What is the best airline to fly to Canada?

The best airline, in our opinion, to fly between the U.S. and Canada is Air Canada. That’s because Air Canada offers a true business class product that feels a lot like what you’d get on a long-haul flight. We love Air Canada’s premium cabin product, so if you have a large budget, it’s hard to beat Air Canada.

Is American Airlines still flying to Canada?

Yes! American Airlines actually flies from Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York (LaGuardia and Kennedy), Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C (Reagan) to Canada.

Where does AA fly in Canada?

American Airlines flies to Calgary, Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

How long is a flight to Canada?

A flight to Canada can be as short as an hour if you live in the northern part of the U.S. It can also be as long as 8+ hours if you’re flying from Hawaii to Canada nonstop. A transcontinental flight between the U.S. and Canada should take around 4 to 5 hours each way.

What are the best ways to fly to Canada with points and miles?

We think the best ways to fly to Canada with points and miles are to redeem Turkish Airlines miles, Singapore KrisFlyer miles, Air Canada Aeroplan points, Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or United MileagePlus miles.

The Best Ways To Fly to Canada With Points and Miles [2022]

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!

Table of contents

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Canada
Best Programs for Booking Flights to Canada
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Canada
Best Programs for Booking Flights to Canada
Final Thoughts

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Canada

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:

Calgary (YYC)
Edmonton (YEG)
Halifax (YHZ)
Montréal (YUL)
Ottawa (YOW)
Québec City (YQB)
Toronto (YYZ)
Vancouver (YVR)
Winnipeg (YWG)

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:

Air Canada
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
United Airlines

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

Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ)
Austin (AUS) – Toronto (YYZ)
Boston (BOS) – Montréal (YUL)
Boston (BOS) – Toronto (YYZ)
Chicago (ORD) – Montréal (YUL)
Chicago (ORD) – Toronto (YYZ)
Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR)
Dallas (DFW) – Montréal (YUL)
Dallas (DFW) -Toronto (YYZ)
Denver (DEN) – Montréal (YUL)
Denver (DEN) – Toronto (YYZ)
Denver (DEN) – Vancouver (YVR)
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Montréal (YUL)
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Ottawa (YOW)
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Québec City (YQB)
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Toronto (YYZ)
Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC)
Houston (IAH) – Montréal (YUL)
Houston (IAH) – Toronto (YYZ)
Las Vegas (LAS) – Calgary (YYC)
Las Vegas (LAS) – Montréal (YUL)
Las Vegas (LAS) – Toronto (YYZ)
Las Vegas (LAS) – Vancouver (YVR)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Calgary (YYC)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Montréal (YUL)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Vancouver (YVR)
Memphis (MEM) – Toronto (YYZ)
Miami (MIA) – Montréal (YUL)
Miami (MIA) – Ottawa (YOW)
Miami (MIA) – Québec City (YQB)
Miami (MIA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Minneapolis (MSP) – Toronto (YYZ)
Nashville (BNA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Newark (EWR) – Calgary (YYC)
Newark (EWR) – Montréal (YUL)
Newark (EWR) – Toronto (YYZ)
Newark (EWR) – Vancouver (YVR)
New Orleans (MSY) – Toronto (YYZ)
New York (LGA) – Montréal (YUL)
New York (LGA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Orlando (MCO) – Halifax (YHZ)
Orlando (MCO) – Montréal (YUL)
Orlando (MCO) – Ottawa (YOW)
Orlando (MCO) – Québec City (YQB)
Orlando (MCO) – Toronto (YYZ)
Palm Springs (PSP) – Toronto (YYZ)
Palm Springs (PSP) – Vancouver (YVR)
Philadelphia (PHL) – Toronto (YYZ)
Phoenix (PHX) – Calgary (YYC)
Phoenix (PHX) – Montréal (YUL)
Phoenix (PHX) – Toronto (YYZ)
Phoenix (PHX) – Vancouver (YVR)
Pittsburgh (PIT) – Toronto (YYZ)
San Diego (SAN) – Toronto (YYZ)
San Diego (SAN) – Vancouver (YVR)
San Francisco (SFO) – Calgary (YYC)
San Francisco (SFO) – Montréal (YUL)
San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ)
San Francisco (SFO) – Vancouver (YVR)
Seattle (SEA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Tampa (TPA) – Halifax (YHZ)
Tampa (TPA) – Montréal (YUL)
Tampa (TPA) – Ottawa (YOW)
Tampa (TPA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Montréal (YUL)
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Toronto (YYZ)

American Airlines

Boston (BOS) – Toronto (YYZ)
Chicago (ORD) – Montréal (YUL)
Chicago (ORD) – Toronto (YYZ)
Dallas (DFW) – Calgary (YYC)
Dallas (DFW) – Montréal (YUL)
Dallas (DFW) – Toronto (YYZ)
Dallas (DFW) – Vancouver (YVR)
Miami (MIA) – Montréal (YUL)
Miami (MIA) – Toronto (YYZ)
New York (JFK) – Montréal (YUL)
New York (JFK) – Toronto (YYZ)
New York (LGA) – Montréal (YUL)
New York (LGA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Philadelphia (PHL) – Montréal (YUL)
Philadelphia (PHL) – Toronto (YYZ)
Washington, D.C. (DCA) – Toronto (YYZ)

Delta Air Lines

Atlanta (ATL) – Montréal (YUL)
Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ)
Boston (BOS) – Toronto (YYZ)
Detroit (DTW) – Montréal (YUL)
Detroit (DTW) – Toronto (YYZ)
Minneapolis (MSP) – Calgary (YYC)
Minneapolis (MSP) – Toronto (YYZ)
Minneapolis (MSP) – Vancouver (YVR)
Minneapolis (MSP) – Winnipeg (YWG)
New York (LGA) – Montréal (YUL)
New York (LGA) – Toronto (YYZ)
Salt Lake City (SLC) – Calgary (YYC)
Salt Lake City (SLC) – Toronto (YYZ)
Salt Lake City (SLC) – Vancouver (YVR)
Seattle (SEA) – Vancouver (YVR)

United Airlines

Chicago (ORD) – Calgary (YYC)
Chicago (ORD) – Montréal (YUL)
Chicago (ORD) – Toronto (YYZ)
Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR)
Chicago (ORD) – Winnipeg (YWG)
Denver (DEN) – Calgary (YYC)
Denver (DEN) – Edmonton (YEG)
Denver (DEN) – Toronto (YYZ)
Denver (DEN) – Vancouver (YVR)
Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC)
Houston (IAH) – Edmonton (YEG)
Houston (IAH) – Toronto (YYZ)
Houston (IAH) – Vancouver (YVR)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Vancouver (YVR)
Newark (EWR) – Halifax (YHZ)
Newark (EWR) – Montréal (YUL)
Newark (EWR) – Québec City (YQB)
Newark (EWR) – Toronto (YYZ)
San Francisco (SFO) – Calgary (YYC)
San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ)
San Francisco (SFO) – Vancouver (YVR)
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Ottawa (YOW)
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Toronto (YYZ)

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.

Best Programs for Booking Flights to Canada

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Air Canada Business Class — Air Canada Signature Class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is flown on some transcontinental U.S.-Canada flights. Image Credit: Air Canada

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:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in Air Canada business class for 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees

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:

Visit United.com.
Perform your desired award search and find a suitable Air Canada flight option.
Call Turkish Airlines at 800-874-8875 and feed the agent your Air Canada flight details.
Redeem your Turkish Airlines miles and pay for any taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning Turkish Airlines Miles

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

Singapore KrisFlyer

Air Canada Signature Class front view — Air Canada business class. Image Credit: Air Canada

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:

Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Boston (BOS) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Denver (DEN) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Las Vegas (LAS) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Memphis (MEM) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Miami (MIA) – Québec City (YQB) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Orlando (MCO) – Halifax (YHZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Palm Springs (PSP) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
Tampa (TPA) – Ottawa (YOW) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees

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:

Find partner-level availability by searching on United.com.
Any tickets that are Business Class Saver Awards should be bookable with KrisFlyer miles.
Call Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at 312-843-5333.
Feed the agent your desired Air Canada flight information and book the ticket with KrisFlyer miles and a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

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

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Signature Suite YYZ — Air Canada’s Signature Suite is accessible only with Aeroplan’s flexible business award tickets. Image Credit: Air Canada

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:

Visit Air Canada’s website.
Hovering over the button in the top-right corner that says Sign in and click Sign in.
Enter your Aeroplan number and password and log in.
Toggle the slider that says Points in the homepage’s center search box.
Choose One-way or Round-trip or One-way, enter your flight details, and click Find.
Find your desired flight, redeem your Aeroplan points, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning Air Canada 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)

Hot Tip: Check out our step-by-step guide on the best ways to book Air Canada business class with points.

Delta SkyMiles

Delta Airbus A220 First Class Cabin — Delta Airbus A220 first class. Image Credit: Greg Stone

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:

Atlanta (ATL) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in Delta first class for 31,500 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Delta first class for 27,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Detroit (DTW) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Delta first class for 25,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Minneapolis (MSP) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in Delta first class for 29,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Minneapolis (MSP) – Winnipeg (YWG) one-way in Delta first class for 24,500 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Salt Lake City (SLC) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Delta first class for 40,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Follow these steps to redeem Delta SkyMiles 100% online:

Visit Delta’s homepage.
Populate the search box at the top banner on the homepage. Check off the box that says Shop with Miles and click First Class under Best Fares For.
Search for your flights.
Find the best flight options, redeem your SkyMiles, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

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)

British Airways Executive Club

American Airlines recliner first class. Image Credit: American Airlines

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:

Chicago (ORD) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines economy class for 9,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Dallas (DFW) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Dallas (DFW) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Miami (MIA) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Miami (MIA) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
New York (LGA) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
New York (LGA) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Philadelphia (PHL) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines economy class for 9,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

With British Airways Avios, you can book your American Airlines award flight completely online following these steps:

Go to the British Airways homepage.
Click Log in in the top-right corner, enter your BA Executive Club account information, and log in.
In the top banner under the Book area, click Book a flight with Avios.
Fill in the search form, and click Get flights.
Redeem your British Airways Avios, use a credit card for taxes and fees, and confirm your ticket.

Earning British Airways Avios

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

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

American Airlines recliner business class. Image Credit: American Airlines

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:

Boston (BOS) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Chicago (ORD) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Dallas (DFW) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines business class for 30,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Dallas (DFW) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 30,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Philadelphia (PHL) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (DCA) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Asia Miles reservations on American Airlines are best booked over the phone:

Find American Airlines’ partner-level award space on British Airways’ or Qantas’ website.
Call Asia Miles at 866-892-2598 and feed the agent your American Airlines flight information you’d like to book.
Use Asia Miles to book the ticket and provide a credit card for all taxes and fees.

Earning Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

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.

United MileagePlus

United first class. Image Credit: United

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:

Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Chicago (ORD) – Winnipeg (YWG) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Denver (DEN) – Edmonton (YEG) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Houston (IAH) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) – Halifax (YHZ) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) – Québec City (YQB) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Ottawa (YOW) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Once you’re ready to book your flight, follow these instructions:

Visit United’s homepage.
Check off the box that says Book with miles in the homepage’s search box.
Fill in the search details, click Find flights, and find a flight option you’d like to book.
Click the option you’d like to book, redeem your United miles, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning United MileagePlus Miles

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

Final Thoughts

The best frequent flyer program to use to fly to Canada will ultimately depend on which airline and route you want to take going to Canada.

If you’re wanting 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 Capital One Venture Rewards Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One Venture X 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 Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business 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 the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.

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The Best Ways To Fly to Canada With Points and Miles [Step-by-Step]

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