Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Air Canada households that want Aeroplan on a Visa Infinite card they can use at Canadian grocery stores and gas stations.
- People who will actually buy Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations on this card for the 1.5x cobrand rate, not on a random debit card.
- Applicants who meet Visa Infinite-style income figures (personal or household amounts are listed above) and pay in full.
- CIBC customers who would rather keep banking, the card, and Aeroplan in one relationship than open a TD product for the same program.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone who does not fly Air Canada. CIBC’s Dividend Visa Infinite will annoy you less at renewal.
- 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.
- Applicants who took a welcome bonus on this card in the last 12 months, or who are switching from another CIBC card, per the current eligibility text.
- People who need to carry a balance. A 20%+ purchase rate is a very expensive way to collect Aeroplan.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Visa Infinite acceptance is the practical advantage over Amex Aeroplan cobrands at grocers, gas stations, and small merchants.
- 1.5x on grocery, gas, EV charging, and Air Canada is a useful family mix if you already fly Air Canada.
- The current welcome path pays on first purchase, again after a six-statement spend, and again as an anniversary bonus — new cardmembers who stay a year can stack all three.
- You can add extra cards (the issuer currently prices a handful of them) so a partner can put grocery spend on the same Aeroplan account.
- CIBC already issues the rest of the Aeroplan Visa ladder, so an upgrade path to Privilege exists if spend grows.
Cons
- Base earn of 1x on everything else is ordinary. Dining-heavy spenders may prefer an Amex cobrand or Scotiabank Gold American Express.
- The welcome headline, detailed point total, and estimated dollar value do not perfectly agree. Treat them as a range to verify on CIBC’s page, not as three facts.
- Additional cards currently carry their own annual fee.
- Insurance is solid but read the certificate: CIBC currently lists out-of-province emergency travel medical, trip cancellation and interruption, flight delay and baggage, hotel burglary, car rental, mobile device, and purchase coverage. Check the certificate for limits before you travel.
- Switching from another CIBC card can void the welcome offer — a trap for people already in the Dividend or Aeroplan Platinum family.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $139
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $1,300
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $1,161
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.
Use the fee table. The headline annual fee and the detail line currently match, which is simpler than some cobrands.
Compare that fee with the estimated welcome-bonus value. The offer currently advertises an “up to” travel value in one place, a slightly different dollar figure in another, and a detailed point schedule that adds to a third story.
That usually means the marketing wrap includes extras, or one figure is stale. For a fair reading, follow the detailed three-stage point schedule and confirm thresholds on CIBC’s site (the welcome offer text itself says to do that).
Year one only matches the brochure if you make a first purchase, hit the six-statement spend, and still have $12,000-class spend posted by statement 12. Year two is the fee versus 1.5x grocery/gas/Air Canada.
Additional cards are extra. Offers change.
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 1.5 points per dollar.
All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar. The features text repeats that pair and does not list a bonus-category cap the way the TD Infinite card does — still confirm category definitions and any unpublished caps with CIBC, because grocery coding is where cobrands get picky.
Redemptions are Aeroplan flight rewards, partners, and the usual merchandise options. Flight rewards are where the program earns its keep.
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.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Earn up to $1,300 in value, including up to 50,000 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 six monthly statement periods, and an anniversary bonus after a higher amount of net purchases over the first twelve statement periods. The headline welcome line currently talks about a larger “up to” point total and dollar value than the detailed schedule adds up to — another reason to read CIBC’s live page, which the offer text already tells you to do.
Eligibility currently excludes people who received a welcome bonus on this card in the last 12 months and people switching from another CIBC card. Hit the spend with planned travel and grocery, not manufactured transactions.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Individuals who have received a welcome bonus on this card within the last 12 months or are switching from another CIBC card may not be eligible.
FAQ
Is the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card worth it?
It is worth it for Air Canada households that will use Visa at grocery and gas, can hit the staged welcome spend, and already prefer CIBC. It is not worth it if you fly WestJet, want cash back, or will carry a balance.
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite vs TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite?
On earn mix they are cousins: both pay 1.5x on grocery, gas, EV, and Air Canada, with 1x elsewhere, at a similar fee band. Choose TD if you bank at TD or want TD’s welcome structure; choose CIBC if that is already your bank.
Read both live offers — the staged bonuses and eligibility windows are not identical, and TD currently calls out a bonus-category cap that CIBC’s listing does not.
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite vs Infinite Privilege?
Infinite Privilege currently lists 2x on Air Canada, 2x at participating Hyatt hotels, 1.5x on grocery, gas, travel, and dining, and 1.25x on everything else, at a much higher fee and income bar. Choose Privilege if you already live in that spending band. Choose Infinite if you want the cobrand without the premium membership.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Most Canadian Visa Infinite cards 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.
CIBC Aeroplan vs American Express Aeroplan?
CIBC wins on Visa acceptance and grocery/gas bonus categories. Amex Aeroplan wins on dining earn, with weaker grocery coverage. If you can hold only one, pick the network you use at the supermarket.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card review · TD · $139 annual fee
- CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card review · CIBC · $599 annual fee
- American Express Aeroplan Card review · American Express · $120 annual fee
