Scotiabank Gold American Express® CardScotiabank Gold American Express® CardEarn up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points + no annual fee in your first year

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points
Share

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be the tenth edition of the quadrennial world championship for rugby union national teams. This will be a major sports event, so affordable flights will be harder to find. Thankfully, points can help soften the blow.

It will be entirely held in France from September 8 to October 28, 2023, in nine different venues nationwide. The focus of the strategy to score affordable flights to attend the event will be to find flights to France, yes, but not exclusively, as many cities in Europe can serve as an entryway. Indeed, after reaching the old continent, you can easily make your way to your location by bus, train or with a low-cost carrier.

Rugby World Cup Flights – Travel Rewards

Starting by using Google Flights explore’s feature, we can quickly view the price range for flights from Montreal to Europe during October, when the finals of the Rugby World Cup will be held.

The cheapest flight seems to be to London with Air Transat compared to direct flights to Paris with Air Canada or Air France.

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights cash positionning Explore
2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights cash positioinning Europe

Then, you can evaluate different transportation methods to your venue and see if the add-up costs are worth splitting or if it’s more economical and less of a hassle to fly directly to your destination.

Remember, with a travel rewards program like Scene+, you can redeem your points on any travel purchase charged to your card like the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card!

Here are a few examples:

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights cash positionning 3
2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights cash positionning 4
2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights cash positionning 2

There are a lot of Travel Rewards programs that will give you a statement credit when you redeem their points on flights or other travel expenses:

Therefore, you can book what you want freely and employ the points to cover the cost.

When using a gateway like this, you can either leave right away for your Rugby World Cup venue or choose to make the most of this opportunity by visiting another fantastic city such as London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Rome, etc.

Rugby World Cup Flights – Aeroplan

For economy flights to Europe, Aeroplan is not always the best way to maximize the value of your points. However, it will constantly depend on the cash fare of a similar ticket and how easily you can earn them.

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Cheap flights to europe with points aeroplan chart

Indeed, I regularly calculate the worth of my Aeroplan points to know if it’s a fair redemption or not. But if you do not have additional future short-term use in mind, it may be a good idea to redeem them before they devaluate. Since some cards, such as the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card gives a lot of points, it’s a quick solution to get affordable flights to attend the Rugby World Cup!

Air Canada announced many new routes, such as Copenhagen, Madrid, and Amsterdam, from Montreal and will increase the frequency of some of their other flights, such as Rome. More destinations mean more availability to reach Europe!

At the time of writing, the cheapest Aeroplan flights for the Rugby World Cup are towards Toulouse, a secondary airport in France; it’s a known trick to aim for these smaller airports as compared to a big hub like Paris when you want to look for affordable fares, especially during a peak period or a big event.

The prices are great whether you wish to fly in economy or business class.

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights Aeroplan Y
2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights Aeroplan J

Rugby World Cup Flights – Flying Blue

With Flying Blue, you can easily find affordable flights from 15,000 miles in economy still during the Rugby World Cup’s time, and with some occasional Promo Rewards, you can even find them at half-price.

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights FB 2

As Paris is Air France’s main hub, you won’t have any trouble searching for flights. However, if you cannot locate seats at that price, look for secondary airports in France or other central destinations such as Amsterdam.

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights FB

In Canada, you can get Flying Blue miles with American Express Membership Rewards credit cards. The transfer ratio is 1:0,75, meaning you need 20,000 Membership Rewards for a 15,000 miles flight.

Rugby World Cup Flights – Avios

British Airways Executive Club is also a great program to find affordable flights to Europe for the Rugby World Cup. What is wonderful about it is that flights from Montreal to London during their off-peak dates are priced at 50,000 Avios + $200 in taxes.

2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights Avios 2
2023 Rugby World Cup: Affordable flights With Points - Rugby flights Avios

Then, you can add another segment to France for a supplemental number of points or take one of the many alternate methods of transport to get to your final destination.

Here are some credit card that allows the earning of Avios:

Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
Annual fee$165Welcome offer
50,000 Avios
Apply Now
Annual fee$120Welcome offer
Up to 70,000 pointsEnds Nov 25, 2026
Apply Now
Annual fee$250Welcome offer
Up to 60,000 points
Apply Now

Bottom Line

As we can see, there are various ways you can employ points to get cheap flights to Europe to attend the Rugby World Cup. How to choose which program to turn to then?

It will depend mainly on the following:

  • The cash fare
  • The award availability in each respective program
  • The award fare

Therefore, the most valuable points are Membership Rewards because they can be used as Travel Rewards or cashback and transferred to Aeroplan, Flying Blue and Avios. Armed with a handful of Membership Rewards points, you can easily book flights to the Rugby World Cup without breaking the bank.

And if you want another flexible program, you can look at Scene+ with the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card or the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. Both cards will be great to use during the Rugby World Cup, as they have no foreign transaction fee!

Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
Annual fee$120Welcome offer
Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now
Annual fee$150Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now

Remember, you can also mix and match programs depending on the award availability and price. Indeed, your outbound flight could be with Aeroplan, and the return could be with Flying Blue. Also, by incorporating other means of transport, such as buses, trains and low-cost flights, you can build a wonderful trip at an affordable cost.

To plan your stay and book your tickets for the 2023 Rugby World Cup:

Annual fee
$150
Our valuation
$350
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards 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 35,000 points
Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now

on Scotiabank's website

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card +* CardMC, you’ll earn 25,000 welcome bonus Scene+ points after charging $2,000 in purchases to your account within the first three months.

Plus, every year, earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 Scene+ points when you charge at least $40,000 in purchases to your account. In total, the offer represents up to 35,000 Scene+ points and a value of up to $1,250 in the first year, including rewards, savings on foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn 3 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and participating Co-ops, and 2 points per $1 spent at other grocery stores, restaurants, eligible entertainment and eligible daily transit. You earn 1 point per $1 on all your other everyday purchases.

These points can be redeemed against any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb), or as cash back with Scene+ at the same rate.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card also offers:

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 complimentary airport VIP lounge passes
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Visa Infinite* Concierge Services

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

0%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xEntertainment
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$650
2nd Year Value$397

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$240

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $1,000,000 / 3 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Our featured card

Featured
Annual fee
$120
Our valuation
$990
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.
Welcome offer
Up to 110,000 points
Ends Sep 22, 2026
Apply Now

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 Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is the best credit card in Canada for free hotel nights.

New Cardmembers can earn up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points with the current offer:

  • Earn 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on your Card in your first 6 months of Cardmembership.
  • Plus, earn 30,000 points by making a purchase during your 15th month of Cardmembership.

This offer ends on September 22, 2026. The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.

Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.

To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.

The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.

You move up to Gold Elite status automatically when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year, or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your Card.

Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 110,000 point welcome offer is worth about $990, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.

Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.

You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.

The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.

Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.

Annual fee

Primary card$120
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 5xMarriott Bonvoy hotels
  • 2xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,437
2nd Year Value$312

Travel insurance

Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 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.