You booked a flight six months ago. You know you earned points. You also know you probably have enough for a short-haul redemption, but you haven’t checked because the login process feels like a chore. That is exactly how people lose points to expiration or miss a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways.
Here is the reality: the Avion Travel Rewards login is not just a door to a balance. It is the only place where you can see if your points are actually posting, if a transfer is stuck, or if your account has been silently downgraded. If you treat it like a bank account you check once a year, you are bleeding value.
This guide covers the login workflow, the most common failure points, and how to fix a balance that looks wrong. No fluff.
Why The Login Portal Matters More Than The Card
Most people think the Avion Visa Infinite card is the product. It is not. The card is just a points-earning tool. The actual product is the redemption system behind the login. That is where the value lives or dies.
Here is what you can only do after you log in:
- Check if a grocery store coded as “grocery” or “general merchandise” (this changes your earn rate).
- See if a points transfer to WestJet or British Airways actually went through, or if it is stuck in “pending” limbo.
- Confirm whether your annual fee posted and whether the points from that fee are still valid.
- Spot a missing transaction from a partner like Hudson’s Bay or a hotel booking.
If you never log in, you are trusting a system that occasionally makes mistakes. I have seen missing points from car rentals, double-charged annual fees, and transfers that sat in pending for three weeks. You would not catch any of that without checking.
The Login Flow: What Actually Happens
You have two ways in. The first is through the RBC Online Banking portal or the RBC Mobile app. The second is through the standalone Avion Rewards website. Both lead to the same underlying account, but the standalone site sometimes shows more detail on transfer history and partner offers.
Here is the step-by-step that actually matters:
- Go to the Avion Rewards site or open the RBC app.
- Enter your RBC client card number or username. Do not use a saved password that auto-fills the wrong card if you have multiple RBC products.
- After login, click on “Avion Rewards” from the dashboard. On the standalone site, you land there directly.
- Check the “Points Activity” tab first. Not the balance. The activity log tells you if anything is pending or missing.
- Verify the “Points Expiry” section. Avion points generally do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing, but promotional bonus points sometimes carry their own expiry window.
The whole process takes under two minutes. The problem is that people stop at the balance and never open the activity log. That is like checking your bank balance but ignoring the list of transactions.
What To Do When The Login Fails
If you get locked out or see an “account unavailable” message, do not keep trying. Three failed attempts can trigger a temporary lock. Instead, call the number on the back of your card. The Avion support line is separate from general RBC banking, and they can reset the login without you having to visit a branch.
One thing that catches people: if you recently changed your RBC client card number, the Avion standalone login may still be tied to the old number. You need to update it on the Avion site separately. This is a known friction point and the fix takes about five minutes once you reach a human.
Common Account Errors And How To Fix Them
Here are the three most common problems I hear about, and the actual fixes.
Missing Points From A Partner Purchase
You used your Avion card at a partner merchant like Rexall or a participating hotel. The points do not show up. Before you panic, wait 7 to 10 business days. Partner points often post slower than regular card spend. If they still are not there, submit a missing points request through the Avion portal under “Points Inquiry.” You will need the transaction date, amount, and merchant name.
Transfer Stuck In Pending
You transferred points to British Airways Executive Club or WestJet Rewards. The balance in Avion dropped, but the partner account shows nothing. This is usually a timing issue. Avion to British Airways transfers can take up to 48 hours. WestJet is often faster, sometimes under 24 hours. If it has been longer than that, contact Avion support and ask for the transfer reference number. That number is what the partner airline needs to trace the missing points.
Points Expiry Warning
Standard Avion points do not expire as long as your credit card account remains open. But if you close the card or downgrade to a no-fee RBC card, the points can be forfeited. Always transfer or redeem points before closing a card. Do not assume the points will follow you to a new product.
What The Balance Does Not Tell You
Your point balance is a vanity number. It looks impressive. But the real question is what those points can actually buy. That requires checking the Avion Air Travel Redemption Schedule inside the portal.
Here is the breakdown that matters for 2026:
| Redemption Option | Avion Points Required | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Short-haul flight (under 1,000 miles) | 15,000–25,000 | Toronto to New York, Vancouver to Calgary |
| Long-haul economy (North America to Europe) | 35,000–60,000 | Montreal to London, Toronto to Paris |
| Transfer to British Airways Avios | 1 Avion = 1 Avios (bonus windows apply) | Short-haul redemptions on BA or Iberia |
| Transfer to WestJet Rewards | 1 Avion = 1 WestJet dollar | Domestic Canada flights with no blackout dates |
| Statement credit against travel | 100 points = $1 | Worst value; avoid unless desperate |
Notice the last row. Using points as a statement credit gives you roughly half the value of a flight redemption. That is the trap. People log in, see a big balance, and cash out at the worst rate because it feels easy.
When Not To Use Avion Points
This is the section most loyalty blogs skip. There are times when using Avion points is a bad deal.
Do not use Avion points for merchandise, gift cards, or statement credits. The value per point drops below 1 cent. For example, a $100 gift card might cost 13,000 points, which is about 0.77 cents per point. A flight redemption can easily get you 1.5 to 2 cents per point. You are leaving half the value on the table.
Do not transfer points to a partner airline unless you already know the exact flight you want. Transfers are one-way. If you transfer 50,000 Avion points to British Airways and then find out the flight you wanted is not available on Avios, you cannot transfer them back. You now have 50,000 Avios stuck in an account you may not use.
Do not hoard points indefinitely. If you have more than 200,000 Avion points sitting unused, you are losing value to inflation. Airlines devalue their reward charts regularly. A flight that costs 40,000 points today might cost 50,000 next year. Use points within 12 to 18 months of earning them.
The Fix: Check Your Account Every 30 Days
Here is the simple workflow that prevents most problems. Once a month, log in and do three things.
First, scan the Points Activity log for anything that looks off. A missing grocery bonus, a transaction that coded wrong, a partner purchase that never posted. Second, check the transfer status if you have any pending transfers. Third, look at the redemption schedule to see if your points now cover a flight you actually want to take.
That takes five minutes. It is the difference between catching a missing 5,000-point transaction and losing it forever because you waited too long to dispute it.
The single most important thing to remember: your Avion points are only as valuable as your ability to see them and move them. If you cannot log in, you cannot manage them. Fix the login problem today, not the week before your flight.