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![The Best Ways To Fly to Canada With Points and Miles [Step-by-Step]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Canada.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420&height=650&fit=crop)
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Canada is one of the world’s most visited countries, and with such close proximity to the U.S., it should be one of your first choices for a vacation spot close to home. Fully vaccinated Americans with a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival are now welcome to visit with no quarantine.
It doesn’t necessarily have the best beaches due to its colder climate, but it does have some jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery, fantastic culture, the northern lights, and adventure sports like skiing and snowboarding.
Whether you’re going to Canada for fishing season, ski season, poutine, French-Canadian culture, or some of the best hikes in the world, you’ll want to avoid paying out-of-pocket for your flights.
In this guide, we’ll show you all of the best ways you can fly to Canada with points and miles. Let’s get into it!
In general, since the U.S. and Canada are right next to each other geographically, you’ll see a ton of point-to-point routes being offered.
That being said, it would be an extremely difficult task to identify all of the nonstop routes between the U.S. and Canada.
Instead, we’ve identified the top international airports that operate nonstop flights between the U.S. and Canada:
Out of all these airports, there are a handful of major airlines that operate nonstop flights, and these airlines allow for award redemptions in economy or business class:
You’ll notice we excluded WestJet, Flair Airlines, Porter Airlines, and others since they either do not offer award redemptions outright or premium cabin options are ineligible for award redemptions.
Here are all of the nonstop U.S.-Canada routes for each airline mentioned:
Air Canada
You’ll notice that all 4 of the above airlines have diverse route networks. While there are other airlines like Alaska Airlines, Porter Airlines, and WestJet that offer nonstop flights, these airlines either do not permit business class awards or do not even offer a premium cabin product.
Bottom Line: In general, you should be optimizing your flight redemptions for the most convenient route, ideally nonstop flights only, unless you’re looking to book a premium-cabin lie-flat product worth going out of the way for, such as Air Canada’s lie-flat business class.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles might not seem like a relevant loyalty program for flights to Canada, but what you’ll need to remember is that any Star Alliance loyalty program can book flights on other Star Alliance airlines.
And since each loyalty program constructs its mileage pricing program differently, you’ll often find that seemingly random programs have fantastic award prices.
This is especially true with Turkish Airlines miles because for flights within North America, you’ll pay according to this award chart:
Cabin Class | Turkish Airlines Miles Cost | Taxes and Fees |
Economy | 10,000 | ~$25 to $78 |
Business | 15,000 | ~$78 to $107 |
In this case, we’d recommend booking flights on either Air Canada business class — here are some great example redemptions:
Because of how difficult it is to search for Star Alliance flights on Turkish Airlines’ website, we generally recommend finding availability on United.com first and then calling Turkish Airlines to book the ticket.
Here are the steps to do so:
Earning Turkish Airlines miles doesn’t require being a regular customer on Turkish Airlines flights.
Instead, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is transfer partners with 2 currencies: Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One Miles.
Citi and Capital One transfer at a 1:1 ratio in 1 to 2 business days.
Recommended Citi Cards
*The information regarding the Citi Premier card has expired, and the card is no longer open to applicants.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has the best award chart for U.S.-Canada flights by a significant amount, but what if you don’t have Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles available to transfer?
Singapore KrisFlyer is the next-best option because as a fellow Star Alliance frequent flyer program, it also offers the ability to book Air Canada and United flights using KrisFlyer miles.
Cabin Class | Singapore KrisFlyer Miles Cost | Taxes and Fees |
Economy | 14,000 | ~$25 to $78 |
Business | 26,000 | ~$78 to $107 |
In this case, KrisFlyer charges 9,500 more miles for a one-way business class flight and 5,500 more miles for a one-way economy class flight than Turkish Airlines.
However, you’ll find out below that it’s much, much easier to earn Singapore Airlines miles.
Nevertheless, here are some fantastic sample redemptions you can make:
To be frank, because of how expansive Air Canada’s route network is, the possibilities are almost endless.
Once you’re ready to book, follow these steps:
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles are among the easiest to earn because KrisFlyer is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy.
KrisFlyer receives transfers at a 1:1 ratio from Amex and Chase (1 to 2 business days), Citi (2 business days), Capital One (up to 36 hours), and Brex (up to 5 business days).
Marriott Bonvoy also transfers at a 3:1 ratio to KrisFlyer with a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Also, Marriott Bonvoy transfers take around 2 business days.
Recommended American Express Cards
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The American Express® Gold Card is a game-changer.
With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x.
There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
For flights to Canada, it only makes sense that we include Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flyer program in our discussion.
Because of how complicated Aeroplan is and the craziness of its award pricing structure, we’ve boiled down the award chart to flights within North America, which are priced based on the flight distance of your itinerary:
Flight Distance (Miles) | Economy Class Points Cost | Business Class Points Cost |
0 to 500 | 6,000 to 10,000 | 15,000 to 25,000 |
501 to 1,500 | 10,000 to 15,000 | 20,000 to 35,000 |
1,501 to 2,750 | 12,500 to 17,500 | 25,000 to 60,000 |
2,751+ | 17,500 to 25,000 | 35,000 to 70,000 |
Aeroplan employs a range of prices, and the price is generally correlated with the revenue cost of the ticket.
Sure, it’s possible to find business class award tickets on the lower end of each range above, but this is absolutely more the exception than the norm.
For example, nonstop flights between Vancouver and Toronto are around 2,085 miles in flight distance, but you’ll find that the vast majority of these business class award tickets are around 50,000 to 60,000 points, which is very pricey.
Still, there’s 1 unique feature of Aeroplan that could make it a worthwhile program to consider, and that’s the ability to get access to Air Canada’s incredible Signature Suite airport lounges through an award ticket.
Specifically, if you book a Business Class Flexible Reward ticket, which may be slightly more expensive than a Saver award ticket, you’ll get access to this lounge. In fact, this is the only way to get access to the exclusive Signature Suite!
Not to mention that you can actually access much better award availability if you’re tied to certain dates and plans — both Turkish Airlines and Singapore KrisFlyer don’t have that option.
The cherry on top is that Air Canada flights can be booked 100% online with Aeroplan points:
Air Canada Aeroplan has 4 transfer partners: Chase (1:1), Amex (1:1), Capital One (1:1), and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 with a 5,000-point bonus when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan).
Transfers from Chase, Amex, and Capital One are almost instant. Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy take around 5 business days to complete.
Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.
Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.
Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.
Hot Tip: Check out our step-by-step guide on the best ways to book Air Canada business class with points.
Delta SkyMiles isn’t without its flaws. Although the airline itself is very popular among U.S. travelers, its frequent flyer program comes with incredibly high price tags, particularly for long-haul business class flights.
But the good news is that Delta SkyMiles has been structured to get you a minimum redemption value of around 1 cent per mile, which means you’ll never be liable for high redemption prices if your flight is affordable.
Usually, flights between the U.S. and Canada aboard Delta are relatively reasonable, unless you’re booking a last-minute flight and are a hub captive (e.g. Detroit or Minneapolis).
Delta doesn’t publish an award chart, so the only way to find out how much an award flight will cost is to try to search for it on Delta.com. Generally speaking, Delta does have a Saver-level award for most of these flights, which gives you an idea of how much these award flights start at.
Here are some great example redemptions you can make with Delta SkyMiles:
Follow these steps to redeem Delta SkyMiles 100% online:
Delta SkyMiles are easy to earn, thanks to transfer partners in Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex transfers at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly, while Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in 1 business day.
Also, there are many Delta-branded credit cards available, all issued exclusively by American Express, which earn SkyMiles directly.
Recommended Delta SkyMiles Cards (Personal)
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card provides bonus SkyMiles on all purchases, along with a free checked bag, priority boarding, and discounted award flights.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Frequent Delta flyers will love the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. The card offers great benefits that will help save you money, effectively mimics low-level elite status with Delta SkyMiles, and helps you earn miles even faster, all for a low annual fee. Let’s dive into the benefits to see if the Delta Gold card is a good fit for your needs.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesFrequent Delta travelers will enjoy this card's bonus categories, benefits, and ability to reach higher levels of elite status.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card can be a great option for those seeking additional ways to obtain a higher level of status — or to maintain their current status — with the airline.
A key feature of this card is the ability to earn bonus Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) that are essential for earning Delta status. This could help you get closer to earning a handful of valuable benefits with the airline.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesDelta loyalists will love the fast track to Delta elite status, lounge access, baggage benefits, and upgrade priority with the Delta Reserve card.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is a stellar option for frequent travelers who always fly with Delta thanks to its MQD Headstart towards status boost, lounge access, annual companion certificate, and many other great benefits.
Here is a full look at everything the Delta Reserve card can offer to you to help you decide whether the card deserves a place in your wallet.
British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, and it’s extremely handy for booking flights on American Airlines.
Currently, British Airways Executive Club has favorable award pricing for short-haul flights and terrible award pricing for long-haul flights.
Since flights between the U.S. and Canada are generally short-haul flights, you can access some great deals on American Airlines flights using British Airways Avios.
Distance Bracket | Cabin Class | British Airways Avios Price |
Zone 2 (651 to 1,151 miles) | Economy | 9,000 |
Premium Economy | 12,500 | |
Business | 16,500 | |
Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000 miles) | Economy | 11,000 |
Premium Economy | 16,500 | |
Business | 22,000 |
American Airlines flights don’t travel any further than 2,000 miles in flight distance, which is why we’ve included up to Zone 3 in this table above.
Also, Zone 1 Avios awards aren’t permitted within/to/from the U.S., even though there are flights within the U.S. that are 650 miles or shorter in distance.
Here are some great redemptions you can make on American Airlines with British Airways Avios:
With British Airways Avios, you can book your American Airlines award flight completely online following these steps:
British Airways Executive Club is transfer partners with Chase, American Express, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Capital One, and Chase transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in approximately 5 business days. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer to British Airways, you’ll get an extra 5,000 Avios.
In addition, Chase is the co-branded credit card issuer of the British Airways Visa Signature® Card that earns British Airways Avios directly.
Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards
There are many Marriott credit cards available which we cover in our in-depth guide.
Even though Cathay Pacific Asia Miles redemptions to Canada are focused exclusively on American Airlines flights, just like British Airways Executive Club, we’re discussing Asia Miles as a backup if you can’t access British Airways Avios through transfer partners or co-branded cards.
In particular, if you have Citi ThankYou Rewards Points, Asia Miles will be a good redemption option for American Airlines flights.
Asia Miles allows you to price out award flights online, but there’s no specific award chart for American Airlines flights. Here’s the general award chart for American Airlines flights between the U.S. and Canada:
Cabin Class | Asia Miles Cost | Taxes and Fees |
Economy | 10,000 to 15,000 | ~$5.60 |
Business | 20,000 to 30,000 | ~$5.60 |
Here are some example redemptions you can book using Asia Miles on American Airlines:
Asia Miles reservations on American Airlines are best booked over the phone:
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is currently transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, Brex Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex transfers within a few hours and Citi transfers almost instantly, both at a 1:1 ratio. Brex transfers at a 1:1 ratio within 1 business day. Capital One transfers at a 1:1 ratio, which takes around 36 business hours.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in 5 business days. There’s a bonus of 5,000 Asia Miles whenever you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Asia Miles.
Also, Cathay Pacific has a co-branded credit card that is issued by Synchrony Bank.
The very last program we’ll discuss is United MileagePlus. We’d generally recommend United MileagePlus if you need access to extra award availability and plan on booking a flight on United Airlines.
We would recommend using any of the Star Alliance programs above for Air Canada flights but using United MileagePlus for United flights is the best way to go.
That’s because United MileagePlus reserves most of its award availability for its own loyalty program members and very rarely releases adequate Saver-level award availability to warrant an investigation.
Here’s what United MileagePlus awards cost for United flights between the U.S. and Canada:
Cabin Class | United Miles Cost |
Economy | From 12,500 miles |
Business | From 27,500 miles |
One thing you’ll inevitably notice is that the price charged in United miles will fluctuate a lot, thanks to United’s dynamic award pricing scheme.
Here are some great example redemptions you can make using United miles to fly to Canada:
Once you’re ready to book your flight, follow these instructions:
United MileagePlus miles are easy to earn due to transfer partnerships with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Chase transfers instantly at a 1:1 ratio while Marriott Bonvoy transfers in 3 business days at a 3:1.1 ratio. Plus, when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you will earn a bonus of 5,500 United miles added to your transferred amount.
Additionally, Chase has a suite of co-branded United MileagePlus credit cards that will enable you to earn United miles directly.
Recommended United MileagePlus Cards
We cover the large number of United credit cards available in our detailed guide.
The best frequent flyer program to use to fly to Canada will ultimately depend on which airline and route you want to take to Canada.
If you want to book Air Canada business class in a lie-flat seat, one of the best ways to get maximum value is to redeem Turkish Airlines or KrisFlyer miles after finding partner-level availability.
And if you want to experience Air Canada’s Signature Lounge, you’ll have no choice but to redeem Aeroplan points, as this is the only way to access this experience with points and miles.
If you want to fly on Delta, one of the best ways to do so is by using Delta SkyMiles.
For American Airlines flights, consider using British Airways Avios or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
Lastly, if you’re looking at United flights, you’ll have a tough time finding availability on any partners — instead, redeem United MileagePlus miles to access better award availability.
The information regarding the Citi Premier® Card has expired and the card is no longer open to applicants.
The information regarding the Citi Rewards+® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Citi Double Cash® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Citi Custom Cash® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
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