Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Households that will put groceries, restaurants, food delivery, gas, and streaming on one Visa and want 3x Avion on that stack without a $120-class Avion Platinum fee.
- People who already redeem Avion (or will learn to) and would rather earn it on Tuesday dinner than on a once-a-year flight.
- Applicants with a good-to-excellent credit file (the eligibility terms currently cite a 660+ class recommendation) who are not transferring from another RBC personal card if they care about the welcome offer.
- Anyone who pays in full. Three times Avion does not survive a 20.99% purchase rate.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone whose month is not grocery, dining, gas, and subscriptions. Then you are paying a fee for 1x Avion, and the no-fee ION Visa already pays 1x on the catch-all.
- Light spenders who would not clear the fee gap versus ION’s 1.5x on a similar (narrower) everyday list. Do the math on your grocer and restaurant bills before you “upgrade.”
- Travellers who wanted 1.25x on flights. That is Avion Platinum or Infinite, not ION+.
- People who want cash back they can deposit without learning Avion. Tangerine Money-Back is the $0 category card for that job.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 3x Avion on dining, food delivery, groceries, gas, EV charging, rideshare, streaming, and digital gaming is a wider everyday engine than ION’s 1.5x list, which currently omits dining and food delivery in the detailed features.
- The annual fee is a $48-class charge, not Infinite money, and additional cards are currently $0.
- The current welcome path pays points on approval and a second chunk after a first-six-months spend — a higher “up to” total than ION’s current offer.
- Avion stays in the same RBC pool as Platinum and Infinite, so everyday spend today can still become a flight later.
- Visa acceptance is the backup-card argument beside an American Express product, including at grocers that skip Amex.
Cons
- 1x on everything else means Amazon, pharmacies that do not code as grocery, and most retail still earn like a basic Avion card.
- Merchant category codes decide 3x. A restaurant inside a hotel, a grocer that processes as a mass merchant, or a “dining” app that codes as general retail can miss the bonus bucket.
- Welcome eligibility currently excludes additional cardholders and existing RBC personal-cardholders transferring in during the offer period. A product-change from ION is a usual way to void a bonus.
- Check the issuer’s site for current insurance coverage. Do not assume travel medical coverage from a paid Visa. Read RBC’s certificate.
- Avion you cash out as a gift card at a poor rate can lose to Tangerine’s 2% cash back. ION+ assumes you value the points.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $48
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $150
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $102
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 fee table shows a $48-class card with extra cards at $0. Compare that fee with the estimated welcome-bonus value.
Year one can look decent if you are a new ION+ applicant who also hits the first-six-months spend, because the advertised Avion arrives in two deposits. Year two is $48 versus the gap between 3x on your grocery/dining/gas stack and whatever ION would have paid at 1.5x and $0.
If that gap does not clear the fee, stay on ION. If you wanted travel-card Avion, Platinum’s fee buys a different product.
Offers change; the current eligibility text names an offer window and transfer exclusions. Pay in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: Avion
This card earns RBC Avion points, the same currency as Avion Platinum — not cash back. The current features describe 3x Avion on food delivery, dining, groceries, streaming, digital gaming, ridesharing, gas, and EV charging, plus 1x on all other qualifying purchases.
That dining and food-delivery pair is the reason ION+ exists next to ION, whose detailed features currently emphasize 1.5x on grocery, rides, gas, EV charging, streaming, and digital gaming, without printing dining. Merchant coding still applies.
Redeem Avion toward travel through RBC, as statement-style rewards, or toward partners if you know that list. If you want 3% grocery cash back without points, compare BMO CashBack.
If you want 5% grocery cash back and can pass World Elite income, that is CashBack World Elite.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Get up to 21,000 Avion points
The current offer is two steps: a welcome deposit of Avion points, then a larger deposit if you post a listed amount of qualifying spend in the first six months. You need both to match the “up to” point total and the estimated dollar value.
Eligibility currently excludes additional cardholders and existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card who transfer to ION+ during the offer period. That is stricter than a vague “new applicants” line — a switch from ION or Avion Platinum is the usual miss.
Do not invent spend to clear a $1,500-class hurdle if grocery and dining were not already in the budget.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC ION+ Visa credit card account, as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card transferring to an RBC ION+ Visa credit card during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.
FAQ
Is the RBC ION+ Visa worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when grocery, dining, gas, and subscriptions will use 3x Avion and the fee is smaller than the gap versus no-fee ION. It is not worth it as a travel Infinite substitute or as a card you revolve.
ION+ vs the no-fee RBC ION Visa?
ION currently lists no annual fee, 1.5x Avion on grocery, rides, gas, EV, streaming, and digital gaming, and 1x elsewhere, with a smaller welcome wrap. ION+ currently lists a $48-class fee, 3x on a wider list that includes dining and food delivery, and a richer welcome. Choose ION+ if dining and grocery spend clear the fee. Choose ION if you want Avion at $0.
ION+ vs RBC Avion Visa Platinum?
Avion Platinum is RBC’s accessible travel Avion card: a $120-class fee, travel-category earn, and a larger welcome. ION+ is the everyday 3x card. Choose Platinum if you wanted the Avion travel product. Choose ION+ if Tuesday groceries and restaurants are the spend.
ION+ vs Tangerine Money-Back?
Tangerine pays cash back in categories you choose, at $0. ION+ pays Avion at 3x on a fixed everyday list, at a modest fee. Choose Tangerine if you want dollars. Choose ION+ if you already collect Avion and will use dining plus grocery together.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Most Canadian Visas add a foreign-conversion fee on foreign-currency purchases. ION+ is an everyday Avion card, not a no-FX Passport. For overseas spend, compare Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite, and confirm RBC’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.
- RBC ION Visa review · RBC · $0 annual fee
- RBC Avion Visa Platinum review · RBC · $120 annual fee
- Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card review · Tangerine · $0 annual fee
