TD Bank and Royal Bank of Canada(RBC) each offer a credit card that lets you earn points to purchase airline tickets with Canadian airlines:
We’ll now look at the main differences between these credit cards in terms of:
The welcome bonus offered by each of these credit cards varies according to the promotions. However, there are differences to be aware of between the two credit cards.
With this welcome offer for TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Cardyou can earn up to 40,000 points Aeroplan, free of charge in 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 the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard, you can earn up to 450 WestJet dollars :
Spend $5,000 and you get $450 WestJet dollars in the first year on your WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard.
If you spend an additional $2,500, you’ll accumulate 25,000 Aeroplan points worth $500 (according toMilesopedia’s estimate of the value of points), or an extra $50 with the . TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card .
The WestJet credit card has an added bonus: the travel companion voucher! This allows you to purchase an airline ticket and get the 2nd one for as little as $119. Depending on your destination, you could save an additional $500 on average.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card requires a minimum personal income of $60,000 or $100,000 in annual household income.
The WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard requires a minimum individual income of $80,000 per year or an annual family income of $150,000.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card is less demanding in terms of minimum income than its competitor.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has an annual fee of $139, but this annual fee is refunded in the first year.
The WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $119.
The annual fee for the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* CardWestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard. With the current promotion refunding the annual fee in the first year, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has a big head start!
The WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard and the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card each offer different levels of point accumulation.
With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card the maximum points earned is 1.5 points Aeroplan per dollar for purchases :
1 point Aeroplan per dollar on all other purchases.
With the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard, you earn WestJet dollars on the following purchases:
WestJet dollars and Aeroplan points are two different kinds of points, each with a different value:
So you have to do a bit of math to figure out which accumulates the most value between the two. Take the following examples:
1.50 WestJet dollars
($100 x 1,5%)
150 points Aeroplan
($100 x 1.5 points)
100 points Aeroplan
($100 x 1 point)
$5
(250 points X $0.02)
According to Milesopedia, Aeroplan points are more valuable than WestJet dollars.
As these two credit cards are part of different loyalty programs, the ways in which points are used are also different!
Each month, the Aeroplan points accumulated through the purchases of the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card are automatically credited to the cardholder’s Aeroplan cardholder’s account.
Then, to use your points Aeroplan, book your flight on theAir Canada or Air Canada Vacations website. These Aeroplan points can be used to obtain a less expensive vacation package or an airline ticket from some fifty partners, members of the Star Alliance network, such as :
WestJet dollars earned with the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard are credited to the WestJet Rewards membership account.
The WestJet member can then redeem these WestJet dollars to deduct all or part of the cost:
Thanks to the flexibility of the Aeroplan points, they can be used in a variety of ways, such as :
With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card you’ll enjoy the following benefits:
With the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard you can also enjoy a number of other benefits:
Both cards are excellent for their wide range of travel benefits, but the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard stands out. Especially for the very advantageous companion voucher to save an average of $500 on a second plane ticket yearly.
For Air Canada travellers, the benefits of Air Canada are to save money and make the annual fee more cost-effective.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card offers equal or more generous coverage than its competitor. What’s more, it requires that only 75% of travel purchases be charged to the card.
Conversely, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard requires that the trip be fully charged to the card. What’s more, it has no cancellation insurance.
If you want a credit card that covers your travels, even when a small portion of the expenses has been charged, I recommend this article: The best credit cards for travel insurance with rewards points.
So? Which card is the winner?
For great flexibility thanks to Aeroplan points, and to start from anywhere in the world, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card stands out thanks to :
While the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard makes a strong case for:
Savings are here:
