Best Redemptions: How to Travel to Zurich from Canada on Points

You can easily travel to Zurich from Canada on points

Zurich is a beautiful city and a popular tourist destination. It is known for its picturesque old town, stunning lake views, world-class museums, and vibrant nightlife. Zurich is also a hub for international business and finance, making it a cosmopolitan and diverse city with plenty to offer visitors.

Some of the must-see attractions in Zurich include; Fraumünster & Grossmünster Churches, Kunsthaus Zurich, and the Swiss National Museum. Additionally, the city is surrounded by beautiful scenery, including the Swiss Alps, making it a great base for exploring the region. Overall, if you are interested in culture, history, art, and beautiful scenery, Zurich is definitely worth a visit

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

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

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

Our theoretical stay will be 5 nights at the Sheraton Zurich Hotel in Zurich, a 4 Star hotel operated by Marriott.

We’ll show an itinerary for 1 individual. If you are travelling with someone, your travelling 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 Air Canada economy, and business class ticket to Zurich from Canada’s 3 major hubs (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal)

Note: prices are subject to change

HOW TO TRAVEL TO Zurich FROM CANADA ON POINTS

Flight Option #1: Fly to Zurich From Canada on Points with Air Canada Using Aeroplan

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 Zurich.

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 Zurich from Canada on Points

While dynamic pricing can be terrible, the good news is that Aeroplan has a number of 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.

There are a few partner airlines you can leverage for your trip to Zurich

Swiss Airlines

Swiss operates flights from Montreal to Zurich

Swiss Airlines leverages Aeroplan partner carrier award chart above, which in most cases means a cheaper flight. This is great for Economy class tickets with Swiss Air.

Swiss Airlines also flies out of a number of US cities:

• Newark
• New York (JFK)
• Boston
• Chicago
• Miami
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• San Fransisco

You can take an Air Canada flight and connect to all of these US destinations, and subsequently fly to Zurich with Swiss Airlines

Unfortunately, Swiss Air only releases award space for business class flights 14-20 days in advance of the flight. While waiting for award space to open up may be difficult when planning a vacation, it usually provides the best use of your points in terms of value

Lufthansa Airlines

Germain airline Lufthansa operates flights from Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver to both Frankfurt and Munich, which in turn connect to Zurich. Like Swiss Air, Lufthansa leverages Aeroplan’s partner award chart, which in most cases means a cheaper flight.

Unfortunately, Lufthansa only releases award space for business class flights 14-20 days in advance of the flight. While waiting for award space to open up may be difficult when planning a vacation, it usually provides the best use of your points in terms of value.

Other Aeroplan Partners You can Take to Zurich

• Austrian Air flies out of Montreal to Vienna, and on to Zurich
• United Airlines flies out of Toronto to the Eastern United States, and on to Zurich
• TAP flies out of Toronto & Montreal, to Portugal and on to Zurch
• LOT airlines flies out of Toronto, to Warsaw and on to Zurich

Earning Aeroplan Points

There are 2 ways to earn a large number of Aeroplan points here in Canada:

• Transferring American Express Membership Rewards to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio
• Earning Aeroplan points directly with a co-branded Aeroplan credit card

Which Credit Cards do You Need to fly to Zurich 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 Zurich 

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

1. American Express Platinum Card

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

The $699 annual fee (Reduced to $549 with a $150 rebate via Great Canadian Rebates) is offset by the following perks & benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 80,000 MR points upon spending $7,500 in the first three months
• Earn Rate: 
  • 3 MR points per dollar spent at grocery stores & at restaurants 
  • 2 MR points per dollar spent on travel and 
  • 1 MR point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $5,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Trip Canacellation 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
  • Special discounts for cardholders, which are sent via email
  • $100 Nexus Credit
  • Instant Gold Status at Marriott Bonvoy
  • Instant Gold Status at Hilton Honours
  • Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane during peak operating times
  • Complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park at Pearson Airport
• Longe 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 $699 annual fee seems daunting initially, the 80,000 Membership Rewards will get you to Zurich with one of Aeroplan’s partner airlines. Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $699 (minus the $200 travel credit) annual fee is worth spending after year two.

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
  • 30,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $1,500 in the first three months
  • 15,000 Aeroplan points on renewal after spending $7,500 in the first year
    • Total of 55,000 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 Canacellation 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

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 55,000 Aeroplan points will get you a free economy ticket with Air Canada.

Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $139 annual fee is worth taking into the second year.

You can read which other cards offer Aeroplan points here

Credit Card Round-up

Based on the sign up bonus’ above, you’ll be able to earn 135,000 Aeroplan points by paying $549 in credit card fees. You’ll also receive a number of cost saving benefits through these cards including: 

• Priority Pass lounge access (AKA free food & drink)
• Discounts on award flights 
• 1st checked bag free with Aeroplan
• Gold status (and potential room upgrades) with Marriott Bonvoy

Flying to Zurich 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	$964		$8,344
Aeroplan Points with Air Canada	53,200	1.81 cents/point	270,900	3.08 cents/point
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	35,000	2.75 cents/point	70,000	11.92 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$977		$8,162
Aeroplan Points with Air Canada	47,000	2.08 cents/point	259,200	3.14 cents/point
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	35,000	2.79 cents/point	70,000	11.66 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$978		$8,163
Aeroplan Points with Air Canada	59,800	1.63 cents/pont	253,300	3.22 cents/point
Aeroplan Points with Partner Airlines	35,000	2.79 cents/point	60,000	13.60 cents/point

As you can see, the best option to fly to Zurich 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).

I would personally focus on Lufthansa, United & LOT Airlines if you fly out of Toronto, Lufthansa, Swiss Air if you fly out of Montreal, and Lufthansa is you fly out of Vancouver

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 Canda’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 Zurich out of Vancouver Toronto and Montreal which connect to Amsterdam & Paris respectfully.

Note: Air France also flys from Ottawa & Quebec City, while KLM flies out of Edmonton & Calgary

What Credit Cards do You Need to fly to Zurich From Canada on Points with Air France/KLM

Given that we need 15,000-80,000 Flying Blue Miles for 1 one way tickets, there are 2 credit cards that we’ll be focusing on to get you to Zurich

1. American Express Platinum Card

The American Express Platinum Card is a great way to earn Membership Rewards.

The $699 annual fee (Reduced to $549 with a $150 rebate with Great Canadian Rebates) is offset by the following perks & benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 80,000 MR points upon spending $7,500 in the first three months
• Earn Rate: 
  • 3 MR points per dollar spent at grocery stores & at restaurants 
  • 2 MR points per dollar spent on travel and 
  • 1 MR point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $5,000,000
  • Car rental damage insurance 
  • Trip Canacellation 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
  • Special discounts for cardholders, which are sent via email
  • $100 Nexus Credit
  • Instant Gold Status at Marriott Bonvoy
  • Instant Gold Status at Hilton Honours
  • Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane during peak operating times
  • Complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park at Pearson Airport
• Longe Access
  • Priority Pass (+1 guest)
  • Plaza Premium Lounges (+1 guest)
  • Delta Sky Club
  • Airspace Lounges (+2 guests)
  • Centurion Lounges
  • SwissPort Lounges (+1 guest)

2. American Express Gold Card

The American Express Gold Card is another great way to earn Membership Rewards.

The $250 (Reduced to $125 with a $125 rebate with Great Canadian Rebates) annual fee is offset by the following perks & benefits:

• Sign-up Bonus:
  • 5,000 MR points each month you spend $1,000 in the first 12 months
• Earn Rate: 
  • 2 MR points per dollar spent on travel, grocery, drugstore & gas stations 
  • 1 MR point everywhere else
• Insurance:
  • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance – up to $5,000,000 (15 days of coverage)
  • Car Rental Insurance 
  • Trip Cancellation Insurance- up to $1,500
  • Trip Interruption Insurance – up to $1,500
  • Flight Delay Insurance – up to $500
  • Hotel Burglary Insurance – up to $500
  • Baggage Delay Insurance – up to $500
  • Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance – up to $500
• Perks
  • $100 Annual Travel Credit
  • Special discounts for cardholders, which are sent via email
  • $100 Nexus Credit
• Longe Access
  • Plaza Premium Lounges (4 passes)

While the $250 annual fee seems daunting initially, the 60,000 Membership Rewards will earn you potentially multiple free flights. Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $250 (minus the $100 travel credit) annual fee is worth spending after year two.

Credit Card Round-up

Based on the sign up bonus’ above, you’ll be able to earn 105,000 Flying Blue points by paying $674 in credit card fees, enough for a business class ticket. You’ll also receive a number of cost saving benefits through these cards including: 

• Priority Pass lounge access (AKA free food & drink)
• Gold status (and potential room upgrades) with Marriott Bonvoy

Flying to Zurich with KLM/Flying Blue – Financial summary

The average value of 1 Flying Blue mile is 1.2 cents per point. We will hope to receive a higher value when redeeming with Flying Blue points.

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$964		$8,344
Flying Blue Miles with Air France	29,000	3.30 cents/point	80,000	10.43 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$977		$8,162
Flying Blue Miles with Air France	15,000	6.50 cents/point	70,000	11.6 cents/point

	Economy	Redemption Value	Business	Redemption Value
Cash Fare	$978		$8,163
Flying Blue Miles with Air France	23,000	4.25 cents/point	70,000	11.6 cents/point

As you can see, both KLM & Air France provide a 70,000 business class flight to (and from) Zurich. If this flight aligns with your plans, I strongly encourage to you hop on the deal, as this would be a great redemption for your Flying Blue Miles

The 15,000 point economy flight also provides a great redemption.

HOTEL OPTION #1 = MARRIOTT BONVOY POINTS

Marrott 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 travelling on points for an extended period of time, its 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 say at the Sheraton Zurich Hotel 

What Credit Cards do You Need to Stay 5 Nights in Zurich 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
• Eaimagern 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

2. American Express Business Edge

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

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

Travelling to Zurich on Points – Summary

Every person’s idea for a best in class vacation will vary, and by no means am I trying to limit you to one airline, or one hotel. This exercise is meant to provide an understanding as to the simple steps you can take to drastically reduce the cost a Swiss vacation. 

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

1. One of the best (and cheapest) ways to fly business class to/from Zurich is with Swiss or Lufthansa airlines (or Aeroplan’s other partner airlines). Lufthansa only releases award availability for business class seats 14-28 days before departure, and Swiss Airlines is similar. It can be stressful/difficult for people to wait until the last minute to book a flight. If you’re one of these people, you can always book a refundable economy ticket (either with cash or points), and see if any business class seats open up on a Lufthansa or Swiss airline flight, and then subsequently cancel your refundable ticket. 

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. If you’re focused on solely flying business class, you can book an Air France/KLM award flights 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 (70,000 points) award flight. This will require some flexibility, as these discounted award flights are not offered daily

4. 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) Zurich

FINANCIAL SUMMARY TABLE 

Credit Cards	Sign up Bonus	1st Year Annual Fee
American Express Platinum
TD (or CIBC) Aeroplan Visa Infinite	55,000 Aeroplan Points	$0
American Express Gold	60,000 Membership Rewards (72,000 Bonvoy Points)	$125
American Express Marriott Bonvoy	50,000 Bonvoy Points	$60
American Express Business Edge	57,000 Membership Rewards (68,400 Bonvoy Points)	$24
Total		$209

Flying economy, you can fly to Zurich from Canada on Points, and stay 5 nights at the Sheraton Zurich Hotel , all for $209 + taxes & fee

Credit Cards	Sign up Bonus	1st Year Annual Fee
American Express Platinum	80,000 Membership Rewards (80,000 Aeroplan points)	$549
TD (or CIBC) Aeroplan Visa Infinite	55,000 Aeroplan Points	$0
American Express Gold	60,000 Membership Rewards (72,000 Bonvoy Points)	$125
American Express Marriott Bonvoy	50,000 Bonvoy Points	$60
American Express Business Edge	57,000 Membership Rewards (68,400 Bonvoy Points)	$24
Total		$758

Flying business, you can fly to Zurich from Canada on Points, and stay 5 nights at the Sheraton Zurich Hotel , all for 758 + taxes & fees

Things to do Zurich

There are a number of amazing things do in Zurich including:

• Taking a river tour
• Ski in the Swiss Alps
• See the Rhine Falls
• Visit the Lindt House of Chocolate
• Go to a Spa

View More Tourism Destinations in Zurich

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