Best ways to book from the US to Canada on points

Flights between Canada and the U.S. are plentiful. Canadian airlines like Air Canada and WestJet operate several transborder flights from their hubs, even to smaller U.S. cities like Cleveland (CLE) and Pittsburgh (PIT). Meanwhile, American, Alaska, Delta, and United operate flights from their hubs to major Canadian cities.

The best ways to book flights from the U.S. to Canada depend on what types of points you have available to you. In this article, we’ll show you how to use major transferable points partners to book transborder flights for the best possible deal.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada operates flights to dozens of U.S. cities, including relatively obscure routes like Edmonton (YEG) to San Francisco (SFO), Montreal (YUL) to Pittsburgh (PIT), and Vancouver (YVR) to Nashville (BNA). It also partners with United Airlines, which operates flights from its hubs to major Canadian cities.

You can book these flights with Air Canada Aeroplan. The loyalty program now dynamically prices Air Canada and United awards, meaning the price you’ll pay varies by the day you depart and when you book your ticket. That said, it typically offers the best rates.

For example, this Air Canada flight from New York (LGA) to Montreal (YUL) costs just 9,400 points, plus under $29 in taxes and fees. On other off-peak dates, this flight has been priced as low as 8,000 Aeroplan points.

Likewise, we found this flight from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Toronto (YYZ) via Cleveland (CLE) for just 6,000 points (plus $56.33 in taxes and fees) in economy, which is an absolute steal if you don’t mind a short connection.

West Coast flights also enjoy low award pricing, like this flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Vancouver (YVR) for 9,200 Aeroplan points plus $29 in taxes and fees.

You can also get a good deal on United-operated flights, like this one from Newark (EWR) to Toronto (YYZ) for 10,000 miles plus roughly $56 in taxes and fees.

Earning Aeroplan points is easy, even if you live in the U.S. Points transfer from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aeroplan at a 1:1 transfer ratio.

You can also earn with Air Canada’s U.S. cobranded credit card.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has a distance-based award chart, with economy flights under 700 miles starting at just 4,500 miles one-way on partner airlines and 5,000 miles on Alaska-operated flights. Alaska operates a handful of routes to Canada, while Oneworld partner American Airlines operates an extensive network from its hubs.

You can find American’s shortest routes to Canada — think New York-LaGuardia (LGA) and Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Toronto (YYZ) — for 4,500 miles on many dates throughout the year. This is one of the cheapest ways to get to Canada with miles.

Further, you can fly from Portland (PDX) to Vancouver (YVR) on Alaska Airlines for 5,000 on many dates, plus $6 in taxes and fees. We found similar pricing on the airline’s route from Seattle (SEA) to Vancouver (YVR).

You’ll pay more for longer flights, but prices can be reasonable. For example, Seattle (SEA) to Toronto (YYZ) can be booked for as few as 10,000 miles and $6 in fees on many dates.

You can earn Alaska miles with Alaska’s cobranded credit cards or transfer Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 transfer ratio.

Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles can be a good way to fly Delta or WestJet to Canada. Delta awards are priced dynamically, but you can find good deals on off-peak dates. For example, New York-LaGuardia (LGA) to Toronto (YYZ) starts at just 6,500 SkyMiles and $5.60 on many dates this year.

Or, you can book Detroit (DTW) to Vancouver (YVR) via Seattle (SEA) for as low as 10,000 SkyMiles and $5.60. The price of both of these awards drop by 15% if you have a Delta cobranded credit card with the TakeOff 15 benefit.

WestJet flights between the U.S. and Canada are priced at a fixed 12,500 SkyMiles plus taxes and fees in economy, regardless of the route you fly. Unfortunately, business class availability is slim to none on most routes.

You can earn Delta SkyMiles with Delta’s suite of cobranded credit cards, some of which offer the TakeOff 15 benefit. This provides a 15% discount on all Delta- and Delta Express-operated award flights. American Express Membership Rewards points also transfer to Delta SkyMiles.

Bottom line

Flying from the U.S. to Canada doesn’t have to be costly. Armed with points and miles, you can fly between the countries for the cost of taxes and fees. Here, we showed you three of the best ways to do this.

FAQs – Flights from the U.S. to Canada Using Points