RBC ION+ Visa vs PC World Elite Mastercard

Rewards Breakdown

Annual Rewards

$418.24

RBC ION Avion

Welcome Bonus

$70

RBC ION Avion

Annual Fee

$48

First Year Value

$440.24

$370.24 in years after

Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.

Rewards Breakdown

Annual Rewards

$271.16

PC Financial

Welcome Bonus

$100

PC Financial

Annual Fee

$0

First Year Value

$371.16

$271.16 in years after

Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.

Insurance Included

Purchase Protection

90 days

Extended Warranty

Up to a year

Mobile Device Insurance

$1,000

Insurance Included

Purchase Protection

90 days

Extended Warranty

Up to a year

Emergency Out of province Medical

$1M, Up to 10 days

Car Rental Damage & Theft

Up to 31 days

Extra Benefits

Gas Discount

save 3¢/L on fuel and always earn 20% more Petro-Points at Petro-Canada

Extra points

50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall

Extra Benefits

Concierge Services

Identity Theft Assistance

Interest Rates

Purchase:

20.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Interest Rates

Purchase:

21.99%

Cash Advance:

22.97%

Annual Fee

$48

Annual Fee

$0

Income Required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

Income Required

Min Personal Income:

$80,000

Min Household Income:

$150,000

Welcome Bonus

Get 12,000 Avion points upon approval

Welcome Bonus

100,000 PC after approval of the application

Rewards Rate

3 points for every dollar in Grocery, Dining, Food Delivery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchases
1 point for everything else

Rewards Rate

45 points per $1 dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart® stores

30 points per $1 dollar spent at Atlantic Superstore, Extra Foods, Fortinos, Loblaws, Maxi, Maxi & cie, no frills, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore, SaveEasy, SuperValu, valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer, Zehrs

20 points per $1 spent in PC travel

19 points per $1 dollar spent at ESSO and Mobil (it's 30 points per liter and the assumption of average gas price of $1.6 was made)

10 points per $1 dollar spent for everything else

Loyalty Program

RBC ION Avion

Loyalty Program

PC Financial

Point Redemption Options

Most Optimal

Transfer to WestJet

1¢ / point

Travel

0.6¢ / point

Financial Products

0.83¢ / point

Gift Cards

0.72¢ / point

Merchandise

0.7¢ / point

Statement Credits

0.58¢ / point

Point Redemption Options

Groceries

0.1¢ / point

Gas (Esso)

0.1¢ / point

Is this card worth it?

This card is not by any means one of our favorite cards. For an annual fee it offers almost no notable benefits, with many no annual fee credit cards offering much more. The points earned are fine, but given the inflexibility of ION Avion points, it's very hard to get good value for the points earned, and it's much easier to earn more and do the same with some other credit card reward programs.

Is this card worth it?

This is a great card to have in your arsenal if you frequently shop at Shoppers Drug Mart®, Loblaw's owned chains, and ESSO and Mobil gas stations, as you will earn significant rewards in these categories. The additional benefits, such as out-of-province medical insurance, car rental damage insurance, and concierge service, are impressive and typically only come with cards that have annual fees; however, you can access these benefits for free with this card. We do not recommend using this as your primary credit card but as a supplement to another primary card, especially because there are no fees. This is because the rewards on purchases outside the mentioned shops are very average, and many other cards offer much more substantial rewards for general use.

Pros

Insurance coverage is very little for a card with annual fee. There are cards with no annual fee that offer even better benefits.
Avion reward points are generally not very flexible and not as valuable if not used for WestJet travel; therefore, if that's not your plan, there are many better cards that can be used.
The annual fee isn't justifiable based on the reward program this card offers.

Pros

Out-of-province medical insurance, concierge service, and car rental damage insurance—benefits that are usually included with cards that have fees—are included with this card.
Decent rewards on purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart®, Loblaw's owned chains, and ESSO and Mobil gas stations.

Cons

Bonus saving of 3 cents per liter on gas at Petro-Canada stations.
12,000 avion points welcome bonus.

Cons

Many other high-spend categories don't earn as many rewards. Shopping at any other grocery chains, gas stations, or pharmacies will only give the base reward rate, and restaurant purchases and purchases in other categories don't earn much either.