RBC Ion and Ion+ Visa: New Entry-Level Avion Credit Cards

RBC is launching two brand-new credit cards: the RBC Ion and RBC Ion+ Visa cards, as replacements for the RBC Rewards+ Visa and Signature RBC Reward Visa, respectively.

Let’s go through the new offerings, and how a refreshed variant of these two entry-level cards could make its way into your wallet.

RBC Ion Visa

The RBC Ion Visa is RBC’s new product where the Rewards+ used to be, and earns the new Avion Rewards points. Note that while these have the same name as the more premium RBC Avion Visa Infinite and RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege cards, this earns Avion Premium rather than Avion Elite points (more details below on implications).

The RBC Ion Visa has no annual fee and as a welcome bonus for new cardmembers, you can earn 6,000 Avion points upon approval provided you apply before November 30, 2022.

On everyday spending, you’ll earn rewards as follows:

• 1.5 Avion points for every $1 spent on groceries, gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming, and digital subscriptions

• 1 Avion point for every $1 spent on all other purchases

This no-annual credit card is clearly targeted for casual travellers who spend a fair amount on rideshares, transit, streaming, and video games. It’s the only card to target spending in these categories, and will likely appeal to younger millennials and Gen Z who wish to earn flexible travel rewards.

Noticeably, this welcome bonus is not only nearly twice as high but also significantly easier to earn as it’s not broken up into 7 chunks. 6,000 points is an excellent bonus on a no-annual fee credit card and can be redeemed through the Avion Rewards portal. This also brings the welcome bonus more in line to other entry-level in-house-rewards-earning cards, such as the CIBC Aventura Visa Card and the TD Rewards Visa Card, with slight variations on which merchant categories earn at bonus rates.

Insurance offerings are basic, which is fully expected on entry-level cards such as this RBC Ion Visa.

RBC Ion+ Visa

The RBC Ion+ Visa is RBC’s…