Transferable points currencies are often king when it comes to travel redemptions, and we are lucky to have a few powerful transferable points loyalty programs in Canada: American Express Membership Rewards and RBC Avion Rewards.
Avion points are an excellent tool when it comes to transferable points, as there are highly desirable flight redemptions you can unlock when transferring them to the right frequent flyer program. Let’s take a look at why you should be transferring your Avion points and the details about the four frequent flyer programs that they transfer to.
Why Transfer Avion Points to a Frequent Flyer Program?
Avion points can be redeemed for several travel and non-travel options, but the best value for your points lies in transferring them to one of the partnered frequent flyer programs. Avion points can be transferred to British Airways Avios, American Airlines AAdvantage Miles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and WestJet Rewards points.
Not all of the partnered frequent flyer programs are made equally, as I’ll get into below, but for the majority of them, transferring points into these programs will unlock far more value than any other redemption method if you are interested in booking award travel, particularly if you want to fly business or first class. Avion points can be your ticket to some amazing travel experiences, and are one of the best ways for Canadians to book many highly desirable and aspirational flights.
Similarly, not all Avion points are made equal, as there are three tiers of points: Select, Premium, and Elite. The good news is that these tiers don’t really matter much, because as long as you hold a card that earns Avion Elite points (which is any card that has Avion in the name), you can transfer and effectively convert all Avion points earned from any source to Elite points. This is your ticket to unlocking all transfer partners, because if you don’t take advantage of this trick, you will have access to fewer or no frequent flyer transfer partners.
That being said, while transferring to one of these frequent flyer programs is typically the best option, it can be hard to find seats on your desired routes and airlines. As always, make sure you understand how to utilize flight award search tools to help you find the award space you desire. Seats.aero and AwardTool are two great options that would be worth starting your search with.
Transfer Partners Available for Avion Points
Transferring Avion Points to British Airways Avios
Transferring Avion points to British Airways Avios has been my go-to redemption for many years, as this transfer opens up the ability to book many airlines that are part of the oneworld alliance. Avion points transfer to Avios at a rate of 1:1, and there are typically several times during the year when RBC offers a promotional transfer bonus of up to 30% more Avios.
But it doesn’t stop there, as once you move your Avion points to the British Airways Club loyalty program, you have access to even more transfer partners within the Avios ecosystem. For example, British Airways Avios can be freely moved back and forth between other Avios programs, including Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus, and more. This creates added flexibility and also gives members the opportunity to transfer points for lower redemption prices and better availability for certain carriers.
British Airways Avios redemptions typically command higher taxes and fees on all flight bookings, but the most egregious example is actually booking on British Airways metal. For that reason, you’ll typically want to redeem for flights on partner airlines, as a result, and some of the top-tier redemptions include:
- Japan Airlines First Class for 103,000 Avios from the West Coast to Tokyo (HND/NRT)
- Japan Airlines Business Class for 77,250 Avios from the West Coast to Tokyo (HND/NRT)
- Qatar Airways QSuites Business Class for 70,000 Avios from the West Coast to Doha (DOH)
- Aer Lingus Business Class for 60,000 Avios from Toronto (YYZ) to Dublin (DUB)
Family members who earn Avios together can also take advantage of the British Airways Household Account to pool points as they look to save for their next redemption. However, do note that if you plan on transferring Avios to a different Avios partner, the household account does not persist across programs, so in those cases, you would need to have enough points on one account to make your desired redemption.
For those travelers who are interested in making redemptions on a variety of popular oneworld airlines and are ok with paying slightly higher taxes and fees, I think transferring to British Airways Avios is a winner, particularly when RBC offers transfer bonuses. If you want more ideas as to how to redeem your Avios, see our article on the best ways to use Avios for business class flights.
Transferring Avion Points to American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
Transferring Avion points to American Airlines AAdvantage Miles is a close second transfer option for me, as AAdvantage offers some excellent benefits when it comes to redemptions and some super unique redemption opportunities.
Avion points transfer to AAdvantage Miles at a lesser rate of 1:0.7, which can cause many RBC cardholders to not even consider this transfer partner as an option. That being said, we do rarely see transfer bonuses on this partner, so it could be worth holding out if you have a balance and want to transfer it to AAdvantage.
So if you are trading 1,000 Avion points for 700 AAdvantage Miles, what makes the decrease in mileage worth it compared to other options? First of all, we know not all frequent flyer miles are valued the same, making it not a straightforward comparison.
Redeeming AAdvantage Miles also comes with additional benefits, including insanely low taxes and fees ($5 to $12 USD per ticket for many redemptions), no change or cancellation fees, and the ability to hold award tickets for up to 24 hours. For many, the rock-bottom taxes and fees are the biggest selling point, as taxes and fees on award bookings with many frequent flyer programs have ballooned over the last few years.
We’ve covered a few AAdvantage Miles redemptions over the year, and those that stand out include:
- Etihad Airways First Class for 62,500 AAdvantage Miles from Paris (CDG) to Abu Dhabi (AUH)
- American Airlines Flagship Business Class for 31,000 AAdvantage Miles from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK)
- Air Tahiti Nui Business Class for 80,000 AAdvantage Miles from Los Angeles (LAX) to Papeete (PPT)
The one caveat to be aware of is that the AAdvantage program can get award availability later than other programs. For example, Japan Airlines First Class availability opens up to British Airways Avios in advance of AAdvantage, so those seats are likely to be booked with Avios before they are available to AAdvantage. But there is still a ton of value to be had, even more so with close-in availability bookings if you are willing to book a week or two before traveling.
Transferring Avion Points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Transferring Avion points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is my third priority, and one transfer partner that I haven’t taken advantage of too often. Avion points transfer to Asia Miles at a rate of 1:1, putting them on par with British Airways Avios transfers. However, I don’t believe we have ever seen a transfer bonus from Avion to Asia Miles, so this is the maximum transfer ratio you should expect to receive.
If you want to ever fly on Cathay Pacific, you’ll most likely need to use the Asia Miles program, as they don’t tend to release that many (if any) seats to partner airlines, and instead, release the majority of their availability within the Asia Miles program. When it comes to redemptions, the taxes and fees are more in line with what we see when redeeming British Airways Avios, so be prepared to pay a bit more, but it absolutely is still worth it.
A few of the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles redemptions that the Frugal Flyer team has made include:
- Cathay Pacific First Class for 125,000 Asia Miles from Hong Kong (HKG) to Los Angeles (LAX)
- Cathay Pacific Business Class for 91,000 Asia Miles from San Francisco (SFO) to Hong Kong (HKG)
While they are my third pick as I’ve found that prioritizing the other transfer partners is better for my travel patterns, don’t discount Asia Miles, whether you want to fly on Cathay Pacific aircraft or with any oneworld airline partners. Interestingly, redeeming Asia Miles for British Airways flights can result in a cheaper redemption, so that is worth looking into as well if British Airways is on your list.
Transferring Avion Points to WestJet Rewards Points
The last airline transfer partner for Avion points, and my least favorite option, is WestJet Rewards, where cardholders can transfer Avion points to WestJet points at a rate of 1:1. There have been one or two transfer bonuses in the past, but they are exceedingly rare for this transfer partner.
Transferring Avion to WestJet points falls flat based on the valuation, as WestJet points have an upper ceiling valuation of 1 cent per point when redeemed towards flights, with other redemptions offering even worse value. Compared to all of the options and flexibility you have with Avion points, you would effectively be throwing value away when transferring to WestJet Rewards.
I guess if you love WestJet and don’t plan on taking advantage of the other transfer partners, a transfer could make sense. But you can pretty easily get more than 1 cent per point of value through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule when booking a WestJet flight, so that is probably the better option to research before transferring.
Transferring Avion Points to Canadian Tire Money
While it isn’t a frequent-flyer program, Avion points can be transferred to Canadian Tire Money at a rate of 140 Avion points:1 Canadian Tire Money.
This works out to a rough value of 0.71 cents per Avion point, which is a terrible value compared to almost any other redemption option. While I’ve included it in this article for completeness, it’s a poor redemption, so don’t do it.
The Best Credit Cards That Earn Avion Points to Transfer to Frequent Flyer Programs
The go-to option for many Canadians is the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, which currently has a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Avion points with an annual fee of $120.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card earns flexible Avion points that can be transferred to British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, American Airlines AAdvantage, WestJet Rewards, or used against travel purchases via the fixed-rate Air Travel Redemption Schedule.
70,000 Avion points
$5,000
$1,330+
$120
Yes
Jul 15, 2026
If you are looking for a similar option that has a much lower income requirement, the RBC Avion Visa Platinum Card is the best pick as it offers the same welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Avion points with an annual fee of $120.
The RBC Avion Visa Platinum Card is an accessible entry point into the Avion Rewards ecosystem, with no income requirement and flexible Avion points that can be transferred to British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, American Airlines AAdvantage, WestJet Rewards, or redeemed for travel via the fixed-rate Air Travel Redemption Schedule.
70,000 Avion points
$5,000
$1,330+
$120
Yes
Jul 15, 2026
If you want a more premium card, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card might be more up your alley. While it does have a higher income requirement than both cards mentioned above, it does have a higher welcome bonus of up to 100,000 Avion points with a matching higher annual fee of $399.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card is a premium travel credit card that offers six complimentary airport lounge passes through the Visa Airport Companion program alongside flexible Avion point transfers to British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, American Airlines AAdvantage, and WestJet Rewards.
100,000 Avion points
$5,000
$1,900+
$399
Yes
Jul 15, 2026
Finally, an honorable mention goes to the RBC ION+ Visa Card as it has no minimum annual income requirements, a lower annual fee of $48, and a smaller welcome bonus of 28,000 Avion points. Where this card really shines is its elevated earning categories, particularly on groceries, dining out, and gasoline purchases.
The RBC ION+ Visa Card earns 3x Avion points on groceries, restaurants, food delivery, daily transit, digital gaming purchases, and more.
28,000 Avion points
$1,500
$532+
$48
Yes
Nov 4, 2026
As mentioned previously, you will need to hold an eligible Avion card in conjunction with your ION+ card in order to be able to transfer Avion points to all of the above-mentioned frequent flyer programs, so if you plan on adding the ION+ card to your wallet, plan ahead.
Conclusion
The deeper you go in the hobby of miles and points, the more you realize how important transferable currencies like Avion points are. When you combine the valuable transfer partners available with the semi-frequent transfer bonus promotions that we tend to see each year, Avion points are one of the main currencies that Canadians should be collecting if they want to improve their travel experiences and save money with miles and points.
Josh Bandura
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