By Robb Engen | August 6, 2011
The Air Miles loyalty program is a great way for Canadians to earn rewards by shopping at sponsor locations and using Air Miles credit cards. Depending on how your Air Miles are set up you can earn Air Miles Cash rewards, which include free groceries, gas, and other retail vouchers. Or, you can save up your Air Miles Dream miles for a dream vacation that you’ve always wanted to take. But how many Air Miles do you need for a free flight?
The interactive mileage “map” on the Air Miles website is not very user friendly. I’ve taken that information and put it into a helpful chart so you can visualize and determine exactly how many Air Miles you need for a free flight anywhere in the world.
This table will show you how many Air Miles Dream miles you’ll need to save up in order to book a free flight rewards.
*Note that this chart is for flights departing from Ontario and has been updated as of May 27, 2019.
| Region | Low Season | High Season | BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard 15% Discount | |
| British Columbia | 3,600 | 4,900 | 3,060 | 4,165 |
| Alberta | 2,900 | 3,800 | 2,465 | 3,230 |
| Saskatchewan | 2,500 | 2,800 | 2,805 | 3,300 |
| Manitoba | 1,600 | 2,000 | 1,360 | 1,700 |
| Ontario | 1,200 | 1,400 | 1,020 | 1,190 |
| Quebec | 1,300 | 1,500 | 1,105 | 1,275 |
| Maritimes | 1,700 | 2,200 | 1,445 | 1,870 |
| Nunavut | 4,000 | 5,200 | 3,400 | 4,420 |
| Northeast U.S. | 1,300 | 1,600 | 1,105 | 1,360 |
| Central U.S. | 1,600 | 2,100 | 1,360 | 1,785 |
| Northwest U.S. | 3,900 | 5,200 | 3,315 | 4,420 |
| Southwest U.S. | 4,300 | 5,500 | 3,655 | 4,675 |
| Southeast U.S. | 2,800 | 3,500 | 2,380 | 2,975 |
| Caribbean | 4,400 | 5,800 | 4,400 | 5,800 |
| Mexico | 4,400 | 5,800 | 4,400 | 5,800 |
| Hawaii | 7,900 | 10,500 | 6,715 | 8,925 |
| Central America | 5,400 | 7,000 | 5,400 | 7,000 |
| South America | 6,000 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 8,000 |
| Western Europe | 5,400 | 7,000 | 5,400 | 7,000 |
| Northern Europe | 6,000 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 8,000 |
| Eastern Europe | 6,300 | 8,500 | 6,300 | 8,500 |
| Africa/Middle East | 9,300 | 12,500 | 9,300 | 12,500 |
| Russia/China | 9,300 | 12,500 | 9,300 | 12,500 |
| Australia | 14,000 | 19,000 | 14,000 | 19,000 |
As you can see, it costs a lot to redeem Air Miles for flights! I like to break down the miles into dollars so that I can understand the true cost and value of the flight rewards.
Most sponsor locations offer 1 Air Miles for every $20 spent. You can also maximize your Air Miles by using an Air Miles branded credit card. Let’s say that you manage to earn 1 Air Mile for every $15 spent. Here is a breakdown of what you would have to spend in order to earn flight rewards:
- 1,000 Air Miles = $15,000 (one short haul flight)
- 2,500 Air Miles = $37,500 (one medium haul flight)
- 5,000 Air Miles = $75,000 (one long range flight)
- 10,000 Air Miles = $150,000 (dream vacation, any season)
Obviously it makes sense to take advantage of the discount for flying during low season. Peak season (holidays and summer) flight prices are increased upwards of 35 percent. Travellers are likely better off shopping for better rates online to take advantage of a seat sale.
I’ve talked about how I redeem Air Miles for products like free gas or grocery vouchers. For $20 in gift card rewards it costs 190 Air Miles, making each Air Mile worth approximately 10.5 cents.
If we look at a flight from Ontario to Alberta during low season, it would cost 2,900 Air Miles for a free flight. That works out to costing you $304 for the redemption. The lowest available fare that I found when searching a similar flight on Air Canada’s website was $283. It looks like Air Miles is charging a premium to redeem your miles for flight rewards.
Using BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard
So, if Air Miles is charging a premium for flight rewards perhaps we should look at the
If you like to collect Air Miles and travel frequently for business or leisure, using the BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard can make a lot of sense. There is an annual fee of $120, which is offset by a huge welcome bonus and often comes with the first year free. These benefits, plus the 15% off Air Miles mileage discount, can more than cover the cost of using the card – AND help you get more out of your Air Miles Dream reward miles.
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