RBC Avion and Aeroplan Redemption: 8 days, 3 countries in Asia

RBC Avion and Aeroplan Redemption: Introduction

In November last year, I went on a trip to Asia, which included stops in Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. For my journey, I set simple routing goals —I didn’t want to jam layovers and stops just to “enhance” the trip, and I wanted to use my RBC Avion account balance toward a meaningful redemption. The goal was to visit family in Vietnam and check off some travel destinations along the way, using my Aeroplan and RBC Avion points. After weeks of planning and searching for Business and First class cabins, I locked in a mixed cabin (Business/First) itinerary from Montreal (YUL) to Bangkok (BKK) with Qatar Airways for 190,000 Avios points. For the return leg of my trip, I booked a Business Class Cabin on Singapore Airways and Air Canada from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Ottawa (YOW) for 140,000 Aeroplan points. My 21815-mile trip around the globe, booked with RBC Avion and Aeroplan, looked like this;

First leg: YUL-DOH-BKK

Return leg: SGN-SIN-SFO-YYZ-YOW

21815 miles via Great Circle Mapper

Neither of these redemptions was particularly cheap, but the itinerary allowed me to maximize the 8-day trip to Asia on specific dates that I did not have flexibility with.

Booking Qatar Airways with RBC Avion Points

Avios points are the best way to book Qatar Airways flights. The easiest way to earn Avios points in Canada is to convert RBC Avion points to British Airways Avios (1:1). In anticipation of booking the trip, I converted my RBC Avion points to British Airways Avios points during the last 30% transfer bonus promotion, which allowed me to convert 150,000 RBC Avion points to 195,000 British Airways Avios points.

Convert RBC Avion to BA Avios

Avios is the common currency for six airlines, including British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Members can easily combine their British Airways and Qatar Airways loyalty programs to transfer or redeem the same set of Avios from either program. Once my RBC Avion points were converted to British Airways Avios, I completed my booking for Montreal to Bangkok on the Qatar Airways Privilege Club account. In a nutshell, if you were looking to use your RBC Avion Points to book Qatar Airways flights:

• Convert RBC Avion to British Airways Avios (ideally with a 30% transfer bonus)
• Link British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts
• Book directly on Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Despite my best efforts to find a standard redemption rate for my dates, I relented and booked a Flexi fare (Qatar Airways dynamic pricing), which was a mixed cabin redemption with Montreal (YUL) to Doha (DOH) in Qsuite and DOH to Bangkok (BKK) in Qatar First Class, for a total of 190,000 points and $331 in taxes.

Sample YUL-DOH-BKK Flexi booking on Qatar

Qatar Qsuite YUL – DOH

Qatar First Class DOH-BKK

I cannot endorse them enough; the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card is the best way to earn Avion points in Canada. It can be converted to British Airways Avios to unlock premium cabin redemptions, including Qatar Airways Qsuite or Qatar First Class.

Booking Singapore Airlines with Aeroplan Points

I could not find a conducive Aeroplan route for my return leg from Vietnam to Canada that did not cost more than 300,000 on Air Canada. I did, however, see availability for my dates from SGN to SFO via SIN. I booked a Singapore Airlines Business class from SGN to SFO (87,500 + $130) with a 24-hour layover in Singapore. I confirmed SFO to YOW (52,700 + $44) on a separate booking with Aeroplan. Interestingly, Aeroplan agents could not book these flights as a single ticket despite sharing the segment-by-segment availability with them. For 140,000 Aeroplan points (and $174 in taxes), my return trip home was confirmed on Singapore Business Class and Air Canada Signature Class as follows;

SGN-SIN-SFO-YYZ-YOW

Singapore Airlines Business Class SIN-SFO

AC Maple Leaf Lounge SFO

Positioning Flight – Bangkok to Saigon

Thanks to several low-cost carriers in the region, I could book a one-way business class flight from Bangkok to Saigon on Bamboo Airways for $263. I used my Scotiabank American Express Gold card to redeem 26,300 Scene+ points against the booking cost. Scene+ points have become my go-to for positioning flights and other cash travel bookings. The ability to book directly with ANY travel provider and apply points at 1 cent a piece (10,000 points = $100) is clutch.

Bamboo Airways Business Class BKK – SGN

RBC Avion and Aeroplan Redemption – Takeaway

Thanks to a healthy balance of RBC Avion and Aeroplan points, my trip around the globe allowed me to reconnect with family in Vietnam. It helped unlock several flight, lounge, and hotel experiences, which I look forward to sharing over the next few weeks. The flight and hotel reports will include;

• Review: Air France Lounge Montreal (YUL)
• Review: Qatar Airways Qsuite from Montreal to Doha (Boeing 777-300ER)
• Review: Qatar Al Mourjan The Garden lounge
• Review Qatar Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge
• Review: Qatar Airways First Class from Doha to Bangkok (Airbus A380-800)
• Review: Park Hyatt Bangkok
• Review: Miracle Lounge Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
• Review: Bamboo Airways Business Class A320
• Review: Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
• Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Lounge T3
• Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class SIN to SFO on A350-900