Best way to use 55k Air Canada points?

[rabkoa]

Hello experts,

My wife and I each got 55k in Aeroplan points from HSBC credit card deal with Air Canada.

However, we struggle to find ways to spend this.

Ideally, would love to use this for a Sydney-Japan trip but only Asiana comes up as an option and they charge $800 fees on top of 50k points.

More reasonable is SYD - SIN flight with SG airline with about $300 in extra fee.

Other than that, searching on Air Canada shows nothing from ANA, Thai Airways or even Air China and Eva Air.

So just wondering what's the best way to use these points with Star Alliance airline member flying out of Sydney to somewhere in Asia?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Aeroplan doesn’t pass on or charge fuel surcharges, so there can’t be $800 in fees for this. Are you searching on the aeroplan site, or searching via another airline’s FF booking site? Syd-tokyo on Asiana is 60k points each way, even if you needed to top up your miles, it wouldn’t come to $800.

Even SYD-SIN flying business class on singapore airlines, the total fees, taxes and charges are just CAD136 per passenger. Not $300.

If you do find availability on say ANA at some time, it may be worth exploring your options… i’d probably be using the points from each person to buy a rountrip award for one of you, and the other paying. ANA is charging $2700 return business at the moment SYD-TYO. So one of you pays, the other goes out and back on points (one of you redeeming their points for the other).

 

[luxury-lizard]

I just received an email from AC - points are on sale with up to 100% bonus so may be worth topping up to get both parties a return award. Agree about fees - those stated by OP seem too high - perhaps it was for both tickets. Unfortunately with AC most Asian cities are 45K one-way in business ex_SYD - but TYO via SIN prices out at 60K (or 90K) BUT SYD-CNS-HND is 45K (+$151 in taxes)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I just received an email from AC - points are on sale with up to 100% bonus so may be worth topping up to get both parties a return award. Agree about fees - those stated by OP seem too high - perhaps it was for both tickets. Unfortunately with AC most Asian cities are 45K one-way in business ex_SYD - but TYO via SIN prices out at 60K (or 90K) BUT SYD-CNS-HND is 45K (+$151 in taxes)

Agree. But even with 55k and a ‘top up’ to 60k, nowhere near $800, even if for two! Perhaps the OP was searching via SQ’s website or something?

 

[rabkoa]

Sorry all,

Looks like I made a newbie mistake.

CA $856 + 45k points is for 2 people one way Syd-Narita on Asiana.

Another option is CA$571 + 60k points. So it's 15k points for CA$285.

With the points on sale I can purchase 6.6k points for CA$140 to top up.

so total 60k points + CA $710 for 2 people one way SYD-NRT.