Travel to France With Your Points and Miles
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Travelling to France from Canada is a dream for many, but did you know that this dream can become a reality without putting too much strain on your wallet? Many French people, or Franco-Canadians like us, take this route every year.
By making intelligent use of your points and miles, you can book flights, accommodation and even cover certain expenses on the spot. Don’t book your tickets to France without applying these tips.
Understanding the Basics: Points and Miles for Travelling to France From Canada
The more experienced know that before diving into the strategy, it’s essential to understand the different types of points and miles available to you. So, to travel to France (or elsewhere in the world), you will have different types of points that can be used:
- Credit card points: these can be redeemed for flights, hotels or Statement credit. For example, with the Scene+ or American Express Membership Rewards. In this case, you won’t benefit from the same low fares as with miles, but you can reduce the cost of your ticket thanks to a statement credit. Therefore, it is recommended to prioritize booking economy class flights.
- Airline miles: these are adapted to flight bookings, particularly with Aeroplan or Flying Blue, and are the most practical way of booking your tickets and accessing the different fare classes (economy, business, first class).
- Hotel programs: you can use your hotel program points to convert them into airline points. It’s not the best use, but it’s possible. It is advisable to wait for promotions to transfer your points and benefit from a better conversion rate.
Choosing the Right Credit Card Before Booking Your Trip to France
Credit Cards With No Conversion Fee
Travelling abroad often involves conversion fees, but some credit cards eliminate them, allowing you to save money as soon as you arrive in France. It’s an undeniable advantage, and one that makes them the « preffered” cards of our team!
For my part, one of the cards I have is the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card, which offers the following benefits:
- No foreign currency conversion charges
- 5 points per dollar at grocery stores and participating restaurants and bars
- A generous welcome bonus to save on your next trip
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$500Total$500Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $500
- Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months
- Up to 50,000 points
- Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now
on Scotiabank's website
However, it doesn’t offer access to airport lounges, which isn’t a problem for me as Jean-Maximilien has the American Express Platinum Card® which offers Priority Pass membership and access to over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide. Despite the high annual fee, it’s a card that easily pays for itself thanks to the annual credits: $200 for travel and $200 for meals, in addition to its other benefits.
- Annual fee
- $799
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,190Total$1,190Plus $510 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,190
- Welcome offerAfter $10,000 in 3 months
- Up to 100,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
If you’re interested in airport lounge access, I’d recommend the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card, which gives you six free annual accesses to VIP airport lounges. There are no conversion fees, 3 points per dollar at grocery stores and restaurants, and a generous welcome bonus in Scene+ points.
- Annual fee
- $150
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-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.
- $350
- Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months
- Up to 35,000 points
- Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now
on Scotiabank's website
Start your trip in the Air France KLM lounge at the Montreal-Trudeau YUL airport, before taking off for Paris or any other French or European city.
By using one of our Scotiabank cards to pay for your flight, you can redeem your points for a Statement credit to reduce the cost of your trip.
With 25,000 Scene+ points, for example, you can reduce the cost of a booked plane ticket by $250!
Airline Points Credit Cards
To earn airline points or miles, the best way is to have a credit card co-branded with an airline.
In Canada, Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flyer program is the best known, of course, and offers access to a wide range of partner flights. One of the best cards for travel rewards is American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card. This credit card is the best for frequent travellers and offers, among other things:
- 3 times the points with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations,
- a generous welcome bonus in Aeroplan points,
- access to the Maple Leaf Lounges and
- access to a preferential rate when booking airfares.
- Annual fee
- $599
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,200Total$1,200Plus $500 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,200
- Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 3 months
- Up to 85,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Points can also be accumulated with Aeroplan via the following excellent credit cards offered by CIBC and TD:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $599 | |||
| $0 |
To travel to Europe on low-cost flights, in addition to Aeroplan points, other airline points can be useful and accumulated, in particular via:
- the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard for WestJet points,
- or the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card for Avios points for flights with Aer Lingus.
The latter will be useful if you wish to make a stopover via London, for example, in the off-season. You can then reach France by short-haul flight or train.
Credit Cards Offering Flying Blue Miles
Flying Blue Miles can be earned in Canada with the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard®. You can earn 30 XP per year to increase your Flying Blue status, and 2 Miles per dollar spent in restaurants and bars. You can travel on Air France KLM and all Skyteam alliance partner airlines.
Flying Blue Miles can then be exchanged for flight awards. As a member of the program, you have access to all classes and all seats. Prices are dynamic, starting at 21,500 Flying Blue Miles in economy class and 53,000 Flying Blue Miles in business class to Europe.
Flying Blue also offers an attractive 25% discount on award tickets for children aged 2 to 11 travelling with an adult, regardless of class of service.
Finally, in 2025, it was announced that it will be possible to combine a long-haul flight with a train journey via a single booking. It will be interesting to evaluate prices with this option for travel to France via London.
Membership Rewards Credit Cards
Finally, one of the best options for easy travel to France or elsewhere is the American Express Membership Rewards card, which lets you transfer your points to other programs. With the American Express Cobalt® Card one of the best cards in Canada (who doesn’t already have one?), lets you quickly accumulate Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to a partner loyalty program when you book your ticket to France. For example, 15,000 Membership Rewards points can be converted into:
- 15,000 Aeroplan points
- 15,000 Avios points
- or 11,250 Flying Blue Miles
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Book Your Flights With Points
To maximize your savings, as always, we recommend booking your tickets in advance or at the last minute. To find availability, use the Google Flights and Seats Aero tools to check the different possible routes and get an idea of the prices in effect at the time of your search.
Then, take advantage of the airline points programs to book on any fare class at the best price. The easiest way is to book with Aeroplan for a direct flight to Paris.
Getting to Paris With Points
Looking at Google Flights and ticking the Flexible dates option with a one-week trip in the next six months, you can quickly see the most economical flight offers.
In comparison, you can find flights with Aeroplan and its Star Alliance partners. With Aeroplan, fares start from 35,000 points for an economy flight. This amount may vary according to availability and dynamic fluctuations in fare regulations imposed by Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners.
To make sure it’s a good deal, calculate the value of your points before booking (cost per point). Flying Blue, especially in low season, can offer significant discounts thanks to its dynamic fares in both economy and business class.
Getting to One of France’s Major Cities With Points
Whether you want to get to Lyon, Marseille, Nice or any other French city from Canada, it’s easy. All are particularly well served from Paris, from where you’ll find numerous short-haul flights.
Keep an eye out for Flying Blue’s Promos Rewards promotions, which regularly offer discounts of up to 50% on certain routes to Marseille, particularly in low season.
Alternatively, you can use your Aeroplan points to fly to Paris, then take a TGV (about 3 hours) or a domestic flight with Air France. In this case, use your Scene+ points to cover the cost of the train or domestic flight.
However, to optimize your points and miles, it’s best to look at other options.
That being said, if you want to reach another French city, a stopover in Paris is not the best solution. Consider the flights offered by Aeroplan ‘s partners, which can take you to other European destinations (Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich, etc.) to save more and take a train or low-cost flight to the French city you want.
This is what we do at least once a year, so we can travel business class with our families at a lower cost. These options via Star Alliance partners often offer better value than direct flights or connections via Paris. What’s more, they avoid the high carrier surcharges sometimes found on Air Canada flights.
If you’re travelling with Lufthansa, Frankfurt airport offers excellent Star Alliance lounges, such as Senator Lounge, available to Star Alliance Gold status holders.
Similarly, flights via Zurich with Swiss also offer comfortable lounges. However, as Swiss’s connecting flights are generally very short (1 hour), it’s difficult to take full advantage of them. You could also take advantage of a stopover of less than 24 hours and visit Zurich!
Bottom Line
Travelling between France and Canada with points requires planning and flexibility, but also offers substantial savings. We know this well, as we’ve been travelling between the two countries for over ten years now.
Here are the key points to remember:
- Combine different points programs intelligently (Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Membership Rewards)
- Book early (11 months in advance) or at the last minute.
- Consider alternative airports and train connections.
- Take advantage of seasonal loyalty program promotions.
- Don’t forget to use a card with no conversion fees once you’re there.
With these strategies in hand, your next trip to France will not only be possible, but economical too. Have a good trip!
All these routes are considered as flights of less than 6,000 miles in Aeroplan’s fare structure, which means that you can get great fares, especially in business class. These options via Star Alliance partners often offer better value than direct flights or connections via Paris. Plus, they avoid the high carrier surcharges sometimes found on Air Canada flights.
Ready to plan your trip to France? Check out our guides to Paris and Disneyland Paris.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do I need to enter France?
To enter France from Canada, you will need:
- A passport valid for the duration of your stay.
- Proof of travel insurance to cover medical expenses, if required.
- A return ticket or proof of exit from France.
Do Canadians need a visa to come to France?
No. Canadian citizens can enter France without a visa for tourist or business stays of less than 90 days. However, they must comply with the requirements of the Schengen Area, notably by presenting a valid passport and the documents mentioned above.
How can I use my points to book a hotel in France?
You can use your points from programs like Marriott Bonvoy to book luxury or affordable hotels. Some cards, like American Express Membership Rewards, also allow you to convert points into hotel stays.
Can I use points to pay for my train journeys in France?
Yes, some programs like Aeroplan or Scene+ allow you to redeem points to cover train tickets or journeys with partner services.
How can I avoid carrier fees when booking tickets with points?
Opt for flights with partners such as Swiss or Lufthansa via Aeroplan, as they often apply fewer surcharges than direct flights with Air Canada.
When is the best time to book a flight with points to France?
We recommend:
- to book 11 months in advance,
- wait for last-minute promotions to maximize the value of your points.
- to travel in low-season periods.
To visit France, spring and autumn are the best times to avoid the crowds and take advantage of low fares.
What if my points aren’t enough for an award ticket?
You can top up with cash using credit cards with no conversion fees, or buy extra points during program promotions.
Can I travel with a dog in France?
Yes, but your pet must have a pet passport, a microchip and be vaccinated against rabies.