How to Maximize the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule

One of the strengths of the RBC Avion Rewards program is its flexibility. Depending on what you’d like to do with your points, it allows you to redeem points for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.

When it comes to redeeming Avion points for travel, you’ve got options with RBC Avion points. You can book travel through the Avion Rewards platform, transfer points to American Airlines AAdvantage, The British Airways Club, , Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and WestJet Rewards, or you can choose to redeem Avion points for flights through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

In this guide, we’ll explore the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule in detail, including how you can maximize redemptions through the program when other travel redemption options don’t suit your needs.

What Is the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule?

The RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule is one of the ways in which you can redeem RBC Avion points for travel.

With the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you can redeem a fixed number of Avion points to book flights to various destinations, on any airline, any time, and in any cabin class including business and First Class.

However, it’s important to note that the fixed number of points only applies to a maximum ticket price, and you must pay any additional airfare plus third-party taxes and fees, which we’ll discuss in detail below.

Air Travel Redemption Schedule bookings are made through the Avion Rewards portal, which in turn is powered by Expedia. Therefore, most, if not all, airlines available on Expedia are also accessible through Avion Rewards.

Travel bookings with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule are only available to Avion cardholders, who enjoy membership in the Avion Rewards program at the highest Elite tier.

Note that this redemption option isn’t available to RBC® ION Visa or RBC® ION+ Visa cardholders, who enjoy membership in the Avion Rewards program at the Premium tier.

However, it’s worth noting that you can transfer Avion points earned on an RBC® ION Visa or RBC® ION+ Visa into your Elite points account, if you happen to have both an ION and an Avion credit card.

This is what we like to call The Optimized RBC Credit Card Portfolio, since you can leverage the better earning rates on the RBC® ION+ Visa and the more flexible redemption options available with an RBC Avion Visa.

When you redeem Avion points using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you can get a value of up to 2–2.3 cents per Avion point (all figures in CAD).

This is a solid redemption option, considering that you can redeem Avion points for travel at a much lower rate of 1 cent per point through the Avion Rewards portal.

Of course, you could also get similar or much greater value by converting them to British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or American Airlines AAdvantage miles, which can extract even greater value.

How Does the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule Work?

There are six different categories under the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, with each one based on the flight’s origin and destination. We’ll go over each of these in detail below.

Suppose you’d like to book a short-haul trip under the Quick Getaways section from Toronto to Montreal.

15,000 Avion points would get you round-trip economy flights, with a base fare of up to $350.

You’d need to pay the same 15,000 points if the base fare totals, say, $100, as you would if the base fare totals $350 with the Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

In other words, the 15,000 points you redeem is good for up to $350 off the total cost of the booking (though it could also cover less if the base fare was lower than that).

Therefore, with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you’ll get the best value from your points if you come as close to the maximum permitted ticket price in each category.

Just keep in mind that you’ll also have to cover the third-party taxes and fees on the booking, which you can either pay for with cash, or redeem Avion points at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Furthermore, you can also exceed the maximum ticket price for any itinerary; however, you’ll have to pay the difference in cash, or use more Avion points at a rate of 1 cent per point.

If you’d rather book a one-way flight instead of a round-trip, the number of points required is halved, and so is the eligible ticket price.

Quick Getaways

The shortest flight option on the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, Quick Getaways, also happens to provide the most potential value per Avion point.

For flights within or to an adjacent Canadian province/territory, and within or to an adjacent US state, the pricing is as follows:

• 7,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $175
• 15,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $350

At either 7,500 points for $175, or 15,000 points for $350, you’ll score a redemption rate of up to 2.33 cents per Avion point.

Some examples of other flight pairings available under Quick Getaways might include the following:

• Toronto and New York
• Winnipeg and Minneapolis
• Vancouver and Calgary

Unfortunately, airports in Alaska aren’t included under Quick Getaways, despite Alaska being adjacent to British Columbia and the Yukon.

Explore North America

For flights anywhere within the Canada and the US (excluding Hawaii and Alaska), which fall under the Explore North America section of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, the pricing is as follows:

• 17,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $375
• 35,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $750

Either of the two options above yields a value of up to 2.14 cents per point.

Let’s take a look at premium economy option for this example. A premium economy flight with WestJet from Toronto (YYZ) to Vancouver (YVR) might price out at $470.60.

If we search for the exact same flight on Avion Rewards portal, we could book it for 17,500 Avion points plus $122.82 in cash.

The Avion points covered about $347.78 of the fare, yielding a value of 1.99 cents per point.

Considering that we value RBC Avion points at 2 cents per point, this is a very good redemption, especially for a premium economy flight with only $122.82 out-of-pocket expenses.

Holiday Destinations

Under the Holiday Destinations category of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you can fly between the following areas:

• Western Canada/US and Mexico, Hawaii, or Alaska
• Eastern Canada/US and Bermuda, Central America, or the Caribbean

In Canada, the dividing line between Western and Eastern Canada is somewhere between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Thunder Bay, Ontario – with Winnipeg being the start of Western Canada, and Thunder Bay being the start of Eastern Canada.

For this category, you can redeem Avion points as follows:

• 22,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $450
• 45,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $900

Redeeming Avion points this way yields a value of up to 2 cents per Avion point.

Take a Vacation

The Take a Vacation category is the reverse of the Holiday Destinations category above, which allows for the following routing options:

• Eastern Canada/US and Mexico, Hawaii, or Alaska
• Western Canada/US and Bermuda, Central America, or the Caribbean

Since these routes are generally longer, you’ll need to redeem more Avion points, outlined as follows:

• 27,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $550
• 55,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $1,100

Redeeming this way also yields a value of up to 2 cents per Avion point.

Visit Europe

Should you wish to book a trip to Europe, you can fly from any major airport in Canada or the US and redeem your points as follows:

• 32,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $650
• 65,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $1,300

Interestingly, Hawaii and Alaska are also included under this category, and the redemption also works out to a value of up to 2 cents per Avion point.

See the World

Lastly, the See the World category includes all other destinations not covered by any other categories above.

Under this category, you can fly from Canada or the US to destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and South America, for the following amounts of points:

• 50,000 Avion points for a one-way ticket, with a maximum base fare of $1,000
• 100,000 Avion points for a round-trip ticket, with a maximum base fare of $2,000

Similar to the last few categories, the redemption rate is up to 2 cents per Avion point.

How to Book Flights with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule

To book a flight using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you’ll first have to log into your RBC account, either on the RBC Avion website or through the Avion Rewards app.

As a reminder, you’ll need at least one of the eligible Avion cards listed above to book flights with Avion Rewards directly.

Once you log in, select the “Travel” tab, and click “Book Travel”. From there, select “Flights”, and simply search for your desired flight route and dates.

As you search for your preferred flight, you’ll have the option to choose between “Fixed Points Pricing” and “Flexible Points Pricing”.

For the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you’ll want to make sure “Fixed Points Pricing” is selected, since Flexible Points Pricing option will give you a flat redemption value of 1 cent per point (100 points = $1 CAD).

If you don’t have enough points in your account to book a flight with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, you’ll only see the Flexible Points Pricing option.

From there, you’ll see the available flights, the number of points required, and the amount of taxes and fees you’ll have to pay. Once you’ve selected your preferred flight(s), simply complete the booking process.

If you’re having difficulty finding your desired flights, or if you can’t get online booking to work, you can always phone RBC Travel at (877) 636-2870.

How to Maximize the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule

One of the best features of the RBC Avion Rewards program is that you can use your points in multiple ways.

At Prince of Travel, we believe that the best way to redeem your Avion points is for travel, since it offers the best value in terms of cents per point.

If you choose to redeem points through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, there are a few optimizations to keep in mind to make sure you’re getting the most out of your points.

Use the Full Base Fare Limit

To make the most of an RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule booking, you should strive to reach the base fare limit in each category. This way, you’ll get the best return for your points.

In an ideal world, the best available flights for your trip would also max out the allowable base fare. Otherwise, it may not be worth booking flights with extra connections just to maximize your points, if a cheaper direct flight is available instead.

If you aren’t able to get close to the maximum allowed base fare, paying for the flight with cash, and saving your points for other redemptions, might make better sense.

For example, you might see an option to redeem 17,500 Avion points for a one-way ticket from Orlando to Toronto, with a maximum base fare of $375.

However, you might also be able to find a cheap flight with a base fare of just $75 (CAD).

In this case, you’ll still be required to redeem the full 17,500 Avion points, and you’ll get a suboptimal redemption rate of 0.4 cents per point in the process, instead of the maximum of 2.14 cents per point if you used the full allowable base fare.

To determine the base fare for a flight, pay close attention to the breakdown of prices on the airline’s website. After selecting your flights, you should see a row that shows “Air transportation charges”, and another that displays the taxes, fees, and other charges.

In this area, keep an eye out for an option to view the full price breakdown. In the breakdown, the base fare is displayed under “Air transportation charges”, which is what your RBC Avion points will cover at a fixed rate through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

When you search for the same flights on the RBC Avion Rewards platform, you’ll have to pay the full 17,500 points, even though it’s only covering the $75 base fare, and you’re still on the hook for the remaining taxes and fees.

In this case, you’re much better off just paying cash for the flight, and saving your Avion points for a more valuable redemption instead.

You could also book the same flight using Flexible Points Pricing, and it’d only cost 12,877 Avion points, and you wouldn’t have any out-of-pocket expenses.

Just keep in mind that this results in a value of 1 cent per point, which is less than what you can otherwise get through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

However, you’ll also want to make sure that the flight’s base fare isn’t too much more than the maximum allowed. Remember that you’ll be charged the excess amount in cash, or Avion points at a flat rate of 1 cent per point.

Book Positioning Flights

One of the realities of award travel is that there’s frankly much more award availability at US airports than you’d find in Canadian cities.

If you’re able to find an award flight that originates in the United States, you could use the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule to book your positioning flights between Canada and the US.

For example, if you need to catch a positioning flight from Ottawa to New York, from where you’ll depart on a long-haul flight booked with another loyalty program, you could easily book a one-way flight under the Quick Getaways category for only 7,500 points.

The flights you book don’t have to be direct, and as long as your origin and destination fall under the definition of the category, your redemption will qualify.

For instance, flying from Vancouver to Seattle with a stop in San Francisco will still qualify under Quick Getaways, since the origin and destination (British Columbia and Washington, in this case) are adjacent to each other.

Take Advantage of Flexibility

One of the best aspects of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule is the flexibility it offers. You’re not restricted to a specific airline and its alliance, and you’re not constrained by airline award seat availability and blackout dates, either.

You might find the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule particularly useful for airlines that aren’t part of an alliance, and are otherwise difficult to book with points. Some examples of this might include Philippine Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, and Montreal-based Air Transat.

Furthermore, you could take advantage of the flexibility of the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule by using it in tandem with award seats in other programs, which are usually limited.

For example, let’s suppose you’d like to book a family of four on a summer trip from Toronto to Vancouver. Air Canada’s Aeroplan program might have award availability at 12,600 points, but the number of seats available at that price is limited to three.

If you add a fourth passenger to the search, the cost might jump up to 19,900 points, which is a considerable jump in price.

Instead, you could book three passengers at the lower cost of 12,600 Aeroplan points, and then look into using the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule to book the fourth seat using Avion points. This would also come in handy if you didn’t have enough Aeroplan points to cover the fourth passenger to begin with.

A flight from Toronto to Vancouver falls under the Explore North America category, which means it’ll cost 17,500 Avion points for a one-way flight, plus around $85 for taxes and fees.

Boost Your Avion Balance with the RBC ION+ Card

Despite its modest annual fee of just $48, the RBC® ION+ Visa actually has the most competitive earning rates among RBC’s line-up.

With the RBC ION+ Visa, you’ll earn 3 Avion points per dollar spent on qualifying grocery, dining, food delivery, gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming and digital subscriptions purchases.

By contrast, you’ll only earn 1 Avion point per dollar spent on most of those categories with the higher-tier RBC® Avion Visa Infinite^†.

However, remember that you won’t get access to the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule with the ION+ card alone, since you’d be in the Premium membership tier. At this tier, Avion points can be redeemed for travel at a lower rate of 0.58 cents per point.

On the other hand, if you happen to have both an RBC ION+ Visa and an RBC Avion credit card (which boosts you to the Elite membership tier), you can pool points from both cards into a single account.

By doing so, you can redeem them at a higher value, either by transferring them to airline partners, or by making a booking on the Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

Therefore, you can get the best of both worlds by earning Avion points on the RBC ION+ Visa, and then converting them into Avion Elite points, as long as you have an eligible Avion credit card, too.

Conclusion

The RBC Avion Rewards program provides a number of options for you to redeem your points towards travel. The best options are to convert your Avion points to a partner airline program, or to redeem them through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

While you can get great value by transferring Avion points to airline programs, there’s also excellent value to be found in the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, potentially unlocking value of up to 2–2.3 cents per Avion point.

If you have a healthy balance of Avion points, be sure to consider the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule the next time you need to book a flight.