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CIBC Rewards Program Review 2023: What you need to know

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The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is the result of a 1961 merger between the Canadian Bank of Commerce and the Imperial Bank of Canada. The Canadian Bank of Commerce traces its roots all the way back to 1867, founded to compete against the Bank of Montreal. The Imperial Bank of Canada’s history, likewise, is nearly as long. Founded in Toronto in 1875, the Imperial Bank of Canada steadily grew until finally merging to create the bank commonly known today as CIBC.

CIBC is another of Canada’s Big Five banks, managing over $650 billion in assets and employing more than 40,000 people to serve 11 million customers worldwide. Like its competitors, CIBC also offers a flexible credit card loyalty program that can prove quite valuable in the right scenario. So, keep reading to learn all about the CIBC rewards program and how you can make it work for you.


CIBC Rewards Overview

Like the other big banks’ credit card rewards programs that we’ve looked at thus far, CIBC’s rewards program likewise rewards customers for making purchases with their CIBC-issued credit cards. CIBC awards each cardholder points based on the value of their purchase, and those points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards such as travel, gift cards, merchandise, CIBC financial products, statement credits, and charitable donations.

In the following sections, we’ll summarize the best ways to make the CIBC rewards program work for you, allowing you to maximize the number of points you earn and the value of those points when they’re redeemed.


How to earn CIBC rewards

Earning CIBC rewards points works the same way as earning rewards points in other programs that we’ve looked at. CIBC credit cardholders simply use their credit cards to make purchases, and they then receive points based on the value of that purchase and the terms of their specific credit card.

A customer must, of course, have a CIBC credit card in the first place before he or she can earn CIBC rewards point. As of this writing, CIBC offers five different rewards credit cards, each of which come with different features intended for a certain type of customer. We’ll summarize the key features of each CIBC rewards credit card below.


–    CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege


CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege Card


o  $499 annual fee; 20.99% interest rate

o  $120 annual fee rebate for cardholders with CIBC Smart Plus accounts

o  Minimum annual income of $200,000

50,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first four months

o  $200 annual travel credit

o  Complimentary airport lounge access with 6 free guest passes per year

o  2 NEXUS fee waivers

o  Access to business class bookings

o  Access to dedicated taxi and limousine service

o  25% discount at participating rental car services

o  3 points per $1 on travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre

o  2 points per $1 spent on dining, entertainment, transportation, gas, and groceries

o  1.25 points per $1 on all other purchases

o  Suite of travel insurance products included

o  Metal card


–    CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite


CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege Card


o  $139 annual fee (first year rebate); 20.99% interest rate

o  Minimum income requirement of $60,000 for individuals or $100,000 for households

20,000 bonus points on the first purchase

o  15,000 additional bonus points after spending $10,000 in the first year

o  Complimentary Priority Pass members provides free access to more than 1,200 airport lounges

o  4 complimentary lounge guest passes per year

o  NEXUS application fee rebate

o  2 points per $1 on travel purchased through the CIBC Rewards Centre

o  1.5 points per $1 spent on gas, at grocery stores, and at pharmacies

o  1 point per $1 on every other purchase

o  Suite of travel insurance products included


–    CIBC Aventura Visa


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o  $0 annual fee; 20.99% interest rate

o  $15,000 minimum annual household income

o  $0 annual income requirement for students

o  Earn 500 bonus points each for each of the following actions: sharing your email address with CIBC; signing up for e-statements; adding an authorized user to your account; holding an eligible CIBC chequing account; and adding your card to Apply Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, for a total of 2,500 bonus points

o  Earn 2,500 more bonus points for spending $500 during the first four months

o  Students receive 2,500 bonus points on their first purchase

o  1 point per $1 spent at on gas, groceries, pharmaceuticals, and in the CIBC Rewards Centre

o  1 point per $2 on all other purchases

o  Rental car insurance

o  Extended warranty and purchase protection


–    CIBC U.S. Dollar Aventura Gold Visa


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o  $35 USD annual fee; 20.99% interest rate

o  $15,000 minimum annual household income

o  Earn up to 2,500 bonus points for completing the same tasks as the Aventura Visa above

o  First year annual fee rebate

o  No currency conversion fees

o  1 point per $1 spent in the CIBC Rewards Centre

o  1 point per $2 on all other purchases

o  90-day purchase protection on new purchases


–    CIBC Aventura Visa for Business


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o  $120 annual fee; 19.99% interest

o  $35,000 minimum annual income

o  25,000 bonus points on the first purchase

o  35,000 additional bonus points after spending $35,000 in the first year

o  Transfer points between business and personal CIBC credit card accounts

o  2 points per $1 spent in the CIBC Rewards Centre

o  1.5 points per $1 spent on eligible travel, gas and electric charging 

o  1 point per $1 on all other purchases

o  Suite of travel insurance products

As this summary shows, the CIBC Visa Infinite Privilege card offers by far the greatest benefits. But its $200,000 annual income requirement and steep $499 annual fee render it very exclusive and perhaps even impractical for many consumers. Further, there are other rewards credit cards that offer similar benefits for a lower annual fee.

However, CIBC’s second-tier card, the Visa Infinite, strikes a nice balance between cost and value. In other words, the Visa Infinite seems to provide more bang for your buck considering the relatively modest $120 annual fee. For this fee, cardholders still receive a host of valuable benefits including complimentary airport lounge access, a NEXUS fee waiver, a suite of travel insurance products, and the chance to earn 35,000 bonus points in the first year of membership.

Finally, CIBC’s basic Visa card allows cardholders to earn rewards points on purchases they would make anyway, although the 1 point per $2 spent ratio is a bit lower than comparable cards from CIBC’s competitors.


CIBC rewards points value

The real-world purchasing power of a CIBC rewards point varies depending upon the type of reward for which it is redeemed. Like other rewards programs we’ve seen, CIBC rewards points can be redeemed for various types of rewards including travel, merchandise, and gift cards. Similarly, CIBC rewards points are most valuable when redeemed for airline tickets and least valuable when redeemed for statement credits.


How to redeem CIBC rewards points

Members redeem their CIBC rewards points, as you can probably guess by now, through their online banking account. From their online portal, members can redeem their points for travel through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre, for merchandise and gift cards through CIBC’s rewards catalogue, and as a form of cash back by applying points to receive a statement credit.

The following sections will set out the approximate value of a CIBC rewards point when redeemed for each class of reward.

  • Redeem CIBC rewards points for travel

There seems to be a split among the various credit cards rewards programs when it comes to redeeming points for travel. Some programs that we’ve seen allow members to make a point-for-point redemption regardless of destination. In other words, a rewards member in such a program simply redeems however many points are necessary to cover the exact price of a ticket.

Other programs, by contrast, allow members to redeem a set number of points for any ticket up to a certain price. CIBC, as we’ll see, essentially provides customers access to both options.

To redeem points for travel, CIBC rewards members have two options. First, they can book travel using rewards points directly through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre. When booked this way, members may redeem a set number of points to book any flight within a certain geographic region, provided the base ticket price does not exceed a predetermined maximum.

The various travel tiers are set out below


–    Canadian Short Haul flights

o  10,000 to 20,000 points

o  Book any flight within a province, territory, or US or to an adjoining province, territory or state

o  Maximum ticket price of $400

–    Canadian Long Haul flights

o  25,000 to 35,000 points

o  Book any flight to any location within Canada or the continental United States

o  Maximum ticket price of $800

–    Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Central America, Caribbean

o  40,000 to 60,000 points

o  Book any flight to any location in these five regions

o  Maximum ticket price of $1,000

–    Europe

o  50,000 to 70,000 points

o  Book any flight from a major gateway in Canada or the United States to select European destinations

o  Maximum ticket price of $1,300

–    The rest of the world

o  75,000 to 125,000 points

o  Book any flight from a major gateway in Canada or the United States to select destinations in Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Middle East, or South America

o  Maximum ticket price of $2,000

These figures indicate the best value is the Canadian Long Haul flight. Assuming a member books an $800 ticket for 35,000 points, this comes out to a value of 2.28¢ per point ($800/35,000 = 2.28).

Using the same method, we can determine points max out at the following values for each of the remaining classes of flights:

–    Canadian Short Haul: 2¢ per point

–    Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Central America, Caribbean: 1.67¢ per point

–    Europe: 1.8¢ per point

–    The rest of the world: 1.6¢ per point

As an added benefit to CIBC rewards members, if a particular flight doesn’t fit within any of the above travel tiers, members can still use CIBC rewards points to pay for the flight as long as it’s booked through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre. When booked this way, points have a flat value of 1¢ per point. In other words, members receive $1 toward the cost of the flight for every 100 points they redeem.


  • Redeem CIBC rewards points for gift cards and merchandise

CIBC rewards members can redeem their points for gift cards and merchandise from a variety of leading establishments through the CIBC Rewards Centre.

Gift cards typically cost around 7,000 points for a $50 gift card or 14,000 points for a $100 gift card. This works out to a value of .7¢ per point. And points redeemed for merchandise typically carry a similar value of around .7¢ per point.


  • Redeem CIBC rewards points for experience

CIBC rewards members can also redeem their points for a variety of exclusive experiences, including dining experiences, vacations, tours, and more. But CIBC puts a unique spin on how they allow members to redeem points for experiences. Instead of pricing each experience at a set number of points, CIBC auctions each experience. In this way, members use their points to bid on the experience they wish to purchase. The highest bid wins!


  • Other redemption options

Other options to redeem CIBC rewards points include statement credits, CIBC financial products like an RRSP or TFSA, payments on a CIBC line of credit, and making a donation to charity.

For 12,000 points, members can make a $100 payment toward any CIBC financial product. This works out to a value of .83¢ per point.

For 2,500 points, members can make a $25 donation to CanadaHelps.org, coming to a value of 1¢ per point.

And for 4,000 points, members can receive a $25 statement credit. Redeeming points for statement credit works out to just .62¢ per point. Still, if you don’t have any travel plans coming up, this provides a convenient way to make a dent in your next billing statement.


Getting the Most Out of Your CIBC rewards

As we’ve shown, the best way to get the most value for each reward point is to use points to book long haul flights within Canada or the continental United States. Working out to about 2.3¢ per point, points put toward domestic long-haul flights are worth nearly four times as much as points redeemed for statement credit and around 35% more than points used to book international flights. And at 2¢ per point, using points to book domestic short haul flights is nearly as good as a deal.


How CIBC rewards Compare to other loyalty program

The CIBC rewards program is quite similar to others that we’ve seen. For current CIBC customers, especially high net-worth customers in the market for a premium credit card, the CIBC Visa Infinite Privilege offers a wide array of benefits for the frequent traveler. The second-tier Visa Infinite card, too, offers many of the same enticing and useful benefits for a much more reasonable annual fee. In any event, CBIC rewards points are quite value when redeemed for either short or long domestic flights.

  • Pros and Cons

Ultimately, the flexibility that the CIBC rewards program provides by allowing customers to book any flight through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre could prove quite useful. And points become even more valuable when a member’s desired flight falls within one of the pre-set travel tiers.

On the flip side, members are constrained by the fact that CIBC rewards points can only be redeemed for travel though the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre. While at least one other rewards program allows members to book any travel they desire, then apply points toward the cost of that travel, CIBC members don’t have that luxury. But in return, CIBC rewards points can ultimately provide more value when applied toward certain flights.


Conclusion

What sets the CIBC rewards program apart from its competition is its relatively generous sign-on bonuses. With the potential to earn up to 35,000 bonus points in the first year of membership, cardholders could easily score a free flight or two simply by signing up for a CIBC rewards credit card and meeting the bonus criteria. So, if you don’t currently have a rewards credit card, CIBC’s Visa Infinite or Visa Infinite Privilege could be the perfect card to, both physically and financially, get you where you want go.

 

Compare the Best CIBC Credit Cards in Canada


FAQ’s

  • How do I log in to my CIBC rewards account?

Members log in to their rewards account through CIBC’s online banking portal.

  • How do I contact CIBC rewards?

Members can contact CIBC rewards via telephone at 1-888-232-5656.

  • Can I transfer my CIBC rewards points?

Members can transfer rewards points only between different CIBC credit card accounts. This can be done through the member’s online baking portal.

  • Do CIBC rewards points expire?

No. CIBC rewards points last as long as the member’s account remains in good standing.

  • How do I check my CIBC rewards points balance?

Simply log on to your online rewards account. From there, you can check your points balance and redeem points for rewards.

  • Do CIBC rewards points cover taxes and fees?

Yes, members may use rewards points to cover taxes and fees associated with their travel booking.

  • Are CIBC rewards points subject to blackout dates or seat restrictions?

No. CIBC rewards points are not subject to any blackout dates or seat restrictions.

  • How do I earn CIBC rewards faster?

The fastest way to earn CIBC rewards points is to sign up for a credit card that offers a sign-on bonus. After that, using the card to make purchases on gas, groceries, pharmaceuticals, and travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre will earn the most points per purchase.

 

 

 

How To Get the most of The RBC Rewards Program

 

 

The Royal Bank of Canada, also known as RBC, is Canada’s largest commercial bank. RBC employs more than 85,000 people around the globe and serves over 16 million customers each year. RBC offers a full suite of personal and commercial financial services. But instead of setting out a general summary of the extensive list of financial products and services that RBC offers, we’re going to limit our focus today to one product in particular: the RBC Rewards program. So, if you’re interested in learning more about this valuable rewards program and how it can make your dollar go a little further, keep reading to learn all about it.

Overview

The RBC Rewards Program is a customer loyalty program offered by RBC to reward customers for using their RBC credit cards to make purchases of everyday items ranging from gas and groceries, to technology, to pharmaceuticals and everything in between.

Put simply, RBC Rewards gives customers a way to earn points based on the amount of each purchase and redeem those points for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more. Customers can also redeem their RBC Rewards points to send cash around the world or to receive a credit on their monthly credit card statement. In this sense, RBC Rewards give members the flexibility to redeem their points for travel rewards or to use them as a form of cash back.

How to earn RBC Rewards

Earning RBC Rewards is as simple as going to your local grocery store or visiting your favorite online retailer and making a purchase just as you otherwise would. So as long as you use your enrolled RBC credit card, you’ll earn RBC Rewards points based on the value of the purchase.

RBC Rewards is, at its core, a credit card loyalty program that rewards cardholders for using their credit card to make purchases. It is therefore unsurprising that RBC seeks to get as many customers using its credit cards as it can. For this reason, RBC offers a variety of credit cards that are eligible for enrollment in the RBC Rewards program, and each card is tailored for a particular type of user. Some cards offer low interest rates and low annual fees for users who only wish to accumulate RBC Rewards points, while other cards offer a wider range of benefits.

We’ll summarize the key features of each of RBC’s fourteen eligible credit cards below.


1)  RBC Avion Visa Infinite


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  2. $120 annual fee; 20.99% interest rate
  3. 1 point per dollar on every purchase
  4. Welcome bonus :Get 35,000 welcome points, a value of up to $750. Perfect for your future travel plans, with points that do not expire. 

2)  Avion Visa Infinite Privilege


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  1. $399 annual fee; 20.99% interest rate
  2. Welcome bonus: Get 35,000 welcome points1, a value of up to $750. Perfect for your future travel plans, with points that do not expire. 
  3. 1.25 points per dollar on every purchase
  4. Save 3¢ / L on fuel purchases

3)  RBC Avion Visa Platinum


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  1. $120 annual fee; 19.99% interest
  2. Welcome bonus: Get 35,000 welcome points1, a value of up to $750. Perfect for your future travel plans, with points that do not expire. Apply by November 15, 2021.
  3. 1 point per dollar on every purchase




2)  RBC Rewards+ Visa


  1. $0 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate
  2. 1 point per dollar on gas, groceries, and drug store purchases
  3. 1 point per 2 dollars on all other purchases


3)  WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard

  1. $119 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate
  2. 1 free World Elite companion voucher per year
  3. Welcome bonus: Get 450 welcome WestJet dollars (with minimum spend). Offer expires Jan. 5, 2022.
  4. Free checked bag with new membership

4)  Signature RBC Rewards Visa

  1. $39 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate (annual fee waived for students)
  2. 1 point per dollar; bonus points at select merchants
  3. Purchase protection; travel insurance; extended warranties on some purchases

5)  RBC Avion Visa Platinum

  1. $120 annual fee; 19.99% interest
  2. Welcome bonus: Get 35,000 welcome points1, a value of up to $750. Perfect for your future travel plans, with points that do not expire. Apply by November 15, 2021.
  3. 1 point per dollar on every purchase

6)  Avion Visa Infinite Privilege

  1. $399 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate
  2. Welcome bonus: Get 35,000 welcome points1, a value of up to $750. Perfect for your future travel plans, with points that do not expire. Apply by November 15, 2021.
  3. 1.25 points per dollar on every purchase
  4. Save 3¢ / L on fuel purchases

7)  RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business

  1. $175 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate
  2. Welcome bonus of 25,000 points
  3. 1.25 points per dollar on every purchase; capped at $75,000 per year
  4. Premium insurance benefits, including mobile device insurance

8)  RBC Avion Visa Business

  1. $120 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate
  2. Welcome bonus of 20,000 points
  3. 1 point per dollar on every purchase

9)  RBC Rewards Visa Preferred

  1. $110 annual fee; 19.99% interest rate
  2. Welcome bonus of 2,500 points
  3. Insurance benefits

10) RBC U.S. Dollar Visa Gold


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  1. $65 USD annual fee; 20.99% interest rate
  2. Make purchases in US currency while avoiding exchange rates
  3. 1 point per US dollar on every purchase
  4. Travel insurance and 24/7 travel assistance

11) WestJet RBC MasterCard


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  1. $39 annual fee; 20.99% interest rate
  2. Receive one companion travel voucher per year for a flat rate of $199
  3. Welcome bonus of 50 WestJet dollars
  4. Earn WestJet dollars on every purchase

12) RBC British Airways Visa Infinite


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  1. $165 annual fee; 20.50% interest rate
  2. 1 Avios point per dollar on every purchase
  3. Welcome bonus: Receive up to 60,000 bonus Avios. Offer expires on February 28, 2022.
  4. One Companion Award eVoucher

14) RBC Visa CreditLine for Small Business

  1. $0 annual fee; variable Prime + 2.9% interest rate, capped at 11.9 %
  2. 1 point per 2 dollars on every purchase

RBC Rewards points value

RBC Rewards points carry different values depending on the particular reward for which the customer redeems his or her points.

Below you’ll find a summary of the values RBC assigns to its rewards points for each class of reward. But before we dive into the details, it’s important to understand the basic arithmetic behind RBC Reward points.

Recall from above that RBC Rewards members earn between � and 1.25 points per dollar spent with their enrolled RBC credit card. To keep the numbers round, let’s assume a member uses a card that earns 1 point per dollar to make a purchase of $1,000. That member will then earn 1,000 RBC Rewards points for that purchase.

Each RBC Reward point is then worth between .58¢ and 2.33¢ in real-world purchasing power depending on the class of reward that the member uses it for. In other words, those 1,000 RBC Rewards points that we just earned would be worth between $5.80 and $23.30, meaning the member could redeem those 1,000 points for that amount of credit toward his or her selected reward.

Because the RBC Rewards program is designed primarily as a travel rewards program, RBC Rewards points go the furthest when they’re redeemed for travel-related rewards such as airfare, vacation packages, and vehicle rentals. But, as we mentioned earlier, members can also redeem their RBC Rewards points for merchandise, gift cards, and statement credits.

The figures below represent the cash value of RBC Rewards points for each class of reward:

–    Travel booked through RBC Rewards: 1¢

–    Airfare booked through Avion: 1.74¢ – 2.33¢

–    Redeem for WestJet rewards: 1¢

–    Redeem for Hudson’s Bay rewards: 1¢

–    Merchandise: .87¢

–    Gift cards: .72¢

–    RBC financial products: .83¢

–    Statement credits: .58¢

–    Donation to charity: 1¢

As these figures show, RBC Rewards points go the furthest when used to book airfare through Avion, and they are least valuable when redeemed for cash equivalents like statement credits and gift cards.

How to redeem RBC Rewards

Tracking and managing RBC Rewards points is quite simple and straightforward. Members begin by simply logging into their RBC online banking account. From there, members can view the points they’ve already earned, track pending points, and see which transactions earned bonus points.

  • Redeem RBC Rewards points for travel

Members can book travel online through their RBC Rewards account or they can speak to RBC Rewards directly over the phone to book travel. It’s worth noting, however, that RBC charges a $30 booking fee for all travel booked over the phone.

  • Redeem RBC Rewards points for experience

Similarly to how members can redeem RBC Rewards points for airfare, they can also use their points to book entire travel experiences. RBC rewards offers a variety of exciting travel experiences, ranging from cruises to entire vacation packages at some of the world’s leading resorts.

  • Redeem RBC Rewards points for gift cards and merchandise

Redeeming RBC Rewards points for gift cards and merchandise follows a similar procedure. To redeem points for merchandise, members simply log in to the RBC Rewards Shop via their RBC online banking account. From there, members can access the entire catalogue of products offered by many of the world’s leading retailers. Once their shopping is complete, members will then have the option to pay for their merchandise with their RBC Rewards points.

  • Other redemption options

Likewise, redeeming points for a statement credit also involves logging into the member’s online banking account, selecting the purchases they’d like to use points for, and applying points to that purchase.

For example, say you made a purchase for $100 with your enrolled RBC Rewards credit card. Because points are worth .58¢ per point when redeemed for a statement credit, you would need to redeem 17,241 points ($17,241 x .0058 = $100) to cover the cost of that purchase. Applying those rewards points then eliminates that charge from your monthly billing statement, making your RBC rewards points as good as cash.

RBC also allows members to apply their points to existing RBC financial products and accounts. This means members can use RBC Rewards points to pay down their mortgage, pay down the balance on an open line of credit, or add to an RBC investment account.

Finally, members can use their RBC Rewards points to make a cash donation to a charity of their choice.

Getting the Most Out of Your RBC rewards

As you can see, RBC Rewards are designed with frequent travelers in mind and it’s travelers who will receive the most value from each point. For this reason, it’s best to save your RBC Rewards points for travel-related rewards unless you really need to use them for a statement credit or to send gift card to your niece or nephew who’s birthday you didn’t remember until the last minute.

And when it comes to traveling, RBC Rewards points work in a unique way that adds even more value. Instead of providing a point-for-point value, RBC Travel allows members to travel is various destinations for a set number of points. The only catch is RBC sets maximum ticket prices for each destination.

As of this writing, it costs 15,000 points to travel to any adjacent province or territory so long as the ticket costs $350 or less.

It costs 35,000 points to travel anywhere in North America (except Hawaii or Alaska) so long as the ticket’s face value is $750 or less.

For 45,000 points, members in Western Canada or the United States can buy a ticket worth up to $900 to any destination in Mexico, Hawaii, or Alaska. Residents of Eastern Canada can redeem the same number of points for a trip to Bermuda, Central America, or the Caribbean. An extra 10,000 points opens those destinations to residents of Western Canada and the U.S., and it opens Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii to residents of Eastern Canada and the United States. There, RBC caps the maximum ticket price at $1,100.

65,000 points gets members from any major Canadian gateway to select European destinations, with a maximum ticket price of $1,300.

Finally, for 100,000 points, members can travel from any major Canadian gateway to select destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. The maximum ticket price 100,000 points will cover is $2,000.

How RBC Rewards Compares to Other Loyalty Programs

RBC Rewards offers members a valuable way to make the money they’re already spending go a little further. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that RBC Rewards is a travel rewards program, not a cash back rewards program. But when compared with other travel rewards programs, it proves to be a great value, with the biggest advantage by far being that travel booked with RBC Rewards points through Avion is not subject to any blackout date or seat restrictions. This gives RBC Rewards members a valuable advantage over other travel rewards program because it gives them the flexibility to book last minute travel with points.

  • Pros and cons

As we just mentioned RBC Rewards points are not subject to any blackout dates or seat restrictions. Additionally, members can use their points to cover taxes and fees associated with their booking. Points never expire, and the list of RBC’s partners continues to grow.

One of the only drawbacks of the RBC Rewards program is the relatively low value of its points when redeeming them for cash back. Given, however, that RBC Rewards is primarily designed with frequent travelers in mind, this is quite unsurprising.

Conclusion

The RBC Rewards program offers frequent travelers substantial added value on everyday credit card purchases. It’s unique tiered travel program, which allows members to fly to any destination in a given region for a flat rate, is equally impressive. While RBC Rewards is not the best option for credit card customers looking primarily for a cash back rewards program, it’s hard to beat for any frequent traveler, especially those who find themselves frequently booking last minute travel.

 

Compare the Best RBC Credit Cards in Canada

FAQ’s

  • How Do I Login to My RBC rewards Account?

Simply go to RBC’s website, navigate to the top righthand corner, and click on the large “Sign In” icon.

  • How to contact RBC rewards?

You can contact RBC Rewards via email or telephone through the links founds on their Customer Service page.

  • Can RBC rewards Be transferred?

Yes, members can transfer their RBC Rewards into their Hudson’s Bay and WestJet rewards accounts. Members can also transfer their Avion rewards to several other airline partners.

  • Do RBC rewards Expire?

No, RBC Rewards do not expire. The only way members risk losing their points is by closing their RBC Rewards account and not using their accumulated points within 90 days.

  • How do I check my RBC rewards balance?

Simply sign in to your RBC Rewards account. From there, you can check your balance and see which purchases are earning you the most points.

  • Do RBC rewards cover taxes and fees?

Yes, members can apply RBC rewards points to cover taxes and fees associated with their travel bookings on top of the booking, itself.

  • Are there any blackout dates with RBC Rewards?

No. Unlike some travel rewards programs, RBC Rewards points carry no blackout dates or seat restrictions. This means that if there is a seat available on the flight you want, you can use your RBC points to book it.

  • How do I earn RBC rewards faster?

RBC points correlate directly with the number of purchases you make with your enrolled RBC credit card. Thus, to earn rewards points faster, make as many of your purchases with your enrolled credit card as you can. Additionally, keep an eye out for special deals and opportunities to earn bonus points.

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