EDIT: As of November 7, 2022, MBNA has discontinued the MBNA Best Western MasterCard and is no longer accepting new applications. Current cardholders can still keep their cards.
What if I told you, that you could get paid to apply for a no annual fee credit card and get a free hotel night with it?
Sounds unbelievable right? Well it’s true and I will show you how in the post below.
**I would like however to make a quick mention that this particular credit card is only open to Canadian residents but you can learn more about the US version of the card here.
MBNA Best Western card details
The MBNA Best Western Mastercard is the only no annual fee credit card in Canada associated with the Best Western hotel chain, which covers over 4,000 hotels worldwide in 80 countries. Best Western Rewards is their reward program that allows members to earn points through hotel stays, car rentals and credit card spending.
The great thing about BW Rewards however is that their points never expire! Also, it’s free to join so you can click to sign up if you haven’t already joined.
Plus, earn a $50 cash bonus by applying for this credit card through Great Canadian Rebates!
A Free hotel night
The MBNA Best Western Rewards Mastercard is offering 20 000 Best Western Rewards points after your first purchase. *Points are usually posted to your account 8-10 weeks after the first transaction, usually on your 2nd or 3rd statement.
Now what could you do with those 20 000 points? Well, a free hotel night with Best Western ranges from 8,000 to 36,000 points depending on the property type and location. Thus, you could obtain between 1-2 free hotel nights with this credit card bonus right away!
Here are some examples of where you could spend your points:
Hotel Majestic in Mexico City – 8,000 points
The nightly rate is 1410 Mexican pesos, which converts to approx $95 CAD, but only costs 8000 points/night. This is a fantastic deal! You could stay for 2 nights for 16,000 points and save $190!!!
Hotel I Triangoli in Rome – 12,000 points
Here, the nightly rate is 56 Euros which converts to approx 85$ CAD, but it only costs 12,000 points/night which is still quite a deal when visiting the Italian capital!
Toronto Airport Carlingview Hotel – 20,000 points
Finally, we have this hotel situated close to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. It costs 20,000 points/night but in exchange, allows you to save a considerable amount (roughly $171 per night) which can be used for other travel expenses.
Other benefits of the card
With the MBNA Best Western card, you earn BW Rewards points according to the following rate:
- 5 Best Western Rewards® points for every $1 in eligible purchases at Best Western properties
- 1 Best Western Rewards® point for every $1 in other purchases.
*Note that there are no limits to the amount of points that can be earned using the credit card in a year.
Plus, after your first purchase you’re awarded Best Western “Gold Status” . Gold status has the following benefits:
- Room upgrades
- Choice of thank you gift or points upon arrival
- 10% bonus points for each eligible stay
Finally after spending $10,000 on the card in one calendar year, you can reach Diamond status which provides 30% bonus points for each stay.
Again, to join BW rewards you can click here to sign up.
Now remember that mention about being paid for getting the card?
Bonus $50 when you apply through Great Canadian Rebates
Here’s where the interesting cash bonus comes in. If you apply for this card through Great Canadian Rebates, you could earn a $50 bonus!!!
What’s Great Canadian Rebates (GCR) you ask? For those unfamiliar, it’s a website that offers cash back rebates on almost every online purchase with select Canadian merchants. This includes stores such as: Sport Chek, Amazon.ca, Home Depot and many more. The cash back rate will vary between 1% to 8% with the average being 4% for most vendors; but they also provide cash back when you apply to certain financial products (such as $50 for the MBNA BW credit card).
Interested in getting this offer? Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Sign up for Great Canadian rebates through this link, or login if you already have an account.
- Choose your cash back method such as Paypal, egift card, or a cheque sent to your home. My preference is to be paid by Paypal and then deposit the funds directly into my bank account.
- Type “Best Western” in the search bar to find this offer or look under Categories > Credit Cards & Finance and scroll down to find it.
- Click on the link to apply which will open in a new browser tab.
- Proceed with the MBNA application by providing your personal information like address, date of birth, employer and income.
*Important Note* applying for this credit card will result in hard inquiry by MBNA on your credit report.
- Once you’re approved, GCR will keep track of your application and send the cash back about 2-3 months later, (usually by the 28th of the month). To help you out, you can refer to the following schedule.
- MBNA will then send out your credit card within 1-2 weeks. While waiting, you can create a free Best Western account via this page (if you don’t already have one) and call MBNA to add your BW membership number to your credit card file.
*** On the MBNA application page, there is nowhere to enter your BW number. So you will need to call MBNA at 1-888-876-6262 to add it after your application. This will help make sure that the BW points post into your account and not into a new or duplicate one created by MBNA.
- Once your card arrives, just purchase something (even if it’s just $1) and within 2-3 statements you should have the bonus 20,000 BW points in your account!
Summary
The MBNA Best Western Mastercard is a fantastic no annual fee credit card. Between the bonus of 20,000 rewards points after first purchase (enough for a free hotel night at select Best Western properties), the ability to earn BW points and a cash bonus of $50 through Great Canadian Rebates, it makes this a great offer to GO start in the world of travel points.
Are you excited to get a free hotel night with the MBNA Best Western card? Let me know in the comments below.
Disclosure: MBNA is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, please visit the MBNA website.
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Awesome advice Nic! Thanks!
Even though I can’t sign up for the credit card it had a nice deal as I hadn’t heard about the Best Western Membership so I signed up for that via your link! Thank you
We went to BEST WESTERN PREMIER Bangtao Beach Resort & Spa in Phuket, which was amazing! Can really recommend it! Especially nice if you can get a discounted stay of course 🙂
Keep em coming Nic!
Glad you liked the article Lisanne and signed up for a Best Western account! And that BW hotel in Thailand looks awesome and only costs 20,000 points/night.
Stay tuned for more articles ; )