Newbie here, searched the forums but didn't find a thread on this:

I have 1.1 million Areoplan miles and want to take the parents on a trip down south. The cost via Air Canada Vacations using max 170,000 points plus cash doesn't differ by much vs just buying the trip from itravel2000 and keeping my points for another use. So is it wise to simply cash in all my points for Amex gift cards, and then use them to buy the itravel trip? This way I get around the 170,000 points limit. Am i missing anything with this approach? Or is this a common thing to do?
Thanks
Sledder (waiting for snow!)