Three Canadian Credit Cards That Will Elevate Your Travels

While a single good credit card can provide plenty of benefits and points, the real magic happens when you build a small, focused portfolio where each card has a clear role.

With dozens of Canadian credit cards available, choosing the right ones to pair together can feel overwhelming. Annual fees keep climbing, welcome bonuses shift every quarter, and loyalty programs occasionally adjust their redemption charts.

This guide simplifies the decision by focusing on three Canadian-issued cards that, together, cover your airport experience, hotel loyalty, and everyday spending without the hassle of managing a large wallet.

The Canadian Travel Credit Card Trio

Our recommended combination is the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, and the RBC® ION+ Visa.

Each card fills a distinct gap. The TD card handles travel perks and lounge access, the Marriott card secures your hotel loyalty, and the ION+ maximizes your return on everyday purchases. Together, they create a well-rounded system that works both at home and abroad.

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card: The Travel Perks Card

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card is the anchor of this combo. It earns Aeroplan points on every purchase and comes loaded with premium travel perks that make the airport experience far more enjoyable.

The card earns Aeroplan points at the following rates:

• 2 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on Air Canada® and Air Canada Vacations® purchases^†
• 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on grocery, gas, dining, and transit^†
• 1.25 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on everything else

These earning rates are solid, but the real draw is the card’s travel benefits.

As a cardholder, you’ll receive Maple Leaf Lounge access on flights within North America, giving you a comfortable space to relax before your flight with complimentary food, drinks, and Wi-Fi. For international travel, the card provides six complimentary visits per year to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide through the Visa Airport Companion program, powered by DragonPass.

On Air Canada flights, you’ll enjoy priority check-in, priority boarding, and a free first checked bag. These perks extend to everyone on your booking, not just you.

Other notable benefits include a $100 partial rebate toward your NEXUS application fee every 48 months, priority airport services at select Canadian airports, and a Worldwide Companion Pass after spending $25,000 on the card in a calendar year.

The current welcome bonus offers up to 85,000 Aeroplan points: 20,000 upon your first purchase, 35,000 after spending $12,000 in the first six months, and 30,000 in the second year after spending $24,000 in the first 12 months.^†

We value Aeroplan points at 2.1 cents per point, which means the welcome bonus alone is worth roughly $1,785 in travel value.

Keep in mind that this is a premium card with a $599 annual fee and a minimum income requirement of $150,000 personal or $200,000 household. It's worth noting that TD All-Inclusive Account holders can receive up to a $139 annual fee rebate, bringing the effective cost down to $460. Between the lounge access, Companion Pass potential, and strong earning rates, the card more than justifies its cost for frequent travellers.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card: The Hotel Loyalty Card

If you stay at hotels with any regularity, holding a Marriott co-branded card is one of the simplest ways to fast-track your elite status and unlock free nights.

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card earns Marriott Bonvoy points at the following rates:

• 5 Bonvoy points per dollar spent at Marriott properties
• 2 Bonvoy points per dollar spent on everything else

Beyond the earning rates, the card’s perks are what make it worth holding year after year.

You’ll receive automatic Silver Elite status along with 15 Elite Night Credits per calendar year. Those 15 nights give you a significant head start toward Gold Elite, which otherwise requires 25 qualifying nights. Spend $30,000 on the card in a year and you’ll be upgraded directly to Gold Elite.

Starting in your second year of cardmembership, you’ll also receive an annual Free Night Award with a base value of 35,000 Bonvoy points. You can top this up with up to 25,000 additional points from your account, bringing the effective cap to 60,000 Bonvoy points.

A 60,000-point Free Night Award opens the door to some excellent Marriott properties across Canada and around the world. Considering the card’s $120 annual fee, a single free night at a hotel that would otherwise cost $250 or more means the card pays for itself.

The current welcome bonus is also worth a look. Through a referral link, you can earn up to 110,000 Bonvoy points: 80,000 after spending $6,000 in the first six months, plus an additional 30,000 upon making a purchase in month 15. This elevated offer expires on April 7, 2026.^†

At $120 per year with no minimum income requirement, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is the most accessible card in this trio and delivers outsized value relative to its cost.

RBC® ION+ Visa: The Everyday Spend Card

Every good card combo needs a workhorse for daily spending, and the RBC® ION+ Visa fills that role with ease.

The card earns RBC Avion points at the following rates:

• 3 Avion points per dollar spent on groceries, dining, gas, transit, EV charging, and streaming
• 1 Avion point per dollar spent on everything else

Unlike some competing cards, the ION+ has no annual cap on bonus categories. Every dollar you spend on groceries or dining earns 3x whether it’s January or December, with no monthly or annual ceiling to worry about.

We value Avion points at 2 cents per point when transferred to airline partners, which means you’re earning an effective 6 cents per dollar on groceries, dining, gas, and transit. For a card with a $48 annual fee (waived in the first year), that return rate is remarkable.

A Secret Weapon for Spending Abroad

Most travellers overlook the ION+ for spending abroad because it charges a 2.5% foreign transaction fee. On the surface, that sounds like a deal-breaker. But run the numbers and the math flips in your favour.

When you’re travelling, a large portion of your spending goes toward restaurants, cafés, rideshares, and public transit. All of these categories earn 3x Avion points on the ION+.

At 2 cents per point, that’s a 6% effective return on those purchases. Subtract the 2.5% foreign transaction fee and you’re still netting roughly a 3.5% return on every dollar spent abroad in those categories.

For comparison, many popular no-foreign-transaction-fee cards in Canada earn around 2x points at roughly 1.5 cents per point, delivering about a 3% return. The ION+ beats them despite the FX fee.

Unlocking the Full Value of Avion Points

One important detail: the ION+ earns Avion Premium tier points. To unlock transfers to airline partners like Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, British Airways Avios, and WestJet dollars, you’ll need to also hold an Avion Elite tier card.

Any RBC Avion card qualifies, including the RBC Avion Visa Platinum. Transferring points between tiers is instant and free, so once you hold both cards, your ION+ points gain access to the full slate of airline transfer partners.

Avion also stands alone as the only major Canadian points currency that transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage. The transfer ratio is 1:0.7 (1,000 Avion points = 700 AAdvantage miles), which isn't the strongest rate in the Avion lineup, but it opens the door to oneworld partner redemptions that no other Canadian program can access.

One of the most aspirational uses$1 Booking Etihad Airways first class Apartments through AAdvantage. These private suites on the A380 are among the most luxurious experiences in the sky, and American Airlines AAdvantage is one of the few programs that can book them as partner awards.

RBC periodically runs transfer bonuses of 20–30% on Avion-to-airline conversions. These promotions can stretch the value of your points significantly, so there’s no rush to move your balance right away. Let your Avion points accumulate and wait for a bonus to maximize the conversion.

If you don’t already hold an Avion card, picking one up alongside the ION+ is a smart move. You might also consider upgrading an existing RBC card to an Avion product to unlock the transfer network without adding another annual fee to your budget.

The current ION+ welcome bonus offers up to 21,000 Avion points: 7,000 on approval and 14,000 after spending $1,500 in the first six months.^†

How This Trio Works Together

Here’s how the three cards divide your spending:

• Groceries, dining, gas, transit, and streaming: RBC® ION+ Visa (3x Avion points)
• Travel bookings and Air Canada purchases: TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card (up to 2x Aeroplan points)
• Marriott hotel stays: Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card (5x Bonvoy points)
• Everything else: Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card (2x Bonvoy points) or TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card (1.25x Aeroplan points), depending on whether you prefer Bonvoy or Aeroplan points

At the airport, your TD card gets you into the Maple Leaf Lounge domestically and DragonPass lounges internationally. At the hotel, your Marriott card earns you Silver Elite status, 15 Elite Night Credits, and a Free Night Award every year. And for the daily expenses that make up the bulk of your spending, the ION+ is quietly earning 3x on almost everything.

Combined annual fees come to $767 ($599 + $120 + $48). For comparison, the equivalent US card trio of the American Express Gold Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card totals roughly $1,370 (USD). This Canadian trio delivers comparable coverage at a fraction of the total cost.

Conclusion

If I were building a three-card Canadian wallet from scratch, this is the combination I’d pick. The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card handles everything at the airport, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card punches well above its $120 annual fee with that Free Night Award, and the ION+ quietly earns 6 cents per dollar on the spending categories that matter most.

One extra step worth taking: pair the ION+ with an Avion Elite tier card to unlock airline transfers, and then wait for a transfer bonus before moving your points. It’s a small bit of patience that can make a real difference in your redemption value.

For anyone looking to cover flights, lounges, hotels, and daily spending with just three cards, this trio checks every box.