Canada’s 9 Best CIBC Credit Cards

CIBC Credit Cards: What You Need to Know

When choosing a CIBC credit card, you should familiarize yourself with what benefits a CIBC credit card can offer, what features to look out for, and how CIBC credit cards can fit into an optimized overall credit card strategy.

Why get a CIBC credit card?

CIBC credit cards are one of the best ways to earn Aeroplan points. As one of Aeroplan’s bank partners, their co-branded cards can be used in conjunction with their counterparts from TD and American Express to build your rewards balance very quickly.

Once you have your flights covered, CIBC’s in-house Aventura Points are a great way to cover your other travel expenses. You can use them for hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, and cruises. If you do want to use Aventura Points for flights, you can get even better value for round-trip economy flights by using the Aventura Flight Rewards Chart.

If you already bank with CIBC, having one of their credit cards is a no-brainer. You can get your annual fee partially or fully rebated every year if you have a CIBC Smart Plus chequing account. This is useful if you plan on keeping a premium card year after year for its benefits and higher everyday earning rates.

What should you look for in a CIBC credit card?

CIBC has three different types of rewards on their credit cards, all on the Visa payment network:

• Aeroplan co-branded cards earn Aeroplan points and come with Air Canada benefits. They’re best for avid Aeroplan collectors who know how to stretch the value of their frequent flyer points, or who will benefit from travel insurance on Aeroplan award ticket bookings.
• Aventura cards earn points that can be used for travel expenses. You can book by calling the CIBC Rewards Centre, at a fixed rate of 1 cent per point for travel redemptions. If you redeem them online while a travel charge is pending, you can get a value of 1.25 cents per point, which is optimal. For greater value, you can use the Aventura Flight Rewards Chart for up to 2.3 cents per point. Overall, CIBC Aventura cards have similar earning rates as their Aeroplan cards, but the points generally aren’t worth as much.
• Dividend cards make up CIBC’s cash back roster. Rewards can be redeemed any time you’ve accumulated at least $25. They’re the easiest rewards to use and understand, but the trade-off is that their value is limited compared to travel points. That said, they offer highly competitive rates compared to their peers, with strong bonuses on groceries and gas, along with respectable rates in other categories.

For each type of rewards, CIBC offers cards with a wide range of welcome bonuses, everyday rewards, annual fees, perks, and income requirements.

CIBC is the only Aeroplan financial partner to offer cards with no annual fee. These are great choices if you want to keep your costs down while maintaining a base level of cardholder benefits and preventing your points from expiring.

Also, each of their entry-level cards have a variant specifically for students. These cards are easier to get approved for if you have no credit history. They have no income requirement and no annual fee.

Any of these cards come with the standard benefits for their Visa tier:

• All Visa Infinite cards have access to Concierge services, the Luxury Hotel Collection, and the Dining Series & Wine Country program
• In addition, Visa Infinite Privilege cards come with a DragonPass membership which includes six annual visits to participating airport lounges and restaurants each year

CIBC regularly offers First Year Free promotions for new signups for all cards at or below the Visa Infinite tier. It’s generally best to wait for one of these opportunities before applying.

What’s the optimal strategy for CIBC credit cards?

If you’re a dedicated traveller who wants to see as much of the world as possible by maximizing your credit cards, CIBC’s wide range of credit cards will have a major presence in your wallet.

In an optimized credit card strategy, you would prioritize CIBC’s Aeroplan credit cards (in conjunction with Aeroplan cards from TD and American Express) to collect a large balance of Aeroplan points, which you’d use towards booking international flights at a high value.

Meanwhile, you’d use the more flexible CIBC Aventura credit cards to cover your non-flight travel expenses, such as car rentals or non-chain hotels.

You could redeem Aventura Points at a flat rate of 1 cent per point, book flights through the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart at 2 cents per point or more, or use your $200 travel credit from the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card towards those other travel expenses.

CIBC is also known for granting the welcome bonus upon upgrading cards within the same family or switching credit cards between the Aeroplan and Aventura families, so you could collect points and maximize benefits across both card families while preserving the same account (and all of its history) on your credit file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some questions we frequently hear from readers about the best CIBC credit cards in Canada.

Can I have the CIBC Aeroplan no fee, Infinite, and Privilege cards at the same time?

Yes, the cards are separate products. You can have any combination at the same time, and you can open them all and be eligible for all welcome bonuses. However, Aeroplan may limit the number of credit card bonuses awarded to a member.

Which credit bureau does CIBC check?

CIBC uses Equifax for credit inquiries. Each inquiry is valid for 90 days, and you can reuse it on another application if you visit a branch.

Can I get CIBC business cards?

Yes, you can easily apply as a sole proprietor doing business as your own name. CIBC typically asks for business registration documents, so make sure to have them ready before submitting an application.

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