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PointsNerd Feature – 134 Countries Canadians can Travel to without a Visa

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We love to bring you unique Canadian content here on PointsNerd and today we feature a fantastic post shared by reader Matthew from Edmonton, AB. Matthew writes an engaging blog, vividtreks.com, that uncovers his passion for travelling and story telling.

Just like the title of this post suggests, this will be a great resource for all Canadian travelers to keep a bookmark on.

After browsing through the list myself, I’m glad to confirm a visa is not required for faraway countries, Moldova and Georgia, destinations I plan to visit this Fall. The list even details the visa-free way to enter Russia, a method I have used by taking a ferry from Finland.

Without further to say, enjoy this great resource below by Matthew and be sure to visit VividTreks for more of his content.

LIST OF 134 COUNTRIES CANADIANS CAN TRAVEL WITHOUT A VISA

The Canadian passport ranks among the “top 5 most coveted passports” in the world because of how much freedom it provides (like visa-free entry) when we travel. The Canadian passport makes it super easy to get around since you could technically just show up at the borders of more than 100 countries and be allowed entry with no problems arising.

Did you know that your Canadian passport allows you visa-free entry to well over 130 different countries? Some countries even allow you to stay up to 1 year! If you didn’t, you do now. I got you. (Canadians are currently allowed into 157 countries without needing a tourist visa.)ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

**While these countries generally do not require a tourist visa, rules and regulations are subject to change. Always double check the country’s official entry requirements prior to arrival. (All mentions of a visa refer to a tourist visa.)

Use Ctrl+F and search for a country on the visa-free entry list. Or take a scroll through and find inspiration for your next country to visit!

Albania – Visa not required for stays up to 90 days per six-month period.

Andorra – Visa not required during period of intended stay.(You must have an outbound flight booked before arrival. Immigration will then determine the appropriate amount of time you’re allowed.)

Antigua and Barbuda – Visa not required, however, you must have an onward or return ticket as you will need to present it. It may also be necessary to show proof you have enough funds to sustain yourself for the duration of your stay.

Argentina – Visa not required.

Aruba – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (Canadians can stay in the Caribbean Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) for 30 days per island for a maximum of 90 days per year.)

Austria – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Azores – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Bahamas – Visa not required for stays up to 8 months!

Barbados – Visa not required, however, the duration you are allowed to stay (up to 6 months) will be determined by an immigration officer.

Belgium – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Belize – Visa not required.

Bermuda – Visa not required.

Bolivia –  Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days.

Bonaire – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days within a 180 day period.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (You will be required to register with local police within 48 hours upon arrival if you plan to stay more than 3 days.)

Botswana – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

British Virgin Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 6 months.

Brunei Darussalam – Visa not required for stays less than 14 days.

Bulgaria – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days every 6 months.

Canary Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Cayman Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 6 months.

Chile – Visa not required. (Tourists will be issued a tourist card which is valid for 90 days from date of arrival. It is required to show the card to immigration officers before leaving the country. If you have lost your card, a new one may be issued by a special police unit. If you wish to stay past 90 days, you may request for an extension for another 90 days one month prior to the expiration of your tourist card.)

Colombia – Visa not required. (You are required to have your passport stamped upon entry if you enter by land. As well, you must pay a tax which roughly amounts to CAD$85. Allotted time for stays range from 30 to 90 days. Stays may be extended up to 180 days. )

Cook Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 31 days.

Costa Rica – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (The amount of time you are allowed to stay in the country will be determined by an immigration officer.)

Croatia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (You must register with local police within 48 hours upon arrival or face a fine for failure to register or, worse, expulsion from the country.)

Curaçao – Not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (Canadians can stay in the Caribbean Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) for 30 days per island for a maximum of 90 days per year.)

Cyprus – Visa not required.

Czech Republic – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries. You must register with police within 3 working days upon arrival.)

Denmark – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Dominica – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 6 months.

Dominican Republic – Visa not required. (Upon entering the Dominican Republic, you will be required to obtain a tourist card at the cost of US$10 which is valid for 30 days. Your stay may be extended if you wish by requesting for an extension at the Department of Immigration in Santo Domingo.)

Ecuador – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days within a period of 365 days. (An extension may be granted by obtaining a permit extension. If entering by land, you must register with an Ecuadorian immigration officer at the border.)

El Salvador – Visa not required. (You must purchase a tourist card which is valid for 30-90 days at the cost of $10. The duration of your stay will be determined by local officials. An extension of your stay may be granted by applying with immigration authorities. 90 day period begins when you first enter any of the CA-4 countries.)

Estonia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Falkland Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 4 months. (You will be required to present proof of travel and medical insurance before you are allowed entry into the Falkland Islands.)

Finland – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

France – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

French Guiana – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

French Polynesia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Georgia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 365 days. (If you wish to enter the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, you are required to have your passport stamped by the regional authorities or face fines and/or incarceration.)

Germany – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Gibgraltar – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 180 days.

Greece – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Greenland – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Grenada – Visa not required.

Guadeloupe – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Guatemala – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Passport must be stamped upon arrival. When entering by land or sea, you must find an immigration official to stamp your passport. 90 day period begins when you first enter any of the CA-4 countries.)

Guyana – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Haiti – Visa not applicable for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (You may stay beyond 90 days if approved to do so by applying to the Haitian Immigration Service before your 90 days are up.)

Honduras – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Passport must be stamped upon arrival. When entering by air, land, or sea, you must find an immigration official to stamp your passport. 90 day period begins when you first enter any of the CA-4 countries.)

Hong Kong – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (All travellers subject to body temperature screening.)

Hungary – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Iceland – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Indonesia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days.

Ireland – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – Visa not required for entry into Israel. (Travel to and from the West Bank falls under the jurisdiction of Palestinian and Israeli authorities. Entry to and exiting from the Gaza Strip is very restricted. Palestinian-Canadians are permitted to enter and exit the Gaza Strip only by way of the Rafah border crossing located in Egypt during open hours.)

Italy – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries. If you enter from a Schengen area country but are staying for less than 90 days, you must file a declaration of presence with local police within 8 days from arrival.)

Jamaica – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 6 months. (You must complete a Jamaican Immigration Landing Card upon checking in at the airport or during your flight. Overstaying past the date on your entry stamp is a criminal offence and may lead to fines, deportation, and even incarceration.)

Japan – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Staying past 90 days is a criminal offence and may lead to fines, deportation, and even permanent ineligibility to re-enter Japan.)

Kazakhstan – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (You are required to complete a migration card when you arrive at any international airport within the country which must be stamped by 2 officials. One stamp will be from a national border control officer, another will be from a port official which is a registration of foreign citizens.)

Kiribati – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 28 days.

Korea (South) – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 180 days. (You must register your fingerprints and have a facial scan at the port of entry. Those under the age of 17 and diplomats are exempt from the screening.)

Kosovo – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Kyrgyz Republic – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 60 days. (Extension may be granted through a letter of invitation.)

Latvia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Lesotho – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 14 days. (Extensions may be granted for a total of up to 44 days without needing a visa.)

Liechtenstein – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Lithuania – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Luxembourg – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Macao – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days.

Macedonia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Malaysia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Extensions may be granted by applying at any Malaysian Immigration office.)

Malta – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Martinique – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Mauritius – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Mayotte – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Mexico – Visa not required. (You must obtain a tourist card which is called the Multiple Migratory Form for Foreigners (FMM) from the airline or immigration authorities unless your stay is less than 72 hours within the northern border zone. The duration of your stay will usually be a maximum of 180 days. Additionally, you must pay a tourism tax amounting to roughly US$20 unless you travel to Mexico by land and stay for less than 7 days, travel to the northern border zone for less than 72 hours, or travel to Mexico on a cruise ship.)

Micronesia (FSM) – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (You must present a completed Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Immigration Arrival and Departure Record. If you wish to stay more than 30 days, you may do so if you obtain a special permit.)

Moldova – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days for every 6 month period. (When entering Moldova from the Transnistrian segment of the Moldova-Ukraine border, you will be required to register within 72 hours from the moment you cross into Moldova.)

Monaco – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Mongolia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days.

Montenegro – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (If need be, you may apply for a temporary residence permit at least one week before your 90 days are up to have your stay extended.)

Montserrat – Visa not required.

Morocco – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (You may extend your stay if you obtain proper authorization to do so from the Service to Foreigners Section at a local police station at least 15 days before your 90 days are up. Failure to obtain the proper authorization while staying past 90 days will result in you being refused to exit the country until you meet a prosecutor.)

Namibia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Overstaying may result in arrest and/or fines.)

Netherlands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

New Caledonia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

New Zealand – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Niue – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days.

Norway – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Panama – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 180 days. (You must obtain a correctly dated entry stamp from immigration officials upon entry. If your stamp is found to be incorrectly stamped/expired, you may be fined. If you have a criminal record then you may be refused entry even if for transit to another destination. Additionally, your biometrics (fingerprints, facial scan) will be recorded at the port of entry.)

Peru – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 183 days. (Length of stay will be determined by an immigration officer. Overstaying is a criminal offence and will result in fines which must be paid before you are allowed to exit the country.)

Philippines – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (Extensions may be granted by applying at the Philippine Bureau of Immigration before your 30 days are up.)

Poland – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Portugal – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (If you arrive from a Schengen area country, you must register yourself as being in the country within 3 business days from the date of your arrival. Registration may be done at any immigration office or police station.)

Réunion – Same entry-exit rules as France. Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Romania – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days within any 180 period.

Russia – Visa not required for international cruise passengers who are accompanied by the cruise tour guide with the right documentation and authorization. (Some Russian international airports have transit areas with limited access to some visa free areas in Russia.)

Saint-Barthélemy – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days within a 6 month period.

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Visa not required for stays within allotted time frame. (Must have outbound flight.)

Saint Lucia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 42 days.

Saint Martin – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Saint Vincent & the Grenadines – Visa not required.

Samoa – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 60 days. (Extensions may be granted by applying at an immigration office.)

San Marino – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 10 days. (Extensions may be granted by obtaining a permit of stay from the gendarmerie of San Marino. You mus register with the gendarmerie within 24 hours of arrival if you are staying more than 3 days.)

São Tomé and Principe – Visa not required for stays less than 15 days.

Senegal – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Serbia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (You must register with the local police within 24 hours from the moment you arrive in Serbia.)

Seychelles – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Singapore – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (You will be subject to fingerprinting upon arrival and departure.)

Sint Maarten – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 3 months. (Extensions may be requested if you have sufficient health insurance which is valid for the duration of your stay. Canadians can stay in the Caribbean Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) for 30 days per island for a maximum of 90 days per year.)

Slovakia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Slovenia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Solomon Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

South Africa – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Canadians are not required to have a tourist visa to enter South Africa. However, immigration officials will issue a Temporary Residents Visa (TRV) when you arrive.)

Spain – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days in any 180 day time frame.

Swaziland – Visa not required

Sweden – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days in any 180 day time frame.

Switzerland – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (90 day period starts upon entry to any Schengen area countries.)

Taiwan – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Extensions may be granted by request through the Taiwanese Bureau of Consular Affairs.)

Thailand – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days. (Overstaying may result in deportation, fines, and inability to re-enter Thailand up to 10 years later.)

Tokelau – A visa is not required but a special permit is. Permits are issued by Tokelau Apia Liaison Office in Apia, Samoa.

Trinidad and Tobago – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Tunisia – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (You must report to a police station or to the Ministry of the Interior when in Tunisia.)

Turks and Caicos Islands – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

Ukraine – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days within a 180 day period.

United Arab Emirates – Visa not required. (You must obtain a free entry stamp which is valid for 30 days.)

United Kingdom – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 6 months.

United States – Visa not required in most circumstances except for some extensions. Length of stay is determined my both eligibility and at the discretion of an immigration officer.

Uruguay – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days. (Extensions may be granted by asking the relevant immigration authorities.)

Vanuatu – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 30 days.

Venezuela – Visa not required for stays less than or equal to 90 days.

 

Oh, Canada… I love ya.

For more information, check the Canadian Travel Advice and Advisories site: Here

Now that you know your visa free options, doesn’t it feel like the world’s just opened up? If I’ve missed anything, please let me know down in the comment section below.

**Note that some countries require onward/return tickets, proof of sufficient funds, and other requirements before you are allowed entry. As well, different entry-exiting rules may apply with a temporary passport, an emergency travel document. There may also be differences/exceptions due to special circumstances. Many countries allow the immigration officer who is assisting you to choose the length you are allowed to stay.

Please do not forget that while this list is meant to be used for informational purposes, it is not 100% definitive. Because of changing rules and regulations, many things cannot be accounted for.

Before traveling to any of these listed countries, please take the time to check the country’s official immigration website and any other relevant official sources.

Written by Matthew. Read more at VividTreks.com.

Open jaw tickets on Japan Airlines with Alaska Mileage Plan

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This entry is part 9 of 12 in the series Booking Alaska Partner Awards

I recently uncovered the 5 lesser known stopover cities for Alaska Mileage Plan award tickets on Cathay Pacific. In this post, I will continue with Alaska Airlines partners and reveal another jaw dropping tip on an award ticket, literally 🙂

Let’s start by explaining JAL stopovers and what that may look like on a trip.

Stopovers on JAL

First of all, Alaska Mileage Plan allows one stopover per one way ticket on JAL, which is the norm with Alaska’s partners. If you are flying internationally on JAL your stopover city will almost always be limited to Tokyo. Unlike Cathay Pacific’s 5 stopover cities, there are currently no international stopover cities for JAL.

For example, you can fly Vancouver (YVR) to Tokyo (NRT) to Bangkok (BKK) with a stopover in Tokyo. Stopovers can be up to 364 days.

Trip Planning with a Stopover

So let’s say you are planning a trip to Tokyo and Bangkok.

An Alaska award on JAL with a stopover in Tokyo sounds perfect. You also like that the stopover length is not restricted to a few days so you can have more time to explore another city in Japan after landing in Tokyo.

You wish to also visit Osaka and you’ve heard it’s convenient to take the train there.

So your trip will consist of a flight to Bangkok with a stopover in Tokyo, and during the stopover, a roundtrip journey to/from Osaka on rail.

Flight to Tokyo, stopover, train to Osaka (blue), train to Tokyo (blue), flight to Bangkok

Now before you book this itinerary with the stopover, let’s explore if you can adjust the itinerary as an open jaw.

What is an Open Jaw?

An open jaw ticket is when you fly into one city and fly out of another city. Separate from an open jaw ticket, you would arrange your own transportation between the two cities whether it’s by car, train, boat or plane. For example, a ticket that has flights, Vancouver to Tokyo, and Osaka to Bangkok, is an open jaw itinerary.

Open jaw itinerary, split between Tokyo and Osaka

Open Jaw on JAL

On an one-way Alaska-JAL awards, you are allowed one open jaw instead of a stopover. To build an open jaw ticket you need to know which cities you are permitted to fly into and fly out of. Remember, on an Alaska award ticket, you cannot mix partner airlines which means your open jaw ticket options will be limited.

For JAL, there are three cities in Japan that fly internationally … Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

Since most of JAL’s flights (and almost all from North America) land in Tokyo, let’s explore open jaw options that depart from the other two JAL hubs.

Nagoya

JAL operates four international flights from Nagoya to Tianjin, Shanghai, Taipei, and Bangkok.

JAL international flights from NGO (Nagoya)

Osaka

Not a great variety, JAL has three international flights from Osaka to Shanghai, Taipei, and Bangkok. With the exception of Tianjin, the destinations are identical to the flights out of Nagoya.

JAL international flights from KIX (Osaka)

Trip Planning with an Open Jaw

So back to our trip plan to Bangkok with a stop in Tokyo and return train tickets to Osaka, we now identified that JAL also operates a flight from Osaka to Bangkok.

Instead of a stopover in Tokyo and then a flight from Tokyo to Bangkok, we can book an open jaw flying into Tokyo and flying out of Osaka onwards to Bangkok. This would save a one-way journey from Osaka back to Tokyo to catch the connecting flight to Bangkok.

Flight to Tokyo, stopover, train to Osaka (blue), flight to Bangkok

Booking an Open Jaw ticket

Very straightforward. Open the desktop version of alaskaair.com, check off “Use miles” and select the Multi-city search option to piece together an open jaw itinerary. Surprisingly enough, you do not need to call in to book this somewhat complex ticket!

Vancouver to Bangkok with a open jaw between Tokyo and Osaka

Conclusion

An open jaw ticket on Japan Airlines is just another reason why I love Alaska Mileage Plan and will speculatively hoard Alaska miles. JAL is a fantastic carrier and if you haven’t visited Japan, a free stopover/open jaw to Tokyo, Nagoya, or Osaka is definitely required on an Alaska-JAL award ticket.

The free stopover/open jaw rule extends to intra-Asia award redemptions which starts at only 15,000 in economy and 25,000 in business so get approved now for 25,000 Alaska miles with the MBNA Alaska Mastercard.

With the 25,000 bonus miles you could fly an open jaw ticket from Bangkok to Osaka then Tokyo to Seoul in business class … which you earn for just $15. That’s a crazy deal!

Alaska Airlines 5 Lesser Known Stopover Cities on Cathay Pacific

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This entry is part 8 of 12 in the series Booking Alaska Partner Awards

If a psychiatrist asked me what makes me content, happy and satisfied … I’d probably say an Alaska Airlines award ticket on Cathay Pacific with a stopover. Why? Because it’s an incredible value and I’m a sucker for deals.

As you know Alaska Airlines award tickets permits one free stopover on an one way ticket and two free stopovers on a roundtrip. What’s more amazing is for some Alaska partner carriers like JAL, stopovers are allowed even on a ticket within a continent.

In comparison, Aeroplan does not allow stopovers on one way tickets and permits two free stopovers on a roundtrip ticket that crosses continents. With that said, Alaska’s stopover rules are generally better and Aeroplan’s policies are already extremely generous.

Too good to be true?

Yeah a little bit. The knock on Alaska is that they are not part of a global alliance and they only allow you to redeem an award ticket with one partner per one way. Although you can still add positioning flights on Alaska Airlines, you wont be able to add a flight on JAL to a flight on Cathay Pacific as you would be accustomed to doing on an oneworld award ticket.

Being unable to mix partner carriers will absolutely limit your selection of cities to place a stopover at. This means if you are redeeming Alaska miles on Japan Airlines and are looking for a stopover in Asia, you are limited to stopping somewhere in Japan where you can continue your journey onward on another Japan Airlines flight.

Sometimes your international stopover option is limited to just one city on carriers that only have a single hub. Redeeming Alaska miles on Icelandair means your only international stopover is Reykjavik. And when Alaska introduces award redemptions on Finnair, the only stopover there is Helsinki.

I thought this was also true for Cathay Pacific with a single hub in Hong Kong … until I remembered Cathay operates several flights between cities outside of Hong Kong which would open up more stopover cities, including one close to home.

Outside of Hong Kong, here are the other 5 stopover cities for Alaska awards on Cathay Pacific you may have not known about.

1. Vancouver, Canada

Stop on by my friends. Vancouver (YVR) is a stopover city as Cathay Pacific operates flight CX888/889 between Vancouver to New York. This means that on an Alaska award from Hong Kong to New York, you can choose to fly direct or fly Hong Kong to Vancouver to New York and place your stopover in Vancouver.

For those living in Vancouver, a stopover at YVR is the way to build a stopover at home and get a free one way flight from YVR-JFK.

Cathay Pacific HKG-YVR-JFK

The route is operated by their 777 four class configuration which means international First Class is available on this flight.

Cathay Pacific First Class

2. Bangkok, Thailand

Not that you need another reason to visit Bangkok (BKK). Make it your stopover city on route to Singapore (SIN) on Cathay Pacific flight 711. As much as I love making a pit stop in Hong Kong, if I was travelling to Singapore, a stopover in Bangkok seems like the better choice. The tandem of cities would satisfy both the resort and city traveler in you. 

Cathay Pacific HKG-BKK-SIN

3. Brisbane, Australia

If you’ve never visited Australia, you can visit two cities on one award ticket with a stopover in Brisbane (BNE) and then fly CX146 to Cairns (CNS).

Cathay Pacific HKG-BNE-CNS

The route is operated by a A330 with reverse herringbone seats for business class.

Cathay Pacific Business Class

4. Dubai, UAE

Probably not the most popular stopover city on an Alaska award but you can stopover in Dubai (DXB) and fly onward to Bahrain (BAH) on Cathay Pacific flight 745. Not expecting you to take the flight but this 1 hour 15 minute hopper is no doubt a trivia worthy fact for PointsU 😊

Cathay Pacific HKG-DXB-BAH

5. Taipei, Taiwan

Stop it. This is crazy. Cathay Pacific has FOUR flights from Taipei (TPE) that fly onward to Seoul (ICN), Osaka (KIX), Nagoya (NGO), and Tokyo (NRT). As someone with family living in Taipei a stopover here is much preferred than Hong Kong on a trip from North America to South Korea/Japan.

Cathay Pacific HKG-TPE-ICN; TPE-KIX; TPE-NGO; TPE-NRT

Conclusion

Remember you get two free stopovers on a roundtrip so you can mix and match your stopover cities. For example you could fly YYZ-HKG-BKK-SIN with a stopover in BKK and return SIN-HKG-YYZ with a stopover in HKG.

If you want to visit even more destinations, Alaska’s intra-Asia award redemptions on JAL allow a stopover starting at 15,000 in economy and 25,000 in business. A future post on that. Unfortunately stopovers are not permitted on intra-Asia awards on Cathay Pacific. H/T Allan for the correction.

If you’re short of Alaska miles, remember to check out our MBNA Alaska Mastercard review. Have fun planning your next stopover-filled trip!

Marriott Elite Nights Now Appearing from Chase Marriott Card

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Chase has followed through on all of their promises following the demise of the heralded Chase Marriott Visa.

For those unaware, Chase announced some time ago that they would be pulling out of Canada, resulting in the cancellation of a fantastic credit card for Canadians.  Along with the cancellation, Canadians lost the ability to earn Marriott points but more importantly, they lost the only mainstream card that offered 0% Foreign Transaction Fees.  Luckily, the Scotiabank Passport Card was introduced shortly thereafter, filling the FX gap for Canadians.

The Promise from Chase

As a “sorry” to cardholders, Chase promised to provide the following items as a peace offering:

Where To Find Your Elite Credits

Unlike the refund of the annual fee and the free night certificate, the 15 Elite Night Credits are harder to find unless you know where to look.

In order to find out whether or not your elite night credit have posted, log into your Marriott account and click on Account Overview.

From there, click on Nights and you will have a small popup appear.

In the popup, you will see a something under Bonus nights called Rewards Credit Card which should indicate a 15-night credit.

I have censored my night totals to protect my privacy but the screenshot should give you a good idea of what to look for.

Conclusion

I am super bummed that the Chase Marriott Card is no longer available in Canada but incredibly impressed with Chase’s peace offering for the inconvenience of losing such a great card.  Hopefully, we will see a new, perhaps even better card when the Marriott program fully absorbs SPG on August 1st.

Here’s to a good friend that passed away too soon.