RBC ION+ Visa
Review

• 

  Purchase Protection

  90 days
• 

  Extended Warranty

  Up to a year
• 

  Mobile Device Insurance

  $1,000

• 

  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

The RBC ION+ Visa Card is one of the newer credit cards offered by RBC which comes with a low annual fee and decently high rewards compared to other credit cards.

The RBC ION+ Visa Card is a points card, part of the Avion Rewards program, which allows you to use your points towards several different redemptions.

To learn more about what this card has to offer and to see it compared to similar cards in Canada, keep reading.

How You Earn Rewards with the RBC ION+ Visa Card

There are a ton of different earn categories that you can collect RBC ION Avion points on with the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

Specifically, you’ll earn the following:

• 3 points for every dollar spent on grocery, dining, food delivery, rides, gas, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming, and subscription purchases
• 1 point per dollar spent on everything else

Thus, the RBC ION+ Visa Card caters to those everyday errands.

Redeeming your Rewards with the RBC ION+ Visa Card

After you earn your Avion points on those everyday errands, you can use them towards the following redemption categories:

• Transfer to WestJet: redeeming your points towards WestJet flights, vacation packages, or other travel-related purchases.
• Financial products: using your points towards eligible financial products like loan repayments or mortgage repayments.
• Gift cards: when you use your points to purchase an eligible gift card.
• Merchandise: redeeming points towards eligible merchandise.
• Travel: using points towards eligible flights or vacation packages.
• Statement credits: like cashback, when you redeem your points as cash towards your statement balance.

As you can see, the best way to redeem your RBC ION Avion points is for transfers to WestJet vacation bookings, making it a good option for frequent WestJet travellers.

4 Benefits of the RBC ION+ Visa Card

There are a few benefits that come with owning an RBC ION+ Visa Card.

Let’s take a closer look at these perks below:

A Helpful Sign-Up Offer

Once approved for your RBC ION+ Visa Card, you’ll receive tons of welcome Avion points. These points will appear on your monthly credit card statement within about two months of the approval of your application – just as long as your account remains in good standing.

The Convenient Annual Fee

To keep the annual fee easy to manage, the RBC ION+ Visa Card divides the yearly cost into monthly charges of $4.

If you’re a student, you’ll be happy to hear that you can get the RBC ION+ Visa Card’s annual fee waived each month when you open an RBC Advantage Banking Account for Students.

Mobile Device Insurance

Sure, the RBC ION+ Visa Card doesn’t offer a ton of insurance coverage, but it does come with valuable mobile device insurance – a stand-out inclusion among standard purchase protection and extended warranty insurance.

Gas Discounts

Looking to fuel up and collect points?

The RBC ION+ Visa earns you discounts on fuel and bonus Petro Points at Petro Canada gas stations.

Extra Point Opportunities

If you want even more extra point opportunities you’ll be pleased to know that the RBC ION+ Visa Card grants you additional Be Well points per dollar spent on eligible products at Rexall.

Dine with DoorDash

Want a 3-month complimentary DashPass subscription? Simply add your RBC ION+ Visa Card to your DoorDash account.

2 Downsides of the RBC ION+ Visa Card

Of course, there are bound to be some drawbacks with the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

These downsides are as follows:

Below-Average Add-Ons

For a credit card with an annual fee, the RBC ION+ Visa Card is lacking in the perks department.

For starters, the coverage on this card isn’t very exciting – besides of course the addition of mobile device insurance. Still, at the end of the day, there are other low-fee or even no-fee credit cards with better insurance categories.

In addition, the benefits on the RBC ION+ Visa Card are also minimal – which may be expected with a no-fee card but not a paid credit card.

Limited Redemption Flexibility

Basically, if you’re not planning on booking travel through WestJet, the RBC ION Avion points you earn with the RBC ION+ Visa Card aren’t worth very much.

Overall, this makes the card pretty rigid in terms of value and flexibility, even when it comes to travel. 

If you want a credit card with more travel redemption flexibility, you’re better off browsing other top travel credit cards on the Canadian market.

Comparison to Other RBC Credit Cards

Let’s say you browsed other travel credit cards and still want to stick with an RBC option.

Whether you want an RBC card that's more budget friendly, flexible, or WestJet-oriented, we’re going to include all the top-picks for those categories in this section, thoughtfully comparing each one to the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

RBC ION+ Visa vs RBC ION Visa

First, we’ll assume that maybe you’re looking for something that’s even more budget-conscious. In this case, opt for the RBC ION Visa.

This no-fee alternative will also earn you RBC ION Avion points. That said, you’ll earn fewer points on fewer categories like groceries, rides, gas, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions. The RBC ION+ Visa Card, however, earns you more points in those categories and it optimizes dining and food delivery purchases as well.

You’ll also only receive the basics when it comes to coverage. That means extended warranty and purchase protection insurance without the inclusion of mobile device insurance – something you get with the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

Interestingly enough though, the RBC ION Visa Card and the RBC ION+ Visa Card feature the same gas discounts and savings at Petro Canada, plus the same bonus Be Well points at Rexall.

Overall, you’d likely only swap your RBC ION+ Visa card for the RBC ION Visa Card if you want to avoid an annual fee altogether, and you don’t mind missing out on food-related optimization and mobile device insurance.

RBC ION+ Visa Card vs WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

Now, let’s say you’re sure you want to travel with WestJet and you want the best WestJet RBC credit card for the job. If so, take a look at the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

Instead of RBC ION+ Avion points, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard earns cardholders cashback in WestJet dollars. You can receive a solid amount of this cashback on WestJet flights or WestJet vacation packages, plus a decent flat rate on all other purchases.

Everything the RBC ION+ Visa Card lacks in coverage and benefits, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard makes up for.

Starting with coverage, in addition to standard extended warranty and purchase protection insurance, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard will earn you tons of travel insurance like trip interruption insurance, flight and baggage delay insurance, and emergency medical coverages. Still, you won’t receive mobile device insurance, as you would with the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

Then, on top of the Petro Canada perks and extra Be Well points at Rexall, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard earns you tons of travel perks like an airport lounge Dragon Pass membership, a companion voucher applicable towards eligible roundtrip flights within the WestJet network (which can also be traded for complimentary visits to Dragon Pass lounges), plus free first checked bags for primary cardholders and up to 8 travel companions.

Therefore, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is the better WestJet-focused option for frequent travellers loyal to the airline. It’s the superior WestJet travel card on account of its solid direct WestJet rewards program, comprehensive travel coverage, and impressive travel perks.

RBC ION+ Visa Card vs RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

Let’s say you’re looking for more redemption flexibility, then go ahead and apply for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card.

The rewards program is a little more straight-to-the-point, offering solid points on eligible travel purchases before a standard base rate on everything else. Sure, technically the RBC ION+ Visa Card earns you more points on more optimized categories, but these points are RBC ION Avion points instead of RBC Avion points. RBC Avion points allow you to transfer your points to airline partners rather than simply to WestJet (which is the only option with the RBC ION+ Visa Card). This transfer to airline partner redemption category on the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is also more valuable than the transfer to WestJet redemption option on the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

If that wasn’t enough for you to make the switch, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card also has extensive insurance coverage. In addition to extended warranty, purchase protection and mobile device insurance, you’ll receive important travel coverage like trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance, hotel burglary insurance, and emergency medical coverages.

The benefits on both cards are almost the same, the only difference is that with the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you’ll receive both extra Petro Points and Avion points at Petro Canada stations.

Of course, all of these amazing perks come with a cost. To apply for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you’ll need to meet some higher income requirements and pay a higher annual fee. 

Ultimately, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card is the better card for higher earning frequent travellers looking for trip flexibility outside of WestJet. Otherwise, those content with WestJet redemptions, lower annual fees, and basic coverage may want to stick with the RBC ION+ Visa Card.

Final Verdict

The RBC ION+ Visa Card is the most well-balanced option when it comes to RBC credit cards. That’s because it offers a nice rewards program, decent coverage, and a couple of perks for a low annual cost.

Still, there are other RBC credit cards out there that are better for specific spending habits.

If you’re looking for something even more budget-friendly, you may want to opt for the no-fee RBC ION Visa Card.

If you’re looking for a card that is even better for WestJet travel, there’s no better option than the RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard.

Finally, if you simply want something a little more flexible in terms of travel redemptions, you could also consider the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the RBC ION+ Visa Card?

In total, the RBC ION+ Visa Card will cost you $48 per year. However, this cost is cut into monthly instalments of $4.