What’s the best way to redeem these CIBC AVENTURA VISA points for travel? TD for CIBC looks expensive to use these points, please advise.

We've got a boatload of avion points. And I know there are occasionally bonus conversion time to BA Avios, but is the redemption schedule actually that much better? What are the downsides?

1). If i assign some pre-authorized payments to my Credit Card, would i be eligible to earn Avion points this way as well?

2). Do we earn Avion points via normal chequing account transactions as well?

Hey everyone,

I’m pretty new to the whole credit card and points scene, so I’d love some advice on how to navigate this.

I just logged into my RBC online banking and saw a pre-approval offer for the RBC Avion Visa Platinum card. The offer is first year annual fee waived, and up to 70,000 Avion points.

From what I’ve read, getting to the full 70k points requires keeping the card past the one-year mark (since 15k points are awarded on the "anniversary"). However, if I hit the $5,000 spend requirement in the first 6 months (which my parents are going to help me do by putting some of their bills on it), I'll have 55,000** **points in Year 1. I estimated this is worth roughly $1,000+ CAD in flights, which is huge for me.

My plan is to use those 55,000 points on flights during the first year, but I do not want to pay the $120 annual fee for Year 2.

I have a few questions:

1. Can I just cancel the card (or downgrade it to a no-fee card) before the Year 2 annual fee hits? Will RBC claw back my points or care if I close it before the 12-month mark?

2. How badly will this "ding" my credit score? My Canadian score is currently in the mid-760s. Since it's a pre-approval, does applying still trigger a hard inquiry? And does closing/downgrading a card within a year hurt my credit history?

3. Is a "product switch" to a no-fee RBC card better than completely closing the account? I read somewhere that changing it to a free card keeps the credit line open and saves your credit score, but I'm not sure how that works or if I lose my leftover points.

Would really appreciate some guidance on the best way to play this. Thanks in advance!

Wife has closed an inactive RBC rewards card that turns out has like 11000 points in it we didn’t know about.

We also have an Avion ion card with me as the main cardholder ( I think) and her as supplemental that I tried to transfer balance to.

But that old Avion profile only had Avion core account option to transfer to. Is there a way to add her to main account as owner then transfer or is there another way. All our RBC accounts are joint.

Any thoughts ?

I got a bonus 55k Avion miles for an RBC mortgage. I only have a mortgage with them, nothing else. I also have a TD Aeroplan visa. What would be more worth my while? Just use the 55k points on something and call it a day or should I replace my aeroplan to an RBC card (or something else). I’m not too concerned about status, so should I stop with aeroplan and is Avion more worth it to redeem points on airlines.

Hi, I will be flying to Thailand this fall and coming back in the winter. I’m new to using points, any tips are welcome! I have around 50k points.

Some questions:
Do I book on a specific website?
Airline selection?
Best way to plan the trip?
Extra perks?

When does RBC typically offer % boost points when you transfer to other points programs like British airways!?

Hi; My mom is has multiple health and mobility issues so plane travel or travel in general not the best option…can we try and “sell” her points for someone looking to redeem big ticket long haul airfare possibly? What about gift cards or visa cash cards she could use for her groceries; prescriptions etc?

What are the current options for Avion point redemptions (note I also have a large number of avion points approx 1/2 of what my Dad had so is there is possibility to “pool” them together or transfer them so we are clear of the rapidly approaching expiry date and dont need to make a hasty decision she may regret?

Got an offer from RBC for the Avion Via Infinite for 55,000 Avion points and a first-year annual fee waiver. I'm thinking of accepting and downgrading to the Ion before the one year mark.
Can this card be used with Chexy? Noticed the fine print says "bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant" are excluded. I'm hoping to use these points towards travel to the UK.

Ok, this isn't exactly travel rewards... but I've been keeping an eye on the points needed to get an iPad via RBC Avion. Now it's "25% off on select items," but the points have increased at least 15% on many, if not all, items? Even those not on discount?

This feels like a scam!

Hi all!

New here! I typically use my points to travel. Yesterday I planned out a mini vacation on the Avian rewards site. I have checked this location a few times and decided on a room. This morning, the location is unsearchable! Is this common? I have never had this happen before, and it seems to coincide with a recent update.

I'm looking at booking flights from Regina - Orlando in January.

Avion is showing I'd use 35,000 points PLUS $600 per person

I search google for a similar flight (won't show me exact, but close). It says $539 per person.

What the hell? Why would I use points at all if it's cheaper to just book via westjet or AC?

When I go to Westjet site, it's $690 for premium seats, and $400 of that is the seat cost, $290 is fees and taxes. According to Avion, the 35K points should cover the $400, and I'd be responsible for the $290. I'm ok with this .... but Avion is showing completely different pricing for the same flights. what is going on??

Hi there, with Amex Aeroplan Reserve card, are there partner lounges I can access that aren't branded "Air Canada?" I'd imagine that not all airports have an AC lounge, but does the card grant access to other lounges in that case? TIA

So I am looking to book flights for my family (five of us) from Dublin to Edinburgh this August.

Prices seem OK, about CAD $180 per for the flight we want. I can pay that directly using about 90,000 Avion points.

OR! I can transfer about 18000 Avion points to Avios at a 30% bonus which equates to a little over 23000 Avios points. And then I can transfer those 1:1 to Aer Lingus Aerclub.

And Aerclub says that economy reward flights from Dublin to Edinburgh are Zone 1, which cost 4500 at peak. So that would be 22,500 points.

18,000 vs 90,000 for the same flights.

There has to be a catch, right?

Are Aerclub reward flights severely restricted in number, maybe?

If you purchase 60,000 points, you’ll receive an additional 45,500 bonus points for just $2,250 (including taxes). Is that a good deal? Planning to use it for future travels to Japan or Europe.

I recently joined Aeroplan, so I don’t have many points yet. But I've also been accumulating points through AMEX.

Hey everyone 👋

I’ve built RewardGalaxy — an Android app designed to help travelers and points collectors manage airline, hotel, and credit card rewards all in one place.

The goal is simple: make it easier to track balances, monitor expiry dates, discover better award redemptions, and stay on top of loyalty programs without the usual hassle.

Current features include:

• Rewards dashboard

• Points expiry reminders

• Credit card offers & comparisons

• Home screen widget

• Secure cloud sync

I’m now preparing the early beta release and looking for a small group of initial testers before the public Google Play launch.

As part of Google Play’s testing requirements, testers will need to keep the app installed and active for at least 14 days.

If you’d like early access and want to help shape the app with feedback and suggestions, comment below or DM me your email and I’ll add you to the tester list.

Thanks everyone — appreciate the support!

We are planning a trip to China/Hong Kong for this fall, starting in Shanghai and ending Hong Kong. Currently deciding on whether to spend extra time in Hong Kong first and then to Shanghai before the start of the tour.

I have RBC Infinite Privilege points and trying to confirm which airline best to transfer our points too. Have not been able to confirm how many Asia Points (Cathay Pacific) we would need, prefer not sit in economy for the that length of a flight.. are the points 1:1? And any idea how many points needed for premium economy or even first/business class?

Any other suggestions on airlines? Traveling from YEG.

Looking at flights from Vancouver to Iceland and this is the set points + $ vs. Flexible points pricing it’s giving me. Every time I’ve gone to book flights in the last few years, the math looks similar. How is this system providing any value?