CIBC Aventura Points Guide: Best Ways to Earn and Redeem for Flights

What are CIBC Aventura points?

CIBC Aventura points are the travel rewards currency earned on select CIBC credit cards (like the Aventura Visa Infinite, Aventura Gold Visa, and the no-fee Aventura Visa). The program is built for flexibility:

• You can redeem points for travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Centre (including CIBC by Expedia).
• You can redeem points for flights using the Aventura Flight Rewards Chart (with a maximum base ticket price by region).
• You can also redeem points for merchandise, gift cards, and eligible card purchases (usually at a weaker value than travel).

If your goal is flights, Aventura is one of the better “bank travel points” programs in Canada because it gives you two useful lanes:

1. Chart-based flight redemptions (best when cash prices are high but still under the chart’s cap), and
2. A predictable travel redemption rate (100 points = $1) when the chart doesn’t work out.

How much are Aventura points worth?

Aventura points do not have one fixed value across every redemption method. In practice, they fall into three “real world” buckets:

A) Travel at a fixed rate (Flexible Travel): 1.0 CPP baseline

When you redeem Aventura points toward travel through CIBC Rewards (the “Flexible Travel” style redemption), a common baseline is:

• 100 Aventura points = $1 toward eligible travel

That means 1 point = 1 cent (1.0 CPP). This is your “floor” for good redemptions, and it’s why many Canadians like Aventura: if the flight chart doesn’t fit your trip, you can still redeem at a clean, predictable rate.

B) Aventura Flight Rewards Chart: often ~1.0–2.3 CPP (sometimes higher)

The Flight Rewards Chart can beat 1.0 CPP when:

• your route falls neatly into a chart region, and
• the base fare is close to the chart’s maximum ticket price (cap), and
• the points required land toward the lower end of the chart range.

Because the chart shows ranges (not a single fixed price), the best value happens when you’re near the cap and the points required are near the low end of the range.

C) Non-travel redemptions: can be lower

Options like “Payment with Points” toward some financial products can start at 12,000 points for $100, which is ~0.83 CPP — convenient, but not optimal compared to travel.

Quick rule of thumb

• If you’re under ~1.0 CPP, you’re usually leaving value on the table.
• If you’re around 1.3–1.7 CPP, you’re doing well for a bank travel program.
• If you’re 2.0+ CPP, that’s typically a very strong Aventura redemption.

The 3 main ways to redeem Aventura points for flights

1) Use the Aventura Flight Rewards Chart (round-trip economy with a max base fare cap)

This is the “chart” option. CIBC publishes a chart that:

• groups destinations into regions,
• shows a points range, and
• sets a maximum ticket price (base fare cap) for each region.

If the fare is above the cap, you cover the difference (and any taxes/fees) with either:

• additional points, or
• cash on your card.

Aventura Flight Rewards Chart (round-trip economy)

Important details:

• This chart applies to round-trip economy flights booked through the CIBC Rewards Centre (or by phone).
• The exact points required depend on airline ticket prices.
• You must redeem at least 80% of the points required for the selected flight; if you’re short (but have at least 80%), you can cover the “points deficit” by charging the difference (excluding taxes and other charges) to your card.

When the flight chart is best

• Your route fits a chart region cleanly.
• Cash prices are high, but still near the max ticket price.
• You want to book any airline (this isn’t a single-airline loyalty program).

When the flight chart is NOT best

• Your cash fare is cheap (you’ll still pay a lot of points).
• Your itinerary is unusual (open-jaw, complicated multi-city).
• Your dates force very expensive fares that exceed the chart cap by a lot (the top-up gets painful).

2) Book travel through CIBC Rewards / CIBC by Expedia at 100 points = $1

If you don’t want to deal with caps and chart regions, you can book travel through CIBC Rewards and redeem points at a fixed travel value (commonly 100 points = $1 CAD).

This is the “simple and predictable” option:

• Works well for flights, hotels, car rentals, packages
• Lets you use points for part of the booking (points + cash)
• Usually lands at ~1.0 CPP

This is especially useful when:

• the chart redemption is poor for your itinerary, or
• you want to cover things like taxes/fees without overthinking it.

3) Cover airfare taxes and fees (if you have enough points)

If you’re booking a flight through the CIBC Rewards Centre, Aventura points can be used to cover taxes and other charges as well (in addition to the base fare points required by the chart), as long as you have sufficient points.

This matters because “great points redemptions” can still feel annoying if you’re hit with a big taxes/fees bill — Aventura gives you a way to offset that too.

How to maximize the Flight Rewards Chart (the practical strategy)

To get strong value from the chart, think like this:

Step 1: Price your flight in cash first

Search the route on Google Flights (or directly with airlines) and note:

• base fare vs. total price
• whether prices spike on your dates

Step 2: See which chart band your trip falls into

Use the chart’s region bands to figure out:

• the max base fare cap
• the points range

Step 3: Only use the chart when cash prices are “high enough”

The chart is strongest when the base fare is close to the max ticket price cap.

Example math (simplified):

• If you redeem 20,000 points for a base fare close to $400, that’s ~2.0 CPP.
• If you redeem 20,000 points for a base fare of $250, that’s 1.25 CPP (still okay, but you might prefer fixed-rate travel redemptions or cash + earn points).

Step 4: Avoid huge top-ups

If the base fare is far above the cap, the “top-up” can turn a good redemption into a mediocre one quickly.

Aventura points for hotels, car rentals, and packages

This is where Aventura acts like a classic bank travel program:

• Book travel through the CIBC Rewards Centre / CIBC by Expedia
• Apply points at checkout (often 100 points = $1)
• Or pay cash to earn points (and save points for later)

When this makes sense:

• You want simplicity and a predictable rate.
• You’re not chasing hotel elite benefits (OTA bookings may not always earn/recognize status the same way as booking direct).

When to be careful:

• Always compare the price to booking direct.
• If you have hotel status, confirm whether your booking will earn points and elite credits.

Other ways to redeem Aventura points (and when they’re worth it)

Shopping with Points (pay off eligible card purchases)

CIBC supports redeeming points against eligible purchases (often shown as pending/eligible transactions in online banking). This can be convenient, but the value can vary and is commonly best treated as a “backup” when you don’t have travel planned.

Payment with Points (credit card balance or select financial products)

This is the “use points like money” option for certain CIBC products. The convenience is real, but the value can be weaker — for example, redemptions can start at 12,000 Aventura points for $100 (about 0.83 CPP). We don't really recommend this since there are better redemption options for your points.

Gift cards and merchandise

These are easy redemptions, but they’re usually not where Aventura shines compared to travel.

Do Aventura points expire?

Aventura points are marketed as points that don’t expire, which is a major perk if you’re saving up for a bigger trip.

One important reality check:

• If your account is closed or converted, your ability to redeem can change, and timelines may apply depending on the situation — so don’t sit on points indefinitely if you’re planning to cancel a card.

How to transfer or share Aventura points with another person

Aventura is not a “send points to anyone” type of program — but there are still realistic ways to share value.

Option 1: Add a supplementary (authorized user) cardholder

If your goal is “earn faster as a household,” adding an authorized user helps because:

• their spending earns points into the primary cardholder’s account

This is the easiest family setup for pooling spending.

Option 2: Combine/transfer points between your own Aventura cards (same primary cardholder)

If you personally hold multiple Aventura cards, CIBC allows combining points when you’re the primary cardholder on both (done through CIBC Rewards).

This is useful if you opened a second card for a welcome bonus or category fit and want to consolidate points before redeeming.

The key limitation

For most people, the cleanest interpretation is:

• you can pool/transfer between accounts you control as the primary cardholder (and via household spending on the same account),
• but it’s not designed as a “gift points to a friend” program.

Best CIBC credit cards for earning Aventura points

Here’s the main lineup of cards that will get you earning Aventura points.

Which Aventura card should you get?

• Most people: Start with the Aventura Visa Infinite if you qualify and you'll use the travel perks. It has a solid everyday multiplier and accelerates travel booked through CIBC Rewards.
• If you want $0 annual fee: The Aventura Visa is a clean option to earn steady points without paying an annual fee.
• If you travel a lot and value airport perks: The Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege is designed for frequent travellers (lounge visits, premium benefits), but it only makes sense if you'll use the perks enough to justify the fee.

Aventura vs. other Canadian points programs (when to choose it)

Aventura’s identity is: flexible bank travel points with a powerful flight chart option.

If you like:

• predictable value most of the time, and
• the ability to spike value on flights when cash prices surge,

Aventura fits that niche very well.

Quick decision checklist

• Is your flight round-trip economy and clearly inside a chart region?

  • Yes → check the Flight Rewards Chart first.
  • No → redeem through CIBC Rewards/CIBC by Expedia at the fixed travel rate.

• Is your base fare close to the chart’s max ticket price cap?

  • Yes → the chart redemption can be excellent.
  • No → fixed-rate travel redemption is often better.

• Are you redeeming for something non-travel?

  • Only do it if convenience matters more than maximizing value.

Bottom line

CIBC Aventura points are strongest when you use them like a travel optimizer:

• The Aventura Flight Rewards Chart can deliver strong value when cash prices are high but within the chart caps.
• The fixed travel redemption rate (commonly 100 points = $1) is your reliable fallback for almost any trip.
• Non-travel redemptions can be convenient, but they underperform travel value.

If you want a Canadian points currency that’s easy to earn, flexible to redeem, and still gives you opportunities for above-average flight value — Aventura is one of the most practical options in the country, while being easy enough to navigate.