How to best spend ~112,000 Aeroplan miles?
 

So my dad have about 112,000 Aeroplan miles that he would like to use on a trip with my mom. He doesn't have a particular place in mind, but would probably prefer to be in North America. He's thinking of using it to go to Hawaii in December, but that's about 45,000 miles for a roundtrip back to YVR. I don't think it's really worth it. You guys got better suggestions?

Really depends on where they want to go. If Hawaii is where they really want to go, then have at it.

If you're trying to make sure you get good value out of the miles, many frequent flyers would aim for a value of at least 2 cents per mile relative to buying a cash ticket. For someone without Air Canada status, 1-2 cents per mile isn't terrible. Below 1 and the value is pretty poor.

Perhaps also consider experiences they may not be willing or able to pay for with cash. For instance, your dad could get another 50K Aeroplan miles (easy to do with credit card sign-up bonuses) and go to Hawaii in business class instead of economy (80K apiece).

Or 100K (50K x 2) would be enough to go to Florida. Mexico and Caribbean are 40K in Y or 60K in J (per ticket).

But it's very personal.

Starting from YVR, redeeming out to Newfoundland is a pretty good deal for 25k points.

For instance, YVR-{YDF/YQX/YYT}-{YEG/YXS/YXD/YXT}-train-YPR-ferry-YVR would make a decent summer holiday if they've never experienced the splendor of Newfoundland and Northern BC. Revenue airfare for that will almost always be in the $1200-$1500 range, making a redemption a pretty decent deal.

I assume that's a joke?

I don't. What is your suggestion for an itinerary within North America?

I agree completely that long flights or out-of-way places inside North America could be very good value (Yellowknife? Iqualiut?).
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13F

Two business class tickets within N. America

Not at all. A solid 4-5 cents/point redemption.

Yes, if your idea of a vacation is hopping around from small remote airport to small remote airport for days on end. Better to take a direct flight to somewhere nice (like Hawaii) for 2 cents per point. There is, after all, value in actually enjoying the free flights and not just taking the most expensive ones for the sake of getting the most "value" from the points.

Different strokes for different folks. The point is not to maximize the "cost" of the flights, but rather to go somewhere you want to go. Maybe it is somehwere different that you might never get to if not for "free" flights. Some might think Hawaii is the destination of a lifetime, others might think the same of Nunavut. I've been to Hawaii, on business, and I was thankful for the opportunity. The only way I will ever visit North of 60 is on my own dime, or on a "free" flight.
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13F

This actually sounds fun.

My mistake - I misread post #3 as 8 connections, not as alternatives. That's why I thought it was so ridiculous as compared to a more direct flight to YYT. I wish these was an embarrassed emoji :( I must stop posting on here so early in the morning, before my brain cells have been adequately caffeinated. ;)

And yes, Newfoundland is a lovely place to visit (I was there a few years ago), but maybe not in December. LAX, LAS, SFO, MIA or NY are all great choices depending on their tastes.

I have to admit, that's what I was thinking as well. I don't think my folks would want to fly to NFLD during winter.

Is 45,000 miles worth it for Hawaii? Like I said, it doesn't have to be in North America, but it would be preferable. Is it even possible to fly to HKG for two for about 112,000 miles?

I just want to update this thread by saying that my dad will no longer be spending the points. He has agreed to give me his 112,000 miles. Since the miles are under his name, I can't just simply merge it with my own Aeroplan account. So where should I go?