Tutorial: List of major points transfer programs in Canada

On the other hand, there are a number of other programs that we refer to as « hybrid » reward point programs: these are programs whose points can be used in the program in question or transferred to another loyalty program.

The best-known reward transfer programs in Canada are..:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• RBC Avion Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Best Western Rewards

In this comprehensive guide, discover the best transfer programs available in Canada, their key partners and our expert strategies for optimizing your transfers.

American Express Membership Rewards

Points transfer partners

In Canada, American Express Membership Rewards partners with various airline and hotel loyalty programs. This allows you to transfer your Membership Rewards into points or miles.

For Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, and Delta Skymiles, the transfer is immediate.

For others, it can take up to 10 business days.

American Express Membership Rewards points are considered THE most valuable points currency in Canada, thanks to their ability to be converted into a number of particularly attractive programs.

However, not every conversion is worthwhile:

• Hilton Honors: The conversion rate is really not interesting. This can be only useful for topping up a points balance to get a free room.
• Marriott Bonvoy: The conversion rate is attractive, and even more so if you take advantage of one of the rare transfer promotions with a 30% bonus. In addition, I advise you to give priority to accumulation via Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and, if necessary, to top up with one of the Membership Rewards credit cards such as the American Express Cobalt^MD Card.
• ALL Accor Live Limitless: The 1,000-for-500 ratio is the least generous of the three. On the other hand, a Reward point carries a fixed value of about 2 euro cents, roughly 1.6 Canadian cents per Membership Rewards point transferred, with no category and no seasonality.

The double transfer: Amex, hotel, then airline

All three American Express hotel partners convert their own points into airline miles. That means you can chain Membership Rewards points into hotel points, then into miles. Here is what 1,000 Membership Rewards points are worth at the end of the chain:

Marriott Bonvoy therefore remains the better route to airline miles in the vast majority of cases. The one exception is Qantas Frequent Flyer, for which Accor applies an enhanced ratio of 2,000 Reward points for 2,500 Qantas points. With the American Express Cobalt Card and its 5 points per dollar, that works out to as much as 3.125 Qantas points per dollar spent on groceries and dining.

ALL Accor also opens the door to programs that Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors do not offer: Air Europa SUMA, Gulf Air Falconflyer, IndiGo BluChip, Juneyao Air Club, Kenya Airways Asante Rewards and Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles. None of these carriers flies to Canada non-stop, but Air Europa is worth bookmarking: the Spanish airline belongs to SkyTeam, and its SUMA miles can be redeemed on Air France and KLM flights.

Credit Cards

Here is the list of credit cards with Membership Rewards in Canada:

Articles

Here is the list of Milesopedia’s main articles on the Membership Rewards program:

RBC Avion Rewards

Points transfer partners

With RBC Avion Rewards, you have access to these reward point transfer partners:

RBC Avion Rewards points can be used to top up your balance of WestJet points, British Airways ClubAvios or Asia Miles.

However, not every conversion is worthwhile:

• British Airways Club: Twice a year, there is a 30% conversion bonus. I recommend waiting for this time to transfer your RBC points into Avios.
• American AAdvantage : The conversion rate is not really interesting. This transfer should only be done to supplement an existing mileage balance.

Credit Cards

The following is a list of RBC Rewards (Avion) credit cards that can be used to transfer points to airline partners:

Articles

Here is a list of Milesopedia’s top articles on the RBC Rewards program:

Marriott Bonvoy

Points transfer partners

With Marriott Bonvoy, you can transfer your points into miles from various airline programs.

The transfer rate is generally 3:1 (30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 miles). And for every 60,000 points transferred, Marriott adds a bonus of 15,000 points (equivalent to 5,000 miles).

So 60,000 points = 25,000 miles (bringing the transfer rate to 2.4:1).

Note that Marriott Bonvoy and United have a special relationship: point transfers to United have a 10% bonus.

I often advise you to use loyalty program points ONLY for what they were originally intended :

• Hotel points for free hotel nights
• Airline miles or points for airline tickets

However, it may be worthwhile to use Marriott Bonvoy to earn miles, especially at certain rare times of the year when you can take advantage of conversion bonuses ! Aeroplan and British Airways Club run some annual promotions, where you can earn 15-30% more miles by converting your hotel points.

It’s also a good way to earn miles from foreign airline programs like United MileagePlus, Singapore KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards, etc.

Credit Cards

Here is the list of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards in Canada:

It’s also possible to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into Marriott Bonvoy points at a rate of 1:1.2 (or 5:6).

So 50,000 Membership Rewards = 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

If your goal is to go through the Marriott Bonvoy program to earn airline miles, the best credit card will be the. American Express Cobalt^® Card.

With this card, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in certain categories of stores: grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants. And in grocery and convenience stores, you can buy gift cards for many other stores (SAQ, Amazon, Walmart, Ikea, etc.) to earn 5 points per dollar.

And since 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points = 2 airline miles, that means that at these stores you earn 2 miles per dollar of purchase! Which is incredible!

Here is the list of credit cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in Canada:

Articles

Here is the list of Milesopedia’s top articles on the Marriott Bonvoy program:

Best Western Rewards

Points transfer partners

With the Best Western Rewards program, you can redeem your points for airline miles. Let me warn you right away: the exchange rate is far from the best.

However, if you have Best Western Rewards points that you don’t need, you might as well put them to good use!

A minimum of 5,000 Best Western Rewards points is required to transfer to this Best Western page.

Conclusion

With these 4 programs, you can easily transfer your points to dozens of other loyalty programs and travel the world with your reward points!

Do you start with the points? With one of these five credit cards, you will earn transferable points:

Can a points transfer be cancelled?

No. Point transfers are final and irreversible.

It is important to check your information before confirming the transfer.

What are the main points transfer programs available in Canada?

In Canada, the most well-known points programs for transferring to other loyalty programs are American Express Membership Rewards, RBC Avion Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Best Western Rewards. Each has its own transfer partners, allowing you to convert points into airline miles or hotel points according to your needs.

Is it possible to transfer airline loyalty points to other programs?

Generally, airline points and miles (such as Aeroplan, Avios, SkyMiles, Flying Blue) are not transferable to other programs once credited to an account. A rare exception is the transfer of Aeroplan points to Marriott Bonvoy for Aeroplan members with Elite status.

What are the common transfer ratios for loyalty programs in Canada?

Ratios vary depending on the program and the destination of the points:

• American Express Membership Rewards can transfer to several airline and hotel programs, with ratios such as 1:1 for Aeroplan, 1:1.2 to Marriott Bonvoy, or 1:1 to Hilton Honors.
• RBC Avion Rewards offers ratios such as 1:1 to WestJet or Avios.
• Marriott Bonvoy generally transfers 3:1 to airline miles, with bonuses every 60,000 points.
• Best Western Rewards also allows transfers, though often at less attractive ratios.

To Go Further with American Express Membership Rewards Points

To maximize your Membership Rewards points accumulation, consult our complete guide to the American Express Membership Rewards program as well as our ranking of the best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.