National Bank Platinum Mastercard: No Minimum Income Required!

Updated Nov 5, 2024
Fact checked by
Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève Leclerc

Marie-Ève Leclerc

Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève, Web Director at Milesopedia, is an expert in budget travel and a slow travel enthusiast. Specializing in Aeroplan, Scene+, and Marriott Bonvoy programs, she spends nearly six months a year abroad, making travel her way of life. Constantly seeking the best waves to surf, excellent coffee, and strategies to extend her travels, she is often found in coworking spaces with fellow digital nomads or by the sea, watching the sunset.
All posts by Marie-Ève Leclerc
National Bank Platinum Mastercard
To the point Earn up to 2 points per dollar with the National Bank Platinum Mastercard! No minimum income is required.

National Bank offers a great product accessible to all travellers with the National Bank Platinum Mastercard®. Plus the purchase protection offered is some of the best on the market!

National Bank Platinum Mastercard - Rewards

Accumulating NBC Reward Points

With the National Bank Platinum Mastercard®, you can earn up to 2 points per dollar:

Category Discounts
Grocery and restaurant 2 points per dollar
Gasoline and electric recharging 1.5 points per dollar
Recurring bill 1.5 points per dollar
À la carte Travel 1.5 points per dollar
Other purchase 1 point per $1.50 purchase

*For the Grocery & Restaurant category, you can earn 2 points per dollar up to $1,000 in total monthly card purchases.

Once you’ve reached $1,000 in monthly purchases, you’ll earn 1.5 points per dollar in the Grocery & Restaurant category. This is still very good compared with other cards that only offer one point per dollar after the threshold has been reached.

How to Use Your NBC Reward Points

To redeem your NBC Reward points, log on to the National Bank’s À la Carte Rewards portal.

Then, you can use your points to book a trip (+ cash if needed ) through the “À la Carte” Travel agency. The rates are the same as what you would find at any travel agency.

And you can collect NBC reward points through this agency. By doing so, it will be the best use of your points at a rate of 10,000 points per $100 of credit.

NBC Points All inclusive

You can also use your NBC rewards points as an account credit for all travel expenses charged to your credit card (redemption must be made within 60 days of the expense being charged to the credit card account).

This gives you the freedom to book as you see fit, for example with Airbnb, organized tours, excursions and so on.

The exchange rate for this type of use is

  • 12,000 points for a $100 credit or;
  • 11,000 points for a $100 credit when redeeming over 55,000 points in the same transaction
IMG
Other products

You can also shop for a product in the catalogue offered by NBC À la carte. However, this is not an optimal use of points.

The best way to use your points is to book your trip through Plan à la carte’s online travel agency NBC: you’ll earn a $100 credit for every 10,000 points redeemed. Here are the details of the other options available to you:

Rewards Points for $100
Exchange with dedicated NBC À la carte Travel agency 10,000
Flexible travel discount
(from 55,000 points redeemed)
11 000
Flexible travel discount 12,000
Extras à la carte
RRSP or TFSA contribution
Repayment of all-in-one line of mortgage or mortgage loan
12,000
Gift card 12,000 – 13,500
Account credit 25,000

National Bank Platinum Mastercard - Insurance

When it comes to protection, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard stands out compared to other cards in the same range.

You can find the insurance contract here.

Travel Medical Insurance (outside province of residence)

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard offers $5,000,000 in emergency travel medical coverage.

Age Maximum trip duration
76 years or less 10 days

Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance

For most of its insurance coverages, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard® is one of the only credit cards in Canada to cover you, even if you charge only part of the cost of your trip to your card.

The following expenses will be reimbursed (…) provided that a portion or the entire cost of the trip was charged to the account

Banque Nationale du Canada
Insurance Coverage
Trip cancellation (prior to departure) Up to $1,000 per insured person
Trip interruption (after departure) Up to $1,500 per insured person

The main differences regarding insurance coverage of the National Bank Platinum Mastercard® are the duration of the trip and the amounts eligible for cancellation/interruption coverage.

When we analyze this data, we can see that this card is perfect for people who like to make several short trips.

For a family of 3, the price for equivalent travel insurance for a week in an all-inclusive package can climb to over $200!

Insurance in Case of Theft or Loss of Luggage

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard® covers you if at least part of the cost of your trip has been charged to your account.

Insurance Coverage
Lost or stolen baggage Up to $1,000 per person

Flight Delay Insurance

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard covers you if at least part of the cost of your trip has been charged to your account.

Insurance Coverage
Flight delay of more than 4 hours 250 per day (maximum of $500 per insured person)

Insurance in Case of Baggage Delay

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard® covers you if the full cost of travel on a common carrier has been charged to your account.

Insurance Coverage
Baggage delay Up to $500 per person (more than 6 hours)

Car Rental Insurance

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard® covers you if you use your card (or your NBC Rewards points) to pay for your car rental in full.

Similarly, personal belongings in the vehicle are protected.

Insurance Coverage
Vehicle rental (48 days or less) Vehicle value up to $65,000

Insurance for Your Purchases

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard® is one of the only credit cards in Canada to offer 180-day purchase protection (6 months from the date of purchase). Other credit cards offer only 90 days (3 months).

Plus the National Bank Platinum Mastercard is one of the only credit cards in Canada to triple the coverage period on new items covered by an original manufacturer’s warranty valid in Canada.

Insurance Coverage
Against theft or breakage for 180 days up to $60,000
Triple extended warranty Up to 2 additional years

Bottom Line

The National Bank Platinum Mastercard® is a great card to own, especially if you don’t qualify for the premium National Bank credit cards.

Actually, the insurance offered for short trips is excellent, and the purchase insurance is identical to its big sister, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Aline Nguyen

Aline Nguyen

Aline Nguyen
Aline, an experienced traveler and avid photographer, is an Avgeek, a foodie at heart and a mother to two children. An expert in credit cards & rewards programs, including Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, American Express Membership Rewards, CIBC Aventura, and RBC Avion, she uses points to travel affordably and save in daily life. Having explored all 7 continents and 78 countries, Aline shares her travel passion and insights to help others make the most of loyalty programs.
All posts by Aline Nguyen

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