One vital issue to grasp concerning the RBC Avion Rewards program is that there are literally three tiers of factors: Avion Choose, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite. Of the three, Avion Premium and Avion Elite provide travellers one of the best alternatives for beneficial redemptions.
Fortuitously, incomes each Avion Premium and Avion Elite factors is comparatively simple via RBC’s Avion and ION households of bank cards, which earn Avion Elite and Avion Premium factors, respectively.
For those who’d wish to get essentially the most out of the RBC Avion Rewards program, this information will stroll you thru how one can construct an optimized RBC bank card portfolio that leverages the strengths of the ION and Avion households of playing cards in terms of each incomes and redeeming.
Evaluating Avion Premium and Avion Elite Factors
One of many distinctive quirks of the RBC Avion Rewards program is that there are three completely different tiers of factors: Avion Choose, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite.
Relying on which tier of factors you earn, you’ll have extra or fewer choices when it comes time to redeem.
(We’ll skip over Avion Choose factors for the needs of this dialogue.)
The first variations between Avion Premium and Avion Elite factors – not less than in terms of journey redemptions – are as follows:
- Avion Premium factors are earned on the ION household of bank cards, whereas Avion Elite factors are earned on the Avion household of bank cards
- Avion Premium factors could be redeemed for 0.58 cents per level (all figures in CAD) when reserving journey, or transferred to WestJet Rewards at a fee of 1:1 (100 Avion Premium factors = 100 WestJet factors)
- Avion Elite factors could be redeemed for 1 cent per level when reserving journey, transferred to 4 airline loyalty packages (The British Airways Membership and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a fee of 1:1, transferred to American Airways AAdvantage at a fee of 1:0.7, and WestJet Rewards at a fee of 1:1), or redeemed for larger worth via the RBC Air Journey Redemption Schedule.
In sum, Avion Elite factors are extra highly effective than Avion Premium factors, since you are able to do extra with them, and the worth at which you’ll redeem them is larger than what’s potential with Avion Premium factors.
Now, in terms of incomes Avion Premium and Avion Elite factors, it’s vital to grasp the principle variations between the ION and Avion households of bank cards:
- ION bank cards have low or no annual charges, whereas Avion playing cards have larger annual charges
- ION bank cards have incomes charges of as much as 3 Avion Premium factors per greenback spent,† whereas Avion bank cards earn (at most) 1.25 Avion Elite factors per greenback spent†
- ION bank cards have a tendency to come back with extra modest welcome bonuses, whereas Avion playing cards have rather more beneficiant welcome bonuses
In different phrases, the ION household of bank cards has higher incomes charges and decrease charges, paired with much less highly effective factors and smaller welcome bonuses. In the meantime, the Avion household of playing cards has decrease incomes charges and better charges, paired with extra highly effective factors and bigger welcome bonuses.
Nonetheless, right here’s the kicker: it’s potential to transform Avion Premium factors into Avion Elite factors immediately and at a fee of 1:1 in two conditions:
- For those who determine to improve an ION product into an Avion product, your Avion Premium factors turn out to be Avion Elite factors
- For those who maintain each an ION product and an Avion product, you possibly can convert your Avion Premium factors into Avion Elite factors from throughout the Avion Rewards ecosystem
Subsequently, an important alternative presents itself to savvy cardholders who can leverage the strengths of each households of playing cards and the 2 related tiers of Avion Rewards factors by constructing a small RBC bank card portfolio.
The Optimized RBC Credit score Card Portfolio
There’s a robust argument to be made for holding each a higher-tier Avion card and a card from the ION household.
By doing so, you possibly can reap the benefits of the elevated incomes charges on on a regular basis necessities with the ION household of playing cards, after which switch the Avion Premium factors over to turn out to be the extra highly effective Avion Elite factors when it comes time to redeem, merely by the use of holding an Avion product.
As a reminder, there are two playing cards within the ION household: the RBC® ION Visa and the RBC® ION+ Visa. Of the 2, the RBC® ION+ Visa has higher incomes charges, the next welcome bonus, and a really modest $4 month-to-month charge.
Importantly, the RBC® ION+ Visa has the next incomes charges on each day spending:
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Earn 3 Avion Premium factors per greenback spent on eligible groceries, eating, meals supply, fuel, public transit, electrical car charging, rideshares, streaming, digital gaming, and digital subscriptions†
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Earn 1 Avion Premium level per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases†
- Earn 14,000 Avion Premium factors upon approval.†
- Earn 3x factors† on qualifying grocery, eating, meals supply, fuel, rideshare, each day public transit, electrical car charging, streaming, digital gaming and digital subscriptions†
- Cell system insurance coverage†
- Annual charge: $48 ($4 charged month-to-month)†
For those who have been to carry each the RBC® ION+ Visa and an RBC Avion product, you would earn 3 Avion Premium factors per greenback spent on many each day necessities along with your RBC® ION+ Visa, after which convert them into RBC Avion Elite factors via the Avion Rewards ecosystem.
For spending on the three private Avion Elite playing cards, the incomes charges throughout all classes are just one–1.25 factors per greenback spent, so through the use of your ION+ card, you’d be incomes greater than double and even triple the factors on many frequent each day purchases.
In terms of selecting a card from the Avion household, any of the three private playing cards (RBC® Avion Visa Platinum†, RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†) make for glorious selections. You might additionally maintain the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Enterprise.
RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†
- Earn 35,000 RBC Avion factors† upon approval†
- Earn a further 20,000 RBC Avion factors† whenever you spend $5,000 in your first 6 months†
- Earn 1.25x RBC Avion factors† on qualifying journey purchases
- Switch RBC Avion factors to British Airways Government Membership and different frequent flyer packages for premium flights†
- Redeem Avion factors for flights with the RBC Air Journey Redemption Schedule†
- Minimal revenue: $60,000 private or $100,000 family
- Annual charge: $120†
- Supplementary card charge: $50
With this mixture of playing cards, you’re getting one of the best of each worlds by leveraging the elevated incomes charges on the RBC® ION+ Visa and the extra highly effective methods to redeem Avion Elite factors with an eligible Avion card.
Understand that you possibly can redeem Avion Elite factors for upwards of two cents per level via the RBC Air Journey Redemption Schedule, or for doubtlessly even larger worth by transferring your factors to airline companions and redeeming them for flights in premium cabins.
Subsequently, the potential worth you possibly can earn from the RBC® ION+ Visa may equate to a 3–6% return (or extra) on each day spending, which is a wonderful possibility for a person centered on journey rewards.
When coupled with both no annual charge or a low month-to-month charge on the ION household of playing cards, there’s not a number of value concerned to incomes RBC Avion factors this manner, and it’s certainly essentially the most optimized method.
Conclusion
Savvy travellers can leverage the nuances of the RBC Avion Rewards program by profiting from the benefit of incomes Avion Premium factors with the redemption energy of Avion Elite factors.
By holding a product from each the ION and the Avion households of playing cards, you possibly can construct a small RBC bank card portfolio that offers you one of the best of each worlds.
Between the usually beneficiant welcome bonuses out there on the Avion household of playing cards and the elevated incomes charges on frequent bills with the RBC® ION+ Visa, you’ll end up en path to outsized worth very quickly.
† Phrases and situations apply. Please consult with the RBC web site for updated info.
