The Best Credit Card for Earning Avion Points (RBC Avion Visa Infinite Review)

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The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card is a great way for Canadians to earn Avion points 

Some travel programs in Canada allow you to transfer your points to other loyalty programs. These programs can be immensely valuable to Canadians. You can combine high sign-up bonuses, with enhanced flexibility. It’s a win-win. The flexibility of the RBC Avion program can be a great resource for Canadians who are looking to travel the world on points

By signing up for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card, you can leverage their in-house travel program, or you can transfer your points to other loyalty programs, allowing you to easily save over $1,000 on your dream vacation. 


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The Basics 

Annual Fee: $120

Sign-up Bonus: Up to 55,000 Avion points (Formerly “RBC Rewards Points”)

First Year Free: No. However, If you have an RBC VIP Banking Account, you receive a fee waiver on one of RBC’s premium credit cards, in which case the annual fee would be waived.

GCR Rebate: $0

Referral Bonus: None

Lounge Access: No

First Year Value: $850

Apply Here


RBC Avion Visa Infinite Sign-up Bonus 

New cardholders earn 35,000 RBC Avion points upon approval

New cardholders will also earn 20,000 Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first 6 months. 


Earning Rewards

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card allows you to earn Avion points. The earn rates are as follows: 

1.25 RBC Rewards per dollar spent on travel purchases

1 RBC Reward for every dollar spent everywhere else

While other cards have higher earning rates for particular categories (the American Express Cobalt card offers 5 Membership Rewards on Food & Drink, which can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio), the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card provides great everyday earning if you are interested in collecting Avion points

Given that some establishments don’t accept American Express, it’s a good idea to have a Visa or Mastercard card in your wallet that has solid everyday earning. The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card certainly fits that parameter.


Redeeming Your Rewards

One of, if not the best reason for you to start collecting Avoin points is that you can transfer those points to a bevy on transfer partners including: 

RBC Avion Transfer Partners

Theoretically, if you have 50,000 Avion points, you’d receive the following miles when transferring out your points:

Airline PartnerConversion Rate
WestJet Rewards50,000 Avion Points = 500 WestJet Dollars
American Airlines AAdvantage Miles50,000 Avion Points = 35,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles50,000 Avion Points = 50,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
British Airways Avios Miles50,000 RBC Rewards = 50,000 British Airways Avios Miles
RBC Avion Transfer Ratios

Bottom line is, regardless of where you’d like to take your vacation, Avoin Points can help you get there. 

Occasionally, RBC will offer “bonus transfers” on certain airline partners.  


RBC Avion Rewards In-House Redemptions

If you don’t want to transfer your points to the partners mentioned above, Avion points can be redeemed directly through RBC’s in house travel portal. 

RBC Avion redemptions
Source: rbc.com

A. Quick Getaways (15,000 points) – You can redeem points for travel from one province/state to an adjacent province/state. 

Toronto to Quebec city would qualify under these parameters, while Toronto to Chicago would not 


B. Explore North America (35,000 points) – These redemptions are eligible for inter-continental flights. 

Toronto to Vancouver would qualify, while Toronto to Hawaii would not 


C. Holiday Destinations (45,000 points) – These redemptions cover flights from Western Canada (MB,SK,AB,BC,YK,NT) to Alaska, Hawaii, and Mexico. For those living east of Manitoba, these redemption cover flights to Bermuda, Central America, or the Caribbean 


D. Take a Vacation (55,000) – These redemptions cover flights within North America + Alaska & Hawaii 


E. Visit Europe (65,000) – These redemptions cover flights from North America to Europe 


F. See the World (100,000) – These redemptions cover flights from North America to any global destination. 


There is also a table for one-way flights, which is shown below

RBC Avion one way

Read: Your complete guide to RBC Rewards


RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card Benefits


Savings at Petro Canada

Petro Canada has a relationship with RBC that will allow you to save 3 cents/litre if you link your RBC debit or credit card with your Petro Points account. Needless to say, you should be taking this initial step if you own an RBC credit card. 

You can link your card here


Complimentary DoorDash Membership

Cardholders receive 12 months of complimentary DoorDash DashPass as part of a partnership between RBC & DoorDash.


RBC Avion Visa Infinite Insurance Coverage

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card comes with a suite of insurance products that you would associate with a mid-tier credit card. As a cardholder, you receive the following insurance coverage: 

  • Emergency Medical Insurance – up to 15 days
  • Travel Accident Insurance – up to $500,000
  • Car Rental Damage Insurance 
  • Trip Cancellation Insurance – up to $5,000 and 
  • Trip Interruption Insurance – up to $25,000
  • Flight Delay Insurance – up to $500

Summary

While Aeroplan gets a lot of the buzz amongst Canadian travellers, the RBC Avion program should not be overlooked, primarily due to it’s flexibility. 

By signing up for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you can easily save up to $1,000 on your dream vacation. 

Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $120 annual fee is worth taking into the second year.

If you currently own another RBC credit card and would like to transfer to the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card, you can perform a credit card switch on the RBC banking page, or by calling their credit card hotline. Switching from one RBC credit card to another DOES NOT impact your credit score

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