American Express Cobalt® Card

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card

APPLY NOW

American Express Cobalt® Card vs TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card

Which one is better? Both cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.

Finly rebate

$75

4.9

Apply now Get $75 Finly rebate

Our review Rewards calculator

4.3

Apply now

Our review Rewards calculator

Welcome bonus

Each offer as the issuer words it. The numbers below show whether your spending reaches it.

The offer

Earn 1,250 Membership Rewards^® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in purchases on your amex cobalt credit card in the first Year. That's up to 15,000 Membership Rewards^® points.

Up to $3,300 in value^† including up to 100,000 Aeroplan points^† and additional travel benefits could be yours. Conditions Apply.

Earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first Purchase with your new Card^†
Earn an additional 30,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $12,000 within 180 days of Account opening^†
Plus, earn a one-time anniversary bonus of 50,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $24,000 within 12 months of Account opening^†

Offer may be changed, withdrawn, or extended at any time and cannot be combined with any other offer unless otherwise indicated.

Additional Travel Benefits:

Apply for the NEXUS program membership and once every 48 months get a partial application fee rebate (up to $100 CAD per eligible cardholder)^†.
Share free first checked bags for you and up to 8 travel companions^† and get unlimited access to Maple Leaf Lounges^†including complementary access for one guest.
Plus, cardholders get 6 complimentary worldwide select airport lounge visits annually through the Visa Airport Companion Program^†

What each card is worth

Rewards, the welcome bonus and any Finly rebate in, the annual fee and FX fees out, all on your spending.

Worked out on a typical $2,000 a month of spending. Enter yours to see your own numbers.

$1,147

First-year value

$329

$787

Every year after

-$51

Amex Cobalt is worth $818 more to you in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $838 a year.

How the first year adds up

Annual rewards

$979.03

51,528 points a year

Welcome bonus

+ $285

first year only

Annual fee

− $191.88

Finly rebate

+ $75

paid by FinlyWealth

First-year value

$1,147.15

1.9¢ a pointAmerican Express Membership Rewards, redeemed for Transfer to Airline Partners

Annual rewards

$548.34

28,860 points a year

Welcome bonus

+ $380

first year only

Annual fee

− $599

First-year value

$329.34

1.9¢ a pointAeroplan, redeemed for Flights

Where each card earns

A year of your spending at each card's own reward rates, most first.

5xFood, drinks and groceries in Canada

32,604 pts

$619.48

2xGas, transit & ride share in Canada

4,692 pts

$89.15

3xStreaming subscriptions in Canada

1,440 pts

$27.36

1xAll other purchases

12,792 pts

$243.05

1.5xAll other categories with bonus points

16,056 pts

$305.06

2xAir Canada

480 pts

$9.12

1xAll other purchases

12,324 pts

$234.16

Fees, rates and eligibility

What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.

$191.88

billed monthly

Annual fee

$599

Additional cards

$199

Interest rates

Purchase:

21.99%¹

Cash Advance:

21.99%¹

¹ If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.

Purchase:

21.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Recommended credit score

300

Poor

693

Fair

743⁎

Good

790⁎

Very Good

833⁎

Excellent

⁎Estimates based on TransUnion scoring

300

Poor

560

Fair

660⁎

Good

725⁎

Very Good

760⁎

Excellent

⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

Min Personal Income:

$150,000

Min Household Income:

$200,000

How each card earns

The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.

5x points per $1 spent on eligible eats and drinks in Canada, including groceries and food delivery (up to 12,500 points per month)
3x points per $1 spent on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada
2x points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit & ride share in Canada
1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Earn 2 points^†for every $1 spent on eligible purchases made direct through Air Canada^® purchases (including Air Canada Vacations^®)
Earn 1.5 points† for every $1 you charge to your Card on eligible gas, electric vehicle charging, groceries, travel & transit and dining purchases.
Earn 1.25 points^†for every $1 spent on all other purchases made with your Card
Earn points twice when you pay with your Card and provide your Aeroplan number at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and at 200+ online retailers via the Aeroplan eStore (www.aeroplan.com/estore).
Earn more at Starbucks: Link your eligible Card to earn 50% more Aeroplan points plus more Starbucks Stars. Redeem points for even more Stars. Conditions apply.

Points and how we value them

Points become dollars at each card's best redemption. Here's the value we used, and every other way to spend them.

Loyalty program

American Express Membership Rewards

We count each point at 1.9¢ a point, what it's worth redeemed for Transfer to Airline Partners, its best value. Every dollar figure above uses that value.

Aeroplan

We count each point at 1.9¢ a point, what it's worth redeemed for Flights, its best value. Every dollar figure above uses that value.

Point redemption options

Gift Cards

0.91¢ / point

Merchandise

0.63¢ / point

Most Optimal

Transfer to Airline Partners

1.9¢ / point

Fixed Point Travel Program

1.16¢ / point

Transfer to Hotel Partners

1.08¢ / point

Flexible Points Travel Program

1¢ / point

Statement Credits (Cash)

1¢ / point

Amazon.ca

0.7¢ / point

Merchandise

0.75¢ / point

Gift Cards

0.72¢ / point

Most Optimal

Flights

1.9¢ / point

Car Rentals

0.9¢ / point

Travel

0.825¢ / point

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Insurance

Lost or Stolen Baggage

$500

Baggage Delay

$500

Car Rental Damage & Theft

yes

Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

$250,000

Mobile Device Insurance

$1,000

Extended Warranty

1 year

Purchase Protection

90 days

Hotel Burglary Insurance

$500

Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)

15 days, up to $5M (if under age 65)

Flight Delay

$500

Lost or Stolen Baggage^†

$2,500/person

Baggage Delay^†

$1,000/person after 4 hours

Car Rental Damage & Theft^†

48 days

Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance^†

$500,000

Mobile Device Insurance^†

$1,500

Extended Warranty^†

2 years

Purchase Protection^†

120 days

Hotel Burglary Insurance^†

$2,500

Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)^†

31 days

Flight Delay^†

$1,000/person after 4 hours

Travel Medical Insurance (65 to 75)^†

4 days

Trip Cancellation^†

$2,500/person, $5,000/trip

Trip Interruption^†

$5,000/person, $25,000/trip

Perks

Amex Experiences™

Access Front Of The Line® Amex Presale & Reserved Tickets to some of your favourite concerts and theatre performances and special offers and events curated for Cardmembers with Amex Experiences™

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^†

Concierge Services^†

Companion Voucher^†

Annual Worldwide Companion Pass from $99 to a max of $599 After spending $25,000 on your card

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 purchases

Status lift^†

Complimentary upgrade to Avis® President's Club

Status 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.

Free first checked bag^†

First checked bag is free for primary cardholder on AirCanada flight and up to 8 guests

Extra points^†

Link your eligible Card to earn 50% more Aeroplan points plus more Starbucks Stars. Redeem points for even more Stars. Conditions apply.  

Extra points^†

Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and over 200 online retailers through the Aeroplan eStore

Extra 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

Nexus Program Rebate^†

up to $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.S

Airport Lounge - Maple Leaf and AirCanada Cafes^†

Unlimited Access for you and one guest

Our take

Why we like it

This card was voted one of the Best Credit Card in Canada by FinlyWealth. The rewards earned on this card for a person with average spending exceed those of other credit cards in Canada by a huge margin! In addition, this card has a good benefits coverage, a flexible amex cobalt bonus points redemption program (1:1 transfer to Aeroplan® or Avios), making it the best candidate to become the main credit card for the majority of people.

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

Impressive optimization
1:1 Aeroplan point transfer
Generous welcome bonus
Flexible high value redemptions
Comprehensive coverage
Highly ranked
Instant decision. No credit impact.

Elite Air Canada experience
High insurance coverage
Luxury perks
Generous intro offer

Cons

Limited acceptance
Lacks valuable coverage categories

Low reward rates
Limited airline flexibility
High annual fee
Limiting airport lounge brand

More comparisons

Other cards we've put each of these up against.

Legal

*Terms and conditions apply.

If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

^†Terms and conditions apply.

Sponsored advertising. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on this TD credit card, please click the Apply Now button.