^Hmm okay, I guess I will have to contact AC. Thanks!

No. With Aeroplan redemptions, there are several airlines that charge YQ (Fuel surcharge) and several do not. It is totally possible to do some AWESOME trips without paying a dollar in YQ. There were still be a few bucks in airport taxes, etc. but it's totally possible to do a roundtrip to Asia in business class for under $100 a person in taxes/fees.

However, on the other hand, it's also possible to pay HUGE fuel surcharge... i.e. a round-trip YVR-SYD-YVR ticket on Air Canada in business costs whatever number of points plus $1200 in taxes/fees.

My total itinerary is costing me just under $1000 in taxes/fees which is a lot, but I have voluntarily selected to fly Thai and All Nippon first class flights which do add fees. However, the cost to fly my itinerary and try out all these flights would be upwards of $30k (I am aiming for 5 first class flights at the end of the day) so I consider it to be money well spent for an experience I will not be able to easily duplicate.

Mark

Is there specific airlines I should avoid or a better way to use my aeroplan points efficiently?

I recently used my aeroplan points to fly economy to Korea and Tokyo via AC and the fees amounted to about $400. Whereas my buddy who used his United points probably only paid less than $50 in fees.

Here let me go ahead and Google that for you...

Fuel Surcharges on Aeroplan Award Tickets - Canadian Kilometers - Canadian Kilometers

http://boardingarea.com/onemileatati...el-surcharges/

Also, it is always better value to book premium cabins over economy.

Mark

Damn, I got beat! Was about to post that exact same link. :P

Yes, when you look at economy redemptions, the cost will be almost the same as buying the ticket. Much better to do J or F for better value per point.

@lowside67: Out of curiosity, how do you get people to sign up with your referral link for cards?


Question for anyone, what are your thoughts on the new CIBC aventura points compared to Aeroplan? I am deciding between which one is worth collecting...

They are mostly all people I know - friends, family, myself. I have referred two RS members so far.

I ditched my Aventura Mastercard for the Aerogold Infinite. The Aventura points are not worth it... it's 10,000 points per $100 of plane tickets or hotels so it's basically almost a cashback card. Aeroplan points are better value for money, especially for those expensive domestic routes. 15,000 AP points + taxes/fees gets me to Smithers and back, compared to $500 ticket/50,000 Aventura points.

Definitely say no to Aventura. TD points operate on the same basis, basically 1% and limited to travel only... total waste of time. Aeroplan rewards aren't perfect, but for somebody who fits the profile - travels business class, flexible on dates, values multiple stops - they are actually a fantastic redemption vehicle. The 3 stops on ticket allowance is brilliant.

Mark

Just to confirm: 3 Stops = 1 layover + destination + 1 layover right?

No. Your ticket can have unlimited <24 hour layovers (these are called "transits"). You can have a destination and two stops of unlimited duration (total ticket cannot exceed 1 year).

Ie my ticket looks like this... I have bolded the stops.

YVR-YYZ (2 hours)
YYZ-IST (12 weeks)
IST-FRA (3 hours)
FRA-BKK (3 weeks)
BKK-HND (2 hours)
HND-FRA (1 week)
FRA-ORD (3 hours)
ORD-YVR

You can also use an open jaw if you like, and you can still only stop at 3 stops, but 2 are implied to be the two sides of the open jaw. This is my second ticket.

IST-ADD (12 hours)
ADD-MBA (9 weeks)
-open jaw-
CPT-JNB (2 hours)
JNB-CAI (6 days)
CAI-IST

Any opinions on VISA Avion?

I've been contemplating switching to an Aeroplan card instead.

I have an RBC Avion and up until TD releasing Aeroplan Visa cards, it was my go to as it offers UP TO 2% value on your points. However, with the TD Aeroplan Visa cards, I can't see any point to continuing with Avion and will burn my points and switch to TD. It is always better to collect less points in one place than more points but split between two as then you can very seldom use them.

Mark

The 50% transfer bonus to BA Avios is good for flying around continental US? Good redemption rates on AA.

I have the infinite avion the way you select flights etc with their online booking is pretty awesome

However I wasn't prepared for the additional fee's when I booked a few flights and taxes + charges were like 120% of the flight itself

Also I've heard that when you get the 1.5 BA miles the BA miles are much harder and limited bookings than using the avion points
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For shorthauls (e.g. NY -> YYZ), it's awesome. There's also some sweet deals on cathay flying out of the states

Off the top of my head:
- United
- Eva
- Singapore
- China Air

LOT apparently has very reasonable scam charges.

If you're flying to asia with aeroplan, look for flights that go out of Seattle, Lax or SFO. The AC flights to those cities dont have surcharges for whatever reason.

The other thing you can do is book a flight with a shitty itinerary with no surcharges. Fly one leg, then change your flight to whatever you want. Of course you risk the chance of there not being the flight..

I agree, I recently started to do *A status from OW and went with Aegean since they have a 1000 status miles bonus sign up, and after one trip from YVR - FCO already gain *Silver, and the rest of the top of miles I just flew on Air China from SZX to PEK/PVG on F for the 300% miles do it for 5 times and hit *Gold already.
so if your just looking for *A status quickly this is a great program to do it with.

I have a AMEX and I average around 50,000 points a month which I convert to BA, AA or Asiamiles. Be warned though, Avios sucks for long haul flights and like mentioned above it's good for short haul flights. YVR - JFK on Cathay is always available including J but that's about it.

And one thing about points is when you book flights within Canada you're going to pay much higher taxes and fees. If you originate your flight from say SEA you'll save money. If you're flying into LHR on points well good luck because the fees are ridiculous which I learned the hard way.

Well it's easier on Avion because with Avion you're basically "buying" the tickets with the Avion points. You still get hit with surcharges and stuff though which does hurt a bit.

With the BA Avios, you have to be smart on how you use it. Long flights can get hit by pretty big fuel surcharges, especially on BA. Better on partners, who do not charge or charge minimal surcharges. It's not too hard finding space for booking, just have to be a bit creative in finding routes. Some popular ones do get filled quickly.

I like using it for short flights (YVR-LAX, NYC-YVR etc.) because it's a distance based award so it works great. I'm using it for the Singapore-Colombo leg of my trip on Cathay, and only pay 20k Avios + $63 per person in business class.
Agreed! :D

Generally use AA to redeem for long haul flights, BA for short trips (YVR-LAX) and AM for upgrades flying on CX.

:okay:

I know... I pre-booked all my family vacation for 2014 before the deadline. Although I don't even know my schedule by then... :fuckthatshit:

It feels awesome to blow all half million miles at once... but it was like 2 days before the deadline and I was literally on a mission how to use all the miles while maximizing the layover/open jars... :accepted:

I see roastpuff's been trying hard these two days to get his complimentary MPO Gold :troll:

If only I can claim miles for all my trips :pokerface: