Airfair is often the biggest expense of a trip. Fortunately, there’s an effective way to significantly cut these costs: using Reward Points.
From airline loyalty programs to financial institution rewards programs, let’s look at all the options for turning your points into flights.
Objective: Save on Airfare
In the world of rewards, there are two main kinds of travel points:
- Points from airline frequent flyer programs (such as Aeroplan or Flying Blue)
- Reward points from credit card issuers (such as American Express Membership Rewards points or NBC À la carte Rewards points)
With airline points, you book flights directly, paying only airport fees and taxes. For example, a flight from Montreal to Paris with Aeroplan could cost you between 60,000 and 70,000 points plus taxes.
Credit card points offer greater flexibility: they generally allow you to book any flight with any airline and then apply a statement credit using your points.
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Before choosing your strategy, ask yourself these important questions:
- Where are you headed?
- Which airline serves this destination best?
- Are you ready to make a stopover for less?
- Do you prefer economy or business class?
- Do you travel during peak periods, such as summer vacation or spring break?
These criteria will guide you towards the most appropriate points program for your situation. To find out more, read our guide to choosing the best loyalty program for your destination:
Airline Rewards Programs
For each loyalty program available in Canada, you’ll discover the essential information, with links to our detailed guides if you wish to delve deeper.
Aeroplan
Aeroplan is Air Canada’s frequent flyer program. It allows you to book flights on Air Canada and over 45 Star Alliance partner airlines, including United Airlines, Lufthansa, ANA and many others.
Points are easily accumulated on everyday purchases via co-branded Aeroplan credit cards.
To find out more about the Aeroplan program, consult our complete guide:
Avios
Avios is the common motto of the British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Vueling and Aer Lingus frequent flyer programs. With these programs, you can book flights on all member carriers of the Oneworld alliance, including American Airlines, LATAM and Japan Airlines.
Avios are particularly beneficial for short-haul flights in economy class, and are easily accumulated via RBC credit cards.
Read our complete Avios program guides to find out more:
Flying Blue
Flying Blue is the frequent flyer program of Air France, KLM and Transavia. With Flying Blue miles, you can book flights on these airlines and all their SkyTeam partners, such as Delta and Aeroméxico.
In Canada, you can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue or earn them directly with an Air France KLM co-branded credit card.
Discover all the program’s possibilities in our detailed guide:
WestJet Rewards
WestJet Rewards is the loyalty program of Canadian airline WestJet. It works differently from other programs: WestJet dollars are used like cash to book WestJet and partner flights.
WestJet dollars are accumulated primarily with RBC credit cards.
Learn how to make the most of your WestJet dollars with our complete guide.
Other Programs
Other loyalty programs are easily accessible in Canada:
- AAdvantage (American Airlines)
- Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
- Etihad Guest (Etihad Airways)
- SkyMiles (Delta)
These programs allow you to travel with their respective airline partners through the transfer of American Express Membership Rewards points or RBC Avion points.
Credit Card Rewards Programs
In Canada, most financial institutions offer their own travel rewards programs with their credit cards. These programs operate independently of airline loyalty programs, and often offer greater flexibility.
The main Canadian banking programs are:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- BMO Rewards
- NBC À la carte Rewards
- CIBC Aventura
- Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS
- MBNA Rewards
- TD Rewards
- RBC Avion Rewards
- Scene+
There are two main ways to use your points for travel. Some programs let you book wherever you want: travel agency, airline or website of your choice.
Other programs direct you to their own booking portal, where you’ll generally find the same rates as elsewhere.
Flexible reservations | Dedicated booking portal |
American Express Membership Rewards | TD Rewards |
BMO Rewards | NBC À la carte Rewards |
CIBC Aventura | MBNA Rewards |
Scene+ | RBC Avion Rewards |
American Express Membership Rewards
The American Express Membership Rewards program is Canada’s most flexible travel program. It offers four options for booking flights with your points:
- Use your points through the Amex Travel portal, where 1,000 points are worth $10;
- Reimburse any travel expense made with your card at the rate of 1,000 points for $10;
- Transfer your points to partner airline programs such as Aeroplan, Flying Blue or British Airways Executive Club;
- Take advantage of the fixed pricing grid to book economy or business class flights, with predetermined values based on the destination.
To find out all you need to know about the American Express Membership Rewards program, consult our complete guide:
TD Rewards
The TD Rewards program offers two ways to book flights:
- Book through Expedia for TD, where 2,000 points are worth $10;
- Use the Book Anywhere option to be reimbursed for travel purchases made elsewhere (2,500 points are worth $10).
To find out how to save on your next vacation with TD Rewards points, consult our detailed guide:
CIBC Aventura
With the CIBC Aventura program, you have three options for booking flights with points:
- Use the CIBC Travel by Expedia portal (formerly CIBC Rewards), where 1,000 points give you a $10 discount;
- Take advantage of the fixed pricing grid to book economy class flights, with predetermined amounts based on the destination.
- Choose the Shopping with Points option to be reimbursed for travel purchases made elsewhere, where 1,000 points are worth $10 in reimbursements. Important: The transaction must be in Canadian dollars and pending on your credit card to apply your points.
Learn how to make the most of your Aventura Points with our complete guide:
Scene+
Scotiabank’s Scene+ program is simple and versatile. There are two ways to book flights:
- Use the Scene+ Travel portal, powered by Expedia, where 1,000 points are worth $10 in discounts;
- Get reimbursed for any travel expense with the Redeem for Travel option, at the same rate of 1,000 points for $10.
Save on your next trip by consulting our detailed Scene+ guide:
NBC À la carte Rewards
Members of the NBC À la carte Rewards program can convert their points into flights in two ways:
- Book via the NBC À la carte Travel portal, with a conversion rate of 1,000 points for $10 off;
- Choose the Refund your last stay option to refund travel purchases made on other sites, at the minimum rate of 12,000 points per $100 in credit.
Find out how to plan your next trip with points at NBC in our complete À la carte Rewards guide:
RBC Avion
The RBC Avion program offers four options for booking your flights :
- Convert your points to several partner airline loyalty programs, such as WestJet, British Airways or American Airlines;
- Book through the Avion Rewards portal, where each 1,000 points equals $10 off;
- Use the fare grid for economy or business class flights, with fixed values depending on destination;
Maximize the value of your Avion points by consulting our detailed program guide:
MBNA Rewards
The MBNA Rewards program offers two easy ways to book your flights:
- Book directly on the MBNA Rewards travel portal, where 1,000 points equals a $10 discount.
- Opt for a statement credit at the rate of 1,000 points for $5 cash back on any purchase.
BMO Rewards
The BMO Rewards program offers you two ways to book your flights:
- Use the BMO Rewards portal to book your flights, where 1,500 points equals a $10 discount;
- Choose the Pay with points option to reimburse travel purchases made elsewhere, at the same rate of 1,500 points per $10.
Our detailed guide to BMO Rewards will help you plan your next trip for less:
AIR MILES
Unlike the other programs presented here, AIR MILES is not a traditional bank loyalty program. Although acquired by BMO in 2023, it operates as a separate and independent program from BMO Rewards.
The AIR MILES program offers two main ways to use your miles to book a flight:
- Dream Miles: Book through AIR MILES Travel, where miles can be redeemed at the approximate rate of 95 miles for $10 off;
- Cash Miles Redeem your miles for Air Canada or Redtag.ca e-gift cards at a rate of 95 miles for $10.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, whether it’s airline loyalty programs or bank rewards programs, each offers different ways of redeeming your points or miles for flights. The best program for you will depend on your spending habits and travel goals.
If you’re new to the world of points, concentrate on just one program at first, so that you can master its rules and benefits. Once you’re comfortable, you can gradually explore other programs and combine them strategically to maximize your savings.
To choose the travel credit card that best suits your needs, consult our comparator, discover our ranking of the best travel credit cards and join our community on our Facebook group!