Multiplayer Mode

At its simplest, earning rewards with multiple users can help you increase your earning rate. This is especially useful if you have cards with restrictions on how often you can apply for them or if you prefer not to be too aggressive with a particular bank. By earning rewards together, you can accumulate points faster and achieve your travel goals sooner.

However, it's important to note that most loyalty programs don't allow you to transfer points between different users, or they may charge a significant fee for doing so. That's why it's essential to have enough points for each person in your travel group to redeem their own rewards. Otherwise, you might have to make separate reservations and try to link them together.

Here are some loyalty programs that offer specific benefits when you coordinate your efforts:

American Express Canada

When it comes to Amex loyalty program, they have a rule that doesn't allow the transfer of points between different user accounts. It means you can't move your points to someone else's Amex account. Also, to transfer points successfully, the name on your Amex account needs to match the name on the airline or hotel loyalty account.

However, Amex is mentioned here because they are one of the few card issuers in Canada that offer referral bonuses. These bonuses come in the form of rewards points. If you already have an Amex card, you have the opportunity to refer someone else to get the same card or a related one. This way, you can earn a referral bonus for yourself, and the person you referred might also get better welcome bonus offers.

By strategically coordinating your card applications among multiple people, you can maximize your earning potential. For example, if both P1 and P2 are planning to apply for the Biz Plat card anyway, you can earn an additional referral bonus for one of the players, regardless of the actual welcome bonus they receive.

Taking advantage of these referral bonuses can help you and your friends or family members earn more rewards points, providing an extra boost to your loyalty program benefits.

MR:

  • From Business Platinum (20k points) to:

    • Business Platinum

    • Business Gold

    • Platinum

  • From Business Gold (15k points) to:

    • Business Platinum

    • Business Gold

    • Platinum

    • Gold

    • Cobalt

  • From Business Edge (5k points) to:

    • Business Platinum

    • Business Gold

    • Business Edge

  • From Platinum (10k points) to:

    • Business Platinum

    • Platinum

  • From Gold (7.5k points) to:

    • Business Platinum

    • Business Gold

    • Platinum

    • Gold

    • Cobalt

  • From Cobalt (5k points) to:

    • Business Platinum

    • Business Gold

    • Platinum

    • Gold

    • Cobalt

Marriott Bonvoy:

  • From Marriott Bonvoy (10k points) to:

    • Marriott Bonvoy

    • Marriott Bonvoy Business

  • From Marriott Bonvoy Business (15k points) to:

    • Marriott Bonvoy

    • Marriott Bonvoy Business

Aeroplan:

  • From Aeroplan Business Reserve (20k points) to:

    • Aeroplan Reserve

    • Aeroplan Business Reserve

  • From Aeroplan Reserve (10k points) to:

    • Aeroplan Reserve

    • Aeroplan Business Reserve

  • From Aeroplan (5k points) to:

    • Aeroplan Reserve

    • Aeroplan

    • Aeroplan Business Reserve

Cash-back:

  • From SimplyCash Preferred ($100) to:

    • SimplyCash Preferred

    • SimplyCash

  • From SimplyCash ($50) to:

    • SimplyCash Preferred

    • SimplyCash

From the referral bonuses and options, a few strategies become evident:

  • You want to refer to all possible cards from, and therefore start with, the Biz Plat to maximize referral bonuses

  • You want to refer to the Gold and Cobalt from the Biz Gold to maximize referral bonuses

  • Given this, you'll want the last two cards to target for subsequent players to be the Biz Plat and Biz Gold

    • The Biz Plat so you extend your window to referring P1 and other players from a Biz Plat

    • The Biz Gold to extend your window to refer to the Gold and Cobalt for P1 and other players from a Biz Gold

  • You want to refer to subsequent Bonvoy cards from the Bonvoy Biz to maximize referral bonuses

    • P1 would get referred to the personal Bonvoy from P2's Bonvoy Biz

  • You want to refer to subsequent AP reserve cards from the AP Biz Reserve to maximize referral bonuses

    • P1 would get referred to the AP Reserve from P2's AP Biz Reserve

  • You want to refer to subsequent SimplyCash cards from the SimplyCash Preferred to maximize referral bonuses

    • P1 would get referred to the SC from P2's SCP

Note: 

  • Amex officially targets referrals to be made to family members or friends. This means that if you publicly share your referral link, there could be consequences or penalties imposed on your account.

  • It's important to note that there might be different welcome bonus offers available through public links compared to referral links. Sometimes, the welcome bonus offer through a referral link may only be slightly better or even worse for the person being referred. So unless the referrer and referee are part of the same points-earning family, it may not be worth pursuing the referral.

  • It's also worth comparing the referral bonuses to any cash rebate offers that may be available. Sometimes, the cash rebate can provide a better return than the referral bonus. Depending on your circumstances, you may prefer to receive cash instead of rewards points at a given time.

  • There are a couple of rules you should be aware of. Firstly, there's the 2/90 rule between the Biz Plat and Biz Gold cards. This means you can't apply for both of these cards within a 90-day period. However, this rule doesn't apply to any other combinations of cards.

  • Additionally, there's Amex's 4 credit card rule. This means you can only hold a maximum of four credit cards (not including charge cards) at any given time. So if you already have four credit cards from Amex, you won't be eligible for any more unless you cancel one of your existing cards.

FAQ

How do I refer to a different card from my card?

  • When you open a referral link, you will see a link at the top that says "View our Other Cards." Clicking on this link will show you all the other eligible cards that you can choose from, which match the lists mentioned earlier.

How much is the referral bonus if I refer from card X to not-card X?

  • The referral bonus you receive is based on the card that generated the referral. For instance, if you refer someone from a Biz Plat card, you will get a referral bonus of 20k points, regardless of whether it's to a Biz Plat, Biz Gold, Biz Edge, or Plat card.

The person I referred to was approved for their card and I received the referral bonus. They want to cancel/don't activate their card/don't meet the MSR, what happens to my referral bonus?

  • If the person you referred is approved for their card and you receive the referral bonus, it doesn't matter what happens to their card afterwards. Your referral bonus will remain unaffected and safe, regardless of whether they cancel the card, don't activate it, or fail to meet the minimum spending requirement.

Air Canada Aeroplan

AP offers a feature called Family Sharing that allows up to 8 users to combine their points. In this arrangement, certain members are authorized to use the pooled points to make redemptions. When points are used, they are deducted proportionally from all members. Once a member joins a family pool, they cannot be removed for 3 months. Likewise, after leaving a family pool, they must wait 6 months before joining another one.

In the past, it was possible to link someone else's AP account to your MR account or a co-branded AP card in your name. However, this practice was and continues to be restricted according to the terms and conditions. Now, with the introduction of Family Sharing, there is no longer a need to take such risks.

British Airways Avios

British Airways offers Household Accounts, which allow up to 7 people living at the same address to combine their points. When it comes to redeeming points, the deducted amount is divided proportionally among all members. These points can only be used for members of the household or designated individuals known as "Family and Friends."

Qatar Airways Avios

Qatar Airways offers their Family Programme, which allows up to 9 family members (like your spouse, children, or parents) to pool points together after verification. However, there are some restrictions. Points can only be pooled if they were earned through flying activities credited to your Qatar Airways account. This means you can't combine points from an affiliated Avios account, even if you earned them by flying with that program or through credit card spending with a co-branded card or transfers.

It's important to note that child accounts within a family pool cannot be managed individually by linking them to an affiliated Avios account. If you want to manage them separately, you can remove them from the family pool, but you won't be able to add them back. Child accounts within a family pool can only be created by the main account holder of the household.

WestJet

WS allows you to transfer WestJet Dollars (WSD) between users for a fee of $50 plus taxes. Depending on your account balance, there may be situations where this option is worth considering. Another option is to pool WSD among the people who will be traveling together. For example, if P1 has 300 WSD and P2 has 500 WSD, and you want to make a booking that requires 500 WSD, you can call in and choose to use 250 WSD from each account or any other ratio you prefer. This way, you can avoid paying the $50 or more transfer fee.

Hilton Honors

You can either pool (receive) or transfer (send) Hilton Honors points. Transactions must be in increments of 1,000 points up to 500,000 per transaction. You can send 500,000 points and receive 2,000,000 points per calendar year.

Marriott Bonvoy

Through the online portal (or by phone), you have the ability to transfer up to 100,000 points per calendar year to another member. On the receiving end, a member can receive up to 500,000 points per calendar year.