The Best Travel Credit Cards for Canadians with Lower Incomes

One of the best ways to make travel more affordable is by leveraging travel credit cards; however, many of the best travel credit cards for Canadians have hefty income requirements.

For example, cards in the Visa Infinite family require at least $60,000 in personal income, and the higher-tier Visa Infinite Privilege cards require a whopping $150,000 in personal or $200,000 in household income.

Meanwhile, qualifying for a Mastercard World Elite product usually requires $80,000 in personal or $150,000 in household income.

Unfortunately, not every Canadian meets these criteria. Many folks simply don’t earn this much, including students, seniors living on a fixed income, newcomers, or new parents on childcare leave.

In this guide, we’ll go over the best travel credit cards for Canadians with more modest incomes. We’ve considered the income requirements, card benefits, and annual fees to justify why any one of these financial solutions deserves a spot in your wallet.

RBC^® Avion Visa Platinum†

The first credit card on our list is the RBC^® Avion Visa Platinum†. As the entry-level offering amongst the “Avion Elite” cards, it doesn’t require any minimum personal or household income.† 

Until November 27, 2023, the card is offering a best-ever welcome bonus for up to 55,000 RBC Avion points†, structured as follows:

• 35,000 RBC Avion points upon approval†
• 20,000 RBC Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months†

It’s worth noting that the welcome bonus is the exact same as what’s offered on the higher-tiered RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite† and the RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†.

Under the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, the 35,000 points given on approval is enough for a round-trip economy booking in North America, worth up to $700 in ticket price†. Meanwhile, 55,000 points could take you round-trip in economy to Sun destinations, up to a max ticket price of $1,100†. Note that you’ll still be on the hook for taxes and fees.

Better yet, you can also transfer Avion points to four airline partners, and then make redemptions from within each program:

Despite the card’s larger minimum spending requirement, the six-month timeline brings it down to an average of $833 per month. Keep in mind that you can use services such as Chexy to pay rent with a credit card, which can help take a bite out of the minimum spending requirement and unlock…