How to Maximize the VIA Rail Préférence Program

VIA Préférence is the rewards program of Canada's national passenger rail service. Travellers earn points for booking travel with VIA, and those can be redeemed for future trips or VIA Rail fees.

As the country's top passenger train service, VIA Rail serves 410 communities across 8 provinces. This means that many Canadians can and likely should take advantage of these travel rewards.

Here, we explain the finer details of the VIA Rail Préférence Program, highlight some of the best credit cards to use for your railway travel, and much more.

What is the VIA Rail Préférence program?

The VIA Rail Préférence program offers travellers the opportunity to earn points for qualifying trips. You can then cash in the points for free travel and services with VIA Rail.

It's simple – and free – to join the program. You simply create a profile on the VIA Rail website and select the option to enrol in the VIA Préférence program. Alternatively, you can download the VIA Rail app through Google Play or the App Store, create your profile, and sign up for VIA Préférence.

Overview

Currency: VIA Rail Préférence points

Rewards options: VIA Rail travel, VIA Rail products and services

Pros:

• Free to join
• Easy to set up
• Earn points by purchasing VIA Rail tickets, baggage, travel and lounge passes, pet fees, and unaccompanied minor fees
• Points can be shared or transferred
• Tiered membership program allows you to earn points faster

Cons:

• Limited opportunities to earn points
• On-board food and beverage purchases are excluded
• Bookings through travel agencies or brokers are excluded
• Dynamic pricing can increase the cost of reward travel
• Required to pay taxes on reward fares

VIA Rail Préférence membership tiers

The VIA Rail Préférence program has 3 tiers:

• Préférence
• Privilège
• Premier

New members are automatically assigned to the Préférence tier. You'll have from May 1 through April 30 of the following year to earn qualifying dollars that count toward the next membership tier.

Here are the membership benefits for Canadians:

What are VIA Rail Préférence points worth?

It's difficult to assign a value to VIA Rail Préférence points because the railway's pricing is dynamic, meaning fares are higher on popular routes or during peak times. You won't find a travel rewards chart anywhere on VIA's site.

Dynamic pricing also means that you'll need more points to cover a free trip.

If you're trying to determine how much your VIA Préférence points are worth, pull up the trip you're interested in booking. When you head to the review and pay screen, you'll see the option to pay with points, assuming you have enough to cover the trip.

If you do, you can use the following formula to find the exact point value for that trip.

Value of reward in CAD / cost of reward in points × 100 = value in cents per point (CPP)

This is helpful if you're comparing a few travel options and really want to maximize the value of your Préférence points.

How to earn VIA Rail Préférence points

You'll earn VIA Rail Préférence points for booking trips or purchasing VIA Rail travel passes.

The number of points you earn depends on your membership tier:

• Préférence: Earn 1 point per $1 spent
• Privilège: Earn 2 points per $1 spent
• Premier: Earn 3 points per $1 spent

You'll earn points for the fares themselves, along with things like baggage fees, pet fees, and unaccompanied minor fees.

You won't earn points for taxes, food or drink on board, souvenirs, or gift cards.

Tip: If you're using a credit card to book your rail travel – and we recommend you do use one – be sure it has decent travel insurance. Having to postpone or cancel a trip can be a hassle, but the right credit card with the right insurance package can help.

How to boost your earning potential

Travellers can earn bonus VIA Rail Préférence points on specific train fares. Take a look at how much more you could earn by splurging on a premium ticket:

Watch for special member offers

VIA Rail regularly offers members special travel deals and bonus points opportunities. You can find them under the "Offers" tab on the website, or sign up for promotional emails so you never miss out.

At the time of writing, VIA is running an offer for new members. All you have to do is sign up and complete $250 in travel within your first 6 months as a member. Then, you'll be awarded 500 VIA Préférence points.

Best credit cards to use for VIA Rail travel

These are the best travel credit cards that can help you maximize the value of your travel and VIA Rail Préférence points:

If you prefer to use a prepaid credit card for your travel, be aware that prepaid cards aren't accepted on board VIA trains. They can be used to purchase your initial travel fare, but not once you're on board the train.

How to redeem VIA Rail Préférence points

The VIA Rail Préférence program doesn't have the extensive redemption options that other travel or airline rewards programs have. You can only redeem your points for VIA Rail products and services.

Redeem for VIA Rail travel

VIA Rail Préférence points collectors can redeem their rewards for regular train fares, with no blackout dates. Redemptions can be made for Economy, Business, or Sleeper Plus class.

You'll notice that VIA Rail's website doesn't publish anything showing the number of points needed for a fare, and that's because VIA Rail uses dynamic pricing for reward fares – similar to Aeroplan's dynamic flight redemptions. Therefore, when fares are lower, you'll use fewer points.

On the other hand, if you're booking a popular route or time when fares are higher, you'll have to use more of your points.

Redeem for optional VIA Rail products and services

Points can also be applied toward the fees and/or services connected with your VIA Rail fare.

Specifically, you can redeem points for these purchases:

• Travel passes: Choose from 2 discounted travel passes, the Southwestern Ontario or the Corridor.
• Baggage fees: Fees vary by fare type and destination, but you can use your points to take the sting out of travelling with luggage.
• Travelling with a pet fee: If you're travelling on a Corridor train with your pet, your points can offset the $50 fee. Note that the fee is per direction travelled.
• Unaccompanied minor fees: VIA Rail charges $25 for unaccompanied minors, which you can cover with points.
• Adjacent seats: Use points to ensure that you and your companion can sit together when you book your tickets.
• Tickets for the Quebec-Ste-Foy shuttle: Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) operates the shuttle and charges $3.70 per ticket.

The list of excluded items and services is pretty extensive – for instance, you can't use points for food or drink on board, fare upgrades, souvenirs, or gift cards. Read VIA Rail's terms and conditions carefully to ensure you don't unexpectedly get stuck paying for something.

Transfer points to other people

You can easily transfer your VIA Préférence points to someone else directly from your account. Log in online or through the app, select "Transfer points," and provide the recipient's name and VIA Préférence number to get started.

VIA Rail allows you to move a minimum of 100 points and a maximum of 5,000 points at a time. You can make 5 transfers per year.

The best part is that transferring VIA Préférence points is completely free.

Is the VIA Préférence points program worth it?

Yes, the VIA Préférence points program is worth it for those who frequently travel with VIA. In fact, since the program is free to join, it's worthwhile to do so even if you think you'll take just take 1 trip within the next few years – you might as well bank some points and see what happens.

VIA Préférence points only expire after 3 years of inactivity, so as long as you travel once every 3 years, you can take advantage of the program.

Our main quibble with the VIA Rail loyalty program is the dynamic redemption. It's hard to plan for future travel or get the most out of your points if you want to book a popular route or travel time. As mentioned, though, the program is free, so it doesn't hurt to accumulate points, even if you just use them to cover incidental fees on a future commute.

FAQ

How do VIA Préférence points work?

To join the VIA Préférence points program, you must first create an account, either on the VIA site or through its app. You'll earn points for every dollar you spend on travel with VIA Rail, and these points can be redeemed for free travel and VIA Rail services. You can also transfer your points to other VIA Rail Préférence members.

What is my VIA Préférence number?

If you're already a VIA Préférence member, you can find your number by logging in to your account – it should be at the top of the VIA Préférence page. Alternatively, if you receive VIA Rail promotional emails, your Préférence number and points balance are displayed in each email's header.

How many VIA points do I need for a free ride?

VIA Rail doesn't publish a chart with fixed points and fares. Instead, it adjusts the number of points required based on fare demand. This means that popular routes and travel dates cost more points than fares for off-season travel or less popular routes. This makes it hard to plan ahead for a free trip.

Do VIA Préférence points expire?

VIA Rail says that Préférence points don't expire, but it will cancel your membership if you've been inactive for the last 3 years. Before they cancel your account, though, they'll contact you 30 to 60 days in advance. This gives you a chance to book a trip and keep the account active.

Can I convert my reward points to cash?

Unfortunately, VIA Préférence points can't be converted into cash, although you can transfer the points to a friend or family member who also has a VIA Préférence account. Otherwise, you'll have to use the points for travel or VIA Rail services and fees.