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Redeeming
Being a 'Hybrid Card', the RBC Visa Infinite Avion has two primary
forms of redemption, the first is redeeming the RBC Rewards points via
RBC for travel, merchandise and more and the second is transferring
those RBC Rewards Points to one of three frequent flyer programs.
While you can redeem your points for virtually any travel via RBC
Rewards travel the card provides the best return when you redeem for
flights via the Avion
Air Travel Redemption Schedule. The schedule which is similar to
a Frequent Flyer redemption chart sets point limits for flights to various
regions such as Short Haul (neighbouring province/state), Long Haul,
Europe, Asia etc. Unlike a frequent flyer program howvever the rewards
are not tied to one airline, you can pretty much book any airline or
seat in economy class via RBC Rewards Travel as long as the actual cost
of the flight falls under the dollar limit for each region. For example,
a short haul flight will cost 15,000 RBC Reward Points for a ticket
with a maximum dollar amount of $350. If the ticket costs less then
$350 you still have to redeem 15,000 points, if it goes over then you
have to redeem the 15,000 points and then you can redeem 100 points
per dollar for every dollar over the region dollar limit. The dollar
limitation per region is based on the base ticket price and does not
include taxes and fees. Those taxes and fees can either be paid for
with RBC Rewards points at the 100 points per dollar rate or with your
credit card. In addition to be able to take advantage of the Avion Air
Travel Redemption Schedule rates you have to book your flights at 14
days in advance otherwise you have to redeem at the 100 points per dollar
rate. In general if you do use the Air Travel Redemption Schedule you
can get a rate of return anywhere from 2 to 2.33% if your ticket comes
out at the maximum price level, anything below or
above the maximum price level your rate
of return diminishes. It does appear
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that sometime in the
near future you will be able to redeem your RBC Rewards Points for any
travel via Travelocity.ca. This appears to be RBC's answer to cards
like the American Express Gold Rewards Card, Capital One Aspire, TD
Infinite First Class and Diners Club which offer the ability to book
any travel how you like,when you like and from whom you like. Without
knowing more, at this time it is hard to determine whether this will
be a good option or not as you will still be forced to either book via
RBC Rewards Travel or Travelocity, so still not as wide ranging as the
other cards plus in my personal experience I have Travelocity.ca to
be more expensive on occastion for hotels and vacation package then
say Expedia.ca
The other main option for redemption with the RBC Visa Infinite Avion
is converting your RBC Rewards points to a frequent flyer program. To
convert you have to be an Avion cardholder (non-Avion RBC cardholders
cannot convert their RBC Rewards points) and a member in either the
American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Executive Club (soon to
be Avios) or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program. All three programs are
free to join and once you are a member you can transfer your RBC Rewards
points on a 1:1 basis with a minimum of 10,000 points per transfer for
BA or CX, 5,000 for AA. One of the features that has made this card
stand out with frequent flyers and in our credit card rankings is the
semi-annual 50% transfer bonus to British Airways. This recurring offer
which has been around for many years can make really good use of your
points if you are willing to abide the rules of a frequent flyer program.
Why is the bonus offer so good? Take for example a redemption of 100,000
RBC Reward Points, you would recieve 150,000 Avios Points which is enough
for three economy class tickets from Canada to Europe on British Airways.
The same three tickers would require at least 195,000 RBC Reward points
if you redeemed via RBC Rewards.
Features and Benefits
The RBC Visa Infinite Avion
comes with a whole host of features and benefits, the majority of
which are standard for the Infinite brand of Visa cards. It has the
standard Travel Accident, Flight Delay, Lost Baggage and Car Rental
insurance, however it is miissing one that a few of the card's competitors
have: Trip Cancellation. While I am not a huge fan of Trip Cancellation
Insurance due to the heavy restrictions that is usually carries, it
can be the tipping point for some people in choosing a card. The
card does include out-of-province/country medical insurance which is
nice to have. A question that does come up a lot in the emails I receive
is medical coverage for those over the age of 65, the Visa Infinite
Avion offers 3 days coverage for those over 65. It's not the most offered
in the market but it also not the least as some cards do not provide
coverage over 65. One insurance benefit it does have is Hotel Burglary
insurance, in fact only RBC and American Express offer this benefit
on their premium cards.
What is good about this card
The Avion Air Travel Redemption Schedule is generally a good feature
of this card particularily when you can book tickets at or near the
maximum dollar levels in each category which can translate into a 2
to 2.33% rate of return on your spending but it does have some limitations
(see below). Also see our Travel
Anywhere card chart for an idea of how much you have to spend to
redeem for tickets. The 1.25 points on all travel purchases is also
nice bonus although not a deal breaker when compared to some other cards.
By far, the best thing about this card is the semi-annual transfer bonus
to British Airways, if taken advantage of properly, Visa Infinite Avion
cardholders can see returns well in excess of 10% on their spending
if they redeem for Business or First Class flights via British Airways.
What is not so good about this
card
The limited flexibility of the Air Travel Redemption schedule is probably
the biggest drawback with this card. While you can virtually book any
flight, you can lose on your rate of return if the price goes over or
is well under the maximum limit plus add in the fact you have to book
at least 14 days out the get the good redemption rates makes the card
less flexible then cards like the American Express Gold Rewards Card
or TD First Class Infinite Visa. The issue of taxes and fees also comes
up as you can only redeem points at a 100 to $1 ratio (a 1% return)
versus 1.5% on the TD First Class, 1.7% on Diners Club or up to 2% on
American Express Gold Rewards card. You are also limited in your booking
options as you have to use the RBC Rewards Travel centre or soon Travelocity.ca,
again when compared to the cards above it is a lot less flexible then
them.
Conclusion
This mainstay in the Canadian travel rewards credit card market is a
decent card and I would actually give it an above average score based
primarily on the British Airways Transfer bonus. In all other regards,
the card is in the middle of the pack in terms of earning and burning.
There are cards that offer more flexibilty in terms of redeeming points
in the 'Any Flight, Anytime" marketing category but when used properly
the RBC Visa Infinite Avion
card can achieve returns of 2 to 2.33% which is higher then most
of the cards it competes against, but the key word is "used properly"
which means redeeming for tickets at or near the maximum dollar value
in each category. So if you are looking for a good hybrid card and can
make the most of the Air Travel Redemption schedule, are a frequent
British Airways (or oneworld alliance) flyer, or a RBC customer who
wants a good card from their bank, then the RBC Visa Infinite Avion
is a good choice for you.
Care to comment? Do you agree or disagree with us? Tell us your experiences
with the RBC Visa Infinite Avion on our blog
Related Links:
RBC
Visa Infinite Avion on RBCRoyalbank.com
Rewards Canada's Canadian Travel Credit Card
Comparison including the RBC Visa Infinite Avion
Other cards to consider if you are looking at this
card:
American Express Gold Rewards
Card
BMO World Elite Master Card
Capital One Aspire Travel World
MasterCard
CIBC Aventura World MasterCard
CUETS Platinum Class MasterCard
Diners Club Club Rewards MasterCard
TD First Class Infinite Visa
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One
of the first travel rewards cards to offer any flight anytime potential,
the RBC Visa Avion has been a mainstay in the travel credit card market
for many years. It is definitely one of the most popular cards in Canada
and as such we give it the "Rewards Canada review" treatment
as we expand our review process beyond newly released cards to include
existing cards on the market.