In this edition of Head-to-Head, we’ll be exploring two RBC credit cards: the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† and the RBC® ION+ Visa.
What makes this comparison particularly interesting is that while both of these cards earn RBC’s Avion Rewards currency, each one earns a different version of it.
Throughout this guide, we’ll explore how these two different (but similar) currencies work together, which card is best in each comparative category, and how you can use Avion’s unique currency structure to your advantage.
Card Basics
1. Points Currency
In this Head-to-Head, one of the most important things we’ll look at is each card’s points currency and how it relates to the other.
Both the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† and the RBC® ION+ Visa earn RBC’s in-house currency of Avion Rewards points; however, each card earns a different version of this currency.
The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† earns Avion Elite points, while the RBC® ION+ Visa earns Avion Premium points, and each currency type comes with different redemption options.
Avion Elite points have more redemption opportunities than Avion Premium points, including the ability to transfer your points to multiple partnered loyalty programs, using your points for travel redemptions through RBC’s Air Travel Redemption Schedule and through the Avion Rewards booking portal, and for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.
Comparatively, Avion Premium points can only be transferred to a single partnered loyalty program, WestJet Rewards, or used for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, and travel booked through the Avion Rewards website, but at a lower rate than Avion Elite points.
However, it’s important to note that the Avion Premium points earned with the RBC® ION+ Visa can be transferred into Avion Elite points at par if you have at least one credit card from the RBC Avion family. We’ll go over this in more detail in the redemption section below.
Verdict: Since Avion Elite points have considerably more redemption options than Avion Premium points, we’re giving this win to the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†.
2. Ease of Redeeming
The Avion Elite points earned with the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† can be redeemed a number of ways.
The most valuable way to redeem your Avion Elite points is by transferring them to airline loyalty programs, where you can then use them to book award flights.
Avion Elite points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways Executive Club (Avios) and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and to WestJet Rewards at a rate of 1 Avion point = $0.01 in WestJet dollars (WSD).
They can also be transferred to American Airlines AAdvantage at a rate of 10 Avion points = 7 AAdvantage miles.
Additionally, Avion Elite points can be redeemed for travel through RBC’s Air Travel Redemption Schedule, which can yield a value of up to 2.3 cents (all figures in CAD) per point.
Avion Elite points can also be used for gift cards, merchandise, and statement credits as well as for travel booked through the Avion Rewards website. If you redeem Avion Elite points to book travel through the Avion Rewards platform, they’re worth 1 cent per point.
As mentioned above, the RBC® ION+ Visa earns Avion Premium points instead of Avion Elite points, and these can only be transferred to a single loyalty program, WestJet Rewards.
Avion Premium points can also be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise, plus they can be used for travel bookings made on the Avion Rewards website.
If you redeem Avion Premium points to book travel through the Avion Rewards platform, they’re worth 0.58 cents per point.
Avion Premium points can unfortunately not be used to book travel through RBC’s Air Travel Redemption Schedule.
However, Avion Premium points can be transferred from your Avion Premium account to your Avion Elite account if you have one of each credit card type.
This means that you can collect Avion Premium points with your RBC® ION+ Visa, enjoying its higher earning rates (see Earning Rates section below) and then, as long as you also have an Avion-branded card like the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, you can transfer these points to your Avion Elite account at par to take advantage of the more abundant redemption options.
Verdict: The winner of this category is the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, since it’s the card with the most/best redemption options; however, it should not be overlooked that the RBC® ION+ Visa has fairly easy access to these same redemption options as long as you also hold an eligible Avion credit card.
3. Earning Rates
Despite the fact that it’s a premium credit card, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† does not come with particularly notable earning rates.
The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† earns Avion Elite points at the following rates:
- 1.25 RBC Avion Elite points† per dollar spent on qualifying travel purchases
- 1 RBC Avion Elite point† per dollar spent on all other qualifying purchases
Meanwhile, the lower-tiered RBC® ION+ Visa has a fairly strong earning structure, accruing Avion Premium points at the following rates:
- 3 RBC Avion Premium points per dollar spent on grocery, dining, food delivery, taxis/ride-sharing services, gas, EV charging, and streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions
- 1 RBC Avion Premium point per dollar spent on all other qualifying purchases
Verdict: The RBC® ION+ Visa’s 3x earning rate is considerably better than the 1.25x rate offered by the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, and given that it’s possible to transfer Avion Premium points to Avion Elite points to take advantage of the better redemption offers within the Avion Elite structure (if you have both cards), the RBC® ION+ Visa is the clear winner in this category.
4. Welcome Bonus
Another important feature when applying for any credit card is its welcome bonus offer.
The welcome bonus offered on the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† typically falls between 35,000 and 55,000 Avion Elite points, depending on the offer.
Meanwhile, the RBC® ION+ Visa’s welcome bonus tends to fluctuate between 6,000 and 12,000 Avion Premium points, depending on the offer.
Despite the fact that the two cards use different versions of Avion points, and Avion Elite points and Avion Premium points have different redemption options (as we mentioned above), the fact that Avion Premium points can easily be transferred to Avion Elite points if you have an eligible Avion Elite credit card means that we can compare these welcome bonuses on equal terms.
Verdict: The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite’s† welcome bonus takes the prize in this category, since its baseline bonus is nearly three times more than the best-ever welcome bonus that’s offered with the RBC® ION+ Visa.
5. Annual Fee
The next factor we’ll compare is each card’s annual fee.
The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† comes with an annual fee of $120, but if you have an RBC® VIP Banking Account, you can receive a $120 fee waiver for this card as part of the account’s benefits package.
Comparatively, the RBC® ION+ Visa has a cumulative annual fee of $48, which is charged in monthly instalments of $4. You can get this monthly fee rebated if you have either the RBC Signature No Limit Banking or the RBC Advantage Banking for Students account.
Verdict: Although both cards come with the opportunity to receive a fee waiver on their annual fees, we choose the RBC® ION+ Visa in this category since it has a considerably lower annual fee overall and the fee waiver is easier to access.
6. Foreign Transaction Fees
Both the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† and RBC® ION+ Visa charge the standard 2.5% foreign exchange fee on all purchases made in a foreign currency (including US dollar purchases).
Verdict: This category is a tie. The cards are identical in this regard, and neither provides any advantage for foreign purchases.
If you’re looking to save the 2.5% foreign exchange fee when you’re travelling or making any foreign currency purchases, check out our guide to Which Credit Cards Have No Foreign Transaction Fees to learn more about your options.
Perks and Benefits
1. Credit Card Perks
In addition to a strong insurance package (mentioned below), the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† comes with a few other interesting perks.
First, as a part of the Visa Infinite family, cardholders will have access to the Visa Infinite benefits which include discounts on hotels, unique dining experiences, and complimentary concierge service.
Additionally, cardholders will also enjoy Avion-specific perks, such as special prices and bonus points on purchases and the ability to use your points for investments and charitable donations.
Most interestingly, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† also offers cardholders the opportunity to get a free ski pass at participating ski resorts across Canada during the winter season with the Friday Friend Pass perk.
To qualify for this perk, you just have to buy one Friday lift pass with your RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† card through the designated website for the resort of your choice, and you’ll get a second lift pass for free.
On the other side of this head-to-head, the RBC® ION+ Visa doesn’t offer any perks that fall within this category.
Verdict: This one is no contest. The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† is the winner.
2. Partnership Perks
Both the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† and the RBC® ION+ Visa come with a handful of partnership perks and discounts.
With the RBC® ION+ Visa, cardholders can save 3¢/L on fuel at Petro-Canada, and will earn 20% more Petro-Points and Avion points upon linking their card to their Petro-Points account†.
Cardholders can also enjoy a three-month complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription†, and can earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Rexall. To earn the Be Well points, you need to use your linked RBC® ION+ Visa for the purchase and you need to scan your Be Well card at checkout.
The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† includes some very similar benefits to the above but with some additions and expansions.
With the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, you get the same perks and benefits at Petro-Canada and with the Rexall Be Well program as you get with the RBC® ION+ Visa.
Additionally, the DoorDash DashPass program offers a free 12-month subscription (nine months more than with the RBC® ION+ Visa), and you can enjoy $0 delivery fees on order of $15 or more when you pay with your linked RBC credit card.
The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† also gives cardholders the opportunity to save 20% at Hertz† and earn 2x the points when you use your card for the rental†.
Verdict: Since the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† offers the extra Hertz discount and a longer complimentary DashPass subscription, it’s the winner of this category.
Other Factors
1. Supplementary Cardholders
Supplementary cards cost $50 each with the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† and $0 each with the RBC® ION+ Visa.
Verdict: The RBC® ION+ Visa is the winner in this category, offering free supplementary cards.
2. Insurance
As a premium credit card, it’s no surprise that the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† comes with fairly strong insurance coverage.
The card includes solid insurance coverage for emergency medical, travel accident, car rental collision/loss damage, trip cancellation, trip interruption, and flight delay.
It also provides purchase protection† that will reimburse you if you accidentally lose or damage personal property within 90 days of purchase, up to a maximum of $50,000 per year, plus an extended warranty† feature that automatically doubles the original manufacturer’s warranty.
Comparatively, the lower-tiered RBC® ION+ Visa comes with fairly basic insurance coverage.
With this card, you get two years of mobile device coverage for up to $1,000 if your mobile device, such as your cell phone, is lost, stolen, accidentally damaged or experiences mechanical failure as long as the device was purchased with your RBC® ION+ Visa.
With the RBC® ION+ Visa, you also get the same purchase protection coverage and extended warranty feature as the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†.
Verdict: The winner of this category is the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† with its valuable array of insurance coverage.
3. Ease of Getting Approved
In order to qualify for the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, you’ll need a minimum personal income of $60,000 or a minimum household income of $100,000.
The RBC® ION+ Visa, comparatively, has no minimum income requirement, making it considerably more accessible.
Verdict: With no minimum income requirement, the RBC® ION+ Visa takes this category, thanks to its lower financial barrier to entry.
Conclusion
The RBC® ION+ Visa and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† both offer cardholders the opportunity to earn Avion Rewards points towards a variety of redemption options, including travel, credit card statements, gift cards, and more.
The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† is a stronger overall card, offering a consistently strong welcome bonus, better redemption options, solid travel insurance, and some intriguing perks.
However, the RBC® ION+ Visa comes with a lower annual fee and notably better earning rates, plus the ability to easily transfer its less valuable Avion Premium points to the more valuable and versatile Avion Elite points.
If you’re inclined towards getting a single card that can help you easily earn travel points, provide you with some travel insurance, and that offers you cool perks like free ski passes in the winter, then the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† is your best choice.
That said, if you’re willing to have two RBC cards, then adding the RBC® ION+ Visa as well offers the amazing ability to earn Avion points at a much better rate than the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, while still accessing the same redemption opportunities by transferring your points to your Avion Elite account.
† Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the RBC website for up-to-date information.
