Ends Aug 3: Most Insane Travel Welcome Bonuses Ever Seen In Canada

Welcome bonuses worth up to $2,800 – ended August 3, 2021.
creditcardGenius Team
updated on Aug 5, 2021
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Accuracy is important to us so this article has gone through a thorough 3-stage review process and fact-checked by our team.

Please note these offers are no longer available. You can find current offers here.

In search of a new credit card? You’re going to want to consider an American Express credit card right now.

They’re running some of the hottest welcome bonus offers we’ve ever seen – up to $2,800 in value can be had if you apply before the deadline.

Here are the credit cards running these offers. Just note you need to apply by August 3, 2021 to get in on them.

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Summary of new American Express offers

First, here’s a summary of the new offers Amex has rolled out.

One thing to note for these offers – they’re offering bonus points on restaurants. This is one industry that’s been battered by the pandemic, and we believe this is one way Amex is going to try and help – by getting cardholders into restaurants.

The welcome bonus rate advertised by Amex includes what you would normally earn anyway. The maximum points shown in our table below is what you would earn with the welcome bonus, minus what you would normally earn. Keep in mind you’ll need to spend a lot at restaurants to get the full value for this portion of the bonus.

And, most of them require you to make a purchase between 14 to 17 months after you have the card. To get the full bonus, you’ll have to pay the annual fee at least twice.

Credit Card New Welcome Bonus Maximum Points Earned Typical Welcome Points Earned Maximum Welcome Bonus Value Annual Fee Apply Now
Amex Marriott Bonvoy * Earn 65,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months
* Earn 15,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months
* Earn 5x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend
95,000 82,700 $921 $120 Apply Now
Amex Aeroplan
(recommended)
* Earn 44,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months
* Earn 1,000 bonus points every month you spend $500 in the first 6 months
* Earn 5x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend
67,500 53,150 $1,350 $120 Apply Now
Amex Platinum * Earn 70,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
* Earn 30,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months
* Earn 10x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend
135,000 106,300 $2,700 $699 Apply Now
Amex Aeroplan Reserve
(recommended)
* Earn 70,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
* Earn 5,000 bonus points every month you spend $1,000 in the first 6 months
* Earn 10x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend
140,000 107,200 $2,800 $599 Apply Now
Amex Air Miles Reserve * Earn 4,000 miles after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
* Earn 1,000 miles when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months
* Earn 5x the miles on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $7,500 in spend
7,000 5,233 $1,204 $299 Apply Now

American Express Marriott Bonvoy

Let’s kick things off with the best hotel credit card in Canada – the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.

It now has a stunning bonus worth plenty of free nights:

  • 65,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months,
  • 15,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months, and
  • 5x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend.

When it comes to the restaurant bonus, you’re really only earning an extra 3 points per $1 spent on restaurants, since it includes the regular rate of 2 points.

So the max value of the bonus is 95,000 points, a big increase from the previous 60,000 points the card offered. However, to earn it you need to spend $834 per month on restaurants. Based on a typical $2,000 monthly spend, you’re earning 82,700 points.

But even without spending a dollar at restaurants, you’re still getting 80,000 points. Max out the restaurant spending, and you can get up to 95,000 points.

That’s still a stunning number of points to get. When redeemed for free hotel nights, those Marriott points are worth up to $921.

If you’re wondering how it compares to the old offer, it’s an increase of 31%.

2.9 Genius Rating
4.2 (10) User reviews

Up to 50,000 bonus points + Annual free night certificate.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$485
50,000 points
Annual rewards
$501
Learn more
Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card
Instant approval: Yes
Credit estimate:
Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card
2.9 Genius Rating
4.2 (10) User reviews

Up to 50,000 bonus points + Annual free night certificate.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$485
50,000 points
Annual rewards
$501
Learn more
Credit estimate:
 (560 - 659)
Instant approval: Yes

Amex Aeroplan Card

Want to earn plenty of Aeroplan points? Both of Amex’s Aeroplan cards have increased their bonus. Here we’ll talk about the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card.

They’ve ditched offering the Buddy Pass and have skyrocketed the amount of Aeroplan points instead.

Here’s what you can get:

  • 44,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months,
  • 1,000 bonus points every month you spend $500 in the first 6 months, and
  • 5x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend.

Just by spending $3,000 in the first 3 months and making a purchase in your second year, you’re getting 50,000 Aeroplan points.

And there are still bonus points to be earned at restaurants too, with another 17,500 points available. As the card normally earns 1.5 points per $1 spent on restaurants, the bonus is an additional 3.5 points per $1 spent. However, to earn those 17,500 points, you need to spend $834 per month.

That’s a maximum number of points earned of 67,500, which we value at $1,350 when redeemed for flights. It’s an increase of 50% over the previous offer.

Based on a typical $2,000 monthly spend, you can expect to get 53,150 points, which are worth $1,063.

2.5 Genius Rating
4.3 (3) User reviews

Up to 40,000 bonus points + free checked bags on Air Canada.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$800
40,000 points
Annual rewards
$522
Learn more
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
Instant approval: Yes
Credit estimate:
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
2.5 Genius Rating
4.3 (3) User reviews

Up to 40,000 bonus points + free checked bags on Air Canada.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$800
40,000 points
Annual rewards
$522
Learn more
Credit estimate:
 (660 - 724)
Instant approval: Yes

Amex Platinum Card

If you thought those offers were good, you haven’t seen anything yet. The American Express Platinum® Card is leaps and bounds above this for value.

Here’s the stunning amount of points you can earn:

  • 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months,
  • 30,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months, and
  • 10x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend.

Here, if you spend $6,000 in 6 months and make a purchase in your 2nd year, you’ll get 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points.

Then on restaurants, you’re earning an additional 7 points per $1 spent, which can net you another 35,000 points. However, you need to spend $834 per month on restaurants to get the full amount.

When transferred to Aeroplan, these 135,000 points are worth up to $2,700. On a typical $2,000 monthly spend, you’re looking at approximately 106,300 points.

With this and the next few offers, this is where the increase over the old offer is startling. Here, the bonus value is worth up to 136% more than before.

But of course, this is Amex Membership Rewards we’re talking about here, so there are other options at your disposal. They’re worth less, but still provide top value:

  • Fixed Points Travel Program (value of 1.75 cents per point) – $2,362
  • Transfer to Marriott Bonvoy (value of 1.16 cents per point) – $1,566
  • Redeem towards any charge to the card (value of 1 cent per point) – $1,350

It’s more than enough value to offset the annual fee of $699.

4.4 Genius Rating
2.7 (16) User reviews
award seal ×2 Award winner

100,000 bonus points + The most perks of any credit card.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$600
30,000 points
Annual rewards
$588
Learn more
American Express Platinum® Card
Instant approval: Yes
Credit estimate:
American Express Platinum® Card
4.4 Genius Rating
2.7 (16) User reviews
award seal 2x Award winner

100,000 bonus points + The most perks of any credit card.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$600
30,000 points
Annual rewards
$588
Learn more
Credit estimate:
 (560 - 659)
Instant approval: Yes

Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card

Amex’s premium Aeroplan credit card is running a white hot offer and the best of the bunch – the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card.

You can earn up to 140,000 bonus Aeroplan points as follows:

  • 70,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months,
  • 5,000 bonus points every month you spend $1,000 in the first 6 months, and
  • 10x the points on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spend.

With restaurants, you’re earning an extra 8 points per $1 spent, giving you another 40,000 points you can earn. To get the full amount, you need to spend $834 per month on restaurants.

In total, 140,000 Aeroplan points are worth $2,800 – a simply astonishing value for a credit card welcome bonus, and worth 47% more than before.

And based on a typical $2,000 monthly spend, you’ll get around 107,200.

3.8 Genius Rating
3.1 (9) User reviews

Earn up to 85,000 Aeroplan®* points + Air Canada benefits.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$1,700
85,000 points
Annual rewards
$669
Learn more
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
Instant approval: Yes
Credit estimate:
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
3.8 Genius Rating
3.1 (9) User reviews

Earn up to 85,000 Aeroplan®* points + Air Canada benefits.*

Annual fee
See rates
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$1,700
85,000 points
Annual rewards
$669
Learn more
Credit estimate:
 (660 - 724)
Instant approval: Yes

Amex Air Miles Reserve Card

If you’re looking to score some Air Miles, the welcome offer for the is far beyond what any other Air Miles credit card is offering.

Here’s what you’ll get for miles:

  • 4,000 miles after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months,
  • 1,000 miles when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months, and
  • 5x the miles on restaurants for the first 6 months, up to $7,500 in spend.

The spending requirement for restaurants is a little higher here than the others, at $1,250 per month.

But still, you can earn up to 7,000 Air Miles, which are worth up to $1,204 when redeemed for flights. Or if you prefer to earn Air Miles cash, they’re worth $735.

And at a base spend of $2,000 per month, you can expect to see 5,233 miles.

Which offer will you choose?

5 jaw-dropping new offers to choose from. And every one of these has enough value to cover the annual fees for at least 2 years, if not more.

What about you? Will you take Amex up on any of these offers?

Let us know in the comments below.

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Showing 6 comments

RoseMarie
RoseMarie
June 23, 2021
Why do you recommend charge cards with annual fees-sorta negates the advantage!??
Jeff
Jeff
June 24, 2021
$699 for $2800 worth of points seems like a no brainer to me!
creditcardGenius Team
creditcardGenius Team
July 6, 2021
Hey RoseMarie, Charge cards work the same as credit cards. The only differences are you can't carry a balance on them (your bill has to paid in full), and there's no hard credit limit attached to them.
Stephen Weyman
Stephen Weyman
June 24, 2021
I agree Jeff that it's a no brainer. Definitely consider jumping on one of these offers myself. You do have to realize though that some of the components of the offer extend into the 2nd year so if you want the full bonus then you'll be paying the annual fee at least twice. That doesn't include the value you'll get on your everyday spending plus all the perks and benefits the cards come with if you're planning to get back into travel for late 2021 and thinking ahead for 2022.
Bill
Bill
June 23, 2021
Amex cards don't seem to be accepted at many retailers.
Stephen Weyman
Stephen Weyman
June 24, 2021
There are certainly some retailers that don't take Amex but they have been working hard to expand their acceptance over the past few years with retailers both big and small. It was a sponsored article as part of their Shop Small campaign but we did our own research on acceptance for the article: https://creditcardgenius.ca/blog/american-express-acceptance
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