British
Columbians want to hit the road – but can they afford
it?
-TD First Class Travel Infinite Visa Card
poll examined travel habits and behaviors of British Columbia
residents–
-Travel rewards programs can help British
Columbians achieve their travel dreams-
VANCOUVER, September 13, 2010
– What is keeping British Columbians from checking off
destinations on their travel bucket list? Lack of money. According
to the TD First Class Travel Infinite Visa Card poll, 70%
of British Columbians have a list of places they want to visit in a
lifetime but they may not have the money to do it. In fact, even
though seven in ten British Columbians belong to travel rewards
programs, only 53% of British Columbians have taken a vacation that
lasted a week or more over the last 12 months.
“Seventy nine percent of British
Columbians say they would travel more if they could afford it.
However, Only half (49%) of those surveyed in British Columbia have
redeemed rewards points for flights, and only 34% have redeemed
points for hotels,” says Stacie Pearson, Associate Vice
President, TD Canada Trust Credit Cards. “By taking
better advantage of travel rewards programs, British Columbians may
be able to go on more vacations.”
Western Europe, the US and Australia top
list of popular dream destinations
Seventy percent of British Columbians have a list of places they
want to visit in their lifetime. First on British
Columbians’ lists are the United States (32%) and Western
Europe, outside of the United Kingdom and France (32%). Next is the
United Kingdom (26%), followed by Italy (23%), France (21%) and
Asia (16%).
British Columbians prefer to travel in the
home of the maple leaf
Interestingly, though many British Columbians have a list of places
they would like to visit outside Canada, half (52%) expect their
next trip to be within Canada. One-third of British Columbia
residents plan to travel in their own province and 18% say they
will travel to other provinces in Canada.
Researching before they go
Part of the enjoyment British Columbia residents get from taking a
vacation comes from the preparation that goes into it. Seventy per
cent of those surveyed say they do at least some research when
planning their vacation. Eighteen per cent do extensive research,
including reading specific online reviews and profiles of places
they hope to visit; 39% do some research, including reading online
reviews of popular travel sites and seeking the advice of friends
and family.
“When researching vacations, British
Columbians should also research their credit card and rewards
program and how it can help finance their trip,” says
Pearson. “Keeping more money in your pocket can mean more
of that needed time away. One tip I recommend is being flexible,
because hotels in big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver
are often less expensive on the weekend, because they get so many
business travelers during the week. Take advantage of this and hit
the big cities on the weekends.”
About the TD First Class Travel Visa
Infinite Card:
The TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card allows
cardholders to pay for any travel with their TD points –
whether for hotel reservations, resort vacations, car rentals,
train tickets, cruises, even airport parking and taxes. Any travel
you charge to your card can be paid for with your TD Points. Unlike
other travel rewards plans, you don't have to plan or book months
in advance to use your TD Points. Because there are no advance
booking requirements or seat restrictions of any kind, you can use
your points any time, even during peak periods and seat sales. With
the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card you have the
flexibility to book your holiday on your card with the TD Travel
Reward Centre or through any travel agency, website or airline and
then use your TD Points to cover all or part of the cost of that
travel. If you use your TD First Class Infinite Travel
Visa Card to book your travel through the TD Travel Rewards Centre,
you will earn triple the TD Points.
With the TD First Class Travel Card, redeeming
points is simple and easy to understand. To book travel using TD
Points, book your trip on your Card first and then call the TD
Travel Reward Centre to redeem your TD Points. You may pay for all
or part of your trip, even the taxes. For every $1.00 in purchases
made using the card, cardholders earn three (3) TD Points and as
long as you have a minimum 10,000 TD Points they can be redeemed
towards any type of travel, any time to anywhere. New accounts will
receive 20,000 Bonus TD Points upon approval that you can use right
away. TD Points work like travel dollars with 10,000 points
equaling $50 in travel savings.
When you book using your TD First Class Travel Visa
Infinite Card, you are also covered for many different
types of insurance, including Travel Medical, Trip Interruption,
Trip Cancellation and Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance
and more.
For more information on the TD First Class
Infinite Visa Card, including information on how to
calculate TD Rewards points, visit www.tdfirstclass.com.
About the TD First Class Travel
Infinite Visa Card poll
Results were collected through the Research House national omnibus
study. A total of 1,001 completed surveys were collected with
adults aged 18+, including 125 in British Columbia. Interviews were
conducted by telephone between August 1-11, 2010.
About TD Bank Financial
Group
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively
known as TD Bank Financial Group. TD Bank Financial Group is the
sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more
than 18 million customers in four key businesses operating in a
number of locations in key financial centres around the globe:
Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust
and TD Insurance; Wealth Management, including TD Waterhouse and an
investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking,
including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank; and Wholesale
Banking, including TD Securities. TD Bank Financial Group also
ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms,
with more than 6 million online customers. TD Bank Financial Group
had CDN$603 billion in assets on July 31, 2010. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD"
on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.
For further information:
Carolyn Abbass / Steve Presant
Paradigm Public Relations
416-203-2223
cabbass@paradigmpr.ca /
spresant@paradigmpr.ca
Jeff Meerman
TD Bank Financial Group
604-654-0324
jeff.meerman@td.com
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