National Bank of Canada has extended the welcome bonus for the premier
card in their portfolio – the NBC World Elite Mastercard.
The offer provides
new cardholders with the opportunity to earn up to $300 in cash back
when you spend at least $4,000 on the card within the first three months
of having it. This spend requirement is $500 less than the offer that just ended on January 31. On top of that the $150 annual fee on the primary card
will be refunded in the first year. This bonus is over and above the
regular
points earn and other benefits that come with the card. To take
advantage of this particular offer you must apply for the card by April 30 2021 and activate it no later than May 15, 2021. The offer is also available on their Platinum and World Mastercards as well.
The NBC World Elite Mastercard is this bank’s top card and it is a
pretty decent card overall. It doesn’t make it into the Top 5 of any of
our categories in Canada’s Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards but
it’s not that far out. I would definitely place it in the Top 10 of the
Travel Points category in Canada. One reason for this is that the card
normally doesn’t have a welcome bonus, so this limited time offer is a
welcome bonus! Pun intended. The card is also a bit weaker in the rewards
department when you line it up against comparable offerings from
other banks. With a variable earn rate of 1.5 points to 2 points per
dollar spent and a travel redemption value ranging from 0.83 to 1.0 cent
per point this card provides a return of 1.25 to 2% (and the 2% is
only awarded on your spend between $40,000 and $80,000 annually). As you can see this is where the card lacks compared to its competition however
where it doesn’t lack is in the insurance department. It has some of the
best insurance benefits you can find in Canada, in particular for out
of province travel medical insurance. The Travel Medical Insurance
provides up to $5,000,000 in coverage per person and covers travel of up
to 60 days for those up to 54 years old, 31 days for 55-64 years old
and 15 days to 74 years old.
The card also provides up to $250 in annual rebates for associated travel costs
– broken down as follows: up to $100 on airport parking, $50
on seat selection and $100 on baggage fees. This is another nice benefit
to have if you can utilize it – which a lot of people won’t be able to until the pandemic is under control.
In the end if you do get this card at the very least you should end up $300 ahead with
the welcome bonus and it is getting easier to achieve as we have seen the offer progressively get better since last summer. NBC definitely wants to be competitive and that to me shows why they keep making it more attractive .