Boarding
This is one of the best benefits of the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card. You get priority boarding on Air Canada operated flights! You get pushed up to Zone 2, so you are behind the Super Elites and such but you get to board before most of the plane and grab that coveted overhead bin space. But wait you get first bag checked for free so in some cases you don't have to worry about that fight!
Credits and Companion Flight Offers
These are some great benefits from the cards that will save you money and/or Points! First off the TD card offers a once per year 50% discount on a companion business class fare. The fare class must be J,C, or D which are not the heavily discounted business class fares but perhaps your company will pay for your flight and you can then take along a companion at 50% off. It is the American Express Reserve card which offers up the big benefits in this category and are part of the reason this card has the highest annual fee of any publicly available card in Canada. First off, it has a $200 annual travel credit that can be used towards any booking made via American Express Travel, doesn't matter if its a flight, hotel or car rental. Then it has an Annual Partner Ticket Benefit. Once per year, you can redeem up to 25,000 Aeroplan Points for a short-haul or long-haul round-trip Fixed Mileage Flight Reward in economy class and receive a second Partner Ticket for the same itinerary. Thus the card saves you between 15,000 and 25,000 Points on that award itinerary. Finally the Amex card has an Air Canada Privilege Flight Pass benefit. This benefit allows you to buy at a discount, eight prepaid, one-way flight credits within Air Canada’s North American network. All in all if you can take advantage of these benefits you stand to save quite a bit of money on your Air Canada travels.
The Mastercard option
Now you may ask why is the mbna Rewards World Elite Mastercard part of this portfolio. Well there is not one Mastercard card in Canada that gives you benefits for travelling with Air Canada. However in our Ultimate Credit Card series of portfolios the mandate is to provide a wallet that has one Visa card, one American Express Card and one Mastercard. So what do you do if there isn't a Mastercard that provides Air Canada benefits? You pick the best suited one that can help out this portfolio but not cost too much since the other two main cards come with hefty annual fees. Honestly you'll only pull this card out where only Mastercard is accepted (Costco for example) or if there is a promotion that requires you to pay with a Mastercard. On the redemption side, this card is our go to choice for portfolios like this since it gives you 2% back towards any travel purchase or you can choose to get that 1.67% as cash back. Easy as that. Redeeming Aeroplan Points for an award ticket? You could always put the taxes and fees on the mbna card and then redeem your points against that charge.
The Ultimate Air Canada Credit Card Portfolio:
| Card |
Card Features |
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
Online exclusive
Earn up to 105,000 Aeroplan points†. Conditions Apply. Must apply online by January 3, 2023.
Annual Fee $599
Additional Cards: $199 †
Annual interest rate 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on funds advances
$150,000 annual personal income or $200,000 annual household income
Limited Time Offer
Earn up to $2,800 in value† including up to 105,000 Aeroplan points and additional travel benefits. Must apply online by January 3, 2023.
- Earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first purchase with your new card†
- Earn an additional 30,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $3,000 within 90 days of Account opening†
- Plus, earn an additional 55,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $12,000 within 12 months of Account opening†
- Enroll for NEXUS and once every 48 months get an application fee rebate†, share free first checked bags†, and get access to Maple Leaf Lounges†
- Earn Aeroplan Points on your everyday purchases
- Take advantage of an extensive suite of travel insurance.
- Get access to Priority Airport Services† like Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage Handling, and Priority Airport Standby & Priority Airport Upgrades†.
- Earn 2 points† for every $1 spent on eligible purchases made direct through Air Canada® purchases (including Air Canada Vacations®)
- Earn 1.5 points† for every $1 spent on eligible gas, grocery, travel and dining purchases
- Earn 1.25 points† for every $1 spent on all other purchases made with your Card
- Earn points twice when you pay with your Card and provide your Aeroplan number at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and at 170+ online retailers via the Aeroplan eStore (www.aeroplan.com/estore)
- Get an annual round-trip companion pass from $99 (plus taxes, fees, charges and surcharges)†.
- Global Airport Lounge Access†: Receive a complimentary membership to the Visa Airport Companion† Program hosted by Dragonpass International Ltd. and take advantage of six lounge visits included for each Cardholder per membership year at over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. Enroll through the Visa Airport Companion App or through visaairportcompanion.ca
- Complimentary Visa Infinite Concierge† : On-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Visa Infinite Concierge can help with any Cardholder request — big or small, to help you get the most out of life whenever you travel, shop and use your Card.
- Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection†: Receive seven exclusive benefits when you book your stay through the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection featuring over 900 of the world’s most intriguing properties. Enjoy an additional 8th benefit at over 200 properties, exclusively for Visa Infinite Privilege cardholders.
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here .
† Terms and Conditions apply.
Sponsored advertising. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any TD product, please click the Apply Now button |
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American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
Card Type: Credit
Annual Fee: $599
Additional Card Fee: $199 for each Additional Aeroplan®* Reserve Card to share some of the benefits and earn Aeroplan points faster $0 for each Additional Aeroplan®* Reserve No Fee Card to earn points faster
Annual interest rate 19.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances
New American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Cardmembers can earn up to 85,000 Aeroplan points:
- Earn 55,000 Aeroplan points after spending $6,000 in net purchases on your Card within the first 6 months of Cardmembership
- Plus, you can also earn 5,000 Aeroplan points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $1,000 in purchases on your Card for the first 6 months of Cardmembership. That could add up to 30,000 Aeroplan points
- New Cardmembers: Earn up to $2,700 in value within your first year. Spend applies to bonus point offers valued at up to $1,700
- New Cardmembers: Receive up to $100 CAD in statement credits every four years when a NEXUS application or renewal fee is charged to your American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
- Standard Earn Rate: Earn 3X the points on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada®* and Air Canada Vacations®*
- Standard Earn Rate: Earn 2X the points on eligible Dining and Food Delivery purchases in Canada
- Earn 2X the points on eligible purchases with Rocky Mountaineer®**. Plus, you could receive a Complimentary Hotel Room Category Upgrade, on the first and last night, and a Complimentary Upgrade from SilverLeaf to GoldLeaf class of service when you book directly with Rocky Mountaineer using your Aeroplan Reserve Card
- Standard Earn Rate: Earn 1.25X the points on everything else
- Get through the airport quicker with Air Canada Priority Check-In, Air Canada Priority Boarding and Air Canada Priority Baggage Handling
- Receive one Annual Worldwide Companion Pass when you spend $25,000 in net purchases prior to your Card anniversary date; your Pass entitles you to buy an accompanying Air Canada economy class ticket for a companion at a fixed base fare from $99 to a maximum of $599 CAD (plus taxes, fees, charges, and surcharges)
- Enjoy access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf LoungesTM* and Air Canada CaféTM in North America for you and a guest, with a same day ticket on a departing Air Canada or Star Alliance flight
- Enjoy your eligible first checked bag free for up to 9 people travelling on the same reservation on Air Canada flights
- Roll over any unallocated Aeroplan EliteTM* Status Qualifying Miles and unused eUpgrade Credits to the following year to enjoy during your travels
- American Express® Experiences opens doors for you to access a number of special events, including special dining experiences, VIP parties, advance film screenings and more
- Get more from your travel experience at Toronto Pearson International Airport with:
- Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane
- Complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park
- 15% discount on parking rates at the Express Park and Daily Park
- 15% discount on Car Care Services
- Get access to more than 1,200 Priority Pass airport lounges and enjoy an oasis of comfort before your flight, regardless of your airline or cabin class
- Insurance Coverage: whether you’re shopping nearby or travelling abroad, you can feel confident knowing you can be taken care of
- American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card is made from precision cut and engraved 13g metal – it’s the perfect companion on your next exceptional journey
- American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link. Conditions apply
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MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
• 20,000 bonus points†† (approximately $165 in cash back value) after you make $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
• 10,000 bonus points†† (approximately $80 in cash back value) once enrolled for paperless e-statements within the first 90 days of account opening.
• Earn 5 points‡ for every $1 spent on eligible restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership, and household utility purchases until $50,000 is spent annually in the applicable category. 1 point‡ for every $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• Each year, you will receive Birthday Bonus Points‡ equal to 10% of the total number of Points the Account earned in the 12 months before the month of your birthday, to a maximum Birthday Bonus each year of 15,000 Points.
• Redeem points‡ for cash back, brand-name merchandise, gift cards from participating retailers, charitable donations, and travel.
• Standard Annual Interest Rates of 19.99% on purchases, 22.99% on balance transfers✪, and 24.99% on cash advances.
• Mobile Device Insurance***
With Mobile Device Insurance, you’ve got up to $1,000 in coverage for eligible mobile devices in the event of loss, theft, accidental damage or mechanical breakdown.
• $120 annual fee. $50 Additional Card Annual Fee for one authorized user (if you have one).
• To qualify, your personal annual income must be greater than $80,000, or your household annual income must be $150,000 or greater.††††
• This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For residents of Quebec, please click here.
‡ ††, ‡, ✪, ***, ††††, Terms and Conditions apply.
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For residents of Quebec, please click here.
Sponsored advertising. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and TD is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete information on this MBNA credit card, please click on the “Apply Now” button.
The Toronto-Dominion Bank is the issuer of this credit card. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. ®MBNA and other-trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank..
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Other Card Options:
You have another two options on the American Express side of things. You could go with the one level lower and grab the American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card. It is very similar to the reserve card but limits the partner ticket benefit to short haul only (15,000 Points), has no travel credit or the discounted flight pass option. The second choice is to get The Platinum Card from American Express. It costs less per year in terms of annual fee and gives you a whole slew of benefits for non Air Canada travel. On the Mastercard side you could also look at no fee cash back card options like the Tangerine Card. We recommend you check out our Cash Back Credit Card comparison for other options.
Final thoughts:
As you can see just by getting the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege and the American Express AeroplanPlus Reserve Card you stand to make your Air Canada flying much more enjoyable and stand to save lots of money if you can take advantage of the credits and companion offers provided by the cards. This portfolio is not for everyone as many of you fly whatever airline is cheapest. This portfolio is for someone who will or does fly Air Canada quite a bit and does not have one of the higher Altitude elite status levels. For example, flying between Sudbury and Toronto every few weeks may only get you Prestige status with Air Canada which doesn't provide very many benefits but tacking on this card portfolio you'll be able to fly more like those Super Elites.
Talk to us!
What do you find works best for you for maximizing your benefits on Air Canada? Do you use these three cards exactly as laid out above or do you use a different combination? Tell us in the comments section below or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!
Rewards Canada can be found on the following social media channels:
        
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