aventura travel

• [email protected]
• 888.482.5887

• Who are we?

Why Aventura World?

• Our Parent Company

South Pacific

Latin america.

• Endorsements
• Helpful Articles
• Tour Requirements

Request Information

Taste of tyrol - innsbruck, austria, from the alps to the adriatic, south pacific highlights, switzerland & austria, tuscany, italy, national parks of the west.

Aventura World Experience

It’s all about traveling to spectacular places at a relaxed pace, discovery, education, and inspiring interactions.

Travel for all

We go the extra mile to deliver meticulously planned travel programs at prices to suit all budgets

Cultural Discovery

Meet locals, enjoy people-to-people interactions to understand their life, culture, social aspects, and the region’s economy.

From our Programs

Wonders of China

9 Days/7 Nights

Iceland – Land of Fire & Ice

7 Days/5 Nights

Treasures Of Sicily

Ancient Capitals, Colonial Cities & The Caribbean

8 Days/7 Nights

Best Of Argentina & Brazil

10 Days/8 Nights

United States

The Capital And Colonies

7 Days/6 Nights

The Gems of Normandy & The Champagne Region

Our destinations.

View Europe Vacation Packages

View South Pacific Vacation Packages

View Asia Vacation Packages

View Africa Vacation Packages

View Latin America Vacation Packages

View USA Vacation Packages

At Aventura World we understand that a great travel offer needs to be communicated. Our marketing department is pleased to provide multi-channeled support that can be easily integrated into your program to create a comprehensive advertising campaign at no additional cost.

Experience the world with our YouTube of the day

We invite you to become part of Aventura World…a living, breathing entity made up of a team of destination experts and travel planning partners that collaborate to share unforgettable travel experiences, and work in fruitful ways to enhance economies and promote overall wellbeing of our entire global community.

Let our professional, experienced staff handle the details of your next group travel program with Aventura World, a valued leader in the U.S group travel marketplace since 1972.

We greatly appreciate you and Aventura World for introducing us to Egypt and its 5000 year history of contributions to civilization. From the Great Pyramids of Giza, to the temples of the ancient gods of the pharaohs, to the Valley of the Kings and the beauty and mystique of the life-giving Nile, we were entranced, educated and entertained. It was a marvelous trip for Janice and me and for our members.  Thank you .

Ahh, Italy. The Amalfi Coast with its food, wine, historic sites and spectacular coastline is one of the most amazing destinations anywhere in the world. The ancient ruins of Pompeii, the streets of Sorrento, and the extension to Rome provide an itinerary sure to please your Chamber travelers. More importantly, when challenges arose – a healthcare issue and an emergency flight home – Aventura World was there with exceptional customer service and care to take care of our travelers.

Dubai might well be the 8th Wonder of the World! Want to impress your leaders? Think Dubai. Want to have a great experience, think Aventura World! Thank you Aventura World for making my recent trip to Dubai a memorable one.

When I found out that Aventura World were coming to the rescue of my stranded travelers, an uncontrollable sense of relief came over me. I cannot thank them enough. This is a strong, professionally operated company that truly cares. I am planning programs with them in 2014. I would strongly recommend that you look at Aventura World for your non-dues travel programs. If I can be of any further assistance or offer any additional information please feel free to contact me.

There is a saying, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." Aventura World is a great new friend to ACCE, indeed. Your firm showed extraordinary generosity and courage in rescuing 18 ACCE-member chamber of commerce trips involving 600 people. Had those trips fallen victim to another travel firm's bankruptcy, it would have been a terrible blow to the reputations and financial health of the affected chambers and ACCE, as well as to the group travel business.

How to use CIBC Aventura points to reduce travel costs

by Anne Betts | Apr 1, 2024 | Travel Hacking , Destinations | 0 comments

Updated April 1, 2024

What are the various ways to use CIBC Aventura points to reduce travel costs ? Is the Aventura program worth it? How does it work? What’s an Aventura point worth? 

Here is my review as it relates to funding travel.

Table of Contents

What is the CIBC Aventura program?

How are aventura points earned, can aventura points be converted to another program, how can aventura points be used, what’s an aventura point worth, 1. flexible travel reward, 2. flight rewards, (i) book and pay with your aventura-earning credit card, (ii) log into cibc online banking and your credit card account   , (iii) redeem with points while the transaction is pending, what’s to like about the cibc aventura program, shortcomings of the cibc aventura program.

CIBC Rewards is the in-house propriety program of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). The reward currency is commonly referred to as Aventura points.

The CIBC Travel Rewards Centre is CIBC’s in-house travel portal. It’s operated by Merit Travel Group, an independent travel agency.

Aventura points are earned through credit card sign-up bonuses and everyday spending. Depending on the credit card, bonus points can be earned on promotions, bookings at the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre, and spending in accelerated earning categories such as groceries, gas, and dining. CIBC has ten Aventura-branded credit cards:

• CIBC Aventura Visa Card
• CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card
• CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card
• CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege Card
• CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Students
• CIBC U.S. Dollar Aventura Gold Visa Card
• CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Business
• CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Business Plus
• *CIBC Aventura World Elite MasterCard
• *CIBC Aventura World MasterCard

*CIBC MasterCards are no longer available to new applicants.

Aventura points don’t expire if an Aventura-earning credit card account is in good standing. The primary cardholder can pool points by moving them from one Aventura-earning credit card account to another.

Contrary to what you might read on the internet or be told by a seller at an airport kiosk, Aventura points cannot be converted to Aeroplan (except in special circumstances). They were before CIBC co-branded Aeroplan cards were transferred to TD in 2014, when the ability to convert Aventura points to Aeroplan was discontinued. However, grandparenting protection remains in place for cardholders of three select cards held since before October 1, 2013:

• CIBC Aventura World Elite MasterCard

Aventura points earned since then can be converted, if they have been moved to the card held before 2014. Conversion is at the rate of 1:1 and points can only be converted in increments of 10,000.

Aventura points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, donations, merchandise, experiences, credit card statement credits, or contributions to various CIBC financial products.

As with most reward programs, travel purchases usually return the best value. On most travel redemptions, Aventura points are capable of a value anywhere between 1 and 2.2 CPP (cents per point). Most travel booked through CIBC’s in-house travel portal returns a value of 1 CPP. When booking ‘Flight Rewards’ using CIBC’s Aventura Flight Rewards Chart, some redemptions offer a return of up to 2.2 CPP in value.

Credit Card Genius has calculated the value of Aventura points when redeemed for purposes other than travel. For example, charitable donations are valued at 1 CPP, CIBC financial products and statement credits at 0.83 CPP, gift cards at 0.71 CPP, and merchandise at an average of 0.71 CPP.

Occasional promotions on gift cards can return a redemption value of 1 CPP.

There are three ways to redeem Aventura points for travel.

A ‘Flexible Travel Reward’ applies to online bookings for flights via the ‘Flex Travel’ option on the Aventura Flight Rewards Chart or through online or telephone bookings at the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre.

Unless there is a promotion in effect, this option returns a value of one cent per point, considered the baseline value for most proprietary reward programs’ travel purchases.

Redeeming a Flexible Travel Reward involves booking through the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre and applying points to the purchase. It doesn’t apply to bookings through other suppliers.

Check for promotions in effect at the CIBC Rewards site. In the past, there have been auctions, accelerated earning rates on travel bookings, and flights for fewer points.

Flight Rewards are based on the Aventura Flight Rewards Chart for round-trip flights in various cabin classes, from basic economy to first class. Each group of regionally based destinations displays a sliding scale of points required for flights with a maximum base ticket price. The base ticket price is exclusive of taxes and other charges.

A greater value (than one cent per point) is possible with these redemptions the closer the cost of a flight is to the maximum ticket price listed on the chart. For example, the Canada and US (Long-Haul) travel region category shows a maximum ticket price of $800.  Paying 35,000 points for a ticket with a base fare of $800 returns a value of 2.2 cents per point.

In the following example, a return flight in premium economy from Toronto to Los Angeles costs 35,000 Aventura points plus $194.07 in taxes and fees using the Flight Rewards option. Taxes and fees can be paid in any combination of points (at a value of one cent per point) and cash (charged to a credit card). If the traveller pays in points, the total would be 54,407.

In the same example, the Flex Travel option (at a value of one cent per point) shows a base fare of $744 for a total cost of $938, including taxes and other charges or 93,807 Aventura points.

By choosing the Flight Rewards option in this example, the traveller has achieved a value of 2.1 cents per point on the base fare and saved 39,400 Aventura points compared to the Flex Travel option.

Any excess cost over the maximum ticket price can be paid for in cash or points (at a fixed value of one cent per point). As shown in the following example of a round-trip business class flight from Vancouver to Calgary, the excess appears as ‘OVERMAX’ in the search results.

The Aventura cardholder must have at least 80% of the points required to obtain the desired flight, and tickets are non-refundable unless advised otherwise. As the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre is the booking agent, any irregularities related to flight cancellations or ticketing errors will require their intervention, as opposed to the airline. Such is the dilemma of travellers who use third-party booking agencies.

3. Shopping with Points

‘Shopping with Points’ involves booking through vendors other than the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre. Until a 2022 promotion, the rate of 8,000 points on each $50 purchase worked out to an abysmal value of 0.625 cents per point. The promotion doubled the value of 8,000 points to $100, or 1.25 cents per point. After several extensions with expiry dates, the promotional redemption rate has been extended indefinitely.

Redeeming points for travel purchases using the Shopping with Points option involves the following steps:

Make a travel purchase such as a flight, vacation package, cruise, hotel stay, or car rental at a vendor of your choice using a credit card earning Aventura points. The charge must be in Canadian dollars. I made the mistake of making a direct booking at Palmers Lodge , a London hostel, that never appeared on my account as eligible for redemption. When I booked Edinburgh and York accommodation at Expedia dot ca, both appeared almost immediately as redeemable with points.

Log into CIBC Online Banking (or mobile banking) and search for the transaction under ‘Pending’ in your transaction history. Chances are the charge will appear as soon as the booking has been confirmed. However, it could take a few days to post, so keep checking back.

Click on ‘Redeem with Points’ (the link to redeem with points needs to be active on the transaction). If it’s an eligible travel purchase, the required points will automatically be reduced by 50% under the extended promotion. If the redemption is successful, confirmation will immediately appear within the credit card account.

The credit will be posted to the respective credit card account within two business days.

This redemption option is only available while the purchase is still pending. The Shopping with Points Terms and Conditions state that it’s non-refundable, non-exchangeable, and non-transferable. Therefore, making a refundable booking with the vendor is always preferable. Many miles-and-points enthusiasts turn Aventura points into cash with refundable bookings. Others use them to reduce travel costs.

• Depending on the credit card, CIBC offers travel perks such as lounge access through the Visa Airport Companion Program membership and passes, NEXUS fee rebates, and an attractive Mobile Device Insurance benefit.

For more information on the NEXUS program, see Is a NEXUS card worth it? and How to apply for a NEXUS card .

• There are regular first-year-free promotions where the annual fee is waived for the first year. Many come with improved sign-up bonuses. In addition, it pays to check rebate and affiliate sites such as Great Canadian Rebates for elevated sign-up bonuses when applying through their portal.   
• It’s possible to hold more than one credit card of the same type (e.g., more than one Aventura Visa Infinite) at the same time. CIBC can be quite generous with approvals.
• CIBC is more likely than other banks to waive the annual fee on request. It may also be possible to obtain a prorated annual fee refund when cancelling or product switching a credit card.
• The redemption value of a ‘penny a point’ is easy to understand. The system calculates the exact amount with no sliding scale or topping upwards. My one-way flight from Cairns to Brisbane on Virgin Australia cost $129.08, translating into a precise redemption of 12,908 Aventura points.
• There’s a no-fee card in the Aventura family (CIBC Aventura Visa Card). Applying for, or product switching to the no-fee card, can help preserve a relationship with CIBC. It can also serve a useful purpose by protecting existing Aventura points in an account between applications for other cards.  However, partial redemptions (part points, part cash) offer the means to use all Aventura points with no ‘orphan points remaining in an account.
• Aventura points can be transferred from one account to another in the Aventura family. This applies to accounts held by the same cardholder. The process is efficient and instantaneous. For holders of the CIBC Visa Infinite Privilege card, it can be done online. For cardholders of other cards, contact the CIBC Rewards Centre to execute the transfer. Unlike TD Rewards, where a minimum of 10,000 points can be transferred, any number of points can be moved from one account to another. The transfer is instantaneous.

For more information on the TD Rewards program, see How to use TD Rewards points to reduce travel costs.

• Online bookings are limited. For example, online flight searches are limited to those originating in Canada or the USA. Calling the Travel Rewards Centre is inconvenient and can be costly when trying to make a booking from another country.
• The Aventura Flight Rewards Chart applies to return flights. One-way flights can only be redeemed as a ‘Flexible Travel Reward’ at a value of one cent per point.
• Rewards are non-refundable, non-exchangeable, and non-transferable. With the exception of refundable bookings with vendors where the pending charge is redeemed with points, there are no refunds on any travel purchased with Aventura points.
• Hotel prices at the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre can be seriously inflated. For a booking via Expedia and redeemed using ‘Shopping with points,’ I paid $373 for a two-night stay at a Halifax hotel. The same hotel with the same dates at the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre, researched within minutes of each other, revealed a cost of $515.

• Other than redeeming points while a charge is pending, there’s no post-purchase option to redeem points against existing reservations or previous travel purchases.

The inability to convert Aventura points to other programs makes them less valuable than reward currencies such as AMEX Membership Rewards and RBC Avion Rewards, which can be converted to reward programs where it’s possible to extract much greater value.

Aventura points can be a beneficial reward currency in a diversified miles-and-points portfolio. When viewed as a secondary program along with, for example, TD Rewards and Scene+, they can reduce travel costs by funding miscellaneous travel expenses. These include train and ferry tickets, boutique hotel stays, flights with regional airlines, tours, and various travel experiences.

CIBC is to be congratulated for extending the promotion with an elevated redemption value through Shopping with Points. It significantly increases the value of the program.

Might you be interested in my other miles-and-points posts?

• How to use Scene+ points to reduce travel costs
• How to use TD Rewards points to reduce travel costs
• Is a no-FOREX-fee credit card always the best choice for international travel?
• Finding Aeroplan flights: a step-by-step guide
• Meeting Minimum Spend Requirements to travel the world on miles and points  
• Lounge and flight review of United Airlines’ Polaris experience
• Does the BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard deserve a place in your wallet?
• Why the Best Western loyalty program is good for travellers
• What is the best credit card for trip cancellation, trip interruption and flight delay insurance for trips on points?

Care to pin for later?

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Search this site

Welcome to Packing Light Travel. I'm Anne, a dedicated carry-on traveller. For information on the site, please see the About page.

Book: The Ernie Diaries

Packing Light

Join the mailing list for updates, and access to the Resource Library.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Connect on instagram, if you find this information useful, subscribe to the newsletter and free access to packing lists, checklists, and other tools in packing light travel's resource library..

Your email address will never be shared. Guaranteed.

Pin It on Pinterest

• ⛱ Sólarferðir
• Borgir í leiguflugi
• Borgarferðir
• Beint frá Akureyri
• Hreyfi- og sérferðir

Leitartími útrunninn

Leitið aftur.

• Book Travel
• Credit Cards

The Best Ways to Use CIBC Aventura Points

CIBC’s in-house points currency is known as CIBC Aventura points, and many consumers who bank with CIBC end up collecting sizeable balances of Aventura points via the personal and business CIBC Aventura credit cards.

The reality, unfortunately, is that CIBC Aventura points do not hold nearly as much value as some of the other points programs available to Canadians, like Aeroplan , Amex MR , or RBC Avion . No matter what your travel goals are, you’d almost always be better off earning one of those points currencies instead of Aventura, if given the choice, because of their additional flexibility and value.

Having said that, the CIBC Aventura credit cards do put on some very strong signup bonuses on a regular basis, which make them a good choice as secondary credit cards after you’ve already applied for the most valuable cards out there.

In this post, we’ll cover the various ways that you can use your CIBC Aventura points to meet your travel goals, even though the overall upside to the program can be relatively limited in the end.

In This Post

Redeem aventura points for travel via cibc, cibc aventura airline rewards chart, seasonal flight promotions, transferring to aeroplan miles (for pre-2013 cardholders), …merchandise.

The baseline use-case for CIBC Aventura points would be to redeem them at a value of 1 cent per point (cpp) against travel that’s booked through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre. For example, the current signup bonus of 35,000 Aventura points on the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite would be redeemed against $350 worth of travel booked via CIBC.

It’s important to note that Aventura points redemptions can only be made directly through CIBC’s in-house travel agency (either online or over the phone). Unlike similar products and programs like the Amex Cobalt or the Scotia Passport , you cannot make travel purchases directly on your CIBC Aventura credit card and then choose to offset the purchase using Aventura points later on, and I’d consider that to be a major limitation of the Aventura program.

The CIBC Rewards website allows you to search for “simple” flights, hotels, and car rentals and book directly using your Aventura points.

Unless you’re booking a flight that falls under the Airline Rewards Chart (which we’ll describe below), the payment page will automatically apply your points towards the value of the booking at 1cpp.

You may also book travel via the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre over the phone, where you’ll be connected with a dedicated travel agent who will assist you with the booking.

The CIBC travel agency seems to be able to book most major flights, hotels, car rentals, and other travel products that you can find on the major online travel agencies like Expedia; however, I have found in the past that there are a few gaps in what CIBC is able to book (and therefore what you’re able to redeem Aventura points for).

For example, the CIBC travel agency cannot book flights on low-cost airlines in Europe or Asia, nor are they able to book “less mainstream” airlines such as the AirBaltic or Air Astana – flag carriers of Latvia and Kazakhstan, respectively. My attempts redeeming Aventura points for cash fares on both of these airlines resulted in the agent attempting to issue me a ticket within their backend systems, but to no avail.

(I’ve heard a few data points of CIBC travel agents allowing the customer to book whatever they want on Expedia.ca on their own and then applying the Aventura points manually, but these were few and far between, and I haven’t personally had any success doing this.)

Overall, the 1cpp redemption option should be treated as a baseline; you should never redeem your Aventura points for anything less than 1cpp. However, I must admit that it’s quite rare that I find myself needing to redeem Aventura points in this fashion.

After all, most of my flights are booked using award tickets, and the cash flights that I do buy are usually on the less mainstream airlines of the world, which Aventura agents are unable to book. And on the hotel side, I’m always booking hotels either directly with the program or through a third-party booking service in order to maximize my elite benefits.

Most often, I find myself redeeming my Aventura points for short-haul flights on Air Canada or WestJet, such as Toronto–Montreal or Montreal–New York, when the price isn’t high enough to justify redeeming Aeroplan miles . These flights also happen to be easily searched on the CIBC Rewards website, saving me a time-consuming phone call with a travel agent.

Another way to redeem Aventura points for flights is via the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart, which allows you to exchange a certain quantity of points for a cash ticket in economy class from Canada to a certain geographic region, up to a certain maximum ticket price. It’s a similar arrangement as the Fixed Points Travel program with Amex MR , or the Travel Redemption Schedule with RBC Avion .

The chart is found on the CIBC Rewards website , and can be summarized as follows:

As you can see, if you were booking a round-trip flight designated as Canada and U.S. (Short Haul), then you’d pay between 10,000 and 20,000 Aventura points for a ticket whose base fare (i.e., the price before taxes and fees) is up to a maximum of $400. If the base fare were higher than $400, then you’d also pay the difference at the standard 1cpp valuation of Aventura points.

It’s my understanding that the exact price within the range of prices (10,000 to 20,000 points, in this case) is determined by your base fare – if you’re “using up” the full maximum amount of $400, then you can expect to pay 20,000 Aventura points; meanwhile, if your base fare is only, say, $200, then you might only be charged 10,000 Aventura points for this redemption.

Note that Aventura points can be only be used to cover the base fare portion of a flight under this chart, not any of the associated taxes and fees. You may still redeem your Aventura points against the taxes and fees, but only at the base-level rate of 1cpp.

If you do the math, you’ll see that you can achieve much higher value than the standard 1cpp redemption by using the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart. Indeed, the maximum value arises when you redeem 35,000 Aventura points for a flight designated as Canada and U.S. (Long Haul) with a maximum ticket price of $800 – using up that full amount would give you a value of 2.29cpp, which is pretty amazing value for the Aventura program.

The value on maximizing the Canada and U.S. (Short Haul) region is pretty outstanding as well at 2cpp, whereas Europe, Mexico/Alaska/Hawaii/Central America/Caribbean, and Rest of the World clock in at maximum values of 1.85cpp, 1.67cpp, and 1.6cpp respectively.

(Note that the definitions of short-haul and long-haul are based on whether the respective provinces or states of the origin and destination cities share an adjoining border, and this results in a few oddities, like Toronto–Chicago being classified as long-haul even though it’s a shorter distance than Toronto–Minneapolis, which is classified as short-haul.)

If your travel patterns regularly involve paying for economy class flights within Canada and the US, then the CIBC Aventura Airline Rewards Chart could be a very suitable fit for your needs while allowing you to extract higher than normal value out of your Aventura points.

In addition to the above flight redemption options, you can also watch out for CIBC’s seasonal redemption offers, which usually partner with a specific airline like Porter, WestJet, or Air Transat to offer discounted redemptions on certain routes during a certain travel period.

For example, we’ve seen promotions where you could redeem as few as 8,000 or 9,000 Aventura points for a round-trip flight on popular routes like Toronto–New York, Montreal–Boston, Toronto–Ottawa, or Vancouver–Calgary. Overall, these promotions have largely been more favourable for Canadians living in the Eastern provinces (especially since Porter, for example, only operates on this side of the continent).

While these promotions do offer up some very low redemption price points, it’s still important to compare against the cash fare to figure out the value you’re getting, since they could still tread the fine line against the base-level 1cpp redemption in many cases.

Remember that you still have to pay about $100–150 in taxes and fees on these low-priced redemptions, so even a points rate of 8,000 Aventura points might not present stellar value when the cash tickets on the Toronto–New York route are often as low as $220 round-trip.

Always do the math against the cash price to figure out the value you’re getting for your Aventura points, and if it’s below 1cpp, then it’s best to offset the cost directly at par instead.

Finally, one important question that arises from all of the above types of Aventura flight bookings is whether you’ll earn miles when crediting these flights to a frequent flyer program. It’s my understanding that you do indeed earn miles when you offset the cost of a flight at 1cpp, since the flight is counted as a regular revenue fare that’s simply being offset using your Aventura points.

However, when you redeem via the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart or through one of the seasonal airline-specific promotions, you do not earn miles since the flight is marked as a mileage redemption – even if the flight is booked into the same fare class in all three cases.

If you’ve been an Aventura cardholder since at least 2013, then you enjoy the grandfathered ability to transfer your Aventura points into Aeroplan miles at a 1:1 ratio.

Aventura points were once freely transferrable to Aeroplan when CIBC held the main Aeroplan credit card contract in Canada; however, that ability was phased out when TD won over the contract in 2014, so only the legacy cardholders of CIBC Aventura products can still make use of this opportunity.

If you’re one of these cardholders, then transferring your Aventura points to Aeroplan will likely be the best-value usage of your points in general, especially if you’re looking to maximize your miles by booking business class or First Class flights.

If you’re content with economy class, then you can compare the price points between Aventura and Aeroplan (as well as the availability situation, since the former can book any available seat on any flight, whereas the latter is constrained by award space), and only transfer your points over if it makes sense.

Finally, we all know that redeeming points for merchandise is usually seen as a major faux-pas due to the poor value it provides; however, I’m not ashamed to say that CIBC Aventura points are the only currency that I’ve ever redeemed in exchange for a retail good.

Indeed, when the Aventura program was offering a Cyber Monday special on merchandise redemptions last year, there was a wide range of products, from iPhones to coffee makers, that were available at 50% off their usual points price, offering a value of around 1.8cpp.

Since I had no immediate plans to redeem my balance of around 35,000 Aventura points at the time (and in fact wanted to cancel the card soon), and I was in the market for a medium-sized luggage anyway, I decided to trade in 21,950 Aventura points at that 1.8cpp level for a new Heys suitcase .

21,950 Aventura points well spent!

I’d only recommend redeeming for merchandise in these situations when all three criteria are met: there’s a special offer on these types of redemptions, you’re certain you would be purchasing the product anyway, and you don’t see yourself getting higher value (such as the 1.6cpp+ redemptions through the Airline Reward Chart).

While I don’t think the Cyber Monday special offer returned in 2019, I recall there was a similar limited-time offer on Boxing Day last year as well, so hopefully that will be back this year in case you have some spare Aventura points lying around that you’re happy to exchange for some new “stuff”.

While Aventura doesn’t really have a place among the most valuable points programs in Canada, they’re still very easy to collect via the CIBC Aventura credit cards, and are good for reducing the cost of your flights and hotels here and there to supplement the more valuable redemptions you make with other currencies.

You can get the highest value (up to 2.29cpp) via the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart, while their frequent redemption promotions also represent good value. The baseline scenario – and indeed the option that I resort to the most often – would be using Aventura points at 1cpp against the cost of travel, although the fact that you must book through CIBC’s travel agency can be a major limitation.

• Earn 15,000 CIBC Aventura Points after making your first purchase †
• Plus, earn 30,000 CIBC Aventura Points after spending $3,000 in the first four monthly statement periods †
• Plus, earn 2x CIBC Aventura Points on all purchases through the CIBC Rewards Centre †
• Plus, earn 1.5x CIBC Aventura Points on eligible gas, groceries, EV charging, and drugstore purchases †
• Four free lounge visits per year with the Visa Airport Companion Program †
• NEXUS application fee credit †
• Minimum income: $60,000 personal or $100,000 household †
• Annual fee: $139 (rebated for the first year) †

Prince of Travel is Canada’s leading resource for using frequent flyer miles, credit card points, and loyalty programs to travel the world at a fraction of the price.

Join our Sunday newsletter below to get weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Have a question? Just ask.

Business Platinum Card from American Express

120,000 MR points

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

85,000 Aeroplan points

American Express Platinum Card

100,000 MR points

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

Up to 75,000 Aeroplan points†

Latest News

Canada’s 33 Best Credit Card Offers for June 2024

Jun 1, 2024

Miles & Points for Beginners: Choosing the Right Credit Card

Guides May 31, 2024

Upcoming Changes to WestJet Annual Companion Voucher Pricing

News May 31, 2024

Recent Discussion

How do the aeroplan premium credit card rollover benefits work, scotiabank passport® visa infinite business* card, top 3 credit cards for gas stations, review: qantas international first lounge los angeles, prince of travel elites.

Points Consulting

CIBC Aventura: How to use Aventura Points for Cheap Travel

Use your Aventura Points for Travel Expenses

Charge the expense to the cibc aventura card.

First, simply make any travel expense of your choice and charge it to a CIBC Aventura Credit Card like the CIBC Aventura ® Visa Infinite* Card . These expenses can come from a variety of sources:

Pending Transactions

Immediately after your transaction or reservation, log in to CIBC Mobile Banking .

The pending transaction will be in your account. Click on Use My Points .

Please note that the transaction must be made in Canadian dollars (CAD) to be eligible.

Also, it is mandatory that the transaction is pending to proceed with the refund with Aventura Points.

Redeeming Aventura Points

Normally, redeeming 16,000 Aventura Points with Shopping with Points reduces the credit card balance by $100.

But thanks to the Shopping with Points promotion , you only need 8,000 points for $100!

Automatically, the system shows the credit obtained and the points that will be deducted. Click on Use My Points to confirm.

Confirmation

The confirmation is then displayed on the screen.

Then, the credit will be in your account within 2 to 3 business days. There’s now more in your pocket!

Use your Aventura Points for a Hotel Room

Directly on the CIBC Rewards Travel website, you can use your points to book a hotel room,

Simply search for the destination you want. During the booking process, the more points you use, the cheaper the hotel room will be in dollars.

Use your Aventura Points for an Airline Ticket

Flight rewards.

The number of Aventura Points required to purchase an airline ticket depends on the destination. See the Aventura Airline Award chart on our CIBC Aventura page .

In the example above, San Francisco is considered a long-haul flight. According to the flight award chart, it requires 35,000 Aventura points .

Flex Travel

There is also the opportunity to take Aventura points and use them as you wish. The exchange is one point equal to one cent .

Just like booking a hotel, the more Aventura Points you use, the less you pay for your flight.

Use your Aventura Points for an All-Inclusive Vacation Package

With CIBC Rewards Travel’s travel agency search tool, you can find many options for vacationing in the south.

Again, Aventura Points are redeemed at a rate of 1 point to 1 cent. The more points you use, the less you will pay for your getaway out of your own pocket.

Use your Aventura Points for a Car Rental

CIBC Rewards Travel deals with all the major car rental companies and offers a variety of choices.

Aventura Points are redeemed at a rate of one Aventura Point equals 1 cent.

Bottom Line

Depending on your lifestyle, Aventura Points are good allies for paying for travel expenses. It is quite easy to use and the search tool is intuitive.

In addition, the latter offers us the possibility to look at a calendar of dates where it costs less, if you are flexible in your dates. Take advantage of our current exclusive offer on the CIBC Aventura ® Visa Infinite* Card !

Safe travels!

  View this publication on Instagram   A post shared by Milesopedia (@milesopedia)

All posts by Caroline Tremblay

Suggested Reading

Our tours are for those who like to view the world from a unique perspective. We incorporate history, culture and local friends into our adventures and sometimes this includes remote back roads and exciting surprises. Our adventures are for those who are in good physical condition, have healthy and varied appetites for food and drink, and who are understanding of the true definition of the word "Adventure". This doesn't always include perfect situations, but it does always include natural beauty, fantastic fare and great people. We understand and appreciate that some of you are fearful or sensitive to certain foods, allergic or may not like being out of their comfort zone.. if this is your case, these adventures may not be right for you. However, we will do our best to accommodate certain restrictions and welcome any questions.

DARREN SKILTON  has made a permanent lifestyle out of what most would call a “once in a lifetime” adventure. He has turned his passions for racing cars and experiencing world cultures into a global, professional driving career for over 20 years. His father was a famous British drag racer. His mother was a fearless traveler and successful British drag racer in her own right. One Grandfather was a classically trained chef/pub owner, and the other an accomplished musician and Spanish speaker. It's no wonder that Darren, who grew up in both in England and Southern California, has built his life around cultural, adrenaline-filled adventures highlighted by great food, music and history. His racing and tour company, Baja Automotive Adventures, was created in 1992, focusing on unique JEEP adventures throughout the Baja peninsula and South America. In the following years, as a professional race car driver, he won his class six times in the Baja 1000 and twice in the prestigious Dakar Rally. Darren was the North American Representative for the Dakar Rally for 10 years and has raced the rally 7 times both across Africa and throughout South America. He is currently the co-founder and organizer of the SONORA RALLY, a "Dakar-style", 5 day navigation rally, held in Sonora, Mexico. ( www.SonoraRally.com ) 

Baja Automotive has also specialized in Off- Road Driver Training, International logistics, Race Car Construction and Adventure tours for people who share his enthusiasm for unique and exciting experiences. He has been a guide for off road tours throughout Mexico, South America, Europe and Africa. Through racing and guiding, Darren has visited over 50 countries. He is fluent in French, Spanish, snotty British-English and can also rap out some Snoop Dogg on occasion, as his residence of choice for the past 20 years, has been Long Beach, CA.

For more about Darren see WWW.DARRENSKILTON.COM .

ERIN-LEE SKILTON comes from a Hollywood entertainment background and has spent 15 years as a theater actress and producer, casting director and most recently the producer of "Alta Cocina by Aventura", a private pop-up dinner series, held in unique spaces, featuring some of Baja and Alta California's finest chefs. She is the casting director for Bravo's hit television show TOP CHEF and curates unique food experiences to touch emotions, as well as awaken all 5 senses. Back in the day, her mother was a swanky TWA ground hostess, and growing up, instilled in her a passion for travel and appreciation for other cultures. Little Erin would experience world-themed cultural dinners and a mom who encouraged her to choose excitement over despair when her lunch box contained hummus, tabbouleh and Persian cucumbers while the other kids had bologna. Erin-lee is fortunate to have traveled throughout Europe, South America and Morocco and has been traveling throughout Mexico since she was 5, when her father first brought her on a dune buggy / deep sea fishing adventure.She has traveled as part of the Skilton "chase crew" in the prestigious Dakar Rally as well as the Baja 1000, and has followed the NORRA MEXICAN 1000 from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, as a producer on the up coming documentary film BAJA SOCIAL CLUB. She has curated dining experiences for both the NORRA MEXICAN 1000 as well as the SONORA RALLY, where she built a desert camp (bivouac) complete with a bar, lounge space and dining area for 100+ racers and families deep in the heart of the Mexican desert sand dunes. ( www.Sonorarally.com ).  Erin-lee and Darren are married and share a home in Sonora, Mexico, as well as Long Beach, Ca.

LOCAL TEAM  While in Mexico, (and all countries), we rely heavily on the relationships and close friendships we have cultivated over the past 20 years. These friends do not work for us, but with us, to provide you with the most genuine of experiences in their local areas of expertise. Each person you meet, from the wineries to the hotels to the chefs to the guides, are like family to us, and our hope is that once you experience one of our adventures, you will feel the same, and return to Mexico and your new friends, many times over.

• Yekaterinburg
• Novosibirsk
• Vladivostok

• Tours to Russia
• Practicalities
• Russia in Lists

Rusmania • Deep into Russia

Out of the Centre

Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

Plan your next trip to Russia

Ready-to-book tours.

Your holiday in Russia starts here. Choose and book your tour to Russia.

REQUEST A CUSTOMISED TRIP

Looking for something unique? Create the trip of your dreams with the help of our experts.