One crucial factor to understand about the RBC Avion Benefits program is that there are really 3 tiers of points: Avion Select, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite. Of the three, Avion Premium and Avion Elite offer travellers the very best chances for important redemptions.
Thankfully, making points in both Avion Premium and Avion Elite tiers is fairly simple through RBC’s Avion and ION families of charge card.
If you want to get the most out of the RBC Avion Rewards program, this guide will walk you through how to develop an enhanced RBC credit card portfolio that leverages the strengths of the ION and Avion households of cards when it concerns both earning and redeeming.
Comparing Avion Premium and Avion Elite
Among the distinct peculiarities of the RBC Avion Benefits program is that there are three different tiers: Avion Select, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite.
Depending on which tier you’re in, you’ll have more or fewer options when it comes time to redeem.
(We’ll avoid over Avion Select for the functions of this conversation.)
The main differences in between Avion Premium and Avion Elite– a minimum of when it concerns travel redemptions– are as follows:
- The ION household of credit cards remains in the Premium tier, while the Avion family of credit cards is in the Elite tier
- For Avion Premium, points can be redeemed for 0.58 cents per point (all figures in CAD) when reserving travel, or moved to WestJet Benefits at a rate of 1:1 (100 Avion points = 100 WestJet points)
- For Avion Elite, points can be redeemed for 1 cent per point when booking travel, moved to 4 airline loyalty programs (The British Airways Club and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a rate of 1:1, transferred to American Airlines AAdvantage at a rate of 1:0.7, and WestJet Benefits at a rate of 1:1), or redeemed for higher value through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Arrange.
In sum, Avion Elite is more powerful than Avion Premium, considering that you can do more with your points, and the value at which you can redeem them is higher than what’s possible with Avion Premium.
Now, when it comes to making Avion points, it is essential to comprehend the main distinctions between the ION and Avion families of charge card:
- ION credit cards have low or no annual charges, whereas Avion cards have greater yearly charges
- ION charge card have earning rates of as much as 3 Avion points per dollar invested, † whereas Avion credit cards earn (at a lot of) 1.25 Avion points per dollar invested †
- ION credit cards tend to come with more modest welcome rewards, whereas Avion cards have much more generous welcome perks
Simply put, the ION family of charge card has much better earning rates and lower costs, paired with less powerful points and smaller sized welcome rewards. Meanwhile, the Avion household of cards has lower earning rates and greater fees, paired with more effective points and larger welcome perks.
RBC’s duo of ION credit cards make Avion Premium points Nevertheless, here’s the kicker:
- it’s possible to move Avion points from the Avion Premium tier to the Avion Elite tier immediately and at a rate of 1:1 in two scenarios: If you choose to update an ION item into an Avion item, your existing Avion points on the
- ION card (Avion Premium tier )will transfer to your Avion card(Avion Elite tier)If you hold both an ION product and an Avion item, you can move your Avion points from your ION card( Avion Premium tier)to your Avion
card(Avion Elite tier)within the Avion Benefits ecosystem Therefore, an excellent chance emerges to savvy cardholders who can leverage the strengths of both households of cards and the 2 associated tiers of Avion Rewards points by constructing a little RBC credit card portfolio.
The Optimized RBC Credit Card Portfolio
There’s a strong argument to be made for holding both a higher-tier Avion card and a card from the ION household.
By doing so, you can make the most of the raised earning rates on everyday essentials with the ION household of cards, and then move the Avion points over to end up being the more effective Avion Elite tier when it comes time to redeem, merely by method of holding an Avion item.
As a suggestion, there are two cards in the ION household: the RBC ® ION Visa and the RBC ® ION+ Visa. Of the two, the RBC ® ION+ Visa has much better earning rates, a higher welcome perk, and a really modest $4 month-to-month cost.
Significantly, the RBC ® ION+ Visa has the following earning rates on day-to-day costs:
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Earn 3 Avion points per dollar invested in qualified groceries, dining, food shipment, gas, public transit, electric lorry charging, rideshares, streaming, digital video gaming, and digital subscriptions †
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Earn 1 Avion point per dollar spent on all other qualified purchases †
- Make 14,000 Avion points upon approval †(worth approximately $100 in present cards †)
- Earn 3,125 Moi Benefits points upon connecting to your Moi card †(worth as much as $25 in groceries †)
- Make 3x points † on qualifying grocery, dining, food shipment, gas, rideshare, day-to-day public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming and digital subscriptions †
- Earn 1 extra Moi Benefits point for every single 2 dollars spent at City, Food Fundamentals, Super C, Jean Coutu, Brunet and Première Moisson when you scan your Moi card and pay with your linked RBC Card (minimum purchase needed). ¹¹ Mobile device insurance coverage †
- Annual cost: $48 ($4 charged month-to-month)†
If you were to hold both the RBC ® ION+ Visa and an RBC Avion item, you could make 3 Avion points per dollar spent on lots of everyday basics with your RBC ® ION+ Visa, and then move your indicate your Avion card through the Avion Benefits environment.
For investing in the 3 individual Avion cards in the Avion Elite tier, the earning rates throughout all classifications are just 1– 1.25 points per dollar spent, so by utilizing your ION+ card, you ‘d be making more than double and even triple the points on lots of common daily purchases.
When it pertains to choosing a card from the Avion family, any of the 3 individual cards (RBC ® Avion Visa Platinum †, RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite †, and the RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege †) make for exceptional choices. You might likewise hold the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business.
RBC ® Avion Visa Infinite †
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion points † upon approval †
- Make an extra 20,000 RBC Avion points † when you invest $5,000 in your very first 6 months †
- Make 1.25 x RBC Avion points † on certifying travel purchases
- Transfer RBC Avion indicates British Airways Executive Club and other regular leaflet programs for premium flights †
- Redeem Avion points for flights with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Set Up †
- Minimum earnings: $60,000 personal or $100,000 family
- Yearly fee: $120 †
- Supplementary card fee: $50
With this combination of cards, you’re getting the best of both worlds by leveraging the elevated earning rates on the RBC ® ION+ Visa and the more powerful ways to redeem points with an eligible Avion card.
Bear in mind that you can redeem Avion points for upwards of 2 cents per point through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Arrange, or for possibly even higher worth by moving your indicate airline company partners and redeeming them for flights in premium cabins.
Avion Elite points unlock more redemption possibilities for flights
Therefore, the potential value you can make from the RBC ® ION+ Visa could correspond to a 3– 6% return (or more) on day-to-day spending, which is an exceptional option for an individual concentrated on travel benefits.
When combined with either no yearly charge or a low regular monthly cost on the ION family of cards, there’s not a lot of cost included to making RBC Avion points in this manner, and it’s certainly the most optimized method.
Conclusion
Savvy tourists can take advantage of the nuances of the RBC Avion Rewards program by making the most of the ease of earning Avion points on an ION card with the redemption power of an Avion card.
By holding an item from both the ION and the Avion households of cards, you can build a little RBC charge card portfolio that gives you the very best of both worlds.
In between the normally generous welcome perks offered on the Avion household of cards and the raised earning rates on common costs with the RBC ® ION+ Visa, you’ll find yourself en route to outsized worth in no time.
† Terms and conditions use. Please refer to the RBC site for approximately date information.