To the point
Earn up to 30,000 points with no annual fee in the first year with our National Bank Platinum Mastercard offer!
Card Summary
Offer Summary
Insurance
Travel Medical Insurance (outside province of residence)
Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance
Insurance in case of theft or loss of luggage
Flight delay insurance
Insurance in case of baggage delay
Car Rental Insurance
Insurance for your purchases
Bottom Line
Milesopedia recommends this card from National Bank of Canada
National Bank Platinum Mastercard®
🇨🇦
Up to 30,000 Points Ends May 12, 2024
National Bank offers a great entry-level product for travellers with the National Bank Platinum Mastercard.
In addition, purchase insurance is among the best on the market!
National Bank Platinum Mastercard - Card Summary
Unlike the other two National Bank travel rewards cards, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard® does not require a minimum income.
For a limited time, you can earn up to 30,000 points, and the annual fee is reimbursed for the first year for the primary cardholder and the first additional cardholder via our exclusive welcome offer.
With the National Bank Platinum Mastercard®, you can earn 2 points per dollar on grocery store and restaurant purchases, and 1.5 points per dollar on gas and electric vehicle charging, recurring bill payements and À la Carte Travel. And since it’s a National Bank Mastercard credit card, you can use it at Costco.
In addition, you get premium insurance usually dedicated for high-end credit cards:
- 180-day Purchase protection in the event of theft or damage
- Possibility of tripling the manufacturer’s warranty (up to 2 additional years)
- Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Trip Interruption Insurance
- Out-of-province hospital insurance
- Flight Delay Insurance
- Baggage insurance in case of delay, theft or loss
- Car rental insurance
- Mobile Device Insurance
We voted the National Bank Platinum Mastercard® as the best credit card for young professionals in 2024.
National Bank Platinum Mastercard - Offer Summary
Until April 30, 2024, with the exclusive offer for Milesopedia readers, you can earn up to 30,000 welcome bonus points, plus a refund of the first year’s annual fee for the primary cardholder and one additional cardholder.
Several criteria are required to get the full National Bank welcome bonus:
- 10,000 points after $2,500 in purchases in the first three months
- 15,000 points after $6,500 in purchases in the first 12 months
- 5,000 points if you subscribe to the payment insurance for at least the first three months
Below, you’ll find a table to help you optimize this welcome bonus with your most common purchases: groceries. In fact, through these purchases, you’ll earn up to 2 points per dollar, making it easier to unlock this welcome bonus.
Don’t forget that you can also use the grocery store gift card trick to earn 2 points per dollar on these purchases. Or use one of our many tips to unlock credit card welcome bonuses.
| Month | Purchases Grocery/restaurant |
Points for purchases | Bonus points | Total |
| 1 | $834 | 1 668 | – | 1 668 |
| 2 | $833 | 1 666 | – | 1 666 |
| 3 | $833 | 1 666 | 10 000 | 11 666 |
| 4 | $445 | 890 | – | 890 |
| 5 | $445 | 890 | – | 890 |
| 6 | $445 | 890 | – | 890 |
| 7 | $445 | 890 | – | 890 |
| 8 | $444 | 888 | – | 888 |
| 9 | $444 | 888 | – | 888 |
| 10 | $444 | 888 | – | 888 |
| 11 | $444 | 888 | – | 888 |
| 12 | $444 | 888 | 15 000 | 15 888 |
| Total | $6,500 | 13 000 | 25 000 | 38 000 |
As you can see, in your first year, you can earn 25,000 welcome bonus points on top of the 13,000 points you earn through purchases in the 2 points per dollar category.
If you opt for payment insurance, you’ll earn an additional 5,000 points (you can cancel the payment insurance after three months if you no longer want it).
By making minimum purchases and complying with the conditions of this welcome offer, you could earn 43,000 NBC Rewards points.
Knowing that we value the NBC Rewards point at $0.009, that would give you a return of 5.95%, which is pretty excellent for a Mastercard credit card with no annual fee in the first year!
National Bank Platinum Mastercard - Rewards
NBC points earning
With the National Bank Platinum Mastercard, you can earn up to 2 points per dollar:
| Category | Points |
| Grocery and Restaurant | 2* points per dollar |
| Gas and electric recharge | 1.5 points per dollar |
| Recurring bills | 1.5 points per dollar |
| À la carte Travel | 1.5 points per dollar |
| Other purchases | 1 per $1.50 purchase |
For the Grocery and Restaurant category, you can earn 2 points per dollar up to $1,000 in total monthly purchases charged to the card.
Once you reach $1,000 in monthly purchases, you will earn 1.5 points per dollar on the Grocery and Restaurant category. This is still very good compared to other cards that only offer 1 point per dollar after the threshold is reached.
How to redeem your NBC Rewards points?
To redeem your NBC rewards points, you must log on to the National Bank’s À la Carte Rewards portal.
Then, you can use your points to book a trip (+ monetary complement if required) through the “À la Carte” Travel agency. The rates are the same to those you will find at any travel agency.
What’s more, you can also earn NBC rewards points through this travel agency. By doing so, it will be the best use of points at a rate of 10,000 points per $100 of statement credit.
It’s also possible to use your NBC Rewards points as a statement credit for any travel expenses you’ve charged to your credit card (redemption must be made within 60 days of the expense being charged to the credit card account).
Thus, you have the freedom to book as you wish, for example with Airbnb, organized tours, excursions, etc.
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
With the National Bank Platinum Mastercard, you can use your points for various rewards, including travel discounts such as an apartment rental on Airbnb, or SAQ gift cards.
The best way to use your points is to book your trip through the À la carte NBC online travel agency: you’ll earn a $100 credit for every 10,000 points redeemed.
| Rewards | Points for $100 |
| Exchange with the dedicated NBC à la carte travel agency | 10 000 |
| Flexible travel rebates (from 55,000 points redeemed) |
11 000 |
| Flexible travel rebates | 12 000 |
| Extras À La Carte RRSP or TFSA contribution Reimbursement of your all-in-one line of credit or mortgage loan |
12 000 |
| Gift-card | 12,000 – 13,500 |
| Statement credit | 25 000 |
National Bank Platinum Mastercard - Insurance
Regarding protection, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard stands out compared to other cards of the same type.
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 time frame |
| 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 (before departure) | up to $1,000 per insured person |
| Trip interruption (after departure) | up to $1,500 per insured person |
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 Insurance | 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 insurance in case of 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 NBC Rewards points) to pay the full cost of your car rental.
Similarly, personal belongings in the vehicle are protected.
| Insurance | Coverage |
| Vehicle rental (48 days or less) | Vehicle valued at 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).
What’s more, 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 |
| Get up to triple the manufacturer’s 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 premium National Bank cards like the National Bank World Elite Mastercard.
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!
