Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Air Canada households that want Aeroplan on a Visa they can use at Canadian grocery stores and gas stations, without a Visa Infinite fee or income test.
- People who will actually buy Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations on this card for the 1x cobrand rate, not on a random debit card.
- Applicants who meet the household income figure in eligibility, can add extra cards at no annual fee, and pay in full.
- CIBC customers who would rather keep banking, the card, and Aeroplan in one relationship than open a TD Platinum cobrand for the same program.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone who does not fly Air Canada. CIBC’s Dividend Visa will annoy you less, and this catch-all earn is a poor consolation prize.
- Applicants who already meet Infinite income. CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite currently pays 1.5x on the same grocery/gas/Air Canada list and 1x on everything else — this $0 card is not “Infinite lite” on earn, it is a step down.
- High spenders who want 2x Air Canada, 2x at participating Hyatt hotels, dining and travel bonus categories, and a higher base rate. That is Infinite Privilege, at a much higher fee and income bar.
- People who need to carry a balance. A 20%+ purchase rate is a very expensive way to collect Aeroplan.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No annual fee, with extra cards currently at $0, so the cobrand does not have to beat a January membership before it starts earning.
- 1x on grocery, gas, EV charging, and Air Canada is still a useful family mix if you already fly Air Canada — you just do not get Infinite’s 1.5x.
- The current welcome path pays on first purchase, again after a four-statement spend, and again as an anniversary bonus — new cardmembers who stay a year can stack all three.
- Visa acceptance is the practical advantage over Amex Aeroplan cobrands at grocers, gas stations, and small merchants.
- CIBC already issues the rest of the Aeroplan Visa ladder, so an upgrade path to Infinite exists if spend and income grow.
Cons
- Everything else currently earns 1 Aeroplan point per $1.50. Dining, Amazon, and general retail drag the blended rate down fast.
- The card’s features also mention Journie Rewards cents-off at participating gas stations. That is a fuel program, not extra Aeroplan, and it only helps if you already use those stations.
- The welcome headline talks about travel value and points; follow the detailed three-stage schedule and confirm thresholds on CIBC’s page.
- Included insurance currently covers car rental collision and loss damage, purchase security and extended protection, and common carrier accident only. There is no travel medical, so do not assume it from the Aeroplan name on a $0 Visa.
- Opening this card can still collide with CIBC’s “recent bonus / switching cards” rules. Read eligibility before you treat a $0 cobrand as a harmless test drive into Infinite next month.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $0
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- $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 unless you later product-change into Infinite. The first-year snapshot on this page still compares estimated welcome-bonus value with that $0 fee.
Year one only matches the brochure if you make a first purchase, hit the four-statement spend, and still have $10,000-class spend posted by statement 12. Year two is 1x grocery/gas/Air Canada and 1 point per $1.50 on everything else.
If you already qualify for Infinite, paying $0 for a weaker earn mix is not thrift — it is leaving 0.5x on the cobrand categories and a full 1x on the catch-all. 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) earn 1 point per dollar.
All other purchases earn 1 point per $1.50. Compare that with Infinite’s current 1.5x on the same grocery/gas/Air Canada list and 1x on everything else — the $0 Visa is not a 1.5x card with the fee stripped off.
Features also mention up to a listed cents-off per litre at participating Journie Rewards stations; that discount is separate from Aeroplan. Redemptions are Aeroplan flight rewards, partners, and the usual merchandise options.
If you buy the Air Canada ticket on this Visa, you get cobrand earn and a network the airline checkout will take without an Amex surprise. Merchant coding still applies at the grocer.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Earn up to $200 in value, which includes up to 10,000 Aeroplan points!
The current detailed offer has three gates: bonus points on the first purchase, a second deposit after a spend requirement over the first four monthly statement periods, and an anniversary bonus after a higher amount of net purchases over the first twelve statement periods. You need all three to match the “up to” point total and travel value.
Eligibility currently talks about a new account, spend gates, Canadian residency, income and credit standards, and generally not having received a bonus for the same card recently. That is vaguer than Infinite’s “switching from another CIBC card” line — still read CIBC’s live terms before you assume a Dividend-to-Aeroplan product-change pays.
Hit the spend with planned travel and grocery, not manufactured transactions.
Welcome bonus eligibility: To be eligible for the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card welcome bonus, applicants must be approved for a new account and meet minimum spend requirements, typically including a first purchase bonus and, at times, a larger bonus after spending a set amount in the first 4-12 months. Eligibility requires being a Canadian resident, meeting minimum income/credit standards, and generally not having received a bonus for the same card recently.
FAQ
Is the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card worth it in 2026?
It is worth it for Air Canada households that want a $0 Visa cobrand, cannot or should not pay Infinite’s fee, and will use 1x grocery/gas/Air Canada. It is not worth it if you already qualify for Infinite, you fly WestJet, or you will carry a balance.
CIBC Aeroplan Visa vs CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite?
Infinite currently lists 1.5x on grocery, gas, EV, and Air Canada and 1x on everything else, at a paid Infinite fee and income bar. This card currently lists 1x on that bonus list and 1 point per $1.50 elsewhere, at $0. Choose Infinite if you can. Choose the $0 Visa if Infinite is the card you would be declined for, or if the fee will not clear on your Air Canada year.
CIBC Aeroplan Visa vs TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum?
TD Aeroplan Platinum is a paid Platinum cobrand with a similar 1x grocery/gas/Air Canada and 1 point per $1.50 catch-all in that review, plus an annual bonus-category cap in TD’s detailed feature list. This CIBC card currently lists $0.
Choose the bank you already use, then compare live welcome offers and whether you would rather pay Platinum prices at TD or keep CIBC’s $0 rung.
CIBC Aeroplan Visa vs American Express Aeroplan?
CIBC wins on Visa acceptance, a $0 fee, and grocery/gas bonus categories. Amex Aeroplan typically wins on dining earn, with weaker grocery coverage and a fee. If Visa at the supermarket is the constraint and Infinite income is not in reach, this $0 cobrand is the CIBC door.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Most Canadian no-fee Visas add a foreign-conversion fee on foreign-currency transactions. This cobrand is not marketed as a no-FX card. For trip spend, compare Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite, and confirm CIBC’s current FX rate in the agreement.
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 Infinite Card review · CIBC · $139 annual fee
- TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card review · TD · $89 annual fee
- American Express Aeroplan Card review · American Express · $120 annual fee
