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RBC ION Visa vs Neo Mastercard®: Which one is better?
RBC ION Visa
2.7
Neo Mastercard®
2.7
Finly Rebate
N/A
Finly Rebate
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$258.39
RBC ION Avion
First Year Bonus Value
$35
RBC ION Avion
Annual Fee
$0
First Year Value
$293.39
$258.39 in years after
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$181.33
First Year Bonus Value
$0
Annual Fee
$0
First Year Value
$181.33
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Insurance Included
Extended Warranty
Up to a year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Insurance Included
Balance Protection
optional add on
Extra Benefits
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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
Neo Premium ($4.99/month)
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Neo Travel Benefits ($4.99/month)
Neo Food Cashback boost ($1.99/month)
Neo Mind and Body Perks ($9.99/month)
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Interest Rates
Purchase:
19.99% - 29.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99% - 31.99%
Annual Fee
$0
Annual Fee
$0
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Welcome Bonus
Get 6,000 Avion points upon approval
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Rewards Rate
- 1.5 points for every dollar in grocery, rides, gas, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming, subscriptions and more
- 1 point for all other purchases
Rewards Rate
- 1% cash back on grocery purchases up to $500 spending per month (3% cash back with $5k in a Neo everyday account, and 4% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to the 0.5-1% cash back tier after hitting spend cap
- 1% cash back on gas purchases up to $500 spending per month (3% cash back with $5k in a Neo everyday account, and 4% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to the 0.5-1% cash back tier after hitting spend cap
- 0% cash back on all other purchases with $0 in a Neo everyday account, or 0.5% cash back with $5k in a Neo everyday account up to $1,667 spending per month, or 1% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account up to $1,667 spending per month - drops to 0% cash back again after hitting spend cap
- +5% earned on average at Neo Partners.
Note: our reward calculations use the base cash back rates assuming you do not hold any money in a Neo everyday account to earn the higher tier (boosted) cash back rates, otherwise the reward estimates may be higher.
Loyalty Program
Loyalty Program
N/A
Point Redemption Options
Most Optimal
Transfer to WestJet
1¢ / point
Financial Products
0.83¢ / point
Gift Cards
0.72¢ / point
Merchandise
0.7¢ / point
Travel
0.6¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
0.58¢ / point
Point Redemption Options
Not Applicable
Is this card worth it?
We actually don't like this card. It neither offers great benefits nor rewards, even for a free card. It's a very average card with many better and worse alternatives, both paid and free.
Is this card worth it?
The Neo Credit Card is special because it earns rewards based on whether the merchant is a partner or not. Most of the time, the cashback earned at these partners is the highest possible compared to all other credit cards. However, we don't recommend using this card as your main credit card and suggest using it only at partner merchants. This is because the rewards at non-partner merchants are very small, and most merchants are not partnered with Neo.
Pros
- Good savings on gas if you are a regular petro-Canada gas customer.
Pros
- High cash back on grocery and gas if you're willing to hold at least $5k in a Neo everyday account
- Unique cashback program which earns cashback based on partner instead of purchase category.
- Massive cashback at some partners that any other credit card couldn't beat.
- Unique benefit system where perks could be bought with a monthly fee and cancelled after use.
Cons
- Insurance coverage is the most basic.
- Reward categories are not the best.
- Avion reward points are generally less valuable.
- Many other cards with no annual fee are available that are all-around better cards than ION Visa.
Cons
- Base Cash back is very low when you do not hold any money in a Neo everyday account
- No built-in purchase protection and extended warranty benefit.
