Testimonial: Brazil flight for $31 instead of $778

Brazil is a wonderful destination and I had a great time there in November. It would have been slightly less fun if I had to take a 6-hour bus between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as I came close to being forced to do (due to the high prices of last-minute flights). My travel rewards once again made my trip more enjoyable (it’s not just to make them more affordable).

Welcome to Flytrippers’ new feature with concrete examples of travel rewards redemptions, including testimonials from YOU, our beloved fans. We know you’ve earned at least 3 million dollars just with the travel rewards deals we shared, so we want to share your testimonials! 

Here’s another extreme example to show the extremely amazing value travel rewards of the more lucrative type can provide after the extreme business class example. Remember that you can keep things simple too, and it’s actually a great option right now, with the current amazing deal that gives you $825 for free (a great way to get started).

About me

This section will be especially useful for when our fans, like you, will share a testimonial — so you can know a little bit about them. 

In my case, for those who haven’t been following my travel stories over the last 7 years since I co-founded Flytrippers, my priority is traveling more — I travel about 10 times per year. So, I make decisions accordingly and try to save on almost everything. I travel solo more often than with my girlfriend or friends.

My trip

I’d been wanting to go to Brazil for a long time, and I booked a very last-minute trip when I heard that I could get tickets to Taylor Swift’s popular The Eras Tour for just US$23. I’m not a fan of her music (I’m a pop-punk enthusiast), but I absolutely love getting great deals.

Seriously, I love getting anything for way less than what others pay. That’s why I love travel rewards so much.

So I was in Rio for the show and the Argentina-Brazil football riot. Then I had to get to São Paulo.

My flight experience

Here are the details of my flight:

• From: São Paulo-Congonhas (CGH)
• To: Rio de Janeiro-Dumont (SDU)
• Type: One-way
• Stops: None
• Airline: LATAM
• Date: November 22, 2023

In this case, I was flying economy, so there is not much to say about the experience. This section will probably be more exciting for the testimonials about hotels and business class flights, where the experience matters a lot more, of course.

That being said, LATAM is the largest airline in all of Latin America, so it was a perfectly fine economy class experience.

The plane had more comfortable seats than what you’ll often get these days.

I also had free access to the Advantage VIP Lounge before the flight, thanks to my credit card. 

(Don’t miss our detailed guide on VIP airport lounges soon — we shared a teaser recently!)

My flight’s cash price ($778)

That flight is usually under $100 one-way, but it was last minute, and the price was completely insane: $778! Incredibly, other airlines were even worse.

My travel rewards redemption ($31)

Here are the details of my travel rewards redemption:

• Program: British Airways Executive Club
• Price: 6,000 Avios points
• Taxes/fees: $31
• Value: 12.5¢/pt*
• Flytrippers Valuation: ≈ 1.5¢/pt

Yes, this was my best-ever economy class points redemption. I used just 6,000 Avios points with $31 in taxes for the exact same flight that cost $778.

That’s an absolutely insane value of 12.5¢/pt because I saved $747 (ticket at $778 in cash minus $31 in taxes/fees paid) with 6,000 points. You can read the basics of reward value.

That’s why it’s so bad to waste points of the more lucrative type at the terrible 1¢/pt value like so many people sadly do. I got 12 times more value! I even got way more value than our conservative Flytrippers Valuation, which is ≈ 1.5¢/pt for Avios points.

But actually, I got even more than 12.5¢/pt, hence the asterisk above. That’s the amazing potential of points whose value is unlimited, because the price in points is fixed and is NOT tied to the price in cash!

My strategy to earn these travel rewards

Those particular Avios points I used were less than 10% of the amount I got with just the welcome bonus on my RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card. Yes, I could’ve got 13 flights like this and saved $9000 with just 1 welcome bonus!!!

That card’s current bonus is lower, as will often be the case in this testimonials feature since welcome bonus offers change constantly — that’s why the next section will always be there to tell you how you can get the points now in an actionable way.

RBC Avion points are the 2^nd-best bank points in Canada because they’re transferable points. The regular transfer rate from Avion RBC to the British Airways Executive Club is 1-to-1, but I took advantage of the annual transfer bonus, which gave me 30% more points. 

So, it cost me only 4,614 RBC Avion points, giving me a real value of 16.2¢/pt. Make sure you sign up for our free newsletter specifically for travel rewards to never miss out on that amazing transfer bonus deal (which will give you an easy 30% extra value) and on the increased welcome bonus offers for each card (which can give you twice as many points when you get them at the right time)!

How you too can do the exact same thing right now

In Flytrippers’ infographic with all the basics of travel rewards, you can read THE most important thing to understand in the entire wonderful world of travel rewards: the best way to earn a lot of rewards is always with welcome bonuses. 

Here’s Flytrippers’ ranking of the best credit cards for Avios points right now.

Best credit cards for Avios points
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
Min. income (card): $0No minimum income required.
Min. spend (bonus): $1k/month for 12 months
WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	SEE MORE
≈ $930Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 60,000 pts (≈ $900) Earn on min. spend: 12,000 pts (≈ $180) Annual credit: can be cashed out ($100) Card fee: deducted (-$250) Also offered but not included in Valuation: NEXUS credit ($50)
Rewards: ≈ $1180
Card fee: $250
Avios points: 72,000 pts + 4 lounge passes and $100 travel credit
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card
Card: no business required
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	SEE MORE
≈ $514Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 40,000 pts (≈ $600) Earn on min. spend: 7,500 pts (≈ $113) Card fee: deducted (-$199) Also offered but not included in Valuation: quarterly spending bonus
Rewards: ≈ $713
Card fee: $199
Avios points: 47,500 pts + quicker unlocking of pts
Show more
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
Min. income (card): $60k or $100kMinimum personal income of $60,000 or minimum household income of $100,000
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.
WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	ends November 25th SEE MORE  apply now
≈ $780Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus (after 1st purchase): 35,000 pts (≈ $525) Welcome bonus (after min. spend): 20,000 pts (≈ $300) Earn on min. spend: 5,000 pts (≈ $75) Card fee: deducted (-$120)
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $120
Avios points: 60,000 pts + wider acceptance than Amex
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card
Min. income (card): $200k or $200kMinimum personal income of $200,000 or minimum household income of $200,000
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.
WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	SEE MORE ends November 25th
≈ $520Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus (upon approval): 35,000 pts (≈ $525) Welcome bonus (after min. spend): 20,000 pts (≈ $300) Earn on min. spend: 6,250 pts (≈ $94) Card fee: deducted (-$399) Also offered but not included in Valuation: renewal bonus of 15,000 pts (≈ $225)
Rewards: ≈ $919
Card fee: $399
Avios points: 60,000 pts + 6 passes for airport lounges
American Express Cobalt® Card
Min. income (card): $0No minimum income required.
Min. spend (bonus): $750/month for 12 months
WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	SEE MORE
≈ $744Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 15,000 pts (≈ $225) Earn on min. spend: 45,000 pts (≈ $675) Card fee: deducted (-$156)
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $156
Avios points: 60,000 pts + 5X the points best card in Canada
Platinum Card® from American Express
Min. income (card): $0No minimum income required.
Min. spend (bonus): $10k in 3 months
WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	SEE MORE
≈ $801Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 70,000 pts (≈ $1050) Earn on min. spend: 10,000 pts (≈ $150) Annual travel credit: can be cashed out ($200) Dining credit (2024): $200 total conservatively-valued (≈ $100) Dining credit (2025): $200 total conservatively-valued (≈ $100) Card fee: deducted (-$799) Also offered but not included in Valuation: renewal bonus of 30,000 pts (≈ $450) Also offered but not included in Valuation: NEXUS credit ($100)
Rewards: ≈ $1600
Card fee: $799
Avios points: 80,000 pts + unlimited lounges and $200 travel credit
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information.

Best credit cards for Avios points		WELCOME BONUS ( VALUATION)	Avios points
	American Express® Gold Rewards Card Min. income (card): $0No minimum income required. Min. spend (bonus): $1k/month for 12 months	≈ $930Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 60,000 pts (≈ $900) Earn on min. spend: 12,000 pts (≈ $180) Annual credit: can be cashed out ($100) Card fee: deducted (-$250) Also offered but not included in Valuation: NEXUS credit ($50) Rewards: ≈ $1180 Card fee: $250	72,000 pts + 4 lounge passes and $100 travel credit	SEE MORE
	American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card Card: no business required Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.	≈ $514Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 40,000 pts (≈ $600) Earn on min. spend: 7,500 pts (≈ $113) Card fee: deducted (-$199) Also offered but not included in Valuation: quarterly spending bonus Rewards: ≈ $713 Card fee: $199	47,500 pts + quicker unlocking of pts	SEE MORE
	RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card Min. income (card): $60k or $100kMinimum personal income of $60,000 or minimum household income of $100,000 Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.	≈ $780Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus (after 1st purchase): 35,000 pts (≈ $525) Welcome bonus (after min. spend): 20,000 pts (≈ $300) Earn on min. spend: 5,000 pts (≈ $75) Card fee: deducted (-$120) Rewards: ≈ $900 Card fee: $120	60,000 pts + wider acceptance than Amex	ends November 25th SEE MORE  apply now
	RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card Min. income (card): $200k or $200kMinimum personal income of $200,000 or minimum household income of $200,000 Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.	≈ $520Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus (upon approval): 35,000 pts (≈ $525) Welcome bonus (after min. spend): 20,000 pts (≈ $300) Earn on min. spend: 6,250 pts (≈ $94) Card fee: deducted (-$399) Also offered but not included in Valuation: renewal bonus of 15,000 pts (≈ $225) Rewards: ≈ $919 Card fee: $399	60,000 pts + 6 passes for airport lounges	SEE MORE ends November 25th
	American Express Cobalt® Card Min. income (card): $0No minimum income required. Min. spend (bonus): $750/month for 12 months	≈ $744Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 15,000 pts (≈ $225) Earn on min. spend: 45,000 pts (≈ $675) Card fee: deducted (-$156) Rewards: ≈ $900 Card fee: $156	60,000 pts + 5X the points best card in Canada	SEE MORE
	Platinum Card® from American Express Min. income (card): $0No minimum income required. Min. spend (bonus): $10k in 3 months	≈ $801Flytrippers Valuation Welcome bonus: 70,000 pts (≈ $1050) Earn on min. spend: 10,000 pts (≈ $150) Annual travel credit: can be cashed out ($200) Dining credit (2024): $200 total conservatively-valued (≈ $100) Dining credit (2025): $200 total conservatively-valued (≈ $100) Card fee: deducted (-$799) Also offered but not included in Valuation: renewal bonus of 30,000 pts (≈ $450) Also offered but not included in Valuation: NEXUS credit ($100) Rewards: ≈ $1600 Card fee: $799	80,000 pts + unlimited lounges and $200 travel credit	SEE MORE
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information.

The highest amount you can get in a quick timeframe is with the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card. It does NOT require you to have an incorporated business at all (like all American Express “business” cards), but it does require following special instructions when applying!

Don’t miss our detailed guide on Avios and so much more soon! In the meantime, you can read an introduction to how airline point redemptions work.

Learn More

Travel rewards redemption options: How the 7 main sub-types work

Learning how to travel for less

Join over 100,000 savvy Canadian travelers who already receive Flytrippers’ free newsletter so we can help you travel for less — including thanks to the wonderful world of travel rewards!

Summary

Flytrippers is launching a new feature showcasing concrete examples of travel rewards redemptions. My impressive cheap flight for just 6,000 Avios points and $31 with LATAM from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro is a great example. You are now invited to reach out to us by email if you have a travel rewards testimonial to share so you can inspire others and even receive a $25 gift card.

What would you like to know about sharing your examples of travel rewards redemption? Tell us in the comments below.

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Featured image: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (photo credit: Mike Swigunski)

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