Gooooood moooorning and happy weekend, y’all!

Remember last weekend when I was all in my feels and sad about missing out on the Avios transfer bonus?

But then I pulled myself together and optimistically believed another one would come our way soon?

Well, guess who was right? 😏

This gal.

And this one might be even better. 👇

🔎 The trick to the best domestic deals? Comparing different loyalty programs.

💙 Snag premium economy flights at a discount with this month’s Flying Blue promos.

🙌 Finally, a tool to make moving Avios between loyalty programs so much easier.

🏨 So sweet… Mike held our hand and walked us through his first LHW booking.

✈️ Delta launched their new “SkyMiles starter pack” for anyone new to SkyMiles.

🎥 Watch how to book Australia for under $100 (and mistakes to avoid while planning your trip).

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: Aeroplan = the family plan

You know you’ve got a problem when your mom texts you ASAP once a new transfer bonus to Aeroplan drops.

I’ve talked about this program so much she immediately thought of me, and had to make sure I was ready to pounce on the new 20% transfer bonus from UR points (or 30% if you hold this co-branded Aeroplan card).

I admit that I did pester her into oblivion last time there was an Aeroplan transfer bonus from UR points. Rightfully so, as I wanted her to use it to book her business class flights to Europe for her Christmas market river cruise.

And she’ll thank me for it too, when she’s sipping her champagne at 30,000 feet. 😌

Her flights were pricing at 70,000 points per person which would run her 140,000 UR points for the two of them. But with the 20% bonus, she moved 117,000 UR points over to Air Canada’s Aeroplan to book her lie-flat business class seats and saved 23,000 of her hard earned points.

Which coincidentally was exactly the amount needed to book some hotels she needed on either end of her trip:

This little transfer bonus saved her thousands of dollars on flights and hotels during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.

It also means one more thing: my siblings are gonna have to step it up with their Christmas gifts for mom and dad this year. 😂

There’s actually two more reasons why she’s heard me talk about Aeroplan nonstop, though.

Reason #1: You can save on United Flights

I live near a United hub which means a) that’s the go-to airline around here and b) everyone wants a United card.

But I can often book the same exact United flight on Aeroplan for cheaper.

Case in point, this flight from Houston to Guatemala runs 18,000 points per person with the United cardholder discount.

But I can book the same flight, same time, for 15,000 points on Air Canada.

And when a transfer bonus like this rolls around that drops even more to just 12,500 UR points. For the same 👏 exact 👏 flight. 👏

This is why it’s always a good idea to have a card with transferable points like this one in your wallet.

Reason #2: They have the best lap infant policy in the world

Now, this only applies to a small subset of travelers but if you do happen to have a kid under the age of 2, then listen up, my tired comrades. 🥱

IMO, Air Canada is the single best program for booking international award flights with lap infants in the world. No questions asked.

Most programs will charge you astronomical fees for your infant to sit in your lap for an international award flight. Often, it’s about 10% of the cash fare which in business class can amount to hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars you did not have budgeted for your trip.

Air Canada knows that being a parent and traveling with a little one is hard enough as it is and cuts us all a break. They charge a flat $25 CAD fee or 2,500 points for you to add your lap infant and you can do it online at the time of booking.

It’s easy and it’s the cheapest option out of all the programs out there… unlike SOME programs that wanna act a fool and charge you $900+ for an infant to sleep in your lap. 😒

So, if you’re looking to take your mini-me abroad, I’d check out Air Canada’s award flights, especially while this transfer bonus is active.

Bottom Line

Aeroplan is a super useful program and a transfer partner of all the major banks, so when a transfer bonus like this rolls around, it can be just the thing you’ve been waiting for.

👀 This Week’s Must-Reads

⏩ Coming up this week

🌍 Week in Review

• Monday: ✈️ How I book domestic U.S. flights

• Tuesday: 🏨 My first booking with a brand new partner

• Wednesday: 😮 Fly 13 hours for 13,000 points

• Thursday: ✈️ A new airline “starter pack”

• Friday: 🌎 Tons of great award flight deals

See how a fresh week of travel news can turn last week’s frown upside down?

I’m not saying I’m responsible for the Aeroplan transfer bonus but I did say another one would come around soon…

Sounds like I need to go take advantage of it. Hope y’all can too.

Until next weekend! 👋

29.7499° N , 95.3584° W

With contributions by Mike Dodge and April Wilson.