Our Strategies for Earning Travel Points Easily
There are hundreds of different credit cards on the market to earn points for travel. When you have a lot of expenses, the travel points will follow by themselves, even without optimization and strategy.
In fact, if you spend $100,000 a year, you can easily collect 100,000 Aeroplan points without any strategy.
But how can you easily accumulate so many travel points when you don’t have a large volume of spending?
Here are some strategies to consider when optimizing purchases in the right categories on each credit card (restaurants, grocery stores, gas, travel, etc.)
- the fewest credit card applications;
- the lowest annual fee;
- the minimum spending required.
This list is not exhaustive! Come and share your credit card travel point strategies in the Milesopedia Facebook community!
Travel Points: The Credit Card Welcome Bonus Strategy
When you start to venture into the world of credit card rewards, you quickly realize that the most lucrative strategy is in credit card applications via welcome bonuses.
For beginners, we recommend starting with one or two cards, then spacing out requests by at least 6-9 months. Then, once you’re more comfortable with credit card management, you can increase the number of credit card subscriptions and bring them closer together over time.
Strategy for Collecting Aeroplan Points
| Credit card | Bonus | Minimum expenses | Rewards | Annual Fee | Final tally in Aeroplan points |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | Up to 45,000 Aeroplan points (in the first year) | 12,000 during the first year | 12,000 Aeroplan points minimum | $139 ($0 the first year) | 57,000 points |
| American Express® Gold Rewards Card | 60,000 Membership Rewards points (= 60,000 Aeroplan points) | $12,000 ($1,000 per month x 12 months) | 12,000 Membership Rewards points minimum (= 12,000 Aeroplan points) | $150 (thanks to the $100 credit) | 72,000 points |
| TOTAL | $24,000 | $289 | 129,000 points |
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $250 |
This strategy allows you to earn 129,000 Aeroplan points.
You can collect these Aeroplan points to travel alone or in a group, depending on the destination. In a family, each parent could subscribe to the same cards and collect double the points!
Caroline found plenty of places to travel to with 55,000 Aeroplan points! Then, I found many getaways for 25,000 Aeroplan points or less!
Strategy to Accumulate Hotel Points
| Credit card | Bonus | Minimum expenses | Rewards | Annual Fee | Final tally in points |
| Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card | 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | $1,500 over 3 months | 3,000 points | $120 | 53,000 points |
| Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card | 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | $5,000 over 3 months | 10,000 Points | $150 | 70,000 points |
| TOTAL | $6,500 | $270 | 123,000 points |
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120 | |||
| $150 |
This strategy lets you quickly rack up 123,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
- Annual fee
- $150
- Our valuation
- $990Milesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$990Total$990Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- Welcome offer
- Up to 110,000 points
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$990Total$990Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Ends Sep 22, 2026
on American Express's website
Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply 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”).
Strategy for Earning Travel Points
For those who don’t like to be tied to a specific program, a travel points strategy can provide a great deal of flexibility. In fact, many trips are more accessible with Reward Points.
- Activities (theme parks, food tour, museum, etc);
- Cruises;
- All-inclusive;
- Car rental;
- Any flight or hotel;
- Airbnb, etc.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $191.88 | |||
| $250 | |||
| $120 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $150 |
The strategy for a family of two adults and two children: each parent could use these cards to pay for the family’s all-inclusive trip under the sun!
Another example of a travel points strategy would be for a single person who would like to take a cruise to the Galapagos Islands.
Prices for week-long tours in the archipelago start at $3,000 with G Adventures. The cost of travel will be greatly reduced with this travel points strategy!
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuation
- $255Milesopedia 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.
- Welcome offer
- Up to 15,000 points
Milesopedia 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.
on American Express's website
Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply 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 Long-Term Traveller’s Strategy
For a variety of reasons, many people prefer the strategy of arming themselves with a good portfolio, without too many cards, to keep for the long term.
Credit cards with the highest reward rates often have an annual fee. Indeed, the annual fees may seem high, but they are all justified with the benefits provided.
There are also a number of offers available from American Express, which puts the annual fee into perspective! Over the years, the American Express Cobalt® Card has become the best credit card for earning travel points.
Then, as a paying strategy, I advise you to subscribe to credit cards in order to cover and optimize each category of expenses.
The Long-Term Travel Portfolio
| Card | Spending Category | Return per dollar of purchase | Welcome Bonus | Annual Fee | Other Benefits |
| American Express Cobalt® Card |
| 5 Membership Rewards points = 5 points Aeroplan or 6 Marriott Bonvoy points | 15,000 Membership Rewards points | $150 (QC) $155.88 (Canada) | Mobile Device Insurance |
| Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card |
| up to 3 points | 45,000 points (or $450) | $150 | No conversion fees |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card |
| up to 1.5 points | 45,000 Aeroplan points | $139 (reimbursed the first year) | |
| National Bank World Elite Mastercard |
| up to 5 points | Up to 45,000 points | $150 (refunded the first year) | |
| Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card |
| up to 5 points | Up to 50,000 points | $120 |
15 Elite-nights |
*Gift cards for these stores can be purchased in grocery or convenience stores for 5 points per dollar.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $191.88 | |||
| $150 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $120 |
Illustrated Example of the Strategy
Here are some figures to illustrate the return of this portfolio with a strategy aimed at the principal accumulation of Aeroplan points and other travel points.
It can be easily adapted to accumulate Marriott Bonvoy points and other travel points.
| Card | Category | Annual expenses | Points accumulated |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | Grocery store where American Express is accepted | $1,500 | 7,500 points |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | Grocery store | $3,000 | 4,500 points |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | Gasoline | $1,000 | 3,000 points |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | Restaurants where American Express is accepted | $500 | 2,500 points |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | Restaurants | $500 | 500 points |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | Uber Eats | $700 | 3,500 points |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | Tim Hortons, Starbucks | $500 | 2,500 points |
| Gift card strategy | Walmart | $500 | 2,500 points |
| Gift card strategy | Amazon | $1,000 | 5,000 points |
| Gift card strategy | SAQ | $500 | 2,500 points |
| Gift card strategy | Netflix | $250 | 1,250 points |
| Gift card strategy | Cinema | $500 | 2,500 points |
| Gift card strategy | Books and culture | $500 | 2,500 points |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | Pharmacy | $300 | 300 points |
| Gift card strategy | Home furnishings (IKEA, Wayfair, etc.) | $375 | 1,875 points |
| Gift card strategy | Minor renovation and maintenance | $375 | 1,875 points |
| Gift card strategy | Clothing | $1,000 | 5,000 points |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | Miscellaneous (other) | $2,500 | 2,500 points |
| – | TOTAL | $20,000 | 51,800 points Aeroplan |
With this strategy, we can calculate the values obtained as follows:
- 51,800 Aeroplan points ($1,036)
- 1 free night Marriott ($150)
- Annual travel insurance for the whole family ($500)
- Unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge ($150 for 2 visits for a couple)
- National Bank Travel Credit ($150)
- Free checked baggage ($120, for 2 round-trip trips for 2 people)
- Savings on conversion fees for foreign currency transactions
- etc.
For a total of around $2,100 in annual savings (the calculations were based on Milesopedia’s valuation, and a monetary value was given to the portfolio’s credit card benefits).
For example, an individual’s annual expenditure of $20,000 could generate a return of $2,100.
Once you add up the value of the rewards, the benefits provided versus the annual fees, they pay off… in a good way! Minus the annual fee of approximately $709, the annual saving is $1,391 (or 7% return).
When you don’t have many credit cards, the best strategy is to make sure you go out and optimize each purchase category. The gift card strategy is therefore essential to master.
As you can see, this travel points strategy yields a significantly lower return when you remove the welcome bonuses from the equation.
- Annual fee
- $0 $150No annual fee the first year
- Our valuation
- $150Milesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueAnnual fee rebated$150Total$150Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- Welcome offer
- First Year Annual Fee Rebate
No annual fee the first year
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueAnnual fee rebated$150Total$150Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
$150 annual fee rebated
Ends Nov 4, 2026
on National Bank's website
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