Navigating Airmiles, Aeroplan, and Avion: A Comprehensive Loyalty Program Guide

Rate this post

Key Takeaways:

Airmiles, Aeroplan, and Avion are three popular travel loyalty programs in Canada, each with its own features, benefits, and drawbacks.
Airmiles offers a high average value for miles, but taxes and fees are not covered and points are slow to earn.
Aeroplan allows you to pool points, book flights with no blackout dates or surcharges, and combine points with cash, but the point chart is not fixed and partner airlines charge a fee.
Avion has no blackout dates or seat restrictions, a straightforward rewards value, and the option to transfer points to other programs, but it has few credit cards and partners available.
The best loyalty program for you depends on your travel preferences, spending habits, and reward goals.

Table of Contents

Introduction

If you love to travel, you might be interested in joining a loyalty program that rewards you for your purchases and helps you save money on your trips. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best one for you?

WhatsApp Channel Join Now

Telegram Channel Join Now

In this guide, we will compare and contrast three of the most popular travel loyalty programs in Canada: Airmiles, Aeroplan, and Avion. We will look at how they work, what they offer, and what their pros and cons are. By the end of this guide, you will have a better idea of which program suits your needs and how to make the most of it.

Airmiles

Airmiles is one of the oldest and largest loyalty programs in Canada, with over 200 partners and 11 million members. You can earn miles by shopping at participating retailers, using Airmiles credit cards, or booking travel through Airmiles Travel Hub. You can redeem your miles for flights, hotels, car rentals, merchandise, gift cards, and more.

Pros

Airmiles has a high average value for miles, estimated at $0.105¹, which means you can get more rewards for fewer miles.
Airmiles has a wide range of merchandise rewards options, from electronics to home appliances to toys. You can also pay with Airmiles directly at some partner retailers, such as Shell and Sobeys.
Airmiles covers fuel surcharges within North America, which can save you a lot of money on your flights.

Cons

Airmiles does not cover taxes and fees on flights, which can add up to hundreds of dollars depending on your destination.
Airmiles points are slow to earn, especially if you don’t use an Airmiles credit card. It can take years to accumulate enough miles for a long-haul flight.
Airmiles has fewer partners and bonus offers than Aeroplan, which means you have fewer opportunities to earn and redeem miles.

Aeroplan

Aeroplan is the loyalty program of Air Canada, the largest airline in Canada. You can earn points by flying with Air Canada or its partner airlines, using Aeroplan credit cards, or shopping at participating retailers. You can redeem your points for flights, hotels, car rentals, merchandise, gift cards, and more.

Pros

Aeroplan allows you to pool points with your friends and family, which can help you reach your reward goals faster.
Aeroplan has no blackout dates or surcharges on flights, which means you can book any seat on any Air Canada flight at any time, as long as it’s available.
Aeroplan lets you combine points with cash to get a flight, which can be useful if you don’t have enough points for the full fare.

Cons

Aeroplan has a lot of uncertainty about how many points you will need for a flight, as the point chart provides a wide range of points needed per flight category. The actual number of points required depends on the demand, availability, and seasonality of the flight.
Aeroplan charges a fee of $39 to book flights with partner airlines, which can reduce the value of your points and limit your flight options.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Avion

Avion is the loyalty program of RBC, one of the largest banks in Canada. You can earn points by using RBC Avion Visa cards, which offer higher rates on purchases like gas, groceries, and transportation. You can redeem your points for flights, hotels, car rentals, merchandise, gift cards, and more.

Pros

Avion has no blackout dates or seat restrictions, which means you can book any flight on any airline at any time, as long as it’s available.
Avion has a straightforward rewards value, which is $0.021 per point if you redeem through RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, or $0.01 per point if you redeem for other rewards². This makes it easy to calculate how many points you need for a reward and how much you save.
Avion gives you the option to transfer your points to other loyalty programs, such as British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and WestJet Rewards. This can give you more flexibility and value for your points.

Cons

Avion has comparatively few credit cards available, which means you have fewer choices and features to suit your preferences and needs.
Avion has very few retail partners, which means you have fewer opportunities to earn and redeem points outside of travel.

Conclusion

Airmiles, Aeroplan, and Avion are three of the most popular travel loyalty programs in Canada, but they are not the same. Each one has its own features, benefits, and drawbacks, and the best one for you depends on your travel preferences, spending habits, and reward goals.

To choose the best loyalty program for you, you should consider the following factors:

How often and where do you travel?
How much and where do you spend?
What kind of rewards do you want?
How easy and fast do you want to earn and redeem points?
How flexible and valuable do you want your points to be?

By answering these questions, you can narrow down your options and find the loyalty program that matches your needs and helps you save money on your trips.

We hope this guide has helped you understand the differences and similarities between Airmiles, Aeroplan, and Avion, and how to make the most of them. Happy travels!