If you’re looking to add a credit card with flexible, transferable points to your wallet, now is a great time to consider RBC’s Avion products.
Presently, RBC® is offering a trio of record-high welcome bonuses on its lineup of Avion personal credit cards: the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, RBC® Avion Visa Platinum†, and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†.
These offers are valid through to November 25, 2024, so be sure to apply before then to take advantage of these excellent deals.
RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†: Up to 55,000 Avion Points†
As it stands, the welcome offer on the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† has returned to its all-time high.
This time, you can earn a welcome bonus of up to 55,000 Avion points,† structured as follows:
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points upon approval†
- Earn 20,000 RBC Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months†
The structure of the welcome bonus is quite lucrative, since you get 35,000 points upon approval†, and then you have six months to fulfill a $5,000 minimum spending requirement, which averages out to $833 per month.
It doesn’t get much more reasonable than that, so if you haven’t yet added the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† to your portfolio, head to the RBC website to learn more.
We value RBC® Avion points† at 2 cents apiece, given their flexibility and frequent transfer bonuses to airline loyalty programs.
Using this valuation, we’d estimate that the welcome bonus of 55,000 RBC® Avion points† is worth at least $1,100, which is one of the most generous offers available in Canada at the moment.
This offer is available until November 25, 2024, so be sure to apply before then if you’re eligible.†
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points† upon approval†
- Plus, earn 20,000 bonus Avion points when you spend $5,000 in your first six months†
- Earn 1.25x RBC Avion points† on qualifying travel purchases
- Transfer RBC Avion points to British Airways Executive Club and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights†
- Redeem Avion points for flights with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule†
- Minimum income: $60,000 personal or $100,000 household
- Annual fee: $120†
- Supplementary card fee: $50
RBC® Avion Visa Platinum†: Up to 55,000 Avion Points† with No Minimum Income Requirement
The RBC® Avion Visa Platinum† is the entry-level product in the Avion family; however, it’s similar to the flagship Visa Infinite† in many ways.
Currently, its welcome bonus is also set at 55,000 Avion points†, with an identical structure:†
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points upon approval†
- Earn 20,000 RBC Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months†
There are a few minor differences between the RBC® Avion Visa Platinum† and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, including the following:
- The Visa Infinite† earns 1.25 Avion points per dollar spent† on travel, whereas the Visa Platinum† earns a flat 1 Avion point per dollar spent† on all purchases
- The Visa Platinum† offers a less comprehensive insurance package – emergency medical insurance and mobile device insurance aren’t included, whereas they are included on the Visa Infinite†
- The Visa Platinum† doesn’t offer the unique dining, hotel, and events benefits that are exclusive to Visa Infinite† cards
However, the most important difference is that the RBC® Avion Visa Platinum† has no minimum income requirement, so this would be the right choice for you if you don’t meet the $60,000 or $100,000 in personal or household annual income, respectively, required for the Visa Infinite.†
This offer is also available until November 25, 2024, so be sure to apply before then if you’re eligible.†
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points† upon approval†
- Plus, earn 20,000 bonus Avion points when you spend $5,000 in your first six months†
- Earn 1 RBC Avion point per dollar spent† on travel purchases
- Transfer RBC Avion points to British Airways Executive Club and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights†
- Redeem RBC Avion points with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule†
- No minimum income requirement
- Annual fee: $120†
RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†: Up to 70,000 Avion Points† + VIP Benefits
The high-end premium product in the Avion family, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†, has an ongoing elevated welcome offer which is higher than the other two personal Avion cards in RBC’s lineup.
This time, you can earn up to 70,000 RBC Avion points,† structured as follows:
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points upon approval†
- Earn 15,000 RBC Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months†
- Earn 20,000 RBC Avion points as a one-time anniversary bonus upon renewing the card for a second year
This is an all-time high offer on the card, up from the previous record of 55,000 points which was available through much of 2023 and 2024.
The welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Avion points† outweighs the $399 annual fee on this card in each of the first two years; however, the $200,000 minimum personal or household income requirement may be prohibitive for some applicants.
Nevertheless, if you’re looking to earn 1.25x Avion points on all purchases†, and try out the ability to redeem points directly against premium fares at 2 cents per point, now’s as good of a time as any to apply for the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege† with this bonus in play.
This offer is available until November 25, 2024, so be sure to apply before then if you’re eligible.†
- Earn up to 35,000 Avion points upon approval†
- Then, earn 15,000 Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months†
- Then, earn 20,000 Avion points as a one-time anniversary bonus upon renewal†
- Plus, earn 1.25x RBC Avion points† on all qualifying purchases
- Use your rewards for any business class flight with no restrictions on dates, seats, or airlines†
- Transfer points to one of four airline partners†
- DragonPass membership with six free lounge visits per year†
- Minimum income: $200,000 personal or household†
- Annual fee: $399†
The Best Ways to Redeem RBC® Avion Points†
RBC® Avion is a transferable points currency, which allows you to transfer the points you earn from any of these Avion cards to four frequent flyer programs:
- 1,000 Avion points = 1,000 British Airways Avios
- 1,000 Avion points = 1,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 1,000 Avion points = 700 American Airlines AAdvantage miles
- 1,000 Avion points = 10 WestJet dollars
Therefore, you have the option of converting the 55,000 Avion points† you’d earn from the welcome bonus on the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† or RBC® Avion Visa Platinum† into any of the following:
- 55,000 British Airways Avios
- 55,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 38,500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles
- 550 WestJet dollars
On top of the usual transfer ratios, RBC® is known for offering occasional transfer bonuses of 20%, 30%, or even 50% to its transfer partners. This means that you can boost your balance even further by holding off for one of these transfer bonus events.
In addition, RBC® features the Air Travel Redemption Schedule, which allows to redeem a fixed number of points for a flight to a certain region with a maximum cash ticket cost allowance.
With this chart, the value is capped due to the maximum ticket cost, so it’s generally recommended to maximize your opportunities with RBC®’s frequent flyer partners instead.
Indeed, that’s where the bulk of the value in the Avion program lies, since you can transfer to any of their partners for a desired booking and aren’t locked in to a single loyalty program.
If, however, you find yourself in a situation in which you’re looking to book a one-way or round-trip flight within Canada and the mainland US, and you aren’t able to find any satisfactory options via British Airways Executive Club or WestJet Rewards, then the RBC® Travel Redemption Chart is a solid option.
Conclusion
The record-high welcome bonuses on two of RBC®‘s Avion credit cards have been set at up to 55,000 Avion points,† or up to 70,000 RBC Avion points in the case of the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†.
If you’re able to combine the offers with a potential transfer bonus to one of RBC®’s frequent flyer partners, you’re all set to be booking some spectacular travel in 2024 and beyond.
Be sure to take advantage of the offers by November 25, 2024, which is when they’re set to expire.
†Refer to RBC® page for up-to-date offer terms and conditions.