Over the past few years we've seen many credit card welcome offers evolve to where they require more time and more spend to achieve the entire welcome bonus. This trend has made it harder for cardholders and cardmembers to be able to use those points to start jetting off or staying somewhere away from home within a shorter period of time.
The good news is there are still a decent number of credit card offers out there that have not followed the trend of drawing out the bonus (Well, at least with part of their bonus offers) and will provide new cardholders the opportunity to start using the points earned from the welcome offer within 3 months of being approved, if not sooner!.
So if you are someone wanting to get away sooner than later with discounted or even free travel, you've come to the right place. This is RWRDS Canada's look at some of the easier to earn welcome bonus offers that are significant* enough to get you on a plane, in a hotel, sailing away on a cruise ship or putting a dent in any other travel costs within three months of being approved for a card.
Primary criteria for this feature: Consumer cards offering $300 or more in travel value within the first 3 months
* we are considering $300 or more of travel value within 3 months of getting a card to be significant and does not include the points or miles earned on the actual card spend nor does it take into account annual fees. Just a straight bottom line look at enough points that you can be using for travel!
The 12 credit card welcome bonuses that will have you traveling sooner than later!
The number of points and value of those points are based on the portion of the welcome bonus offer that is awarded by the 3 month mark. Some of these cards have additional welcome bonus points that are awarded at 4, 6, or 12 months or later that will help fund future travels! The cards are listed in order of highest to lowest potential value.
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 60,000 Aeroplan Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $900 or more
Spend required: $7,500
Annual fee: $599
Best used for: Domestic and international flights on Air Canada and their partner airlines
When you spend $7,500 or more within the first three months on the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card you will receive 60,000 Aeroplan Points. You do not have to wait the entire three months to get the bonus should you complete the minimum spending requirement sooner.
Those 60,000 Aeroplan points are enough for up to ten one way short haul economy class award flights (500 miles or less), a round trip business class awards flight within North America, and if you're lucky, you could even find one way business class flights to Asia (Vancouver to Tokyo as an example) or Europe (Montreal to Zurich as an example) starting at or below 60,000 points.
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 40,000 points after you spend a total of $45,000 on your Card in your first 12 months of Cardmembershipp and 30,000 points when you make a purchase between 15 and 17 months of Cardmembership for an overall welcome bonus total of 130,000 Aeroplan Points. This offer ends August 18, 2025
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 50,000 Avios
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $750 or more
Spend required: $6,000
Annual fee: $165
Best used for: Flights from Canada to Europe, Asia and to a lesser extent to the U.S. and sun destinations
The RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card awards new cardholders with 15,000 Avios points upon approval and then an additional 35,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first three months.
Those 50,000 Avios are enough for a round trip economy class reward saver flight between Toronto or Montreal and the U.K. and just shy of two round trip economy class tickets between Toronto and Dublin (You would actually have enough Avios when taking into account what you earn on spend) Avios can be used for travel on all oneworld Alliance airlines.
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 10,000 Avios as an anniversary bonus after holding the card for one year for an overall welcome bonus total of 60,000 Avios.
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card
The Platinum Card from American Express
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 70,000 Membership Rewards Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $700 or more
Spend required: $10,000
Annual fee: $799
Best used for: Any travel - flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.
When you spend $10,000 or more within the first three months on the Platinum Card from American Express you will receive 70,000 Membership Rewards Points. You do not have to wait the entire three months to get the bonus should you complete the minimum spending requirement sooner.
Those 70,000 Membership points are enough for one long haul round trip flight AND one short haul round trip flight in North America (+taxes/fees) or one round trip flight to sun destinations like Hawaii when booked via Amex's Fixed Points for Travel. They can also be used as a $700 credit towards any travel booked on the card (Does not have to be booked via Amex).
You also have the option to convert the points to airline partners like Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Club. The 70,000 points are enough for a one way flight in business class to Europe on Air Canada Aeroplan partner airlines, two of the 26,000 Avios redemptions (26,000 Membership Rewards Points) for a round trip ticket between Toronto and Dublin via British Airways, and so on!
You will receive an additional 30,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 and 17 months of Cardmembership for an overall welcome bonus total of 100,000 Membership Rewards Points
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for The Platinum Card from American Express
Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express®* Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 65,000 Bonvoy Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $650 or more
Spend required: $1,500
Annual fee: $120
Best used for: Hotel stays in Canada and Worldwide but also good for transfers to nearly 40 airline programs
When you spend $1,500 or more within the first three months on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card you will receive 65,000 Bonvoy Points. You do not have to wait the entire three months to get the bonus should you complete the minimum spending requirement sooner.
Those 65,000 Bonvoy points could easily get you five or more free nights at everyday value hotels like Four Points by Sheraton or Towneplace Suites. On the opposite end the points could also be enough for one free night at a fancy Ritz-Carlton or Luxury Collection Hotel.
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 30,000 points after you spend a total of $20,000 on your card in your first 12 months of Cardmembership and 15,000 points when you make a purchase between 15 and 17 months of Cardmembership for an overall welcome bonus total of 110,000 Bonvoy Points. This offer ends August 18, 2025
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® – powered by Neo
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 40,000 Asia Miles
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $600 or more
Spend required: $5,000
Annual fee: $180
Best used for: Flights from Canada to Asia or flights within Asia
When you spend $5,000 or more within the first 90 days on The Cathay World Elite Mastercard – powered by Neo you will receive 40,000 Asia Miles. You do not have to wait the entire three months to get the bonus should you complete the minimum spending requirement sooner.
Those 40,000 Asia Miles are more than enough miles for a one way award flight in economy class on Cathay Pacific between Vancouver or Toronto and Hong Kong (starts at 27,000 Asia Miles for YVR, 38,000 miles for YYZ)
Scotiabank®* Platinum American Express® Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 60,000 Scene+ Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $600
Spend required: $3,000
Annual fee: $399
Best used for: Any travel - flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.
When you spend $3,000 or more within the first three months on the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card you will receive 60,000 Scene+ Points.
Scene+ points work just like cash when you redeem them for any travel you purchase on this card. Those 60,000 points are worth $600 towards flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises and more. If your travel only costs $250 you simply redeem 25,000 points towards the travel charge after it shows up on your account and voila! It's free.
If your travel purchase is more than the amount of points you have, no worries as you can still redeem the points as partial redemption to make your travel costs lower. For example, if you buy a flight for $750 you can redeem the 60,000 points for a $600 credit on your account and you only end paying $150 for the flight
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 20,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $10,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 14 months for an overall welcome bonus total of 80,000 Scene+ Points. This offer is available until October 31, 2025.
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card
WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 60,000 WestJet Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $600
Spend required: $5,000
Annual fee: $119
Best used for: Domestic and international flights on WestJet or WestJet Vacations packages
When you spend $5,000 or more within the first three months on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard you will receive 60,000 WestJet Points. To get the entire 60,000 points by the three month mark you'll want to hit the minimum spend requirement within the first six weeks of having the card as it can take up to 6 weeks for all the bonus points to post.
If you are OK to wait you should have no less than 30,000 points ($300 in value) within the first 3 months and the remaning 30,000 points within 4.5 months as long as you do meet the $5,000 spend requirement
Depending on the price of your flight, those 60,000 WestJet points could easily get you one completely free flight on WestJet as you can now use WestJet points to cover extra, fees and taxes. This is even with the redemption rate towards those extras being slightly lower than the standard 1 cent per point for base fares. If you want to maximize your value, those 60,000 points could be enough cover the base fares of two tickets in North America.
Essentially, the easiest way to look at the 60,000 WestJet points is that they provide up to a $600 discount when booking flights with WestJet or packages with WestJet Vacations.
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 10,000 points as an anniversary bonus after holding the card for one year for an overall welcome bonus total of 70,000 WestJet Points. This offer ends July 8, 2025
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 30,000 Aeroplan Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $450 or more
Spend required: $3,000
Annual fee: $120
Best used for: Domestic and international flights on Air Canada and their partner airlines
When you spend $3,000 or more within the first three months on the American Express Aeroplan Card you will receive 30,000 Aeroplan Points. You do not have to wait the entire three months to get the bonus should you complete the minimum spending requirement sooner.
Those 30,000 Aeroplan points are enough for up to five one way short haul economy class award flights (500 miles or less) or enough for one round trip economy class award flight within North America
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 10,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in month 13 for an overall welcome bonus total of 40,000 Aeroplan Points.
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the American Express Aeroplan Card
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 35,000 to 55,000 Avion Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $350 to $550 or more
Spend required: $0 to $5,000
Annual fee: $120
Best used for: Any travel - flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card awards new cardholders with 35,000 Avion points upon approval. No first purchase and/or minimum spend required. Simple as that.
Those 35,000 Avion points are enough for one round trip flight in North America of up to $700 in base fare cost (+taxes/fees) when booked via the Avion Air Redemption Schedule. They can also be used as a $350 credit towards any travel booked via Avion Rewards. You also have the option to convert the points to airline partners like British Airways Club where you only need 26,000 Avios (26,000 Avion Points) for a round trip ticket between Toronto and Dublin, 31,000 Avios for a one way ticket between Vancouver and Fiji (31,000 Avion Points) and so on!
You will receive an additional 20,000 points when you spend $5,000 on the card within the first six months. If you are able spend that om the card within the first month you'll actually have more value by the three month mark as those 20,000 points will be credited to your account within 60 days of hitting that spend requirement. The overall welcome bonus on this card is 55,000 points. This offer ends June 11, 2025
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
BMO AscendTM World Elite®* Mastercard®*
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 45,000 BMO Rewards Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $300
Spend required: $4,500
Annual fee: $150 (First year free)
Best used for: Any travel - flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.
When you spend $4,500 or more within the first three months on the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard you will receive 45,000 BMO Rewards Points.
BMO Rewards points work just like cash when you redeem them for any travel you purchase on this card. Those 45,000 points are worth $300 towards flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises and more. If your travel only costs $250 you simply redeem just 37,481 points towards the travel charge after it shows up on your account and voila! It's free.
If your travel purchase is more than the amount of points you have, no worries as you can still redeem the points as partial redemption to make your travel costs lower. For example, if you buy a flight for $750 you can redeem the 45,000 points for a $300 credit on your account and you only end paying $450 for the flight
The current welcome bonus on the card also includes an additional 3,750 points for each subsequent month in which you make at least $2,500 in purchases on your card, for 12 months (after the first three months for the initial part of the bonus). This puts the overall welcome bonus on this card to 90,000 BMO Rewards points.
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard
MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 30,000 MBNA Rewards Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $300
Spend required: $2,000
Annual fee: $120
Best used for: Any travel - flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.
When you spend $2,000 or more within the first three months on the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard you will receive 20,000 MBNA Rewards Points. You'll receive 10,000 more points when you enroll for paperless e-statements within the first 90 days of account opening.
Those 30,000 MBNA Rewards points are worth $300 towards flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises and more that are booked via MBNA Rewards travel.
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for The MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
Amount of welcome bonus awarded within 3 months: 30,000 Scene+ Points
Welcome bonus value for travel by the 3 month mark: $300
Spend required: $2,000
Annual fee: $150
Best used for: Any travel - flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.
When you spend $2,000 or more within the first three months on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card you will receive 30,000 Scene+ Points.
Scene+ points work just like cash when you redeem them for any travel you purchase on this card. Those 30,000 points are worth $300 towards flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises and more. If your travel only costs $250 you simply redeem 25,000 points towards the travel charge after it shows up on your account and voila! It's free.
If your travel purchase is more than the amount of points you have, no worries as you can still redeem the points as partial redemption to make your travel costs lower. For example, if you buy a flight for $750 you can redeem the 30,000 points for a $300 credit on your account and you only end paying $450 for the flight
Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
Wrapping it up
We do need to heed a word of caution to the readers of this feature - this is a snapshot of getting a quick injection of points and miles via credit card welcome bonuses that can be used to travel sooner than later. One should also take into account many more factors than what is shown above when selecting a credit card. When deciding on a card you should also look at the longer term of holding onto the card (or not ) which includes researching the value of earning and redeeming on your everyday spending after earning the welcome bonus, the benefits and insurance offered on the cards and more.
The good news is, the majority of the cards listed above are what RWRDS Canada considers as "keeper cards" in that they provide good to really good value for your everyday spending (with the weakest being the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card), and good to very good benefits and insurance coverage.
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