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Side by Side Credit Cards Comparison
Which one is better?

RBC ION+ Visa
4.5

PC World Elite Mastercard
2.3
Welcome Bonus
Get 14,000 Avion points upon approval^ - that’s $100 of value in gift cards†!
Welcome Bonus
Earn 20,000 points when you get approved.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$433.74
RBC Avion (Premium) Rewards
First Year Bonus Value
+
$140
RBC Avion (Premium) Rewards
Annual Fee
-
$48
First Year Value
$525.74
$385.74 in years after
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$263.54
PC Financial
First Year Bonus Value
+
$20
PC Financial
Annual Fee
-
$0
First Year Value
$283.54
$263.54 in years after
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
How to Earn Rewards
How to Earn Rewards
Insurance Included
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Mobile Device Insurance
Insurance Included
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Travel Medical Insurance
Extra Benefits
Gas Discount
Extra points
Extra points
Extra Benefits
Concierge Services
Identity Theft Assistance
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Balance Transfer:
22.99%
Interest Rates
Purchase:
21.99%
Cash Advance:
22.97%
Annual Fee
$48
Annual Fee
$0
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$80,000
Min Household Income:
$150,000
Loyalty Program
Loyalty Program
Point Redemption Options
Statement Credits (Cash)
Most Optimal
Transfer to WestJet
Financial Products
Gift Cards
Merchandise
Travel
Point Redemption Options
Statement Credits (Cash)
Groceries
Gas (Esso)
Is this card worth it?
The RBC Ion+ Visa delivers exceptional value for its modest $48 annual fee, offering an impressive 3x Avion points on a comprehensive range of everyday spending categories including groceries, dining, gas, streaming, and transit. What makes this card particularly appealing is its standout mobile device insurance coverage up to $1,000 for two years, plus the fee waiver for students with qualifying RBC accounts. While the card earns Avion Premium points, they can be converted 1:1 to the more valuable Avion Elite points when paired with an eligible RBC Avion card, unlocking premium travel redemptions and airline transfers, making this one of the best low-cost rewards cards available in Canada.
Is this card worth it?
This is a great card to have in your arsenal if you frequently shop at Shoppers Drug Mart®, Loblaw's owned chains, and ESSO and Mobil gas stations, as you will earn significant rewards in these categories. The additional benefits, such as out-of-province medical insurance, car rental damage insurance, and concierge service, are impressive and typically only come with cards that have annual fees; however, you can access these benefits for free with this card. We do not recommend using this as your primary credit card but as a supplement to another primary card, especially because there are no fees. This is because the rewards on purchases outside the mentioned shops are very average, and many other cards offer much more substantial rewards for general use.
Pros
Pros
Cons
Cons
vs Scotia Momentum® Visa* Card
vs CIBC Costco Mastercard
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vs SimplyCash™ Preferred Card from American Express
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vs MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
vs American Express® Green Card
vs Simplii Financial™ Cash Back Visa* Card
vs American Express Gold Rewards Card®
vs Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard®
vs American Express Cobalt® Card
Legal
® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).
^ This offer only applies to new applications for an RBC ION + Visa credit card received and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”), subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC ION+ Visa credit card account, as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card transferring to an RBC ION+ Visa credit card during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.
14,000 welcome Avion points (“Welcome Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty (60) days after your application has been approved, provided that your RBC ION+ Visa credit card account (“Credit Card Account”) remains open and in good standing at the time the Welcome points are credited to your account, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive credit card account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status.
If you close or change your RBC ION+ Visa credit card for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome Points have been credited to your account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank reserves the right to cancel, modify or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even after your application has been approved, including if we suspect that you may be manipulating or abusing it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by Royal Bank in its sole discretion. For complete terms and conditions that apply to the Avion Rewards Program, please visit www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800-769-2512.
† To get $100 worth of gift cards/certificates, you will need a total of 14,000 Avion points. Minimum redemption of 1,400 Avion points for most $10 gift cards/certificates. Some exceptions apply. Point redemption values may fluctuate. For general redemption terms, conditions and restrictions that apply to the Avion Rewards program, as well as for current point redemption values, please visit https://www.avionrewards.com/terms-and-conditions.html or call 1-800-769-2512.
2 You will earn 3 Avion points for every $1.00 in Grocery, Dining, Food Delivery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchases you make on your RBC ION+ Visa credit card at merchants classified by Visa’s “Merchant Category Code” (MCC). Depending on how certain merchants are categorized by Visa’s “Merchant Category Code” (MCC) they may not qualify as an eligible MCC. Eligible MCCs are listed as:
(i) “Grocery Stores and Supermarkets” (MCC 5411), “Eating Place sand Restaurants” (MCC 5812), “Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) – Bars, Taverns, Nightclubs, Cocktail Lounges, and Discotheques” (MCC 5813), “Fast Food Restaurants” (MCC 5814), are “Grocery, Dining, and Food Delivery Purchases”. Government liquor agencies and package stores that sell beer, wine, and liquor do not qualify as part of the “Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)– Bars, Taverns, Nightclubs, Cocktail Lounges, and Discotheques” MCC;
(ii) “Service Stations (With or without Ancillary Services)” (MCC 5541), “Automated Fuel Dispensers” (MCC 5542), “Taxicabs and Limousines” (MCC 4121), “Local and Suburban Commuter Passenger Transportation, Including Ferries” (MCC 4111), “Electric Vehicle Charging” (MCC 5552) are “Rides, Gas & Electric Vehicle Charging Purchases”. Non-commuter passenger railway purchases and non-commuter bus line purchases do not qualify as part of “Rides, Gas & Electric Vehicle Charging Purchases”.
(iii) “Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Music” (MCC 5815), “Digital Goods – Games” (MCC 5816), “Digital Goods – Applications (Excludes Games)” (MCC 5817), “Digital Goods – Large Digital Goods Merchants” (MCC 5818), “Cable, Satellite and Other Pay Television/Radio/Streaming Services” (MCC 4899) are “Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchases”. The “Digital Goods –Games” MCC does not include games of chance and gambling.
You will earn 1 Avion point for every $1.00 on all other purchases (including pre-authorized bill payments) you make on your RBC ION+ Visa credit card. Even though some merchants may sell Grocery, Dining, Food Delivery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions merchandise, purchases made at these locations may not necessarily qualify as Eligible MCCs if the merchant is not classified as such by Visa. Also, you may make a purchase at a merchant that is not classified as an Eligible MCC but is located on the premises of a merchant that is classified as an Eligible MCC, in which case your purchase would not qualify as an Eligible MCC. We cannot guarantee that any merchant, operating in whole or in part as a Grocery, Dining, Food Delivery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions merchant is classified as an Eligible MCC and in no event will we be liable or responsible for any claims with respect to a Grocery, Dining, Food Delivery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchase made at a merchant that is not classified as an Eligible MCC. Avion points are earned on net purchases only; they are not earned on cash advances (balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges or fees, and credits for returns and adjustments will reduce or cancel the points earned by the amounts originally charged.
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