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I am exhausted… utterly exhausted. That is what can happen when you go on a whirlwind shopping excursion. I live in London, Ontario and one of the best most luxurious malls in Canada is Yorkdale Mall – two hours away. That means that you have to make a special trip just to go. You have to make some lists (and check them twice) and you have to have a plan. Yorkdale Mall has some of the most high end merchants in the world: Cartier, Tiffany’s, Ted Baker Holts Renfrew, Louis Vitton, Tory Birch and Chanel you know you are going to be in for a luxurious day.
I had not been to Yorkdale for years and I have to admit it has changed from a ‘regular mall’ to luxury vendors. Although there are plenty that are only ‘fantasy’ shopping for me, there were still plenty of stores for me to shop in. So I headed out with a very detailed list in hand for some good old fashion shopping.
The AvionVIP Holiday Boutique is available to meet your shopping needs from November 23 to December 31, 2013. Although I went to the one at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto, there are other lounges throughout the country: Mail Champlain in Montreal, Coquitlam Center near Vancouver and the Halifax Shopping Centre.
Bringing a relaxing, recharging lounge to these malls has made the Avion Card a must have because it has more then just travel perks.
Valet Parking Perk: There is nothing worse then searching for a parking spot in a busy mall at Christmas. I have to say, I like Yorkdales indoor parking because they have signs that let you know how many parking spaces are available and where they are located. That is good… but if you want better, you can have valet parking just outside of Holt Renfrew for a $15 charge… if you want better you can get if for FREE if you an Avion card member. 
Coat Check and Parcel drop off Perk: There is nothing worse then walking around a mall in a thick, heavy coat. You can drop your coat off at the Avion Holiday Boutique and you can also drop off the gifts that you have accumulated. Added perk: you can get porter service – once you drop off your many packages they will help you bring all of them to the valet area and load them into the car.
Gift Wrapping Perk: Free gift wrapping when you are an Avion Infinite & Platinum Card member. It was easy to let those Avion Elves turn my gifts into gorgeous presents… They had a great selection of wrapping paper and ribbons. My only tip is make sure to drop off your gifts by 8:30 pm because there are plenty of people that take advantage of this perk. They are VERY VERY busy elves. If you are visiting the mall, you too can get your gifts wrapped for a small donation to 
Hot Beverages and Snacks Perk: When I first arrived at the lounge, I was in need of a snack, so David and Aaron were more then happy to make me a delicious white chocolate hot beverage. With your choice of coffee, tea or hot chocolate from beverage sponsor Second Cup and treats from Purdy’s Chocolates and Walkers shortbread, I left on my shopping excursion very well fed! 
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials
Recharge Perk: You don’t have to make a marathon six hour shopping trip like me but if you do, you may have to have a quiet sit down to charge yourself and your cell phone. The Avion Holiday boutique provided an area to sit peacefully and charge your electronics while you listened to some amazing live music (we had a piano player).
I have to say one of the best parts of shopping was being able to enjoy the whole experience because the #AvionVIP Holiday Boutique made it fun. I felt pampered and spoiled. It was so nice to be able to take adantage of all of the perks that you get when you are an Avion Infinite or Platinum Card holder. If you want to know what sort of “perks” you get from being a member. I have listed a few here: 
RBC Avion Cards Benefits and Rewards
Earning is simple and easy
Earn 1 RBC Rewards point for every dollar spent on purchases with your RBC Avion card. Plus, earn bonus points when shopping through the RBC Rewards eMall™.
Premium and Extensive Insurance package including trip cancellation and protection for your trip, hotel, rental vehicle, and purchases.
Choose air travel rewards from the Air Travel Redemption Schedule starting as low as 15,000 points and fly on any airline, anytime with no blackouts, or seat restrictions†.
Book travel rewards instantly. Only the RBC Rewards program has an online booking tool that’s powered by Travelocity‡.
And many more perks! Check out both the RBC Infinite Avion Card and the RBC Platinum Avion Card details here: http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/
I hope you have enjoyed visiting Yorkdale with me…
Disclosure – I am part of the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials
I have to say, I am very tempted to leave *another bank* for the travel perks. I love to travel and using my points is how I manage to get to conferences. I am looking at Blogher14 in San Jose so the points would be very convenient. Give the RBC Avion card a look the perks were fabulous.
That is awesome, I can’t even decide which perk I like best, the parking is a must, the coat check is fabulous, I often get too hot when in the mall and it makes me want to leave early, and the gift wrapping is amazing, looks like wonderful wrap choices as well! Fantastic!
I have to tell you… it was well worth the drive from London… so many shops that I would not normally see plus its all indoors. A bonus for this -12 degree weather…
I love when you’re rewarded for being a customer! Way to go RBC!
That is true… it has great perks when you shop and all that shopping will help you get to those trips faster…
I do not have an RBC avion – I must say though, seeing all these posts about the VIP experiences has me wishing I did! Great services to be had – valet parking and coat check would be awesome for me!
Don’t forget the porter service…for all those great gifts you’re going to buy. It was fun to go… what a nice perk.
I need to check it out the one at Mail Champlain! Seriously, everything about the RBC Avion lounge is wonderful! Love that you can go in there and relax… BONUS that they wrap your purchases too! I have a basic VISA, I may just go check to see if I can have it upgraded 🙂
Make sure to check to see that you get the extra points for signing up. It basically equal a credit of $350 towards any flight. That would help getting you to Blogher in San Jose if you are going next year…