You can easily travel to London from Canada on points.

London, England is an incredible destination with a ton to offer. Whether you’re into history, culture, food, or just soaking in the vibrant city atmosphere, there’s something for everyone.

First off, you’ve got iconic landmarks like Big Ben, the Tower of London, and Buckingham Palace that are just dripping with history and make for awesome photo ops. And let’s not forget about the world-class museums like the British Museum and the Tate Modern, where you can get lost in art and artifacts from all corners of the globe.

But London’s not all about the past – it’s a buzzing metropolis with a super diverse food scene. From traditional fish and chips to curry on Brick Lane to trendy food markets like Borough Market, your taste buds are in for a treat.

And the vibe of the city is just electric – whether you’re wandering through the charming streets of Notting Hill, catching a show in the West End, or just chilling in one of the city’s beautiful parks, you’ll feel the energy of London all around you.

So yeah, London is a solid choice for your next travel adventure.

Unfortunately, traveling to London is expensive, and many Canadians view a vacation to this beautiful English city as out of their price range.

Fortunately, here in Canada, we have access to travel programs that can reduce the cost of your London vacation by upwards of 80%, leaving more money in your pocket, and more freedom to experience some of the world-class excursions that London has to offer. 

In this post, we’ll show you how you can travel to London from Canada on points, and the different ways to earn and use your travel points to ensure you’re getting MAXIMUM value on your redemption.

Stay up to Date on the Latest Travel Deals

Our Theoretical Vacation

For this exercise, we’ll be booking a 5-night, 6-day vacation focusing on a stay in downtown London.

Our theoretical stay will be 5 nights at the aloft Excel, a 4 Star hotel operated by Marriott.

We’ll show an itinerary for 1 individual. If you are traveling with someone, your traveling companion can use the same credit cards suggested below to earn even more points.

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9502629448552633"
     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<!-- Sidebar #2 -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:block"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-9502629448552633"
     data-ad-slot="2145926778"
     data-ad-format="auto"
     data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
<script>
     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>

FLIGHT CASH VALUE

Below, we can see the cash value of an Air Canada economy, and business class ticket to London (LHR) from Canada’s 3 major hubs (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal). Air Canada offers seasonal flights to London from Toronto & Montreal

Note: Prices are subject to change

HOW TO TRAVEL TO LONDON FROM CANADA ON POINTS

Flight Option #1: Fly to London From Canada on Points Using Air Canada/Aeroplan

Read >>> Your Complete Guide to Aeroplan

Aeroplan (and Air Canada) is the most popular travel currency in Canada, so it only makes sense that we determine the amount of Aeroplan points required for our flight to London

Aeroplan leverages dynamic pricing, meaning redemptions show a range of points for Air Canada flights. More popular flights cost more.

Note: redemptions are subject to change

Flight Option #1.B: Using Aeroplan Partner Airlines to Fly to London From Canada on Points

While dynamic pricing can be terrible, the good news is that Aeroplan has several partner airlines that only require a fixed number of points.

All Aeroplan partner flights to Europe are subject to this award chart:

While this seems like an easy way to redeem your points, there are a limited number of award seats made available by partner airlines, and certain airlines only release economy-class award space.

What Partner Airlines Can I Use to Fly to London From Canada on Points?

United Airlines

United Airlines has flights from Vancouver, Toronto, & Montreal which connect through the United States en route to London.

United Airlines releases award seats sporadically, so you’ll need to be flexible with your travel dates. The good news is that United has numerous routes to London, so there should be plenty of redemption options with United

When flying United Airlines to Europe from Canada, redemptions will vary from 30,000 – 40,000 Aeroplan points for Economy, and 60,000 – 80,000 Aeroplan points for business class.

Note: redemptions are subject to change

Lufthansa also flies out of other Canadian Cities:

• Calgary
• Edmonton
• Winnipeg
• Ottawa
• Halifax
• Quebec City

Other Aeroplan Partners You Can Take to London

• Swiss flies out of Montreal to Zurich and on to London
• Lufthansa Airlines flies out of Vancouver, Montreal & Toronto to Germany, and on to London

Which Credit Cards do You Need to Fly to London From Canada on Points

Regardless of whether you’re flying economy or business class, you’ll need to focus on collecting Membership Rewards and/or Aeroplan points. There are 2 credit cards that we’ll be focusing on to get you to London

Note: credit card signup bonuses vary over the year. Please check for the latest signup offer

1. The American Express Platinum Card

The American Express Platinum Card is a great way to earn Membership Rewards, which can be transferred to Aeroplan 

The $799 annual fee (which comes with a $150 rebate through GreatCanadianRebates) is offset by the following perks & benefits:

While the $799 annual fee seems daunting initially, the 100,000 Membership Rewards is a great sign-up bonus, more than enough to get you to London

Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $799 (minus the $200 travel credit & $200 annual dining credit) annual fee is worth spending after year one.

Read our full review here

You can also earn Membership Rewards through several other personal credit cards including: 

• American Express Gold
• American Express Cobalt 
• American Express Green Card

2. TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite

You can earn Aeroplan points with co-branded credit cards. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card is a great way to earn FREE Aeroplan points.

The cost for the card is $0 for the first year, and then $139 annually, & comes with the following benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 10,000 Aeroplan points upon first purchase
  • 20,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $6,000 in the first three months
  • 20,000 Aeroplan points on renewal after spending $10,000 in the first year
    • Total of 50,000 Aeroplan points
• Earn Rate: 
  • 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on food, beverage, gas & travel
  • 1 Aeroplan point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $1,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Trip Cancellation Insurance- up to $5,000
  • Baggage delay insurance – up to $1,000
  • Lost or stolen baggage insurance – up to $1,000
• Perks
  • First bag free on Air Canada flights
  • Preferred pricing when redeeming Aeroplan points on Air Canada flights
  • $100 NEXUS credit
  • Earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles and 1 Status Qualifying Segment for every $10,000 you spend on the card

Read our review of the card

While this card isn’t as strong as some of American Express’ top cards, we live in a world where AMEX isn’t accepted at many retail locations in Canada. As a result, it’s good to have a solid visa in your wallet as well. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite provides a great, FREE way to earn a large amount of Aeroplan points, and it can be a great backup to the high annual fee cards in the market. the 50,000 Aeroplan points will get you a free economy ticket with Air Canada.

You can read which other cards offer Aeroplan points here

FLYING TO LONDON WITH AEROPLAN – FINANCIAL SUMMARY

The average value of 1 Aeroplan point is 2.1 cents per point. We will hope to receive a higher value when redeeming Aeroplan points.

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$775		$10,789
Aeroplan Points with Air Canada	32,000	2.58 cents/point	243,100	4.46 cents/point
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	32,900	2.73 cents/point	70,000	15.59 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$728		$9,529
Aeroplan Points with Air Canada	$29,300	2.71 cents/point	237,900	4.03 cents/point
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	35,000	2.47 cents/point	60,000	16.11 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$735		$9,385
Aeroplan Points with Air Canada	23,900	3.38 cents/point	228,900	4.13 cents/point
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	35,000	2.51 cents/point	60,000	15.88 cents/point

As you can see, the best option to fly to London from Canada on points is to leverage Air Canada’s partner airlines, especially if you can source a business-class ticket (which will take some travel flexibility on your end).

Flight Option #2: Fly Using British Airways

Read >>> Your Complete Guide to British Airways Executive Club

In the world of points redemptions, you need a certain level of flexibility. Sometimes, you’ll be planning a vacation only to find out that there is no award availability on a particular flight, or that the number of points needed has increased drastically (especially in the case of Air Canada’s dynamic pricing).

That’s why it’s great to have another option. 

We mentioned above the value of transferring your American Express Membership Rewards to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. Thankfully, Membership Rewards can also be transferred to British Airways Executive Club miles at a 1:1 ratio. 

British Airways has flights to London out of Vancouver Toronto and Montreal

Which Credit Cards Do You Need To Fly To London From Canada on Points Using British Airways Executive CLub

RBC Avion Visa Infinite

Read >>> Your Complete Guide to Avion Points

While collecting American Express Membership Rewards is a great way to earn thousands of Avios, it’s certainly not the only way. For those who are collecting RBC Avion Points, those points can be converted to Avios at a 1:1 ratio with the occasional 30% transfer bonus.  

RBC currently offers several credit cards that allow you to earn RBC Rewards or Avion Points.

Currently, the RBC Visa Infinite Avion is the easiest way to earn a large amount of Avion points

Sign up here

The $120 annual fee is offset by the following perks & benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 35,000 Avion points upon approval
  • 20,000 Avion Points when you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months
• Earn Rate: 
  • 1.25 Avion points per dollar spent on travel
  • 1 Avion point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance
  • Trip Interruption insurance – up to $5,000
  • Cancellation Insurance – up to $25,000
  • Flight delay insurance – up to $500
  • Mobile device insurance – up to $1,500
• Perks
  • Special discounts throughout the year

The RBC Visa Infinite is a great way to earn transferrable Avion points. When transferring out Avios, this card will give you a free economy flight to London

In Addition to the RBC Visa Infinite, there are several cards that allow you to earn Avion points including: 

• RBC Avion Platinum
• RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege 
• RBC Avion Business
• RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business

RBC British Airways Visa Infinite

If you regularly fly with British Airways or intend on taking a trip with British Airways, or their partners over the next year, the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card is a great tool you can leverage to reduce the cost of your flight. 

The $165 annual fee is offset by the following benefits: 

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 15,000 Avios points upon first purchase
  • 35,000 Avios upon spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
  • 10,000 Avios when you renew your card for a second year
• Earn Rate: 
  • 2 Avios points per dollar spent on British Airways
  • 1 Avios point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance
  • Flight delay insurance – up to $500
  • Hotel burglary insurance – up to $500
  • Car rental damage insurance
• Perks
  • Special discounts throughout the year
  • Companion voucher if you spend $35,000 annually on the card

If you intend on taking a business class trip with British Airways, Canadians can supplement their Avion/Avios points with this great Visa Card

Read our review here

Hotel Option #1: Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott Bonvoy points are the easiest hotel currency to collect in Canada. They also have the benefit of being a transfer partner of American Express. If you want to use points for your hotel stay, this is the easiest way to do it

If you’re traveling on points for an extended period, it’s you should leverage Marriott’s “Fifth Night Free” promotion, which can go a long way in enhancing the value of your vacation. 

4 nights paid for with points = 5th night free.

If your goal is to use Bonvoy points for the entire duration of your hotel stay, staying 5 nights enhances your redemption by 20%. It’s something you should seriously consider if you’re going the points route

Below we can see the cash & points value of a 5-night stay at the aloft Excel

aloft Hotels, part of the Marriott International brand, are known for their modern and vibrant design, as well as offering a unique and lively atmosphere. Here are some potential benefits of staying at an Aloft Hotel:

1. Contemporary Design: Aloft Hotels are known for their modern and trendy design, featuring bold colors, open spaces, and stylish interiors. The contemporary atmosphere appeals to travelers looking for a fresh and unique hotel experience.
2. Tech-Savvy Amenities: Aloft Hotels often incorporate cutting-edge technology into their amenities. You may find features like keyless entry, mobile check-in, and smart room controls, providing a convenient and efficient stay.
3. Social Spaces: Aloft hotels typically have vibrant and social spaces. These areas are designed to encourage guests to mingle, socialize, and have a good time, making it an attractive option for those looking for a lively atmosphere.
4. Fitness Facilities: Many Aloft Hotels offer well-equipped fitness centers, allowing guests to maintain their workout routines while traveling.

What Credit Cards Do yOu Need To Spend 5 Nights In London On Points

1. The American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card is Marriott’s sponsored card in Canada. 

Sign up here

The annual fee of $120 (reduced to $60 if you sign up through Great Canadian Rebates) is offset by the following benefits:

Read our full review here

2. American Express Business Edge

The American Express Business Edge card offers a strong signup bonus, along with strong everyday earnings.

The cost for the card is $99 ($24 with a $75 rebate through Great Canadian Rebates), & comes with the following benefits:

Read our full review here

Here Are a Few Considerations You Should Make For Your Trip to London

1. One of the best (and cheapest) ways to fly business class to London is with United Airlines (or Aeroplan’s other partner airlines). United Airlines is sporadic when they release award availability, so you may have to be flexible with your travels

2. If you have Aeroplan elite status, this would be a great opportunity to leverage your e-upgrade credits for an Air Canada flight (if you can’t get on a partner airline), as the cost of business class Air Canada tickets can be extremely high given Aeroplan’s dynamic pricing. 

3. British Airways offers another great option for getting to London on points. 70,000-80,000 Avios will get you a business class ticket, and you can get those Avios with <$300 in credit card fees. Unfortunately, British Airways levies high fuel surcharges, which can drastically increase the cost of your trip.

4. The American Express Platinum card will go a long way to elevating your trip experience by offering a wide variety of benefits including lounge access, travel insurance, potential hotel upgrades with Marriott, and a $200 travel credit that can go towards a car rental.

Flying to London From Canada on Points – Financial Summary Table

Credit Cards	Sign up Bonus	1st Year Annual Fee (with GCR rebate)
TD (or CIBC) Aeroplan Visa Infinite	40,000 Aeroplan Points	$0
American Express Marriott Bonvoy	70,000 Bonvoy Points	$60
American Express Business Edge	57,000 Membership Rewards (68,400 Bonvoy Points)	$24
Total		$84

Flying economy, you can fly to London from Canada on Points, and stay 5 nights at the aloft Excel all for 84 + taxes & fees.

Credit Cards	Sign up Bonus	1st Year Annual Fee (with GCR rebate)
RBC Avion Visa Infinite	55,000 Avion Points (55,000 Avios)	$120
RBC British Airways Visa Infinite	50,000 Avios	$135
American Express Marriott Bonvoy	70,000 Bonvoy Points	$60
American Express Business Edge	57,000 Membership Rewards (68,400 Bonvoy Points)	$24
Total		$319

Flying business, and using British Airways you can fly to and from London from Canada on Points, and stay 5 nights at the aloft Excel all for $883 + taxes & fees.

Conclusion

London stands as an unparalleled gem in the realm of travel destinations. Its rich tapestry of history, culture, and modernity intertwines seamlessly, offering visitors an experience that transcends mere tourism.

From the iconic landmarks like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace to the quaint charm of its cobblestone streets in Covent Garden, London’s allure is boundless. The city’s vibrant cultural scene ensures that there’s something for everyone, whether it’s catching a West End show, exploring world-class museums like the British Museum, or indulging in culinary delights from across the globe in its diverse neighborhoods.

Moreover, London’s accessibility and infrastructure make it a breeze to navigate, with an extensive public transportation network and an abundance of accommodations catering to various budgets and preferences. Beyond its physical attractions, London exudes an intangible energy, a palpable sense of history and innovation that permeates its every corner.

Ultimately, a visit to London is more than just sightseeing; it’s an immersive journey through time and culture, a chance to witness the past, present, and future converge in a single metropolis.

By leveraging travel programs like Aeroplan, British Airways Avios & Marriott Bonvoy, you can fly, and spend 6 days in London for $1,000 or less. This can be a dream vacation, without the crazy travel costs

What To Do In London

London offers an array of activities and experiences to suit every taste and interest. History buffs can delve into the city’s rich past by visiting iconic landmarks such as the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament. For art enthusiasts, world-class museums like the British Museum, Tate Modern, and National Gallery await, housing treasures spanning centuries and continents.

The vibrant cultural scene in London ensures there’s never a dull moment. Catch a dazzling performance in the West End, where acclaimed musicals and plays captivate audiences night after night. Explore the eclectic neighborhoods, each with its own unique character and charm – from the bustling markets of Camden and Borough to the trendy boutiques of Notting Hill and Shoreditch.

Foodies will delight in London’s culinary diversity, with an endless array of dining options ranging from Michelin-starred restaurants to quirky street food markets. Sample flavors from around the world, or indulge in traditional British fare like fish and chips or a hearty Sunday roast.

Outdoor enthusiasts can escape the hustle and bustle of the city in its many green spaces, including Hyde Park, Regents Park, and Hampstead Heath. Take a leisurely stroll along the Thames, or embark on a scenic boat cruise to see London from a different perspective.

Here’s a video of how you can spend your time in London by Youtuber Hungry Passport

TRAVEL TO EUROPE ON POINTS

Travel to Paris from Canada on Points

Travel to Rome from Canada on Points

Travel to Prague from Canada on Points

Travel to Copenhagen from Canada on Points

Travel to Brussels from Canada on Points

Read>>> How to Travel to Europe from Canada on Points