2025 is over almost as quickly as it showed up. A year in miles and points is always complete with devaluations, new opportunities, market exits, new terms & conditions to contend with, and more. But regardless of the changes, our stance on miles and points continuing to be an extremely beneficial hobby for travel enthusiasts hasn’t changed in the least.
We’ve captured what the biggest changes were for Frugal Flyer in 2025, plus asked members of the Frugal Flyer team to share their thoughts on miles, points, and travel in 2025.
Frugal Flyer in 2025
When 2025 came into view, we decided that we wanted to do more meetups with the miles and points community. We hosted three events this year, including one in Edmonton, one in Vancouver, and one in Calgary. It was our first time hosting an event in Vancouver and Calgary, and it was great to see our community come out to connect over miles and points. Each event was unique in its own way, and we enjoyed seeing many familiar faces and meeting many new people!
We also have an upcoming meetup in Edmonton in February – check out our post on our next Miles & Pints event in Edmonton for all the details if you are interested in connecting with the Frugal Flyer team and other miles and points hobbyists!
If you listen to podcasts and haven’t yet joined the audience of loyal Miles Ahead listeners, you are missing out. We’ve released 29 episodes so far, and shifted to a bi-weekly schedule in 2025, alternating between an episode focused on news and listener questions, and a topic deep dive. We also added video to our episodes on YouTube!
Our most recent recording, episode 29 of Miles Ahead, looks at everything that changed in 2025 and what the team expects for 2026. If you haven’t already given it a listen, we recommend checking it out.
We continue to see excellent growth in Miles Ahead listenership, and look forward to building off of that momentum. If you like what we are doing, we would greatly appreciate a rating, follow, or subscription on your favorite podcast platform.
Finally, we have been able to continue to add more partners to our FlyerFunds Rebates program: most recently, American Express and KOHO. While we’ve started with only a cash back rebate on the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, we do plan on launching cash back on additional American Express Canada products soon. As for KOHO, we’ve launched cash back rebates on three KOHO cards in late 2025.
We continue to be one of the best cash back sites on credit cards and bank accounts in Canada, so if you haven’t used the FlyerFunds Rebates program yet, make sure you take advantage next time you sign up for an eligible financial product to add some additional cash back to your wallet.
Frugal Flyer Team: Year in Review
While Frugal Flyer continues to grow, it’s always great to hear from each member of the Frugal Flyer team as to what 2025 brought them in miles, points, and travel.
Josh’s Year in Review
2025 was admittedly a slower year of international travel for me as a result of personal circumstances, but there is one experience that stands out in my mind as very memorable.
In April, Reed and I, plus another friend, spent two weeks in Japan and Taiwan, including Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Taipei. We had the pleasure of meeting up with other miles and points enthusiasts during our travels as well, and it was a treat to connect and chat about points over excellent food and a copious amount of drinks.
The Waldorf Astoria Osaka stands out as the best hotel during this trip, and I was able to cap off this trip with a flight from Taipei to Los Angeles in Starlux Business Class. Starlux is definitely up there as one of the best business class experiences I’ve had so far, and I’d highly recommend flying it if you can make it happen.
Looking forward to 2026, I’ve already got a few trips booked, including Japan (with ANA and JAL First Class), Norway and Amsterdam, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I will be getting married in May, so I am considering these to be multiple honeymoon vacations, but I think the concept of a honeymoon becomes exceptionally skewed if you play in the world of miles and points.
On the miles and points earning front, this has probably been my most lucrative year so far, when looking at the total amount of points earned. 2026 looks to be even better. The US card game continues to add a ton of value, and there have been some excellent offers in Canada as of late. While I think this hobby is always shifting and changing, there is still excellent value to be had if you take the time to learn and dig a bit deeper.
As I’ve continued to earn at a decent rate, I’ve always found other uses for my miles and points, including helping family save on or elevate their vacations here and there. I always find it incredibly rewarding to help someone book a vacation that they might not have otherwise been able to take, or book them in business class if they normally fly in economy.
Reed’s Year in Review
I had a decent year of travel in 2025 with a mix of both North American and intercontinental trips. I started off with a trip to Kelowna to watch the Montana’s Brier, followed by a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, to attend the PGA Tour Waste Management Open with Josh. We lodged at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, which, as a desert resort, was one of the more unique properties I’ve stayed at.
As mentioned above, the trip to Japan and Taiwan with our good friend Paul was a highlight of my 2025 travel too. On top of that, my other big international trip was to Morocco and Portugal with my girlfriend. This was another trip where I managed to fly two new long-haul business class products in Royal Air Maroc and TAP Air Portugal, and stay at some fantastic luxury hotels.
The hotel highlights included the St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort in Tamuda Bay, the Dreams Madeira Resort Spa & Marina, and the Conrad Algarve. The Dreams Madeira was a unique experience as the first Hyatt all-inclusive collection property I’d stayed at, and was definitely the most picturesque property of the trip, but I’d have to say the overall winner was the Conrad Algarve.
While I am truly thankful for everything miles and points continue to afford me, I came to a bit of a revelation at the back half of my Portugal trip that the lustre of luxury hotels has lost a bit of its shine for me, personally. While there are trips where the comfort of a luxury hotel is just what is needed, there are other times when I feel it can actually detract from experiencing the destination, where you get lost in “experiencing” the hotel and not the local destination.
For example, at the Conrad Algarve, it was easy and convenient to eat at the hotel, but the truly memorable (and also 2x cheaper) meals were always at local restaurants we visited. I also often think back to my trip to Thailand, where I stayed at a plethora of luxury Marriott and Hilton properties, but the most memorable stay of the trip was at a stilted lodge on a rural rice farm we booked through Facebook Messenger…
With that in mind and looking to 2026, I’ve got a trip to Costa Rica booked, and another to Switzerland and Italy in mind. While the Costa Rica trip will be a luxurious beach vacation with a mix of jungle excursions, Switzerland will primarily be a road trip through the Swiss Alps, taking aim at some of the stunning passes like Furka & Grimsel, and staying at quaint village towns. Of course, I’m still planning to fly there in style, hopefully aboard business class on some combination of SWISS and Austrian Airlines.
I would echo Josh’s sentiment that with the knowledge and skillset we’ve gained through miles and points, earning and redeeming points is as easy as ever, partly due to advanced tactics like US credit cards and manufactured spending, but also tools that simplify things for beginners and experts alike such as Award Tool and Seats.aero.
As is par for the course in miles and points, there are always negative developments and devaluations that happen over the course of the year, and 2025 was no exception. Some of the notable ones that come to mind for me include:
- Restrictions for the lounge access benefit for the American Express Platinum and Business Platinum cards in Canada: Beginning in 2027, the cards will no longer come with unlimited complimentary visits to Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges, instead only allowing six visits per calendar year. This means if you visit with a guest you only have three lounge visits.
- The American Express Cobalt card was devalued in a few ways: the welcome bonus hit an all-time low, the 2x earn rate on foreign spend was removed, the annual fee increased, and Amexiles have become abundant for those with frequent $506.95 purchases. Nonetheless, it’s still an excellent card and points earning machine.
- The trend of enshittification of the lowest fare classes continues with Air Canada removing seat selection and carry-on baggage from the Economy (Basic) fare class, following similar moves by Westjet in 2024.
On top of this, 2025 continued the trend of aviation labor disruption when Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job for three days in mid-August, forcing the cancellation of more than 700 daily flights. Air Transat pilots also narrowly avoided a strike in December.
The Bank of America Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Card earns 3x Atmos Rewards on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, dining, and foreign purchases.
80,000 Atmos Rewards points
$4,000
$1,840+
$395
No
–
On the plus side, there were several exciting new developments in 2025. The new Bank of America Atmos Rewards credit cards provided a fresh avenue for Canadians to earn Atmos Rewards (formerly Alaska Miles), which became even more valuable for Canadians with the ability to book Porter Airlines flights. WestJet’s complete points program overhaul was another positive, improving the flexibility of WestJet points in being able to redeem for taxes, fees, and seat selection.
Daniel’s Year in Review
I had a great year of travelling! Almost every month, I had some kind of adventure, whether it be for work or personal trips; I had an astounding 81 individual flight segments this year. But not quite the 94 segments I had last year after completing the SAS Million Mile Challenge.
The highlights I discussed in Episode 29 of Miles Ahead included a frugal trip to Whistler with award stays at the Delta, Westin, and Hilton. The best trip of the year (and easily the best trip I’ve ever been on) was a visit to the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, which is the coolest thing miles and points have allowed me to do. Seeing wildlife up close and personal in the luxury of the JW is absolutely unattainable without miles and points, and it’s worth all the effort to make it a reality if you’re interested. Mapito Safari Lodge is a new, lower-cost option if you’re looking to book a safari with points.
As for miles and points highlights, the ability to book Porter Airlines with Alaska miles errr, Atmos Rewards has been a game-changer for my family. I realize I’m in a unique situation as a Canadian living in NYC. Still, the ability to redeem just 7,500 Atmos Rewards and $19 USD for a one-way flight between NYC and Winnipeg has enabled much more in-person interaction than previously available. Even though I only want to use my Marriott Bonvoy points for safaris, I’ve even exchanged 60,000 Bonvoy points for 25,000 Atmos and gotten $700 CAD in value.
I also love the new ability to use CLEAR+ as a Canadian and offset the cost with my US credit cards. More than ever, the US card market is essential for Canadians looking to maximize their everyday spending and fuel award travel.
I didn’t have that many negatives this year. Even though there were some devaluations with British Airways and Hilton, the positives far outweigh the negatives for me. As long as No-Lifetime-Language (NLL) offers exist, I’m pretty happy!
Jeff’s Year in Review
My wife and I started the year with a trip to Africa, where we stayed at the incredible JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, followed by an equally impressive stay at The St. Regis Red Sea Resort in Saudi Arabia. Both properties now rank as my two favorite hotel stays ever, and I feel very fortunate that we visited just before a major Marriott devaluation hit both locations shortly afterward.
Later in the summer, I took a solo trip specifically for the chance to fly on Etihad’s famous Airbus A380 Apartment. What I never expected was to be upgraded during boarding to the incredible Etihad Residence for my seven-hour flight from Paris to Abu Dhabi.
This trip also included a Japan Airlines first class flight from Tokyo to San Francisco, and the whole journey opened my eyes to the unique opportunities that solo travel provides when using points and miles. Many airlines only release a single award seat on their most desirable routes, so I now have a much deeper appreciation for solo travel when trying to secure hard-to-find redemptions.
A highlight for me this year was Citibank adding American Airlines AAdvantage as a transfer partner. AAdvantage has become an increasingly valuable program for me thanks to its strong redemption rates, low taxes and fees, excellent Oneworld partners, and non-alliance partners such as Etihad Airways.
The biggest disappointment for me this year was the continued decline of the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors programs, with what feels like an endless death spiral of devaluations. Over the past year, many of Marriott’s and Hilton’s most desirable properties in destinations like the Maldives, Tokyo, Mexico, and several safari lodges all saw their nightly redemption rates nearly double.
Looking ahead to 2026, Air Canada will be introducing two new aircraft types to its fleet, the Airbus A321XLR and the Boeing 787-10. Along with these aircraft, Air Canada will launch two brand new business class products that I’m very much looking forward to checking out.
Quentin’s Year in Review
2025 continues to be one of my outlier years after picking up my life in Kingston and moving to Hamilton for medical school. With me focusing on my education, needless to say, traveling was limited this year. However, we did go to Ireland, where my (now) fiancée and I got engaged at Belfast Castle!
In terms of points and miles, my biggest positive is definitely the introduction of the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard. This was a very welcome newcomer to the Canadian credit card market and is now my workhorse credit card at Costco and other establishments that don’t take my American Express Cobalt card.
Porter has been quickly expanding their routes, including flying out of Hamilton (YHM). We’ll be flying out of Hamilton to Vancouver with Porter for our ski trip next year using the companion pass earned by using the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard and taking advantage of the free checked bag perk to get our ski gear there for free!
For my negative, my crown would have to go to Hilton. Hilton has long been my go-to hotel choice because of the generous welcome offers on their co-branded credit cards and the Hilton Honors Aspire American Express card, granting top-tier Diamond status. However, Hilton has been raising point redemption prices across the board and introduced the “nearly unachievable” Diamond Reserve status which bumps Diamond down a tier and may signal “watering down” of status perks in the future.
Andy’s Year in Review
2025 was an interesting year for me. Being in school still meant that my opportunities for travel are still very limited, but I tried to make the most I could out of it. My Flying Blue status was expiring in June, so I redeemed some miles and went to Europe. I also adjusted my plan for miles and points earning as well, changing my trajectory towards Air Canada Lifetime Status instead.
Previously, I hopped around different elite statuses with not much of a long-term goal. After my Air France/KLM status expired (where I redeemed miles from the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard for a trip to Europe), I changed my status strategy to a penultimate goal of earning Air Canada Lifetime Status, which will take up to 15 years if I fly on Air Canada for a minimum of 50,000 miles per year. For example, this year I did a 24 hour Singapore return and YVR-YUL-GRU-EZE and back, which also helped me hit 50K Aeroplan Elite Status.
Unfortunately because Aeroplan decided to change how to earn Elite Status starting next year, I probably won’t be renewing it for 2027. Although I probably won’t have any priority benefits, at least I can save some money now that all Economy fares from Standard and up will earn 100% of the miles instead of the staggered tiers.
I’ve already made some plans for 2026, including a round-the-world itinerary via Southeast Asia, Turkey (onboard the Turkish A350 and 777), before a conference in the United States and then heading home to Vancouver. It’ll mark my first Round-The-World experience, with many more to come!
Kirin’s Year in Review
Well I’d call 2025 a slightly less tumultuous year. I didn’t take as many “big” trips but I definitely racked up a variety of smaller ones – one to a friend’s wedding in Ottawa, another to the Bay Area to visit friends and catch a 49ers game. The most surreal experience has to have been trying to watch the (unfortunately ill-fated) Stanley Cup Finals on European time and let me tell you that stung almost as much as the result.
I’d say there were some excellent high points. I finally managed to find a decent redemption for all my Brim Flying Blue miles that felt orphaned for the longest time. The big trip I did across Europe was awesome because I got to reconnect with friends I’ve made on my travels, drink a pile of Czech beer, see northern England, and just socialize. On my way there, I got to experience just how nice the British Airways new A350 cabin is (very).
I think the nicest part of doing all these trips was I realized I like a nice balance between long trips and shorter sojourns. So in 2026, I expect to go back to Europe and Turkey, and to get my derriere back to the United States in the fast lane courtesy of NEXUS to visit friends and watch some sports-brand sportsball.
Has 2025 given the Miles & Points game any outsized L’s this year? For me I’d consider the biggest loss to be changes to the language of Chase business cards and their welcome bonuses. In short, Chase business cards in the United States now have popups of doom a la American Express. It’s nice to be warned before applying that you’re not eligible for a bonus, and Chase is a business trying to make money. Can’t fault them for cracking down on this. It does suck, though.
Miles & Points in 2025: Year in Review Summary
Below, we’ve summarized the positive and negative developments of Miles & Points in 2025.
| Positive Developments | Negative Developments |
|---|---|
| Bank of America Atmos Rewards credit cards launched, providing new earning opportunities for Atmos/Alaska miles. | American Express Platinum/Business Platinum lounge access is restricted to 6 visits per year starting 2027 (down from unlimited). |
| Porter Airlines became bookable with Atmos Rewards at excellent redemption rates (starting at 4,500 points for short-haul flights) | American Express Cobalt devalued: lower welcome bonus, 2x foreign spend removed, annual fee increased, frequent Amexiles for $506.95 purchases. |
| WestJet Rewards program complete overhaul with improved redemption flexibility and earning rates. | Air Canada Basic Economy removed seat selection and carry-on baggage allowances, continuing the trend of enshittification of lowest fare classes. |
| BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard was introduced as a strong new option for Porter travelers. | Multiple airline strikes disrupted Canadian travel: Air Canada flight attendants (August), Air Transat pilots nearly struck (December), and WestJet mechanics (2024). |
| CLEAR+ became available for Canadians with the ability to offset costs using US credit cards. | Marriott Bonvoy major devaluations at premium properties (Maldives, Tokyo, Mexico, safari lodges point costs nearly doubled). |
| Citibank added American Airlines AAdvantage as a transfer partner, expanding redemption options. | Hilton Honors widespread point increases across the board and the introduction of Diamond Reserve status. |
| Award search tools (Award Tool, Seats.aero) continued to improve and simplify award bookings for all skill levels. | British Airways program devalued in December, with Avios costs on BA and Oneworld partners (like AA, Cathay, JAL) rising by around 10-14%. |
| Air Canada announced new aircraft types (A321XLR, 787-10) and business class products launching in 2026. | Chase business cards introduced “popups of doom” similar to American Express, limiting welcome bonus opportunities. |
| FlyerFunds added American Express and KOHO as rebate partners, expanding cash back opportunities. | Aeroplan Elite Status qualification changes made it significantly harder to maintain status for 2027. |
| No lifetime language (NLL) offers remained abundant in the US market, providing ongoing earning opportunities. | Month 13-15 offers became more common in Canada, requiring second-year spend for full welcome bonuses. |
Conclusion
Another year has come and gone in the world of miles and points. While 2025 brought its share of devaluations and disruptions, the core value of this hobby remains strong. New partnerships, improved tools, and continued opportunities in the US market all demonstrate that there are still plenty of ways to extract exceptional value from your points.
As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited about what’s to come and grateful to have you along for the journey. Thank you for being part of the Frugal Flyer community throughout 2025. Here’s to another year of adventures, redemptions, and making the most of every point earned.
Reed Sutton
Latest posts by Reed Sutton (see all)
- Miles & Points in 2025: Year in Review - Dec 31, 2025
- Edmonton Miles & Pints Meetup (Feb 2026) - Dec 4, 2025
- Review: The St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort, Tamuda Bay - Dec 3, 2025
- Review: Wealthsimple Visa Infinite and Visa Infinite Privilege Credit Card - Dec 1, 2025
- AwardTool: Another Feature-packed Award Search Tool Worth Exploring - Nov 21, 2025
Josh Bandura
Latest posts by Josh Bandura (see all)
- AIR MILES Card-Linked Offers: What You Need to Know - Jan 9, 2026
- New Scotiabank Credit Card Offers (January 2026) - Jan 2, 2026
- Best Credit Cards in Canada (January 2026) - Jan 1, 2026
- Best Bank Accounts in Canada (January 2026) - Jan 1, 2026
- Miles & Points in 2025: Year in Review - Dec 31, 2025
