A reminder that April 3rd marks the last day you can apply for the RBC ION and ION+ Visa Cards with their increased welcome bonus offers. The bonuses for the cards are 6,000 and 12,000 points respectively.
These were the cards RBC launched when the bank renamed their RBC Rewards program to Avion Rewards and replaced cards like the Signature Visa and Rewards+ Visa. These cards are targetted more towards those people looking for non-travel rewards although they do have travel rewards options thanks to the Avion Rewards program.
Recommended reading: A look at the new RBC ION and ION+ Visa cards
The best bet for travel however is to hold one of these cards in addition to an actual RBC Avion card since you can transfer the points 1:1 between accounts. This means you can take the accelerated earn rates of one of these new cards and apply it towards Avion reward chart redemptions or convert them to airlines like British Airways Executive Club.
You’ll also want to note that the RBC ION+ Visa Card is great for earning WestJet dollars in select spend categories. The ION+ card earns 3 points per dollar for Grocery, Dining & Food Delivery, Rides, Gas & EV Charging, and Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions. As this card has a 100 to 1 conversion option to WestJet you earn the equivalent of a 3% return in WestJet dollars for those categories. That’s double what you would earn with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard in those same categories. In fact, the ION+ card recently took the position as the best Visa card in our Ultimate WestJet Credit Card Portfolio.
Recommended reading: The Ultimate WestJet Credit Card Portfolio
RBC ION+ and ION Card details:
Monthly fee $4 ($48 annually) Additional Cards: $0
Annual interest rate: 19.99% (20.99% as of May 1, 2023) on purchases, 22.99% (21.99% if you reside in Quebec) on cash advances and balance transfers
Credit Rating: Good
Get 12,000 Avion points on approval with the RBC ION+ Visa. Apply by January 31, 2023 ^
Earn 3X Avion points1 on:
- Grocery, Dining & Food Delivery – Satisfy your taste buds by earning points on groceriesi
- Rides, Gas & EV Charging – Enjoy earning points on gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging. ii
- Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions – Stay entertained while earning points on streaming, gaming, eligible digital subscriptions, eligible digital downloads, and in-game purchases.iii
Earn 1 Avion point for every $1 spent on all other qualifying purchases1
Pay With Points
Redeem your Avion points to pay bills, your credit card balance or even send money to friends with Interac e-Transfer4. Minimum redemption is only $10, so you can use your points where you need them most.
Save at Petro-Canada
Save 3¢/L on fuel and earn 20% more points when you pay with a linked RBC card.6
Earn more Be Well points at Rexall
Earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Rexall when you pay with your linked RBC card and scan your Be Well card.7
Save Big on Delivery with DoorDash
Get a 3-month complimentary DashPass subscription – a value of almost $308
Enjoy unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees on qualifying orders of $15 or more when you pay with your eligible RBC credit card9. See how to save with DoorDash.
Mobile Device Insurance5 Included
Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Insurance5
Corresponding legal references and product terms are available on the RBC website, which will be available and agreed upon in the customer onboarding process.
Annual fee $0 Additional Cards: $0
Annual interest rate: 19.99% (20.99% as of May 1, 2023) on purchases, 22.99% (21.99% if you reside in Quebec) on cash advances and balance transfers
Credit Rating: Good
Get 6,000 Avion points on approval with the RBC ION Visa. Apply by January 31, 2023 ^
Earn 1.5X Avion points1 on:
- Grocery – Satisfy your taste buds by earning points on groceriesi
- Rides, Gas & EV Charging – Enjoy earning points on gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging. ii
- Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions – Stay entertained while earning points on streaming, gaming, eligible digital subscriptions, eligible digital downloads, and in-game purchases.iii
Earn 1 Avion point for every $1 spent on all other qualifying purchases1
Pay With Points
Redeem your Avion points to pay bills, your credit card balance or even send money to friends with Interac e-Transfer4. Minimum redemption is only $10, so you can use your points where you need them most.
Save at Petro-Canada
Save 3¢/L on fuel and earn 20% more points when you pay with a linked RBC card.6
Earn more Be Well points at Rexall
Earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Rexall when you pay with your linked RBC card and scan your Be Well card.7
Save Big on Delivery with DoorDash
Get a 3-month complimentary DashPass subscription – a value of almost $308
Enjoy unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees on qualifying orders of $15 or more when you pay with your eligible RBC credit card9. See how to save with DoorDash.
Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Insurance5
Corresponding legal references and product terms are available on the RBC website, which will be available and agreed upon in the customer onboarding process.