Start here: VIA Rail VIA Préférence — joining, earning points, membership levels, redeeming and keeping your account

Step 1: What VIA Préférence is and who it suits

You will learn: what the program is, which rules govern it, and whether your travel fits it.

VIA Préférence is a rewards program operated by VIA Rail Canada Inc., and a member who activates their account or uses their points agrees to the program's Terms and conditions [1]. Points are awarded on VIA Rail tickets and travel passes for all routes and all classes of service where VIA Rail operates in Canada, so the program fits people who travel on VIA Rail in Canada [1].

VIA Rail reserves the right to restrict, suspend or otherwise change the program, and will notify members at least 60 days before an amendment comes into effect, setting out the new or amended clause, how it read formerly, and the date of effect [1]. Where an amendment increases the member's obligations or reduces VIA Rail's, the member may refuse it and cancel participation without cost, penalty or cancellation indemnity by sending notice no later than 30 days after the amendment comes into force; any points on the account are then forfeited [1]. VIA Rail may also terminate the program at any time and for any reason at its sole discretion, on 60 days' notice given at participating VIA Rail locations, on its websites and in writing to members, and points are forfeited on termination [1].

The terms carry the line "Effective: July 4, 2024", and that is the version this course follows [1]. The same page also links to the terms that were in effect until July 3, 2024 and to a side-by-side comparison of the two; this course uses only the current version [1].

Go deeper: VIA Préférence program hub, and Amtrak Guest Rewards compared with VIA Rail Préférence if you also travel in the United States.

Step 2: Joining and keeping your account

You will learn: who can register, how enrollment works, and what keeps the account record correct.

Members must be at least two years old at registration, and the consent of a legal guardian or person with parental authority is required for members under the age of majority if such consent is required in the jurisdiction of the member's residence [1]. Members may be required to provide proof of identity and/or proof of age at registration or during participation, only individuals may register, and they must use their full legal name; registration is permitted only once [1]. Only the person whose name appears in the membership file is entitled to the program privileges [1].

Enrollment starts with a VIA traveler profile ("VIA Profile") created using a valid email address, after which the individual registers by checking the "I want to become a VIA Préférence member" box; holders of an existing VIA Profile log in, go to the VIA Préférence page and tick the enrollment box [1]. To register a minor, the parent or legal guardian must use a unique, separate and valid email address that they own and maintain and that is not associated with their own VIA Préférence account [1]. It is the member's responsibility to keep the VIA Profile up to date, including contact information, and to advise VIA Rail immediately if details such as name, mailing address, email address or phone number change; proof of a name change may be required [1].

Go deeper: VIA Préférence program hub for everything filed under this program.

Step 3: Earning points

You will learn: what earns points, how they are calculated, and how to claim trips that go missing.

Points are awarded on the purchase of VIA Rail tickets and travel passes for all routes and all classes of service where VIA Rail operates in Canada, and on eligible fees and optional products including baggage, seat selection fees, fees for traveling with a pet, fees for an unaccompanied minor, packaging products available in station and one-time lounge passes; the list of eligible items may change and can be found in the Earning section of the VIA Rail website [1]. Members must travel the segment or segments indicated on the ticket purchased to earn the associated points [1].

Points are calculated on the purchase price of the items purchased, less applicable discounts and taxes as shown on the purchase receipt, at one point for each full dollar spent, and they are awarded on completion of travel, except on travel passes, where they are awarded at the time of purchase [1]. Tickets of certain fare classes may earn at a rate higher than one point per full dollar, as indicated on the VIA Rail website [1]. Members can earn only for their own travel: neither the member nor a third party can earn points by booking travel for someone else or for travel undertaken by another person, regardless of who paid [1].

Points cannot be earned on all-inclusive packages or tickets sold by tour operators or sales agents, partial charters or group fares, commercial account sales, souvenirs, food and beverages purchased on board, gift cards, services offered by VIA Rail's partners and intermodal services, taxes, service charges, or any other products or services VIA Rail may specify or where prohibited by law [1].

Retroactive credit may be requested for transactions missing from the account that occurred in the previous six months, but transactions of new members that pre-date registration by more than one month are not permitted; requests go to VIA Rail by phone or email, and VIA Rail may ask for a copy of the original ticket and refuse points without that proof of travel [1]. Points have no monetary value and are not redeemable for cash; except as permitted from time to time by VIA Rail or within the program, they cannot be assigned, exchanged, purchased or given by gift, and they are void if sold for cash or any other consideration [1].

Go deeper: VIA Rail Canrailpass guide for the pass product, and the VIA Préférence program hub for the rest of the program.

Step 4: Membership levels

You will learn: what a membership level is measured on, and which spending counts towards it.

Members may qualify for a higher membership level as a function of their total spending on qualifying purchases during the qualification period, which runs from May 1 to April 30 of each year [1]. The conditions to qualify and the associated benefits are defined on the VIA Rail website and are subject to change [1]. Qualified members enjoy the higher level for a 12-month benefits period from May 1 until April 30 of the following year, and members who reach a higher membership level during the qualification period may be eligible for early recognition [1].

Only dollars spent on VIA Rail fares during the qualification period for travel completed during that period, and travel pass purchases during the qualification period, before taxes, count towards achieving or maintaining a higher level; all optional products, charges and fees are excluded, and points earned during the qualification period do not count [1]. The deadline to apply missing trips to the qualification period is April 30 of each year, and missing trips claimed after that date earn points where a retroactive credit is available but are not considered towards qualifying for or maintaining a higher level [1].

Go deeper: VIA Préférence program hub, which collects the pages about this program by task.

Step 5: Redeeming and transferring points

You will learn: what points can be spent on, what happens on a refund or exchange, and who may use the points.

Points may be redeemed for travel throughout VIA Rail's network, whether as tickets or travel passes, and for eligible fees and optional products including baggage, seat selection fees, fees for traveling with a pet and fees for an unaccompanied minor; the list may change and can be found in the Redeeming section of the VIA Rail website [1]. The number of points required is dynamic and indicated on the VIA Rail website at the time of booking, and varies with factors including time of redemption, date and time of travel, route and fare class; taxes on the selected item are paid with points and included in the points requirement, and an item cannot be partially paid with points [1]. VIA Rail reserves the right to limit the number of seats available for reward travel and to restrict travel on certain dates and within certain timeframes before departure [1].

Tickets and travel passes paid with points are subject to the refund and exchange conditions of the fare booked or the travel pass purchased, and where the fare or pass is exchangeable or refundable, points return to the account less the applicable refund or exchange fees [1]. A member may book travel for someone else using their points, but only the member from whose account the points will be deducted, a third party designated by that member in writing, or an individual so authorized in accordance with the terms can use the points to pay for a transaction [1]. Points cannot be redeemed for all-inclusive packages or tickets sold by tour operators, sales agents and travel agencies, partial charters or group fares, commercial account sales, souvenirs, food and beverages, gift cards, partner and intermodal services, service charges, or other products and services VIA Rail may specify or where prohibited by law [1]. Members may transfer points from their account to another member's account subject to conditions in the Transfer Points section of the VIA Rail website [1], and VIA Rail may make adjustments and corrections to accounts at any time without prior notice, including where points have been earned or redeemed erroneously [1].

Go deeper: VIA Rail sleeper classes guide for what the onboard classes involve, and the VIA Préférence program hub.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the activity rules that keep a membership alive, and the five things to do now.

Subject to the provisions that follow, points do not expire [1]. Members must earn points within the first 12 months following registration for their membership to remain active, and VIA Rail reserves the right to cancel the membership of any member who shows no point-earning activity in those 12 months [1]. A membership remains active as long as points are accumulated or redeemed within a three-year period, and VIA Rail may cancel memberships inactive for three consecutive years; section 7.3 reads that members "would be advised within sixty (60) days, but no later than thirty (30) days prior to their membership being cancelled due to inactivity", and upon cancellation all remaining points expire from the inactive account [1].

VIA Rail may suspend or cancel participation at any time without notice or compensation for abuse of a program privilege, failure to follow the terms, non-compliance with applicable law or misrepresentation, and accumulated points may then be forfeited [1]. A member may cancel their membership at any time by notifying VIA Rail, and any points on the account are then forfeited [1].

• Register once, in your full legal name, with a valid email address and the enrollment box ticked [1].
• Earn a first point within 12 months of registering [1].
• Keep your tickets so missing trips can be claimed within six months, and by 30 April for level credit [1].
• Earn or redeem at least once in every three years [1].
• Check the fare's refund and exchange conditions before paying with points [1].

Next: read the VIA Préférence Terms and conditions yourself, keep an eye on dates with the mileage expiry calculator, and continue in the VIA Préférence program hub.