How to use your VIA Préférence points for a free VIA Rail ticket

Previously, points were exchanged according to a fixed grid. Now it’s based on a dynamic rate, which varies according to the city of departure and arrival, the day of the week, the rate chosen, etc.

So if the cost of a VIA Rail ticket is high, the demand for points will be higher. If the cost is low, the number of points required will also be low.

With VIA Préférence points, you can pay :

• A VIA Rail ticket, purchased directly from VIA Rail
• Travel pass
• The cost of travelling with a pet
• Fees for unaccompanied minors
• All eligible baggage for which fees apply
• The cost of reserving two adjacent seats
• Ticket for the Québec-Ste-Foy shuttle (purchased directly from VIA Rail)

First, there are a few important things to know before booking with VIA Préférence points.

• Please note that during this transition to the new booking system, only the cost of the train ticket can be paid by points. Taxes must be paid by another method of payment. In the future, taxes will probably be paid using points. In the meantime, VIA Rail is reducing the number of points available for redemption by 30%.
• If you do not have enough VIA Préférence points to book the ticket for the entire trip or for all passengers, you must book the ticket with points and the rest of the trip separately .
• A train ticket cannot be partially paid for with points. So you need to have enough points to cover the entire ticket, otherwise the exchange cannot take place.
• If the train fare is exchangeable or refundable, points will be credited to the account, less any applicable exchange or refund fees.
• To reserve Prestige Class with VIA Préférence points, call VIA Rail Customer Service at 1 888 842-7733.

First, go to the VIA Rail Canada page and log in to your VIA Rail profile. Please note that with the new reservation system, any password created before November 18, 2023 must be reset.

Then you’ll find yourself on the Book a trip page.

Select :

• City of departure and arrival ;
• Desired travel dates ;
• Number of passengers by age ;
• If the reservation includes a pet on board ;
• And if applicable, enter a discount code, company code or travel card code.

Then click on Search.

You will then have to choose or enter several details to reserve the ticket:

• Passenger names and main contact name;
• Revise the baggage allowance according to the class and fare selected in advance;
• Add an additional piece of luggage(free for a limited time, while you transition to the new reservation system);
• See seat availability for the whole train and choose your seat.

Finally, you’ll come to the Review & Pay tab, where you can review your trip and pay for your ticket using your VIA Préférence points.

At Payment Options, you can use 2 methods of payment to pay for the train ticket and other charges, if required.

For example, you can pay a combination of :

• VIA Préférence points and a virtual gift card
• VIA Préférence points and a credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express)

In the top section, click on the arrow to the right of the VIA Preference points section.