AIR MILES: Maximizing Dream Miles with short-haul flights

Updated May 31, 2024
Fact checked by
Alexandrine Bertrand
Alexandrine Bertrand

Alexandrine Bertrand

Alexandrine Bertrand
A passionate solo traveler, Alexandrine is an expert on loyalty programs such as Aeroplan, Avios, AIR MILES, Flying Blue and Marriott Bonvoy. With a budget-conscious approach, she helps travelers maximize their points and miles for low-cost, off-the-beaten-path getaways. A food lover, she enjoys discovering the local flavors and culinary traditions that enrich her adventures.
All posts by Alexandrine Bertrand
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**** This article is out of datefollowing the AIR MILES changes of November 18, 2021. Instead, please refer to this article on the Launch of the new AIR MILES flight search tool.

 

AIR MILES Dream Miles can save you a lot of money… especially on short-haul flights!

air miles

The best use of AIR MILES Dream Miles

The AIR MILES loyalty program issues 2 types of miles: Silver or Dream.

air miles slider silver dreams
The AIR MILES slider on 100% Dreams

While the value of Silver Miles is known ($0.105/mile), the value of Dream Miles will depend on how you use them.

Find out in this article why short-haul airfare is the best use of AIR MILES Dream Miles!

What is a short-haul ticket?

A short-haul ticket is a ticket for a flight over a short distance. Generally it will be within the same province or to destinations close to it.

Short-haul airfare costs between 1,400 and 2,500 AIR MILES miles depending on the destination and season (high/low).

For example, here are the accessible destinations:

  • in high season
  • from Quebec
  • from 2,500 AIR MILES miles

**** This article is out of datefollowing the AIR MILES changes of November 18, 2021. Instead, please see this article on the Launch of the new AIR MILES flight search tool.

high season air miles2 ticket

You will note that in this case, you can go as far as:

  • Chicago,
  • Washington,
  • New York,
  • Boston,
  • or anywhere in Quebec and Ontario.

But if in high season you only want to visit Quebec, it can cost as little as 1,400 AIR MILES miles.

high season air miles qc ticket

**** This article is out of datefollowing the AIR MILES changes of November 18, 2021. Instead, please see this article on the Launch of the new AIR MILES flight search tool.

 

And all Canadians know it: travelling in Canada, on short distances, is excessively expensive, because of the omnipresence of Air Canada without real competition!

fc yul qc

It is not uncommon to see fares of $600 and more to get to the Magdalen Islands from Montreal… as expensive as many flights across the Atlantic!

rates yul qc

And that’s where AIR MILES Dream Miles can give you the most value to save you a LOT of money!

Examples of itineraries

Here are some examples of itineraries that can be achieved with AIR MILES Dream Miles.

I’m taking into account the 15% off benefit of the BMO AIR MILES World Elite MasterCard: if you’re an AIR MILES collector and you plan to use your miles for airfare, this is a card you MUST have in your wallet!

Montreal (YUL) – Gaspé (YGP)

An example in high season to visit the Gaspésie for 1 week.

yul ygp am

This same flight is the cheapest found on Google Flights.

yul ygp cash

With these two elements, we are able to calculate if it is a good use of AIR MILES Dreams miles.

YUL-YGP Profitability
Cost in miles
(Cost of ticket on AIR MILES)
2023
Taxes
(Taxes paid on AIR MILES)
126.76$
Cost of ticket
(on Google Flights)
597.00$
Realized gain
(cost of ticket – taxes paid)
470.24$
Valuation of the thousand dreams
(realized gain / cost in miles)
0.23 / mile

In this example, you are able to withdraw $0.23/Dreams mile, which is an excellent use of AIR MILES miles. Remember, Silver miles are only worth $0.105!

**** This article is out of datefollowing the AIR MILES changes of November 18, 2021. Instead, please refer to this article on the Launch of the new AIR MILES flight search tool.

Montreal (YUL) – Chicago (ORD)

Another example with a destination very appreciated by Quebecers and members of the facebook group “Travel for free (or almost…!) with your points & miles – milesopedia”: Chicago.

With the typical case of an extended weekend from Friday to Monday in summer.

Still to stick to reality, I chose to fly direct rather than via Toronto, which is a bit cheaper.

yul ord amm

This same flight is trading at $465 on Google Flights.

yul ord am

With these two elements, we are able to calculate if it is a good use of AIR MILES Dreams miles.

YUL-ORD Profitability
Cost in miles
(Cost of ticket on AIR MILES)
2066
Taxes
(Taxes paid on AIR MILES)
174.98$
Cost of ticket
(on Google Flights)
465.00$
Realized gain
(cost of ticket – taxes paid)
290.02$
Valuation of the thousand dreams
(realized gain / cost in miles)
0.14 / mile

In this example, you manage to withdraw $0.14 / thousand Dreams. It’s not as good as before, but it’s still better than the $0.105 Silver miles!

Montreal (YUL) – Halifax (YHZ)

Another example with a perfect destination for a summer weekend: Halifax.

Still to stick to reality, I chose here to prefer a direct flight rather than one, a little cheaper, with a connection. This time the flight is on Porter.

yul yhz am

This same flight is trading at $474 on Google Flights.

yul yhz cash

With these two elements, we are able to calculate if it is a good use of AIR MILES Dreams miles.

YUL-YHZ Profitability
Cost in miles
(Cost of ticket on AIR MILES)
1 575
Taxes
(Taxes paid on AIR MILES)
141.71$
Cost of ticket
(on Google Flights)
474.00$
Realized gain
(cost of ticket – taxes paid)
332.29$
Valuation of the thousand dreams
(realized gain / cost in miles)
0.21 / mile

In this example, you manage to withdraw $0.21 / thousand Dreams. Which is excellent!

A card to save even more on your airfare!

But how can you save even more with a credit card?

The BMO AIR MILES World Elite MasterCard is an especially useful card for those who want to use their Dream Miles for air travel:

  • Free the first year (during a promotional period)
  • 3,000 AIR MILES miles (during a promotional period)
  • Premium travel insurance

Here are the characteristics of the current promotion, which we will detail below:

Reliable insurance

The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®* provides foolproof insurance. If you want to know more about insurance, we recommend you read this very detailed article (the insurance is identical with the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard).

Bottom Line

**** This article is out of datefollowing the AIR MILES changes of November 18, 2021. Instead, please refer to this article on the Launch of the new AIR MILES flight search tool.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien, President and Founder of Milesopedia, is a recognized expert in rewards programs, credit cards, and travel in Canada and France. Approaching forty and a father of two, he has travelled to over 100 countries, half of them with his children and his wife, Audrey. Specializing in top loyalty programs like Aeroplan, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, he guides travellers to maximize their benefits across North America and Europe.
All posts by Jean-Maximilien Voisine

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