Originally Posted by
Ichinensei
why don't you guys just get the AMEX Gold card. It gives you 25,000 points. You can convert to AVIOS 1:1 or other airlines. The first year fee is waived ($150 after - just cancel) and you only have to spend $500 in total within the first 3 months
https://www.americanexpress.com/ca/e...-rewards-card/
Got it! Signed up for it, and had my wife signed up for it, plus receive one referral bonus.. earlier on in the year.
I've got 200K Amex MR points to convert to Avios. After some research, I'm considering a commitment to collect Avios.
The following is my calculation considerations:
45K pp AE YYC to HI, and includes a stopover in LAX for the kiddies to hit DL. That's 180K total AE points for a party of 4.
30K approx. using Avios with a possible stopover in SEA or perhaps LAS. Not bad. Are there other California destinations that would connect me to HI? Plus AA I haven't really checked for award availability, but if I have CX gold, then I would be in really good shape with the benefits.
So 200K Amex MR, wait for 50% conversion bonus, so that's 300K Avios approximately. That's 10 trips to HI instead approximately 4 with AE. If this is true, I'm sold on Avios, plus I heard AS is low fees compared to AC/AE
BA only flies to N.America from London, so one of the only stopovers you could have is in London. You could book xxx-LHR-yyy return, where xxx is a Canadian City BA flies to, and yyy is for example HKG or SYD. You can also book open jaw.
Also don't just look at the award flight map as it is very inaccurate. And does BA have F on that route?
So for sure I'm going to have to pay YQ fees through LHR to get BA metal, which is like $900 per ticket.. plus fees on top of that if I keep on going. This is going to be one of the reasons why I probably won't dump $30K onto the RBC Avios cards, as I'm seeing only economy availability on BA metal YYC-LHR.
But show me First, business or economy plus availability and I'll be all over the companion ticket. What uses of the companion ticket have you guys done?.. so that it would make sense for me to try and obtain a companion ticket. YYC-LHR on economy just doesn't excite me at all.
Originally Posted by
sokolov
Canadians can now ear 45.000 Avios when they sign up for the RBC BA Visa-Card. However, the requirements are steep:
The annual fee is C$ 165. The signup-bonus is 15.000 Avios, plus 30.000 Avios at least C$ 3.000 are spent each month (!) for the first three months.
Since one earns 1 Avios per C$, one would have at least 54.000 Avios after three months - if one can spend so much.
Originally Posted by
jerry a. laska
Just so I get this straight, if I sign up for Avios, then I'll need to spend 3K inclusive each month for a 10K bonus each month, for up to 3 months and 30K extra bonus miles (this after receiving the 15K bonus for signup)?
I'm seriously thinking about signing up, and I can do the spend of 3K per month. But sounds a bit steep to get the extra 30K cc first three month bonus.