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The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is one of the most well-known travel cards in Canada. But is it really worth it in 2026, especially compared to competitors like the American Express Platinum Card and the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card? Here’s a complete review to help you decide.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is designed for Canadian travelers who want to accumulate points flexibly and use them on any airline, without availability constraints. Additionally, since it’s part of the RBC Avion Rewards ecosystem, points are transferable to several airline partners. It’s a program often compared to American Express Membership Rewards Points for its versatility.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card has an annual fee of $120 for the primary cardholder and $50 for each additional card. A minimum personal income of $60,000 (or household income of $100,000) is required to be eligible, which aligns with the standard criteria for a Visa Infinite card.
The welcome bonus varies depending on promotional periods, but it generally represents attractive value to offset the first year’s fees. What truly distinguishes the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is the flexibility of its welcome bonus eligibility conditions. You can check the current offer on RBC Avion cards to find out the exact value of the current bonus.
Indeed, the American Express Platinum Card applies strict rules: one bonus per card, for life. For its part, the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card requires a 24-month absence as a Scotia cardholder before being eligible again. In contrast, RBC adopts a much more generous approach. It’s possible to reapply for the card and receive the welcome bonus again, making it a particularly advantageous choice for those who want to accumulate many points quickly.
The general earning rate of the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is comparable to that of its two main competitors. The card offers:
On its own, the card allows for good organic accumulation. However, it’s when combined with the RBC Ion+ Visa Card that the duo becomes truly formidable. The Ion+ offers high earning rates in everyday categories like groceries, restaurants, and transportation. Together, these two Visa cards maximize accumulation on virtually all spending. Moreover, because they’re Visa cards, they’re accepted everywhere, unlike American Express cards which still face refusals at some merchants in Quebec.
RBC Avion Rewards points operate on a fixed rewards chart, which allows you to know in advance how many points are needed for a given trip. They can also be used for flights on any airline, regardless of reward seat availability, which offers valuable freedom of choice. To fully understand how to maximize them, consult our guide on how to use your RBC Avion points for travel rewards as well as our tutorial for booking a flight with your Avion Rewards points.
Additionally, points can also be transferred to several airline partners, including British Airways Club and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, to name just a few. It’s also possible, about twice a year, to take advantage of a bonus transfer promotion to British Airways Avios (up to a 30% bonus in the most recent edition). American Express Membership Rewards Points have a slight advantage in this area, with a larger number of transfer partners available. However, for the vast majority of travelers, the options offered by RBC Avion Rewards are more than sufficient to obtain excellent value.
Also note that it’s possible to transfer points between two RBC Avion Rewards accounts, which adds an extra layer of flexibility for couples or families who want to pool their balances.
The comparison with Scene+ points from Scotiabank is quite different. These points have a maximum fixed value of 1 cent per point, with no transfer option or optimization toward partners. It’s a simple and effective program for travelers who prefer ease, but it leaves little room for maximization. RBC Avion Rewards clearly offers more possibilities for those who want to get the most out of their points.
All three cards compared here include travel insurance, which is standard in this product category. The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card notably covers:
However, two important differences deserve to be highlighted.
First, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card imposes foreign currency conversion fees of approximately 2.5%, which the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card avoids completely. For a traveler who regularly spends in foreign currencies, this difference can represent a notable sum over a year. However, former holders of the defunct HSBC World Elite Mastercard have an RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card without conversion fees.
Second, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card does not include complimentary airport lounge access. In contrast, the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card offers 6 complimentary visits per year via the Visa Airport Companion network, and the American Express Platinum Card provides access to an even more extensive lounge network, including Amex Centurion Lounges. For travelers who value this experience, it’s a point to consider seriously.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is an excellent choice for travelers who want a flexible points program, universal acceptance network, and advantageous welcome bonus eligibility conditions. Combined with the RBC Ion+ Visa Card, it forms one of the best organic accumulation duos available in Canada in 2026. The premium version, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, remains a benchmark in its category.
However, it’s less suitable for travelers who spend heavily in foreign currencies or who absolutely want airport lounge access. In those cases, the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card or the American Express Platinum Card might better meet their needs, depending on their budget.
Ultimately, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card may not be the most spectacular card on paper, but it stands out where it really matters for points enthusiasts: renewable welcome bonus conditions, a versatile points program, and universal acceptance as a Visa card. At $120 per year, its value proposition is hard to beat in this range.
Savings this way:
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