Every points program promises free flights. Almost none of them tell you, in plain numbers, how far away that free flight actually is. The answer depends on which currency you collect, and in 2026 the three big Canadian options price flights in completely different ways. Aeroplan uses a distance chart. WestJet Rewards works like a gift card. And Air Miles, after three decades, no longer exists under that name at all.
This guide puts real numbers on all three. If you are still choosing which card fills those balances in the first place, start with our guide to the best credit cards for flight rewards in Canada. This post picks up where that one leaves off: you have points, or you are about to, and you want to know what they buy.
One note before the math. Loyalty programs change their rules often, sometimes with little warning, so treat every number here as a snapshot (each perishable figure is dated inline) and verify against the program’s own site before you book. This is general information, not financial advice.
First, the big news: Air Miles is now Blue Rewards
If you have been googling “air miles credit card canada” lately, here is why the results look strange. On June 1, 2026, the Air Miles program was retired and replaced by BMO Blue Rewards. Every Mile in your account converted automatically at a rate of 1 Air Miles Mile = 16 Blue Points, which preserved the cash value of existing balances. Member numbers, cards, and logins carried over. Nobody lost anything in the conversion, but the way you book flights changed completely.
The old split between Cash Miles and Dream Miles is gone. Blue Rewards runs on a single currency worth a flat rate: 1,500 Blue Points = $10, or roughly two thirds of a cent per point, as of August 2026. Flights are booked through Blue Rewards Travel, a portal powered by Expedia, and points can now cover 100 percent of a flight’s cost including taxes and fees. Under the old Air Miles system you always paid taxes in cash, so this is a genuine improvement, even if the per point value is modest.
What does that mean in practice? A $400 round trip from Toronto to Halifax costs about 60,000 Blue Points. In old money, that is 3,750 Air Miles. Simple, predictable, and completely tied to the cash price of the ticket.
Aeroplan: the chart still rewards short flights
Aeroplan is the only one of the three that prices awards by distance zone rather than dollar cost, and that structure is where the real bargains hide. Air Canada updated the flight reward chart on June 1, 2026, and while some long haul rates went up, the within North America bands held steady.
As of August 2026, one way economy rewards within North America start at:
- Under 500 miles: 6,000 points
- 501 to 1,500 miles: 10,000 points
- 1,501 to 2,750 miles: 12,500 points
- Over 2,750 miles: 22,500 points
Toronto to Montreal sits in that first band. So does Vancouver to Calgary. That means a short hop can cost just 6,000 points plus taxes, and on a route where cash fares run $250 or more, you are getting over four cents per point. Even Toronto to Vancouver, a five hour flight, starts at 12,500 points one way. Crossing the Atlantic, economy rewards to Europe start at 32,500 points one way as of the June 2026 chart.
The catch is the word “start.” Air Canada’s own flights price dynamically, so a peak summer Friday can cost far more than the floor. Partner airlines within Star Alliance stick closer to the fixed chart, which is why experienced collectors hunt partner space first. Canadian analysts generally peg Aeroplan points at 1.8 to 2.3 cents each depending on how you redeem. Our Aeroplan 101 guide covers the earning side if the program is new to you.
WestJet Rewards: a gift card that flies
WestJet retired WestJet dollars on April 30, 2025, converting each dollar into 100 WestJet points. The value stayed the same: 1,000 points takes $10 off a flight, so a point is worth about one cent, sometimes closer to 1.1 cents on member exclusive fares.
The appealing part is flexibility. Points now apply to the entire fare, including taxes, fees, seats, and bags, so a “free” WestJet flight really is free at checkout. There are no award charts, no blackout zones, no hunting for space. If a seat is for sale, you can pay for it with points. The trade off is that there are no outsized wins either. A $500 ticket costs 50,000 points, full stop.
The same three trips, three ways
Here is how the programs compare on typical routes, using one way economy pricing as of August 2026 and assuming a mid range cash fare. Aeroplan figures are chart minimums plus taxes paid in cash; the other two cover the full ticket.
| Trip (one way) | Typical cash fare | Aeroplan | Blue Rewards | WestJet Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto to Montreal | $180 | 6,000 pts + taxes | ~27,000 pts | ~18,000 pts |
| Toronto to Vancouver | $350 | 12,500 pts + taxes | ~52,500 pts | ~35,000 pts |
| Toronto to London (UK) | $650 | 32,500 pts + taxes | ~97,500 pts | n/a (partner rules vary) |
Read the table two ways. In raw point counts, Aeroplan looks dramatically cheaper, and on short hops it truly is. But points are not equal in value or in ease of earning. A flat rate point you can always use at one cent may serve you better than a chart point you can never find award space for. The honest summary: Aeroplan wins when you can book chart priced seats, especially short haul and partner flights. WestJet and Blue Rewards win on simplicity and on expensive cash tickets where dynamic Aeroplan pricing balloons.
How long does it take to earn a free flight?
Assume a card earning roughly one point per dollar on everyday spending, which is typical for entry level travel cards, and monthly card spending of $2,000.
A 6,000 point Aeroplan short haul is about three months of spending. A 12,500 point transcontinental is around six months. A 35,000 point WestJet ticket to Vancouver takes closer to a year and a half at base rates, which is why welcome bonuses and category multipliers matter so much more in flat rate programs. The specific cards and their current bonuses are covered in our credit card rewards guide, and those offers move around constantly.
There is also a hybrid strategy worth naming: pay cash when flights are cheap and save points for when they are not. Points shine brightest against expensive fares. When a seat sale drops a Toronto to Lisbon return under $600, burning 65,000 Aeroplan points on it is poor value. Our flight deals page exists precisely for those moments, and if your dates are flexible, last minute fares often undercut any redemption math entirely.
The mistakes that quietly eat your points
A few patterns cost Canadian collectors real money, year after year.
Redeeming points for merchandise or gift cards is usually the worst move in every program. Blue Rewards’ in store rate and Aeroplan’s merchandise catalogue both value points well below their flight redemption ceiling.
Ignoring taxes and fees on Aeroplan bookings is another. That 6,000 point flight still carries $40 to $80 in cash charges depending on route, which matters when the cash fare was only $150 to begin with.
And hoarding is its own risk. Points are a depreciating currency. Aeroplan’s June 2026 chart update raised some long haul rates by meaningful percentages, and the Air Miles conversion, though fair, shows that entire programs can be rebuilt overnight. Earn with a plan, redeem within a year or two, and treat your balance as a travel budget rather than a savings account.
FAQ
What happened to my Air Miles? They became BMO Blue Points on June 1, 2026, at a rate of 16 Blue Points per Mile, with no action needed and no loss of value. You book flights through the Blue Rewards Travel portal, and points can now cover taxes and fees too.
What is the cheapest free flight in Canada right now? On pure point count, a short haul Aeroplan reward at 6,000 points one way (plus taxes) for routes under 500 miles, such as Toronto to Montreal or Vancouver to Calgary, as of August 2026. Availability at that floor price varies by date and is easier to find on partner airlines.
Are points ever worse than just paying cash? Yes, regularly. When a seat sale prices a route near its historical low, the cents per point value of redeeming collapses. Compare the cash fare against your points’ baseline value (about 1 cent for WestJet, 0.67 cents for Blue Rewards, roughly 2 cents for Aeroplan) before every booking.
Informational only, not financial advice. FareSeeker has no affiliate relationship with any card issuer and earns nothing from applications. Verify all terms directly with the issuer before applying.