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If you’ve explored RBC’s Avion Rewards program in the past, you may have noticed mentions of what seems to be three different types of Avion points: Avion Select, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite.
Interestingly, these are in fact three different Avion Rewards membership levels, each offering improved opportunities for earning and redeeming Avion points.
In this article, we dig into these three membership levels to clarify how to access each level, giving you a better understanding of the best ways to earn and redeem Avion points.
Avion Rewards is the loyalty program for the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Through this program you can earn and redeem valuable Avion points for travel, gift cards, merchandise, and more.
Two unique features of this bank-owned loyalty program is that it’s available to non-RBC customers and that it’s divided into three membership levels:
Each membership level gives you improved earning and redeeming potential, but of course, having these three levels also makes it all a bit confusing.
With that in mind, let’s look over the basics of becoming an Avion Rewards member and then dig in to how each membership level works.
The first thing to understand is that your Avion Rewards membership level is determined based on which RBC products you have (or don’t have).
The second thing to know is that your ability to earn and redeem Avion points improves as you move up the membership levels.
The Avion Select membership level is available to all Canadians, regardless of whether or not they’re RBC clients.
In fact, to be an Avion Select member, you can’t have any RBC products, otherwise you’d automatically be bumped up to an Avion Premium or Avion Elite membership.
To become an Avion Select member, you just need to head to the Avion Rewards website and click “Join Now.”
The next two membership levels of Avion Premium and Avion Elite are both accessed based on which RBC products you have and use.
The eligible products for these membership levels range from bank accounts to investment products to credit cards, and if you have multiple eligible RBC products, you’ll enjoy the highest Avion membership level that you qualify for.
Now, let’s take a closer look at each membership to better understand what these level mean.
Avion Select is a membership level available to any Canadian who is the age of majority in their province/territory and who has a debit or credit card with another bank.
This level isn’t really talked about since it doesn’t have a ton of appeal for most people, but it does represent the base membership level and offers people without RBC products the ability to earn Avion points. As an Avion Select member, you’re limited to earning Avion points exclusively through merchant offers found on the Avion Rewards website.
You can also enjoy deals and earn cash back through special offers found on the Avion Rewards website and by using the Avion Rewards ShopPlus Extension. Any cash back you earn will be deposited into the non-RBC account that you linked when you signed up for your Avion membership.
As an Avion Select member, you have only a limited number of redemption options:
Also, keep in mind that travel redemptions must be booked online through the Avion Rewards Travel page.
The second membership level is Avion Premium and at this level your ability to earn and redeem Avion points starts to ramp up.
In addition to all the earning and redeeming abilities from the Avion Select level, you can also now earn points with your debit and credit cards.
To become an Avion Premium member, you need to sign up for one of many RBC products. You can find a list of all the eligible products on the Avion Rewards eligibility website.
The most notable way to earn Avion points at this membership level is with either the RBC ION Visa Card or the RBC ION+ Visa Card.
For example, with the RBC ION+ Visa Card, you can earn up to 3 Avion points per $1 spent and enjoy perks like mobile device insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty, and savings at the gas station.
The Avion Premium membership level also offers considerably better redemption options than the Avion Select level.
As a Premium member, you can not only redeem your Avion points all the same ways as an Avion Select member, but you can now also redeem your points the following additional ways:
Avion Elite is the program’s top membership level, giving you access to the most earning and redemption opportunities.
This level is available to anyone who holds one of RBC’s Avion-branded credit cards, as follows:
With these credit cards, you can earn up to 2 Avion points per $1 spent, and enjoy some pretty excellent travel-focused benefits.
For example, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite offers a comprehensive travel insurance package, including car rental coverage and delayed baggage and flight delay insurance.
Additionally, with the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, you also get complimentary access to airport lounges around the world.
Of course, as an Avion Elite member, you can also earn Avion all the same ways mentioned for the Avion Select and Avion Premium membership levels.
Now what really makes the Avion Elite membership so valuable is that at this level you get the ability to transfer Avion to additional airline partners and access to redemptions through the RBC Travel Redemption Schedule.
As an Avion Elite member, you can transfer Avion from your account to the following airline loyalty currencies:
Additionally, there are occasional transfer bonuses, such as a 30% bonus when you convert your points to British Airways Avios.
With this in mind, we recommend you time your transfers accordingly if you want to maximize the value of your Avion points.
The RBC Travel Redemption Schedule lets you redeem a set number points for flights on any airline, on any date, and at any time.
If you don’t feel like navigating the labyrinth of value and availability with airline loyalty programs, the RBC Travel Redemption Schedule is a great option, offering the possibility of redemption values at 2+ cents per Avion point.
Avion Elite points can also be redeemed for travel book through Avion Rewards Travel at a value of 1 Avion Elite = 1 cent. This is an improvement on the rate for Avion Premium and Select members of 1 Avion point = 0.58 cents.
Plus, you can also access all the same redemption options as the Avion Select and Avion Premium levels.
This includes redeeming for gift cards, merchandise, statement credits, and more. However, keep in mind that these options only offer a fraction of the previously mentioned value, so we don’t typically recommend that you choose these.
The Avion Elite level is the most versatile and valuable thanks to transfer partners and the RBC Travel Redemption Schedule; however, to access this level, you do need to have an RBC Avion credit card.
Pleasantly this access isn’t too expensive since the RBC Avion Visa Platinum has no minimum income requirement, and it only requires a reasonable annual fee of $120 (which is often more than offset by the value of the welcome offer).
Now, if you don’t want to take on a credit card with an annual fee, the Avion Premium membership level is still a good way to enjoy some of the value and utility of the program.
In fact, the RBC ION+ Visa Card, giving you access to the Avion Premium level for a total annual fee of only $48, earns up to an impressive 3 Avion points per $1 spent.
For those looking to truly maximize their Avion earning and redeeming strategy, you’ll actually want to use two RBC credit cards at two different RBC membership levels (one Premium and one Elite).
If you hold the RBC ION+ Visa Card to access its high earning rate of up to 3 Avion points per $1 spent, and you also hold any of the Avion-branded credit cards, you’ll be Avion Elite member and you’ll have access to the best earning rates in the program.
Since Avion points are transferable between membership levels at a rate of 1:1, this strategy lets you get the most earning potential and the most redemption opportunities all for the reasonable price of a couple annual fees.
Finally, in terms of the Avion Select level, there isn’t a ton of value to be had; however, it’s nice that there’s a way to participate in the program without being an RBC customer, so if you’re looking for a way to join in without adding any more banking products, this is certainly worthwhile.
RBC’s Avion Rewards is one of the most valuable loyalty programs in Canada thanks to the many ways you earn, redeem, and transfer Avion points.
Plus, thanks to the program’s three membership levels, including one that’s free to all, it’s possible for pretty much everyone to participate in a way that suits their loyalty budget and ambition.
To learn more about how to use this flexible loyalty program, check out our guides below:
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