Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Students who already fly Air Canada home (or will book Air Canada Vacations on this Visa) and want cobrand earn without a Visa Infinite fee or household-income test.
- International students who can work with the lower limit currently printed, and who need Visa at Canadian grocers that skip American Express.
- People who have not already taken a CIBC or other-issuer Aeroplan welcome of the same category type if they care about the three-stage bonus — current eligibility is strict on repeat Aeroplan bonuses.
- Anyone who pays in full. Aeroplan is a terrible consolation prize on a revolving student balance.
Skip it if you…
- Students who do not fly Air Canada. CIBC Dividend Visa for Students currently lists 2% groceries in cash; this catch-all Aeroplan rate is a poor grocery card if you never redeem flights.
- Applicants who already meet adult Infinite income and fly a lot. CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite currently pays 1.5x on the cobrand list — this student SKU is the $0 1x door, not Infinite lite.
- People who wanted Aventura’s flexible catalogue instead of Star Alliance. That is the student Aventura Visa.
- Anyone who will treat a $2,000-class international-student limit as a travel budget. That is a ceiling, not a suggestion to max it.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No annual fee, with extra cards currently at $0 for up to three — a parent authorized user can help without a second membership.
- 1x on grocery, gas, EV, and Air Canada is the same cobrand idea as adult $0 Aeroplan Visa, so you are not on a dummy student earn table for those buckets.
- Car rental collision and loss damage, purchase security and extended protection, and common carrier accident insurance are currently included — useful basics for a $0 student card.
- The current welcome path still has three gates, including an anniversary bonus after $10,000-class first-year spend — ambitious on a student limit, honest if a co-signer’s spend posts.
- CIBC currently prints international-student limits. That is more explicit than BMO’s student CashBack citizenship line.
Cons
- Everything outside the bonus categories currently earns 1 point per $1.50 — about 0.67x, which is weak for a card you might use as your only one.
- The anniversary bonus currently wants $10,000-class net purchases in twelve statements. A $2,000 international-student limit may make that gate unreachable without an authorized user who actually spends.
- Repeat Aeroplan-bonus rules currently apply across issuers of the same category type. A recent TD or Amex Aeroplan welcome can still kill this wrap.
- There is no travel medical, trip cancellation, or baggage insurance in the current coverage list. Do not skip travel medical because the card says Aeroplan.
- After graduation, CIBC typically moves you toward the adult $0 Aeroplan Visa or a paid rung. Limits and student marketing will not automatically follow.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $0
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $200
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $200
This is a simple comparison of the estimated welcome-bonus value against the annual fee. It ignores rewards on spending, credits you have to remember to use, and interest if you carry a balance. Offers change — verify with the issuer.
The annual fee currently listed is $0, with extra cards at $0, so there is no membership to earn back. The first-year snapshot compares estimated welcome-bonus value (currently an “up to $200” wrap around 10,000-class points) with that $0 fee.
Year one only matches the brochure if you make a first purchase, hit the four-statement spend, and still post $10,000-class spend by statement 12 — a high bar on a student limit. Year two is 1x cobrand categories and whatever catch-all CIBC actually pays.
If you never fly Air Canada, student Dividend’s 2% groceries is the better campus Visa. If you will clear Infinite income before you convocate, look at Infinite rather than collecting 1x out of stubbornness.
Offers change. Pay in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: Aeroplan Points
This card earns Aeroplan points. Eligible gas, EV charging, groceries, and purchases made directly with Air Canada (including Air Canada Vacations) currently earn 1 point per dollar in the short features.
Everything else currently earns 1 point per $1.50. CIBC also lists up to 10 cents off per litre at participating Journie Rewards stations and points that do not expire while you hold the card.
Redeem for Air Canada flights and Aeroplan partners. Put Air Canada and grocery here.
Put a cash-back campus month on student Dividend. Put a flexible-travel campus month on student Aventura.
This is not the adult Infinite cobrand.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Earn up to $200 in value, which includes up to 10,000 Aeroplan points!
The current detailed offer matches the adult $0 Aeroplan shape: bonus points on first purchase, another dump after $1,500-class spend in the first four statement periods, and an anniversary dump after $10,000-class net purchases in the first twelve. You need all three to match the “up to 10,000 / $200” wrap.
Eligibility currently says you may be approved and still miss every bonus if you already received a welcome, additional, or anniversary bonus on an Aeroplan credit card of the same category type with CIBC or another issuer. That is broader than a simple “no CIBC card in 12 months” rule.
Do not open this as a second Aeroplan cobrand expecting a fresh dump.
Welcome bonus eligibility: As set out in and subject to the Aeroplan Program General Terms and Conditions located at [ aircanada.com/aeroplan-termsandconditions Opens a new window. ], you may not be eligible for this offer or to receive any of the Welcome Bonus, Additional Bonus, or Anniversary Bonus, even if CIBC approves your application for an Account, if you have previously received a Welcome Bonus, Additional Bonus or Anniversary Bonus in connection with opening a new Aeroplan credit card account with CIBC or any other issuer of an Aeroplan credit card of the same card category type as the CIBC Account you are applying for.
FAQ
Is the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card for Students worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when you fly Air Canada, want a $0 cobrand on a student file, and will pay in full. It is not worth it as a grocery cash-back card or as Infinite-without-the-fee.
Student Aeroplan Visa vs adult CIBC Aeroplan Visa?
Adult $0 Aeroplan Visa currently lists the same cobrand 1x list and a household-income figure. This student card currently lists student and international limits instead of an income requirement. Choose student if that is your file. Choose adult if you are not a student — CIBC will not thank you for applying to the campus SKU.
Student Aeroplan vs student Dividend vs student Aventura?
Dividend for Students currently lists 2% grocery cash back. Aventura for Students currently lists bank points toward CIBC by Expedia. This card lists Aeroplan. Pick the currency you will redeem before you pick the CIBC student Visa.
What happens after graduation?
Expect a move to the adult $0 Aeroplan Visa or a paid Aeroplan rung, with adult limits and adult bonus rules. Ask CIBC before your student status lapses so you are not surprised by a product-change letter.
Can international students get this card?
The eligibility text currently says international students can get a credit limit of up to $2,000 (Canadian students up to $5,000). That is a cap, not an approval. Underwriting still applies. The anniversary bonus’s $10,000-class spend may be unrealistic on that limit without an authorized user.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card review · CIBC · $0 annual fee
- CIBC Dividend Visa Card for Students review · CIBC · $0 annual fee
- CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Students review · CIBC · $0 annual fee
