American Express Cobalt® Card vs TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege*: Which one is better?
American Express Cobalt® Card
5
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege*
2.9
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$1,096
American Express Membership Rewards
First Year Bonus
$315
American Express Membership Rewards
Annual Fee
$155.8
First Year Value
$1,255.2
$940.2 in years after
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$601.85
Air Canada Aeroplan®
First Year Bonus
$420
Air Canada Aeroplan®
Annual Fee
$599
First Year Value
$422.85
$2.85 in years after
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Insurance Included*
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$500
Baggage Delay
$500
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Car Rental Damage & Theft
yes
Travel Accident
$250,000
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,000
Extended Warranty
Up to 1 year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$500
Emergency Out of province Medical
15 days
Flight Delay
$500
Insurance Included
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$2.5K/person
Baggage Delay
$1K/person after 4 hours
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Up to 48 consecutive rental days
Travel Accident
$500,000
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,500
Extended Warranty
2 years
Purchase Protection
120 days
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$2500
Emergency Out of province Medical
$5M/insured up to 31 days
Flight Delay
$1,000/person after 4 hours
Emergency Medical Over 65
$5M/insured up to 4 days
Trip Cancellation
$2.5K/person, $5K/trip
Trip Interruption
$5K/person, $25K/trip
Extra Benefits*
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Travel Credit
Book two or more consecutive nights at participating properties through The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel to receive a $100 credit for amenities or a complimentary room upgrade, if available.
Amex Experiences™
Access Front Of The Line® Amex Presale & Reserved Tickets to some of your favourite concerts and theatre performances and special offers and events curated for Cardmembers with Amex Experiences™
Extra Benefits
Car Rental Discount
10% off base rate of Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car
Visa Infinite Exclusive Benefits
Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass
6 Free complimentary visits
Trip and legal Assistance
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Concierge Services
Companion Voucher
Annual Worldwide Companion Pass from $99 to a max of $599 After spending $25,000 on your card
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Status lift
Reach Aeroplan Elite™ Status sooner by earning 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles and one (1) Status Qualifying Segment for every $5,000 of net purchases
Status lift
Complimentary upgrade to Avis® President's Club
Status lift
Primary Cardholders who also hold Aeroplan Elite Status can roll over up to 200,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) beyond the status level for which they’ve qualified, from the prior qualification year to qualify for status the next year.
Status lift
Primary Cardholders who also hold Aeroplan Elite Status will benefit from an extra 12 months to use eUpgrade credits, for a total of 24 months from issuance.
Status lift
Diamond Status with Visa RSVP Rewards™ Benefit. Benefits at 60+ participating Sandman, Sandman Signature and Sutton Place Hotels from coast-to-coast in Canada and beyond.
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Free first checked bag
First checked bag is free for primary cardholder on AirCanada flight and up to 8 guests
Extra points
Earn 50% more Stars and 50% more Aeroplan points at participating Starbucks stores
Extra points
Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and over 170 online retailers through the Aeroplan eStore
Extra points
Earn 2 Aeroplan points for every $1 you spend on eligible purchases with Rocky Mountaineer, Plus, cardholders could receive a GoldLeaf Upgrade, and a hotel room upgrade
Nexus Program Rebate
$100 every 4 years
Priority Travel
At Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal airports get benefits such as Priority Security lane, Complimentary valet, premium parking spots, priorioty taxi and limo lane and discount for parking.
Priority Travel
Get Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding and Priority Baggage Handling, Priority Airport Standby & Priority Airport Upgrades for you, your authorized users and up to 8 companions on the same flight (Only AirCanada)
Golf Benefit
Troon Rewards Golf benefits like discounts at over 95 resorts and courses around the world plus access to select private clubs across the U.S
Airport Lounge - Maple Leaf and AirCanada Cafes
Unlimited Access for you and one guest
Interest Rates*
Purchase:
21.99%1
Cash Advance:
21.99%1
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Annual Fee*
$155.8
Annual Fee
$599
Income Required*
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$150,000
Min Household Income:
$200,000
Welcome Bonus*
Earn 1,250 Membership Rewards® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in purchases on your Card in the first Year
Welcome Bonus
20,000 points after the eligible first purchase. 35,000 additional bonus points after spending $12,000 within 180 days of account opening. 30,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $24,000 within 12 months of Account opening at the anniversary of the card.
Rewards Rate*
- 5x points per $1 spent on eligible eats and drinks in Canada, including groceries and food delivery (up to 12,500 points per month)
- 3x points per $1 spent on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada
- 2x points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit & ride share in Canada
- 1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Rewards Rate
- 2 points on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations if they are in the first $100k transactions of the year
- 1.5 points on Gas, Groceries, Travel and Dining if they are in the first $100k transactions of the year
- 1.25 Point on everything else
Loyalty Program*
Loyalty Program
Point Redemption Options*
Gift Cards
0.765¢ / point
Merchandise
0.63¢ / point
Most Optimal
Transfer to Airline Partners
2.1¢ / point
Fixed Point Travel Program
1.66¢ / point
Transfer to Hotel Partners
1.66¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
1¢ / point
Amazon.ca
0.7¢ / point
Point Redemption Options
Merchandise
0.75¢ / point
Gift Cards
0.72¢ / point
Most Optimal
Aeroplan® Flights
2.1¢ / point
Car Rentals
0.9¢ / point
Travel
0.825¢ / point
Is this card worth it?
This card was voted the Best Credit Card in Canada by FinlyWealth. The rewards earned on this card for a person with average spending exceed those of other credit cards in Canada by a huge margin! In addition, this card has a good benefits coverage, a flexible points redemption program (1:1 transfer to Aeroplan® or Avios), making it the best candidate to become the main credit card for the majority of people.
Is this card worth it?
If you travel a lot throughout the year with Air Canada, the benefits of this card can significantly enhance your experience. It can help you achieve the next status level with Aeroplan and provide a better airport experience, therefore it can be worth the price tag. However, if you don't frequently fly with Air Canada, the benefits may not justify the card's expensive price tag.
Pros
- Points can be transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan® at a 1:1 ratio, making this card a solid Aeroplan® points earner as an alternative to Aeroplan® branded credit cards
- Generous welcome bonus of up to 15,000 points
- 4+ different ways of redeeming your points for great value
- 10 different types of insurance, including travel
- Often referred to as the Best Credit Card in Canada
Pros
- Premium experience for Elite Air Canada travelers with many benefits and status upgrades.
- High coverage limit on insurance.
- Numerous luxury benefits and statuses available for use.
Cons
- Less acceptance of American Express at different merchants across Canada
- Not all types of travel insurance are covered, especially trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Cons
- The rewards rate on this card is not that high. There are non-Aeroplan cards with much better reward programs, and their points can later be transferred to this card, making them better options if you are looking to gather Aeroplan points.
- You lose the flexibility to use other airlines if you want to take advantage of the benefits of this card.
- The high price tag makes this card a poor choice if you don't frequently travel with Air Canada.
- The unlimited lounge access is limited to Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafe lounges which don't have a great worldwide coverage.
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