All-Inclusive Travel: The Best Credit Cards for Southern Vacations Using Points
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When you get the chance to spend a week at an all-inclusive resort down South, it’s already pretty amazing. What would be even better?
- Eating, drinking and relaxing in a lounge before taking off;
- To be protected in the event of lost luggage;
- To be taken care of in the event of a medical emergency;
- Have paid for your vacation with reward points from daily purchases;
- Collect as many reward points as possible on this trip to finance the next one!
In fact, credit card rewards points can make your all-inclusive trip practically free!
The Best Credit Cards to Get an All-Inclusive Package for Free (Or Almost)
It’s easy to earn $1,500 in travel rewards to pay for an all-inclusive trip every year. How?
First Option: With a Large Volume of Annual Expenses
In the world of points hunting, there’s no such thing as the best credit card: you have to build up a portfolio of credit cards to optimize each type of purchase (groceries, restaurants, gas, travel, etc.).
For example, the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard defines reward categories as follows:
As a result, it’s possible to accumulate between $700 and $1,000 in BONUSDOLLARS by spending between $50,000 and $100,000 a year.
- $700 in cashback: $10,000 in the 3% grocery category ($300) and $40,000 in the 1% category from $10,001 ($400), following changes since June 29, 2025.
- $1,000 in cashback: $100,000 in the other category (1%)
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $130 | |||
| $395 |
Option 2: Credit Card Welcome Bonuses
What to do when you don’t have a large purchase volume? Turn to credit card sign-up bonuses to afford a vacation in the South.
In fact, it’s possible to collect over $1,500 in rewards for our all-inclusive trip.
Travel point strategies that can be applied to the travel package and cash back are preferred for all-inclusive vacations.
Here’s an example of a strategy:
| CREDIT CARD | BONUS | MINIMUM EXPENSES | POINTS with expenses | ANNUAL FEES | FINAL VALUE |
| TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card | 160,000 TD Rewards points | $7,500 | 15,000 points | Fee rebated in the first year | $875 |
| Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite +* Card | 25,000 Scene+ points | $2,000 | 4,000 points | $150 | $290 |
| BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* | 60,000 BMO Rewards points | $5,000 | 5,000 points | Fee waived in the first year | $433 |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | 15,000Membership Rewards points | $9,000 spread over the first year | 45,000 Membership Rewards* points | $191.88
| $600 |
| TOTAL | $341.88 | $2,198 |
*by maximizing the minimum monthly spending requirement in the 5 points per dollar (groceries, restaurants and food delivery) category.
This strategy accumulates $1,856 in net value ($2,198 – $342) on $23,500 in expenses, for a return of nearly 8%! Offers in effect as of October 26, 2026: the Scotiabank offer ends on November 1, 2026, and the BMO offer on December 7, 2026.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $191.88 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $150 |
This all-inclusive credit card strategy uses four types of rewards points to offset the cost of a sun vacation.
Admittedly, this requires some credit card management, but you’ll be on the beach much more quickly and easily than waiting to spend $50,000 in order to get enough points. It’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it!
Finally, if you really have $50,000 or more in annual spending, why not collect a lot more points for several all-inclusive tripsa year?
How to Use Credit Card Points for an All-Inclusive Vacation in the South
There are many ways to pay for an all-inclusive trip with credit card travel points.
With a travel rewards credit card, you can use your reward points to cover part or even all of the cost of your Southern vacation.
Here are some examples of how travel points can be used for sunny destination packages.
BMO Rewards Points
With the Pay with Points feature of BMO Rewards, you can apply your points to any trip booked with the provider of your choice, at 150 points per $1, such as an all-inclusive trip.
If you get the BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*, the welcome bonus goes up to 115,000 points depending on your spending, including 60,000 points after $5,000 in purchases within the first 110 days. Those 60,000 points are worth $400 towards any travel purchase! Like an all-inclusive trip.
If there’s more than one of you in the household, each of you can sign up for this card and save points on your travel bill! The offer applies to applications received by December 7, 2026.
Not bad for a credit card with no annual fee in the first year, then $150 (and offering 4 free airport lounge visits per year with Mastercard Travel Pass).
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $0 |
National Bank Rewards Points
With the National Bank’s À la carte Rewards program, travel points can be used in two ways.
You can book an all-inclusive package with your travel points through Voyage À la Carte: 10,000 points per $100 and top up with cash if you don’t have enough points. This is the best way to use National Bank Rewards points. What’s more, your purchase will also earn you extra points!
In this example, we can see a $200 discount when using 20,000 points on the price of the all-inclusive trip for two people.
On the other hand, if you have found a cheaper all-inclusive trip on another platform, it is also possible to use your points as a Statement credit.
You can also use these rewards points when you use a travel agency(Voyage à Rabais, Voyages Bergeron, independent agency, etc.) for the all-inclusive package!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $0 |
TD Reward Points
At TD, TD Rewards points are used in a similar way as National Bank on the TD platform: Expedia for TD.
Currently, the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card has a sign-up bonus of up to 160,000 TD Rewards: 20,000 points on your first purchase, then 140,000 points after $7,500 in purchases within 180 days of account opening. This equals $800 in travel discounts on All-inclusive vacations in the South booked through Expedia for TD.
TD Rewards points can also be applied as a Statement credit if you book your all-inclusive stay in the South in any way, such as through a travel agency. The value will be slightly less.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $0 |
With your TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 6 TD Rewards points per dollar on your grocery purchases. Think of their gift card display!
If you buy $100 directly at the SAQ with your card, you’ll earn 200 TD Rewards points ($100 x 2 points). If you buy an SAQ gift card at the grocery store, you’ll earn 600 TD Rewards points ($100 x 6 points) – triple!
It’s a great way to collect lots of points on other types of spending (Walmart, gas, clothing, SAQ, Amazon, etc.).
American Express Membership Rewards Points
The American Express Cobalt® Card is one of the best credit cards in Canada for earning lots of points fast.
In fact, the main attraction of this card is that it gives 5X points on everything categorized as groceries, restaurants and food delivery in Canada, up to $2,500 in combined purchases per month. These membership points have a cash back equivalent to 5% at grocery stores and restaurants, since 1,000 points are worth $10 on your eligible purchases.
When redeemed, reward points appear as a Statement credit on the credit card statement. The credit is applied in the same manner as a payment from you towards the account balance: 30,000 Membership Rewards points = $300.
Reward points can be used to cover the cost of all-inclusive trips or on everyday purchases! By saving money every day, a part of your budget is freed up for vacations!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $191.88 | |||
| $799 | |||
| $250 |
Aeroplan Points
Aeroplan points can be used for a vacation package in the South with Air Canada Vacations only. It’s a travel discount that will be deducted from the final amount when booking your all-inclusive.
In this example, the number of points to be redeemed is 200,000 Aeroplan points for a discount of $2,000. For a step-by-step guide, read our article on How to use your points Aeroplan for an all-inclusive vacation.
Milesopedia gives a current valuation of 2.0¢ to an Aeroplan point. This is a benchmark figure when considering whether to book a flight with cash or with Aeroplan points. So according to the formula for valuation the calculation is as follows:
2,000/200,000 = 1¢ per Aeroplan point
So using 1¢ per Aeroplan point is lower than its estimated value of 2¢ per Aeroplan point.
So, while it’s less worthwhile to use Aeroplan points for an all-inclusive compared to what we aim for at Milesopedia, money saved is money saved on the all-inclusive trip to be used elsewhere!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $599 | |||
| $120 |
Cash Back
All cash-back credit cards are also excellent for saving on an all-inclusive trip to the South.
Cash back is best for those who don’t want to juggle different booking platforms.
There are also some great welcome offers going on!
Best Travel Credit Card for All-Inclusive Vacation Packages
Lounge Access Before Your All-Inclusive Vacation Down South
At Montreal airport, five VIP lounges are available to passengers departing from the international zone.
- National Bank Lounge
- Desjardins Odyssey Lounge
- Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Air France KLM Lounge
- Aspire International lounge
Simply being a National Bank World Elite Mastercard® credit card holder means unlimited free access for the primary cardholder, one guest and two children aged 12 or under! The lounge is being renovated: since October 5, 2026, it welcomes you in a temporary space near Gate 53, and the renovated lounge is expected to reopen in June 2028.
For lounge Odyssée Desjardins, Odyssée cards provide up to 12 visits per year: 12 with the Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege card and 8 with the Odyssey World Elite Mastercard, for all cards on the account.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $130 |
The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and the Air France KLM lounge are also open to southbound travellers!
For the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, you can access it by holding the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card or TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card.
For the Air France Lounge and the Aspire International Lounge, you can access them with the American Express Platinum Card®. Or one of the credit cards offering access to the Visa Airport Companion Program lounges, such as the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite +* Card, or to Mastercard Travel Pass, such as the BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $799 | |||
| $150 | |||
| $0 |
As for Quebec City airport, which also serves several sun destinations, the lounge V.I.P by Club Med is closed. The Salon Boréal par YQB is scheduled to open in winter 2027, with paid access for all travellers departing from Quebec City.
In short, many credit cards offer paid or complimentary access to airport lounges to get your All-inclusive trip off to a more comfortable start. You can also access these lounges in the South before you return home.
All-Inclusive Travel Insurance
Many credit cards offer comprehensive travel insurance. So, in most cases, there’s no need to buy a new one.
If your suitcase is lost or delayed, you’ll be able to go shopping for a new swimsuit straight away and start your vacation while you wait for your luggage.
This luggage insurance protects you if you have paid for your trip with your credit card.
Then, in the event of a sudden health problem, emergency medical insurance will have your back! In most cases, simply being a credit card holder makes the whole family eligible for insurance.
Finally, credit card trip cancellation and interruption insurance offers peace of mind in the event of a problem. For example, if a flight segment is canceled or delayed during your trip to the South, many additional costs incurred may be claimed from credit card insurance. Conditions vary according to each card’s insurance policy.
Discount All-Inclusive Vacations
When you arm yourself with the best credit cards for your spending habits, it’s easy to earn points toward an all-inclusivetrip to the South.
Credit cards and travel points allow us to travel better and more, even if it’s not always budget travel based on a low cost of living!
Read on with our guides to all-inclusives:
- 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
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on Scotiabank's website
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Does credit card travel insurance cover all-inclusive packages?
Yes, most credit cards cover all-inclusive packages if the trip is paid for with the card. Always check the specific conditions, especially for cancellation insurance and baggage delays. From age 65, emergency medical coverage often gets shorter: 4 days with the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite* Card, for example.
How to choose an all-inclusive package?
Start with the destination and the season, then the type of stay: family, couple or adults only. Our guides to the best sun destinations, the best family all-inclusives in the Caribbean and the best adults-only resorts, listed just before this section, will help you decide.
How much is an Aeroplan point worth on an Air Canada Vacations package?
In our example, 200,000 Aeroplan points give a $2,000 discount on the package, or 1¢ per point. Air Canada Vacations accepts a minimum redemption of 1,000 points at the time of booking. Since we value an Aeroplan point at 2¢, you get more value on a flight than on a package.
Can I use my points on a package booked through a travel agency?
Yes, with several programs. National Bank points apply to a trip paid with the card, at 12,000 points per $100, no later than 60 days after the purchase. BMO Rewards points cover a package booked with the provider of your choice, at 150 points per $1, and TD Rewards points can also be redeemed for travel booked outside Expedia for TD.
How many points do I need for a $2,000 all-inclusive package?
You need about 200,000 National Bank points through the Voyage À la carte agency, 300,000 BMO Rewards points or 400,000 TD Rewards points on Expedia for TD. With a cash back card, there is no math: the rebate is applied directly to your statement.
Which Montreal-Trudeau lounges are open for a flight down South?
Flights down South leave from the international zone, home to the National Bank Lounge, the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge, the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, the Air France KLM lounge and the Aspire International Lounge. The National Bank Lounge is being renovated and has welcomed travellers in a temporary space near Gate 53 since October 5, 2026.
Which card earns the most points on a package booked through Expedia for TD?
The TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite* Card earns 8 TD Rewards points per dollar on travel booked through Expedia for TD. Since 200 points are worth $1 on that platform, you get back the equivalent of 4% of your package price.
