CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card is the go-to Aeroplan credit card for those loyal to the CIBC financial network. Cardholders enjoy a suite of ongoing Air Canada perks, as well as an annual fee rebate in the first year.

Bonuses & Fees

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite currently offers up to 45,000 Aeroplan points as a signup bonus, awarded in three parts:

• Earn 10,000 Aeroplan points upon first purchase
• Earn 20,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $4,000 in the first four months
• Earn 15,000 Aeroplan points as an anniversary bonus upon spending $10,000 in the first year

The $139 annual fee is currently waived for the first year. Otherwise, if the first-year fee waiver were not available, then it can be waived if you have a CIBC Smart Plus Chequing Account.

The signup bonus of 45,000 points is quite generous, although it comes paired with a hefty minimum spending requirement. It’s worth noting that it’s lower than other Aeroplan co-branded credit cards in the same tier.

Supplementary cards may be added for an annual fee of $50 apiece, although the first three supplementary cards enjoy a first-year annual fee waiver under the current promotion.

Earning Rewards

The earning structure on the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card is as follows:

• Earn 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar spent gas, groceries, electric vehicle charging, and Air Canada
• Earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent elsewhere

Compared to other mid-tier Aeroplan co-branded credit cards, CIBC’s version is the only one that offers an elevated earning rate for electric vehicle charging. Otherwise, the earning rates are on par with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card.

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card is a solid choice to have in your wallet for day to day spending especially, since Visa cards are pretty widely accepted.

Redeeming Rewards

Aeroplan remains the program of choice for the vast majority of Canadians aiming to redeem their points for high-value international business and First Class redemptions.

Redeeming Aeroplan points follows the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart, and can cost as little as 55,000 points one-way from Vancouver to Tokyo in business class.

From the East Coast, 60,000 Aeroplan points (or often fewer, thanks to Air Canada’s preferred pricing if you hold Elite Status or a credit card) would unlock a transatlantic flight to most parts of Western Europe.

Closer to home: short-haul flights within North America that are under 500 miles only cost 6,000 Aeroplan points one-way.

With a few months of organic spending on top of the signup bonus, points earned would be enough to travel one-way in business class across the continent on routes such as Toronto–Vancouver or Montreal–Los Angeles.

Perks & Benefits

As a cardholder, you’ll receive:

• Free first checked bag on Air Canada flights, for the primary and supplementary cardholders
• Preferred pricing when redeeming Aeroplan points for Air Canada flights
• The ability to earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and 1 Status Qualifying Segment (SQS) for every $10,000 you spend on the card
• Your Aeroplan points won’t expire for as long as you’re a cardholder

It’s worth noting that the extra perks you find on the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card, such as the Priority Pass benefits and the NEXUS fee waiver, aren’t available on this card.

Insurance Coverage

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite includes all the insurance benefits that you’d expect from a premium travel credit card, such as:

• Emergency medical insurance of up to $5,000,000 on the first 15 days of an out-of-province trip (3 days for 65+)

• Flight/trip delay insurance of $500 for delays of at least 4 hours, which comes in handy if you need to replace your incidentals due to a delay

• Baggage delay insurance of $500 per person or a combined $1000

• Car rental theft and damage insurance, which can replace the insurance fees that car rental agencies will try to upsell when renting a car

• $500,000 Common Carrier Accident insurance, which protects you in case of a travel-related accident

• Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance: trip cancellation of up to $1,500 per insured person for a combined $5,000 and Trip Interruption insurance of $2,000 per person

One thing that’s worth noting is that the CIBC Aeroplan credit cards (i.e., this card, plus the Infinite Privilege and the Visa for Business) are among the few cards that will extend their travel insurance benefits to tickets redeemed with Aeroplan points.

Many credit cards in the marketplace consider award travel to be ineligible for travel insurance – you have to put the full revenue ticket cost on the card in order for it to count. Meanwhile, the CIBC Aeroplan cards only require you to charge the taxes and fees of your Aeroplan booking to the credit card in order for the travel insurance to kick in.

If you prefer to cover your bases using travel insurance, yet also frequently travel on Aeroplan points, that makes this card worthwhile to keep around.

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