The Optimized RBC Credit score Card Portfolio

One necessary issue to grasp concerning the RBC Avion Rewards program is that there are literally three tiers of factors: Avion Choose, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite. Of the three, Avion Premium and Avion Elite supply travellers one of the best alternatives for precious redemptions.

Fortuitously, incomes each Avion Premium and Avion Elite factors is comparatively simple by way of RBC’s Avion and ION households of bank cards, which earn Avion Elite and Avion Premium factors, respectively.

If you happen to’d prefer to get probably the most out of the RBC Avion Rewards program, this information will stroll you thru the right way to construct an optimized RBC bank card portfolio that leverages the strengths of the ION and Avion households of playing cards in relation to each incomes and redeeming.

Evaluating Avion Premium and Avion Elite Factors

One of many distinctive quirks of the RBC Avion Rewards program is that there are three totally different tiers of factors: Avion Choose, Avion Premium, and Avion Elite.

Relying on which tier of factors you earn, you’ll have extra or fewer choices when it comes time to redeem.

(We’ll skip over Avion Choose factors for the needs of this dialogue.)

The first variations between Avion Premium and Avion Elite factors – at the least in relation to journey redemptions – are as follows:

• Avion Premium factors are earned on the ION household of bank cards, whereas Avion Elite factors are earned on the Avion household of bank cards
• Avion Premium factors will be redeemed for 0.58 cents per level (all figures in CAD) when reserving journey, or transferred to WestJet Rewards at a charge of 1:1 (100 Avion Premium factors = 100 WestJet factors)
• Avion Elite factors will be redeemed for 1 cent per level when reserving journey, transferred to 4 airline loyalty packages (The British Airways Membership and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a charge of 1:1, transferred to American Airways AAdvantage at a charge of 1:0.7, and WestJet Rewards at a charge of 1:1), or redeemed for larger worth by way of the RBC Air Journey Redemption Schedule.

In sum, Avion Elite factors are extra highly effective than Avion Premium factors, since you are able to do extra with them, and the worth at which you’ll be able to redeem them is larger than what’s attainable with Avion Premium factors.

Now, in relation to incomes Avion Premium and Avion Elite factors, it’s necessary to grasp the primary variations between the ION and Avion households of bank cards:

• ION bank cards have low or no annual charges, whereas Avion playing cards have larger annual charges
• ION bank cards have incomes charges of as much as 3 Avion Premium factors per greenback spent,† whereas Avion bank cards earn (at most) 1.25 Avion Elite factors per greenback spent†
• ION bank cards have a tendency to return with extra modest welcome bonuses, whereas Avion playing cards have far more beneficiant welcome bonuses

In different phrases, the ION household of bank cards has higher incomes charges and decrease charges, paired with much less highly effective factors and smaller welcome bonuses. In the meantime, the Avion household of playing cards has decrease incomes charges and better charges, paired with extra highly effective factors and bigger welcome bonuses.

Nonetheless, right here’s the kicker: it’s attainable to transform Avion Premium factors into Avion Elite factors immediately and at a charge of 1:1 in two conditions:

• If you happen to resolve to improve an ION product into an Avion product, your Avion Premium factors turn out to be Avion Elite factors
• If you happen to maintain each an ION product and an Avion product, you possibly can convert your Avion Premium factors into Avion Elite factors from throughout the Avion Rewards ecosystem

Subsequently, a fantastic alternative presents itself to savvy cardholders who can leverage the strengths of each households of playing cards and the 2 related tiers of Avion Rewards factors by constructing a small RBC bank card portfolio.

The Optimized RBC Credit score Card Portfolio

There’s a powerful argument to be made for holding each a higher-tier Avion card and a card from the ION household.

By doing so, you possibly can reap the benefits of the elevated incomes charges on on a regular basis necessities with the ION household of playing cards, after which switch the Avion Premium factors over to turn out to be the extra highly effective Avion Elite factors when it comes time to redeem, merely by the use of holding an Avion product.

As a reminder, there are two playing cards within the ION household: the RBC® ION Visa and the RBC® ION+ Visa. Of the 2, the RBC® ION+ Visa has higher incomes charges, the next welcome bonus, and a really modest $4 month-to-month payment.

Importantly, the RBC® ION+ Visa has the next incomes charges on every day spending:

• Earn 3 Avion Premium factors per greenback spent on eligible groceries, eating, meals supply, gasoline, public transit, electrical car charging, rideshares, streaming, digital gaming, and digital subscriptions^†

• Earn 1 Avion Premium level per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases^†

If you happen to have been to carry each the RBC^® ION+ Visa and an RBC Avion product, you can earn 3 Avion Premium factors per greenback spent on many every day necessities together with your RBC® ION+ Visa, after which convert them into RBC Avion Elite factors by way of the Avion Rewards ecosystem.

For spending on the three private Avion Elite playing cards, the incomes charges throughout all classes are just one–1.25 factors per greenback spent, so by utilizing your ION+ card, you’d be incomes greater than double and even triple the factors on many widespread every day purchases.

On the subject of selecting a card from the Avion household, any of the three private playing cards (RBC® Avion Visa Platinum†, RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†) make for wonderful selections. You could possibly additionally maintain the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Enterprise.

With this mix of playing cards, you’re getting one of the best of each worlds by leveraging the elevated incomes charges on the RBC^® ION+ Visa and the extra highly effective methods to redeem Avion Elite factors with an eligible Avion card.

Understand that you possibly can redeem Avion Elite factors for upwards of two cents per level by way of the RBC Air Journey Redemption Schedule, or for doubtlessly even larger worth by transferring your factors to airline companions and redeeming them for flights in premium cabins.

Subsequently, the potential worth you possibly can earn from the RBC® ION+ Visa may equate to a 3–6% return (or extra) on every day spending, which is a wonderful possibility for a person centered on journey rewards.

When coupled with both no annual payment or a low month-to-month payment on the ION household of playing cards, there’s not a number of price concerned to incomes RBC Avion factors this manner, and it’s certainly probably the most optimized method.

Conclusion

Savvy travellers can leverage the nuances of the RBC Avion Rewards program by making the most of the benefit of incomes Avion Premium factors with the redemption energy of Avion Elite factors.

By holding a product from each the ION and the Avion households of playing cards, you possibly can construct a small RBC bank card portfolio that provides you one of the best of each worlds.

Between the usually beneficiant welcome bonuses accessible on the Avion household of playing cards and the elevated incomes charges on widespread bills with the RBC® ION+ Visa, you’ll end up en path to outsized worth very quickly.

† Phrases and situations apply. Please discuss with the RBC web site for updated info.