Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- High spenders who want 1.25x Avion on groceries, dining, and retail, not just on flights, and whose annual volume makes that extra quarter-point real money.
- Travellers who redeem Avion toward business and first-class tickets and will use the double redemption value called out in the current features.
- Applicants who meet the income test (the personal and household figures are the same high bar) and pay the statement in full.
- RBC clients who want Visa Infinite Privilege acceptance and insurance positioning without joining an airline cobrand.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone who would not pay this fee without a welcome bonus. Year two is the real product; the signup points are a first-year fog machine.
- Households that cannot meet the income requirement. Avion Visa Infinite is the same program at a Visa Infinite bar.
- Air Canada or WestJet loyalists who would rather have cobrand perks than Avion flexibility. Privilege does not make you an elite member of those airlines.
- Existing RBC personal-card customers hoping to transfer into this bonus — the current eligibility text excludes transfers and additional cardholders.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 1.25 Avion points on all qualifying purchases is a cleaner everyday rate than regular Avion Infinite’s 1x catch-all.
- Double redemption value on business and first-class tickets, per the current features, is the reason this card exists for premium-cabin shoppers.
- The welcome path currently pays points on approval, a spend bonus in the first six months, and an anniversary dump — new primary cardholders who stay a year can stack all three.
- Visa Infinite Privilege is widely accepted in Canada and abroad compared with American Express, which matters if this is a daily driver.
- Avion stays useful if your next trip is not on a single Canadian airline.
Cons
- The annual fee is in premium-card territory. 1.25x does not automatically beat a 2–3% cash-back card after that hit.
- Additional cards currently carry a high annual fee of their own.
- Insurance and detailed benefits are thin or unlisted, so do not count on lounge access or a travel credit.
- 1.25x everywhere is still not 5x dining or 5% groceries. Category specialists will earn more in their niche.
- The estimated welcome value assumes you treat Avion near the listed dollar figure. Statement-credit redemptions will not get you there.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $399
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $1,500
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $1,101
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.
Start with the annual fee in the table — it is the story of this card. Set it beside the estimated welcome-bonus value.
Year one can look acceptable for a new primary cardholder who gets the approval points, hits the first-six-months spend, and is still around for the anniversary deposit. That is a long relationship to assume on day one.
Year two is the fee versus an extra 0.25 Avion per dollar over the regular Infinite card, plus whatever premium-cabin redemption bonus you actually use. Run a simple check: if 0.25 points per dollar on your real spend, valued at a conservative redemption, does not clear the fee gap versus Avion Infinite, Privilege is a status purchase.
Additional cards add more. Offers change.
Existing RBC cardholders transferring in are ineligible for the listed offer.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: Avion
You earn RBC Avion points at 1.25 points per dollar on qualifying purchases, according to the current features. That is the whole earn story — there is no separate grocery or dining multiplier.
The second headline is redemption: double the redemption value on business and first-class tickets. That only helps if you book those cabins through Avion’s travel channels.
Redeeming Avion as a statement credit or for economy hops is how Privilege owners subsidize a fee they will not recoup. Transfers to airline partners, when available, are usually the better door for long-haul premium seats; confirm the live partner list in your RBC rewards account rather than assuming last year’s chart.
If you want lounge access and a travel credit as the reason for a four-figure-class fee, compare The Platinum Card, whose perks are the product. If you want Air Canada elite-adjacent earning, compare TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Get up to 70,000 Avion points
The current offer is three pieces: Avion points upon approval, a second deposit if you post a listed amount of qualifying spend in the first six months, and anniversary points that post in a window after the one-year mark. You need all three to match the “up to” total.
Additional cardholders, and existing RBC personal-card customers transferring to Infinite Privilege during the offer, are not eligible. That transfer exclusion matters, because a lot of Avion Infinite holders will be tempted to product-change.
Read the live RBC terms. Do not force $5,000-class spend if the rest of the card is not a fit.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege credit card account, as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account transferring to an RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege credit card account during the Offer Period, are not eligible for the offer.
FAQ
Is the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when your spend is high enough that 1.25x on everything, plus premium-cabin Avion redemptions, clears a premium fee. It is not worth it as a first travel card, a grocery specialist, or a product-change bonus hunt.
Avion Infinite Privilege vs Avion Visa Infinite?
Regular Avion Infinite earns 1.25x on eligible travel and 1x elsewhere, at a Visa Infinite fee and income bar. Privilege pays 1.25x on all qualifying spend and adds the business/first redemption kicker. The extra fee has to come back from that 0.25x and those cabins, or it is wasted.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Most Canadian Visa Infinite Privilege cards still add a foreign-conversion fee on foreign-currency purchases. Privilege is not marketed as a no-FX card in the card’s features. For trip spend, compare Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite, and confirm RBC’s current FX rate in the agreement.
Avion Infinite Privilege vs The Platinum Card?
Platinum is an American Express membership: lounges, credits, and a higher fee, with Membership Rewards. Avion Privilege is a Visa points card with a flat 1.25x earn. Choose Platinum for the lounge kit; choose Avion Privilege for Visa acceptance and RBC points you might already hold.
What income do I need for Avion Infinite Privilege?
The current eligibility text asks for a high minimum that is the same on a personal or household basis — a stricter shape than typical “personal or higher household” Visa Infinite wording. Confirm the live RBC application. If you are under that bar, Avion Infinite is the card in this family.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- RBC Avion Visa Infinite review · RBC · $120 annual fee
- The Platinum Card review · American Express · $799 annual fee
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Credit Card review · TD · $599 annual fee
