RBC Avion Visa Infinite review

The card is a credit card with an annual fee of CAD 120. That is a certain yearly cost, so the case for paying it rests on the rewards and insurance on the account. Clearing the balance each month keeps the fee as the only outlay.

A balance left on the account is charged an APR of 20.99% to 22.99%, above the APR of a typical card at 16%. Carrying money month to month is the expensive way to use this card, and the rewards are built for spending that is paid off in full.

It is a points card, points, earning Avion points on purchases and more on travel related spending. Points do not expire, and an Avion Rewards Elite membership comes with the account. That earn has to cover the annual fee.

Cover runs wide: unlimited emergency medical insurance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, mobile device insurance, purchase security and extended warranty, plus an auto rental damage waiver, a concierge and hotel dining benefits (Automatic Avion Rewards Elite membership, Avion points never expire and Unlimited emergency medical insurance).

Support runs on phone and email only. A cardholder with a billing dispute or a travel insurance claim calls or writes rather than chats, and the insurance sits on the same account, so claims run through the bank.

The annual fee of CAD 120 is far above the typical card here, at €0, though the upper quartile reaches €6. It ranks near the back on this measure, at 295 out of 312 brands.

It is a credit card, credit, so it revolves a balance rather than requiring the full amount each month. Rewards are the headline feature, rewards, and plenty of cards in this category earn nothing at all (23%), which is what separates this one.

Card pricing moves with the losses behind the lending. Across the cards on the site the retail loss rate is 70.15%, with a spread from 65.75% to 88%. Costs of that kind feed into both the annual fee and the rate charged on a balance.