CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

This is the top of CIBC's Aeroplan ladder, and at $599 a year it is priced for a specific person: someone who flies Air Canada often enough that the airline-side perks, not the earn rates, carry the fee. If that is not you, I'd point you at the $139 CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite first and let this one earn its way into your wallet later.

What I notice reading the numbers is how ordinary the earning is for the price. Two points per dollar with Air Canada and at Hyatt, 1.5 on gas, groceries, travel and dining, 1.25 on everything else. The value is elsewhere: Maple Leaf Lounge access, free checked bags for up to eight companions, a faster road to Aeroplan Elite Status, and an insurance package with $5 million of travel medical coverage that is among the strongest I've seen on a Canadian card.

Welcome offer

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege is advertising up to 100,000 Aeroplan points as a digital exclusive offer, verified on the CIBC page on October 13, 2026. It arrives in three pieces: 10,000 points for $1,000 in purchases in the first 2 monthly statement periods, 40,000 points for $5,000 in the first 4, and a 50,000-point anniversary bonus for $25,000 in net eligible purchases during the first 12.

CIBC values the full 100,000 points at up to $2,000 in travel, and rolls the lounge access, checked bags, lounge visits and NEXUS rebate into a larger "$3,200 in value" headline. That bigger figure is a valuation of the perks, not points. No end date is published for the offer, so confirm the current terms on the issuer's page before applying.

Fees & eligibility

The card runs $599 a year with no first-year waiver, and additional cards are $149 each, for up to 9. That is the same annual fee as TD's version of this card, with cheaper additional cards (TD charges $199). CIBC notes that Smart Account holders may be eligible for annual fee rebates on an active eligible card, which is worth asking about if you already bank there.

Eligibility is set at the Visa Infinite Privilege level: a personal income of $150,000 or a household income of $200,000, and the card carries a minimum credit limit. Purchases carry a 21.99% interest rate and cash advances 22.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents). CIBC does not list a foreign transaction fee waiver, and as with any premium rewards card, the value case only works when the balance is cleared every month.

Earning rewards

Earning is flat and easy to remember, with the best rate reserved for the airline itself. 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 everyday band earns 1.5 points per dollar: gas, electric vehicle charging, groceries, travel and dining. Everything else earns 1.25 points per dollar, a step up from the 1 point per dollar on the $139 CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite and still a modest return for a $599 card. Two extras help: purchases at Aeroplan partner brands and through the Aeroplan eStore earn points twice, and the primary cardholder collects 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits for every $5,000 in net purchases, up to 25,000 a year.

Redeeming rewards

Aeroplan is a real airline program rather than a fixed-value bank currency, and the cardholder extras are where this card separates itself. Every Air Canada seat that is for sale is also bookable with points, cardholders pay no additional airline surcharges on Air Canada flight rewards, and CIBC says primary cardholders can often book flight rewards for fewer points than non-cardholders.

Two more cardholder perks matter on the redemption side. Hotel bookings paid with points get a 4th night free for every three nights redeemed. And Aeroplan Family Sharing lets a household pool points, so a big redemption arrives sooner. For scale, CIBC values the 100,000-point welcome offer at up to $2,000 in travel, about 2 cents per point (cpp); actual value depends on the route and cabin, which is the trade-off of a dynamic airline program.

Perks & benefits

This is the section that justifies the fee, and it is aimed squarely at Air Canada flyers. The headline is Maple Leaf Lounge access in Canada and the U.S. for you and your authorized users, with one guest included before December 31, 2026, plus 6 complimentary visits a year per cardholder at 1,200+ lounges through the Visa Airport Companion Program. Every time you fly Air Canada, you, your authorized users and up to 8 companions on the same reservation get a free first checked bag and priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling.

The long tail is generous. A NEXUS application fee rebate once every four years (CIBC values it at $160). An Annual Worldwide Companion Pass once you spend $25,000 on the card in an account year, with a companion base fare from $99 up to $599 plus taxes and fees. Complimentary Avis President's Club, and linked World of Hyatt benefits: Discoverist status, two attempts a year at a 90-day status challenge and 5 tier-qualifying nights. Elite members also get 24 months instead of 12 to use eUpgrade credits. What is missing is a foreign transaction fee waiver, so this is not the card to carry abroad.

Insurance

The insurance is a full premium package, underwritten by Belair. Travel medical pays up to $5 million per person for the first 31 days of a trip (the first 10 days at 65 or older) and covers your spouse, dependent children and authorized users without the trip being charged to the card. Pre-existing conditions must be stable for 90 days before departure (180 days at 65 and older).

Trip cancellation pays up to $2,500 per person and $10,000 per trip, and trip interruption up to $5,000 per person, on arrangements charged to the card or booked with points, so Aeroplan award trips count. Rentals get primary collision and loss damage coverage for up to 48 days on cars with an MSRP up to $100,000, and new purchases are covered for 180 days, with manufacturer warranties tripled up to 2 extra years.

My take

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