Is Expedia for TD the Best Travel Rewards Program for You?
Earlier this week, I published my detailed review of the TD Rewards loyalty program. In it, I touched on Expedia for TD, which is the backbone of the travel component of TD Rewards. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to do a deeper dive, and show you everything that’s available. I’ll begin by taking you through Expedia for TD, and then get into the different TD Rewards credit cards that are available.
Expedia for TD – More Flexible Travel Booking
If you’re familiar with Expedia.ca, Expedia for TD is essentially the same thing, but it’s designed to work with the TD Rewards points system. Expedia for TD customers get the same prices, and all of the available travel options offered by Expedia.ca. The Expedia advantage has always been the value and flexibility it offers travellers, and the same goes for Expedia for TD, making TD Rewards an ideal travel rewards program for anyone who is already using Expedia. Let’s take a look at what makes Expedia for TD so flexible
Book Travel Through Any Provider
With Expedia for TD, you can redeem your points for travel on any airline, with no restrictions or blackouts. You can also book hotels, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, or train tickets. Your TD Rewards points can be redeemed against the full cost of travel, including taxes and fees, or you can make a partial redemption. And when you purchase your travel through Expedia for TD with one of the four TD Rewards credit cards, you can earn as much as 4.5% on every dollar spent.
Double Dip With Other Airline Reward Miles
Are you a Westjet Rewards or Aeroplan member? If so, you may be reluctant to book through Expedia for TD, for fear that you’ll lose out on your frequent flyer points on those programs. Not to worry, when you purchase or redeem points for travel through Expedia for TD, you are still able to collect frequent flyer miles from your preferred airline ie. Air Canada, Westjet, Porter.
Expedia for TD Price Matching
Expedia for TD offers price matching, although it does come with a few limitations. Essentially, they want to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples, when matching prices. For example, you must be comparing the same travel dates, hotel details must match ie. room type, cancellation policy. Also, if you’re trying to price match a vacation package (flight + hotel), the current reservation must have been booked within the previous 24 hours. Price matching is also only available for hotels, and flight+hotel vacation packages.
Book Any Way Travel
Book Any Way travel underscores the flexibility of the TD Rewards program. You won’t always find the best price at Expedia for TD, and sometimes, you may want to book directly through the travel provider. On those occasions, you can still redeem your TD Rewards points against your purchase.
The first step is to pay for the accommodation up front. As soon as the amount appears on your TD credit card statement, you can log into TD Rewards, and redeem your points against the purchase, either partial or in full. You can also make Book Any Way redemptions through an agent over the telephone. It can take up to 7 or 8 days for the credit to be applied. Now let’s take a look at the 4 TD Rewards credit cards that can be used together with Expedia for TD.
TD Rewards Points and Expedia for TD
As I highlighted in my TD Rewards Review, the beauty of the program is how flexible and easy to use it is. That said, there are things you should know in order to maximize your TD Rewards points with Expedia for TD, whether you’re earning or redeeming. To explain, here are a few Expedia for TD basics.
You get more points when you book online. Regardless of which TD Rewards credit card you’re using, you’ll earn the most points when you book travel online through Expedia for TD. If you’re booking over the telephone or booking travel through another provider, your earnings drop. For example, with the top end TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite card, you’ll earn a whopping 9 points, or 4.5%, when you purchase travel online through Expedia for TD. However, your earnings drop to 3 points per dollar, or 1.5%, if you book travel directly through the airline, or hotel, which is the rate for all regular card purchases.
The same goes for point redemptions. When you redeem points online through Expedia for TD using the First Class Travel Infinite, each reward point will carry a value of $.005 (10,000 points = $50). However, if you redeem points for travel booked elsewhere, the value drops to $.004 (10,000 points = $40).
Not all TD Rewards cards are equal. If you opt for the TD First Class Travel, or The TD Business Travel (for business owners), you’ll get the highest earnings, up to 4.5%. But both cards come with a rather steep annual fee ($120/$149), and the former has a minimum annual income requirement of $60,000, or $100,000 household. The base TD Rewards Visa earns points, albeit at a reduced rate, but it has no annual fee and no minimum income requirement. I’ll provide more details on what each credit card offers further down.
Overview of TD Rewards Credit Cards
TD Bank offers no fewer than 4 TD Rewards credit cards that can be used to earn and redeem points through Expedia for TD. For a more detailed look at each of these cards, make sure you check out my full TD Rewards review. The best choice, offering the most generous rewards, is the premium TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite. Business owners can earn points when they make business purchases using the TD Business Travel Visa Card. The TD Platinum Travel Visa offers mid-level rewards for a smaller annual fee, while the base TD Rewards Visa offers modest earnings with no annual fee, and no minimum annual income requirement.
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite
The TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite is one of the top travel credit cards in Canada, offering incredibly high earnings of 4.5% on travel purchases made online through Expedia for TD. They’ve just unveiled a new promotional offer, which is available until March 2, 2020. New cardholders can earn up to 80,000 TD Rewards points, as well as the first year annual fee waived, for a value of up to $520. Here’s a list of card features.
Card Features
- Current Promo offer of up to 80,000 points, first year fee waived
- $120 annual fee; additional cards are $50
- 19.99% purchase interest; 22.99% cash advances
- Earn 9 points for every dollar spent online through Expedia for TD
- Earn 3 TD Rewards points/dollar for regular purchases
- Annual minimum income: $60,000 or $100,000/household
- Welcome bonus of 20,000 TD Rewards points
- Emergency Travel Medical Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance
- Delayed and Lost Baggage Insurance
- Priority Pass membership discount
TD Business Travel Visa
The TD Business Travel Visa offers business owners the same earnings as the TD First Class Travel Infinite, with an annual fee of $149. This can be a great alternative for TD Rewards members who are self-employed. Unlike the TD First Class, the minimum credit limit for this card is $1000.
TD Platinum Travel Visa
The TD Platinum Travel Visa offers cardholders mid-range earnings with a lower annual fee and no minimum income requirement. Cardholders earn 5 points, or 2.5%, on every dollar spent on travel through Expedia for TD. Not only that, but you earn 1.5% on groceries and recurring bill payments, and 1.0% on all other purchases.
Card Features
- $89 annual fee; additional cards are $35
- 19.99% purchase interest; 22.99% cash advances
- Earn 5 points for every dollar spent online through Expedia for TD
- Earn 3 TD Rewards points/dollar for grocery purchases, recurring bill payments
- Earn 2 points for regular purchases
- Limited travel insurance options available
- Priority Pass membership discount
TD Rewards Visa
The TD Rewards Visa is a great entry-level rewards card. It comes with no annual fee and no minimum income requirement. You still get 3 TD travel points (1.5%) on every dollar spent online at Expedia for TD, 2 points per dollar on groceries, restaurants/fast food, and recurring bill payments, and 1 point on all other purchases. Otherwise, it’s a no-frills credit card, although it does come with Purchase Security and Extended Warranty protection, a nice feature.
Card Features
- No annual fee
- No annual minimum income requirement
- 3 points per dollar spent online at Expedia for TD
- 2 points per dollar for groceries, restaurant/fast food purchases, recurring bill payments
- 1 point per dollar for all other purchases
- 19.99% purchases interest; 22.99% cash advances
- Purchase security and extended warranty protection
Is Expedia for TD Right for Me?
It’s the million-dollar question. With all of the competing travel rewards programs out there, how do you know if Expedia for TD is right for you? It all depends on how you spend on travel. If the bulk of your travel purchases are for Air Canada flights, then you may be better off sticking with the Aeroplan program. The same goes for loyal Westjet customers and Westjet Rewards. But if you like having the flexibility to pick any airline or hotel, while still earning valuable rewards (remember, you can earn up to 4.5% with the TD First Class Travel Infinite), then Expedia for TD might be right for you.
