RBC Avion Rewards Guide 2026 | Points Value, Transfer Partners & Best Redemptions

RBC Avion Rewards is Royal Bank of Canada’s flagship travel loyalty program, built around flexibility: Avion Elite members (holders of the Avion Visa Platinum, Avion Visa Infinite, Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, or Business Avion Visa Infinite) can book through the RBC travel portal at a straightforward 1.0 cents per point (CPP), convert to WestJet at 1:1, or transfer to British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or American Airlines AAdvantage. Avion Premium members (RBC ION Visa and ION+ cardholders) get a lower portal rate of roughly 0.58 CPP and can only convert to WestJet. No blackout dates through the portal, and points that never expire while your account is open and in good standing (a 12-month window to redeem or transfer applies after you voluntarily close the account).

The program is not a direct Aeroplan competitor — it does not transfer to Air Canada’s loyalty program at all. For Avion Elite members, its strength lies in the British Airways Avios transfer for short-haul routes, the simplicity of the travel portal for flexible bookings, and the WestJet conversion for Canadians who fly WestJet regularly.

This guide covers the complete picture: what Avion points are worth, how to earn them efficiently, the best and worst redemption methods, a step-by-step booking guide, and how Avion stacks up against Aeroplan, TD Rewards, and Amex Membership Rewards.

RBC Avion Rewards at a glance

The absence of an Aeroplan transfer, and the fact that only Avion Elite cardholders get transfer-partner access, are the two most important limitations to understand before committing to RBC Avion. If your primary airline is Air Canada, a different card — TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite or Amex Cobalt — will get you further. But for WestJet flyers and Avion Elite cardholders willing to learn Avios booking, Avion is one of the more useful bank programs in Canada.

What are RBC Avion points worth?

Avion points have no fixed cash value — what you get per point depends entirely on how you redeem them. The range is wide: from roughly 0.3 CPP for merchandise to over 2.0 CPP for smart Avios bookings. The table below covers the main options.

The core principle: Transfer partners and the travel portal deliver materially more value than non-travel redemptions. The gap between a British Airways Avios booking (2.0+ CPP) and a gift card redemption (0.6 CPP) on the same point balance is enormous — potentially the difference between a $200 flight and a $60 gift card for the same 10,000 points.

Transfer partners and ratios

Transfer-partner access is limited to Avion Elite members (cardholders of the Avion Visa Platinum, Avion Visa Infinite, Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, or Business Avion Visa Infinite). Avion Premium members (RBC ION Visa and ION+ cardholders) can only convert to WestJet. Each transfer is generally one-way and non-reversible — once you send points to British Airways, Cathay Pacific, or American Airlines, you cannot convert them back. Transfer carefully, and only after you have confirmed the award availability you want to book.

RBC and its partners do not publish fixed transfer-processing times; expect the transfer to take some time to appear in your partner account, and confirm award availability with the partner program before initiating a transfer, since completed transfers cannot be reversed. IHG is not a current Avion transfer partner.

Why British Airways Avios is the best Avion transfer for Avion Elite members

British Airways prices award flights by distance flown, not by the cash price of the ticket. This distance-based model is what makes Avios unusually valuable on short-haul routes, where the Avios cost stays comparatively low regardless of how expensive the cash fare is on that day.

British Airways revises its Avios pricing periodically — it raised prices across most zones and cabins in December 2025 — so exact Avios costs by route change over time. Check current pricing directly at ba.com before transferring points, since transfers are one-way and non-reversible. As a general rule, short-haul North American routes (under roughly 650 miles) fall into BA’s lowest distance bands and tend to offer the best value relative to cash fares; longer routes and peak-date bookings cost more Avios. Business class costs several times the equivalent economy Avios amount at the same distance.

Important caveat — fuel surcharges: British Airways imposes carrier-imposed surcharges (sometimes called “fuel surcharges”) on award bookings, particularly for transatlantic routes flown on BA metal — these can add a significant amount per person and erode the value of the redemption. To avoid surcharges, book partner airlines (American Airlines, Iberia, Finnair) rather than BA-operated flights where possible. Short-haul North American routes are frequently operated by American Airlines, which does not impose the same carrier surcharges, making them a cleaner use of Avios from Canada — confirm the operating carrier before booking.

RBC Avion credit cards compared

Avion points are earned primarily through RBC Avion credit cards. The three main personal cards differ in annual fee, earn rate, income requirements, and travel perks.

RBC Avion Visa Infinite (the card for most people)

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite is the most popular entry into the Avion program and carries Avion Elite membership. At $120 per year, it earns 1 point per $1 on all purchases and 1.25 points per $1 on travel booked through RBC, with emergency medical insurance (unlimited maximum benefit) for the first 15 days of a trip if you’re under 65 (3 days if you’re 65 or older; top-up coverage is available for longer trips).

RBC’s current welcome offer (as of September 2026) is structured in three parts spread across the first year, rather than a single lump-sum bonus — confirm the live offer and its terms on RBC’s own card page before applying, since promotional structures and amounts change.

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege (premium)

The Privilege card is for frequent travellers who value lounge access and a higher flat earn rate more than they mind paying a $399 annual fee. Six complimentary DragonPass lounge passes a year (not Priority Pass, and not unlimited) is a genuine perk for travellers who would otherwise pay for lounge access out of pocket.

The 31-day medical coverage (vs. 15 days on the standard Visa Infinite) is significant for extended international trips. If you regularly travel for more than 31 days at a time, top-up coverage is available; otherwise the Privilege card’s extended coverage reduces the need for supplemental travel medical insurance on most trips.

RBC Avion Visa Platinum (entry-level Elite card)

The RBC Avion Visa Platinum earns automatic Avion Elite membership at the same $120 annual fee as the Avion Visa Infinite, but earns a flat 1 point per $1 on every purchase — it does not carry the Visa Infinite’s 1.25x bonus on travel bookings. RBC does not publish an income requirement on this card’s own product page, so confirm eligibility directly with RBC before applying.

RBC Business Avion Visa Infinite

Business owners who put significant spending through a business card can accumulate Avion points faster than personal card users. It earns 1.25 points per $1 on net purchases up to $75,000 in a year, with a reduced rate applying to spend above that threshold.

Welcome bonus value

Welcome bonuses are the fastest way to accumulate a large Avion balance, but the amounts change frequently and are not a fixed feature of the card. The figures below were live on RBC’s own card pages as of September 2026 and should be confirmed against RBC’s current offer before you apply.

Welcome offers are promotional and change over time; confirm the live offer and application deadline on RBC’s own card pages before applying rather than relying on any figure quoted here or elsewhere.

How to earn RBC Avion points

The base earn rate of 1 point per $1 is standard for this tier. The strategies below help you accumulate faster without switching cards.

Linking your RBC Avion card to your Petro-Points card is worth doing — RBC’s own program pays a 20% bonus in Avion points on every dollar you spend at Petro-Canada with a linked card, on top of a 3 cent/litre instant fuel discount and a 20% bonus on Petro-Points, for a combined value RBC advertises as up to 7 cents per litre.

RBC Offers (accessible via “Offers for You” in RBC Online Banking, the RBC Mobile app, or the Avion Rewards app) provide temporary bonus earn rates, cash savings, or bonus points at specific retailers. These rotate regularly and can meaningfully boost your earn rate in categories where your base Avion card earns only 1x.

How to book travel with RBC Avion points

There are three main ways to use Avion points for travel. Each has a different process and delivers a different value per point.

Method 1 — RBC Travel Portal (simplest, 1.0 CPP)

The RBC Travel portal is the no-friction option. You search for flights, hotels, and cars exactly as you would on any booking site, then pay with points instead of cash. No award charts, no partner transfers, no blackout dates.

Step by step:

1. Log into your RBC Online Banking account at rbc.com
2. Navigate to “RBC Rewards” or use the RBC mobile app → “Avion Rewards”
3. Select “Book Travel” to access the travel portal
4. Search for your flight, hotel, or car rental
5. At checkout, select “Pay with Avion Points” — you can pay entirely with points or a combination of points and cash
6. Points redeem at approximately 100 points = $1 (1.0 CPP)

Tip: Compare the portal price against booking directly with the airline or hotel. The portal occasionally shows inflated fares. If the portal price is higher than the airline’s own site, use Method 2 instead.

Method 2 — Book anywhere, redeem against travel charges (1.0 CPP)

This method gives you the freedom to book on any airline’s website (Air Canada, WestJet, Porter, international carriers) and then apply Avion points against the charge.

Step by step:

1. Book your flight or hotel directly on the provider’s website and pay with your RBC Avion card
2. Within 90 days of the travel charge posting to your account, log into RBC Online Banking
3. Navigate to “RBC Rewards” → “Redeem” → “Apply to travel charge”
4. Select the eligible travel charge and apply points (100 pts = $1)

This method works for any travel purchase charged to your RBC Avion card — including travel agents, vacation packages, and cruises. The 90-day window is important: if you wait too long, the charge is no longer eligible.

Method 3 — Transfer to British Airways Avios (best value potential)

Transferring to Avios requires a few extra steps but is the method that can deliver 1.5–2.5 CPP on the right routes.

Step by step:

1. Create a British Airways Executive Club account at britishairways.com if you do not already have one
2. Log into RBC Rewards and navigate to “Transfer Points” → “British Airways Avios”
3. Enter your British Airways Executive Club membership number and the amount to transfer (minimum transfer amounts may apply — check the current minimum before initiating)
4. Wait 48–72 hours for points to appear in your BA account
5. Log into britishairways.com → “Avios” → “Spend Avios” → “Flights”
6. Search for your preferred route and book the award flight using your transferred Avios balance

Before transferring: Confirm the award availability and Avios cost first. Award seats on popular routes sell out quickly. Only transfer once you have found and are ready to book your specific flight.

Method 4 — Convert to WestJet (1.0 CPP, simplest for WestJet flyers, available to both tiers)

WestJet conversions function like airline-specific cash — you use them on any WestJet booking at westjet.com with no award chart or blackout dates. Unlike the other transfer partners, WestJet conversion is available to both Avion Elite and Avion Premium members.

How it works: Transfer Avion points at a 1:1 rate through the RBC Rewards portal. The converted balance is applied at checkout on westjet.com and can cover the full cost of any flight, seat selection, or vacation package.

This method is straightforward, predictable, and ideal for Canadians who fly WestJet regularly for leisure or business travel.

What to avoid

These non-travel options exist for convenience but consistently deliver less than travel redemptions. If you have Avion points, find a way to use them for travel — even at the base portal rate — before falling back to gift cards or cash. Check Avion Rewards directly for the current redemption value of each option, since RBC does not publish a fixed CPP figure for non-travel redemptions.

RBC Avion vs. competing programs

How Avion compares depends entirely on your travel habits. The table below frames the key tradeoffs.

Avion vs. Aeroplan: head-to-head

This is the comparison most Canadian travelers care about, since both programs have RBC and TD bank cards in their ecosystems.

The verdict: For Air Canada frequent flyers, Aeroplan wins by a wide margin — you earn status, you get access to Air Canada upgrade space, and the redemption ceiling is higher in premium cabins. For WestJet regulars or Oneworld travelers, Avion competes well and is simpler to use.

Common RBC Avion mistakes

These are the errors that most reduce the value of your Avion balance.

Related resources

• Aeroplan Points Value Guide — how Aeroplan compares in detail
• TD Rewards Program Guide — TD’s loyalty program
• Amex Membership Rewards Canada — transferable points with Aeroplan access
• Best Travel Credit Cards Canada 2026 — top options compared
• WestJet Rewards Guide — earn WestJet dollars directly
• Points vs. Cash Back Credit Cards — is rewards worth the complexity?