On Milesopedia, we give you strategies to travel more and travel better. However, the term “travel better” can also be defined as “travel without coming back broke”.
The strategies in this article are for anyone who just wants a seat on the plane and to travel as cheaply as possible.
students
backpacker
solo
with friends
in family
weekend getaway
world tour over several months
etc.
How Can I Save Money When I Travel?
Where to Travel on a Budget?
Planning a trip on a budget starts with a realistic estimate of expenses, including transportation, accommodation, food and activities. Some destinations, such as Southeast Asia, are more affordable than Western Europe. To save money on flights, it’s a good idea to use price comparison sites and keep an eye out for promotions.
When it comes to accommodation, youth hostels, independent hotels and home-stays (Airbnb) offer options to suit different budgets. Eating locally or cooking for yourself can also cut costs. Free activities, such as free museums, festivals or hiking, enrich the experience without weighing down your wallet. Finally, using loyalty programs and tracking expenses in real time helps you maximize your budget while enjoying your trip to the fullest.
The World of Credit Card Points for Travel Savings
The objective will be to earn mainly reward points for travel and make up the difference with what you’re saving. It seems that most people do the opposite since it seems more logical.
But the hunt for points is a very lucrative game when you’ve mastered it! Additionally, with the Canadian dollar plummeting, points could be even more attractive to travel with, as you’re likely to get a better valuation.
The Beginner’s Guide is a must-have for people who want to save money on travel simply by optimizing their spending habits.
What's the best way to save on travel with credit cards that are easily accessible to everyone?
The range of credit card choices for students is not huge, since your credit history and income are limited. However, with the right strategy, you can quickly climb the ladder to become an expert in the world of points.
Students and people with low incomes are eligible for a variety of credit cards that do not require a minimum income. On Milesopedia, we have a card comparison tool that allows us to filter credit cards according to our situation.
By indicating a zero personal income, many credit cards are available.
The Points Accumulation Strategy and Tips for Saving Money When Travelling
Before choosing a credit card, you must make a budget. Then, figure out your consumption habits and ensure a sound management of your expenses: this is how you can optimize the return in points on each purchase.
The Objective and Types of Reward Points to Prioritize
During my college summers, I was able to take several backpacking trips; these trips lasted on average 3 to 4 months.
The goal was always the same: to travel longer and experience more in the most economical way. Luxury and business class were not a priority at all.
So, the strategy for accumulating reward points was almost identical for all these journeys; the focus was on travel points.
Saving Money on Your Travels – Low-Cost Lodging and Accommodation
Independent Hotels
To travel the world in the most economical way possible, you should mainly turn to travel points that can be applied to your purchases.
In short, using this type of points is very simple. You book the least expensive hotel (or bed) with your credit card.
Then, since the expense is categorized as “travel”, the points can be used to reduce the balance owing on the credit card statement, and save money on travel.
Basically, the lowest prices for accommodation will be found on independent hotel platforms.
Youth hostels or hostels should always be an option when you want to save money when travelling.
These facilities are not just for backpackers. Indeed, this false image can lead you to overlook them, but it is an excellent opportunity to save money on your trip.
Hostels offer mostly dormitory-type beds that can accommodate up to twenty people in the same room. You pay for each bed you use, so if you are travelling alone, it won’t be very expensive. Shared lounge areas and kitchens are usually available, and bathrooms are also shared.
Youth hostels sometimes have private rooms too: these may or may not share a bathroom. These rooms are an excellent compromise between privacy, comfort and economy. You will have to pay a little more than for a bed in a dormitory, but the rate is still interesting even if you are alone.
Plus, hostels often offer low-cost social activities and excursions. So it’s easy to meet new people too!
Marriott Hotels
Although a Marriott hotel is much more comfortable than a youth hostel, the latter will always be cheaper.
However, the welcome bonuses on Marriott Bonvoy credit cards are quite generous. This way, you can easily earn points to save on travel with these hotels!
In fact, there are several sweetspot destinations for the Marriott Bonvoy program where a credit card can give you several free nights!
A good strategy would be to integrate the Marriott Bonvoy sweetspots into our itinerary, then complement with independent hotels at other locations.
What better way to save on travel than with free luxury!
Save On Travel – The Cheapest Flights Possible
International Flights
When it comes to flights don’t overlook airline points (Aeroplan, Avios, etc.) for international flights in favour of travel points. Airline points are very easy to accumulate in Canada.
There are several credit cards available to earn airline points. The following two cards stand out for saving money on airfare when travelling.
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Credit Card:Earn 1 point† per dollar on all eligible gas and grocery purchases. (If your income allows it, its big sisters offer more points per dollar spent).
American Express CobaltTM Card: earn 5 times points on eligible food and beverage purchases made in Canada. This includes grocery stores and food delivery services.
In fact, they allow you to earn more points on the main expense item for most people: groceries.
In addition, some programs (Avios, Asia Miles, Aeroplan, etc.) allow you to build complex itineraries such as a “round the world” trip or to make the most of your points and save on travel.
In fact, accumulating enough airline points for a round-the-world trip will be much easier than collecting $5,000 to pay for all the plane tickets.
Domestic Flights
Then, turning to travel points applicable on expenses will be preferable when low-cost airlines serve your destination. Especially in Europe and Asia, lowcosts are hard to beat.
However, if you run out of travel points and still have airline points left over, you can still use them in the same way as above.
By default, tuition fees are payable by cheque or bank transfer. However, some institutions allow payment of these fees by credit card with or without additional fees. Just ask!
Otherwise, there are ways to pay bills of all kinds by credit card (school and municipal taxes, Hydro-Quebec, etc.) with Plastiq and PaySimply. Sure, there are fees to consider for using this service, but to unlock a bonus, it may be worth it!
How to Save for a Trip With Friends and Family?
Take a look at the people you know and trust, and target those who have no interest in joining the world of points and rewards. Their expenses can help unlock your welcome bonuses. Then, to compensate for the points or discount they couldn’t earn themselves on their purchases, you can give them a discount to make it fair.
For example, I have a friend who does her grocery shopping at IGA and gets 3% cash back with her BMO CashBack® Mastercard®*, because depending on her needs and goals, it’s the ideal card for her.
In fact, it doesn’t collect enough rewards to justify the annual fee of a card with a better accumulation rate. Also, she is not interested in managing it all.
So I buy her a $100 gift card to IGA with my American Express Cobalt® Card. Then she transfers me $97, while this amount helps me reach expenses to unlock a welcome bonus. So I’m not taking anything away from her that she would have achieved without me.
This is comparable to using services for bill payment or buying points. To unlock a bonus or to use those points at a higher value, it might be worth it.
Similarly, when I’m at a restaurant with friends, I always grab the bill if they pull out cash… No need to disown these friends, they’re actually helping you save on travel!
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimateFirst-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
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”).
The American Express Cobalt® Card is a versatile American Express card, whether you want points for travel or cash back.
American Express Cobalt® Card welcome offer
The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer valued at $255.
Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.
You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.
You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:
15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
American Express Cobalt® Card benefits
Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.
5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, and home food delivery. A spend cap applies.
3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
Front Of The Line® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.
The 5X categories and where they apply
The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers three kinds of merchants:
Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
Home food delivery.
Convenience stores (Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven): not part of 5X, 1 point per dollar.
The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.
With the American Express Cobalt® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:
Category
Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)
5
Home food delivery
5
Restaurants and bars
5
Convenience stores
1
Streaming services
3
Service station
2
Transport
2
Travel
1
Other
1
That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.
You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.
American Express Cobalt® Card insurance coverage
The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.
Travel insurance
Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.
Rental car insurance
Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.
Mobile device insurance
Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.
Purchase protection and extended warranty
Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.
American Express Cobalt® Card fees
Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
Additional cards: $0.
Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
Minimum income required: none.
Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.
Legal
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.
Annual fee
Primary card$191.88
Additional card$0
Annual income required
Individual$0
Household$0
Conversion fees
2.5%
Earning rate
5xRestaurants
5xGroceries
3xStreaming
2xTransit
2xGas
1xAll spending
Value
1st Year Value$1,675
2nd Year Value$799
Transfer partners
AeroplanAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
Etihad GuestAirline
Flying BlueAirline
Hilton HonorsHotel
Marriott BonvoyHotel
Travel insurance
Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $250,000
Purchase protection
Purchase ProtectionUp to $1,000 / 90 days
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600Plus $100 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.
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”).
The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is the best credit card in Canada for free hotel nights.
New Cardmembers can earn up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points with the current offer:
Earn up to 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership.
Plus, earn 10,000 points after you spend $500 on your Card in your 13th month of Cardmembership.
The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.
Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.
To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.
The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.
You move up to Gold Elite status automatically when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year, or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your Card.
Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 70,000 point welcome offer is worth about $630, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.
Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.
You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.
The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.
Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.
Legal
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.
Annual fee
Primary card$120
Additional card$0
Annual income required
Individual$0
Household$0
Conversion fees
2.5%
Earning rate
5xMarriott Bonvoy hotels
2xAll spending
Value
1st Year Value$1,110
2nd Year Value$312
Travel insurance
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000
Purchase protection
Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days
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