How to Trvel to Istanbul from Canada on Points

You can easily travel to Istanbul from Canada on points.

Istanbul is widely considered a fascinating and vibrant destination, making it a great place to travel for many people. The city’s unique blend of rich history, diverse culture, and modern amenities offers a captivating experience for visitors. Istanbul boasts iconic landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace, providing a glimpse into its imperial past. The city’s strategic location straddling Europe and Asia contributes to its cosmopolitan atmosphere, evident in its diverse cuisine, bustling markets, and lively street life.

The Bosphorus Strait, separating the European and Asian sides of the city, offers stunning views and boat cruises. Additionally, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s oldest and largest covered markets, is a shopper’s paradise. While the city has much to offer, visitors should be prepared for crowded areas, especially in popular tourist spots. Overall, Istanbul is often praised for its unique charm, historical significance, and vibrant cultural scene, making it a worthwhile destination for those seeking an enriching travel experience.

Unfortunately, the cost of traveling to Istanbul is expensive, and many Canadians simply view a vacation to this beautiful Turkish city as out of their price range.

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

In this post, we’ll show you how you can travel to Istanbul 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.

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Our Theoretical Vacation

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

Our theoretical stay will be 5 nights at the Sheraton Istanbul City Center, 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.

FLIGHT CASH VALUE

Below, we can see the cash value of an economy, and business class ticket to Istanbul from Canada’s 3 major hubs (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal).

Note: prices are subject to change

HOW TO TRAVEL TO Istanbul FROM CANADA ON POINTS

FLIGHT OPTION #1: USING AEROPLAN PARTNER AIRLINES TO FLY TO Istanbul FROM CANADA ON POINTS

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 Istanbul.

Unfortunatly, Air Canada does not fly to Istanbul. However, the good news is that Aeroplan has several partner airlines that you can leverage for your flight to Istanbul.

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.

THERE ARE A FEW PARTNER AIRLINES YOU CAN LEVERAGE FOR YOUR TRIP to Istanbul

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines has flights from Vancouver, Toronto, & Montreal to Istanbul

Turkish Airlines releases award space for business class flights roughly a year in advance of the flight, but space is limited. The better you plan, the more likely you’ll be able to book a business class award seat.

Turkish Airlines redemptions will vary from 30,000 – 40,000 Aeroplan points for Economy, and 60,000 – 80,000 Aeroplan points for business class.

Turkish Airlines also flies out of a number of US Cities en route to Istanbul:

• Boston
• New York
• Philadelphia
• Washington
• Detroit
• Chicago
• Atlanta
• Dallas
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• San Fransisco
• Seattle
• Miami

Other Aeroplan Partners You Can Take to Istanbul

• Lufthansa flies out of Vancouver, Toronto & Montreal to Frankfurt and on to Istanbul
• United Airlines flies out of Toronto to the Eastern United States, and on to Istanbul
• LOT Airlines flies out of Toronto, to Warsaw and on to Istanbul

WHICH CREDIT CARDS DO YOU NEED TO FLY TO Istanbul FROM CANADA ON POINTS WITH AEROPLAN

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

Note: credit card signup bonuses vary over the course of 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 at a 1:1 ratio

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

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 70,000 MR points upon spending $10,000 in the first three months
  • 30,000 MR points upon making a purchase between months 14-17 of cardmembership
• Earn Rate: 
  • 2 MR points per dollar spent on travel, groceries & dining
  • 1 MR point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $5,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Trip Cancellation Insurance- up to $3,000
  • Hotel Burglary insurance – up to $1,000
  • Baggage delay insurance – up to $1,000
  • Lost or stolen baggage insurance – up to $1,000
• Perks
  • $200 annual travel credit
  • Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane during peak operating times
  • Complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park at Pearson Airport
  • $200 annual dining credit
  • $100 Nexus rebate
  • Instant Gold status at Marriott Bonvoy & Hilton Honors
  • Special discounts for cardholders
• Lounge Access
  • Priority Pass (+1 guest)
  • Plaza Premium Lounges (+1 guest)
  • Delta Sky Club
  • Airspace Lounges (+2 guests)
  • Centurion Lounges
  • SwissPort Lounges (+1 guest)

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 Istanbul.

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 a number of 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
  • 25,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
  • 15,000 Aeroplan points on renewal after spending $7,500 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 Istanbul 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 with Aeroplan points.

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$1,405		$6,961
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	40,000	3.2 cents/point	70,000	9.81 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$1,211		$6,570
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	40,000	2.76 cents/point	70,000	9.23 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$1,214		$6,133
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	40,000	2.77 cents/point	70,000	8.61 cents/point

As you can see, the best option to fly to Istanbul from Canada on points is to leverage Air Canada’s partner airlines, especially if you can source a business-class ticket.

FLIGHT OPTION #2 – FLY USING AIR FRANCE FLYING BLUE MILES

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 Air France/Flying Blue miles at a 1:0.75 ratio. 

KLM & Air France have flights to Istanbul out of Vancouver Toronto and Montreal which connect through Amsterdam & Paris respectfully.

Note: Air France also flies out of Ottawa & Quebec City

Note: KLM also flies out of Calgary & Edmonton

WHICH CREDIT CARDS DO YOU NEED TO FLY TO Istanbul FROM CANADA ON POINTS USING AIR FRANCE/KLM

1. THE AMERICAN EXPRESS PLATINUM CARD

The American Express Platinum Card is a great way to earn Membership Rewards, which can be transferred to KLM/Flying Blue at a 1:0.75 ratio

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

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 70,000 MR points upon spending $10,000 in the first three months
  • 30,000 MR points upon making a purchase between months 14-17 of cardmembership
• Earn Rate: 
  • 2 MR points per dollar spent on travel, groceries & dining
  • 1 MR point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $5,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Trip Cancellation Insurance- up to $3,000
  • Hotel Burglary insurance – up to $1,000
  • Baggage delay insurance – up to $1,000
  • Lost or stolen baggage insurance – up to $1,000
• Perks
  • Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane during peak operating times
  • $200 annual travel credit
  • Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane during peak operating times
  • Complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park at Pearson Airport
  • $200 annual dining credit
  • $100 Nexus rebate
  • Instant Gold status at Marriott Bonvoy & Hilton Honors
  • Special discounts for cardholders
• Lounge Access
  • Priority Pass (+1 guest)
  • Plaza Premium Lounges (+1 guest)
  • Delta Sky Club
  • Airspace Lounges (+2 guests)
  • Centurion Lounges
  • SwissPort Lounges (+1 guest)

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 Istanbul with Flying Blue

Read our full 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 of time, 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 Sheraton Istanbul City Centre

WHAT CREDIT CARDS DO YOU NEED TO STAY 5 NIGHTS IN Istanbul 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:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 50,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $1,500 in the first 3 months
• Earning Rate: 
  • 5 Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on Marriott Bonvoy properties
  • 2 Bonvoy Points per dollar spent everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $500,000
  • Car Rental Damage Insurance 
  • Baggage Delay Insurance – up to $1,000
• Perks
  • 15 Elite qualifying nights & instant Silver status within Marriott’s loyalty program
  • Annual free night, up to 35,000 points

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:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 45,500 Membership Rewards upon spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
  • 1,000 Membership Rewards each month in which you spend $3,000
  • 10 Membership Rewards on office supplies & electronics, rides & gas, eats & drinks within 6 months of cardmembership (up to 10,000 points)
    • Total of 67,000 Membership Rewards
• Earn Rate: 
  • 3 Membership Rewards per dollar spent on eligible food & drink (groceries not included), office supplies, electronics & gas
  • 1 Membership Reward for everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • You can be insured for eligible items charged to your American Express Business Edge Card for 90 days from the date of purchase in the event of accidental physical damage or theft
  • Automatically extend the manufacturer’s original warranty up to one additional year 
• Perks
  • Occasional discounts on select products

Read our full review here

Here are a few considerations you should make for your trip:

1. One of the best (and cheapest) ways to fly business class to Istanbul is with Turkish Airlines (or Aeroplan’s other partner airlines). Luckily Turkish Airlines releases award space well in advance, so you’ll be able to book your trip well in advance

2. If you’re focused on solely flying business class, you can book an Air France/KLM award flight up to a year in advance. As you can see from the Air France /KLM table, it is in your best interest to book the discounted (50,000,000 points) award flight. This will require some flexibility, as these discounted award flights are not offered daily

3. If are satisfied with economy bookings, the American Express Platinum and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite will be all that you need to fly to (and from) Istanbul.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY TABLE 

Credit Cards	Sign up Bonus	1st Year Annual Fee (with GCR rebate)
TD (or CIBC) Aeroplan Visa Infinite	55,000 Aeroplan Points	$0
American Express Marriott Bonvoy	50,000 Bonvoy Points	$60
American Express Business Edge	57,000 Membership Rewards (68,400 Bonvoy Points)	$24
Total		$84

Flying economy, you can fly to and from Istanbul from Canada on Points, and stay 5 nights at the Sheraton Istanbul City Centre all for 84 + taxes & fees.

Credit Cards	Sign up Bonus	1st Year Annual Fee (with GCR rebate)
American Express Platinum	70,000 Membership Rewards (transferred out to Aeroplan)	$799
TD (or CIBC) Aeroplan Visa Infinite	55,000 Aeroplan Points	$0
American Express Marriott Bonvoy	50,000 Bonvoy Points	$60
American Express Business Edge	57,000 Membership Rewards (68,400 Bonvoy Points)	$24
Total		$733

Flying business, you can fly to and from Istanbul from Canada on Points, and stay 5 nights at the Sheraton Istanbul City Centre all for 883 + taxes & fees.

CONCLUSION

Istanbul is a vibrant and culturally rich city, straddling two continents with a unique blend of history and modernity. If you appreciate diverse architecture, historical landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, bustling bazaars like the Grand Bazaar, and the picturesque Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul offers a captivating experience. The city’s culinary scene is also renowned, showcasing a wide array of delicious Turkish dishes.

By leveraging travel programs like Aeroplan, KLM/Flying Blue & Marriott Bonvoy, you can fly, and spend 6 days in Istanbul for less than $100. This can be a dream vacation, without the crazy travel costs.

WHAT TO DO IN Istanbul

Istanbul offers a plethora of activities and attractions for visitors. Here are some highlights of things to do in the city:

• Historical Landmarks:
  • Explore the iconic Hagia Sophia, a former cathedral turned mosque turned museum.
  • Visit the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) known for its stunning blue tiles and impressive architecture.
  • Discover the Topkapi Palace, the former palace of Ottoman sultans.
• Bosphorus Cruise:
  • Take a boat cruise along the Bosphorus Strait, enjoying panoramic views of the cityscape and historical landmarks.
• Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar:
  • Shop for souvenirs, textiles, spices, and more at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, both offering a vibrant and bustling atmosphere.
• Galata Tower:
  • Climb the Galata Tower for panoramic views of Istanbul’s skyline.
• Istiklal Avenue:
  • Stroll along Istiklal Avenue, a bustling pedestrian street lined with shops, cafes, and street performers.
• Basilica Cistern:
  • Visit the Basilica Cistern, an ancient underground reservoir with atmospheric lighting and Medusa head columns.
• Chora Church (Kariye Museum):
  • Admire the stunning mosaics and frescoes in the Chora Church, depicting scenes from the life of Christ.
• Turkish Cuisine:
  • Indulge in the diverse and delicious Turkish cuisine. Try kebabs, mezes, baklava, and Turkish delight.
• Istanbul Modern Art Museum:
  • Explore contemporary Turkish art at the Istanbul Modern Art Museum.
• Hamams (Turkish Baths):
  • Experience traditional Turkish bathing rituals at one of Istanbul’s historic hamams.
• Süleymaniye Mosque:
  • Visit the Süleymaniye Mosque, an architectural masterpiece and one of the largest mosques in Istanbul.
• Princes’ Islands:
  • Take a ferry to the Princes’ Islands for a peaceful escape from the city, with horse-drawn carriages and beautiful landscapes.

Remember to check for any specific travel advisories or updates related to attractions, as conditions may change.

Here’s a video of how you can spend your time in Istanbul by Youtubers Rhett & Claire

Check out this link for more tourism options in Istanbul

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