To the point
Find out how Jessica saved $5,155 on plane tickets to Switzerland for herself, her partner and their three children.
Through a series of testimonials from our readers, Milesopedia shows you what you can achieve with credit cards and loyalty programs.
Here’s Jessica and her family’s plan for a trip to Switzerland, and the savings she’s made thanks to her points.
Jessica's Testimonial - Who are you?
I’m 35 and the mother of three children. This trip to Switzerland will be our first adventure together!
When it comes to travel, I like variety, alternating between all-inclusives, backpacking and roadtrips. I’ve been a Milesopedia reader for over a year now.
Jessica's Testimonial - Your travel project with points: Switzerland
In May 2024, my partner, I and our three children will travel to Switzerland for 10 days to visit family.
Transportation
We chose British Airways and its Executive Club loyalty program for our flights. We travel with two adults, two children and a baby. With points, we have booked :
- 5 round-trip flights Montreal-London for 225,500 Avios and about $1,000 in taxes
- 5 round-trip flights London-Geneva for 77,900 Avios and $10 in taxes
We have made two separate bookings for the Montreal-London and London-Geneva segments. This way, we could use different cards to pay taxes and enjoy more privileges.
We used our 50,000 CIBC Aventura Points to reimburse $500 in taxes and fees for the first segment. In addition, we used the National Bank World Elite Mastercard® ‘s $150 annual credit on the second booking to cover baggage fees.
Transportation savings
In money terms, our flights with British Airways would have cost nearly $8,000. If we had paid for all five tickets in cash, we would probably have chosen Air Canada’s direct Montreal-Geneva flight for over $6,000.
Taking into account the annual fees paid for credit cards, I estimate our savings on transportation at $5,155.
Jessica's testimonial - Credit cards used
I made a few beginner’s mistakes and didn’t quite follow the beginner’s guide. I highly recommend that you follow it, as I would have achieved the same result, but with even more points!
Also, I took quite a few more cards than suggested for a first year. Fortunately, it didn’t affect me personally, but maybe it won’t for others.
I accumulated all these points with the help of my partner. Over a period of about a year, here are the credit cards we used to finance this trip:
| Credit card | Accumulation period | Number of points used | Points redemption method |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card (x2) | 3 months | 110 000 | Transfer to British Airways Executive Club |
| HSBC World Elite Mastercard® (x2) | 3 months | 175 000 | |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | 11 months | 60 000 |
Tips for earning more points
Before transferring our RBC Avion Rewards points to British Airways Executive Club, we waited for a transfer bonus. So our 110,000 RBC Avion points turned into 143,000 Avios with the 30% bonus.
Our American Express Membership Rewards points and HSBC Rewards points have also been transferred, but at the base rate. In the end, we obtained 273,000 Avios by combining the points accumulated on five cards (143,000 + 70,000 + 60,000). Not bad!
The benefits
With our other credit cards, we can take advantage of many travel benefits, including :
- 4 airport lounge access with the CIBC AventuraMD Visa Infinite* Card
- Access to the National Bank lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport;
- Comprehensive travel insurance for the whole family;
- A $150 baggage refund, all with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard®.
Bottom Line
In the end, we saved $5,155 on transportation for our trip to Switzerland, but that’s not all! We still have 260,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in the bank for a future trip, as well as HSBC Rewards points.
If I only had one card to keep in my wallet, I wouldn’t be able to choose. Like a Swiss army knife, all my credit cards are useful for different things! However, I’m partial to the National Bank World Elite Mastercard®, the CobaltMD American Express Cobalt® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
Thanks Milesopedia!
