Comparison: American Express Cobalt Card vs. TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

To the point Here is 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 Bank 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:

the 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.

By signing up for the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can earn up to 30,000 points:

2,500 points per month for the first 12 months (monthly spend of $500 or more)

When applying for the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card,

With this welcome offer for the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you can earn up to 55,000 Aeroplan points.

Here’s how:

10,000 Aeroplan points after first purchase
30,000 Aeroplan points if you spend $5,000 within 180 days of account opening
15,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $7500 within 12 months of account opening (which are earn after the card is renewed on the second year)

Advantage : TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn up to 40,000 Aeroplan points after six months by spending $5,000. All this with no annual fee for the first year.

To earn the full welcome bonus of the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you must spend $6,000 in the first year ($500 per month spread over 12 months to earn the 30,000 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 in 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. It’s charged on the first statement, and at the time of renewal.

However, for a limited time, the first year is free .

Advantage : TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

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

And even better, because the first year is refunded! To qualify for the annual fee rebate in the first year, only one purchase on the account is required. It must be done within 3 months of its opening.

Earning points

The American Express Cobalt^® Card Card and the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card each offer earning categories.

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^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, the maximum points earned are 1.5 points per dollar for:

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 beats most other credit cards with its 5 points-per-dollar earning rate at the grocery store.

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.

These Membership Rewards points from the American Express Cobalt^® Card Card can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to 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 redemption 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, points 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 purchase 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 high flexibility of Membership Rewards points on the American Express Cobalt^® Card simply gives the best use of both cards.

Transfers to other programs

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can redeem your 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 certain advantages

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you will 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 Visa Infinite* Card^MD Aeroplan^MD

For its wide range of travel benefits, the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card can’t be beaten on this point. 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
Purchase 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 Visa Infinite* Card^MD Aeroplan^MD

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you receive additional or more generous coverage than the American Express Cobalt^® Card.

In addition, it requires 75% of travel purchases to be charged to the card, while the American Express Cobalt^® Card requires the entire trip to be 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?

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

His best and fastest point accumulation on grocery store purchases
Its lack of a minimum income requirement
Its use of points on anything you want
The ability to transfer points to several other loyalty programs

While the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card stands out thanks to:

Generous welcome offer
First-Year Annual Fee Rebate
Comprehensive travel insurance
First checked bag free for you and up to 8 other travellers on the same reservation