Introduction:
Imagine this: someone walks up to you and offers to pay for your next flight. Sounds like a dream, right? What if I told you that you could essentially do this yourself, simply through your everyday spending?
Over the next few posts, we will explore how to leverage points from various programs to significantly reduce the cost of flights, making travel more attainable. We will start with the basics, work our way through intermediate level redemptions, and wrap up with advanced strategy and tactics.
Ready to dive in? Let’s look at a couple of straightforward ways to use points for flights.
TLDR:
- Redeeming points for statement credits against travel offers great flexibility, particularly through the CIBC Aventura and Scene+ programs.
- Fixed flight reward charts (e.g. CIBC Aventura and RBC Avion) can offer higher point value when redeeming a set number of points for flights up to a specific base fare (useful for last-minute or peak season travel).
- Consider the trade-offs between simplicity/flexibility (statement credits) and the potential for maximizing point value (travel portals and fixed rewards) when redeeming points for flights.
Method 1: Using Points as Statement Credits
Let’s look at a flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Toronto (YYZ) from June 15th to 24th of 2025. A quick search shows a round-trip Air Canada flight costing $841.
Now, how can points help cover this cost?
Programs like Scene+ allow point redemptions as a statement credit against ANY travel purchase at the rate of 1 cent per point (CPP). So, to cover the $841 Air Canada flight entirely with Scene+ points, 84,100 points would be required. A benefit of this method is that points can be used to cover just a partial portion of the cost.
Similarly, programs such as CIBC Aventura, RBC Avion, and American Express Membership Rewards also offer the option to redeem points as statement credits for travel at a similar rate.
Here’s where it gets interesting: the flexibility of programs such as CIBC Aventura and Scene+ allow for redemptions not tied to a specific airline or travel portal. For instance, a cheaper flight from YVR to YYZ is available for $346 via Flair Airlines. Once booked, 34,600 Scene+ or Aventura points can be redeemed as a statement credit to cover the cost.
The takeaway here is simplicity and flexibility: Find the desired flight on any travel website, book it, then apply points to offset the expense as a statement credit.
Method 2: Using Financial Institution Travel Portals
Many financial institutions have their own travel portals to redeem points directly for flights. Generally, each point is valued at 1 cent per point (CPP) and is similar to the statement credit method.
Using the YVR to YYZ Air Canada example again, logging into a financial institution’s travel portal (accessible via a co-branded credit card) often reveals the same flights available for redemption using points. For example, with MBNA Rewards, the flights would cost 84,100 points. With TD Rewards, the flights would cost 168,200 points (Note: The TD First Class travel card earn a minimum of 2 points per dollar spent, effectively giving the points a value of $841).
The convenience here is that booking occurs directly through the portal, much like using an online travel agency. However, a key difference is that not all flights are available on these portals. Typically, only options from larger airlines appear, so the $346 Flair Airlines flight mentioned earlier might not show up.
Method 3: Using Fixed Flight Rewards
Some programs, such as CIBC Aventura and RBC Avion, offer fixed flight rewards that potentially offer a higher value for points.
Let’s continue with our example of the YVR to YYZ Air Canada flight.
CIBC Aventura Fixed Flight Rewards: With Aventura’s fixed flight rewards chart, a round-trip ticket within their “Long-Haul” category (which this flight falls into) can cost up to 35,000 points for a maximum ticket value of $800 (excluding taxes and fees). Note: the taxes and fees for the round-trip flight via Air Canada is $87.93.
Below is CIBC Aventura’s Fixed Flight Rewards chart.
When redeeming points with this redemption chart, the value of each point would be ($841−$87.93)/35000 = $0.0215 per point, or 2.15 CPP. That’s more than double the 1 CPP from a statement credit!
To understand how to calculate CPP, check out this post here.
RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule: RBC Avion has a similar structure where a fixed number of points can be redeemed for a ticket up to a certain price. For example, within North America, 35,000 RBC Avion points can be redeemed for a ticket with a maximum base fare of $750.
Using the same Air Canada flight as an example, it would cost 35,000 Avion points + $3.07 (fare difference) + $87.93 in taxes and fees. This yields a value of 2.14 CPP, which is more than double the value versus choosing a statement credit for travel.
Note: RBC Avion points can be transferred to various airline partners, which can unlock even greater redemption value!
Keep in mind that there are a few drawbacks to these types of redemptions. Firstly, the full amount of points is required; for example, being short even 1 point would make the flight reward chart rate unavailable. Additionally, booking cheaper flights using this method can reduce the overall value of each point, plus, the taxes and fees still need to be paid out of pocket.
In order to maximize the value of travel redemption charts, seek to book higher fares (within the higher end of the redemption range), such as last minute flights or during peak travel season.
Conclusion:
Using points for flights doesn’t have to be complicated. Even basic methods can offer significant savings.
For those who value simplicity and desire the flexibility to book any flight they find, programs such as CIBC Aventura, and Scene+ provide a simple way to redeem points against travel expenses.
Similarly, MBNA Rewards, RBC Avion, and TD Rewards, are great options to redeem points for flights.
For those looking for the potential to squeeze even more value from their points, especially for last-minute or peak season travel, the fixed flight reward charts offered by CIBC Aventura and RBC Avion can be powerful tools. Just remember that these redemptions only cover the base fare, so you’ll still be responsible for taxes and fees.
Have you ever redeemed points for flights using these methods? Share your experiences in the comments below!
Want to explore even more ways to maximize the value of your travel points? Check out our next post here.
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