Strategy: Croatia and the Balkans with Points

I then took advantage of the following weeks by combining remote work and using weekends to explore the surroundings: Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Plitvice National Park, which I highly recommend.

Basic Strategy

Some people like to focus on specific programs, with a goal in mind: going to Japan in 2026, staying in an overwater villa in the Maldives, or attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

While I admire the organization and strategies of these forward-thinking individuals, and I also see the added value; as it’s often easy to get the best prices on Aeroplan by planning almost a year in advance… I am not one of those people.

My trips are often organized last minute, only a few months in advance. When it comes to prices, this is always a bit riskier since there’s less flexibility if prices go up. On the other hand, it can also allow you to snag great deals when last-minute award flight availability pops up.

The good news is that having a stash of points and miles always helps save money. That’s why my points and miles strategy is tailored to my travel style: flexible and opportunistic.

Flights: Flying Blue and Aeroplan

Outbound – Flying Blue

I keep an eye on Flying Blue Promo Rewards every month, so I was able to take advantage of them in June when Montreal was one of the featured cities for the June 2025 promotion.

I was able to book a one-way flight from Montreal to Split with a stopover in Amsterdam in economy class for just 18,750 Flying Blue Miles plus $179 in fees and taxes! The actual value of this flight was $764, so I got a redemption value of 4 cents per Mile, which is well above our usual valuation.

As soon as I saw this price available on the dates I wanted to leve, I transferred my American Express Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue and booked my flight. Not bad for a booking less than 3 months before departure!

The Membership Rewards points were erned with my American Express Cobalt^® Card, which I use strategically at grocery stores to earn 5 points per dollar spent.

Fees and Other Flights – Aventura

I still had Aventura points earned through my CIBC Aventura^® Visa Infinite* Card, which allowed me to reimburse my flight fees and take advantage of the Aventura redemption promotion by using my points as soon as the transaction was pending in my account.

I received another $207 credit later by redeeming my Aventura Points for my flights from Split to Porto with European airlines.

Return – Aeroplan

For the return trip, I was open to ending my journey in another European city. By using tools like Roame or Seats.aero, it’s easy to compare the points cost from different departure cities.

I was hesitating between Istanbul and Brussels, with prices around 35,000 Aeroplan points. Ultimately, I chose to book a direct flight from Porto to Montreal aboard Air Canada, for 33,300 Aeroplan points.

My main Aeroplan points-earning strategies are:

Summary

Here is a summary of my points used and the value obtained:

Accommodation: TD Rewards and Scene+

My strategy to cover my accommodation expenses was quite simple: I used TD Rewards, Scene+ points, and AIR MILES across several different bookings. Since I shared all my accommodations with friends, I offered to pay for the more expensive stays so I could redeem all the points I had accumulated.

TD Rewards

For earning those points, it was through the excellent welcome offer of the TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card that allowed me to obtain and redeem 127,000 TD Rewards points, which I used at their optimal value, i.e., via the Expedia for TD portal.

Not only did this allow me to save $635 on a 6-night booking in Dubrovnik, but I also received a $100 annual travel credit provided by the credit card, for a total of $735 in savings!

AIR MILES

I earned my AIR MILES through my AIR MILES receipts, and sometimes by going through the online portal airmilesshops.ca. However, the main way I earn AIR MILES is during strategic promotions like the Shop the Block event.

Then, I wait for redemption promotions, which are key times to maximize the value of your miles. Recently, I redeemed miles for an Airbnb gift card, and I received 20% of the miles back.

This is another way for me to save on travel accommodations, but the selection of gift cards you can get in exchange for your miles is diverse!

Scene+

I frequently use my Scene+ points to offset my travel expenses. But thanks to Scene+ offers and the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card, which earns 5 to 6 points per dollar at the grocery store, I was able to quickly accumulate enough Scene+ points before my trip to get a statement credit equivalent to $122.

I also spent a week sailing with MedSailors. Since this transaction was payable in euros, I used my Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card to save the equivalent of 2.5% on my payment, as it is one of the few cards in Canada that does not charge foreign currency conversion fees. I then used the rest of the Scene+ points I had at the time to save $122 on my sailing week.

Summary

For accommodation, I opted for something that doesn’t involve points: staying with a friend who lives in Porto for my last few days of travel.

On-site Payments and Activities

During our time in Croatia, we decided to explore two other Balkan countries: Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We therefore booked two full-day excursions from Viator, by going through the Aeroplan eStore to earn points on every dollar spent.

I also recommend this type of experience from Civitatis and GetYourGuide, which offer excursions worldwide at competitive prices.

Insurance

As a Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card holder, I was entitled to emergency medical insurance for up to 25 days, which was the exact duration of my trip (this is also the case with the Scotiabank Passport^™ Visa Infinite +* Card).

This is one of the rare times I had to use this insurance. Following an injury that required stitches, I spent a total of $763 for all expenses related to medical consultation, care, and medication. If I hadn’t had this insurance on my credit card, these are expenses I would have had to bear entirely.

When my trips are longer, I use SoNomad, which is usually the most affordable on the market (for my situation, at least).

Conclusion

In total, I was able to save $3,808 by combining savings related to flight costs, accommodation, and medical care obtained in Croatia and the Balkans. This did not cover the entirety of my trip, but I was very happy to be able to afford this type of experience at a very low cost thanks to loyalty programs and credit cards.

It was by earning and redeeming a good variety of points from different loyalty programs such as TD Rewards, Scene+, Aeroplan, Flying Blue, AIR MILES, and American Express Membership Rewards points that I achieved this. Earning and redemption strategies also played a key role in optimizing each point used.

And finally, sometimes it’s just about jumping on offers at the right time. To always stay up to date with the latest deals, subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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