RBC Avion Visa Infinite

Overview

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite is RBC Royal Bank's core travel rewards card — a Visa Infinite product earning Avion points on all purchases, with an elevated rate on travel spending. Avion is RBC's proprietary points currency and one of the more flexible in Canada: points transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Executive Club (Avios), WestJet Rewards, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, giving you access to multiple airline programs from a single card. At $120 CAD annually with a $60,000 CAD individual or $100,000 CAD household income requirement, it's RBC's primary entry point into premium travel rewards.

Who this card is for

This card is for Canadians who want a transferable points currency that isn't locked into a single airline. The ideal cardholder flies a mix of carriers, values having optionality in redemption, and spends meaningfully across everyday categories. It's also a good fit for someone building an RBC points ecosystem — the Avion Infinite pairs well with the RBC ION+ Visa for earning 3x on everyday categories, with Avion points pooled across both cards. If you're exclusively loyal to Air Canada, Aeroplan-earning cards offer more direct value; if you like flexibility, Avion is worth the look.

Key benefits

The earn rate is 1.25 Avion points per $1 spent on travel purchases and 1 Avion point per $1 on everything else. The real value in this card is the transfer optionality: Avion points convert to British Airways Avios, American Airlines AAdvantage miles, WestJet points, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles — giving you access to Star Alliance, Oneworld, and WestJet flights from a single currency. British Airways Avios in particular offer strong short-haul redemptions that aren't always available through Aeroplan.

Travel insurance is comprehensive at this tier, including emergency medical, trip cancellation, flight delay, and car rental coverage. Welcome bonus offers have regularly reached 35,000 Avion points or more — check the RBC site for the current promotion, as offers change periodically.

Potential drawbacks

The 1x flat earn on non-travel spending is not competitive if you're comparing earn rates card-by-card. The card is best treated as a transfer-and-redeem vehicle rather than an accumulator — you'd likely want to pair it with a higher-earning everyday card. Transfer ratios to some partners are not 1:1, which can dilute Avion point value depending on the program you're converting to.

How it compares

The American Express Cobalt earns 5x MR points on food and dining with a 1:1 Aeroplan transfer ratio at $191.88 CAD annually — the stronger pure earn rate card for food-heavy spenders. The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege steps up to 1.25 Avion points on all spending and adds six lounge passes for $399 CAD annually — worth considering if you want the elevated earn rate on everything without restricting it to travel. Within RBC's own lineup, combining the Avion Infinite with the ION+ Visa creates a strong two-card travel stack.

Bottom line

A solid flexible travel card for Canadians who want access to multiple airline programs without committing to one. Best used as part of a two-card RBC setup or for cardholders who value British Airways Avios and oneworld redemptions alongside WestJet flexibility.