Avion Rewards is the travel rewards program by RBC Royal Bank in Canada. It allows members to earn Avion points on eligible purchases made with an RBC Avion credit card. These Avion points can then be redeemed for flights, vacation packages, car rentals, hotels, cruises, and more. Avion Rewards is popular among Canadian travelers looking to earn free or discounted travel. In this article, we will take a closer look at the key benefits of the Avion Rewards program.
Earning Avion Points
The primary benefit of Avion Rewards is the ability to earn Avion points quickly on everyday purchases. RBC offers several Avion credit cards that allow you to earn points at an accelerated rate. The standard earn rate is 1 Avion point per $1 spent using an Avion credit card. However, some cards offer bonus categories where you can earn 2, 3, or even 5 points per $1 spent.
Common bonus categories include:
- Groceries
- Gas
- Dining and entertainment
- Travel purchases
- Drugstore purchases
This makes it easy to rack up a lot of Avion points from your everyday spending. For example, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card offers:
- 3 points per $1 on travel purchases
- 2 points per $1 on groceries, dining, and gas
- 1 point per $1 on everything else
If you spend $500 per month on groceries, $300 on gas, $400 dining out, and $1,000 on other everyday purchases, you could earn 25,900 Avion points per year just from everyday spending.
RBC also regularly offers sign-up bonuses when you open a new Avion credit card. Currently, you can earn up to 65,000 Avion points as a new cardholder bonus. This immediately gives you a large starting balance of points to redeem for travel.
Redeeming for Flights
Once you’ve earned a stash of Avion points, you have lots of great options for redeeming them. One of the best uses is booking free or discounted flights. Here are some of the flight redemption options:
Fixed Points Travel
You can redeem Avion points online through RBC’s Fixed Points Travel reservation system. Flights are booked based on fixed Avion point requirements, with no blackout dates. Some example point costs for roundtrip economy flights include:
Short-Haul Flight | 15,000 – 25,000 Avion points |
Domestic Flight | 25,000 – 50,000 Avion points |
Flight to the U.S. | 50,000 – 80,000 Avion points |
Flight to Europe | 75,000 – 125,000 Avion points |
Flight to Asia | 100,000 – 150,000 Avion points |
This option provides excellent value, with roundtrip flights often costing 25-50% less in points than paying cash fares. You can also book one-way flights at half the roundtrip cost.
Avion Flight Redemption Schedule
You can also redeem Avion points through RBC’s flight redemption schedule, which offers discounted flights on major airlines like WestJet, American Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. Flights start at just 10,000 Avion points one-way in economy class. Using the flight redemption schedule, you can save approximately 2.5 cents per Avion point redeemed compared to paying cash fares.
Other Airline Rewards
RBC partners with several major airlines to allow transferring Avion points into airline frequent flyer programs. Partners include:
- British Airways Executive Club
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- WestJet Rewards
You can transfer 1 Avion point to 1 airline mile/point in any partner program. This provides added flexibility to book award flights on your preferred airline.
Redeeming for Vacation Packages
In addition to flights, you can redeem Avion points for complete vacation packages including flights + hotels + car rentals. Packages start at just 25,000 Avion points total for short haul flights.
Some sample vacation package point costs include:
Short-Haul Package | 25,000 – 35,000 Avion points |
Domestic Canada Package | 50,000 – 75,000 Avion points |
U.S. Package | 75,000 – 100,000 Avion points |
Europe Package | 100,000 – 150,000 Avion points |
Asia/South Pacific Package | 150,000 – 175,000 Avion points |
These represent huge savings, with overall package costs reduced by 35-50% compared to booking separately. Packages combine fixed Avion point flights with discounted hotel + car rates.
Redeeming for Hotels
While Avion points are best used for flights, you can also redeem them for hotel stays. RBC has partnered with several leading hotel brands:
- Fairmont Hotels
- Intercontinental Hotels
- Carlson Rezidor Hotels
Hotels range from luxury 5-star properties to more budget-friendly 3-star brands. You can book stays starting at just 5,000 Avion points per night. Compared to regular cash rates, you can save approximately 20-35% off hotel stays when redeeming Avion points.
Redeeming for Car Rentals
Avion points can be redeemed for car rentals with AVIS or Budget Rent a Car. The base redemption rate is 5,000 Avion points per day. Each rental day costs 5,000 points, regardless of car type. Additional drivers and extras like GPS can also be added for just 500-1000 points.
This represents excellent value, since car rentals typically start around $50 USD per day. With Avion points, you can save 50-75% off regular rental costs.
Redeeming for Cruises
You can book cruises around the world using your Avion points. RBC partners with all major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, and more. Point costs vary by the type of stateroom, destination, and length of sailing.
Some sample cruise redemptions include:
7-night Caribbean Cruise | 50,000 – 75,000 Avion points |
7-night European Cruise | 75,000 – 100,000 Avion points |
7-night Alaska Cruise | 100,000 – 125,000 Avion points |
Depending on cabin type, cruise redemptions can save you 50% or more compared to booking directly with the cruise line. Interior cabins provide the lowest point costs.
Other Benefits
Aside from redemptions, Avion Rewards provides other valuable benefits:
- No blackout dates – All travel rewards can be booked year-round, with no blackout periods
- No seat restrictions – Access to any seats on flights when booking with Avion points
- Companion Vouchers – Get 50% off a second ticket when you redeem for flights
- Multi-carrier coverage – redeem for flights on all major airlines worldwide
- Points don’t expire – Avion points never expire as long as your credit card account remains open
Is Avion Rewards Worth It?
Overall, Avion Rewards offers tremendous value and flexibility for RBC credit cardholders. With the ability to redeem points for flights, vacation packages, hotels, car rentals, and cruises, you can book almost any type of trip imaginable.
If you spend heavily on an RBC Avion credit card, you can easily earn tens of thousands of Avion points per year from your purchases. This brings hundreds or even thousands of dollars in travel rewards within reach. The benefits only increase the more you spend on an RBC Avion card.
While Avion points generally provide the best value when redeemed for flights, the flexibility to redeem for any travel expense is useful. This allows you to redeem points for your specific trip needs.
With no blackout dates or seat restrictions, booking award travel with Avion points is easy. RBC also provides a very user-friendly online booking platform to search for and redeem Avion travel rewards.
Overall, Avion Rewards remains one of the top travel loyalty programs for Canadian credit cardholders. The high earn rates, flexibility, and strong redemption values make it easy to get free or discounted travel exclusively using Avion points earned from spending.
Conclusion
Avion Rewards offers Canadian credit cardholders a straightforward and rewarding way to earn free travel from everyday spending. With multiple credit cards to earn accelerated Avion points on purchases, sign-up bonuses, and flexible redemption options, accumulating enough points for free flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, and more is realistic for anyone.
If you travel frequently and want an easy way to reduce the costs, the Avion Rewards program is a great option. Even occasional travelers can benefit from the savings and perks offered when redeeming Avion points for flights, car rentals, hotels, and other travel rewards. With no blackout dates or seat restrictions when booking award travel, you can take that dream trip at a fraction of the regular costs.
Overall, Avion Rewards provides exceptional ongoing value and is one of the best travel loyalty programs available for Canadian credit card users today.