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Save $200 with a minimum 7-night stay at select Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Located in the best enclaves, Palladium Hotels & Resorts have a wide range of services for adults, families, couples, and groups. Experience a unique holiday where you can enjoy freedom and comfort in an exclusive setting, with extensive dining options, all in an exceptional setting right in the heart of nature.

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Fairmont Royal York

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How to Maximize the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule

RBC Avion Rewards is a flexible loyalty program that allows you to redeem points for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more. 

When it comes to redeeming Avion points for travel, you can transfer points to American Airlines AAdvantage , British Airways Executive Club , , Cathay Pacific Asia Miles , and WestJet Rewards , or you can choose to redeem Avion points for flights through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

In This Post

What is the rbc air travel redemption schedule, how does the rbc air travel redemption schedule work, how to book flights with the rbc air travel redemption schedule.

The RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule is one of the ways in which you can redeem RBC Avion points for travel.

Bookings are made through the Avion Rewards portal, which in turn, is powered by Expedia. Therefore, most, if not all, airlines available on Expedia are also accessible through Avion Rewards.

With the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you can redeem a fixed number of points to book flights to various destinations. However, it’s important to note that the fixed number of points only applies to a maximum ticket price, which we’ll discuss in detail below.

Note that this redemption option isn’t available to RBC ION Visa or RBC ION+ Visa cardholders, which earn “Avion Premium” points. Rather, the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule is only available with the highest-tier “Avion Elite” points, which can be earned on the following Avion credit cards:

It’s worth noting that you can transfer Avion Premium points earned on an RBC ION or RBC ION+ card into Avion Elite points, if you happen to have both an ION and an Avion credit card.

The 1:1 transfer can be completed in your Avion Rewards account, and it’s certainly worth considering, since Avion Elite points are more flexible than Avion Premium points.

With the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you can get a value of up to 2–2.3 cents per Avion point (all figures in CAD).

This is a solid redemption option, since you can redeem Avion points at a much lower rate of 1 cent per point on average – unless, of course, you transfer them to an airline program, which can extract even greater value.

There are six different categories under the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, with each one based on the flight’s origin and destination.

For example, if you’d like to book a short-haul flight under the Quick Getaways section, 15,000 Avion points will get you round-trip economy flights, with a base fare of up to $350.

You’ll need to pay the same 15,000 points if the base fare totals, say, $100, as you would if the base fare totals $350.

Therefore, you’ll get the best value from your points if you come as close to the maximum permitted ticket price in each category.

Just keep in mind that you’ll also have to cover the taxes and fees on the booking, which you can either pay for with cash, or redeem Avion points at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Furthermore, you can also exceed the maximum ticket price for any itinerary; however, you’ll have to pay the difference in cash, or use more Avion points at a rate of 1 cent per point.

If you’d rather book a one-way flight instead of a round-trip, the number of points required is halved. 

The RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule only applies to economy flights, and not for flights in any other class of service. 

Quick Getaways

The shortest flight option on the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, Quick Getaways, also happens to provide the most value per Avion point.

For flights within or to an adjacent Canadian province/territory, and within or to an adjacent US state, the pricing is as follows:

• 7,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $175
• 15,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $350

At either 7,500 points for $175, or 15,000 points for $350, you’ll score a redemption rate of up to 2.33 cents per Avion point.

Some examples of other flight pairings available under Quick Getaways might include the following:

• Toronto and New York
• Winnipeg and Minneapolis 
• Vancouver and Calgary

Unfortunately, airports in Alaska aren’t included under Quick Getaways, despite Alaska being adjacent to British Columbia and the Yukon.

Explore North America

For flights anywhere within the Canada and the US (excluding Hawaii and Alaska), which fall under the Explore North America section of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, the pricing is as follows:

• 17,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $375
• 35,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $750

Either of the two options above yields a value of up to 2.14 cents per point.

With no distance limitations in this section, you could technically fly all the way from Yellowknife to Miami, and the ticket would still fall under the Explore North America category.

Holiday Destinations

Under the Holiday Destinations category of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you may fly between the following areas:

• Western Canada/US and Mexico, Hawaii, or Alaska
• Eastern Canada/US and Bermuda, Central America, or the Caribbean

In Canada, the dividing line between Western and Eastern Canada is somewhere between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Thunder Bay, Ontario – with Winnipeg being the start of Western Canada, and Thunder Bay being the start of Eastern Canada.

For this category, you may redeem Avion points as follows:

• 22,500 Avion point s for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $450
• 45,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $900

Redeeming Avion points this way yields a value of up to 2 cents per Avion point.

Take a Vacation

The Take a Vacation category is the reverse of the Holiday Destinations category above, which allows for the following routing options:

• Eastern Canada/US and Mexico, Hawaii, or Alaska
• Western Canada/US and Bermuda, Central America, or the Caribbean

Since these routes are generally longer, you’ll need to redeem more Avion points, outlined as follows:

• 27,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $550
• 55,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $1,100

Redeeming this way also yields a value of up to 2 cents per Avion point.

Visit Europe

Should you wish to book a trip to Europe, you may fly from any major airport in Canada or the US and redeem your points as follows:

• 32,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $650
• 65,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $1,300

Interestingly, Hawaii and Alaska are also included under this category, and the redemption also works out to a value of up to 2 cents per Avion point .

See the World

Lastly, the See the World category includes all other destinations not covered by any other categories above.

Under this category, you may fly from Canada or the US to destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and South America, for the following amounts of points:

• 50,000 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $1,000
• 100,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $2,000

Similar to the last few categories, the redemption rate is up to 2 cents per Avion point.

To book a flight using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you’ll first have to log into your RBC account, either on the RBC Avion website or through the Avion Rewards app.

As a reminder, you’ll need at least one of the eligible “Avion Elite” cards listed above to book flights with Avion Rewards directly.

Once you log in, select the “Travel” tab, and click “Book Travel”. From there, select “Flights”, and simply search for your desired flight route and dates.

As you search for your preferred flight, you’ll have the option to choose between “Fixed Points Pricing” and “Flexible Points Pricing”.

You’ll want to make sure “Fixed Points Pricing” is selected, since Flexible Points Pricing option will give you a flat redemption value of 1 cent per point (100 points = $1 CAD). If you don’t have enough points in your account to book a flight with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you’ll only see the Flexible Points Pricing option.

From there, you’ll see the available flights, the number of points required, and the amount of taxes and fees you’ll have to pay. Once you’ve selected your preferred flight(s), simply complete the booking process.

If you’re having difficulty finding your desired flights, or if you can’t get online booking to work, you can always phone RBC Travel at (877) 636-2870.

One of the best features of the RBC Avion Rewards program is that you can use your points in multiple ways. The most valuable way to redeem your Avion points is for travel, since it offers the best value in terms of cents per point.

If you choose to redeem points through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, there are a few optimizations to keep in mind to make sure you’re getting the most out of your points.

Use the Full Base Fare Limit

To make the most of an RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule booking, you should strive to reach the base fare limit in each category. This way, you’ll get the best return for your points.

In an ideal world, the best available flights for your trip would also max out the allowable base fare. Otherwise, it may not be worth booking flights with extra connections just to maximize your points, if a cheaper direct flight is available instead.

If you aren’t able to get close to the maximum allowed base fare, paying for the flight with cash, and saving your points for other redemptions, might make better sense.

For example, you can redeem 17,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket from Orlando to Toronto, with a maximum base fare of $375.

However, you might be able to find a cheap flight with a base fare of just $75 (CAD).

In this case, you’ll still be required to redeem the full 17,500 Avion points, and you’ll get a suboptimal redemption rate of 0.4 cents per point in the process, instead of the maximum of 2.14 cents per point if you used the full allowable base fare. 

To determine the base fare for a flight, pay close attention to the breakdown of prices on the airline’s website. After selecting your flights, you should see a row that shows “Air transportation charges”, and another that displays the taxes, fees, and other charges.

In this area, keep an eye out for an option to view the full price breakdown. In the breakdown, the base fare is displayed under “Air transportation charges”, which is what your RBC Avion points will cover at a fixed rate through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

When you search for the same flights on the RBC Avion Rewards platform, you’ll have to pay the full 17,500 points, even though it’s only covering the $75 base fare, and you’re still on the hook for the remaining taxes and fees.

In this case, you’re much better off just paying cash for the flight, and saving your Avion points for a more valuable redemption instead.

You could also book the same flight using Flexible Points Pricing, and it’d only cost 12,877 Avion points, and you wouldn’t have any out-of-pocket expenses. Just keep in mind that this results in a value of 1 cent per point, which is less than what you can otherwise get through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

However, you’ll also want to make sure that the flight’s base fare isn’t too much more than the maximum allowed. Remember that you’ll be charged the excess amount in cash, or Avion points at a flat rate of 1 cent per point.

Book Positioning Flights

One of the realities of award travel is that there’s frankly much more award availability at US airports than you’d find in Canadian cities.

If you’re able to find an award flight that originates in the United States, you could use the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule to book your positioning flights between Canada and the US.

For example, if you need to catch a positioning flight from Ottawa to New York, from where you’ll depart on a long-haul flight booked with another loyalty program, you could easily book a one-way flight under the Quick Getaways category for only 7,500 points.

The flights you book don’t have to be direct, and as long as your origin and destination fall under the definition of the category, your redemption will qualify.

For instance, flying from Vancouver to Seattle with a stop in San Francisco will still qualify under Quick Getaways, since the origin and destination (British Columbia and Washington, in this case) are adjacent to each other.

Take Advantage of Flexibility

One of the best aspects of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule is the flexibility it offers. You’re not restricted to a specific airline and its alliance, and you’re not constrained by airline award seat availability and blackout dates, either.

You might find the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule particularly useful for airlines that aren’t part of an alliance, and are otherwise difficult to book with points. Some examples of this might include Philippine Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, and Montreal-based Air Transat.

Furthermore, you could take advantage of the flexibility of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule by using it in tandem with award seats in other programs, which are usually limited.

For example, let’s suppose you’d like to book a family of four on a summer trip from Toronto to Vancouver. Air Canada’s Aeroplan program has award availability at 12,600 points, but the number of seats available at that price is limited to three.

If you add a fourth passenger to the search, the cost moves up to 19,900 points, which is a considerable jump in price.

Instead, you could book three passengers at the lower cost of 12,600 Aeroplan points, and then look into using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule to book the fourth seat using Avion points. This would also come in handy if you didn’t have enough Aeroplan points to cover the fourth passenger to begin with.

A flight from Toronto to Vancouver falls under the Explore North America category, which means it’ll cost 17,500 Avion points for a one-way flight, plus around $85 for taxes and fees.

Boost Your Avion Balance with the RBC ION+ Card

Despite its minimal monthly fee, the RBC ION+ Visa actually has the most competitive earning rates among RBC’s line-up.

With the RBC ION+ Visa, you’ll earn 3 Avion points per dollar spent on groceries, dining, food delivery, transit, gas, electric vehicle charging, streaming, and digital gaming. By contrast, you’ll only earn 1 Avion point per dollar spent on those categories with the higher-tier RBC Avion Visa Infinite .

• Earn 12,000 Avion Premium points upon approval †
• Earn 3x points † on qualifying grocery, dining, food delivery, gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming and digital subscriptions†
• Mobile device insurance †
• Annual fee: $48 †

However, remember that you won’t get access to the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule with the ION+ card alone, since the card earns “Avion Premium” points, which can be redeemed for travel at a lower rate of 0.6 cents per point.

On the other hand, if you happen to have both an RBC ION+ Visa and an RBC Avion credit card that earns the higher-tier “Avion Elite” points, you can transfer “Avion Premium” points into “Avion Elite” points.

By doing so, you can redeem them at a higher value, either by transferring them to airline partners, or by making a booking on the Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

Therefore, you can get the best of both worlds by earning Avion Premium points on the RBC ION+ Visa, and then converting them into Avion Elite points, as long as you have an eligible Avion credit card, too.

The RBC Avion Rewards program provides a number of options for you to redeem your points towards travel. You can convert your Avion points to a partner airline, or you can redeem them through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

While you can get great value by transferring Avion points to airline programs, there’s also great value to be found in the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, potentially unlocking value of up to 2–2.3 cents per Avion point.

If you have a healthy balance of Avion points, be sure to consider the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule the next time you need to book a flight.

• Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points † upon approval†
• Plus, earn 1x 1.25x RBC Avion points †  on qualifying travel purchases
• Transfer RBC Avion points to British Airways Executive Club and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights †
• Redeem Avion points for flights with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule †
• Minimum income: $60,000 personal or $100,000 household
• Annual fee: $120 †
• Supplementary card fee: $50

How much commission do you make off your RBC links? I read your blog religiously and don’t bother with the other Canadian ones.

Imagine my surprise and annoyance when after applying for my and P2’s Avion Visa Infinite that I learn GCR was offering $100 back!!! Even some blogs are offering $100 back in their own way to people that apply through them.

Either you guys missed it, but the more I read this blog, I suspect you just wanted to keep the extra money for yourselves. Shame on me for forgetting to check GCR and shame on you for withholding info like that just to make a buck.

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Enjoy up to 25% off on a hotel stay at any participating Fairmont Hotels & Resorts locations in Canada, United States, Mexico, Bermuda and Barbados*. Plus, RBC Royal Bank® cardholders can exclusively receive a $50 Dining Credit on a minimum two night stay**.

Valid on bookings made by March 31, 2020 and for stays completed by April 30, 2020 when you use the promo code: PRBE at time of booking. Other terms and conditions apply. For complete terms and conditions applicable to this offer, please see below .

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Fairmont Royal Pavilion

Up to 50% off, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

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Fairmont Vancouver Airport

20% off 1 night stay, 25% off 2 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

Fairmont Waterfront

20% off 1-2 night stays, 25% off 3 + night stays, For stays through April 30, 2020, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, and receive 5X Rewards points when you register

Fairmont Winnipeg

15% off 1-2 night stay, 20% off 3-4 night stays, 25% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

Fairmont Mayakoba

10% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 25% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, Complimentary Breakfast for two is included. For stays through December 20, 2020

Fairmont Heritage Place, Mayakoba

United states.

Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel

10% off 1-2 night stays, 20% off 3 night stays, 25% off 4 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

Fairmont Austin

A 1 night prepaid, non-refundable deposit is required. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park 

10% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, For stays through April 30, 2020, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, and receive 5X Rewards points when you register

A minimum 7 day advance purchase and a 1 night prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required at the time of booking. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

Fairmont Copley Plaza

15% off 1-2 night stays, 20% off 3-4 night stays, 25% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

A minimum 2 day advance purchase and a 1 night prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

Fairmont Dallas

5% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

A minimum 5 day advance purchase and a 1 night prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

Fairmont Grand Del Mar

15% off 2-3 night stays, 25% off 4 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

A minimum 7 day advance purchase and a 1 night non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required. The remaining balance is due at 45 days prior to the arrival date and is non-refundable at that time. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night s

Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammar Lodge

5% off 1-2 night stays, 10% off 3-5 night stays, 15% off 6 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 13, 2019; and between November 27, 2019 - April 5, 2020

A minimum 7 day advance purchase and a prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required at the time of booking. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square

10% off 1-2 night stay, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 25% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

Fairmont Kea Lani

15% off 1-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows

10% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

Fairmont Olympic Hotel

25% off 1-2 night stays, 30% off 3 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

A minimum 7 day advance purchase and a 1 night prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required. A 14 day cancellation policy applies. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

Fairmont Orchid

Fairmont Pittsburgh

Fairmont San Francisco

Fairmont San Jose

15% off 1-2 night stays, 20% off 3-4 night stays, 25% off 5 + night stays, For stays through April 30, 2020, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, and receive 5X Rewards points when you register

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

10% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, For stays through April 19, 2020, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, and receive 5X Rewards points when you register

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

20% off 2-3 night stays, 25% off 4 night stays, 30% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through October 31, 2020

Fairmont Washington D.C., Georgetown

A fully pre-paid and non-refundable deposit is required. To receive the $50 dining credit a minimum 2 night stay is required.

The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel

15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, For stays through September 7, 2020, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit , and receive 5X Rewards points when you register

Explore This Offer at our Sister Brands

Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile

5% off 1-2 night stays, 10% off 3-4 night stays, 15% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

Pullman Cayo Coco

Sofitel Mexico City Reforma

10% off 2-3 night stays, 15% off 4-5 night stays, 20% off 6+ night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

Novotel New York Times Square

10% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5+ night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

Pullman Miami Airport

Pullman San Francisco Bay

Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile

10% off 1-2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, For stays through April 30, 2020, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit , and receive 5X Rewards points when you register

Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

Sofitel New York

Sofitel Philadelphia

10% off 2 night stays, 15% off 3-4 night stays, 20% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square

Swissôtel Chicago

10% off 1-2 night stays, 20% off 3-4 night stays, 25% off 5 + night stays, Plus, receive a $50 dining credit, For stays through April 30, 2020

21c Museum Hotel Chicago

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

21c Museum Hotel Durham

21c Museum Hotel Kansas City

21c Museum Hotel Lexington

21c Museum Hotel Louisville

21c Museum Hotel Nashville

21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City

*This offer is not transferable. To take advantage of this offer, you must (i) book a minimum 1 night stay in any Standard or Deluxe, Fairmont Gold or Suite room, (based on double occupancy) through www.fairmont.com/promo/rbc-exclusiveoffer or by contacting 1-800-257-7544 ( “Qualifying Purchase” ) at any participating Fairmont, Novotel, and Sofitel in Canada, U.S., Bermuda, Mexico, and Barbados, or Swissotel Chicago ( “Participating Property” ) for stays through April 30, 2020, booked by March 31, 2020 ( “Offer Period” ), (ii) mention or enter the promotional code “PRBE” before completing your booking and (iii) pay using any RBC Royal Bank Personal Credit Card ( “Eligible RBC Credit Card” ).

Limit of one offer per Qualifying Purchase during the Offer Period. This offer is not eligible for group bookings of ten (10) rooms/suites or more. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer, and cannot be applied retroactively to existing or previous bookings/stays. Other terms, conditions and restrictions apply to this offer. For complete details, visit www.fairmont.com/promo/rbc-exclusiveoffer . Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (“Fairmont”), not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for terms and conditions applicable to this offer, as well as for those applicable to your booking and stays. Fairmont and/or Royal Bank of Canada reserve(s) the right to cancel, modify or withdraw this offer at any time.

**You will receive a Food & Beverage credit of $50 on a 2 night minimum stay when you book a Guest Room (Standard or Deluxe), a Fairmont Gold Room, Fairmont Gold Suite or a Suite ($50 CAD at participating Canadian properties and $50 USD at all other Participating Properties), to be applied towards eligible purchases that are charged to the room and appear on your hotel bill at time of check out. Food & Beverage credit has no cash value and cannot be applied toward the daily room rate, or for Third-party activities billed to the suite. Food & Beverage credit cannot be applied to Fairmont Store or other retail outlet purchases within the property. Credit will be applied to applicable charges at check out. No refunds will be issued if the dollar value of the promotion is not used. The credit will expire by checkout time the morning of the guest’s scheduled departure date. Guests are responsible to pay any remaining balance due at checkout time for charges applied to the room that exceeds the total credit during their stay. For complete details see www.fairmont.com/promo/rbc-exclusiveoffer .

How to book a flight with RBC Avion Rewards points

One of the options for redeeming Avion Rewards credit cards is to use your points towards airfare anywhere in the world. Here’s how this works for a fixed-point exchange .

RBC Avion Rewards Points

There are several RBC Avion Rewards credit cards. The one used for this example is the RBC Visa Infinite Avion Card .

With this offer for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you can earn 35,000 Avion points upon approval . No purchase necessary!

You can use your Avion Rewards points for travel or redeem them with other loyalty programs such as :

• American Airlines AAdvantage
• British Airways Executive Club (and Qatar Airways Privilege Club)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• WestJet Rewards

The current welcome offer, for example, gives you the equivalent of 35,000 British Airways Avios or 350 WestJet Dollars .

With the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you earn 1 point per dollar and 1.25 points for travel purchases.

What’s more, you’ll benefit from a wide range of insurances: trip cancellation and interruption insurance, out-of-province or out-of-country emergency medical care insurance, collision and damage insurance for rental vehicles, and mobile device insurance.

RBC Avion Rewards points can be used to travel anywhere in the world with a round-trip ticket. A one-way trip requires half as many Avion points. Here is the airfare table for a round-trip flight:

On average this equals about 2 cents per Avion point .

How to Book an Airline Ticket with RBC Avion Rewards Points

With 35,000 Avion points, I could afford a plane ticket to Canada or the United States.

From your RBC Online Banking profile, click on the blue Avion Rewards button.

Then, on the Trips page, click on Book a Trip .

Avion Rewards acts like a travel agency. Generally, the prices are the same as the ones found on the sites of the carriers and tour operators.

Its search tool allows you to use RBC Avion Rewards points to book :

• A car rental
• Hotel stays
• Or Vacation Packages

After entering your desired dates and destinations, the results will be displayed. On the left, there is a filter for options.

In this example, the non-stop and no change fee options are selected.

35,000 points can be redeemed on a flight costing up to $750.

In this example, I have chosen a higher class. This exceeds the $750, the remaining balance is added to the taxes and fees.

In my case, the same flight cost about $1,000 on the Air Canada website. This equates to 2.14 cents per point , ($750 divided by 35,000 points) which is excellent!

On the checkout page, RBC shows the points required to book this airline ticket. Any remaining point balance can be used to reduce the tax and fee balance.

For example, 90 points were used to lower the balance by 90 cents. The rest is to be paid with a credit card.

Enter the traveler’s information and make the payment.

An email from RBC Avion Rewards will be sent moments later to confirm. A few minutes later (or a few hours for some), the airline will send confirmation in a separate email. All the details will be there, including the reservation number.

How to Manage an Airline Ticket Purchased with RBC Avion Rewards Points

The booked trip can be found in the My Trips section of the RBC Avion Rewards portal. A link redirects you to the airline’s website.

You will be able to link this reservation to your frequent flyer profile. Here I entered my Aeroplan membership number.

Since I had taken the Comfort fare on Air Canada, I was able to choose a Prefered seat at no charge. This must be done directly on the Air Canada website.

Please note that to change or cancel a flight purchased through the RBC Avion Rewards portal, you must call the RBC Travel Centre directly at 1-877-636-2870.

The airline will not be able to do anything on their end and they will refer you to RBC. Any changes have a cost of $25 for each ticket .

There is also the option to chat with a virtual agent on the RBC site in the Help section.

In addition, if you have eUpgrades with Air Canada, you have the option to apply them at check-in 24 hours prior to your flight.

When your flight is completed, points and qualifications are deposited into your account based on the fare booked.

For example, the Comfort rate booked through RBC gave :

• Aeroplan Points

This counts towards your Aeroplan Status .

Here are other ways to use RBC Avion points .

Another way to redeem RBC Avion Rewards points for travel

Occasionally, the Avion Rewards site may experience technical difficulties or your flight may not appear in the search results.

At that time, call Avion Rewards Customer Service at 1-800-769-2512.

• Get an authorization number to book the flight you want (mandatory);
• Book your own flight directly on the desired airline’s website;
• Send an e-mail to [email protected] with your authorization number obtained earlier from Customer Service, your name, the number of tickets reserved, proof of purchase and itinerary details.

Avion Rewards will then deduct the required points from your RBC Rewards points account to credit the cost of your airline tickets, according to their airfare table.

All posts by Caroline Tremblay

Suggested Reading

About Barry Choi

Barry Choi is a Toronto-based personal finance and travel expert who frequently makes media appearances. His blog Money We Have is one of Canada’s most trusted sources when it comes to money and travel. You can find him on Twitter: @barrychoi

35 Comments

Thanks Barry,

Appreciate the info. Just got to figure how many cards I want to carry.

Great article. Contains the in-depth evaluation/comparison of rewards programs for which I’ve been waiting for a while so thanks for being the first to do it (at least that I’ve seen).

One thing missing for me is the inclusion of the annual fees for the credit card(s) you’d use to earn points in each of these programs to enable a quick cost vs. benefit. For example, AMEX may be #1 on the benefits side but the Platinum card has an annual fee of $699 whereas the RBC Visa Infinite Avion is only $120/year.

The other big thing is the ease of actually getting the flights you want when redeeming points. This is the principal reason why I quit CIBC to go to Scotia (that plus the no forex fees on Scotia’s Passport VISA) – I could never find anything usable when I tried to use my CIBC points. No one at CIBC ever told me I could find what I wanted on Expedia and then book that over the phone. However, I realize that quantifying this element in a semi-meaningful way would be impossible without spending countless hours trying to book a sample package of flights/hotels/vacations on each program.

Good point about the annual fees, I should make an edit. I try to avoid including the fees since some people look at the fee and just get turned off. I wanted to explain what the value of the different programs are without putting a price on it.

Hey Barry, To expand on my reasoning for leaving the CIBC Aventura program (and why I think it’s a terrible program), here’s an example that is very representative of my past experiences. I wanted to book a hotel room I found on Expedia.ca for $217.14 (incl. taxes/fees) for 2 nights. When I called CIBC Rewards, the same room was going to cost me 25,730 or the equivalent of $257.30. That would have given me 0.84% value on the nominal 1 point/$1 in purchases I had made on the card over the past several years. And that is just one example. At least with Scotia rewards, I know I’m going to get a full 1% in value every time by redeeming my points for travel-related purchases I’ve made in the past few months – it’s the closest thing to a cash-back card I’ve been able to find in the travel rewards space, and I get no forex fees, 2 more airport lounge visits per year and all of the same VISA Infinite benefits I got with the CIBC Aventura card. For me, the two programs are miles apart – it’s not even close.

Yes, the ability to redeem on any travel you find on your own with Scotiabank is a huge thing for many people.

Hello. You should correct the td rewards points to x9 for purchase bought through Expedia for Td

When I wrote it, I meant 3X the points than your regular earn rate e.g. Expedia for TD gives you 9 points, but regular purchases gives you 3 points. I can see where the confusion is and will update the article. Thanks for flagging it.

Hi, Enjoyed your article as far as it went. Currently have travel and medical insurance through BMO world elite MasterCard and wondered if you have any comparable data with other bank cards. Thanks, C. Durant

Hi C. Durant,

These two articles may be of interest.

https://www.moneywehave.com/how-credit-card-travel-insurance-works-when-booking-a-flight-on-points-or-miles/ https://www.moneywehave.com/the-best-credit-cards-with-travel-insurance/

[…] Rewards is a popular program better known under the CIBC Aventura name. Although I rank the CIBC Rewards program behind American Express Membership Rewards and RBC Rewards, CIBC Rewards […]

[…] MomentumPLUS Savings account, then the monthly fee will be waived1. Scotia Rewards is one of the best bank travel rewards programs in Canada so make sure you choose that over SCENE points as your bonus when you open a new […]

This is a great article and I agree with your rankings 100%. For Canadians today I don’t think there’s a better combination of using American Express as your primary card and using Avion where your Amex isn’t accepted. This is the best perks and most flexible rewards redemption plan out there. I myself use the American Express Platinum as my primart, the RBC Avion VISA Infinite Privelege for anywhere that doesn’t accept Amex. I also carry an mbna Alaska World Elite MC for retailers (Costco, etc) that only take MasterCard.

I hope HSBC decide to add aeroplan to their transfer partner one day

If the average point value for BMO is 71 cents, doesn’t that crush the other programs in terms of value?

It depends on how you look at things. 4 of the programs have a higher base value for their points. BMO Rewards points are worth more than TD Rewards and HSBC, but BMO Rewards has less flexibility with their points.

One thing I would add to your RBC Rewards section is the fact the fixed rewards chart is only available to RBC card users who have Avion. If you use an RBC Rewards+, Signature Rewards, you don’t get access to this chart. This is precisely been my strategy for me is to use Signature Rewards VISA at a lower annual fee to accumulate points. Once I earn enough, to switch to Infinite to either transfer to the airline partners or to use the fixed reward chart. Once complete, switch back

Good point, and a very interesting strategy.

This article was great – I’ve been reading others that you’ve written trying to learn a little more about travel points. I’m super new to this, and quite honestly a dumb dumb when it comes to redeeming points. I have an RBC Infinite Visa which sounds like it’s a great card to have. I’m starting an e-commerce platform and will be making some very large purchases soon so I would like to charge to the most valuable card possible. I love eating out – restaurants and drinks and UBER when travelling in different cities. My family and I go to Amsterdam every year to visit my sister and travel to surrounding countries while we’re there. I’ll likely be purchasing all tickets with my points and would like the flights /travel experience be as comfortable as possible (lounges, luggage perks/priority check) for my parents – I’m curious to know if you would recommend the AMEX Cobalt or the Scotiabank AMEX or if there is another you would recommend instead? Apologies for long and winded comment – thanks so much for the help!

FUnny, I have family in Amsterdam too and try to get there as often as I can.

As for your questions. It sort of depends on how much you’ll be charging to your credit cards. American Express has the best points program and some of the best business credit cards. However, this only works to your advantage if vendors you use accept Amex.

The Amex Platinum Business Card gives you 1.25X the points on all purchases and lots of travel benefits e.g. unlimited lounge access. However, the Amex Cobalt gives you a high earn rate on eats and travel (including Uber), so that’s a good choice too.

If you’re charging 10K+ a month, you’re probably better off with a business card. If it’s $5K-$7K, go with the Amex Cobalt. Note that the Platinum Card gives you a bonus if you use a referral link. The Cobalt bonus is the same if you use a referral link or the regular link.

As for your RBC Rewards points. They’re still pretty good, but if you can eventually collect just American Express points, you’ll be better off due to their flexibility.

Love Amsterdam – one my favourite places to travel, my sister has a rental agency there if your family ever needs help finding a place!

Amazing – thanks so much for the speedy response and the insight! in the first month, it’ll be about 15-20K for inventory, shipping supplies, repurchases will be dependent on monthly traffic. So maybe the Cobalt? How does one get a referral link?

Thanks again Barry!

Yes, Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities. The last time I was there I stayed in Amsterdam west and then the Marriott. Now that I travel with my daughter, finding apartments are more appealing. Please send me a link to her company.

The American Express Cobalt card is a regular credit card, if you can get a limit of 20K+, it could be worth it. That said, it might better to get an American Express Platinum Business Card for business expenses and travel benefits.

You could then get the Cobalt Card for personal expenses such as food and drink since the earn rate is higher. You can transfer your points to Aeroplan with both cards, so you’ll have plenty of flexibility.

Oh amazing! I’ll do that then. Thanks so much for all the help Barry, you’ve been great!

Absolutely her agency is more for relocation/permanent residency – just in case, you can find her site here http://amsterdamlifehomes.com/ , name is Lyna.

I’ve shared a couple of your articles with a some of friends of mine as I found them insightful, detailed and easy to follow. Great work!

Feel free to use my referral links =D

Also, thanks for your sister’s website.

Oh perfect!! Thanks Barry and no problem! She has a few friends who Airbnb so feel free to contact me as well and I can connect you guys.

Take into consideration earn rate and BMO easily becomes the most valuable. You get 2-3 points for every dollar spent compared to RBC 1 point. All things considered BMO World elite is a much much better credit card than RBC.

It’s clumsy to just to look at redemption rate only…many bloggers on this are making the same mistakes.

The earn rate is just part of the equation. How you can burn your points is just as important. While the BMO World Elite has some higher multipliers, the base earn rate is one of the lowest for a premium travel credit card. BMO Rewards also forces you to use their travel portal, so it’s less valuable than other programs.

I personally favour American Express Membership Rewards since there are multiple ways to use your points and you can transfer your points to Airline and hotel partners. Plus, the American Express Cobalt Card has arguably the best earn rate of all cards out there.

Both earn rate and redemption are equally important which is exactly my point. More specifically, I’m comparing #7 ranked BMO with #2 ranked RBC. I hold both cards by the way.

Here’s some simple math so majority can understand the implications.

If you spend $100,000

BMO RBC Basic Earn Rate 2 1 Accumulated Points 200,000 100,000 Redemption Rate for Travel Spending 0.67 1 Cost of Tickets Covered $1,340 1,000

Difference profit with BMO $340

Note: Ignore the options 1.25 points earn rate for RBC for travel or the 3 points with BMO for travel. Just work with basic earn rate for simplification.

It is clear BMO is better for the dollar spent. Add in much better insurance (MUCH better) + lounge access and its not even close.

I know people will say “Redemption Schedule” RBC. Has anyone actually used that to their benefit? It’s one of the biggest scams…its almost ALWAYS better to use their fixed 100 points for dollar conversion. So people need to stop saying redemption schedule as a benefit and see it as a unusable scam.

As for BMO portal, again please use it first. It covers all flights you would find on google. Never had an issues to find the lowest priced flight on google and then finding it on BMO portal. Its really easy to use and straight forward as well.

As for your American Express comment, yes that’s true. There are better travel cards but comparing it within the big banks….BMO World Elite is pretty much the best travel card.

Don’t trust me. Just try it and you will see.

BMO just announced that the BMO World Elite Mastercard will now earn just 1 point per $1 spend for the base rate, so the value has gone down significantly.

As for your initial analysis, you’re not wrong. But here’s my counter argument and why I personally rank RBC Rewards higher. With RBC, you can get a value of 2 cents per point for the fixed points program. You can also transfer your points to Cathay and BA. If you used your points for business flights, you could get an even higher value.

I use the redemption schedule quite a bit for short haul flights e.g. Toronto to Ottawa or New York.

I’m not disagreeing with you. I’m just saying everyone has a different value and uses their points for different reasons.

Hey, love the info!

Looking to get into the travel card space and stuck between getting an AMEX PLAT (mainly due to the sign up bonus & perks) paired with the cobalt for everyday purchases along with HSBC WEMC for non amex stores.

2nd option is RBC Avion infinite privilege with RBC ION+ do you think having the 3x multiplier on everything and the covert to Avion Elite rewards.

Do you think the new Ion+ card with its 3x spending on everything and accepted everywhere will be a better option to the AMEX combo? My main goal is to accumulate as many points as possible to fly business class and stay at premium hotels 2 or 3x/year with my girlfriend. I like flexibility with booking as I don’t mind flying on less premium airlines (Egyptair, united, Finnair) along as im saving a lot compared to the more exclusive airlines.

Hey Xavier,

I personally prefer the Platinum / Cobalt combo since the earning potential for Aeroplan is much higher. Plus, the benefits are much much better. Getting the HSBC WEMC might be overkill for non Amex, but it does have some good perks.

The Avion/IOn combo isn’t bad, I just like Amex more.

Amex points will always be more flexible than RBC, which is why I favour those cards/points over everything else.

Hello Barry, that is an aawesome in depth analysis!

What do you mean by “You can also pair an Avion credit card with another RBC credit card to rack up points quickly” in the RBC section?

Hey Pierre-Luc,

It’s really about combining points where you can. For example, RBC has an Avion card and WestJet Card. You can transfer your Avion points to WestJet. Alternatively, you could get a premium credit card in the Avion Visa Infinite and then a more basic card like the RBC Ion+ card. The points you get from the welcome bonus of the Ion card can be transferred to your Avion Infinite account.

Hi Barry, I have the TD First Class Travel Infinite Card and planning to rent a car this summer at Calgary International Airport for a week to drive around Banff and Jasper using the card for payment. Do I need to purchase insurance from the car rental company or the insurance coverage on my credit card should be sufficient? Would appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks and have a great weekend

Hey Manish,

Check with your personal auto insurance provider first. They typically cover car rentals. That should be enough.

If you don’t have personal auto insurance, TD insurance is good enough for collision, but you would likely want to opt in for liability (ask them what liability they provide, as liability may be extra coverage).

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Rbc rewards® program., earn more rbc rewards points with cwt.

• Earn one bonus point per dollar on most CWT purchases including last minute vacation packages (max. 500 points per airline ticket);
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Important travel updates and what you need to know

Last Updated: June 27, 2023

Attention: Important Travel Updates

To get the most recent update on your flight status, visit the website of the airline you are travelling with. You’ll need your booking reference number (airline confirmation) on your itinerary to access your flight information.

If you’d like to manage or change your existing booking, please log into Avion Rewards Travel . Once you are in the travel portal click the blue “Help” button at the bottom right corner to make changes or cancel your booking.To cancel or change your trip details:

• Go to Avion Rewards Travel
• Select "My Trips" in the top right corner
• Select your upcoming trip and click “Manage booking”
• Choose “Cancel Flight”, “Change Flight”, or “Change Reservation” and follow the instructions
• To book new travel using Avion points

To book a new flight using an airline travel credit

Airline travel credit rules to remember, insurance policies, cwt vacations update, rbc avion visa infinite privilege for private banking cardholders: new travel advisor service details, to book new travel using avion points:.

Book through Avion Rewards Travel or contact the Avion Rewards Travel Call Centre at 1-877-636-2870 (additional service fees apply).

If you have an airline credit due to a flight cancellation that you’d like to use, contact the Avion Rewards Travel Call Centre at 1-877-636-2870.

Be sure to have the following ready when you call:

• Itinerary number of the original booking
• Travel credit amount
• Traveller name(s)
• Details of your new flight options, including flight numbers for your preferred outbound and/or inbound flights
• Each airline sets their own policy for how you can redeem your credit
• If you use an airline travel credit for a ticket to a destination in a different jurisdiction or region than the original booking, you may incur additional taxes and fees. Applying the credit to a new set of taxes and fees vary based on airline policy. Our agents can’t waive them.
• Some airlines may require you to use the entire credit value at once to receive the full value. Please contact Avion Rewards Travel Call Centre at 1-877-636-2870 for more information
• Airline credits (including taxes and fees) can only be used for air travel with the airline you originally booked with. They cannot be used for other services such as checked bags, upgrades, etc.
• Each airline credit is in the original traveller’s name; you can’t combine airline credits or transfer them to another person
• Airline credits have a travel-by date (sometimes called credit validity)
• When planning to travel, please check your airline’s website for possible changes to your flight experience and any new passenger requirements. Many airlines are making temporary changes to prioritize traveller safety

For credit card insurance coverage, refer to your travel insurance policy/certificate for further details. For other travel insurance, please contact your travel provider directly.

Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance coverage included with your RBC credit card provides coverage for trips that are paid in full with your RBC credit card (and/or Avion points). Trips booked using a travel credit/voucher are not covered, even if originally purchased on your RBC credit card. Please consider your options, such as purchasing travel insurance when using a travel credit/voucher. If you require assistance or have questions about your coverage, please contact Assured Assistance Inc .

Effective July 31, 2022, you are no longer able to redeem your Avion Points at CWT Vacations locations.

Please contact the location where you originally booked your travel unless otherwise advised. Please refer to the travel advisor contact information on the invoice or email provided to you when you made your original reservation.

CWT Harvey’s Travel will service your existing CWT Vacations’ booking. You can contact CWT Harvey’s Travel by calling at the same number (1-866-926-4070).

Your new travel advisor service is provided by Avion Rewards Travel Concierge for Private Banking . To book travel, call 1-888-ROYAL 8-5, choose a language, select Travel (option 2), then select Travel Concierge for Private Banking (option 2).

Making changes to existing bookings with CWT Vacations

CWT Vacations will continue to service existing bookings. You can contact CWT Vacations at 1-888-ROYAL 8-5, select language and option 2 and 3.

RBC Emails : Please know that RBC will never ask you to provide, confirm or verify personal, login or account information through regular email, text message, phone calls or when signing into an online service. Please disregard any emails or text messages requesting that you reply with confidential information. If you have received a suspicious message from RBC, please forward it to [email protected] .

Supporting Clients Impacted by COVID-19

We remain committed to keeping you informed about actions we’re taking, to support you during this time. Get important information on the support and assistance RBC has made available to help you as we focus on keeping clients and employees safe during this difficult time.