The Visa Infinite card isn’t just about earning rewards, it’s also about luxury experiences. Here are some of the privileges you can experience as a Visa Infinite cardholder:
- A complimentary concierge service, available to you whenever you want, wherever you are.
- Access to the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection.
- Exclusive access to dining events and experiences.
- Minimum credit limit of $20,000, or no pre-set spending limit.
Plus:
- Visa’s zero liability policy.
- A cardholder inquiry service.
- Emergency card replacement service and emergency cash service.
- Lost/stolen card reporting.
RBC Visa Infinite
The RBC Visa Infinite card is designed exclusively for their elite clients and is only available by invitation or through RBC Private Banking. There is an annual fee of $399 for Private Banking clients, and $599 for non-Private Banking clients. Other benefits for RBC Visa Infinite cardholders include:
- RBC Rewards redemption rate of 2% instead of 1% for all travel rewards, all flight classes, no blackout periods or seat restrictions
- Visa Infinite concierge service (don’t know if third-party company)
- Complimentary Priority Pass membership (the $99 annual fee version)
- Complimentary TabletPlus membership (usual fee $195)
- Complimentary access to Zagat restaurant ratings and reviews
- Special “black card”
- Dedicated customer support number for Visa Infinite clients only
- Extensive travel insurance coverage and emergency assistance
- Minimum $20,000 credit limit
Here’s the catch; to qualify for the RBC Visa Infinite card, an applicant must have investible assets greater than $1,000,000, or an annual personal income greater than $250,000, or a Net worth greater than $3,000,000.
Exclusive Rewards
Visa Infinite cardholders enjoy exclusive benefits not offered with any other program. For example, with their luxury hotel collection, Visa Infinite members will always receive the following hotel rewards benefits:
- The best available rate
- Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available
- Complimentary continental breakfast
- 3pm check-out, when available
- VIP guest status
- $25 food or beverage voucher
- Free in-room internet or valet parking
Visa Infinite also offers an exclusive Dining Series that includes unique and innovative culinary adventures at Canada’s top dining rooms, with three exclusive events. You will also experience:
- Relaxed culinary exploration with chefs
- Offers extend exclusively to you
- Each menu showcases chef’s personality
- Dinners are hosted by a renowned guest
- Top quality wines are expertly selected
- Insights from Canada’s greatest chefs
- Dinners in Vancouver, Toronto, and more
Is Prestige Worth The High Cost?
As an elite private banking client it might be worth the cost to have exclusive benefits like the one’s offered through the Visa Infinite card. For a high net worth client, a $399 annual fee doesn’t seem like much when you consider all of the rewards offered with the program.
However, most high net worth individuals didn’t get there by paying high credit card interest rates and buying things they don’t need just to get the points.
Still, the majority of us can only dream of these perks since we would never qualify for the Visa Infinite program anyway. Is prestige worth the high cost to join? Perhaps the prestige is worth it to some individuals, but for me I think I’ll keep it simple and stick with the basic reward credit cards..
The Air Miles loyalty program is a great way for Canadians to earn rewards by shopping at sponsor locations and using Air Miles credit cards. Depending on how your Air Miles are set up you can earn Air Miles Cash rewards, which include free groceries, gas, and other retail vouchers. Or, you can save up your Air Miles Dream miles for a dream vacation that you’ve always wanted to take. But how many Air Miles do you need for a free flight?
The interactive mileage “map” on the Air Miles website is not very user friendly. I’ve taken that information and put it into a helpful chart so you can visualize and determine exactly how many Air Miles you need for a free flight anywhere in the world.
Air Miles Flight Rewards
This table will show you how many Air Miles Dream miles you’ll need to save up in order to book a free flight rewards.
*Note that this chart is for flights departing from Ontario and has been updated as of May 27, 2019.
| Region | Low Season | High Season | BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard 15% Discount | |
| British Columbia | 3,600 | 4,900 | 3,060 | 4,165 |
| Alberta | 2,900 | 3,800 | 2,465 | 3,230 |
| Saskatchewan | 2,500 | 2,800 | 2,805 | 3,300 |
| Manitoba | 1,600 | 2,000 | 1,360 | 1,700 |
| Ontario | 1,200 | 1,400 | 1,020 | 1,190 |
| Quebec | 1,300 | 1,500 | 1,105 | 1,275 |
| Maritimes | 1,700 | 2,200 | 1,445 | 1,870 |
| Nunavut | 4,000 | 5,200 | 3,400 | 4,420 |
| Northeast U.S. | 1,300 | 1,600 | 1,105 | 1,360 |
| Central U.S. | 1,600 | 2,100 | 1,360 | 1,785 |
| Northwest U.S. | 3,900 | 5,200 | 3,315 | 4,420 |
| Southwest U.S. | 4,300 | 5,500 | 3,655 | 4,675 |
| Southeast U.S. | 2,800 | 3,500 | 2,380 | 2,975 |
| Caribbean | 4,400 | 5,800 | 4,400 | 5,800 |
| Mexico | 4,400 | 5,800 | 4,400 | 5,800 |
| Hawaii | 7,900 | 10,500 | 6,715 | 8,925 |
| Central America | 5,400 | 7,000 | 5,400 | 7,000 |
| South America | 6,000 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 8,000 |
| Western Europe | 5,400 | 7,000 | 5,400 | 7,000 |
| Northern Europe | 6,000 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 8,000 |
| Eastern Europe | 6,300 | 8,500 | 6,300 | 8,500 |
| Africa/Middle East | 9,300 | 12,500 | 9,300 | 12,500 |
| Russia/China | 9,300 | 12,500 | 9,300 | 12,500 |
| Australia | 14,000 | 19,000 | 14,000 | 19,000 |
As you can see, it costs a lot to redeem Air Miles for flights! I like to break down the miles into dollars so that I can understand the true cost and value of the flight rewards.
Most sponsor locations offer 1 Air Miles for every $20 spent. You can also maximize your Air Miles by using an Air Miles branded credit card. Let’s say that you manage to earn 1 Air Mile for every $15 spent. Here is a breakdown of what you would have to spend in order to earn flight rewards:
- 1,000 Air Miles = $15,000 (one short haul flight)
- 2,500 Air Miles = $37,500 (one medium haul flight)
- 5,000 Air Miles = $75,000 (one long range flight)
- 10,000 Air Miles = $150,000 (dream vacation, any season)
Best Value For Air Miles Flights
Obviously it makes sense to take advantage of the discount for flying during low season. Peak season (holidays and summer) flight prices are increased upwards of 35 percent. Travellers are likely better off shopping for better rates online to take advantage of a seat sale.
I’ve talked about how I redeem Air Miles for products like free gas or grocery vouchers. For $20 in gift card rewards it costs 190 Air Miles, making each Air Mile worth approximately 10.5 cents.
If we look at a flight from Ontario to Alberta during low season, it would cost 2,900 Air Miles for a free flight. That works out to costing you $304 for the redemption. The lowest available fare that I found when searching a similar flight on Air Canada’s website was $283. It looks like Air Miles is charging a premium to redeem your miles for flight rewards.
Using BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard
So, if Air Miles is charging a premium for flight rewards perhaps we should look at the
If you like to collect Air Miles and travel frequently for business or leisure, using the BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard can make a lot of sense. There is an annual fee of $120, which is offset by a huge welcome bonus and often comes with the first year free. These benefits, plus the 15% off Air Miles mileage discount, can more than cover the cost of using the card – AND help you get more out of your Air Miles Dream reward miles.