Head-to-Head: Brim Air France KLM World Elite® Mastercard® vs. Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® – powered by Neo

In this edition of Head-to-Head, we’ll take a look at two relative newcomers to the Canadian credit card scene: Brim’s Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard and the Cathay World Elite^® Mastercard^® – powered by Neo.

Representing SkyTeam and oneworld airlines, respectively, these two cards offer the ability to earn Flying Blue miles and Asia Miles through the welcome bonus and daily spending.

Let’s take a look at how these two World Elite Mastercards stack up next to each other, and examine which card provides the best overall value to new cardholders.

Card Basics

1. Welcome Bonus

Without question, one of the best ways to extract value from a credit is through its welcome bonus.

Until June 10, 2024, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard offers the opportunity to earn up to 60,000 Flying Blue miles through the following four-step structure:

• 10,000 Flying Blue miles after your first purchase
• 10,000 Flying Blue miles upon spending $5,000 (all figures in CAD) in the first year
• 10,000 Flying Blue miles upon spending an additional $10,000 in the first year
• 30,000 Flying Blue miles upon renewing your card for a second year

While the minimum spending requirement here is rather onerous, the total bonus is quite attractive, and you have a whole year to meet the thresholds. Plus, even if you don’t spend enough on the card to reach either spend-based bonus, you’ll still do quite well.

We value Flying Blue miles at 2 cents apiece. Using this valuation, we’d estimate the card’s first-year value comes in at a minimum of $723, based on earning 30,000 miles through the bonuses, 15,000 miles through the necessary $15,000 in spending at the base earning rate, and minus the cost of the annual fee.

If you keep the card into the second year, you’ll enjoy an additional $438 in value, based on the boost of 30,000 Flying Blue miles when you renew, and taking into account the card’s annual fee once again.