RBC Avion to Avios Bonus Promotions: Is It Worth Transferring Now?
Most people think about transferring Avion to Avios only when a bonus promotion appears in their inbox. They see “30% bonus Avios” and think “I should transfer now!” But a bonus without a plan is just a shiny distraction. I learned this the hard way, and I have made every bonus mistake so you don’t have to.
The truth about Avion to Avios bonuses is simple: they only matter if you have a specific redemption in mind. A 30% bonus on 100,000 points sounds great until you realize you do not want to book anything right now. Then you have 130,000 Avios sitting in an account you rarely use, earning you nothing while you wait for a flight that might not come.
But when you have identified the exact trip you want and you are 20% short of the Avios you need, a bonus promotion can be the difference between booking now and waiting another six months to earn enough points. That is when bonuses become powerful.
Here is exactly what that looked like in practice:
In this post, I’ll walk you through how Avion to Avios bonuses work, how to evaluate whether a current promotion is worth transferring for, the decision framework I use to determine if bonus timing makes sense, real examples of when I have used (and regretted) bonuses, and how to avoid the biggest bonus mistakes.
Note: Bonus promotions change frequently—sometimes monthly. The specific offers mentioned in this post may have expired or been replaced since publication. Always check your RBC Avion dashboard for current bonus rates before making a transfer decision.
How Avion to Avios Bonuses Work
RBC and British Airways periodically run promotions that offer bonus Avios on transferred Avion points. The mechanics are straightforward: you transfer your Avion points at the standard one-to-one ratio, and RBC or British Airways adds bonus Avios on top of your transferred amount.
A bonus promotion is when RBC or British Airways adds bonus Avios on top of your standard one-to-one transfer ratio for a limited time. For example, a 30% bonus means you transfer 100,000 Avion points and receive 130,000 Avios (your 100,000 plus 30,000 bonus). These promotions typically run 10-30% bonuses and last 30-90 days before expiring.
For example, a 30% bonus promotion means if you transfer 100,000 Avion points, you receive 130,000 Avios (your 100,000 transferred points plus 30,000 bonus Avios). This bonus is credited directly to your British Airways account alongside your transferred points. No additional cost to you. You transfer the points you already have and receive a bonus on top.
The typical bonus range is 10% to 30%, depending on the promotion. Occasionally you will see higher bonuses (50%+), but these are rare and usually have restrictions like only applying to transfers over a certain amount, or only available to new British Airways accounts.
Here is what is important to understand: the bonus is the transfer ratio, not a separate payment. You are not buying points at a discount. You are transferring the points you have and receiving a percentage increase on top of what you transfer. That distinction matters because it means the bonus only has value if you would have transferred anyway.
| Avion Points Transferred | Normal Avios Received | Avios During 30% Bonus |
| 10,000 | 10,000 | 13,000 |
| 50,000 | 50,000 | 65,000 |
| 70,000 | 70,000 | 91,000 |
| 100,000 | 100,000 | 130,000 |
| 131,700 | 131,700 | 171,200 |
The Bonus Trap: Why Most People Get It Wrong
When I first learned about Avion to Avios bonuses, I thought I had found the secret to getting rich with points. A 30% bonus sounded incredible. More points for the same transfer amount? Sign me up.
So I did. I transferred 100,000 Avion points during a 30% bonus promotion and received 130,000 Avios. Except I had no specific redemption in mind. I just thought “more points is better, right?” Wrong.
For six months, those 130,000 Avios sat in my British Airways account while I earned more Avion points, booked other trips, and generally forgot about the transfer I had made. The bonus looked great on paper, but it did not serve any actual purpose. I had tied up 100,000 Avion points for six months without getting closer to any trip I actually wanted to take.
If I had checked the Qatar Airways business class pricing to Doha at the time I transferred, I would have known I needed 70,000 Avios for the flight I eventually took. The bonus was overkill. I could have transferred 50,000 or 60,000 points and still had enough for the trip, leaving the rest of my Avion points to continue earning.
That is the bonus trap: getting excited about the bonus size without connecting it to a real redemption. The bonus sounds impressive, but it only has value if it helps you reach a specific trip you are actually going to take.
Since then, I have chased bonuses the right way and the wrong way multiple times. The right way has saved me hundreds of dollars and helped me book trips I could not have booked otherwise. The wrong way has wasted points that could have been used elsewhere.
When a Bonus Actually Makes Financial Sense
A bonus promotion only makes sense in one specific scenario: you have identified a redemption you want, you know how many Avios you need for it, and you are currently short of that target. The bonus fills the gap.
Example: You want to book 70,000 Avios for Qatar Airways business class from Toronto to Doha. You have 60,000 Avion points. Without a bonus, you are 10,000 points short. You would need to wait six more months to earn those points through credit card spending or other means. With a 20% bonus, you can transfer your 60,000 Avion points, receive 72,000 Avios, book the flight now, and move on with your life. The bonus moved your timeline forward by six months and let you take a trip you wanted.
That is a bonus with purpose.
A bonus without purpose is transferring 100,000 Avion points because a 30% promotion is running, without knowing what flight you will book. The bonus sounds good, but the points sit idle until you eventually find a flight six months later. At that point, the bonus has added no value because you could have just transferred whenever the flight appeared, promotion or not.
The real value of a bonus is that it can get you to a redemption faster. If you are 10,000 points short and a bonus gets you there, it is worth considering. If you have all the points you need for your current redemptions and you are just chasing bonus points, it is speculative and usually a mistake.
Key Takeaway: A bonus adds percentage points on top of your transfer. A 30% bonus on 100,000 points gives you 130,000 Avios. The bonus only has value if you would transfer anyway.
The Bonus Evaluation Framework: Should You Transfer Now?
Here is the four-step framework I use every time a bonus promotion appears in my inbox.
Step 1: Identify Your Specific Redemption
Action: What flight do you actually want to book? Not “someday I might want to fly to Europe.” Right now, today, what is the actual trip you are planning?
Red Flag: If you cannot answer this question specifically, stop here. Do not transfer.
Example: When I saw the 30% Avion to Avios bonus promotion running, the question I asked myself was: “What do I want to book with Avios right now?” The answer was: Qatar Airways business class from Toronto to Doha. That was the specific flight. Not “someday,” but a real trip I was planning.
Step 2: Find the Avios Price for That Specific Flight
Action: Go to the British Airways Avios website and search for your exact flight. Find out how many Avios it costs.
Red Flag: Using estimated prices or guesses instead of the real number from British Airways.
Example: When I searched for Toronto to Doha on Qatar Airways in business class, the price was 70,000 Avios. That was my target.
Step 3: Compare to What You Have Now
Action: How many Avion points do you currently have? Are you short? By how much?
Red Flag: Assuming you have enough without actually counting your balance.
Example: I had 60,000 Avion points. I needed 70,000 Avios. Without a bonus, I was 10,000 points short. With a 20% bonus, my 60,000 would become 72,000—enough to book the flight with 2,000 Avios to spare.
Step 4: Run the Full Math: Bonus vs. Waiting vs. Paying Cash
Action: Compare three scenarios to see which makes the most sense for your situation.
Red Flag: Choosing the scenario that just feels good instead of running the actual numbers.
Example: When I ran this math, the bonus made sense. I could book now with the bonus instead of waiting 3-4 months, and save $3,000-4,000 compared to paying cash. The bonus accelerated my timeline and delivered real value.
Scenario A: Transfer now with the bonus
- Transfer 60,000 Avion points
- Receive 72,000 Avios (with 20% bonus)
- Book 70,000 Avios flight
- Cash cost: taxes and fees only (~$1,000)
Scenario B: Wait and earn the missing 10,000 points
- Keep your 60,000 Avion points
- Earn 10,000 more through credit card spending (takes 3-4 months)
- Transfer 70,000 Avion points when ready (no bonus by then)
- Receive 70,000 Avios
- Book flight
- Cash cost: taxes and fees only (~$1,000)
- Time cost: 3-4 month delay
Scenario C: Pay cash for the flight
- Book the flight with a credit card
- Cash cost: $4,000-5,000 USD
When I ran this math, the bonus made sense. I could book now (Scenario A) instead of waiting (Scenario B), and save $3,000-4,000 compared to cash (Scenario C). The bonus accelerated my timeline and delivered real value.
If there had been no bonus promotion running, I would have waited the 3-4 months and transferred without the bonus. The bonus just made the timing work better.
Key Takeaway: Bonuses only matter when they solve a specific problem—getting you from short to sufficient for a redemption you actually want. Without a redemption target, a bonus is just more points sitting idle.
Real Examples: When I Used Bonuses (Right and Wrong)
The Right Way: Toronto to Doha Business Class
I had planned a trip to Doha for March 2024. I checked British Airways Avios pricing and found Qatar Airways business class for 70,000 Avios. I had 60,000 Avion points. A 20% bonus promotion was running.
I transferred 60,000 Avion points, received 72,000 Avios with the bonus, and booked the 70,000 Avios flight immediately. I paid $947 in taxes and fees and took a $4,000-5,000 business class flight for less than $1,000 in actual cash.
The bonus made a real difference in this case. Without it, I would have either waited 3-4 months to earn the missing 10,000 Avion points, or paid $4,000 in cash. The bonus made my trip possible on my preferred timeline.
The Wrong Way: The Speculative 30% Transfer
Six months before any planned trip, I saw a promotion offering 30% bonus Avios. At that point, I had about 100,000 Avion points and no specific redemption planned. I thought “this is a great rate, I should transfer now and have a big Avios balance ready.”
I transferred 100,000 Avion points, received 130,000 Avios, and then… did nothing with them for six months. No trip booked. No specific flights in mind. Just a large Avios balance sitting there while I continued earning Avion points.
Six months later, when I finally booked a trip that needed Avios, the bonus points were useful, but I could have simply transferred when I was ready without waiting for a promotion. The bonus did not actually enable the trip; it just gave me more points than I needed.
That bonus was a waste. I had tied up 100,000 Avion points for half a year to get 30,000 bonus Avios that I did not actually need. If I could go back, I would have waited for a real redemption target and transferred with or without a bonus.
The Partial Success: 50% Bonus But Wrong Timing
A while back, RBC offered a rare 50% bonus on Avion to Avios transfers. I saw it and jumped on the opportunity without thinking it through.
I transferred 80,000 Avion points and received 120,000 Avios. But I had not checked British Airways pricing for the routes I wanted. When I started searching for flights, I discovered that most OneWorld flights I was interested in cost between 70,000 and 100,000 Avios. I had significantly overshot what I needed.
The bonus had sounded incredible, but it encouraged me to transfer more than I actually required. I should have done the math first (identify the flight, check the price, calculate the need) and then transferred just enough to cover it. Instead, the bonus pushed me to transfer a larger amount than necessary.
The 120,000 Avios eventually got used across multiple bookings, so it was not completely wasted, but it was not optimized. The bonus had encouraged sloppy decision-making.
Lesson: Bonuses are only good if they fill a specific gap. Anything beyond that is just points sitting in the wrong account.
My Montreal to Bangkok Avios Booking
This is where I started to get really excited about the Avion to Avios strategy.
I booked a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. My departure itinerary included a one-way Qatar Airways flight from Montreal to Bangkok using British Airways Avios.
The outbound itinerary was:
Montreal to Doha
Qatar Airways business class
Doha to Bangkok
Qatar Airways first class
This was not a round-trip booking. It was one way. When booking using points, I typically book my roundtrip flights on seperate itineraries in case things need to change, it has historically made my life easier.
For two passengers, the departure booking cost:
190,000 Avios + $947.04 CAD
That works out to:
95,000 Avios + $473.52 CAD per person one way
That price makes sense because I was not just flying from North America to Doha. I was continuing all the way to Bangkok, and the second segment from Doha to Bangkok was in Qatar Airways first class. I was so excited to experience this rare opportunity to fly in Qatar Airways first class…not business class…first class!
During a 30% transfer bonus, 95,000 Avios would require approximately:
95,000 ÷ 1.3 = 73,077 Avion points
So with the bonus, a Montreal to Bangkok itinerary like this could effectively require about 73,077 Avion points per person one way, plus taxes and fees, if you find the same kind of award availability.
Being able to access 5 figure flights for less than a 10% of the cost is what makes this transfer so valuable.
My Bangkok to Montreal Return Booking
My return flight was also booked with British Airways Avios on Qatar Airways.
The return itinerary was:
Bangkok to Doha
Qatar Airways business class
Doha to Montreal
Qatar Airways business class
For two passengers, the return cost:
190,000 Avios + $859 CAD
That works out to:
95,000 Avios + $429.50 CAD per person one way
So the full round trip worked out to:
190,000 Avios per person round trip
$903.02 CAD per person in taxes and fees
For two passengers, the total was:
380,000 Avios + $1,806.04 CAD
That is still a lot of points, but the cash price of a Qatar Airways premium cabin trip from Montreal to Bangkok can easily be over $15,000 CAD, especially with one segment in Qatar Airways first class.
For context, I found a Google Flights cash-price example showing the Doha to Bangkok first class segment alone pricing at about CA$6,961 one way. That was the segment I was most excited about because it was true international first class, which many aircraft do not even offer anymore.
My trip was scheduled to depart March 16, 2026 and return April 16, 2026. It was eventually cancelled because of the conflict in the Middle East. I was disappointed, especially because I had been looking forward to the Doha to Bangkok first class flight, but I also would not have risked flying given the situation. Since the airline cancelled the trip, I received my Avios and taxes/fees back.
That is another reason I like using points strategically: when plans change, award bookings can sometimes be easier to unwind than expensive cash bookings, depending on the airline, program, and fare rules.
Historical Bonus Trends: What You Should Know
Avion to Avios bonuses have become more common over the past three years as RBC and British Airways have competed for transfers. When I first started transferring points, bonuses were rare—maybe 10-20% once or twice a year. Now they seem to run more frequently, sometimes overlapping.
The highest bonus I have personally seen was 85%, which was exceptional. Typical bonuses range from 20-30%. When bonuses are running, they usually appear in your RBC Avion dashboard when you log in, or you might receive an email notification.
The timing of bonuses is not predictable. They do not follow a seasonal pattern that I can detect. Sometimes they run in spring, sometimes summer. Some years have more bonuses than others. I have never seen a bonus run year-round; they always expire after a specific date.
If you are holding Avion points and waiting for a bonus to make your transfer, understand that there is no guarantee one is coming. Sometimes six months go by with no bonus at all. If you have a redemption target and the math works without a bonus, transfer without waiting. A bonus is the cherry on top, not the reason to transfer.
Key Takeaway: Bonuses are unpredictable. Don’t hold redemptions waiting for a bonus that might not come. Transfer when your math works, bonus or not.
Why Bonus Strategy Matters
The key insight across all these examples is that bonuses are a timing tool, not a value creator. A 30% bonus does not make a bad redemption good; it makes a specific redemption reach a shortfall faster. The bonus only adds real value when two things align: (1) you have identified a flight you actually want to book, and (2) the bonus gets you from short to sufficient. Without both, the bonus is just points accumulating in an account you rarely use, which is exactly the opposite of what you want.
Understanding this difference separates people who waste points chasing bonuses from people who use bonuses strategically to accelerate real travel plans.
Mistake 1: Chasing the Bonus Size Instead of Your Redemption
A 30% bonus sounds better than a 20% bonus. But if 20% gets you to your target flight and 30% does not appear for six months, the 20% bonus is the better option. Do not let the size of the bonus distract you from your actual goal. Transfer for the redemption, not for the bonus.
Mistake 2: Transferring Without Identifying a Flight First
This is the biggest mistake. Seeing a bonus and transferring speculatively, hoping to find a good deal later. Stop doing this. The Avios will sit in your account earning you nothing while you wait for inspiration. Identify the flight first, then transfer if a bonus can help.
Mistake 3: Transferring the Maximum Possible When You Only Need Half
Just because you have 100,000 Avion points does not mean you should transfer all of them during a bonus. Transfer what you need for your redemption, plus a small buffer for flexibility. Leave the rest in Avion where it can continue earning through your credit card.
Mistake 4: Not Checking Current Avios Pricing Before Deciding
You cannot evaluate whether a bonus makes sense without knowing the actual Avios price of your target flight. Check British Airways first. Find out the real number. Then decide if a bonus helps you reach it.
Mistake 5: Assuming the Bonus Expires Later Than It Actually Does
Bonuses always come with expiration dates. If the promotion ends on June 15, you cannot transfer on June 20 expecting the bonus. Check the exact end date and transfer before that date. Several times I have seen people miss bonuses by a few days because they did not confirm the expiration.
FAQ: Bonus Promotions and Avion to Avios Transfers
When Is a Bonus Running?
Check your RBC Avion dashboard when you log in. If a bonus is active, it will show prominently. You can also call RBC Rewards to ask if a promotion is running. The Avion website should also display current offers.
Is There Always a Bonus Available?
No. Bonuses are promotional and intermittent. Sometimes six months pass with no bonus. If you have a redemption target and the math works without waiting for a bonus, transfer now. Do not put your travel plans on hold chasing a promotional offer that may never come.
What Is the Highest Bonus You Have Seen?
I have personally seen only 30% bonus. Typical bonuses range from 20-30%. If you see a bonus above 50%, it is worth investigating what the restrictions are. There is usually a catch (minimum transfer amount, new account only, limited time, etc.).
Can I Use Multiple Bonuses?
No. Once you transfer during a bonus promotion, your bonus is applied. You cannot “stack” bonuses by transferring multiple times. However, if you have multiple Avion accounts or a partner who also has Avion points, you could each take advantage of the same bonus if you are both transferring.
Does the Bonus Get Locked In When I Initiate the Transfer?
Yes. Once you have initiated the transfer and confirmed it in your RBC account, the bonus offer is locked in. The Avios will arrive with the bonus applied even if the promotion ends after you initiated the transfer but before the Avios appear in your British Airways account. However, do not test this; transfer before the promotion officially ends to be safe.
Should I Wait for a Bonus to Transfer?
Only if you do not have a redemption target yet. If you have identified a specific flight you want and you have enough (or nearly enough) Avion points to cover it, transfer now. Waiting three to six months for a bonus you do not know is coming is not a good use of your time. Transfer when the math works, bonus or not.
Is It Worth Holding Avion Points for a Bonus?
This depends on your situation. If you have redemptions you can make right now with your current Avion balance, make them. Do not hold points speculatively. If you have points beyond what you need and you want to transfer some to Avios eventually, yes, waiting a few months for a bonus makes sense. But never hold redemptions you could be taking to chase a bonus that might not come.
Should You Transfer Now? The Final Decision
Transfer during a bonus promotion if and only if:
- You have identified a specific redemption (a real flight you want to book)
- You have checked the Avios price and know how many points you need
- A bonus helps you reach that target or accelerates your timeline
- The total cost (points + cash fees) still beats the cash price of the flight
Do not transfer if:
- You have no specific redemption in mind
- You are just chasing the bonus size
- You think the bonus creates an opportunity (it doesn’t; opportunity has to exist first)
- You are holding your current redemptions hostage waiting for a bonus
Bonuses are tools, not reasons to transfer. Use them when they serve your actual travel plans. Ignore them when they do not.
Ready to transfer? Make sure you understand the core transfer mechanics in How to Transfer Avion to Avios: Complete Guide.
Want to understand why Avios pricing is cheaper than Avion? Read Avios vs. Avion Pricing: Why Zone-Based Charts Cost Less.
