14,000 Avion points† 
$100First-year value† The RBC® ION+ Visa presents an enticing choice for casual travellers who are digital savvy and frequently utilize apps like grocery delivery services, ride shares, and subscription services. The added value of $48 per year is justified by the enhanced benefits, rendering it a better option when compared to the basic RBC® ION Visa.
For a modest annual fee, there is also a standard insurance coverage including mobile device insurance, purchase security, and extended warranty.
Bonuses & Fees
The promotional offer on the RBC® ION+ Visa is 14,000 Avion points, granted upon approval.^
The card has an annual fee of $48 for primary cardholders† and no fee for supplementary cardholders†.
However, if you’re a student with an RBC Advantage™ Banking Account, you can get this fee fully rebated every year, making the ION+ effectively a $0 annual fee card while you’re in school.
How Much Is This Offer Worth?
If you were to redeem the 14,000 Avion points from approval in gift cards, that’s $100 in value†. It’s one of the easiest and most straight forward to redeem Avion points.
However, you can typically get a little more value by redeeming your Avion points for travel.
Here’s a breakdown of what the welcome bonus for the RBC® ION+ Visa is worth. Keep in mind that this doesn’t take into consideration the potential value of other card benefits, which we’ll outline in detail below.
We value Avion points at 2 cents per point, placing the 14,000 Avion points on approval at at $280 in value†.
After subtracting the $48 annual fee, your net first-year value comes to $232†—and that’s before factoring in the card’s ongoing benefits.
Of course, your actual value could be even higher by leveraging the card’s other benefits; however, this is unique to each cardholder, and our valuation assumes a minimum amount of value rather than a maximum amount of value.
Earning Rewards
The RBC® ION+ Visa offers the following earning rates:
- 3 Avion points per dollar spent† on qualifying grocery, dining, food delivery, gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming and digital subscriptions†
- 1 Avion point per dollar spent† on all other qualifying purchases†
- 1 Moi Rewards point per two dollars spent† at Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, Brunet and Première Moisson when you scan your Moi card and pay with your linked ION+ Visa card (minimum purchase required)†
The first thing you’ll notice is not only the unique categorized earning, but the incredibly high elevated earning rate of 3x on streaming, digital gaming, and digital subscriptions.
Compared to the basic RBC® ION Visa, this is double the categorized earning for just $48 a year.
The baseline earn rate of 1 Avion point per dollar spent is on par with many mid-tier credit cards as well, offering a decent value for its annual fee.
Additionally, you’ll earn 1 Moi Rewards point per two dollars spent† at select Metro group stores by scanning your linked Moi card and pay with your ION+ Visa card.
To get a better idea on how much you can earn each month with this card, feel free to use our rewards calculator below.
Redeeming Rewards
Although the RBC® ION+ Visa earns Avion points, as is the case on the higher-tier RBC® Avion credit cards, the card earns a different tier, known as Premium. These points can’t be transferred to three of four airline partners, except for WestJet Rewards, where the prevailing 1:1 ratio (1 Avion point = 1 WestJet point) applies†.
Also, ION and ION+ cardholders can’t redeem points via the Air Travel Redemption Schedule, which lets you use Avion points to book round-trip economy class tickets departing from Canada, up to a certain maximum ticket price.
Instead, you’re limited to using your points at a flat rate of 0.58 cents per point (cpp) for travel booked via the Avion Rewards centre†, which is weaker than the 1cpp redemption rate that you get from holding a higher-tier Avion card.
Luckily, if you ever decide to upgrade your ION card to one of the RBC® Avion cards, any points you’ve collected will be upgraded as well. Then, you’ll have the ability to access higher-value travel redemptions that are exclusive to Avion cardholders.
Furthermore, if you also happen to have an RBC® Avion card, you can convert the Avion points earned on your ION cards into the more powerful tier of Avion points at a 1:1 ratio. This way, you can benefit from the elevated earning rates on the RBC® ION+ Visa, with the more flexible redemption options through Avion points.
At Prince of Travel, we value these Avion points in the elite tier at 2 cents per point, given their transferability to airline partners and premium travel redemptions.
Indeed, this is what we refer to as The Optimized RBC Credit Card Portfolio, as you leverage the stronger earning rates on the RBC® ION+ Visa with the more powerful tier of points with an eligible Avion card.
Your points never expire for as long as you’re a cardholder. If you cancel or switch to a different RBC® product, you have 90 days to redeem your points before they go away.
Moi Rewards points can be redeemed starting at 500 points ($4 value), equivalent to 0.8 cents per point (cpp). After that, redemptions can be made in flexible $1 increments (125 points each).
Perks & Benefits
RBC® ION+ Visa cardholders can save 3¢/L on fuel at Petro-Canada, and will earn 20% more Petro-Points and Avion points upon linking their card to their Petro-Points account†.
By adding your RBC® ION+ Visa card to your DoorDash account, you can receive six months of complimentary DashPass subscription†.
Lastly, ION cardholders can earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Rexall when you pay with your linked RBC card and scan your Be Well card†.
Insurance Coverage
The RBC® ION+ Visa offers a standard insurance coverage, which is decent for its minimal annual fee. There is mobile device insurance, purchase security, and extended warranty insurance†.
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