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Getting to a major sporting event is expensive, but the method for bringing the bill down does not change from one sport to the next. Book the award flight early. Stay a few transit stops from the venue rather than beside it. Pay for the ticket with the card that bonuses entertainment. This page collects our guides for applying that method, from hockey to soccer.
You will find the calendar of what is coming up in Canada and abroad. The guides below cover flights, hotels and tickets paid with your points, and which card to reach for once you are there. To compare payment options, also consult our page on the best credit cards.
Here are the dates worth planning around, along with when their award booking window opens.
Copa América 2028 also falls in June and July, but CONMEBOL has not yet named a host country. There is nothing to plan around for now.
As soon as the event is held abroad, a card with no foreign transaction fees saves you roughly 2.5% on every expense, tickets included. On a $2,000 weekend, that is $50 you simply do not pay. Visa is also the payment partner of several major sports ticketing platforms, which makes buying online simpler.
This is why we recommend the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card:
To compare all options based on your spending, consult our selection of the best credit cards and our comparison of the best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.
To stay connected on site without paying roaming fees on your plan, your Visa card unlocks a little-known GigSky benefit. What you get depends on your card tier and on the promotions running at the time, which change from one event to the next. Check what your card entitles you to before you leave, rather than buying a plan once you arrive.
Activation takes two minutes in the GigSky app: tap the Visa banner, enter your card number, and then install the eSIM. All the details, step-by-step, can be found in our complete guide to the free GigSky eSIM with Visa.
The costliest mistake is looking for a room as close to the venue as possible. Stadium, arena, race circuit or centre court, rates climb sharply on event days, and you are paying for a proximity you enjoy for one hour. Aim instead for a room on a transit line that serves the venue, a few stops away.
Three Canadian examples show it clearly:
The same reasoning applies to any stadium, arena or circuit, in Canada or elsewhere. Our dedicated guide covers how to save on accommodation during a major event.
A major sporting event is planned backwards. Start from the date of the match, then count back roughly a year for the award flight. Choose your hotel by transit rather than by distance. The rest, tickets and spending on site, comes down to the card you reach for.
Browse our guides above to prepare your trip, then subscribe to our newsletter to be told when booking windows open.
A World Cup comes around every four years. A hockey season comes around every autumn. That is what makes the NHL the ideal training ground for the method described above.
Seven Canadian clubs each play around forty home dates, from late September through April. That is close to seven months of possible dates, spread across seven cities and several time zones. You can therefore attach a game to a trip you were already taking, instead of building an entire trip around one fixed date. It is the exact opposite of a tournament’s constraint.
Here are the questions that come up most often in the Milesopedia community about travelling to a sporting event.
Savings are this way:
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