Canadians don’t have as many options for travel rewards programs as American travelers but that doesn’t mean you can’t travel almost for free with the right strategy and a little advance planning. We will show you how to create a Canadian Travel Rewards strategy by setting a travel goal, assessing existing credit card points, and choosing a travel style that aligns with your budget and reward strategy.
Setting a Travel Goal
- Decide your destination and timeline first before picking credit cards.
- Example: We planned 18 months ahead for a winter 2025-26 trip to Southeast Asia to maximize points accumulation.
- Shorter timelines may limit business class redemptions but can still cover flights or hotels.
Assessing Existing Points
- Check current points in your wallet from credit cards or airline programs.
- We had 853 WestJet dollars and 5,932 RBC Avios points before planning.
- Use email alerts to catch deals for flights. We booked in premium class Toronto-Cancun for $178 and return for about $400.
- Learn limitations of current points programs, e.g., WestJet rewards have limited partners and redemption options.
Selecting New Credit Cards and Travel Style
- Research credit cards with flexible points transferable to multiple airlines for better international flights.
- Choose your travel style: business class vs economy, hotel type, and how you want to spend points.
- For an affordable Southeast Asia trip, prioritize points on long-haul flights and select a stylish yet budget-conscious hotels.
We will discuss specific credit cards that worked for us in follow-up posts. Read Pt 2 of our Canadian Travel Rewards series here.
Watch this video for more in depth information.
