How do I book a reward ticket on Aer Lingus with Avios miles?

Published October 5, 2018Updated October 29, 20269 min readEditorial integrity

Since a few days, it is possible to book tickets on the new flight of the Irish company Aer Lingus: Montreal – Dublin. And it is possible to use miles!

Plan your next trip with our Aer Lingus guide from Canada: routes, cabins, baggage and options for booking with points.

Booking an award ticket on Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus, an Irish member of Oneworld, will operate a flight between Dublin and Montreal beginning in August 2019. The flight will be operated on a single-aisle aircraft – a brand-new Airbus A321 LR – with not only an economy class but also a business class with seat-beds.

While Aer Lingus has begun selling tickets, you should know that it is also possible to use British Airways Club Avios miles… although the process is (very) far from simple at the moment.

Search via British Airways Club

As Aer Lingus is part of the IAG group of airlines (British Airways, Iberia…) it would be natural to find award tickets directly on the British Airways Club portal. Well… no!

Look at a search for August 19, 2019 (you will see later that this is a date available via other methods): British Airways is unable to show me the direct flight… so they offer me a connection in London with British Airways.

Please note that the British Airways Club portal will not allow you to book Aer Lingus flights online.

Search via Avios.com

If we can’t book on British Airways Club, let’s turn to the Avios.com portal, which is the portal for all Avios member programs (British Airways Club, Iberia Plus…).

But first, you need to create an Avios.com account… which is different from your British Airways Club account!

Create an Avios.com account with Aer Lingus

The easiest way to get an avios.com account is through the Aer Lingus website, via their Aer Club program! What’s in it for me? Unlike British Airways Club, Aer Lingus shares the same credentials as Avios.com for its Aer Club loyalty program.

Link your British Airways Club and Avios.com accounts

Once your Avios.com account is created, go to British Airways Club to link your British Airways Club, Iberia Plus and Avios.com accounts… so you can freely transfer your Avios miles from one account to the other via the “combine my Avios” feature!

combine avios — Here is an example of a transfer to Avios.com from British Airways Executive Club (to ultimately book on Aer Lingus). You have to choose your program, then you have to enter your identifiers and finally the amount of Avios. We receive an email and the transfer is instantaneous. Of course, the details of the accounts must match.

program selection — first step in the transfer of Avios: identification

choice amount — second step: choose the amount and the direction of transfer

before trasnfert — third step: final validation

ba avios transfer — last step: confirmation

result avios — on the Avios website you can see that the balance is updated automatically

Aer Lingus award tickets on avios.com

Now that you’ve gone through the whole process, let’s search for an Aer Lingus award ticket on Avios.com (you can see: “
Pay for flights with these carriers using Avios: Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia
”).

And then… unfortunately, the flights will not be displayed! Same result as with British Airways Club with a flight via London for 24,500 Avios miles and $325 one way!

I know, at this very moment, you are angry with me!

In fact, for some reason, the Dublin – Montreal flight is NOT showing up on Avios.com. Unlike other destinations already served by the Irish company, such as Toronto – Dublin(20,000 miles and $183 one way):

So it’s only a matter of time before the YUL-DUB flight is displayed… so you haven’t done all this process in vain!

Well, if the flight YUL-DUB is not displayed on British Airways Club, nor on Avios.com… how can I find it? Here are 2 methods.

Search via United

Strange as it may seem, United, a Star Alliance airline, has a partnership with Aer Lingus. This allows United’s site to display award tickets available on Aer Lingus! And like Aeroplan award flights, United is definitely the BEST site to search for award availability quickly with its 2-month calendar feature!

To do this, you will need to set up the search as follows:

YUL-DUB
Non-stop flight
Flexible search

Bingo! It’s simple: there is availability every day in economy class between August 8, 2019 until the end of the schedule available at the time of this writing, September 6, 2019.

Availability is displayed: points for business class, lines for economy class!

Take the example of August 19, 2019, available in both economy and business class in the “Saver Reward” category, which is the one available to all Aer Lingus partner airlines.

Now that we know that seats are available on this flight, all you have to do is call British Airways Club to make a reservation.

Search via Expertflyer

The other method is via the excellent professional website Expertflyer. If you travel frequently, we encourage you to purchase an annual license (US$99). In many cases, Expertflyer has been very helpful:

Award ticket availability alert: you set up alerts on specific flights, and Expertflyer will monitor for you by sending you an email when a seat becomes available
Alert for availability of a specific seat
Information on the occupancy of an aircraft: this makes it possible to estimate whether award tickets will eventually be “released
Real time access to the cabin plan (which also allows to see the filling)
MPM calculation: this makes it easy to see if our Aeroplan “mini-tour” of the world is working
And many other features

For example, here is an automated email from Expertflyer to notify the availability of a flight on Thai in First Class.

This is certainly not the tool we would recommend to the casual traveler. However, if you use your miles several times a year, you should think about it!

There is also a free 5-day trial.

Via Expertflyer, you can search for a flight within +/- 3 days to check availability. Here is the configuration:

And this is what it looks like for flights in August 2019 on Aer Lingus between YUL-DUB: at least 4 economy seats available.

Calling the British Airways Club

Once you have your flights (and your British Airways Club Avios miles in your account), the last step is to call British Airways Club.

It’s no picnic: the call can be long, very long. This will often be done in English, as French speakers at British Airways seem to be counted on the fingers of one hand. We advise you to call during off-peak hours in North America (Eastern time): 06-08h / 15-17h. If you have Skype, try your luck on Asian or French (France) numbers.

You will only need to mention your flights to the agent who should be able to book them. Since you could not technically do it online, you will not be charged a fee for booking by phone.

Lucky from Onemileatatime confirmed this:

I’ve called British Airways to verify that the availability is actually as it seems (British Airways doesn’t allow Aer Lingus redemptions online), and it indeed is. A one-way business class redemption from Montreal to Dublin shortly after the flight launches is pricing at 37,500 Avios plus $US 69 in taxes.

The rate in air miles is therefore:

10,000 to 12,500 avios miles (low/high season) in economy class
31,250 to 37,500 air miles (low / high season) in business class

Romain, in the facebook group “Travel for free (or almost…!) with your points & miles – milesopedia” was also able to book his tickets by phone using his avios miles. He writes:

I booked for 2 adults and 1 child in August for 75000 avios and $427.

That’s 25,000 air miles and $142 in taxes for a round trip between Montreal and Dublin in economy. A very nice deal!

How do I get airline miles in Canada?

In Canada, there are 3 ways to earn Avios miles.

Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Earn Avios miles with American Express Membership Rewards

British Airways Club is a transfer partner of the American Express Membership Rewards program.

You can transfer your Membership Rewards points to Avios miles at a 1:1 rate. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 10,000 Avios miles.

And regularly conversion promotions take place! The last one: 30% more airline miles. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 13,000 Avios miles.

These 4 American Express cards offer Membership Rewards points:

The American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Gold Rewards Card
The Gold Card for Small Business with Rewards from American Express
The American Express Corporate Platinum Card

Please note that although the American Express Cobalt Card offers Membership Rewards points, they are part of the “Select” range: they are not transferable to airline partners such as British Airways Club (only to hotel partners such as Marriott Bonvoy).

Earn Avios miles with RBC Rewards

Like American Express, the RBC Rewards program allows you to transfer RBC points to Avios miles at a 1:1 rate. So 10,000 RBC Rewards points = 10,000 Avios miles.

Also, regular transfer promotions take place, between 20 and 30%.

Earn airline miles with Marriott Bonvoy

Last but not least, Marriott Bonvoy. The hotel program allows you to transfer your Marriott rewards points into Avios miles at a 3:1 rate. For example, 30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 Avios miles.

In addition, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred, Marriott adds a 5,000 mile bonus. For example, 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 20,000 + 5,000 Avios miles.

In Canada, it is of course possible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points with the American Express Marriott Bonvoy cards:

<a class= “thirstylink” title= “the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card” href= “https://milesopedia.com/go/amex-marriott”>the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card
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It is also possible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points with the 4 American Express Membership Rewards cards (the transfer rate is 5:6 or 50,000 Membership Rewards points = 60,000 Marriott points)

But the best solution is… the American Express Cobalt Card!

In fact, like its “big sisters”, it allows you to transfer your Select Membership Rewards points at a 5:6 transfer rate. But it is the card that allows you to accumulate the most points on certain common categories of businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores (read: gift cards). At these stores you will earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar… that’s the equivalent of 6 Marriott Bonvoy points.

And if your ultimate goal is to earn Avios miles: these 6 Marriott Bonvoy points equal 2 Avios miles!

So, for every dollar you spend at grocery stores, restaurants, and convenience stores with the American Express Cobalt Card, you get… 2 Avios miles! No card will do better, not even the RBC British Airways card!

Bottom Line

So it is possible to book an award ticket with Avios miles on Aer Lingus… but you’ll have to be patient. We hope that Avios.com will soon display the Montreal-Dublin flight… as the Toronto-Dublin flight is displayed!

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1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
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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

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Travel insurance

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Mobile device insurance

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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%.
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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

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RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

RBC RBC Avion Rewards - Elite

Annual fee: $120
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$935Total$935Plus $255 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $935
Welcome offer35,000 points after approval; 20,000 after $5,000 in eligible transactions within 6 months; 15,000 credited 12–16 weeks after the first account anniversary. Eligible account must remain open and in good standing; offer terms and posting times apply.: Up to 70,000 points; Ends Nov 25, 2026

For a limited time, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card offers a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Avion points, worth up to $1,500 in travel.

35,000 points upon approval of your application
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You can redeem your Avion points for flights with more than 500 airlines, with no blackout periods or seat restrictions, or transfer them to partner programs such as American Airlines AAdvantage, The British Airways Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and WestJet Rewards.

The card earns you 1.25 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on all your other eligible purchases. It also includes extensive insurance coverage: emergency medical, trip cancellation and interruption, collision coverage for rental vehicles, and mobile devices.

The annual fee is $120.

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Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions

^† Based on the Air Travel Reward redemptions from the Air Travel Redemption Schedule starting at 35,000 Avion points for one round-trip long-haul flight to almost anywhere in Canada or the United States with a maximum ticket price of $750, you will need a minimum of 70,000 Avion Points for two round-trips long-haul flights to almost anywhere in Canada or the United States, exclusive of Hawaii and Alaska. All applicable taxes, service fees and surcharges are the responsibility of the traveler. For more details, including information on redeeming for first class and business class seats, visit: www.avionrewards.com/travel/index.html. For general redemption terms, conditions and restrictions that apply to the Avion Rewards program, please visit: www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800 ROYAL 1-2 (1-800-769-2512).

^ Based on the Air Travel Reward redemptions from the Air Travel Redemption Schedule starting at 15,000 Avion points for a round trip within or to an adjacent Canadian province/territory or U.S State with a maximum ticket price of $350. You will need a minimum of 60,000 Avion Points for four round-trips within or to an adjacent Canadian province/territory or U.S State. All applicable taxes, service fees and surcharges are the responsibility of the traveller. For more details, including information on redeeming for first class and business class seats, please visit: www.avionrewards.com/travel/index.html. For general redemption terms, conditions and restrictions that apply to the Avion Rewards program, please visit: www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800 ROYAL 1-2 (1-800-769-2512).

1 This offer only applies to new applications for an RBC Avion Visa Infinite or RBC Avion Visa Platinum credit card (each, an “Eligible Credit Card”) received between “August 13, 2026” and “November 25, 2026” (“Offer Period”) and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”) subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the Eligible Credit Card account, as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account transferring to an Eligible Credit Card account during the Offer Period, are not eligible for the offer.

35,000 welcome Avion points (“Welcome Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty (60) days after your application has been approved, provided that your Eligible Credit Card account remains open and in good standing at the time the Welcome points are credited to your account, “good standing” meaning that your Eligible Credit Card account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive credit card account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status.

You will receive 20,000 bonus Avion points (“Bonus Points”) if a total of $5,000 or more (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) are posted to your Eligible Credit Card account within the first six (6) months from your Eligible Credit Card account opening date (“Period”). The Bonus Points will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty days (60) after you reach $5,000 in Qualifying Transactions, provided your Eligible Credit Card account remains open and in good standing at the time the Bonus Points are credited to your account.

Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees. Credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Eligible Credit Card account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions. The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

15,000 additional Avion points (“Anniversary Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within twelve (12) to sixteen (16) weeks after the one- year anniversary of your account opening, provided that your Eligible Credit Card account remains open and in good standing at the time the Anniversary Points are credited to your account.

If you close or change your Eligible Credit Card Account for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome Points, the Bonus Points and/or the Anniversary Points have been credited to your account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank reserves the right to cancel, modify or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even after your application has been approved, including if we suspect that you may be manipulating or abusing it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by Royal Bank in its sole discretion. For complete terms and conditions that apply to the Avion Rewards Program, please visit www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800-769-2512.

^Point redemptions for flights under the Air Travel Redemption Schedule start at 7,500 points for a short-haul one-way Economy Class flight priced at no more than $175 (and start at 15,000 points for a short-haul round-trip Economy Class flight priced at no more than $350). The traveller is responsible for all applicable taxes, administration fees and surcharges. To learn more, including guidelines regarding redeeming points for a Business Class flight, visit www.avionrewards.com/travel/.

2 Avion points are earned on qualifying net purchases only; they are not earned on cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant) interest charges or fees, and credits for returns and adjustments will reduce or cancel the points earned by the amounts originally charged.

4 To participate in this offer, you must have an RBC debit card or a credit card which is issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”). RBC business clients will only be able to link up to two (2) RBC business credit cards and one (1) RBC business debit card to a Petro-Points card.

You must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking or the RBC Mobile app in order to link your RBC Card to your Petro-Points card. Card linking may take up to 2 business days to process before savings and bonus points can be applied to purchases. A linked RBC Card means an RBC Card linked to a Petro-Points Account. Your linked RBC Card acts as your Petro-Points card. You will automatically earn Petro-Points when you pay for qualifying purchases with your linked RBC Card at Petro-Canada locations and you do not need to swipe your Petro-Points card before you pay. You can redeem your Petro-Points at Petro-Canada using your linked RBC Card. Each time you use your linked RBC Card to purchase any grade of gasoline, or diesel, at a Petro-Canada location, you will save three cents ($0.03) per litre at the time of the transaction.

6 Each time you use your linked Eligible Avion Rewards Credit Card to pay for purchases at a Petro-Canada Location, you will earn a bonus of twenty percent (20%) more Avion points than you normally earn for every $1 in purchases in accordance with the Avion Rewards Terms and Conditions. Please allow up to ninety (90) days from the date the transaction is posted on your credit card statement for the bonus points to be deposited into Avion Rewards account. Authorized Users are excluded from earning Avion points bonus.

6 Each time you use your eligible linked Avion Rewards credit card to pay for purchases at a Petro-Canada location, you will receive a bonus of twenty percent (20%) more Avion points than you would normally receive for each dollar of purchase, in accordance with the terms of the Avion Rewards program. Please allow up to ninety (90) days from the date the transaction is posted to your credit card statement for your bonus points to be deposited into your Avion Rewards account. Authorized users cannot earn bonus Avion points.

7 Coverage underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada. Please refer to the insurance certificate for complete details. rbc-visa-infinite-avion-certificate-of-insurance.pdf

9 Under 65 years of age, 15 days of coverage. For age 65 and over, 3 days of coverage. Coverage underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada.

12 You will earn 1.25 Avion points for every dollar spent when you use your RBC Avion Visa Infinite card to pay for travel-related purchases made at merchants classified by Visa’s “Merchant Category Code” (“MCC”) as “travel”, which may include: airlines, accommodations, tour operators, cruise lines, travel agencies and car rental companies. Even though some merchants may sell travel products/services, purchases made at these locations may not necessarily qualify for the 1.25 Avion points per dollar if the merchant is not classified with a “travel” MCC. Also, merchants that are not classified by a “travel” MCC may be located on the premises of merchants that are classified with a “travel” MCC, and purchases made at these locations may not qualify for this added benefit. For more details, please refer to the Avion Rewards Terms and Conditions at: https://www.avionrewards.com/terms-and-conditions/index.html

14 The term “redeem” means using your Be Well points to pay, or partially pay, for eligible purchases using your Be Well card at participating Rexall locations according to the instructions provided by the cashier, the point-of-sale terminal or any other payment processing device. You can redeem the Be Well points you earn for eligible purchases—see section 5 of the Be Well terms (available at https://www.letsbewell.ca/terms-conditions)—or for another purpose that we may provide from time to time.

You must have joined the Be Well program and registered your Be Well card, or otherwise called customer service, to redeem Be Well points. Any Be Well points earned on a Be Well card will remain the property of the Be Well administrator until the enrollment and registration process is complete.

You must redeem a minimum of 25,000 Be Well points at any time, which are worth $10. Be Well points can be redeemed in $10 increments, up to a maximum of $200 (500,000 Be Well points) in a single transaction. A maximum of 500,000 Be Well points can be redeemed within a 24-hour period.

In Ontario and British Columbia, Be Well points cannot be redeemed for prescription drugs. As the laws of each province and territory may change from time to time, you are encouraged to consult your pharmacist for more information in this regard.

Be Well points you earn when you make a purchase cannot be redeemed immediately for that same purchase. They can only be redeemed for a future eligible purchase that must be made at least 12 hours after earning those Be Well points.

16 To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before November 16, 2028 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions .

Eligible RBC Credit cardholders include primary cardholders, co-applicants, authorized users, primary business cardholders and secondary business cardholders on an Eligible RBC Credit Card account.

The DashPass monthly subscription fee will be waived (“Complimentary DashPass Subscription”) and you will receive either a 6 months or 12 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription based on the Eligible RBC Credit Card you use to subscribe to DashPass.

DashPass subscriptions purchased through third parties, including third-party payment accounts, or online or mobile digital wallets (like Apply Pay and Google Pay) are not eligible for the Complimentary DashPass Subscription.

Eligible RBC Credit Cards: Your Eligible RBC Credit Card may only be used with one DoorDash account to receive a Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Once you have received a Complimentary DashPass Subscription you cannot use the same eligible RBC Credit Card to obtain a Complimentary DashPass Subscription with another DoorDash account.

You are only eligible for one 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription and one 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription during the Offer Period. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription commences on the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. For example, if you subscribe to a 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription in on the last day of your second month of a 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription you will receive a total of 14 months of Complimentary DashPass Subscription. In order to validate your credit card as an Eligible RBC Credit Card, Royal Bank may need to administer a $0.50 charge to validate your card enrollment. This charge will be reversed in 3 to 5 days once your account has been validated.

12 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Avion Visa Platinum, RBC Avion Visa Infinite , RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard, More Rewards RBC Visa Infinite, RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, RBC Avion Visa Business, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business (Elite Benefit cards) cardholder.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 12 months from the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

6 Months Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an Rewards+TM Visa‡, Signature^® RBC Rewards^® Visa‡, RBC^® Visa‡ Platinum, RBC^® Visa‡ Cash Back, RBC^® Cash Back Mastercard‡, RBC^® Visa‡ Classic Low Rate Option, RBC^® Visa‡ Classic, RBC^® Student Visa‡ Classic, RBC^® Visa‡ Classic II Student, RBC^® Visa‡ Gold, RBC^® U.S. Dollar Visa‡ Gold, RBC Rewards Visa‡ Gold, RBC RateAdvantage^® Visa‡, WestJet RBC^® Mastercard‡, RBC ION Visa, RBC ION+ Visa, More Rewards RBC Visa, RBC Staff VISA Classic Expense, RBC Staff VISA Gold Expense, RBC^® Visa‡ Business, RBC^® Visa‡ Business Gold, RBC^® Visa‡ CreditLine for Small BusinessTM, or RBC^® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡, WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard‡ (Premium Benefit Cards).

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 6 months from the date you subscribed to the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

DoorDash not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for (i) services and products provided through DoorDash; (ii) DashPass, including the DashPass Benefits, the administration of DashPass and (iii) the DoorDash terms and conditions. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time. To learn more about DashPass, visit www.doordash.com/dashpass (opens to external site). For full DashPass for RBC Program Terms and Conditions, visit rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf

Annual fee

Primary card$120

Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000

Household$100,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

1.25xTravel
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,312

2nd Year Value$271

Transfer partners

American Airlines AAdvantageAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
WestJet RewardsAirline

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Unlimited / 15 days

Travel medical (55-64)Unlimited / 15 days

Travel medical (65+)Unlimited / 3 days

Trip CancellationUp to $1,500

Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

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 $1,500 / 1 years

Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Our editorial integrity

Our reviews and rankings are based on an objective assessment. Advertisers do not influence our content. We may receive compensation through some links; our analysis and opinions remain independent.

Comments from our members

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Since a few days, it is possible to book tickets on the new flight of the Irish company Aer Lingus: Montreal – Dublin. And it is possible to use miles!

Plan your next trip with our Aer Lingus guide from Canada: routes, cabins, baggage and options for booking with points.

Booking an award ticket on Aer Lingus

While Aer Lingus has begun selling tickets, you should know that it is also possible to use British Airways Club Avios miles… although the process is (very) far from simple at the moment.

Search via British Airways Club

As Aer Lingus is part of the IAG group of airlines (British Airways, Iberia…) it would be natural to find award tickets directly on the British Airways Club portal. Well… no!

Please note that the British Airways Club portal will not allow you to book Aer Lingus flights online.

Search via Avios.com

If we can’t book on British Airways Club, let’s turn to the Avios.com portal, which is the portal for all Avios member programs (British Airways Club, Iberia Plus…).

But first, you need to create an Avios.com account… which is different from your British Airways Club account!

Create an Avios.com account with Aer Lingus

Link your British Airways Club and Avios.com accounts

Aer Lingus award tickets on avios.com

And then… unfortunately, the flights will not be displayed! Same result as with British Airways Club with a flight via London for 24,500 Avios miles and $325 one way!

I know, at this very moment, you are angry with me!

So it’s only a matter of time before the YUL-DUB flight is displayed… so you haven’t done all this process in vain!

Well, if the flight YUL-DUB is not displayed on British Airways Club, nor on Avios.com… how can I find it? Here are 2 methods.

Search via United

To do this, you will need to set up the search as follows:

YUL-DUB
Non-stop flight
Flexible search

Bingo! It’s simple: there is availability every day in economy class between August 8, 2019 until the end of the schedule available at the time of this writing, September 6, 2019.

Availability is displayed: points for business class, lines for economy class!

Take the example of August 19, 2019, available in both economy and business class in the “Saver Reward” category, which is the one available to all Aer Lingus partner airlines.

Now that we know that seats are available on this flight, all you have to do is call British Airways Club to make a reservation.

Search via Expertflyer

Award ticket availability alert: you set up alerts on specific flights, and Expertflyer will monitor for you by sending you an email when a seat becomes available
Alert for availability of a specific seat
Information on the occupancy of an aircraft: this makes it possible to estimate whether award tickets will eventually be “released
Real time access to the cabin plan (which also allows to see the filling)
MPM calculation: this makes it easy to see if our Aeroplan “mini-tour” of the world is working
And many other features

For example, here is an automated email from Expertflyer to notify the availability of a flight on Thai in First Class.

This is certainly not the tool we would recommend to the casual traveler. However, if you use your miles several times a year, you should think about it!

There is also a free 5-day trial.

Via Expertflyer, you can search for a flight within +/- 3 days to check availability. Here is the configuration:

And this is what it looks like for flights in August 2019 on Aer Lingus between YUL-DUB: at least 4 economy seats available.

Calling the British Airways Club

Once you have your flights (and your British Airways Club Avios miles in your account), the last step is to call British Airways Club.

You will only need to mention your flights to the agent who should be able to book them. Since you could not technically do it online, you will not be charged a fee for booking by phone.

Lucky from Onemileatatime confirmed this:

The rate in air miles is therefore:

10,000 to 12,500 avios miles (low/high season) in economy class
31,250 to 37,500 air miles (low / high season) in business class

Romain, in the facebook group “Travel for free (or almost…!) with your points & miles – milesopedia” was also able to book his tickets by phone using his avios miles. He writes:

I booked for 2 adults and 1 child in August for 75000 avios and $427.

That’s 25,000 air miles and $142 in taxes for a round trip between Montreal and Dublin in economy. A very nice deal!

How do I get airline miles in Canada?

In Canada, there are 3 ways to earn Avios miles.

Earn Avios miles with American Express Membership Rewards

British Airways Club is a transfer partner of the American Express Membership Rewards program.

You can transfer your Membership Rewards points to Avios miles at a 1:1 rate. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 10,000 Avios miles.

And regularly conversion promotions take place! The last one: 30% more airline miles. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 13,000 Avios miles.

These 4 American Express cards offer Membership Rewards points:

The American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Gold Rewards Card
The Gold Card for Small Business with Rewards from American Express
The American Express Corporate Platinum Card

Earn Avios miles with RBC Rewards

Like American Express, the RBC Rewards program allows you to transfer RBC points to Avios miles at a 1:1 rate. So 10,000 RBC Rewards points = 10,000 Avios miles.

Also, regular transfer promotions take place, between 20 and 30%.

Earn airline miles with Marriott Bonvoy

Last but not least, Marriott Bonvoy. The hotel program allows you to transfer your Marriott rewards points into Avios miles at a 3:1 rate. For example, 30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 Avios miles.

In addition, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred, Marriott adds a 5,000 mile bonus. For example, 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 20,000 + 5,000 Avios miles.

In Canada, it is of course possible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points with the American Express Marriott Bonvoy cards:

<a class= “thirstylink” title= “the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card” href= “https://milesopedia.com/go/amex-marriott”>the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card
Marriott Bonvoy^™ Business American Express^® Card

It is also possible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points with the 4 American Express Membership Rewards cards (the transfer rate is 5:6 or 50,000 Membership Rewards points = 60,000 Marriott points)

But the best solution is… the American Express Cobalt Card!

And if your ultimate goal is to earn Avios miles: these 6 Marriott Bonvoy points equal 2 Avios miles!

Bottom Line

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

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

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt^® Card insurance coverage

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

Mobile device insurance

Purchase protection and extended warranty

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

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