Testimonial: Visiting Southeast Asia in business class with points

Through a series of testimonials from our readers, Milesopedia presents what you can achieve with credit cards and loyalty programs.

Here is the project for a trip to Istanbul, Singapore,Vietnam and Dubai with business-class flights by Philippe and his wife Claudine. See their strategies and the savings they’ve made with reward points.

Review : Orientbank Hotel Istanbul, Autograph Collection | Marriott Bonvoy - Istanbul-4

Philippe's Testimonial – Who are you?

I’m 45 and have been a Milesopedia reader since November 2020. At that time, I was already interested in the world of travel points, and I thought that my Capital One World Elite Voyage card, which gave me 2% on every purchase, was advantageous.

It was during the pandemic that I started reading more about reward programs. Discovering Milesopedia and all its free, high-quality content completely changed my way of thinking.

We like to take long weekend trips for a few days to watch sports games, and then take the opportunity to discover different American cities. What’s more, we regularly go to all-inclusives. Our trip to Asia will be our first of its kind over such a long period.

Testimonial: Visiting Southeast Asia in business class with points - temoignage-philippe3

Philippe's Testimonial – Your travel project with points : Asia in business class

I’ll be traveling with my wife for a month in May 2024. We’ll use the trip to celebrate our 25th anniversary as a couple.

From the start of the accumulation of points, the objective was to take a trip of about a month for two people, but the destination was not determined. Above all, we wanted to plan a trip that would bn paid for in money and in business class, among other things.

The aim was also to take advantage of Aeroplanstopovers to see different countries in a relatively short time.

Our planned itinerary is as follows:

3 days in Istanbul (Aeroplan stopover)
3 days in Singapore
2 weeks in Vietnam
3 days in Dubai

For an additional 5,000 Aeroplan points per person, we were able to add a 3-day stopover in Istanbul. This Aeroplan tip will allow us to visit one more destination on our trip to Asia.

Transportation

Our strategy for booking plane tickets was relatively straightforward. We have combined two different types of points for our flights: Aeroplan and Avios.

We also wanted to fly business class for our longer segments. Here is a summary of our reservations for two people:

Flight	Carrier and cabin	Number and type of points used	Money saved
Montreal-Lyon	Air Canada inbusiness class	185,000 Aeroplan	$18,382
Lyon-Istanbul	Turkish Airlines in business class
Istanbul-Singapore	Singapore Airlines in business class
Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City	Singapore Airlines in Economy class	16,000 Aeroplan	$183
Hanoi-Dubai	Emirates Economy class	57,000 Aeroplan	$1,352
Dubai-Doha-Montreal	Qatar Airways Business class (Qsuite)	150,000 Avios	$7,068

Transportation savings

A total of 258,000 Aeroplan points and 150,000 Avios points saved us a very impressive $26,985 on flights for two for our trip to Southeast Asia.

On Milesopedia, we often say that the best value for points is found in business class bookings.

Our flights prove it: with 185,000 Aeroplan points, we bought tickets worth $18,382. This equates to a remarkable 9.9¢ per point, almost 5x the average Milesopedia valuation!

For return flights, we also arrive at an excellent value of 4.7¢ per Avios mile.

Accommodation

So far, we’ve only booked the Westin Singapore for 69,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, a value of $2,032.

Based on the costs of Airbnb and hotels in Vietnam, we believe we’ll be paying in cash, as the exchange value won’t be at its full potential. However, we are considering Marriott Bonvoy points for our nights in Istanbul and Dubai.

Testimonial – Credit cards used

Accumulating points is a team effort for us. We each took out different credit cards to finance the trip:

Credit card	Accumulation period	Number of points used	Points redemption method
TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card (Mr.)	2 years	258,000 Aeroplan points	Flight booking
CIBC Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card^MD (Mrs.)	1 year
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card (Mr.)	6 months	The equivalent of 150,000 Avios points	Transfer to Avios
HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® (Mrs.)	1 year	Transfer to Avios
Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card (Mr. and Mrs.)	2 years and a half	69,000 Marriott Bonvoy points	Hotel booking

The cards listed above are only those used for this trip. We currently have several other cards for other projects!

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
FeaturedTD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$139 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months Up to 50,000 points After $12,000 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite +* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$150	Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $2,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
CIBC Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$139 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months Up to 50,000 points After $12,000 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
FeaturedRBC Avion Visa Infinite Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	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 pointsEnds Nov 25, 2026 35,000 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.	Apply NowCompare
Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months Up to 70,000 points After $3,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare

The benefits

With our credit cards, we will enjoy additional benefits such as :

Access to airport lounges with the CIBC Aventura^MD Visa Infinite* Card
An annual travel credit of $100 and no conversion fees on foreign currency transactions with the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^®.
Free checked baggage with the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card on flights operated by Air Canada.

For business-class flights, we will be entitled to free access to airport lounges, without having to use our credit card passes.

Tips for collecting more points

To boost our Aeroplan points balance, we used a few strategies. In past Aeroplan welcome bonuses, we exchanged the companion pass for 30,000 Aeroplan points. When we shop online, we use the Aeroplan eStore to earn extra points. Finally, we use family sharing to combine all our points together.

Above all, the best tips I can mention are :

Read, read and re-read Milesopedia articles and guides.
Look at publications on the Milesopedia Facebook group. I rarely ask questions, but I do read just about every post and comment.
Participating in Milesopedia events is a must. This allows us to exchange ideas with people of all levels, from ninjas to beginners, and to develop a network of contacts.

Summary

All told, we saved $29,017 on our business-class trip to Southeast Asia. This is just the beginning of our savings, as most of our hotels are not yet booked. For the moment, here is a breakdown of the amounts saved by category:

Type of expense	Savings
Transportation	$26,985
Accommodation	$2,032
Grand total	$29,017

Our points wallet is diversified and we used 3 different loyalty programs for this trip:

The final word

Although it wasn’t used for this trip, everyone should have an American Express Cobalt^® Card. The accumulation rate is incredible, and it’s not true that American Express is only accepted in a few places. It is accepted in many restaurants and in a growing number of grocery stores such as IGA and Adonis.

When you buy gift cards for certain stores (SAQ, Decathlon, Canadian Tire), the points accumulate very quickly. In addition, we often have access to pre-sale tickets for shows at the Centre Vidéotron.

Finally, the Amex offers occasionally available on the card cover the annual fee. For example, with the United Airlines promotion (get a $250 credit with a $500 purchase) we flew to New York. The $250 account credit more than paid for the $155.88 annual fee!

Testimonial: Visiting Southeast Asia in business class with points - temoignage-philippe2

Testimonial: Visiting Southeast Asia in business class with points - temoignage-philippe1

Our adventure into the world of points is far from over. For our next major trip, we’re consideringSouth Africa as our destination. It’s a great place to maximize our Marriott Bonvoy points.

Thanks Milesopedia!

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

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer valued at $255.

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

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

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

American Express Cobalt^® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

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

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

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%.
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

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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