NBC À la carte

Q: How does the World Elite $150 travel credit work?

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard® grants an annual $150 travel credit that automatically applies to incidental travel charges: airport parking, baggage fees, seat selection, lounge access, in-flight meals, on-board purchases, upgrades, and more. The credit shows up as a statement reimbursement once an eligible transaction posts. Combined with unlimited cardholder access (plus one guest) to the National Bank Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau Airport, the credit makes the World Elite one of the strongest travel cards in Quebec for frequent flyers, and easily offsets the annual fee for anyone taking more than two or three flights a year.

NBC À la carte

Earn points

To earn points in the NBC À la carte Rewards Plan, you need a credit card that is part of the loyalty program. There are 3 Mastercard credit cards available through the NBC À la carte Rewards Plan.

NBC Rewards points are earned differently depending on the credit card used:

National Bank World Elite Mastercard

With Milesopedia, enjoy an exclusive offer to get up to 50,000 points with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. This offer is exclusively available through the Milesopedia network and allows you to quickly earn points by following these steps:

10,000 reward points upon enrollment in your credit card payment protection, for a minimum of 3 months of membership.
10,000 points when you make $5,000 in net purchases within the first 3 months.
20,000 points when you reach $20,000 in purchases within the first 12 months.
10,000 points when you combine your credit card with the opening of your first current account within 7 days of your credit card application.

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is the best Mastercard credit card offered by NBC.

With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:

5 points per dollar for groceries and restaurants
2 points per dollar on gas and electric recharge purchases
2 points per dollar on recurring bills
2 points per dollar on À la carte Travel
1 point per dollar for all other purchases

And since it’s an NBC mycredit Mastercard, you can use it at Costco.

With this card, you have access to a $150 annual travel credit that you can use in any of these categories:

Airport parking
Baggage fees
Seat selection
Access to Airport Lounges
Flight upgrades

What’s more, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.

Finally, Milesopedia has named the National Bank World Elite Mastercard as the Best Travel Credit Card in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

National Bank Platinum Mastercard^®

With the National Bank Platinum Mastercard^®, you can earn 2 points per dollar on grocery and restaurant purchases, and 1.5 points per dollar on gas, EV charging, recurring bills and À la carte Travel.

Since it is an NBC mycredit Mastercard, you can use it at Costco.

Unlike the other two National Bank travel rewards cards, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard^® does not require a minimum income.

What’s more, you can take advantage of a wide range of insurances usually reserved 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.

Redeem points

À la Carte Travel Agency

To redeem your NBC Rewards points, you must log on to the dedicated NBC À la carte Rewards Plan portal.

You can book your vacation with your points (plus monetary supplement if required) through the À la carte Travel Agency: 10,000 points for every $100.

It’s simply the best use of your NBC Rewards points!

Credit on Account

It’s also possible to redeem your NBC 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).

Eligible purchases are:

Flights
Vacation packages
Car rentals
Hotel nights
Cruises
Condominium or cottage bookings for tourism purposes
Airbnb
Excursions
Camping
And more!

However, for this type of redemption, the rate is different (see table below).

You can also redeem your points for a product in the À La Carte Rewards catalogue.

NBC Rewards Chart

You’ll see from this chart that the best use of NBC Rewards points is to book your trip with NBC’s À la carte Travel online travel agency: you get $100 for 10,000 points.

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
Credit on Account	25 000

Benefits

$150 in free travel expenses per year

Through NBC’s Travellers program, every calendar year, National Bank World Elite Mastercard^® cardholders have access to a total of $150 applicable to certain travel-related expenses.

With this card, you have access to a $150 annual travel credit that you can use in any of these categories:

Airport parking
Baggage fees
Seat selection
Access to airport lounges
Flight upgrades

Access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau (YUL)

National Bank World Elite Mastercard^® holders are the only National Bank customers to enjoy free, unlimited access to the National Bank lounge at Montreal-Trudeau airport.

The cardholder and 1 guest have free access to the lounge on presentation of the National Bank World Elite Mastercard^®.

This is a significant advantage for frequent flyers: the lounge is accessible for all international flights.

Credit cards

Posts

Frequently Asked Questions about the National Bank À la carte Rewards program

National Bank’s À la carte Rewards program is a flexible in-house rewards system that lets cardholders earn points on Mastercard credit cards and redeem them against virtually any purchase. Here are the most common questions Canadians ask when trying to make the most of the program.

How much is a National Bank À la carte point worth?

The value of an À la carte point depends on how you redeem. When you book travel through the À la carte travel agency or claim a statement credit on a travel purchase made in the past 60 days, 100 points equal $1 — roughly 1¢ per point. Gift cards, RRSP/TFSA contributions and mortgage payments also clear at the 100-points-for-$1 rate. Milesopedia values an À la carte point at about 0.90¢ on average, which makes the program one of the easiest in-house systems to assess because there is almost no spread between redemption types and no devaluation risk from one year to the next.

Which credit cards earn À la carte points?

Three National Bank Mastercard credit cards feed the À la carte program. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard^® earns up to 5 points per dollar on groceries and restaurants, 2 points per dollar on gas, EV charging, travel and recurring bills, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else. The National Bank Platinum Mastercard^® earns 2 points per dollar on groceries and dining and 1.5 points per dollar on other bonus categories. The National Bank World Mastercard^® rounds out the lineup with up to 2 points per dollar on targeted spend categories, and a lower minimum income requirement.

How does the World Elite $150 travel credit work?

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard^® grants an annual $150 travel credit that automatically applies to incidental travel charges: airport parking, baggage fees, seat selection, lounge access, in-flight meals, on-board purchases, upgrades, and more. The credit shows up as a statement reimbursement once an eligible transaction posts. Combined with unlimited cardholder access (plus one guest) to the National Bank Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau Airport, the credit makes the World Elite one of the strongest travel cards in Quebec for frequent flyers, and easily offsets the annual fee for anyone taking more than two or three flights a year.

Can I transfer À la carte points to Aeroplan or another program?

No. À la carte points cannot be transferred to Aeroplan, Avios, Flying Blue or any other airline or hotel loyalty program. Points stay inside the National Bank ecosystem and can only be redeemed through the À la carte travel agency, statement credits, gift cards, RRSP/TFSA contributions, mortgage payments or catalogue merchandise. If you want flexibility to move points across airline partners, look at the American Express Cobalt^® Card or an Aeroplan co-brand such as the CIBC^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, both of which grant access to 25+ Star Alliance partners through transfer or direct earn.

What is the best way to redeem À la carte points?

The strongest redemption is travel: book through the À la carte agency or claim a statement credit on travel purchases made within the past 60 days. Both options consistently deliver 1¢ per point. Skip the merchandise catalogue, which usually falls below 0.80¢ per point. RRSP/TFSA contributions and mortgage payments also clear at 1¢ per point and make sense for cardholders who do not travel enough to drain their balance organically. With a World Elite card, earning 30,000 to 50,000 points a year is realistic, which translates into $300 to $500 in annual rebates — enough to fully recoup the card’s annual fee in most cases.

Do À la carte points expire?

À la carte points do not expire as long as your National Bank Mastercard credit card account stays open and in good standing. However, if you close your card without transferring the balance to another eligible National Bank product, your points will be forfeited. Before cancelling, redeem your points for a statement credit or a travel booking to make sure none go to waste. If you upgrade or downgrade within the National Bank lineup (for example, from Platinum to World Elite), your point balance typically transfers automatically, so there’s no risk of losing rewards during a card change.

NBC Rewards Points Calculator