Head-to-Head: American Express Cobalt Card vs. TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

To the point Here's our detailed comparison of the American Express Cobalt® Card and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card.

Welcome bonus Minimum income Annual fee

Earning points Earning

Redeeming points For travel For everyday shopping Transfers to other programs Other benefits

Insurance Bottom Line

American Express Canada and TD Canada Trust each offer a credit card that can be used to earn Aeroplan points directly or indirectly:

These are two basic cards that we often recommend, when a person wants to get points easily.

So, we will analyze what are the main differences between these credit cards on:

Welcome bonus
Minimum income
Earning points
Using points
Annual fee
Travel Insurance

Welcome bonus

The welcome bonus offered by each of these credit cards varies according to promotions. However, there are differences to be aware of between the two credit cards.

When you subscribe to the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can earn up to 15,000 points:

1,250 points per month for the first 12 months (monthly expenses of $750 or more)

With this welcome offer for the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you can earn up to 50,000 Aeroplan points.

Here’s how:

10,000 Aeroplan points after first purchase
20,000 Aeroplan points, if you spend $6,000 within 180 days of account opening
20,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $10,000 within 12 months of account opening

Based on our valuation of Aeroplan points (2 cents per point), this Welcome Bonus is worth approximately $1,000.

Advantage : TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn up to 30,000 Aeroplan points after six months by spending $6,000.

To get the whole American Express Cobalt^® Card welcome bonus, you need to spend $9,000 in the first year ($750 per month spread over 12 months to get the 15,000 points).

Minimum income

The American Express Cobalt^® Card requires no minimum income.

The TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card requires a minimum personal income of $60,000 or $100,000 annual household income.

Advantage: American Express Cobalt Card

The American Express Cobalt^® Card requires no minimum income, unlike the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card.

Annual fee

The American Express Cobalt^® Card has a monthly fee of $12.99, charged on each monthly statement. At the end of 12 months, the total is $155.88.

The TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card has an annual fee of $139.

Advantage : TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

The TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card annual fee is lower than the American Express Cobalt^® Card.

Earning points

The American Express Cobalt^® Card and the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card each offer different levels of point accumulation.

Earning

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can earn 5 points per dollar of purchases for:

Groceries
Food delivery
Dining
Convenience stores

3 points per dollar of purchases for streaming services (Apple TV+, Apple Music, Crave, Disney+, Netflix, RDS, TSN, etc)

2 points per dollar of purchases in :

Transit
Gas stations
Travel purchases

1 point per dollar for the rest.

With the TD^MD Aeroplan^MD Visa Infinite* Card, the maximum points earned are 1.5 points per dollar for purchases:

Grocery purchases
Gas purchases
Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases

1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

American Express Cobalt^® Card

It’s easy: the American Express Cobalt^® Card surpasses most other credit cards with its 5 points-per-dollar grocery accumulation.

Don’t forget the possibility of buying gift cards at CircleK convenience stores with it: you earn 5 points per dollar, even for Walmart, Amazon, Sports Experts, Canadian Tire, etc. gift cards!

Even for travel and gas purchases, it is the best with 2 points per dollar.

The Membership Rewards points from the American Express Cobalt^® Card can be transferred 1:1 into Aeroplan points.

Redeeming points

Both cards are part of different loyalty programs:

Thus, the ways of using the points are different.

For travel

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can apply Membership Rewards points to travel purchases charged to the card.

The redeeming rate is 1,000 points = $10.

It is necessary to redeem at least 1,000 points (minimum $10); after that, it will be in increments of 1 cent per point.

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, it’s different. Each month, Aeroplan Points earned on purchases are automatically credited to the cardholder’s Aeroplan account.

According to Aeroplan rules, Aeroplan points cannot be transferred to other reward programs. They remain in the Aeroplan account.

Then, to use your Aeroplan points, you must book your flight on the Air Canada website.

Advantage: American Express Cobalt Card

Thanks to the great flexibility of the American Express Cobalt^® Card and Membership Rewards points, they can be used in many ways. Points can be used for travel purchased on the card:

Flights
Rental cars
Hotel
Airbnb rental
Etc

For everyday shopping

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can apply Membership Rewards points to everyday purchases charged to the card.

The redeeming rate is 1,000 points = $10.

You need to redeem a minimum of 1,000 points (i.e., a minimum of $10).

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, Aeroplan points cannot be used to pay for everyday purchases.

A backdoor way would be to use Aeroplan points to buy gift cards (Costco, Petro-Canada, The Bay, Walmart) on the Aeroplan eStore. However, for someone who wants to maximize their points, this is not an ideal choice.

Advantage: American Express Cobalt Card

The American Express Cobalt^® Card‘s flexible Membership Rewards points are simply the best use of both cards.

Transfers to other programs

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can use its points:

to save on flights via the American Express fixed price schedule
for points transfers to partners: Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, Etihad Guest, Asia Miles, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, Aeroplan points remain in the Aeroplan program. Therefore, they cannot be transferred.

Other benefits

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card you can also enjoy :

Various promotional offers (which can offset the monthly fee)
Access to exclusive presale Front Of The Line^® tickets to concerts and plays through American Express^® Experiences
From Amazon’s Shop With Points program
Hotel reservations at The Hotel Collection with specific perks

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you’ll get the following benefits:

Free first checked bag for you and up to 8 people travelling on the same reservation
Earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles and 1 Status Qualifying Segment for every $10,000 in net purchases
$100 statement credit every 4 years for NEXUS enrollment or renewal fees
Access to Visa Infinite Privilege (concierge, luxury hotel collection, vineyard tours, additional travel privileges)
Optional TD Auto Club membership (roadside assistance)
Many promotions with Aeroplan (Aeroplan points rebates, discounts on flights, credits or Aeroplan points to the account, link your account with Starbucks)

Advantage: TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card

For its wide range of travel benefits, the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card is unbeatable in this respect. For a person travelling with Air Canada, the benefits are saving and making the annual fee more cost-effective each year.

Insurance

Insurance
Trip Cancellation Insurance	None	Up to $1,500
Trip Interruption Insurance	None	Up to $5,000
Out of Province/Country Emergency Medical Insurance	Up to $5,000,000 for 15 days	Up to $2,000,000 for 21 days
Flight delay insurance	Up to $500 after 4 hours	Up to $500 after 4 hours
Delayed Baggage Insurance	Up to $500 after 6 hours	Up to $1,000 after 6 hours
Lost or stolen luggage insurance	Up to $500	Up to $1,000
Hotel Burglary Insurance	Up to $500	Up to $2,500
Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance	Up to $85,000	Up to $65,000
Travel accident insurance	250 000 $	$500,000
Buyer’s Assurance^® Protection Plan	1 additional year	1 additional year
Purchase Protection^® Plan	Up to $1,000 90 days	Up to $1,000 90 days

Advantage: TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you benefit from additional or more generous cover than with the American Express Cobalt^® Card.

What’s more, it requires 75% of travel purchases to be charged to the card, whereas the American Express Cobalt^® Card requires the entire trip to have been charged to it.

If you want a credit card that covers your travel, even when a tiny fraction of it has been charged to it, I advise you in this article: The Best Credit Cards for Travel Insurance with Rewards Points.

Bottom Line

So? Who is the winning card?

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is the perfect way to do whatever you want with your points without breaking the bank! In addition, it stands out with: