in cash, then use your points to pay for the purchase (this disqualifies Air Miles, for instance).
Which rewards programs price match?
Unfortunately, there is only 1 reward program that truly price matches for travel. For that reason, we’ve included a couple of flexible reward programs.
| Program | What They Price Match |
|---|---|
| TD Rewards | Flight + hotel packages or just hotels |
| Amex Membership Rewards | Nothing, but points can be redeemed from any provider |
| BMO Rewards | Nothing, but points can be redeemed from any provider |
1. TD Rewards
If you’re looking for a true price matching program, TD Rewards (and its travel platform, Expedia For TD) is your only option. That said, there is a big limitation: You can’t price match flights on their own.
Instead, you can price match a flight and hotel package within 24 hours of booking. If it's just a hotel booking, you can price match your rate up to 48 hours before check-in.
As shown above, Expedia will simply refund you the difference if you find a lower price in the time frame provided.
TD Rewards also allows members to redeem points towards any travel purchase, but you’ll lose 20% of the points' value.
TD Rewards credit cards
There are 3 credit cards that earn TD Rewards.
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Rewards | Annual Fee, Income Requirements | Apply Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite | 165,000 points | * 8 points per $1 spent on travel booked online through Expedia For TD * 6 points per $1 spent on groceries, restaurants, and public transit * 4 points per $1 spent on recurring bill payments, streaming, digital gaming, and media * 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $139 * $60,000 personal or $100,000 household | Apply Now |
| TD Platinum Travel Visa | 50,000 points | * 6 points per $1 spent on travel booked online through Expedia For TD * 4.5 points per $1 spent on groceries, restaurants, and public transit * 3 points per $1 spent on recurring bill payments, streaming, digital gaming, and media * 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $89 * None | Apply Now |
| TD Rewards Visa | 15,152 points | * 4 points per $1 spent on travel booked online through Expedia For TD * 3 points per $1 spent on groceries, restaurants, and public transit * 2 points per $1 spent on recurring bill payments, streaming, digital gaming, and media * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $0 * None | Apply Now |
2. Amex Membership Rewards
First off, we should mention Amex Travel does not price match. But, before you dismiss the program, consider its biggest strength: You can use your points to pay for any travel charged to your card, with no minimum redemption required.
Since you can book directly with the cheapest travel site, it really doesn’t matter that Amex Travel doesn't price match. If you see a lower price elsewhere, simply make your booking there. You'll be able to apply your points to your travel purchase afterwards.
Amex Membership rewards credit cards
There are 4 personal credit cards that earn these super-flexible rewards.
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Rewards | Annual Fee, Income Requirements | Apply Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Cobalt | 15,000 points (terms) | * 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants (up to $2,500 spent per month) * 3 points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services * 2 points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit, and ride share purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $191.88 * None | Apply Now |
| American Express Gold Rewards | 60,000 points (terms) | * 2 points for every $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstores, and travel * 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases | * $250 * None | Apply Now |
| American Express Green | 10,000 points (terms) | * 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases | * $0 * None | Apply Now |
| American Express Platinum | 100,000 points (terms) | * 2 points per $1 spent on restaurants and travel * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $799 * None | Apply Now |
3. BMO Rewards
BMO Rewards no longer promotes price matching or offers a travel site for direct booking, but that doesn’t mean you can’t earn a good deal on your next trip. Like Amex, BMO allows you to search for the best travel offers and book with almost any travel company.
You can redeem points for travel with merchants classified as:
- Airlines
- Car rental agencies
- Hotels or resorts
- Vacation packages or rentals
- Cruise lines
- Passenger railways
- Timeshares
- Travel agencies and tour operators
Just book your travel, log into your BMO Rewards account, select the transaction, and decide how many points you want to put towards your purchase. Every 150 points gets you $1 off.
BMO Rewards credit cards
BMO has a variety of Visa and Mastercard options to choose from for earning BMO Rewards.
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Rewards | Annual Fee, Income Requirements | Apply Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite | 70,000 points (terms) | * 5 BMO Rewards points for every $1 spent on dining, groceries, gas, and transit * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $120 * $60K personal/$100K household | Apply Now |
| BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard | 100,000 points (terms) | * 5 points per $1 spent on travel * 3 points per $1 spent on dining, entertainment, and recurring bills * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $150 * $80K personal/$150K household | Apply Now |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege | 120,000 points (terms) | * 5x BMO Rewards points for every $1 spent on travel, dining, gas, groceries, and drugstores * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $599 * $150K personal/$200K household | Apply Now |
Why combine price matching with travel rewards?
You’ve got more choices than ever when it comes to searching for cheap travel with sites that make it easy, so why would you use travel rewards? We can think of a few compelling reasons:
- You can possibly double dip on rewards and discounts: By booking travel with a reward program, you may be able to save money upfront and earn rewards on your trip. Keep in mind that not all programs allow you to do this, so read your program’s terms and conditions.
- Price matching ensures you get the most value for your points: Instead of automatically cashing in your points or charging a trip to your card, booking travel with a program that price matches guarantees that you’re maximizing your hard-earned points.
- Get more travel from your rewards: If you’re like many people, you probably have a travel budget. By using travel rewards (with a program that price matches), you may be able to stretch your vacation even longer.
Common mistakes to avoid
Since Expedia For TD is really the only rewards program left that price matches, we highly recommend reading their terms and conditions.
Usually, you have to book through the program’s platform in order for them to price match (if you find a cheaper deal elsewhere). Don’t forget that Expedia For TD has a window of time when you can price match.
If you wait more than 24 hours after booking a flight and hotel package, Expedia For TD won’t allow you to price match. For non-packaged hotel bookings, you can contact Expedia For TD up to 48 hours before checking into a hotel if you find a cheaper price.
Probably the biggest mistake of all is assuming that your trusted rewards program price matches in the first place. As you can see, programs are dropping the policy in favour of offering flexible booking.
FAQ
Does Expedia for TD price match?
Yes, Expedia for TD is the only program that still price matches. However, it only prices matches for hotel bookings or hotel and flight packages.
Does Amex Travel price match?
Amex Travel doesn’t price match travel costs. However, you can redeem your Membership Rewards points for any travel purchased with your credit card. There are no minimum redemption requirements, and your points are worth the same wherever you redeem them.
What is the cheapest day to book flights in Canada?
The best day to score a cheap flight really depends on your trip details – where you’re flying, when you’re travelling, your fare class, the airline, your rewards status, etc. There’s no definitive cheapest day.
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