I said back in August that September would be big for changes and/or increased offerings in the ever competitive travel rewards credit card market in Canada and last week was a witness of that and this week the trend continues. The latest card to offer an increased bonus is the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card. The bonus is not as big as the 50,000 Avios seen last fall but that is because they have added a different perk this time. Normally the card only carries a 15,000 Avios bonus for being approved for the card but now you'll get that bonus plus 30,000 more Avios if you spend $3,000 in each of month of your first three months of cardmembership ($9,000 spend total). To take advantage of this increased bonus you must apply for the card by Nov 30, 13. You can do so here. If you are seriously considering this card I would apply for it sooner than later so that you can make the most of the additional perk being offered with the card.
The additional perk this time to make up for the 5,000 Avios difference in the sign bonus from last fall to this fall is that RBC will award you with 2x Avios when you make grocery store and gasoline purchases with your card:
Starting with transactions posted to your October 2013 monthly statement and up to your December 2013 monthly statement, you will earn double the Avios you normally earn for every $1 in purchases when you use your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card to pay for purchases made at merchants classified by Visa’s “Merchant Category Codes” as “grocery stores and supermarkets” (MCC 5411), “Service Stations” (MCC 5541) and “Automated Fuel Dispensers” (MCC 5542). After your December 2013 monthly statement, your earn rate will return to the standard earn rate.What can you get for 45,000 Avios? A round-trip economy class flight to England on British Airways (+taxes/fees) from Eastern Canada or 10 one way trips between Toronto and New York (+taxes/fees). There many other options as well including upgrading paid tickets to the next higher category on BA flights (i.e. Economy to Economy Plus; Economy Plus to Business etc)
Additional details on the card:
- 15,000 bonus Avios upon approval
- 1 Avios for every $1 CAD you spend on the card and 2 Avios for every $1 CAD you spend on British Airways
- Companion Award eVoucher when you spend $30,000 or more on your card in any calendar year
- Comprehensive insurances including Out of Province/Country Emergency Medical Insurance
- 10% off BA flights departing from Canada
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't seem like a very good deal for the minimum spend required....$9,000 in 3 months is the highest I've EVER seen, and also considering it would cost just under $1500 to buy 45,000 avios outright, I can't imagine who would sign up for this card...
ReplyDeleteYes this is a high spend requirement but for their target market it is not.
DeleteTrue you could buy that amount of Avios for less but the spend on your card should not be a 'loss' as it should be used for purchases that you need whereas as buying Avios you get nothing for the $1,500 other than the Avios.
You'll get people who want to fly BA or oneworld and people whose primary program is Executive Club signing up for this deal.