Tools to Find the Most Rewards on Credit Cards in Canada

Compare Travel Rewards Credit Cards

First Published Date: July 12, 2015

There are many tools and calculators out there to make the most out of reward credit cards. Today, I will mention two extraordinary tools you can use to visualize what you are getting from all reward cards side-by-side. It’s easier to comprehend and make an educated decision when you compare side-by-side, instead of reading reviews of each card separately.

1. Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison by Rewards Canada

This tool can generate several comparison charts from different categories, such as most popular travel rewards credit cards, all travel rewards credit cards, hybrid credit cards, airline credit cards, etc. In each chart, you will be able to see all the credit cards within that category and their info such as annual fee, bonus, earning ratio, redemption value, exchange options, insurance, and much more.

What I like most in the chart is that you can easily view which credit cards are offering certain insurances and which are not. For example, many travel reward cards do not offer trip cancellation insurance. Also, you will find that very few credit cards offer price protection insurance.

2. Compare Travel Rewards Credit Cards by Rate Hub

This is a very different, yet powerful credit card tool you can use to visualize your rewards in dollar amounts. You can plug in your own monthly spending numbers for different categories, such as groceries, travel, and restaurants and it generates dollar amount figures showing how much money you will be making the first year and subsequent years.

This tool gives you a detailed breakdown of how the points are being calculated to get the dollar value and also provide tips of how to redeem your points to get the most dollar value, how not to redeem, insurance benefits, and much more. The insight and knowledge you will have to make the most out of your rewards credit cards using this tool is simply incredible and knowledge means more money when it comes to redeeming your points.

No calculator or tool is 100 percent complete and provide you all the information you need. For example, the Rate Hub calculator provides much information, yet it still fails to consider the recurring annual anniversary bonuses you might get from some credit cards. For example, when you generate numbers for the BMO World Elite MasterCard and the WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard, it fails to show anniversary bonuses. For example, the BMO World Elite MasterCard provides lounge membership and 4 passes each year that would translate into $200 annually and the WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard provides an annual round-trip companion fare for $99, and the Rate Hub tool fails to add the dollar value for subsequent years.

Always do through research before deciding on any credit cards and don’t forget to visit the A Dawn Journal Credit Card Section often for more articles like this and keep an eye for my upcoming book Credit Card Hacks: What Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You to Know to obtain invaluable insight on credit cards rewards.

Canada Cottage Country Real Estate – Intro

Cottage Country Canada  Part 1

First Published Date : Dec 24, 2009

Central and Eastern Ontario are wonderful travel destinations for anyone looking to get away from it all. With scenic views and easy lake access, Canada’s cottage country is a very popular tourist destination spot for people from many locations around the world. Each region of Canada has their own local cottage district, with variations in Ottawa and Ontario.

The Ontario cottage district includes the Muskoka, Peterborough, Haliburton Collingwood, and Kawarthas. Cottage country in Canada is very busy on weekends, especially those around the holidays. If you are expecting peace and quiet, then you may want to avoid cottage country during Victoria Day, Civic Holiday, and during the first weekend in September. If you don’t mind a little bustle, however, these long weekends can be very relaxing. There are plenty of recreational areas in the region that provide activities for the whole family.

The lakes are very popular destination spots in Canada. Muskoka is a region that is home to 1,600 lakes, including Lake Couchiching. The Algonquin Provincial Park is also in the Muskoka region, offering tourists a chance to get out and enjoy nature anytime of the year. The park is over 7,000 square kilometres, and is connected by rivers that were once glaciers. There are roughly one million visitors to the park each year, making it one of Canada’s most visited state parks.

Collingwood is located in the Georgian Triangle region and is a town in Simcoe county. Collingwood is a famous tourist spot because of its old time charm and location. It is located in the heart of four-season destination area and known for its vacation cottage resorts.

Haliburton is located in Ontario, as well. This section of Canada is known for its picturesque views and local artisans, as well as being home to Head Lake. This region of Canada is rural, but offers lodgings in the villages of Wilberforce and Eagle Lake, just to name a couple of the tourist destinations in the regions. Eagle Lake also offers a ski resort for family style winter fun.

Kawartha Lakes also lie in Ontario, and offer guests a diverse supply of river and lake access. The region has fifteen main lakes, as well as a host of resorts and lodgings for guests. The Canadian Shield is located in the Kawartha region, where the lakes in the area are wedged between the Shield and the ancient limestone that forms the Golden Horseshoe. The lakes of Kawartha run all of the way to Peterborough, another of Canada’s famous cottage country regions.

Peterborough is also home to a variety of lakes and scenic state parks, with the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park running through the region. Agriculture is very important in this rural area, which also offers tourists a chance to lodge in lakeside homes while on vacation.

All of Ontario’s cottage country is very laid back and focuses on the outdoors. Warm summer weather brings an influx of tourists to the region, but any long weekend is a good chance to visit the scenic country of Ontario. Each region has unique features, ranging from ancient stone formations to activities on the lakes and rivers of the region. With dozens of lakes to chose from, and lodgings that vary from rustic to luxury, there is something for everyone in Canada’s cottage country.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Dec 24, 2009.

Global Credit Crisis and Canadians

Canadians Showing More Caution On Borrowing

First Published Date: March 27, 2009

It is becoming clearer that the average Canadian is cutting right back on borrowing as the global credit crisis continues to exert its hold on the purse strings of both businesses and the individual. In a world where money is now becoming more of a luxury item, people are becoming much more likely to save than to go out and spend money that they do not really have. What is becoming more and more obvious with every new set of figures that is released, is that more and more people are coming around to the idea that this credit crisis is not something that will be here today and gone tomorrow.

It is therefore no great shock that people are seeking to feather their nests in the current climate. With the best will in the world, no one really seems to have any firm idea when things are going to be better. So while people at the beginning of the credit crisis may have taken a more gung-ho attitude and resolved to ride things out without making major changes, it would take a brave or foolhardy individual to look at the pronounced slowdown and assume that things will improve tomorrow, next month or even next year. In such a climate, the only thing that many people feel they can do is hold on to what they have and pray for a boost.

With the figures for 2009 likely to show that the market growth globally for this year has slipped into the negative numbers – the first time that it has happened since the end of the Second World War – there is an absolute necessity to live according to the realities. This in turn is posing problems for governments, though. In order for markets to recover, it is essential that consumers are spending. If consumers are to spend, it is necessary that banks will allow them to borrow. With banks going to the wall in many countries, it is unsurprising that those who remain are keeping a firmer hold on the purse strings. It all adds up to a apocalyptic vision.

Fewer people are buying homes at the moment, and now it emerges that less money is going on retail too. When you are not sure that your job is recession proof, the prospect of speculating in order to accumulate is naturally less attractive. So what does the future hold? If people do not get spending, how will the markets ever recover? What we are likely to see – and there is not a period on this – is a slow, cautious improvement when it happens, which will gradually pick up pace as people gain confidence in the markets. We must hope when this does take place that banks and governments have learned lessons from the chaotic situation which has led us where we are now – and make the changes that need to be made.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Mar 27, 2009.

What Are the Top Ten Socially-Advanced Countries?

Canada Ranked World’s 6th Most Socially-Advanced Country

First Published Date: April 19, 2015

The Social Progress Index, an index that was developed by team lead Harvard professor Michael Porter, measures social progress by taking a more holistic understanding approach and complementing traditional measures such as GDP and other indicators. There are 52 elements, from crime to literacy rates and gender equality to accessing information that are tracked by the Social Progress Index.

Here are the top ten countries on the 2015 Social Progress Index out of 133 countries:

1. Norway

2. Sweden

3. Switzerland

4. Iceland

5. New Zealand

6. Canada

7. Finland

8. Denmark

9. Netherlands

10. Australia

Here are some global highlights:

– Canada is the top ranking G7 country and the only G7 country to show high progress.

– Canada gets a high score for tolerance of religious minorities and immigrants and access to advanced education, but gets a low score on access to information and communications, obesity, and protecting the environment.

– Sweden is the top performing country in the EU.

– Costa Rica is the world’s best over-performing country.

– Brazil is the top BRICS performing country. After Brazil comes South Africa, Russia, China and India.

– US is ranked #16, although it has the world’s highest per capita GDP.

– Zimbabwe is 133rd and the worst country on the list.

Next Book: Credit Card Hacks

Credit Card Hacks: What Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You to Know

First Published Date: April 23, 2015

These days, we all know that credit cards have become a necessity, rather than a luxury. Take off credit cards from your daily living and you will not be able to perform your daily activities as you normally would. However, for many of us the convenience and functionality of credit cards have become burdens because we lose control of them. This is where my next book Credit Card Hacks: What Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You to Know comes in.

Instead of credit cards taking over your life, Credit Card Hacks reveals the techniques that will let you take control of your credit cards (and your life) and not just that – the information you will learn will take you beyond the scenes (that credit card companies don’t want you to know) of ordinary credit cards, so you can use credit cards to your advantage and even make money.

I am working on the last 2 chapters of Credit Card Hacks. So you are probably looking at another 5-6 months before you will be able to get your hands on it. Like my last book, Money Hacks, Credit Card Hacks will be published on the Amazon Kindle platform.

Once my work is done on Credit Card Hacks, the next stages of editing, cover designing, and format designing will begin. However, I will keep you updated once we are close. Keep an eye on A Dawn Journal for further announcements.