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Founder of Milesopedia and an expert in rewards programs since 2015, I tell our readers this often: RBC Avion Rewards points aren’t just for booking a flight or a hotel. Depending on your membership tier, you can also use them to pay a bill, send an Interac transfer, contribute to an RRSP or a TFSA, make a charitable donation, or simply shop. Here’s a complete overview of these other ways to use your RBC Avion points, to complement our guides on travel, transferring to partners, and Ticketmaster tickets.
Before choosing an option, check our best credit cards page to see which RBC Avion card best fits your spending habits.
All members, regardless of tier, can redeem their points for items and gift cards from major brands, directly in the Avion Rewards online store. The “Shop with your points” section groups five families: Apple, Best Buy, gift cards, merchandise, and Ticketmaster.
The merchandise catalogue (excluding gift cards) alone tops 2,000 products, spread across eight categories: home goods, kitchen and dining, entertainment, kids and toys, fashion and travel, computers and office, health and wellness, and sports and leisure. Comparing the points required to the real retail price of several items (Herschel bag, Ninja pizza oven, Ninja ice cream maker), the value works out to roughly 0.6 to 0.9 cents per point. That’s less than the fixed flexible travel chart for flights (1 cent per point), and up to three times less than the fixed chart, which can be worth close to 2 cents per point (see the comparison further down).
As of July 2026, an “Outdoor Gear Sale” promotion reduced the points price on hundreds of items through August 1, 2026. This kind of temporary discount comes back regularly, so always check the end date shown before redeeming.
To see whether these redemptions are really worth it, I compared the points required to the real retail price of these same items, found on Amazon.ca or from the manufacturer:
Except for the Ray-Ban sunglasses (a listed price rarely paid in full), most items deliver less than 1 cent per point once compared to the real retail price, confirming that shopping remains the least rewarding redemption in the program.
For gift cards tied to travel (hotels, airlines) and their exact redemption rate, check the gift card section of our travel guide, where these rates are detailed.
Distinction and Elite members can use their points to pay down their RBC credit card balance or pay a regular bill (phone, electricity, etc.). The number of points required is calculated based on the exact transaction amount, directly in your account at the time of redemption.
In addition to bills, these same members can apply their points toward paying off a personal loan, a line of credit, or even an RBC mortgage. It’s an interesting option for those who have built up a lot of points but don’t travel often.
Another little-known option: convert points into cash sent by Interac transfer, directly from the “Online payments” section of the Avion Rewards account. It’s the most flexible way to use points, since the money received can be used for anything.
Still reserved for Distinction and Elite members, this option lets you turn RBC Avion points into a contribution to an RBC Direct Investing RRSP or TFSA. It’s an original way to put dormant points to work, rather than letting them pile up without a clear purpose.
Unlike the previous options, charitable donation is available to all tiers, including Avion Select. You choose the charity from a list offered on the Avion Rewards site, and your points are converted into a donation directly.
Here’s a summary of all the ways to use your RBC Avion points, with the tier required for each:
Not all ways of using your RBC Avion points are equal. Here’s the approximate value per point for each option, for the same balance of 50,000 points:
In other words, for an equal number of points, the fixed travel chart for flights is generally worth two to three times more than an item or a gift card. Shopping remains a convenient option for spending a small points balance or for things that don’t translate into travel, but to maximize the value of your RBC Avion points, prioritize the fixed travel chart or a transfer to an airline partner. Check our complete guide to RBC Avion travel rewards for all the details.
RBC Avion Rewards points offer far more flexibility than travel alone. That said, the most versatile options, online payments and registered savings, remain reserved for Distinction and Elite members. Before choosing, always compare the value obtained (about 0.6 to 0.9 cent per point for shopping) with that of a flight on the fixed travel chart or a transfer to an airline partner, which can be worth two to three times more.
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