Refundable Hotel Trick (RHT) Canadian Guide (2026)

About this method
The Refundable Hotel Trick (RHT) is a community strategy based on how rewards programs operate and on the experience of many users. Banks do not document this technique or guarantee its results. Official rules—eligibility, timing, exclusions, and required portals—are cited when available, while the method's steps come from practical community experience. Programs can change; use this information at your own risk.

Quick summary — select a program

Start here: each program name links directly to its procedure. Before redeeming, compare the RHT value with other redemption options in the Points Value Calculator.

Program	Target Rate	Trigger (When to apply points)	Critical Condition
MBNA Rewards	1.00¢	Eligible travel purchase shown in the portal	Confirm eligibility and timing in the portal.
BMO Rewards	0.67¢	Posted transaction (30 or 90 days, card-dependent)	Check your card's current window and use the "Pay with Points" option.
NBC À la carte	0.83¢ to 0.91¢	Travel purchase within 60 days; usually after posting	Pay with an eligible National Bank travel card; select the travel discount.
CIBC Aventura	Typically 1.00¢	Pending transaction	Primary cardholder; apply points before posting.
Amex Gold / Platinum	$100 or $200	At checkout with Amex Travel	Refundable prepaid booking.
TD Rewards (FCT)	0.50¢	At checkout on Expedia for TD	Product switch before cancellation.

On mobile, each program is displayed as a card instead of a hard-to-read horizontal table.

Quick reference

General RHT sequence

Book Choose a fully refundable reservation and use the portal required by the program.

Wait for the right status The charge must be pending or posted depending on the institution. This is the key distinction.

Apply the points Use the program's exact redemption option before its eligibility window expires.

Cancel at the right time Wait until the credit is processed, then cancel according to the institution-specific mechanic.

MBNA Rewards

Window: confirm the eligibility and timing shown in the portal.

MBNA values travel redemptions at 100 points per dollar. Its public program terms do not give a fixed retroactive eligibility window, so confirm that the purchase is eligible and check its deadline in your MBNA Rewards account before redeeming. See the official MBNA Rewards page, then open the secure rewards portal from your account.

Book a fully refundable hotel on any booking site (Expedia, Booking, or directly with the hotel) with your MBNA card.
Wait for the transaction to change from pending to posted.
Log into the MBNA Rewards portal and confirm that the purchase appears as an eligible travel expense.
Apply your points against the hotel purchase. In practical user reports, the corresponding credit often appears within a few days; confirm it in your account before cancelling.
Once the points credit has processed, cancel with the merchant according to the booking terms; the refund and the retention of the credit are not guaranteed.

BMO Rewards

The published BMO Rewards Mastercard terms limit eligible transactions to the last 30 days; current BMO Ascend World Elite offer terms list up to 90 days. Check the window for your exact card in the Rewards portal.

BMO cardholders can apply points to eligible travel purchases; the 150-points-per-dollar rate (about 0.67¢ per point) applies to certain travel redemptions. Review the official BMO Rewards information and the current card terms.

Charge a refundable hotel transaction to your BMO Rewards card.
Within the current window for your card (30 days on the published BMO Rewards Mastercard terms; up to 90 days in current BMO Ascend World Elite offer terms), log into the BMO Rewards portal and select "Pay with Points".
Apply your points against this travel transaction. The redemption is reflected as soon as the next business day in your BMO Rewards account; the statement credit follows your statement cycle.
Once the points credit has processed, cancel with the merchant according to the booking terms; the refund and the retention of the credit are not guaranteed.

À la carte

NBC À la carte Rewards

Official window: request the travel discount within 60 days of purchase; practical flow: wait until the transaction is posted.

NBC lets members apply a travel discount to eligible purchases within 60 days. The value is 12,000 points per $100, or 11,000 points per $100 for an eligible redemption of 55,000 points or more. Review the official National Bank instructions.

Book a refundable hotel through a travel provider and pay with your eligible National Bank travel credit card. The expense must qualify as travel; the merchant or network category may affect eligibility.
As a practical step, wait for the transaction to officially post to your account (not pending).
Within 60 days following the purchase, log into the NBC Rewards portal, go to the travel section, and select "Flexible travel discount".
Apply your points against this specific expense. The statement credit will be issued within three business days.
Once the travel credit has processed, cancel with the merchant according to the booking terms; the refund and the retention of the credit are not guaranteed.

Aventura

CIBC Aventura

Very short window: act while the transaction is pending.

CIBC's official Shopping with Points feature lets only primary cardholders apply points to an eligible, authorized transaction that has not yet posted. The rate is the one displayed by CIBC at redemption. Review the official CIBC instructions and terms.

For the RHT method described here, charge a fully refundable hotel booking made through a travel provider; do not book the trip as a points redemption in CIBC's travel portal. That is a separate flow from Shopping with Points on a pending card purchase.
Monitor your account: when the transaction appears as "Pending", the "Redeem with points" option may become available for an eligible transaction.
Apply your points promptly while the transaction is eligible. Once posted, it no longer meets CIBC's stated eligibility for Shopping with Points.
Once the points payment has processed, cancel through the third party. Some Canadian cardholders report that the merchant refund then returns to the Card. However, CIBC's current Shopping with Points terms say redemptions are non-refundable, non-exchangeable, and non-transferable unless CIBC advises otherwise; any result after cancellation is a community observation, not a guaranteed outcome.

Community-reported distinction: this section covers applying points to an eligible pending card purchase. Cardholders report that cancelling a trip booked directly with points through CIBC's travel portal may return Aventura points rather than money to the Card. That is a different redemption flow, not a guaranteed result; check the booking's cancellation terms.

Community observations: CIBC rates and promotions
Past community reports have described a Shopping with Points rate of 1¢ per point and occasional promotions around 1.25¢. These are not fixed program terms; CIBC sets the conversion ratio and may change it without notice, so verify the rate displayed before confirming.

Real-world example: using Aventura points on a hotel preauthorization

During a Marriott stay in July 2026, three temporary amounts appeared on my CIBC Card: $100, $31 and $33. I used my Aventura points for a $100 redemption on the eligible $100 transaction. The other two small amounts could not be selected in the same way.

Marriott later replaced those temporary transactions with one final transaction of about $164.40. For a few days, my Aventura points had already been deducted, but the $100 payment was not yet clearly visible on my account. I wondered whether the disappearance of the original $100 transaction would cause a problem.

On August 7, 2026, CIBC ultimately posted the $100 redemption as a payment to my account. My net cost for the stay therefore came to about $64.40 after using my points.

What I take from this: with hotels, preauthorizations can be replaced or grouped when the final transaction posts. In my case, the points were deducted first and the $100 payment appeared a few days later. This is my personal experience, not a guarantee that CIBC will handle every case this way.

Annual Credit

Amex Gold / Platinum Travel Credit

Community method: refundable prepaid booking through Amex Travel.

The annual credit is $100 for the Gold Rewards Card and $200 for the Platinum Card, applied to one eligible booking of at least the same amount. Review the official Amex travel-credit rules.

Open Amex Travel Canada, sign in, and choose an eligible booking of at least $100 or $200, depending on the Card.
At checkout, select the available Annual Travel Credit; the full amount is charged to the Card and the credit normally appears within two business days.
Wait for the Annual Travel Credit to post, then cancel in accordance with the supplier's fare rules.
Amex confirms that once the Travel Credit is applied, it counts as a one-time redemption and cannot be reused for another booking. Whether a merchant refund returns to the Card, and how the credit is handled after cancellation, is not a guaranteed RHT outcome.

TD Rewards

TD First Class Travel (FCT)

Advanced community method: product switch before cancellation.

TD officially lets members redeem at 200 points per dollar on Expedia for TD. The product-switch sequence below has been reported by Canadian travel-rewards communities; it is not an official TD procedure. Also review the official TD instructions.

Book a refundable hotel through the Expedia for TD (E4TD) portal to get the maximum rate.
Apply your TD Rewards points to cover the transaction.
Critical step: request a product switch from the FCT card to a TD card that does not use TD Rewards, such as a Cash Back card.
Wait until the switch is fully completed in TD's systems, then cancel the booking. Some Canadian cardholders report that, without the original TD Rewards account, the value may be credited in cash to the new Card.

Error to avoid: cancelling before the product switch is complete normally sends the points back to the TD Rewards account. Results still vary (YMMV), and TD does not guarantee the outcome.

Logistics & FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Refundable Hotel Trick (RHT)?

The Refundable Hotel Trick (RHT) is a travel-rewards cash-out method where you book a refundable hotel, redeem points or a travel credit against that charge, then cancel the booking so the refund returns to your card in cash.

Is the Refundable Hotel Trick allowed by banks?

Rewards programs do not document the RHT as a cash-out method. Cancelling after using points or a travel credit may be treated as abuse, lead to a benefit reversal, or trigger an account review. Always check the current official terms.

Do all Canadian rewards programs work the same way?

No. Some programs require the hotel charge to be posted before you redeem points, while others only work while the transaction is still pending.

What should you do with a credit balance?

If your cash-out generates a large positive balance, you can either spend it organically on daily expenses (recommended) or contact the financial institution to request a check for the excess balance.

Can you use the RHT with travel credits instead of points?

Sometimes. For example, some cardholders use refundable prepaid hotel bookings to trigger annual travel credits, then cancel the reservation after the credit appears.