rbc points travel redemption

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 and 20,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 within 6 months of approval.

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 55,000 British Airways Avios or 550 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

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Points Programs

Hotel programs, best credit cards, back to guides, redeeming rbc avion points for premium flights.

With select RBC Avion credit cards, you can redeem points for business class and First Class flights at a rate of 2 cents per point.

Written by T.J. Dunn

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On January 29, 2024

Read time 25 mins

RBC Avion points are versatile, since you can choose to redeem them in a variety of ways, such as transferring them to airline partners , using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule , or redeeming them for flights booked on your own.

Some cardholders have the option to redeem Avion points for business class and First Class flights at a fixed rate of 2 cents per point (all figures in CAD), and in this guide, we’ll explore how this can be one of the best uses of your Avion points.

Redeeming RBC Avion Points for Business Class and First Class

RBC Avion allows certain cardholders to redeem points for business class or First Class flights at a rate of 100 Avion points = $2. 

Recall that this is twice the standard value of 100 Avion points = $1 for redeeming Avion points for a statement credit on travel purchases.

As a bonus, the points can be used to not only pay the base fare, but also to pay all taxes, fees, and surcharges, and fees .

To access this redemption option, you’ll need to have one of the following four credit cards:

• RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege †
• RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Business
• RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege † for Private Banking
• RBC ® Commercial Avion Visa

As long as you have one of the above credit cards, you can book a business class or First Class flight by logging on to your Avion Rewards account and searching for your desired flight. Be sure to select “business class” or “First Class” as your desired class of service.

In the search results, the option to book “Business Class Pricing (100 points = $2)” will appear. Look through the list of options in the search results, and choose the flight that best suits your needs.

As long as you have enough points in your account, and assuming that you have one of the four eligible credit cards, you’ll get a value of 2 cents per point for your booking.

Keep in mind that the RBC Avion Rewards booking platform is powered by Expedia, so any flight that you can book through Expedia can be booked through RBC Avion Rewards.

However, if you find an available business class or First Class flight that doesn’t appear through the RBC Avion Rewards booking platform, you can call RBC Avion Rewards and get authorization‌ to book the flight on your own.

You’ll need to submit some information back to RBC, and you’ll then get a statement credit at a rate of 2 cents per point for your flights.

It’s always a good idea to cross-reference the flight cost you see in the RBC Avion Rewards portal with the price when booking directly with the airline, as you may find lower prices when booking direct.

Redeeming RBC Avion points for 2 cents each can offer a great redemption value, since you can book any business class or First Class flight you can find while using your points to cover the entire fare and the extra fees. In this sense, you’re truly getting a “free” ticket with your points.

While it’s certainly possible to get more value from your points by transferring them to partner programs and booking business class flights, finding award availability for specific flights can certainly be tricky.

Plus, if you don’t have flexibility, or if you don’t have time to search for available award space or learn about points programs, redeeming your points this way lets you get the flights you want without being subject to the many nuances associated with award redemptions.

You could also consider using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule , with which you can get good value for your points. However, the points only cover the base fare up to a specified maximum, and you’ll still be on the hook for the taxes and fees.

Given this, redeeming Avion points at a rate of 2 cents per point for a business class or First Class seat can be an excellent option when you’re looking for a straightforward way to exchange your points for good value.

Tips and Tricks for Redeeming RBC Avion Points for Business Class and First Class

Here are a few tips and tricks that can help you navigate the RBC Avion  landscape and access some valuable redemptions.

Combine Avion Points

Although you need to have one of the four specific Avion credit cards mentioned above in order to redeem Avion points for business class and First Class flights at 2 cents per point, keep in mind that RBC lets members move Avion points freely from one card to another. 

This feature allows you to pool points from multiple credit cards to build up your balance.

This means that points earned on the RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite † , RBC ® Avion Visa Platinum † , RBC ® ION Visa , and RBC ® ION+ Visa can all be redeemed for business class or First Class flights at 2 cents per point as long as you also have an eligible card, such as the RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege † or the RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Business .

This becomes even more interesting when you look at the elevated earning rates on the RBC ® ION+ Visa, which are as follows:

• 3 Avion Premium points† per dollar spent on qualifying grocery, dining, food delivery, gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming, and digital subscriptions†

That’s because both the RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege † and the RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Business have a baseline earning rate of 1.25 points per dollar spent on all purchases.

Therefore, if you have both the RBC ® ION+ Visa and an RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege † or RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Business, you can take advantage of the elevated earning rates on the RBC ION+ Visa, as well as the heightened redemption rates on the latter two cards by pooling them together.

Use Google Flights

Perhaps the most convincing reason to book business class flights at 2 cents per point is the sheer flexibility available through this redemption option.

In fact, you can book any business class or First Class flight that you can find online, and redeem your RBC Avion points at a rate of 2 cents per point against the cost.

By and large, the best way to search for flights is through Google Flights .

With Google Flights, you can easily look for flights across multiple months at a time, helping you to pinpoint the cheapest fares for your desired route.

Additionally, if you have flexible travel dates, you can use the Google Flights Explore feature.

On the Explore page, enter the airport from which you want to depart, and select business class or First Class; you can now view all the business class flights within whatever timeframe you choose.

Notably, if the flight you find through Google Flights isn’t available through RBC Avion Rewards, you can simply call RBC directly and get authorization to book the flight on your own.

You’ll then apply your points as a statement credit afterwards at the same rate of 2 cents per point.

Booking Flights Directly with the Airline

Flights booked with points directly through RBC Avion Rewards usually don’t count towards earning status with the airline, and you won’t be able to earn any points when booking an award flight.

However, if your desired flight happens to only be bookable by calling RBC for authorization, you stand to benefit in a unique way.

If you find a flight that doesn’t appear through the RBC Avion Rewards search, and you get authorization to book it, you’ll gain the opportunity to earn qualifying status activity and miles or points from the airline.

Keep in mind that most flights will be bookable through RBC Avion Rewards, so this opportunity is less common. However, it’s still worth watching out for, as you can earn a decent number of miles/points when you fly business class, and the status-qualifying activity can also be quite significant.

Some cardholders have reported that they indeed earn points and status qualifying activity on flights booked through the RBC Avion Rewards portal. However, since there doesn’t appear to be any reliable pattern to this, it’s best not to count on it, and rather treat it as a bonus if it happens.

The Cheaper, the Better

Lastly, when it comes to redeeming RBC Avion points this way, the cheaper the flight, the better.

Throughout the year, some airlines may offer sales for business class flights, and in these situations, it may wind up being a much better deal than transferring points to a loyalty program.

For example, TAP Air Portugal is known to offer round-trip business class fares between Europe and North America for around $1,700 at least once per year.

During a sale like this, it’d only cost 85,000 RBC Avion points for round-trip business class flights to Europe, as you’d get 2 cents per point for a redemption. 

To put this in perspective, booking the same flights with Aeroplan might cost at least 120,000 points,  and you’d be on the hook for taxes and fees. Likewise, booking round-trip award flights to Europe with British Airways Executive Club might cost 160,000 Avios, plus $700 or more in taxes and fees.

Therefore, whenever a business class flight sale pops up, be sure to consider booking the flights and redeeming RBC Avion points for it, as it can wind up being an outstanding deal.

Just be sure to get an authorization prior to booking.

Is Redeeming RBC Avion Points for Business Class Flights Worth It?

Whether or not it’s worth it to redeem RBC Avion points for business class flights will depend on your individual preferences.

While it’s possible to get more value out of your Avion points by transferring them to loyalty programs and booking business class flights, there’s certainly more freedom and flexibility with the option to redeem Avion points for any available business class or First Class flight, regardless of airline.

With this option, you won’t have to wait for award availability to show up, and you can easily compare all of the cheapest flight options through Google Flights .

Likewise, if you’re able to find a flight that’s not bookable through RBC Avion Rewards, you’ll have the additional opportunity to earn qualifying airline status activity and miles/points, which can help make your ‌business class redemption a whole lot more valuable.

The caveat is that cash fares for business class and First Class tickets tend to be very expensive.

For example, round-trip flights to Europe might cost $4,000–5,000, which means you’d need to have 200,000–250,000 RBC Avion points to cover the total cost.

That’s certainly a lot of points to use for a single trip, and if cash prices are this high, you’re likely better off transferring them to airline programs instead. 

However, if you can find a deal on business class flights, redeeming points this way can result in a better option than booking through loyalty programs.

Lastly, the standard earning rate on the cards eligible for redeeming Avion points for flights at 2 cents per point is 1.25 points per dollar spent. Without a category earning multiplier, it can take a long time to earn enough points for a business class flight booked this way.

In any event, having the ability to redeem Avion points for business class and First Class flights at 2 cents per point provides you with another option for getting good value, should you choose to make use of it. 

RBC Avion points are a useful currency to collect, due in large part to the flexible nature of the program. You can transfer points to partner airline loyalty programs, or you can redeem points for your own travel, either through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule or booking flights on your own.

One of the best ways to redeem Avion points is for business class and First Class flights, offered with select RBC Avion credit cards.

If you hold one of the four RBC credit cards that give you access to this redemption option, you’ll certainly want to consider taking advantage of it, especially during flight sales.

†Terms and conditions apply. Refer to the card issuer’s website for complete, up-to-date information.

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Avion Points

Manage and redeem your avion points.

Did you know you can use Avion points for more than travel and merchandise redemptions? Start using your Avion points to:

• Pay down your credit card balance
• Combine points from different accounts
• Purchase gift cards
• Convert points to other loyalty programs

Pay down your Business Credit Card Balance with Avion Points

When you use your Avion points to pay down your Avion Rewards credit card balance, you can redirect your money where your business needs it most. To get started:

• Sign in to Avion Rewards (opens new window)
• Select “Pay Credit Card with Points”
• Choose the amount you wish to redeem
• Redeem your points

Combine your Points

Get the rewards you want even faster by combining points Avion points from different accounts. You can easily move your points from one RBC account to another anytime you like. Set up a one-time transfer or opt for a recurring points transfer to ensure your points add up quickly.

To transfer points to or from your RBC Business credit card, call us at 1-800-769-2512 .

Convert your Avion Rewards Into Loyalty Programs

Avion points can be converted into Hudson’s Bay Rewards points, American Airlines AAdvantage miles, British Airways Avios and WestJet dollars.

To find out more, sign in to Avion Rewards and visit the Convert Points section (opens new window) .

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Updated: September 06, 2024

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Avion Rewards guide 2024

Rbc rewards are now avion rewards.

RBC Avion Rewards, overseen by the Royal Bank of Canada, the biggest of the Big Five banks, is one of the most popular loyalty programs in Canada. Though it offers an impressive variety of redemption options overall, the program is particularly appealing to frequent fliers who covet the bank’s Avion credit cards. Whether you’re a more casual Avion Rewards earner or a seasoned jet setter, our RBC Avion Rewards guide will help you decide if Avion Rewards is the loyalty program you’ve been looking for, or if you should keep up the hunt for the perfect spending and travel companion.

How do you earn Avion Rewards points?

The best way to earn RBC Avion Rewards points is by making purchases with an RBC Avion credit card such as the RBC Avion Visa Infinite and RBC ION+ Visa. Our full list below and summary RBC Avion Rewards chart shows all the  RBC credit cards  you can use to rack up points and how much they earn.

• RBC Avion Visa Infinite

Get up to 55,000 Avion points* (a value of up to $1,100†), that’s enough to fly anywhere in North America or the Caribbean!

Nov 26, 2024

• Rates & Fees

Rewards program is highly flexible, transferable, and includes a slew of non-travel-related reward options

Partnerships with other retailers like HBC and Petro-Canada

Provides excellent travel insurance

New cardholders earn 55,000 welcome Avion points on approval*

Solid option for looking for a travel-centric points program

The points-to-dollars ratio is only average and there are few opportunities for accelerated earning.

The $120 annual fee isn’t cheap

High annual income requirement: Personal: $60,000 or Household: $100,000

Eligibility

Recommended Credit Score

Required Annual Personal Income

Earn 1.25 Avion point for every dollar you spend*.

extra Avion points on eligible travel purchases

mobile device insurance

savings on fuel at Petro-Canada and always earn 20% more Avion points

Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall

off at Hertz and earn 3x the Avion points

delivery fees for 12 months from DoorDash

Purchase APR

Balance Transfer Rate

Cash Advance APR

Annual Fee $50 for each additional card

Foreign Transaction Fee 2.5% of the transaction in CDN

Foreign Transaction Fee

• RBC ION+ Visa

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Decent rewards rate in everyday spending categories.

Low monthly fee, (rebated for students with the RBC AdvantageTM Banking Account for students).

Perks like mobile device insurance and fuel savings at Petro-Canada.

Complex rewards structure with less valuable Avion points in the ION tier.

Limited insurance benefits (but you can pay to add-on travel insurance).

Avion Ion points† per $1 on qualifying grocery, dining, food delivery, gas, rideshare, public transit, EV charging, streaming, digital gaming and online subscriptions

Avion Ion point per $1 on all other purchases

Cash Advance APR 21.99% for residents of Quebec

Annual Fee $4 per month

Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read disclaimer for more info. 

Disclaimer :  Money.ca  may engage in affiliate marketing, which is done by embedding tracking links into  Money.ca . If you click on a link for an affiliate partnership, a cookie will be placed on your browser to track any sales for purposes of commissions.

Full list of Avion Rewards credit cards that earn Avion points

The following RBC Royal Bank credit cards earn Avion points on net purchases and are points-earning credit cards:

• RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege
• RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking
• RBC Avion Visa Platinum
• RBC ION Visa
• RBC Rewards Visa Preferred
• RBC Visa Gold Preferred
• RBC Visa Platinum Preferred
• Signature RBC Rewards Visa
• RBC Rewards Visa Gold
• RBC Rewards+ Visa
• RBC U.S. Dollar Visa Gold
• RBC Visa Classic II
• RBC Visa Classic II Student
• RBC Mike Weir Visa
• RBC Avion Visa Business
• RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business
• RBC Royal Bank Visa CreditLine for Small Business
• RBC Commercial Avion Visa

There's no distinction between the points earned from a standard RBC card vs. an Avion card, like the  RBC Avion Visa Infinite . Both cards earn Avion Rewards points—though some Avion cardholders may mistakenly refer to their points as such. The difference between an Avion card and a standard RBC rewards card is that Avion cards are intended to appeal to those looking specifically for travel rewards cards. Avion cards have higher annual fees, better welcome offers, and feature additional travel-friendly perks (like good travel insurance packages and exclusive experiences). Finally, though both Avion and non-Avion cardholders use the same travel portal to redeem points, Avion cardholders get better value for their points when redeemed for travel.

If you don’t feel comfortable using credit, keep in mind that you can still earn RBC Rewards points with a debit card. If you enrol an eligible RBC bank account (such as the RBC Day to Day Banking or Advantage Banking accounts) in the  Value Program  you can earn RBC points every time you use your debit card.

What can Avion Rewards be used for?

Avion Points value varies substantially depending on how they are redeemed, and Avoon Rewards can be redeemed for a wide variety of purposes, including travel, merchandise, charitable donations, paying with points and gift cards. You can also use the Avion Rewards ShopPlus browser extension to earn money back when shopping online.

How to redeem travel points For Avion and Non-Avion cardholders

When you want to redeem your RBC Rewards for travel, you’ll notice that there’s a different redemption option based on whether you have an RBC Avion card or not.

If you don’t have an Avion card, then your redemption options for travel are very straightforward: 100 points = $1 travel value. To redeem your points for travel you simply sign in to the RBC Rewards Travel page and select a travel purchase. There is no minimum number of points required to redeem for travel, and if you don’t have enough points to cover a full travel redemption you can pay the remaining balance with your credit card.

If you are an Avion cardholder, you can select round-trip flights on any airline based on the Air Travel Redemption Schedule. The number of points you need to redeem depends on your destination, and each destination has a maximum ticket price (not including fees and taxes). If you exceed the maximum ticket price, RBC lets you charge the additional cost to your credit card or pay the difference at a rate of 100 points = $1. 

It’s clear from the travel redemption schedule that Avioners get more value for their points when they redeem them for travel compared to non-Avioners. Whereas the value of one point for non-Avioners is locked in at 1 point = 1 cent, Avioner point values range from 2 cents to as high as 2.33 cents per point. 

Note that while there are redemption differences between Avion and non-Avion cardholders, there are some important benefits that both cardholders share. Both can redeem their points for a number of different travel-related purchases, such as flights, cruises, vacation packages, hotels, and car rentals. Furthermore, both enjoy no blackouts or seat restrictions when they book their travel. Plus, both can use RBC Rewards points to cover air travel fees and taxes at a rate of 100 points per $1. 

RBC Avion Rewards points conversion

Another appealing feature of the Avion Rewards program is that you can transfer your Avion points to a few other participating loyalty programs. 

All Avion Rewards cardholders can convert their Avion Rewards points into WestJet dollars and Hudson’s Bay Rewards points. For every 100 RBC Rewards points converted, you receive 1 WestJet dollar (minimum 1,000 pts needed to convert). For every 500 RBC Rewards points converted, you receive 1,000 Hudson’s Bay Rewards points (minimum 500 pts needed).

RBC Avion cardholders have even more conversion options. They can transfer points to the aforementioned programs, but they can also convert RBC Rewards points to other participating travel rewards programs:

• American Airlines (10,000 RBC Rewards points = 7,000 AAdvantage miles)
• Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles (10,000 RBC Rewards points = 10,000 Asia Miles)
• British Airways (10,000 RBC Rewards points = 10,000 Avios)

Note that all cardholders can also transfer RBC Rewards points to a second RBC Rewards account held in their name. You can also transfer RBC Rewards points to a family member or friend if they have an RBC Rewards account. 

Other Avion Rewards redemption options

The Avion Rewards program is incredibly flexible and points can be redeemed for an impressive variety of pursuits outside travel, including merchandise, charitable donations, and gift cards. You can also put points toward an RBC Financial Reward, by transferring them to accounts like an RBC investment portfolio or  RESP . Finally, you can take advantage of a relatively new feature called  Pay With Points  that lets you pay bills, pay down your credit card statement, or even make purchases in-store with an eligible digital wallet app like Google Pay.

Here’s a look at what your Avion Rewards points are worth: 

• Merchandise : $0.006–$0.0085 per point. Point value varies because there’s a wide range of items you can redeem points for, including Bose stereos, Fitbit smartwatches, Cuisinart kitchen appliances, and more. RBC Rewards also has an impressive range of Apple products like MacBook Pro and iPhones. 
• Gift Cards : $0.0071–$0.01 per point. When redeeming points for gift cards, points usually have a value of $0.0071 each. However, sometimes RBC Rewards will have special bonuses where the points needed for a redemption are reduced, which gives your points more value. For example, normally you need 1,400 points to redeem for a $10 Amazon.ca gift card but sometimes the same $10 Amazon.ca gift certificate is available for only 1,000 points, bringing your point value up to one cent per point. There is a good selection of gift cards aside from Amazon.ca, including Best Buy, Air Canada, A&W and more.
• Charitable Donations:  $0.01 per point. Redemptions can be donated to Hope Air, Own The Podium, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and The David Foster Foundation.
• RBC Financial Reward:  $0.0083 per point. You can contribute to your RBC investment portfolio, RBC personal loan, RBC mortgage, RBC line of credit, and more.
• Pay With Points:  $0.0058 per point. If you use Pay with Points to pay down your statement credit you get the worst value for your points. 

Redeeming points is a straightforward process: Head to the Rewards portal and sign in when you’re ready to redeem. There may be minimum redemption requirements depending on what redemption option you use. For example, there are set point minimums required when you convert points to other loyalty programs, as well as a minimum of 12,000 points needed to redeem points for RBC Financial Rewards. 

Do Avion Rewards expire?

Avion Rewards points never expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. However, you’ll have limited time periods to redeem your points after closing your account: 90 days for self-serve, online point redemption and 365 days to redeem by calling in to the RBC advice centre.

Other Avion Rewards program benefits

RBC has point-earning partnerships with both Rexall and Petro-Canada. With Petro-Canada, you earn 20% more RBC Rewards points when you use a linked eligible RBC Rewards credit card to make purchases. You also instantly save 3 cents per litre at Petro-Canada locations. With Rexall, RBC cardholders with a linked debit or credit card earn 50 Be Well points (Rexall’s rewards program) per $1 they spend at Rexall stores. 

RBC also has a new partnership with DoorDash that gets eligible cardholders a free DashPass subscription for up to 12 months, as well as unlimited deliveries with no delivery fees on orders over $12.

Is RBC Avion Rewards the best travel program in Canada?

So how does RBC stack up? To get a sense of how competitive the RBC Avion Rewards program is, it’s helpful to compare it to the two other most popular travel rewards programs in Canada:  Aeroplan  and  AIR MILES .

The new Aeroplan flight award chart features dynamic pricing, so the value you get for an Aeroplan point depends on numerous factors like flight distance, exact destination, and route popularity. Since Aeroplan recently revamped its program, point values now generally range anywhere from about 1.5 cents per point to as high as 2 cents, which is a lower range than the travel redemption values for Avion cardholders. Unlike Avion, Aeroplan points cannot be transferred to other loyalty programs, but you can transfer points from some other loyalty programs to Aeroplan. That said, there’s a larger selection of  Aeroplan credit cards  issued by multiple financial institutions (TD, CIBC, and Amex) and they tend to feature more travel perks than Avion cards, including the likes of free checked bags, NEXUS application rebates, and free airport lounge visits.

AIR MILES, while not strictly a travel reward program, gives you the best (if not the most consistent) value when you redeem them for travel. Value ranges anywhere between 8 to 25 cents a point, depending on when and where you fly. However, AIR MILES are slow to add up because  AIR MILES credit cards  typically only earn 1 MILE per $5–$25 you spend, depending on the card. It’s also worth noting that unlike with RBC, the values for Aeroplan points and AIR MILES don’t change based on which credit card they were earned with. So although an entry-level Aeroplan or AIR MILES card might earn points at a slower rate than a card with a high annual fee, the ‘class’ of the card doesn’t affect how much its points are worth when it’s time to redeem.

Pros and cons of RBC's Avion Rewards program

Flexible program with lots of redemption options

Points can be earned with your debit card if you have a qualifying bank account

You can convert points to several other participating loyalty programs

Non-Avion credit cards have weak to non-existent welcome bonuses and ho-hum earn rates

Must have an Avion credit card to get maximum point value when redeeming for travel

Relatively low value for points when redeeming for statement credits

All told, I recommend RBC Avion Rewards to those who meet the income and credit score requirements for an Avion card, and who are willing to pay an Avion card’s annual fee for access to its high-value point redemptions. Avion is particularly appealing for those who find themselves making a lot of short-haul flights within Canada or to nearby U.S. states, for which your points get exceptional value. It’s also a great option if you fly frequently with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, or British Airways, and you like the flexibility of transferring your points to one of those loyalty programs in order to maximize value and get free flights.

On the other hand, if you only qualify for an entry-level, non-Avion card, there are other  travel rewards programs  or even  cash back credit cards  out there that might offer more sign-up bonus points, better regular earn rates, and better value for your points.

What are Avion Rewards for Taylor Swift?

As an Avion Rewards member, you can enjoy exclusive access to contests for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in Canada. Find the best RBC credit card today and join Avion Rewards.

Avion Rewards Guide , RBC Royal Bank, Dec 22, 2023

Sandra MacGregor has been writing about finance and travel for nearly a decade. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications like the New York Times, the UK Telegraph, the Washington Post, Forbes.com and the Toronto Star.

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How to redeem Avion Rewards points for financial rewards

When logged into RBC Rewards, if you look under the Shop & Redeem menu, you’ll see there’s an option to use your points for RBC financial rewards. Assuming you have financial products with RBC, you can use your points for the following:

• Add to your existing investments
• Mortgage payments
• Repayment to your line of credit.

It takes 12,000 RBC points to get $100 in financial products which gives you a value of .83 cents per point. At first glance that may seem like a lot, but think about the long term. With mortgage and line of credit payments, you’re basically paying off your loan earlier which you immediately save on the interest. If you’re adding to your investments, you can take advantage of  compound interest  which could make your redemption very valuable in the long run.

If you use your points for a financial reward that’s put towards your  RRSP , you could also get a tax break. Putting in your  TFSA  would allow you to invest with tax free gains. It’s a win-win situation, but you won’t see the reward for many many years.

Redeeming Avion Rewards points for merchandise, statement credits, and charitable donations

The final three redemption options for your RBC Rewards points are merchandise, statement credits, and charitable donations. Although the RBC Rewards merchandise catalogue is quite large and there are some quality products available, the number of additional points required for the value is not worth it at all. I would advise avoiding using your points for merchandise. That said, there are occasionally discounts on merchandise redemptions, so sometimes the transactions aren’t a terrible deal.

Using your points for a statement credit is an even lower value. It takes 17,200 points to get $100 off your statement. That means your points would be worth .58 cents per point. Unless you’re facing financial difficulties, you’re better off redeeming your points for anything else.

RBC Avion points   transfer partners

I love programs that let you convert points to other loyalty programs since it adds flexibility and value. Avion Rewards has one of the most extensive and valuable lists of conversion partners when it comes to Canada’s bank travel reward programs. American Express Membership Rewards is better, in my opinion, but RBC Rewards isn’t far behind.

Here is the list of programs you can convert Avion points to, but note that except WestJet Rewards, only Avion cardholders can transfer their points to the following partners:

• WestJet Rewards : 1,000 RBC points = $10 WestJet dollars
• Hudson’s Bay Rewards : 1,000 RBC points = 2,000 HBC Rewards points (worth $10 at Hudson’s Bay)

If you are an Avion cardholder you can also benefit from these conversion options:

• American Airlines : 10,000 RBC points = 7,000 AAdvantage miles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles : 10,000 RBC Points = 10,000 Asia Miles
• British Airways : 10,000 RBC points = 10,000 Avios miles

It’s hard to put an exact value on airline miles since there are so many variables, but generally speaking, their value is around a minimum of 1.5¢ per mile for economy tickets. Often you can get double the value if you’re booking in business class. That said, WestJet Rewards uses a dollar system, so they have a fixed value.

It’s a good idea to log into RBC Rewards often since they have many redemption promotions throughout the year, which boost your points’ value. In addition, RBC Rewards had a few transfer bonuses (10% to 30% bonus points) for Westjet, Asia Miles, British Airways Avios Miles, and American Airlines AAdvantage Miles. That meant you got extra value when transferring your points to a partner.

Of particular interest is how you can transfer your points to WestJet dollars. Nothing stops you from holding an RBC Avion card and the RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard. Both cards come with good sign up bonuses so you could quickly rack up those WestJet dollars. For example, the RBC Avion card typically has a welcome bonus of 15,000 points which can be transferred to WestJet for $150 WestJet dollars. The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard’s standard bonus is $250 and a companion voucher. When you combine the two, you’ll have $400 in WestJet dollars without having to spend much. No purchase is required to get the bonus with the Avion card, and you only need one purchase with the WestJet Card.

Do RBC Rewards points expire?

There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about when RBC Rewards points expire. I have confirmed that  RBC Avion points don’t expire  as long as you have an active eligible RBC Royal Bank credit card. If you cancel your card, you have 90 days to redeem them before losing them. The first-in, first-out rule you may have read about online is an old outdated article. RBC really needs to delete that page. If you’re unsure when your points expire, you could always call customer service to confirm.

How RBC Avion compares to others

RBC Avion Rewards is easily one of the best travel loyalty programs of Canada’s big five banks. There are many reasons why I rank RBC Rewards so high, including:

• No blackout dates
• No minimum number of points to redeem
• A fixed points flight program
• Many transfer partners to convert points to
• Many promotions for redemptions
• Value of points

In my opinion, RBC Rewards is only second to  American Express Membership Rewards . American Express holds the first place because RBC Rewards lacks an option to book travel on your own (you can only book through their portal) and because RBC Rewards credit cards don’t really have any increased earn rates which limit how fast you can earn points. You can also read my reviews of  CIBC Rewards ,  BMO Rewards ,  TD Rewards  and  Scene+  to see how RBC Rewards compares.

How to earn RBC Avion Rewards

To earn RBC Rewards, you must have a credit card account that earns you RBC Rewards. As you can imagine, the easiest ways to earn points are via credit card sign up bonuses and everyday purchases you make on your RBC Rewards credit card. Currently, there are six personal credit cards and two business credit cards that will earn you RBC Rewards points. To make things a bit complicated, RBC Rewards has two tiers of RBC Rewards points: regular and Avion RBC Rewards points. Points from an Avion account have more redemption options, and these options are the most valuable ones. With this in mind, the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card is arguably the best card to earn Avion points and is one of the  best RBC credit cards .

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

• $120 annual fee
• 35,000 Avion points on approval
• Earn 1.25 Avion points for every $1 spent on travel purchases
• Earn 1 Avion point per $1 on all other purchases
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Mobile device insurance up to $1,500

The sign up bonus for new cardholders is typically 15,000 points which isn’t much compared to some of the  best travel credit cards in Canada . That said, the  RBC Visa Infinite Avion Card  often has promotions where the welcome bonus is 25,000 – 35,000 points, and the annual fee for the first year is waived. Whenever a promo like that comes around, it’s worth signing up for the card.

The earn rate of 1.25 points per $1 spent on travel is decent, while the 1 RBC Reward point earned per dollar spent on all other purchases, including bill payments, is pretty common. Here’s something that many people don’t realize. You don’t need to make any purchases to get the bonus. The terms and conditions say you get it after the first statement.

Another little-known trick is that you can  switch  from the RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard to the RBC Visa Infinite Avion Card and vice versa. This is useful if you’re not able to maximize your points and want to try something new. That said, be sure to use up your points before you make any changes.

The RBC Visa Infinite Avion Card also provides good travel insurance when travelling outside Canada. Not only do you get travel medical, but you’ll also be covered for trip cancellation/interruption, delayed and lost baggage, hotel/motel burglary and more. Obviously, some exclusions apply, so read the certificate of insurance for complete terms.

Link to your Petro-Points card

RBC has a deal in place with Petro-Canada where you can save 3 cents per litre at Petr-Canada, 20% extra Petro-Points, and 20% extra RBC Rewards points.

To be eligible, you just need to add your Petro-Points number to your RBC online banking account. You would link your Petro-Points card to all of your eligible RBC debit or credit cards. 

Final thoughts

Avion Rewards is one of the  best bank travel rewards programs . The RBC Visa Infinite Avion card may not give you the best signup bonus or have the highest earn rate, but there’s no denying that once you have the points, they’re easy to use. There are no blackout dates and no minimum points required to make a redemption, so you’ll never run into any issues using your points. If you’re a fan of RBC, check out my  RBC InvestEase review  and find out how you can reduce your investment management fees.

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

97 Comments

Can you explain more on the comprehensive cancellation insurance for traveling? For flight

What I mean is you get travel medical, trip accident, trip cancellation, lost luggage, etc. You cAN READ THE FULL DETAILS HERE.

https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/travel/rbc-visa-infinite-avion/rbc-visa-infinite-avion-certificate-of-insurance.pdf

Barry choi, What about outright flight cancellation by company with no booking possibility ? this happened to me 5 years ago and Avion card could not do anything!

When saying trip cancellation … talking from whom??

What do you mean by company with no booking possibility? With fight cancellation, it only applies to reasons that are outlined in your insurance policy.

When should I pay for a flight as opposed to redeeming points. I want to go to Vancouver – Honolulu -L.A. – Vancouver. Points 45000 plus $266 Cash $960 Plse advise and thx,Lawrence

45,000 Rewards points would be worth $450 + $266 for taxes = $716. Since the value of your redemption via the fixed travel program is $960, you come out ahead using the fixed program.

How much is 28906 rbcrewards point please

10,000 points = $100 so you have $289 at the base value. Your points are worth more if you use the RBC Rewards Air Travel Redemption Schedule

Hi. I have 10500 pts and I purchased my ticket for $2000 whose base fair is $1400. What’s the best way to go with the schedule?

You need 15,000 points to make a claim within or to an adjacent Province/Territory/U.S. State. That fare has a maximum base price of $350 so you can’t use the fixed redemption schedule.

you could just 10,000 points to redeem $100.

Sorry Barry. I have 105000 points. I missed a zero. Can you please update your response?

If you’ve already paid for your ticket, you can’t use the air redemption schedule. Assuming you didn’t 100K points gets you a flight from any major gateway in Canada/U.S. to destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Middle East, Africa, South America

Hi Barry, thanks for the article and for all the Q&A work as well !!

I’m looking at making the switch to Amex. I have 160k reward points I’ve saved up over the years. Looking to cash out or use these points up somehow with the best value. Appears as tho 10,000 points for $100 value is about the best offer from RBC rewards? Also, do you know if these points expire if I got rid of my RBC Avion card?

Yup, 10K points for $100 is indeed the best value. You lose all your points if you cancel your card. Your best bet would be to transfer your points to WestJet Dollars or hotels.com giftcards as they have good value.

I product switched to the RBC British Airways Visa almost 4 months ago. My account has remained in good standing however, I haven’t received the welcome bonus of 15k points yet. I have called RBC multiple times and each time I have been told that BA awards the points but when I speak to BA, they say that RBC needs to award the points. Do you have any idea who should be awarding the points? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

In theory, it should be BA that actually issues the points but RBC would have to authorize it.

I would advise escalating the case with RBC first to see if that resolves anything.

If I wish to use my Avion Rewards points to pay off my credit card bill, is it straight 100 points/per every $1?

No, it takes 172 points to claim $1 in statement credit so you’re devaluing your points quite a bit if you were to go that route.

Is this card best to earn miles to book a points first class flight from Vancouver to Tokyo?

I just noticed RBC is offering 50% more points if converted to Avios, does the same offer ever happen with AA points?

The 50% bonus is quite rare. I’ve never seen it with AA.

Is it worth it to convert your Avion points to BA Avios given the 50% bonus on until Dec 15th? I live in Vancouver and typically fly to Hawaii in Winter and Europe in summer. Your insight is much appreciated.

If you plan on using those BA points, then yes, it’s a great deal. That said, I’m not sure which airlines you can use BA Avios points to get you from Vancouver to Hawaii.

Hi, is it worth buying the air Canada gift cards at a 10% discount? Are they easy to use and are there any hidden charges / rules to these we should know about?

Buying the gift cards gives you a guaranteed discount of 10%, but you might get better value if you used your points on the fixed travel program. It’s honestly a personal choice but I imagine you wouldn’t have any issues with using the gift cards. As far as I know there are no additional charges or rules, but read the fine print before you commit.

Do my RBC rewards expire at any point

Not as long as you have a credit card account that earns you RBC Rewards active with them that’s in good standing.

RBC Reward points expire after 3 years on a First In, First out basis.

That is incorrect. If you refer to handbook, the first page states that RBC points don’t expire.

https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/travel/rbc-visa-platinum-avion/rbc-visa-platinum-avion-benefits-guide.pdf

The reference to points expiring after 3 years is old and should have been removed from the website.

my mistake, you are correct. I believe my knowledge was outdated.

I just logged into my RBC Rewards and I see that I have a – 69K point balance. How is it possible to end up with a negative reward points balance?? I have never even used my rewards and forgot that it was even available. Any help would be appreciated.

You’d have to check with RBC about that

Do you think it is worth keeping the RBC Infinite Avion card beyond the first year? Is it worth the $120 per annum annual fee considering that I am also paying fees for amex gold card and BMO cash back card?

Thanks for your insight

Hi Viviene,

I personally wouldn’t keep three credit cards with annual fees. Of the three cards you mentioned, I’d probably drop the BMO cash back card but that’s because I prefer travel points. Who do you bank with? Do they waive the fee for any cards?

I bank with BMO but it’s a joint account and the waiver goes towards my partner’s BMO MC world elite card. I figure the cashback we get each year more than pays for the annual fee.

What does RBC Avion offer that justifies its fee? It seems as if it would take a long time to build up any significant number of points.

Well it’s really for you to decide based on your spending. E.g. if you moved all the spending from your cash back card to the RBC card, you could more in points for flights than what the annual fee would cost you. I think the RBC Rewards fixed flight travel chart offers good value especially if you’re looking at short haul flights. However, that may be redundant since you have the Amex Gold which also has a fixed points program.

How would you compared the two fixed points program? I tend to focus on transferring my Amex points to Avios and haven’t really looked at the Amex fixed points program. I also feel that the Amex Gold has more to offer than the RBC card in terms of travel insurance and flexibility on how to use points. But I may be wrong….

Both programs have their sweet spots. Amex is arguably better since you have more transfer partners. The Amex Gold has a slightly higher earn rate on travel. but RBC Rewards has occasional promos where if you transfer your points to BA, you get 25 or 50% more points.

I do agree that the Gold Amex is a better overall card.

Is there anyway I can browse through options for say a vacation package, that would be qualified for if I had 150000 points? For example my 150000 points would allow me to go to Cayo Largo Cuba, or Puerto Plata Dominican Republic or Cozumel Mexico…you get the idea.

It doesn’t give you an option to search for results based on X points. All really allows you to do is search by price from low to high after you’ve selected a country.

I have always been a fan of the RBC Avion program until today when I tried to change a departing flight and was told that all the flights I chose were “not available” although there were clearly seats for sale on both the airline website AND Expedia. RBC only offered a few very poor flight options. I thought “any flight” meant “any flight”. I have never encountered this before. We ended up buying new flights from the airline after spending over 30 minutes on hold, suffering through a painfully frustrating conversation with an agent and draining the battery on my phone.

I’m going to bail on Avion after learning that they recognize an Air Canada fuel surcharge of 570$ per ticket to europe in a time of extended, sustained low fuel prices. It was going to cost me 1100$= in fees when flights can be purchased outright for just over 1600$.

Value lost due to poor decisions at Avion….. adios!

That’s Air Canada’s fault, not Avion.

How long does it take to convert RBC points into Asia Miles? Is it instantaneous or do you have to wait 6-8weeks?

It usually takes 4-5 days for the transfer to Asia Miles

I have around 200k in avion points. I am trying to figure out the best option for using them as we are moving to Europe for a year. I looked into the flights but almost 1/2 goes to the taxes, etc. I was wondering if it was best to use them while we are there for short trips. So, what would be the best value? (ie rental car, hotels, ?), anything else?

Points for flights to Europe are typically of low value due to the fees. Using them within Europe is also not a good value since you wouldn’t be able to use the fixed travel program. You could use the RBC travel portal when you’re abroad and book points at 10,000 points = $100 in travel.

Alternatively, you could convert your points to WestJet dollars at a 1:1 ratio. On occasion, there are promos where you can convert to hotels.com giftcards which can be a good value.

Hi Barry, we have ~250,000 RBC Avion points and I’m trying to maximize getting to FCO (Rome) this summer from YYZ (Toronto.) We also have 90,000 in Aeroplan.

Traveling with a 15 month old so really wanted to optimize for lie-down seats. But they are pricey. ($8000 for two seats on AC’s direct flights.)

Can you suggest a way to optimize our points to make it work?

Flying from Toronto to Europe is one of the worst redemptions regardless of the program due to high airport taxes. With Aeroplan, you need 110K points for a return business flight so that won’t really work.

For RBC, I don’t think you can use your points for business so that doesn’t really help.

The best value I can think of right now and this is honestly not the greatest solution is to consider transferring your points to WJD. If you have the WestJet World Elite Mastercard, you can use the companion voucher for premium economy. I just booked two flights from YYZ to LGW for $2400. Of course, you would still need to get a flight to Rome and you’d only be redeeming your points at a 1% value.

IMO, you’re better off paying cash for this route and saving your points for later.

Help. We have 175000 Avion points. Looking to use them from YVR to LHR. If I use the points for 3 fares return it looks like another $700 each on top !!!! With Aur Canada. Flights in September are approximately $700 each return. Can you give any advice. I have not checked if BA charges the same.

Flights to Europe are a terrible value due to the high taxes. You’re better off saving your points for a different redemption.

Is it possible to use Avion points to pay for an upgrade on an already booked flight? Is it worth it? Looking at this for a flight from Houston to Auckland on Air New Zealand.

You’d have to call and ask. You definitely can’t do upgrades via the RBC Travel portal.

Is there a time limit to redeem accumulated points? And I wld like to purchase a gift card for electronics?

Your points don’t expire as long as you have an active RBC credit card that’s in good standing.

I am a bit lost with car rental points… if my rental was $800.00 how many points would I need

That falls under travel so it would cost you 80,000 points.

Barry, Can RBC Avion Visa Infinite cardholders redeem for a Premium Economy class seat instead of Economy class? Thanks!

RBC Rewards is a full service travel agency so you can book premium economy, but it’ll cost you more points. It’s unlikely you’d be able to book premium under the Air Travel Redemption Schedule since the price would exceed the maximum base price.

Barry, RBC Avion Visa Infinite redemption schedule From Canada to Hong Kong: 100,000 points. Maximum ticket price: $2,000.

Normally the Air Canada Premium Economy ticket from Canada to Hong Kong costs close to (less than) $2,000. It’s not worth to redeem Economy class, which is about $1,000 or less. That’s why I would like to know whether I can redeem Premium Economy class or not.

As long as the base ticket price is below $2,000, you should be able to redeem a premium economy flight using your RBC Rewards points.

Hi Barry, I’m totally torn between Scotia Passport and RBC AVion? Which one do you really prefer if we plan on going US visits and Asian Countries as well?

Both cards a bit different. The Scotiabank card is a good all-in-one card since it has no forex fees, but the RBC Avion has a fixed points travel chart which can be of good value. Since you’re based in Canada, Air Canada/Aeroplan cards are good for US travel thanks to the new Buddy Pass. WestJet companion vouchers can also be handy.

Barry, early thanks for answering my question. I am contemplating on utilizing approx. 111,000 Avion points for Best Western gift cards. I presume the gift cards are in Canadian funds? Travel contemplated is in the U.S. once the ban is lifted. How is the difference in currency handled by U.S. based Best Westerns?

The gift cards are only worth it if you’re getting an equal value to your RBC Avion points. E.g. 1,000 points = $10. Yes, the cards would come in CAD. If you use them outside of Canada, you would be subject to the exchange rate at the hotel which will definitely have a markup.

Avion $350 air fare fee for interprovincial travel is useless to many Canadians outside the Upper / Lower Canada belt. Many interprovincial one way tickets are $350 or more. I’ve amassed nearly a million dollars over the years on my Avion card, and travel with my family of 6, using the points. I always have to wait for airlines to post sale prices before I can use the points, because their reward amount is set too low. Its not a cheap card either. I’ve never complained, but its been the same price system for over 10 years. Hello! Inflation!

Paying the taxes on flights is also a bummer. I’ve often just bought sale priced flights with cash, because the Avion rewards taxes where close to half the flight cash amount. Didn’t see the point in wasting them.

How do I book a business class seat? We’d like to go back to Europe next year and want to fly business class. I have over 300,000 points with Avion.

Two years ago we booked two business class seats after transferring points to British Airlines, What a nightmare!

I swore that I’d move to another point card to get better service, connections, etc.

Please help.

RBC has a travel rewards portal where you’d book your flights and then redeem your points.

Aeroplan is a lot easier these days, it’s worth considering switching to a card that earns you Aeroplan points.

We have 215000 points with RBC and travel to Mexico, US and are thinking of going from Edmonton to Amsterdam and returning to Edmonton from Rome. What are the best way to use our points. Is transferring points to Westjet a better deal than buying Westjet gift cards .

To maximize your value, you should use the RBC Air Trave Redemption schedule – https://www.rbcrewards.com/#!/travel/redemptionSchedule

It’ll cost 65,000 points to get to Europe with a max ticket value of $1,300. That works out to 2 cents a point which is double the normal value.

Ad for WJD, it’s a better value to transfer your points directly instead of buying gift cards

Any luck with product switching lately and receiving the welcome bonus of 15,000 points for Avion Infinite?

Darn. Seems to still work for WJ MC. Perhaps makes sense to PS to a no AF card and then cycle back.

I recently “purchased” airline tickets using Avion points. Unfortunately I mistakenly selected the Flexible Points Pricing and as a result ended up using roughly twice as many points as would have been needed under the Fixed Points Pricing. The difference is somewhere around 35,000 points. I requested that Avion reverse this mistake but was advised that it was their policy to not allow such a change. I requested to talk to a manager, but they basically advised that this wasn’t going to happen (they told me it would take 6 weeks). Any advice.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely they’ll reverse the charges. This happens with all points programs.

Hi Barry… I have over 1 Mil points… and on flight can I upgrade to Exec or 1st Class with my points ?? I don’t see it anywhere when i am looking at the booking … Any ideas. Thanks Mike

In the RBC Avion travel portal, you should be able to choose premium economy or business class seats for your flights.

What are the pros & cons of flex points vs flexible points booking w Avion? How do I know which we should use?

All rbc rewards and avion rewards points can be used on any travel purchase made through the RBC travel portal.

I have been reading your awesome feedback from Avion customers! I recently tried to receive information from the RBC Rewards program call centre and it was horrific – unprofessional and unknowledgeable agents, transferring me first to Expedia and then to Air Canada. They wore me down. I then went online and read reviews on the performance of the program – from what I saw, every customer who had to make a change on their travel booking experienced exactly the frustration I did.. Has this program gone down hill in recent years on their customer service assistance?

The program itself is fine, but I imagine every travel operator is experiencing customer service issues. I guess the real problem is knowing who to call. If you book travel through the Avion travel portal, technically speaking, you will go through them to make changes even if you booked an Air Canada flight.

Hi Barry, I’m unsure whether to use my avion infinite Visa card to pay a Europe bike tour purchase as the surcharge is 4 percent or pay with an e-transfer. The foreign currency rate I’m billed at was 1.49. I look forward to your response. Also, if I pay with an e-transfer will I have any travel protection? Thanks in advance! Barbara

Hey Barbara,

A 4% surcharge is quite a bit. That said, an e-transfer may come with fees too. I personally would just choose what’s cheaper. That said, if you don’t pay with your credit card, you don’t get any protection if you need to cancel your tour for a qualifying reason.

Hi Barry, Thank you for your responses. I really appreciate it! Barbara

Regarding financial rewards, more specifically applying a credit to an existing RBC mortgage: is the cash value going to be considered a lump sum payment or something else? I ask this because the options to pay down a mortgage faster are limited to double-up payments upon each scheduled payment, and one lump sum payment (aka prepayment) of up to 10% of the initial principal per year. I already used my yearly lump sum and I’m concerned that I wouldn’t be allowed to redeem my Avion points towards my mortgage or I may be allowed to do so, but I could be issued a penalty for not following the rules. I couldn’t find anything online about what the value of the points redeemed is considered to be.

Hey Stephanie,

If I had to guess, it would count as a prepayment. You’d have to call them to find out for sure.

Too old to travel. So thinking of using my Avion points to buy RBC merchandise. How can I see what is available if I don’t do any banking transactions on a computer?

You need to go to the RBC Avion website to see what items are available for redemption – https://www.avionrewards.com/index.html

On the web site that I see, the first thing that they want is your Visa number. And that is exactly why we don’t do money matters on line.

Avion Rewards is a credit card rewards program. Using your credit card number is how you log in.

Hello I redeemed 130,000 points for a flights to Barcelona from Toronto and had to cancel. What is the value of these points so that I can make a travel insurance claim

That’s a value of $1,300.

Hi Barry, Thought you might be interested in my experience being transitioned from HSBC World Elite MC to RBC Avion Visa. Since I don’t have anything that spells out the fees, conversion rate, etc. I called the RBC conversion team. They are waiving the $120 annual fee for the first year and that’s it. Although the HSBC card did not charge the 2.5% foreign conversion fee, the RBC card does. The extra points which HSBC gave for travel expenses are likewise not available with the RBC card. It seems to me that if I wanted this card I would be better off applying for it and getting the bonus. Very disappointing.

You should have received paperwork about the details of your new card. HSBC World Elite MC holders being switched the Avion Visa Infinite will still get no FX fees on their card.

You’re correct about losing the travel credit after the first year.

The Avion card is a clear downgrade, I mention a few other options in this article – https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-hsbc-clients-may-not-love-their-new-rbc-credit-cards-but-rbcs-avion/

Thanks Barry. I don’t subscribe to the Globe but I assume you suggested the Scotiabank Passport Visa as an alternative. I don’t want to take up your time with all this but I applied for the Scotia card and it developed into a real mess. I’m still trying to find out what happened, currently waiting to hear back from their Escalated Customer Concern team.

I suggested a few.

The Amex Cobalt for high earn rate, Rogers Mastercard for Costco (if you use Rogers), and Platinum for high end travel benefits. If you want no FX, the Scotiabank card is indeed good, but I like the EQ Bank card cuz it has no fees.

I’ll def check into the EQ card, thanks again.

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To participate in this offer, you must have an RBC debit or credit card which is issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”). RBC Business Clients will only be able to link up to two (2) Business Credit Cards and one Business Debit Card to a Petro-Points card.

Any/every/your card means an RBC Card that is linked to a Petro-Points card. A linked RBC Member means you have an RBC debit or credit card issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”) that is linked to a Petro-Points card.

You must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking or the RBC Mobile app in order to link your RBC Card to your Petro-Points card. Card linking may take up to 2 business days to process before savings and bonus points can be applied to purchases. A Linked RBC Card means an RBC Card linked to a Petro-Points Account. Your Linked RBC Card acts as your Petro-Points card. You will automatically earn Petro-Points when you pay for qualifying purchases with your Linked RBC card at Petro-Canada Locations and you do not need to swipe your Petro-Points card before you pay. You can redeem your Petro-Points at Petro-Canada using your Linked RBC Card.

Each time you use your Linked RBC Card to purchase any grade of gasoline, or diesel, at a Petro-Canada Location, you will save three cents ($0.03) per litre at the time of the transaction.

Each time you use your Linked RBC Card to pay for qualifying purchases at a Petro-Canada Location, you will earn a bonus of twenty percent (20%) more Petro-Points than you normally earn, in accordance with the Petro-Points terms and conditions available at https://www.petro-canada.ca/en/personal/terms-and-conditions#petropoints .

Petro-Points are not awarded on tobacco products, vaping products, gift cards, transit tickets and taxes on non-petroleum purchases.

To participate in this offer, you must have an eligible RBC Debit Card, Personal Credit Card or Business Credit Card which is issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”). RBC Business Owners will only be able to link up to two (2) Business Credit Cards and one RBC Debit Card to a Be Well Card.

Eligible RBC Debit Cards are debit cards tied to a personal banking or savings account or a business banking or savings account in good standing that is set up to pay for goods and services at a store or merchant that has point of sale or other designated debit card terminals that accept debit card payments.

You must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking in order to link your RBC Card to your Be Well Card. Card linking may take up to 2 business days to process before Be Well points can be applied to purchases. Each time you scan your Be Well Card and pay with your Linked RBC Card, you will earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Rexall Locations, in accordance with the Be Well Terms and Conditions available at https://www.letsbewell.ca/terms-conditions .

Be Well points are not awarded on taxes; tobacco products; products containing codeine; lottery tickets; alcohol; bottle deposits; gift cards; prepaid cards and wireless or long distance phone cards; event tickets; transit tickets and passes; post office transactions; stamps; passport photos; cash back; gifts with purchases; delivery charges; environmental levies; Home Health Care services/rentals and any other products or services that Rexall / McKesson Canada Corporation may specify from time to time or where prohibited by law.

To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before July 5, 2023 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions (opens in a new window)

Existing Cardholders: Get 10% in statement credits on your first $250 of qualifying purchases, and 5% in statement credits on your next $1,250 of qualifying purchases, after taxes and shipping, when you pay with your eligible RBC debit or credit card from now until July 31, 2023 (“Offer Period”) at participating RONA stores and online. No minimum spend required. Statement credits limited to the first $1,500 of total spend during the Offer Period. This offer is not transferable. To take advantage of this offer, you must activate the offer by clicking the “Load Offer” button in RBC Online Banking before you make your purchase.

Once the offer has been activated you will receive a Statement Credit, calculated on the final price of your Qualifying Purchases after taxes and shipping fees at participating RONA stores in Canada and https://www.rona.ca/ Qualifying Purchase made during the Offer Period with any RBC Royal Bank personal debit or credit card, other than an RBC US Dollar Visa card, (“Eligible RBC Card”) to receive:

• 10% in statement credits on the first $250 spent on Qualifying Purchases, and
• 5% in statement credits on the next $1250 spent on Qualifying Purchases (i.e., spend between $250.01 - $1,500)

(collectively, Statement Credits”).

There is no minimum spend required. Statement Credits are limited to the first $1,500 of total Qualifying Purchases during the Offer Period. Qualifying Purchases exclude payments made through PayPal for online orders, payments by Gift Cards and purchases of items that are out of stock and/or not ready for shipping within the Offer Period.

Please allow up to 30 days from transaction, provided your debit or credit card account was in good standing at that time, for the Statement Credit to appear on the account statement tied to your Eligible RBC Card. Please note that if you paid for your Qualifying Purchase using an Eligible RBC Card that is a credit card, the Statement Credit will not be applied as a payment towards the balance of your credit card account.

This offer may be combined or used in conjunction with any other offers, but cannot be applied retroactively to previous purchases. Returns or price adjustments of your Qualifying Purchase may cancel your Statement Credit.

“Qualifying Purchase” is the final price of your purchases after taxes and shipping fees at participating RONA stores in Canada and https://www.rona.ca/ , but exclude payments made through PayPal for online orders, payments by Gift Cards, and purchases of items that are out of stock and/or not ready for shipping within the Offer Period.

RONA inc., not Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”), is responsible for the sales, returns and shipping terms and conditions applicable to your Qualifying Purchase. RBC reserves the right to cancel, modify or withdraw this offer at any time, even after you have activated it.

Redeem your RBC Rewards Points

Trade with points .

Do you earn RBC Rewards ® points? RBC Direct Investing ® makes it easy for you to use your points for trading.

• Use points earned on your personal RBC Rewards credit cards to pay for commissions on your online and mobile stock, ETF and options trades
• Available for RBC Direct Investing RRSP, TFSA, RESP and non-registered accounts 
• To give you an idea of the conversion rate, you will need approximately 1,200 RBC Rewards points to place an equity trade that costs $9.95 Canadian 1

To pay for a trade using points, simply go to the Order Entry  page and tick the Pay trade commission using RBC Rewards ® Points box. Continue to the next page, where you’ll see the estimated commission in dollars, along with an estimated equivalent number of points for the commission.

Make a contribution

RBC Rewards points earned on your personal RBC credit cards can easily be converted to cash for deposits or contributions into your RBC Direct Investing accounts. A few things to keep in mind:

• Qualifying accounts for contributions/deposits include: RRSPs, tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs), registered education savings plans (RESPs) and non-registered cash accounts

Go to  Transfer RBC Rewards Points under My Portfolio to get started.

RBC Direct Investing Inc. and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. RBC Direct Investing Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada and is a Member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Royal Bank of Canada and certain of its issuers are related to RBC Direct Investing Inc. RBC Direct Investing Inc. does not provide investment advice or recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of any securities. Investors are responsible for their own investment decisions. RBC Direct Investing is a business name used by RBC Direct Investing Inc.

® /™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under license. © Royal Bank of Canada 2018. All rights reserved. 

The RBC Rewards program is offered by the Royal Bank of Canada. The use of RBC Rewards points is subject to the RBC Rewards Terms & Conditions. You cannot earn RBC Rewards points through RBC Direct Investing (RBC DI). You may only use your points through RBC DI to: (1) pay for trade commissions on your eligible RBC DI accounts; or (2) transfer points to cash contributions to your eligible RBC DI accounts. It is your responsibility to make sure you have sufficient contribution room within your registered plan when transferring points to cash contributions to your registered accounts. The Canada Revenue Agency may apply tax penalties for over-contributions. RBC Direct Investing is not responsible for any such penalties.

1 All RBC Direct Investing clients pay $9.95 flat CDN or U.S. per equity trade with no minimum account balance or trading activity required. $6.95 flat CDN or U.S. per equity trade when you trade 150 times or more per quarter. This pricing only applies to trades placed through an available Automated Service (as such term is defined in RBC Direct Investing’s Operation of Account Agreement), including the online investing site and mobile application. Additional terms and conditions apply. Visit www.rbcdirectinvesting.com/lowtrades or call 1-800-769-2560 for complete details.

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