Earlier this year RBC Avion Rewards launched Avion Select which is a new tier in the program that allows any Canadian to join the program without having to be an RBC client.
When it debuted it only offered cash back for online shopping at merchants via Avion Rewards. At that time though it was also revealed that Avion Select would be expanded to offer points earning and travel reward redemptions by September.
Here is our past coverage of Avion Select:
- June 8, 2023: Avion Select: RBC is opening up Avion Rewards to all Canadians
- July 7, 2023: Points Earning with Avion Select will launch in September
- August 1, 2023: RBC Avion Rewards has officially launched Avion Select
Well, September passed without the expanded program but I am happy to announce that it is now here. I’m not entirely sure when this launched but I do know it was recently as it wasn’t there a few weeks ago but when I checked Avion Select today they now had offers for points earning (in addition to the cash back rewards) and travel bookings (with cash, points+cash or points only) What I believe was previously unannounced was how you would earn points with Avion Select and now we know. They are taking AIR MILES head on, with their own card linked offers that provide Avion Rewards points!
Earning Avion Rewards Points
Avion Select members can now earn RBC’s Avion Rewards points when they take advantage of the program’s new card linked offers. If you have used AIR MILES’ card linked offers then you will be familiar with this points earning method. If you are not familiar, it is pretty straight forward. You simply need to link a credit card from any issuer other than RBC to your Avion Select account and then use that card to pay for an eligible purchase at any of the merchants that are on offer at that time in the program.
Here’s an example of some of the offers that were available on December 29:
And the expanded details of one of those offers:
In the McDonald’s example above you need to spend $20 or more on the card you have linked and you’ll earn those 20 Avion points. Simply as that!
Where RBC differs is that they are allowing linking of almost any Canadian payment cards – not just a Mastercard like seen with AIR MILES. They state in the process of linking your payment card(s) that over 230 Canadian financial institutions are available for their Card Linked offer:
I was able to connect all of my American Express cards but not my WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard – which makes sense as it appears many of the card linked offers are or will be very similar to those offered via the RBC Offers program.
So now what? You may be wondering what you will be able to use the Avion Rewards points on that you earn as an Avion Select members. According to earlier posts and news from RBC you will be able to redeem the points for travel, gift cards, merchandise and more. The first of those, Travel is now available for Avion Select members and I assume the other options should be on their way soon.
Booking travel via Avion Rewards
When you log in to the Avion Rewards app as an Avion Select member and click on the Travel icon on the bottom you are no longer presented with:
No, instead you now see the following:
It is a complete travel booking service that appears to be the same as what Premium and Elite members use to book. Just like the full fledged Avion Rewards program the travel booking option is powered by Expedia and offers flights, hotels, car rentals, packages and activities.
As I don’t have any points I was unable to directly see what the redemption value of the earned points is but I was able to find out that Avion Select members will receive 58 cents towards their travel for every 100 points redeemed. This is the same 172 to 1 redemption ratio that Avion Rewards Premium members receive for travel (those who hold ION cards but not Avion cards – the latter keeps 100 to 1).
I can happily say my prediction from earlier this year was wrong! I had predicted they would have a 200 or 250 to 1 ratio for Avion Select members so as not to dilute any of RBC’s own products but that’s not the case, so this is good news!
Wrapping it up
When Avion Select launched earlier this year there wasn’t much fanfare to it as it is simply was another online shopping portal to earn cash back like Rakuten (eBates), Great Canadian Rebates and others. In the latest update the program has gone through quite a significant transformation! Not only have they delivered on their promise to provide points earning and travel rewards but they have gone one step further with a direct challenge to AIR MILES.
With the addition of these card linked offers they have basically said to AIR MILES “Watch out! We’re coming for you” and AIR MILES should take heed as RBC isn’t limiting their card linked offers to Mastercard cards. I linked my Amex cards so I’ll be able to earn 5x points on my American Express Cobalt Card at McDonald’s and take the 20 Avion points as well instead of using a Mastercard that earns less.
I do have to say the offers from RBC Card Linked don’t provide a ton of face value (less than the AIR MILES offers). For example the 20 points for a $20 McDonald’s purchase works out to only 11.6 cents in value whereas AIR MILES’ Dollarama offer of 10 miles for $30 is a roughly $1 in value. I know – two totally different retailers that really shouldn’t be compared but I’m just pointing out the relative value in the offers. But that’s only to show relative value as once you take into account your credit card earning things can really change, like the 1,000 points for a $300 Marriott purchase. That is only $5.80 in value but the fact you can pay with a Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card to earn 5 Bonvoy points per dollar for the Marriott stay is great!