I'd look at this card when the business itself, not the owner, should be the one carrying the credit. It earns exactly like the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business (2x with Air Canada, 1.5x on travel, dining, shipping, internet and phone) and keeps the same free bags and spend-earned lounge passes, but CIBC approves it on the business, charges $139 instead of $180, and allows up to 15 additional cards instead of 9.
The catches are what you give up for that. Interest is a fixed 20.99% with no lower tier, and the insurance is noticeably thinner: it covers the cardholder only, trip cancellation and interruption apply only to business trips, and there is no travel medical at all. For a company that pays in full each month and wants Aeroplan points on its spending, I think the lower fee and the bigger card count are worth more than those gaps.
Welcome offer
CIBC is advertising up to 75,000 Aeroplan points for applications submitted and approved beginning August 1, 2026, verified on the CIBC page on October 15, 2026. No end date is printed, so confirm the offer on CIBC's page before applying. The points arrive in three pieces: 10,000 after the first purchase, 25,000 for $7,500 in net purchases in the first 3 monthly statement periods, and 40,000 for $40,000 in the first 12, which CIBC credits in two amounts (25,000 and 15,000).
The offer also rebates the annual fee for the first two years, on the account and on additional cards added at application. CIBC's headline values count the primary card (up to $278) and three additional cards (up to $300), while the offer terms extend the rebate to up to fifteen additional cardholders. CIBC puts the points at up to $1,500 in travel and the whole package at up to $2,500. The points go to the business's Rewards Officer, and Aeroplan can withhold the bonus from anyone who already received welcome points on an Aeroplan card of the same category type.
Set up every employee card on the application itself. The fee rebate does not cover cards added after the application is submitted, and all cardholders' purchases count toward the $40,000 top tier. If that level of spend is out of reach, the realistic offer is 35,000 points for $7,500 in three statement periods, plus two fee-free years.
Fees & eligibility
The account costs $139 a year (one card included) and each additional card is $50, for up to 15. Under the current welcome offer both are rebated for the first two years, provided the additional cards are added when you apply. CIBC's January 12, 2027 notice for this card changes benefits only and states that all other fees, rates and terms remain unchanged, so the $139 fee is not rising the way the regular Aeroplan Visa Business fee is (to $200).
CIBC says credit approval is based on the business, and the card is issued under its Business Credit Card Agreement (Business Liability); the product page notes that the business remains liable for the entire balance. No personal income minimum is listed, and the card carries a $5,000 minimum credit limit. Rates are fixed at 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances, balance transfers and convenience cheques, with a 21-day grace period and a 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee. A business that carries a balance will lose more to interest than it earns in points.
Earning rewards
The earn is identical to the regular CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business. Purchases made directly with Air Canada, including Air Canada Vacations, earn 2 Aeroplan points per dollar, and so do stays at participating Hyatt hotels and resorts.
A broad business band earns 1.5 points per dollar: travel (airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruises, travel agencies), transportation (transit, trains, ferries, taxis), dining, and shipping, internet, cable and phone services. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar. The Rewards Officer also collects 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits for every $20,000 in net purchases, up to 25,000 a year, and every cardholder's purchases count toward that total.
Redeeming rewards
Points go to the Rewards Officer, the Card Officer the business designates to collect rewards, and stay in that person's Aeroplan account; they do not expire while the Rewards Officer holds a CIBC Aeroplan card. Every Air Canada seat for sale is bookable with points, there are no additional airline surcharges on Air Canada flight rewards, and the Rewards Officer can often book flight rewards for fewer points. From January 12, 2027, that becomes a fixed 15% reduction on the base-fare points for eligible Air Canada flight rewards booked through Air Canada.
CIBC values the welcome offer at about 2 cents per point (cpp) when redeemed for flights, based on its own cardholder data; actual value depends on route and cabin. Hotel redemptions get a 4th night free for every three nights booked with points, and from January 12, 2027 car rentals booked with points get a 4th day free. The Rewards Officer must link a personal Aeroplan number, since linking a different loyalty number may affect the airline benefits.
Perks & benefits
The headline perk is the free first checked bag on Air Canada for the Rewards Officer, every other cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation, up to 9 travellers. Employees keep the airline benefits when flying without the Rewards Officer, once they link their own Aeroplan number.
Lounge access is earned, not included: the account collects one Maple Leaf Lounge One-Time Guest Pass for every $10,000 in net purchases in an account year, up to 4 a year, usable at Maple Leaf Lounges in Canada and the U.S. The business-side tools are where this card goes further than the regular version: up to 15 additional cards with individual purchase and cash limits, plus Visa Spend Clarity for Business for custom limits, virtual cards and near real-time tracking. Other extras are Avis Preferred Plus, 1 World of Hyatt Bonus Point per dollar at Hyatt, Avis and Budget discounts of up to 25%, and from January 12, 2027 a $25 Air Canada Flight Benefit every six months for the Rewards Officer.
Insurance
The insurance is built for business travel and is thinner than on the regular CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business. It covers the cardholder only, with no spouse or family coverage, and trip cancellation and interruption exclude any trip not booked or taken for business purposes. There is no emergency travel medical coverage. Trip cancellation pays up to $1,000 per trip and interruption or delay up to $2,000 per trip, on arrangements charged to the card or booked with its points.
Rentals get primary collision and loss damage coverage for up to 48 days on cars with an MSRP up to $85,000, for personal and business use, with no deductible. Flight delays of 4 hours or more pay up to $500, delayed bags over 6 hours up to $500, and lost or stolen bags up to $500. New purchases are covered for 90 days, but only to $1,000 per loss, and Extended Protection adds up to one year of warranty at $10,000 per item. There is no mobile device insurance.
My take
I'd pick this over the regular Aeroplan Visa Business when the company should hold the credit and you want more than 9 employee cards; I'd skip it if anyone might carry a balance or needs the card's insurance for personal trips.
Side by side with the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business, the Plus earns the same points, carries the same airline perks and the same 75,000-point offer, and costs less: $139 against $180 (and $200 from January 12, 2027). CIBC also directs structures outside the regular card's list, such as government bodies, hospitals, universities, First Nation bands and trusts, to the Business Plus cards.
What you give up is the risk-based rate (the regular card starts at 12.99%, this one is 20.99% for everyone) and a good part of the insurance. Coverage is cardholder only, cancellation and interruption are for business trips, and purchase security tops out at $1,000 per loss. If the card pays company bills in full every month, I don't think any of that costs much, and the lower fee wins.
The good
- $139 fee, not rising in 2027, with two years rebated on the current offer
- Up to 15 employee cards plus Visa Spend Clarity controls
- Same 2x Air Canada and 1.5x business earn as the regular card
The catch
- Fixed 20.99% purchase rate, no lower tier
- Insurance covers the cardholder only, business trips only, no medical
- All bonus earning stops at $80,000 of total purchases