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Flight reservation : Turkish Airlines A330 | Business Class | YUL-IST

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Flight reservation : Turkish Airlines A330 | Business Class | YUL-IST

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Flight Carrier
Turkish Airlines
Departing Airport
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport Montreal
Arrival Airport
Beirut International Airport
Aircraft
Airbus A330
Cabin Class
Business Class
Cost
400,000 miles round trip
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We often talk about the mini-tours of the world that you can do with Aeroplan, but you can also use the advantages of the program for shorter but just as exotic itineraries. Example with my next trip.

The rules on mini world tours

Behind the expression “mini-tour du monde” lies in fact an itinerary that maximizes the rules of the Aeroplan program and can be summed up in one sentence: a round trip to one or more continents with 2 stops and one destination.

In detail, it is an award ticket that includes the following conditions:

  • It’s a round trip (you can’t make a stop on an award ticket that contains only a one-way trip)
  • You can make up to two stops or one stop and one open route
  • The itinerary must be at least between two continents (intercontinental flight), e.g. North America to Europe or North America to Asia via Europe.

Other rules apply on flights within Canada and to the USA (one stop or one open leg) or flights from Canada or the USA to Hawaii, Central America and Puerto Rico: 2 stops/ 1 stop and one stopover if the route contains only Air Canada flights or 1 stop / 1 open leg if one of the flights is operated by a Star Alliance partner).

Example of a route between Montreal and Beirut

The cost in miles from Montreal to Beirut (“Middle East and North Africa” region according to theAeroplan price list) is 165,000 miles round trip in Business class.

We stopped over in Istanbul several times but never for more than 24 hours, so we just had a glimpse of this city full of history. We wanted to take the opportunity to visit another city in the region and chose Beirut. The latter being smaller, it allowed us to visit two cities without overloading ourselves.

Montreal – Istanbul via Boston: stop 1 and stop 2

There’s a direct flight from Montreal but availability wasn’t there. Thanks to FlightConnections, I can see that there are flights to quite a few cities in the USA from Turkey.

tk flight connection

And bingo, Boston has two seats in business class with very minimal taxes ($14).

bos ist

The flight from Montreal to Boston isn’t hard to find, in fact it’s our first stop, so we take the opportunity to catch a Red Sox game at the famous Fenway Stadium. This is an economy flight because the aircraft serving this route does not contain a business cabin.

yul bos

Istanbul – Beirut: from Stop 2 to Destination

The trip from Istanbul (the second stop) to Beirut (the destination) is also operated by Turkish Airlines, availability is not a problem and taxes are low here too ($40).

ist bey

Beirut – Montreal via Dubovnik and Paris: from destination to departure city with 2 long stopovers

The return journey will be more sporting, as no flights are found by the online site’s search engine. I have to search by segment and most routes go through Germany so with Lufthansa charging big surcharges. If I have to pay taxes, I’d rather go through Paris to see the family on the way. I find this itinerary a breeze:

bey ath cdg

It can be scary but for an aviation geek like me, I am curious to know two new companies: Aegean Airlines and Croatia Airlines and with a 7 hours connection in Dubrovnik I hope to have a glimpse of this famous city.

The last segment is a flight between Paris and Montreal, respecting the rule of one stop of less than 24 hours (connection instead of a stopover), as I’ve already used up my two stops in addition to my destination (Boston = Stop 1 / Istanbul = Stop 2 / Beirut = Destination).

This flight is done the next day, I will be able to spend the evening at my brother’s in Paris. Taxes are high ($400) but we get a lot of value from our itinerary, so I don’t mind in this case.

cdg yul

The complete route on a map

Here is the route on gcmap:

map 2

Montreal – Boston (first stop) – Istanbul (second stop) – Beirut (destination) – Athens – Dubrovnik – Paris – France. Montreal

Credit and debit cards for this type of trip

Three cards here to highlight:

We often talk in the facebook group “Travel for free (or almost…!) with your points & miles – milesopedia” about the technique to collect many points & miles via American Express cards.

The American Express Platinum Card is the “cornerstone” of this technique, in addition to offering numerous travel benefits (access to airport lounges, hotel status, etc.).

Annual fee
$799
Our valuation
$1,700
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Welcome offer
Up to 100,000 points
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Terms of the offer

  • Unlock special experiences with the newly designed metal Platinum Card
  • New Platinum® Cardmembers, earn 25,000 Welcome Bonus Membership Rewards® points when you charge $2,000 in purchases to your Card in the first three months of Cardmembership
  • Earn 3 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible dining in Canada, 2 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible travel, and 1 point for every $1 in all other Card purchases
  • You will have access to a $200 CAD Annual Travel Credit to use towards any single travel booking of $200 or more charged to your Platinum Card and made on www.americanexpress.ca/travel or through Platinum Card® Travel Service
  • Take full advantage of the American Express Global Lounge Collection which unlocks access to over 1200 airport lounges worldwide. This includes The Centurion® Lounge network, Plaza Premium Lounges, and hundreds of other domestic and international lounges designed to enhance your travel experience
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The Platinum Card® is the best premium card in Canada for travellers.

With this welcome offer, you can earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards® points:

  • 70,000 points after charging $10,000 to your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership
  • 30,000 points when you make a purchase between the 15th and 17th month after your Cardmembership begins

With this Card, you get:

  • 2 points per $1 on eligible dining and delivery purchases in Canada
  • 2 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases charged to the Card
  • 1 point per $1 on all other purchases charged to the Card

You can use your Membership Rewards® points in many ways:

  • Transfer points to airline partners: Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways / Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, etc.
  • Transfer points to hotel partners, including Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy
  • Redeem points for statement credits to offset any travel purchase charged to your Card (1,000 points = $10)
  • Redeem points for statement credits towards other purchases (1,000 points = $10)
  • And more!

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards® points to a partner loyalty program, you could earn up to:

  • 100,000 Aeroplan points
  • 100,000 Avios
  • 100,000 Flying Blue Miles
  • 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With this card, you also have advantages for your travels:

  • $200 Annual Travel Credit
  • An annual meal credit of $200
  • A $100 statement credit for NEXUS membership
  • Complimentary access for you and one additional guest to more than 1,550 airport lounges in over 140 countries
  • Hilton Honors Gold status
  • Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
  • Access to the Fine Hotels + Resorts program

Last but not least, The Platinum Card® offers a wide range of insurance coverage: rental car theft and damage, $500,000 travel accident, emergency medical expenses (out-of-province or out-of-country), lost or stolen baggage, flight delays and misdirected baggage, hotel or motel burglary, Purchase Protection, Purchase Security.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

Annual fee

Primary card$799
Additional card$250

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xTravel
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,482
2nd Year Value$470

Transfer partners

  • AeroplanAirline
  • British Airways ClubAirline
  • Cathay Asia MilesAirline
  • Etihad GuestAirline
  • Flying BlueAirline
  • Hilton HonorsHotel
  • Marriott BonvoyHotel

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$400
Travel creditsIncluded

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Trip CancellationUp to $2,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $1,000
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

And to keep travel costs to a minimum, there’s the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport card, with no foreign exchange conversion fees. We have made a detailed presentation in this article.

Annual fee
$150
Our valuation
$350
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 points
Ends Nov 1, 2026
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on Scotiabank's website

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card +* CardMC, you’ll earn 25,000 welcome bonus Scene+ points after charging $2,000 in purchases to your account within the first three months.

Plus, every year, earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 Scene+ points when you charge at least $40,000 in purchases to your account. In total, the offer represents up to 35,000 Scene+ points and a value of up to $1,250 in the first year, including rewards, savings on foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn 3 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and participating Co-ops, and 2 points per $1 spent at other grocery stores, restaurants, eligible entertainment and eligible daily transit. You earn 1 point per $1 on all your other everyday purchases.

These points can be redeemed against any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb), or as cash back with Scene+ at the same rate.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card also offers:

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 complimentary airport VIP lounge passes
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Visa Infinite* Concierge Services

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

0%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xEntertainment
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$650
2nd Year Value$397

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$240

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $1,000,000 / 3 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Finally, to access cash, there is a free prepaid debit card, the CIBC Air Canada AC Prepaid Visa Conversion Card, which we have detailed in this article. For this trip, it would allow for example to load Turkish Lira (TRY). It is possible to load this card with a credit card… which allows to easily unlock a welcome bonus!

Our featured card

Featured
Annual fee
$0 $139
No annual fee the first year
Our valuation
$1,139
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Annual fee rebated$139Total$1,139Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 50,000 points
+ First Year Annual Fee Rebate
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on TD's website

With this offer for the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you can get up to 50,000 Aeroplan points as well as an Annual Fee rebate for the first year.

  • Earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first Purchase with your new Card
  • Earn 15,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $3,000 within 90 days of Account opening.
  • Plus, earn a one-time anniversary bonus of 25,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $12,000 within 12 months of Account opening

This card also allows you to enjoy travel benefits, such as a free first checked bag for you and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation, as well as a rebate on the NEXUS program application fee (up to $100 CAD per eligible cardholder) every 48 months.

With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on:

  • Grocery purchases
  • Gas and electric vehicle charging purchases
  • Purchases made directly with Air Canada® (including Air Canada Vacations®)

You also earn 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases made with your card.

Annual fee

Primary card$139
Additional card$75

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 1.5xGas & EV
  • 1.5xGroceries
  • 1.5xAir Canada flights
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,714
2nd Year Value$425

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $2,000,000 / 21 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $2,000,000 / 21 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $2,000,000 / 4 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

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