Avianca from Canada: flights, cabins and points

Flying Avianca from Canada gives you access to Colombia and Central America, with onward connections across the region. Before booking, compare the full fare, the flight’s cabin, and the program issuing the ticket. LifeMiles and Aeroplan are separate balances.

This guide was checked on October 29, 2026. Schedules, aircraft, fare conditions, and award seats can change.

Avianca from Montréal and Toronto

Avianca markets Toronto–Bogotá and Montréal–Bogotá. Its Canadian network announcements also describe Toronto and Montréal service to San Salvador. Check the dates and stops offered for each itinerary, rather than applying a frequency announced for an earlier season.

Bogotá and San Salvador provide different connections. Compare the total journey, arrival times, and connection length. With two separate tickets, the second airline may not protect your onward flight after a delay.

For another regional gateway, see our Copa Airlines guide. A shorter line on a map may still produce a longer trip once schedules and stops are included.

Cabins: Americas and INSIGNIA

Avianca’s Americas Business Class includes front-row seating, additional space, and priority services. It differs from the airline’s long-haul INSIGNIA product. A Business Class label alone does not establish that your Canadian departure has a fully flat seat.

Open the seat map for the specific flight. Check the seat type, recline, equipment, and meal service. Review your connection separately: the two segments may have different products, and aircraft substitutions remain possible.

Fares and baggage: compare the total

The official fare comparison distinguishes domestic and international flights. The domestic Basic fare should not be confused with Light on international services.

International Light: a personal item and a 10 kg carry-on; checked baggage costs extra.
Flex: a personal item, a 10 kg carry-on, and a 23 kg checked bag in the reviewed table.
Americas Business: a personal item, a 10 kg carry-on, and two checked bags of 32 kg each.

Read the conditions for your itinerary, including dimensions and exceptions. Then compare seat selection, airport check-in, changes, and refunds. A change without a penalty may still require payment of a fare difference.

Connections and lounge access

Access depends on your ticket, status, and airport. The Americas page links to Avianca lounges, but confirm the actual lounge, opening hours, and guest eligibility before your flight.

Credit card lounge access follows its own network’s rules. It does not cover every Avianca lounge automatically. Allow enough time for checks and possible gate changes at Bogotá or San Salvador.

Booking with LifeMiles or Aeroplan

LifeMiles is Avianca’s program and also offers eligible partner awards. Availability, fees, and change rules belong to the program issuing your ticket.

Avianca appears among Aeroplan’s partners. You can search for an Aeroplan award, subject to partner availability. A seat sold for cash by Avianca does not establish that Aeroplan can book it.

Compare the same itinerary, cabin, and party size in both programs. Add the points, taxes, and fees before choosing. Our Aeroplan guide explains the program’s uses; transferring to Aeroplan does not create LifeMiles.

Canadian credit cards to compare

Cobalt: a route through Aeroplan

The American Express Cobalt^® Card earns Membership Rewards points. The Canadian Amex partner directory lists Aeroplan transfers. Confirm an award seat and the transfer conditions before moving your points.

This strategy guarantees neither availability nor a particular award price. Compare the card’s fees and welcome offer spending requirements with your normal budget. The native record below displays its current offer.

Compare

American Express Cobalt^® Card

American Express Amex Membership Rewards

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

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

TD Aeroplan: earn directly

The TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card earns Aeroplan points directly. These can fund an available partner award, but they do not form a LifeMiles balance.

Card benefits restricted to Air Canada flights do not automatically apply to Avianca-operated flights. See our best credit cards to compare other options.

FeaturedCompare

TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card

TD Aeroplan First-Year Annual Fee Rebate

Annual feeNo annual fee the first year: $0 $139
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Annual fee rebated$139Total$1,139Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $1,139
Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months: Up to 50,000 points

With this offer for the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you can get up to 50,000 Aeroplan points^† as well as an Annual Fee rebate for the first year^†.

Earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first Purchase with your new Card^†
Earn 15,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $3,000 within 90 days of Account opening^†.
Plus, earn a one-time anniversary bonus of 25,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $12,000 within 12 months of Account opening^†

This card also allows you to enjoy travel benefits, such as a free first checked bag for you and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation^†, as well as a rebate on the NEXUS program application fee (up to $100 CAD per eligible cardholder) every 48 months^†.

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 1.5 points^† per $1 spent on:

Grocery purchases
Gas and electric vehicle charging purchases
Purchases made directly with Air Canada^® (including Air Canada Vacations^®)

You also earn 1 point^† per dollar on all other eligible purchases made with your card.

Legal

^†Terms and conditions apply.

Annual fee

Primary card$139

Additional card$75

Annual income required

Individual$60,000

Household$100,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

1.5xGas
1.5xGroceries
1.5xAir Canada flights
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,714

2nd Year Value$425

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $2,000,000 / 21 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $2,000,000 / 21 days

Travel medical (65+)Up to $2,000,000 / 4 days

Trip CancellationUp to $1,500

Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000

Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000

Lost BaggageUp to $1,000

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 1 years

Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Buying points for a specific flight

First find the award you want. If a small Aeroplan top-up is enough, compare the Aeroplan points purchase cost, taxes, and fees with the cash ticket. Milesopedia may earn a commission through this partner link.

A purchase does not hold the seat while points are credited. For LifeMiles, check your account’s purchase terms and current offers. Our LifeMiles purchase article explains the process; the dated October promotion shown there ended on October 20, 2026.

Check points expiry and change or cancellation fees before purchasing. Avoid building a large balance without a specific available booking.

Get program updates and travel advice in the Milesopedia newsletter.

Which Canadian cities does Avianca serve?

Avianca markets departures from Montréal and Toronto. Its Canadian network includes Bogotá and San Salvador; check dates, nonstop flights, and connections for the selected itinerary.

Does Avianca Business Class always have flat seats?

No. Americas differs from the long-haul INSIGNIA product. Check the specific flight’s seat and layout before paying extra.

Does international Light include checked baggage?

The reviewed table includes a personal item and a 10 kg carry-on. Checked baggage costs extra; read the conditions for your itinerary.

Can I book Avianca with Aeroplan?

Yes, subject to partner award availability. A seat sold for cash by Avianca does not guarantee availability through Aeroplan.

Are LifeMiles and Aeroplan the same program?

No. Balances, award prices, fees, and booking rules are separate. Compare the same flight in each program.

Does Cobalt fund LifeMiles directly?

The option described here uses Canadian Membership Rewards transfers to Aeroplan under Amex terms. It is not a direct LifeMiles transfer.

Should I buy points before searching for a flight?

First find an available award and compare its full cost with the cash fare. Buying points does not hold the seat, and a bonus offer may be targeted or expired.

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