The RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card was made even better today with the introduction of improved earn rates. This card that is primarily targeted towards Canadians who fly with British Airways or other oneworld airlines will now earn up to 3 Avios per dollar spent.
In addition to the new earn rates it continues to offer up to 60,000 Avios as its welcome bonus. Plus it has an amazing discount benefit on paid British Airways tickets that can easily pay for the annual fee (or more) in just one booking and the companion award voucher for those who can spend $30,000 or more on this card annually
The new Earn rates:
- Collect 3 Avios when you shop with British Airways and BA Holidays*
- Collect 2 Avios for every $1 CAD you spend on Grocery, Dining and Food Delivery Purchases*
- Collect 1 Avios for every $ CAD you spend on all other qualifying purchases*
Prior to today the card earned 2 Avios on British Airways and BA Holidays purchases and then 1 Avios on all other spending. Now we see the BA purchase rates improved to 3 Avios per dollar and then the introduction of a new accelerated category of 2 Avios pe dollar on grocery, dining and food delivery purchases.
60,000 Avios bonus offer:
This 60,000 bonus Avios offer is structured as follows:
- Step 1: Receive 15,000 Avios as welcome bonus upon approval
- Step 2: 35,000 bonus Avios when you spend $6,000 CAD in the first 3 months
- Step 3: Another 10,000 bonus Avios after your first yearˆ
Travel benefits
- Earn a Companion Award eVoucher when you spend $30,000 CAD or more in any calendar year˜
- 10% off British Airways flights when you book and pay with your card∞
- Redeem for flights and more – you can spend your Avios on all of the travel things you love, including cabin upgrades with British Airways or reward flights with British Airways, and any of the oneworld partner airlines to almost 1,000 destinations worldwide**
The top features of this card come from two of the travel benefits provided, and it is these benefits that most people get this card for.
10% off British Airways flights
The 10% off British Airways flights is the primary benefit that provides the most value. The discount is off the total cost of the fare (including taxes, fees, and carrier charges) for travel in any cabin from economy (World Traveler) to premium economy (World Traveler Plus) for business (Club World) or even First Class. So if you buy several British Airways tickets a year, that 10% off can provide big savings – especially if it is for business or first class. Think about a business class flight between Toronto and London that is nearly $6,000 (as shown below). Ten percent of that is almost $600, which more than pays for the $165 annual fee on this card.
Companion Award Voucher (or 50% off a single reward flight)
The next big benefit is the annual Companion Award eVoucher. This was one of the first cards in Canada to offer a Companion Voucher, which you receive when you spend $30,000 or more on the card in any calendar year. This voucher can be used to save you a lot of Avios as it is used when you make a reward booking. This means you can use the voucher when you redeem Avios in full or in part (Avios and Cash option) to take a companion along. All you pay are the taxes and fees for the companion fare.
More recently the voucher was enhanced to provide value for single travellers as it can be used to receive a 50% discount in Avios on a single reward booking.
Insurance
- Comprehensive Insurances including 31–day out of country/province emergency medical insurance1, flight delay insurance2, hotel burglary3 and rental car4 insurance. Even eligible purchases you make with the card are protected3.
Additional benefits
- Luxury Visa Infinite benefits5 such as first in line service for exclusive events and hotel and dining exclusives via www.visainfinite.ca
- Complimentary 24/7 Concierge Service5
- Link your RBC card with a Petro-Points membership to instantly save 3₵ per litre on fuel at Petro-Canada stations and earn 20% more Petro-Points points
- Get $0 delivery fees for 12 months from DoorDash
- Link your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card with a Rexall Be Well account and get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall. Redeem Be Well points faster for savings in store on eligible purchases where 25,000 Be Well points = $10
Wrapping it up
In a rare move that we see the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card receive an enhancement! It’s great to see this card receive improved earn rates, these changes make the card even more competitive with the Aeroplan suite of co-brand cards and the relatively new Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard.
Click here to learn more about and apply for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card
Corresponding legal references and product terms are available on the RBC website, which will be available and agreed upon in the customer onboarding process.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer for more info.