Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast

In episode 41 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss how to maximize RBC Avion points, including earning methods, point tiers, and redemption strategies amid limited-time elevated credit card welcome offers. They explain the three Avion point types (Select, Premium, and Elite) and how Avion points of different tiers can be combined. They cover the best ways to earn Avion points, including via credit cards, shopping portals, banking promotions, and card-linked offers. Finally, they review key Avion transfer partners, including British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and American Airlines AAdvantage Miles. The team also shares why they caution against WestJet transfers, and outlines the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule and flexible travel redemption options.

In episode 39 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca break down Porter Airlines’ VIPorter loyalty program, covering how to earn VIPorter points, elite status tiers, and VIPorter points redemption value. They review the BMO VIPorter World Elite MasterCard (with a current welcome bonus of up to 70,000 VIPorter points and first year annual fee free) and how it grants VIPorter Venture status with benefits like free seat selection and checked bags for the cardholder, plus up to eight guests, even on basic fares. Finally, they discuss the Porter Airlines onboard experience and their approach to redeeming VIPorter points, particularly when working within Porter’s flexible award chart pricing. The episode wraps up with the team sharing their experiences with Porter Airlines and how they plan to engage with VIPorter going forward.

In episode 37 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss the main tools they use to find and book flight and hotel redemptions. For flights, they cover FlightConnections and FlightsFrom for mapping airline routes and alliance options, plus they look at pairing Google Flights with Points Path to compare cash vs points. The team highlights Seats.aero as a primary paid award-search and alerts tool, including fare class viewing and planning strategies like searching regions instead of specific cities, and they note AwardTool as a helpful supplemental tool that can surface award space that other tools miss. After booking, they use AeroLopa for detailed seat maps and seat selection to find the best seats on the plane. For hotel award searching, the team starts the discussion by using Google Maps to see what hotel chains are available in their desired destination. They discuss rooms.aero and MaxMyPoint, emphasizing the value of setting alerts for aspirational properties, plus MaxFHR for browsing Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts when looking to use credits. They also discuss tools that are adjacent to award travel, including TripIt for itinerary organization, and Flighty, ByAir, FlightAware, and FlightRadar24 for tracking flights.

In episode 35 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca take a look at the state of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, starting with some of the recently launched excellent offers on the co-branded Marriott Bonvoy cards, both in Canada and the United States. They discuss Marriott Bonvoy’s new global promotion for bonus elite qualifying nights and points, and how members can best take advantage. They also look at where the program is today and what has changed over the last few years. The episode wraps up with the team sharing how they utilize the loyalty program and how they get the most value out of their stays and points redemptions. They also make some predictions as to what is coming for the Marriott Bonvoy program in the future.

In episode 33 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca share practical ways to get strong value from small leftover points balances through unique flight and hotel redemptions. They cover Flying Blue Promo Rewards (often costing 18,750 miles to Europe in economy class), Virgin Atlantic’s 6,000-mile East Coast–London option (with high fees), and Atmos Rewards partner sweet spots for short-haul Porter/American flights (costing 4,500–7,500 miles). They also discuss American Airlines and Aeroplan dynamic pricing (including occasional ~6,000-point deals), booking WestJet via SkyMiles or Flying Blue with favorable change and cancellation policies. Plus, Iberia’s seasonal Toronto–Madrid service offers excellent value (available for 16,000 Avios economy or 34,000 points in business off-peak) in addition to several frequent flyer programs that offer free or almost free stopovers to help you visit additional destinations for minimal cost. For hotels, they recommend using Marriott points in cheaper regions like Southeast Asia/Middle East, topping up small balances via Amex-to-Marriott transfers, leveraging World of Hyatt’s fixed award chart (from 3,500 points), transferring or sharing hotel loyalty program points with others, and niche Wyndham uses, including cash+points quirks and Wyndham Experiences.

In episode 31 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss everything about the Flying Blue loyalty program, from earning miles to redeeming them effectively. The discussion includes the improved transfer ratios from American Express Membership Rewards to Flying Blue, the associated benefits, and the attractiveness of the program for transatlantic travel. Detailed insights are provided on earning, transferring, and redeeming Flying Blue miles in Canada, with tips on maximizing value through promotions, partner airlines, and special programs like family sharing.

In Episode 29 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca reminisce and discuss what happened in 2025 for miles and points. The team looks back at predictions for 2025 and determines if they came true. They also share their favorite redemptions, earning opportunities in Canada and the United States, and their opinions on the biggest changes in miles and points. The episode wraps up with the team predicting what might be coming in the world of miles and points in 2026.

In Episode 27 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss the most recent news in the world of miles and points, starting with Hilton's new Diamond Reserve tier and its impact on loyalty members. The team explores several opportunities to purchase points, plus Iberia Airlines' new route to Canada and the associated redemption opportunities. They also delve into the frequent transfer bonuses that RBC Avion offers for British Airways Avios. Other news includes Marriott's soft status landing for 2026, TD's new personalized offers, and the new Air Canada Cafe in Vancouver. The episode wraps up with listener questions about US credit cards, particularly focusing on address issues with Amex and the benefits of Visa Infinite Privilege cards. Tune in for the most current insights on traveling with points and miles!

In Episode 25 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss recent news in the world of miles and points, in addition to answering listeners’ questions. The most recent news includes reduced airport lounge access on Amex Canada premium cards, new rebates on Frugal Flyer, ANA first class availability, and a new promotion from Marriott Bonvoy. The team also covers new Air Canada and Air Serbia routes, a new unique partnership, and more. They wrap up the episode by answering listener questions about TD credit card applications, roadside assistance, and more.

In Episode 23 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss recent news in the world of miles and points, in addition to answering listeners’ questions. The most recent news includes the refreshed Amex Platinum & Business Platinum Cards in the United States, notable upcoming changes to the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, and another Hilton Honors devaluation. The team also covers a notable upcoming annual fee increase, the addition of Condor flights bookable with JetBlue miles, and more. They wrap up the episode by answering listener questions about flight award redemptions and award search tools.

In Episode 21 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss recent news in the world of miles and points, in addition to answering listeners’ questions. The Frugal Flyer team shares details about their upcoming 'Miles and Pints' event in Calgary in September, upcoming changes to the Aeroplan program, and reviews the new WestJet Business Credit Card and National Bank World Elite MasterCard offers. This episode also covers the record-high offer on the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card and the introduction of CLEAR+ for Canadians. They wrap up by answering listener questions about closing credit cards, spending in Europe, preferred carry-on luggage brands, and leveraging the Marriott Bonvoy and Singapore Airlines status match opportunity.

In Episode 19 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss recent news in the world of miles and points, in addition to answering listeners’ questions. The miles and points news that is discussed includes Hyatt's new award calendar feature, a new Aspire Lounge at Montreal International Airport, and how to utilize Alaska Miles for Porter flights. The episode also covers how you can buy Porter Airlines status with AIR MILES, how Nova Credit is no more, and how Citibank recently added American Airlines as a transfer partner. The team also answers listener questions about annual fee credit cards for students and achieving Super Elite 100K status without flying.

In this episode of Miles Ahead Deep Dives, Daniel, Reed, and Josh delve into the intricacies of the Refundable Hotel Trick, a strategy used by Canadian travel enthusiasts to convert reward points into cash or statement credits. They explore the nuanced process of booking and refunding travel arrangements to redeem points, the potential risks, and the specifics of using this trick with various Canadian bank reward programs. The episode also covers redeeming annual travel credits via this method, as well as the pitfalls and considerations to keep in mind.