RBC ION+ Visa vs TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege*: Which one is better?
RBC ION+ Visa
3
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege*
2.9
Welcome Bonus
3,500 Avion points (“Welcome Points”) will appear within the first two monthly statements. 3,500 additional Avion points will be awarded to you if a total of $500 or more in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) are posted to your RBC ION+ Visa credit card account within the first 3 months from the date of your credit card account open date, provided your account is open and in good standing at the time you reach $500 in Qualifying Transactions.
Welcome Bonus
20,000 points after the eligible first purchase. 35,000 additional bonus points after spending $12,000 within 180 days of account opening. 30,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $24,000 within 12 months of Account opening at the anniversary of the card.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$425.98
RBC ION Avion
First Year Bonus Value
+
$70
RBC ION Avion
Annual Fee
-
$48
First Year Value
$447.98
$377.98 in years after
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$601.85
Air Canada Aeroplan®
First Year Bonus Value
+
$420
Air Canada Aeroplan®
Annual Fee
-
$599
First Year Value
$422.85
$2.85 in years after
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
How to Earn Rewards
- 3 points for every dollar in Grocery, Dining, Food Delivery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchases
- 1 point for everything else
How to Earn Rewards
- 2 points on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations if they are in the first $100k transactions of the year
- 1.5 points on Gas, Groceries, Travel and Dining if they are in the first $100k transactions of the year
- 1.25 Point on everything else
Insurance Included
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,000
Extended Warranty
Up to a year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Insurance Included
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,500Extended Warranty
2 yearsPurchase Protection
120 days
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$2.5K/person
Baggage Delay
$1K/person after 4 hours.svg)
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Up to 48 consecutive rental days
Travel Accident
$500,000
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$2500
Emergency Out of province Medical
$5M/insured up to 31 daysEmergency Medical Over 65
$5M/insured up to 4 days
Trip Cancellation
$2.5K/person, $5K/trip
Trip Interruption
$5K/person, $25K/tripFlight Delay
$1,000/person after 4 hours
Extra Benefits
Extra points
50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall.svg)
Gas Discount
save 3¢/L on fuel and always earn 20% more Petro-Points at Petro-Canada
Extra Benefits
Extra points
Earn 50% more Stars and 50% more Aeroplan points at participating Starbucks storesExtra points
Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and over 170 online retailers through the Aeroplan eStoreExtra points
Earn 2 Aeroplan points for every $1 you spend on eligible purchases with Rocky Mountaineer, Plus, cardholders could receive a GoldLeaf Upgrade, and a hotel room upgrade
Car Rental Discount
10% off base rate of Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car
Visa Infinite Exclusive Benefits
Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass
6 Free complimentary visits
Trip and legal Assistance
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Concierge Services
Companion Voucher
Annual Worldwide Companion Pass from $99 to a max of $599 After spending $25,000 on your card.svg)
Status lift
Reach Aeroplan Elite™ Status sooner by earning 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles and one (1) Status Qualifying Segment for every $5,000 of net purchasesStatus lift
Complimentary upgrade to Avis® President's ClubStatus lift
Primary Cardholders who also hold Aeroplan Elite Status can roll over up to 200,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) beyond the status level for which they’ve qualified, from the prior qualification year to qualify for status the next year.Status lift
Primary Cardholders who also hold Aeroplan Elite Status will benefit from an extra 12 months to use eUpgrade credits, for a total of 24 months from issuance.Status lift
Diamond Status with Visa RSVP Rewards™ Benefit. Benefits at 60+ participating Sandman, Sandman Signature and Sutton Place Hotels from coast-to-coast in Canada and beyond..svg)
Free first checked bag
First checked bag is free for primary cardholder on AirCanada flight and up to 8 guests
Nexus Program Rebate
$100 every 4 years
Priority Travel
At Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal airports get benefits such as Priority Security lane, Complimentary valet, premium parking spots, priorioty taxi and limo lane and discount for parking.Priority Travel
Get Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding and Priority Baggage Handling, Priority Airport Standby & Priority Airport Upgrades for you, your authorized users and up to 8 companions on the same flight (Only AirCanada)
Golf Benefit
Troon Rewards Golf benefits like discounts at over 95 resorts and courses around the world plus access to select private clubs across the U.SAirport Lounge - Maple Leaf and AirCanada Cafes
Unlimited Access for you and one guest
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Annual Fee
$48
Annual Fee
$599
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$150,000
Min Household Income:
$200,000
Loyalty Program
Loyalty Program
Point Redemption Options
Gift Cards
0.72¢ / point
Merchandise
0.7¢ / point
Travel
0.6¢ / pointMost Optimal
Transfer to WestJet
1¢ / point
Financial Products
0.83¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
0.58¢ / point
Point Redemption Options
Travel
0.825¢ / pointMerchandise
0.75¢ / pointGift Cards
0.72¢ / pointMost Optimal
Aeroplan® Flights
2.1¢ / pointCar Rentals
0.9¢ / point
Is this card worth it?
This card is not by any means one of our favorite cards. For an annual fee it offers almost no notable benefits, with many no annual fee credit cards offering much more. The points earned are fine, but given the inflexibility of ION Avion points, it's very hard to get good value for the points earned, and it's much easier to earn more and do the same with some other credit card reward programs.
Is this card worth it?
If you travel a lot throughout the year with Air Canada, the benefits of this card can significantly enhance your experience. It can help you achieve the next status level with Aeroplan and provide a better airport experience, therefore it can be worth the price tag. However, if you don't frequently fly with Air Canada, the benefits may not justify the card's expensive price tag.
Pros
- Insurance coverage is very little for a card with annual fee. There are cards with no annual fee that offer even better benefits.
- Avion reward points are generally not very flexible and not as valuable if not used for WestJet travel; therefore, if that's not your plan, there are many better cards that can be used.
- The annual fee isn't justifiable based on the reward program this card offers.
Pros
- Premium experience for Elite Air Canada travelers with many benefits and status upgrades.
- High coverage limit on insurance.
- Numerous luxury benefits and statuses available for use.
Cons
- Bonus saving of 3 cents per liter on gas at Petro-Canada stations.
- 12,000 avion points welcome bonus.
Cons
- The rewards rate on this card is not that high. There are non-Aeroplan cards with much better reward programs, and their points can later be transferred to this card, making them better options if you are looking to gather Aeroplan points.
- You lose the flexibility to use other airlines if you want to take advantage of the benefits of this card.
- The high price tag makes this card a poor choice if you don't frequently travel with Air Canada.
- The unlimited lounge access is limited to Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafe lounges which don't have a great worldwide coverage.
vs TD Rewards Visa* Card
vs TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Credit Card
vs TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
vs TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card
vs TD Low Rate Visa* Card
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vs TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card
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vs Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card
vs American Express Cobalt® Card