How I Booked Flights to Banff National Park with Points and Miles: A Step-by-Step Guide
Editorial Disclosure – Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post..
If you’re new to using points and miles to book flights, the process can seem intimidating. But with a little planning, you can travel to incredible destinations like Banff National Park without breaking the bank. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I used points and miles to book flights from Kansas City to Calgary, Alberta, for a trip to Banff, leveraging airline alliances, transfer partners, and strategic positioning flights.
Let’s dive into the details!
Step 1: Researching Flight Routes with Flight Connections
The first step in my journey was to check available flight routes from Kansas City to Calgary, Alberta. While there are no direct flights between Kansas City (MCI) and Calgary (YYC), I wanted to get a sense of which connecting cities could work.
I used Flight Connections, an excellent tool for planning routes and checking connections. Flight Connections shows all the possible routes from an airport, including direct and connecting flights. After searching for direct flights from Kansas City to Calgary and finding none, I looked for potential cities where I could make a stopover.
I discovered that flying through Denver was a great option. Denver (DEN) is a major hub and an easy, cheap positioning flight from Kansas City, which gave me several choices for flights onward to Calgary.
Step 2: Comparing Flight Options with Miles
After narrowing down my possible routes, I had to compare my options to make sure I was getting the best value for my miles. One option was to fly United Airlines, which had a one-stop flight from Kansas City to Calgary via Denver. However, this was quite expensive in terms of miles, so I kept looking for a better deal.
Another option that popped up was WestJet, a Canadian airline with flights from Denver to Calgary. The best part? WestJet is part of the Air France network through their Flying Blue frequent flyer program, which meant I could book WestJet flights using Flying Blue miles.
If you aren’t sure what airlines are in an alliance, a simple Google search can give you the informaiton.
Step 3: Leverage Airline Alliances and Transfer Partners
Airlines often have partnerships through alliances, allowing you to use points and miles across multiple airlines. WestJet may not be a major member of global airline alliances like Star Alliance or OneWorld, but it is a partner of Air France via Flying Blue. This opened up a perfect opportunity for me to book flights with my points.
Since Flying Blue is a transfer partner with all four major credit card programs (Chase, Amex, Citi, and Capital One), I could use points from my Capital One Venture card to book the flight on Air France’s website for a WestJet flight.
Step 4: Positioning to Denver Using Southwest Companion Pass
Because I already have two Southwest Airlines Companion Passes (one for myself and one for a family member), positioning flights to Denver was a breeze and an extremely cost-effective way to start the journey. With the Companion Pass, one of us flies free on Southwest flights (just covering the taxes and fees), so booking a flight to Denver from Kansas City using Southwest points was cheap and easy.
Check out my Ultimate Guide to Earning a Southwest Companion Pass.
Step 5: Transferring Miles to Flying Blue
Now that I knew which airlines and flight routes to target, I was ready to use my miles to book the flight. Here’s how I did it:
Log in to your Capital One account.
Go to the View Rewards section.
Select Transfer Miles.
Choose Flying Blue from the list of transfer partners.
Enter your Membership #. If you do not already have a Flying Blue loyalty account, you need to create one.
Transfer the required number of Capital One miles (I transferred 10,500 miles) to Flying Blue.
Flying Blue miles can be used to book flights on Air France, KLM, and their partners, including WestJet.
Flying Blue miles can be transferred in 1,000 point increments.
Step 6: Booking the Flights via Air France
Once the miles were in my Flying Blue account, I logged into the Air France website, which is the interface for booking flights with Flying Blue miles. Here’s how I booked my flights:
- Search for flights on Air France’s booking portal by entering the origin (Denver) and destination (Calgary), along with your desired travel dates.
- Review available flights and select the one that works best for you. In my case, I chose a WestJet flight from Denver to Calgary.
- Choose Pay with Miles at checkout to use your Flying Blue miles.
- Confirm your booking and pay for any taxes and fees.
Once the booking was confirmed, I had two one-way tickets from Denver to Calgary using Flying Blue miles!
Step 7: Booking the Return Flight
The process for returning from Calgary to Kansas City was almost identical. We reversed our route, booking flights on Southwest Airlines from Calgary to Denver, and then flying from Denver to Kansas City on Southwest as well. For the Calgary-Denver leg, I used the same method to transfer Capital One miles to Flying Blue, and booked another WestJet flight back from Calgary to Denver.
Summary of My Flight Booking Strategy
Here’s a recap of the strategy I used to book these flights:
- Positioning Flight to Denver: I used Southwest Airlines Companion Pass to fly cheaply from Kansas City to Denver.
- Booking WestJet via Flying Blue: I transferred 10,500 Capital One miles to Flying Blue and booked WestJet flights from Denver to Calgary (and back).
- Using Southwest Miles: I used Southwest miles for the Kansas City to Denver flights.
Final Thoughts: Booking with Miles is Possible, But Takes Strategy
Booking flights with points and miles isn’t as simple as buying a ticket outright, but with a little research and strategy, you can save a lot of money and enjoy dream destinations like Banff National Park. By leveraging tools like Flight Connections and understanding the nuances of airline alliances and transfer partners, you can unlock incredible deals on flights—just like I did!
If you found this guide helpful, feel free to share it with others who might benefit from the information. Happy travels and good luck booking your next trip with points and miles!
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
I found out about points and miles accidentally.
I was researching index funds and happened upon the points and miles community through creators who also post about budgets, financial independence, and investing.
Points and miles allowed those people to travel and work toward financial independence simultaneously.
Thank goodness I got started when I did. The past almost two years of travel have been something we will never forget.
Earning points and miles through credit cards is only a good choice if you have the financial discipline to use them, like cash/debit cards.
Since we started traveling with points and miles, we have had more money going into our investment and savings accounts than ever.
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