TD and American Express Canada offer two Aeroplan credit cards for travellers:
In terms of design, gray colour and features, they are very similar. Let’s analyze the small details to see the differences.
The welcome bonus offered by each of these cards varies according to the promotions.
Here is how the current offer is structured:
With this welcome offer for TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card you can earn up to 40,000 points Aeroplan, with no annual fee for the first year.
Here’s how:
Based on our valuation of Aeroplan points (2 cents per point), this welcome bonus corresponds to an approximate value of $800.
With this welcome offer for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you can earn up to 50,000 points Aeroplan.
With the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you could earn 30,000 points by spending $3,000. Moreover, if you spend an additional $1,000 in the 13th month, you’ll earn an additional 10,000 Aeroplan points.
Whereas on the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you’ll have to spend considerably more – $7,500 over six months – to earn fewer points(25,000).
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card requires an annual personal household income of $60,000 or $100,000.
The American Express® Aeroplan®* Card requires no minimum income.
Like most American Express cards, this Aeroplan card requires no minimum income. If this is important to you, this card is much easier to obtain.
While the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card demands a higher income.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has an annual fee of $139.
But with the current promotion, it’s free for the first year!
The American Express® Aeroplan®* Card has an annual fee of $120.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card is free for the first year! That’s one step ahead of the competition.
The two cards offer different point earning rates.
With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you get different levels:
With the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you earn:
The American Express® Aeroplan®* Card restricts its highest earning rate to Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations. If you do a lot of business with these companies, this will be to your advantage.
With restaurant expenses, you earn 1.5 points per dollar with the American Express Card. Thus, you will get more points with it than with the 1 point of the TD card.
But the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card wins the battle. Since the biggest budget items are groceries and gas, this card is more advantageous: 1.5 points per dollar. It’s better than American Express.
Finally, the match is drawn for other purchases: 1 point per dollar with both cards.
Both cards are designed for travelers who earn points Aeroplan.
These points are used to book airline tickets with Air Canada, Star Alliance and partner airlines. Here are the airfares for the Aeroplan program.
You can also use your Aeroplan points for hotel reservations, car rentals or vacation packages with Air Canada Vacations.
With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you only get Aeroplan points.
With the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you only get Aeroplan points.
Since both are used to collect Aeroplan points and are co-branded cards Aeroplan, no card is better than the other.
Both cards transfer points to the cardholder’s Aeroplan account every month, a few days after the statement is issued.
Once you have Aeroplan points in your Aeroplan account, there is no way out: you can only use them in the Aeroplan program. Then, as long as you hold one or both of these cards, your Aeroplan points will not expire.
With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you will get:
With the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you benefit from the following advantages:
Because the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has more advantages in terms of numbers, it would be the winner.
But analyzing those of the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card is interesting. Some of its offers are not limited to Air Canada or Aeroplan. They affect many different retailers (1Password, Marriott Bonvoy, Quickbooks, TurboTax, Columbia, Kinton Ramen, etc.).
The choice is yours on this point, as your lifestyle will determine this winner.
The insurance offered by the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card are superior. It offers cancellation, trip interruption and emergency medical expenses, which its opposite number doesn’t have at all.
So? Who is the big winner?
For all its features, and thanks to better insurance, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card wins the match!
However, if the minimum income requirement of $60,000 is too much for you, the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card is an excellent replacement.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card stands out thanks to:
The American Express® Aeroplan®* Card stands out thanks to:
Savings are here:
