Redeeming CIBC Aventura Points for Business Class Flights

If you’re looking to squeeze the most value out of your CIBC Aventura Points, your best bet has long been to leverage the CIBC Aventura Airline Rewards Chart. By redeeming your points this way, you can get up to 2.29 cents per point, which is a nice jump from the otherwise standard value of 1 cent per point.

However, one of the lesser known uses of CIBC Aventura Points can boost that value all the way up to 2.5 cents per point, and get you at the front of the plane to boot.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to redeem CIBC Aventura Points for business class flights, providing you with a comfortable flight and the most valuable way to use Aventura Points.

Who’s Eligible to Redeem CIBC Aventura Points for Business Class Flights?

To begin, it’s important to note that only cardholders of the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card are eligible to redeem Aventura Points for business class flights.

If you don’t have this card, but do have a different Aventura credit card, be sure to check out our guide on how to maximize the CIBC Aventura Airline Rewards Chart for flights in economy. 

In exchange for the card’s $499 annual fee,^† you’ll get a $200 annual travel credit (which resets every year on January 1), six complimentary lounge visits each year through the Visa Airport Companion Program, two $100 NEXUS application fee rebates every four years, and a strong set of insurance coverage.^†

Plus, aside from the card’s welcome bonus, you’ll earn Aventura Points at the following rates for everyday spending:

• Earn 3 Aventura Points per dollar spent on eligible travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Centre^†
• Earn 2 Aventura Points per dollar spent on eligible gas stations, grocery, electric vehicle charging, and drugstore purchases^†
• Earn 1.25 Aventura Point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases^†

Redeeming CIBC Aventura Points for Business Class Flights

If you happen to be sitting on a stash of CIBC Aventura Points earned on your CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, you’ll want to make sure you’re redeeming them for maximum value.

Redeeming CIBC Aventura Points for business class flights follows a very similar structure to redeeming them for economy flights using the CIBC Aventura Airline Rewards Chart.

On the landing page on the CIBC website, you’ll notice a toggle at the top of the chart that allows you to switch between economy and business class.

Here, there are five different options to choose from which outline the number of points required for a round-trip business class booking, as well as the maximum base fare price in each tier. Notably, one-way flights aren’t eligible for redemptions this way.

The business class redemption chart for Aventura Points offers some compelling values, particularly for shorter routes. Here’s a summary of the complete chart with round-trip pricing:

Importantly, short-haul flights within Canada or the US must be for travel within a province, territory, or US state, or to an adjoining province, territory, or US state. 

Similarly, long-haul flights for Canada or the US must be for travel from any location in Canada or the US to any location in Canada or the US, except for Hawaii and Alaska.

Otherwise, the destinations and the required Aventura Points should be clear as outlined in the chart.

As you can see, the redemption values range from 2.0 to 2.5 cents per point, which is quite competitive compared to other Canadian fixed-value credit card rewards programs.

For comparison, the standard redemption value for Aventura Points for statement credits against travel purchases is only 1 cent per point, making these business class redemptions up to 2.5 times more valuable.

Furthermore, if you consider the value of up to 2.5 cents per point redeeming points this way, you can consider the return on spending as up to 7.5% for travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Centre, up to 5% on eligible gas stations, grocery, electric vehicle charging, and drugstore purchases, or up to 3.13% as the card’s baseline earning rate. Those are all very good returns, though not as strong as some of Canada’s other top travel rewards credit cards.

The program provides particularly strong value for domestic and transborder business class flights, as well as flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, where you can achieve up to 2.5 cents per point in value.

Terms and Conditions

To make a booking, you’ll need to either book online via the CIBC Rewards Centre, or by calling CIBC at 1-888-317-7728.

You must have at least 80% of the required number of Aventura Points for any given redemption. If you have at least 80% of the points required but not 100%, you’ll be charged an amount to cover the difference, excluding taxes and fees. 

If you purchase a refundable fare and were charged an amount to cover the difference, you’ll be refunded in Aventura Points instead of the amount going back to your card.

Tips & Tricks for Redeeming CIBC Aventura Points for Business Class Flights

Here are several strategies and considerations to keep in mind if you’re looking to maximize the value of your CIBC Aventura Points when booking business class flights.

Try to Max Out the Base Fare

As is the case with any program that offers redemptions similar to the CIBC Aventura Airline Rewards Chart, the sweet spot is finding flights priced exactly at or anywhere near the maximum base fare amount.

For example, if you can find a round-trip business class flight within Canada with a base fare of $1,750, you’ll get the full 2.5 cents per point value by redeeming 70,000 Aventura Points.

If the base fare is much lower than that, the value from your points decreases (but it’s still probably going to wind up better than the baseline value of 1 cent per point when redeeming Aventura Points for travel). If the base fare is greater than the threshold, you’ll need to pay the difference in cash (but again, it can still be a good deal).

For shopping around for fares, consider using tools such as Google Flights or ITA Matrix, and then keep an eye out for the same flights available through the CIBC Rewards Centre. If you can’t find them online, consider calling in to see if they can find the finds on their end.

Prioritize Short- and Medium-Haul Flights

As discussed above, the best values in the chart are for shorter flights instead of long-haul flights.

If your travel plans bring you within North America, you’ve got yourself a great redemption option with Aventura Points.

If your travel plans are to venture beyond North America, then consider using Aventura Points for your positioning flights to get to other major hubs within North America. 

To me, not only do these options offer the best possible redemption value, but they’re also in the realm of reason for most cardholders.

That’s because you’ll typically have earned 80,000 Aventura Points (or more) through the card’s welcome bonus alone, which is enough to get you two round-trip short-haul flights in business class, or one long-haul trip in business class. 

Otherwise, earning enough Aventura Points to hit the 150,000- or 250,000-point thresholds for the upper two tiers on the chart is going to take a lot of organic spending on the card, especially since you’ll earn (at most) 3 Aventura Points per dollar spent.

If you were to instead use that spending on cards with higher 5x earning rates or more powerful points – such as American Express Membership Rewards or RBC Avion – you’d likely be able to earn enough points for another business class redemption.

Look for Business Class Sales

Airlines occasionally offer sales on business class fares, which can be perfect opportunities to maximize the value of your Aventura Points.

For example, TAP Air Portugal frequently offers round-trip business class fares to Europe for around $3,000 (and sometimes even less). If you’d like to offset the cost of your flight using Aventura Points, you’d be getting as close to maximum value as possible.

Once again, you can set up price alerts on Google Flights, or alternatively, you can consider joining the Prince of Travel Community, where our members are the first to know about premium cabin sales when they occur.

Conclusion

If you’re a cardholder of the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, you can unlock value of up to 2.5 cents per point by redeeming your points for business class flights. 

The best-use cases are for short- and medium-haul flights within North America, which offer the greatest amount of potential value.

Even if you don’t redeem them for maximum value, it’s a great option to have in your points arsenal, and it’s indeed the best way to redeem Aventura Points.

^† Terms and conditions apply. The information for the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card has been collected independently by Prince of Travel. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.