At Prince of Travel, we often highlight how to turn points into luxurious business and first class flights. But not every trip requires lie-flat seats and champagne. In some cases, flying economy can be the most practical and budget-conscious option.
In this new series, we’ll check out the best economy class redemptions using points, organized by location, beginning with Europe. To make things more actionable, redemptions will be organized by loyalty program instead of airline company. This assists you quickly understand which points to utilize, since in a lot of cases, scheduling the exact same airline through different programs can yield really various rates.
Why Concentrate on Flights from Canada?
This guide spotlights economy flights leaving from Canadian cities, because these are the most accessible and practical options for the majority of Canadian tourists. While positioning flights to the United States are often worthwhile for premium redemptions, they can increase the total expense of an economy booking, which is otherwise generally budget-friendly.
If you can’t find award accessibility to your desired European city, think about booking an inexpensive intra-European connection (paid with either points or money). These short-haul flights are often economical and can even reduce the cost of your general redemption when reserved as part of a longer schedule.
Unless noted otherwise, money quantities listed remain in Canadian dollars. The majority of examples presume a one-way award, however return fares tend to mirror these rates, often providing slight discount rates when reserved round-trip.
Canadian Commitment Programs
Air Canada Aeroplan
Aeroplan is Canada’s flagship loyalty program and provides exceptional access to flights throughout Europe through Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners. With a mix of vibrant and fixed rates, it’s one of the most versatile programs for Canadian travellers.
Pros:
- Terrific award schedule on Air Canada-operated flights
- Several European partner airlines with repaired redemption rates with direct flights from Canadian cities (e.g. TAP Portugal, Turkish Airline Companies, LOT, Swiss, Austrian, Lufthansa)
- Sensible taxes and fees
Cons:
- Dynamic prices for Air Canada and United flights (though including a segment might reduce expenses on United redemptions)
- Irregular partner award availability; particularly, award space release patterns vary and some partner flights only look like married flight sections
- High cancellation fees ($150 for standard economy)
If you look at Aeroplan’s Flight Award Chart, you’ll discover the forecasted varieties for flight redemptions from North American to Europe, which generally fall within the 4000– 8000 mile distance bands.
< img src ="https://princeoftravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screen-Shot-2025-07-17-at-8.19.33-AM-2.png"alt="Screen Shot 2025 07 17 at 8.19.33 AM" width="2094"height="1048"/ > Aeroplan Flight Award Chart When you do a live search, nevertheless, you may find redemption rates listed below the anticipated ranges, with rates beginning as low as shown in the chart listed below:
British Airways Club Avios is the currency of British Airways Club and can be used on British Airways, Aer Lingus, Finnair, Iberia, Qatar, and other Oneworld partners. It’s particularly important for
off-peak travel and
- short-haul redemptions within Europe. Pros: Terrific award accessibility( as much as 8 economy seats on British Airways, 3 economy seats on Aer Lingus, 4 economy seats on Finnair) Excellent value for short-haul flights within Europe (as low as 6,000 Avios) if you require to link onwards in Europe
- Low cancellation charges ($58 per ticket)
Cons:
- High taxes and costs when departing from London
Note: British Airways flights can likewise be reserved using Asia Miles or AAdvantage, however Canadian transfer options to these programs are at a less beneficial rate and taxes are frequently greater. Finnair flights have more affordable taxes and charges if booked through Finnair Avios(transferrable from British Airways Avios)
. Air France/KLM Flying Blue Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program of Air France and KLM, understood for generous award space and strong protection throughout Europe. Regular Monthly Discount Benefits and family-friendly discount rates make it a versatile choice for economy travel. Pros:
- Great award availability (can typically find 9+ seats readily available on Air France and KLM)
- Excellent onward connections through Paris and Amsterdam
- Only airline companies to provide direct flights from YEG and YQB to Europe
- Monthly Promo Rewards can use discounts of approximately 25% off saver redemption rates
- 25% discount on award redemptions for children aged 2– 11 flying on Air France or KLM
Cons:
- Dynamic rates for Air France and KLM
- Aside from making miles on the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard ®, the transfer ratio from Amex Membership Rewards is less favourable (1:0.75)
- Greater taxes and charges than with Aeroplan
< img src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24284943/thumbnail"width="100%"alt="table visualization"/ > Porter Airlines VIPorter Porter Airlines is growing its international existence through new collaborations, consisting of a key cooperation with Air Transat. Air Transat operates many paths to Europe, primarily from Toronto and Montreal, and you can now redeem VIPorter points for travel on these flights. Pros: Cons: Dynamic pricing, however many routes presently cost at the saver rate of 25,000 points Some Air Transat
routes are
not yet available
Fixed-Value Reward Programs Fixed-value benefit charts use versatility by letting you book almost any flight, as long as the fare falls within the program’s maximum allowable value. Unlike booking through airline programs, you don’t need to stress over award seat schedule.
Depending upon the ticket rate, these redemptions can sometimes offer much better value than conventional airline programs. Nevertheless, when money fares are high, they may end up costing more.
RBC Avion Benefits
RBC Avion Rewards is a flexible travel rewards program that lets you redeem points through its fixed-value chart or transfer to airline partners. Its repaired chart uses foreseeable value on flights, particularly when cash fares are below the optimum limits.
If you’re reserving a flight to Europe that costs more than 32,500 points one-way (or 65,000 round-trip) through an airline program, and the money fare is under $1,300 before taxes and charges, it’s worth considering an RBC Avion redemption instead.
< img src ="https://princeoftravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screen-Shot-2025-07-17-at-12.24.04-AM.png"alt= "Screen Shot 2025 07 17 at 12.24.04 AM" width="1335" height="715"/ > RBC Flight Redemption Set Up CIBC Aventura ® CIBC Aventura ® enables members to redeem points through a tiered fixed-flight chart or for travel purchases through its travel portal. The program is best leveraged for round-trip redemptions when flight costs align with the chart’s optimum ticket worths.
If your round-trip flight to Europe costs more than 50,000 points through an airline program and the fare is under $1,300 before taxes and costs, it deserves examining how much the exact same flight would cost utilizing CIBC Aventura points with their fixed travel chart.
CIBC Aventura Airline Rewards Chart U.S. Points Programs Some of the best-value or lowest-cost redemptions are offered through airline programs that need U.S.-based loyalty points. Here are a couple of standout examples:
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a flexible loyalty program that offers fantastic value on both Virgin Atlantic and partner airline redemptions, particularly for flights in between The United States and Canada and Europe. Withfrequent transfer perks and low-mileage economy choices, it’s a strong alternative in spite of higher surcharges on some paths.
Pros:
- Ultra-low cost saver redemptions to London from 6,000 points one-way
Cons:
- Dynamic rates
- High taxes and fees
- Recent devaluation of SAS sweet area
< img src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24285382/thumbnail"width="100%"alt="table visualization"/ > Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Alaska’s Mileage Strategy is
a distance-based program with
excellent worth on a variety of airline company partners of varying airline company alliances. Without any cancellation costs and strong award availability, it’s a strong choice for versatile visitors. Pros: Excellent schedule on Condor(6 +economy seats per flight)Icelandair offers numerous connections onwards to other European locations and can be reserved at the