I picked up the Avion Visa Platinum this summer, and it's the card that made me an Avion Elite member. That status is the real product here: it unlocks airline conversions to British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, American Airlines AAdvantage and WestJet, plus RBC's fixed-points flight chart. The earning side is plain, 1 point per dollar on everything.
The interesting part is who it's for. RBC lists no minimum income for this card, so it's the easiest way into Elite if you can't clear the $60,000 bar on the Avion Visa Infinite, which costs the same $120 and carries the same welcome offer. The weak spot is insurance: there is no emergency medical coverage at all, so I'd plan on a separate travel policy.
Welcome offer
RBC is advertising up to 70,000 Avion points on the Avion Visa Platinum for applications received by November 25, 2026, verified on RBC's page on October 13, 2026. 35,000 points post within 60 days of approval, 20,000 more follow once $5,000 in qualifying purchases or pre-authorized bill payments posts in the first 6 months, and the last 15,000 are a one-time anniversary bonus that posts 12 to 16 weeks after the account's first anniversary.
RBC calls the full 70,000 points "a travel value of up to $1,500", based on two long-haul round trips within Canada or the U.S. on its Air Travel Redemption Schedule (35,000 points each, maximum ticket price $750). The same offer and deadline apply to the Avion Visa Infinite. Additional cardholders and existing RBC personal cardholders who switch into this card are not eligible, and closing or switching the account before the points post can forfeit them.
The first 55,000 points arrive in year one: 35,000 on approval and 20,000 for $5,000 in 6 months, which is under $850 a month. The last 15,000 need the account open past its first anniversary, so collecting all 70,000 means paying the $120 fee twice.
Fees & eligibility
The card costs $120 a year with no first-year waiver, and each additional card is $50. RBC lists no minimum income for the Avion Visa Platinum, which sets it apart from the Avion Visa Infinite at the same fee. If you also hold an RBC Avion Visa Business as the primary business cardholder, RBC rebates the fee on one of the two cards from $120 to $50 every year.
The purchase rate is 20.99% and cash advances are 22.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents); RBC's terms treat balance transfers as cash advances. The product page does not advertise a foreign transaction fee waiver, so assume a conversion fee on purchases in another currency. Like any rewards card, it only pays if you clear the balance every month.
Earning rewards
Earning is flat: 1 Avion point per dollar on every qualifying purchase, travel included, with no categories, caps or activation. At the 1 cent per point (cpp) travel rate that is a 1% return, and more when points go to the fixed-points flight chart or an airline partner.
There is no multiplier anywhere on the card, which is the main gap against the Avion Visa Infinite's 1.25x on travel. Linking the card to Petro-Points adds 20% more Avion points at Petro-Canada along with 3 cents a litre off fuel, and a loadable Hertz offer pays 3x Avion points at corporate Hertz locations through December 31, 2026.
Redeeming rewards
The baseline is travel booked through Avion Rewards at 1 cpp (100 points = $1), including taxes and fees, with a 1,000-point minimum. The Air Travel Redemption Schedule does better on the right flight: fixed points by destination on any airline with no blackouts, such as 15,000 points for a round trip within or to an adjacent province or U.S. state (maximum ticket price $350) and 35,000 for long-haul within Canada and the U.S. (up to $750). One-way flights start at 7,500 points, taxes and fees are extra, and anything above the ticket cap can be charged to the card or paid with points.
Avion Elite also opens airline conversions: British Airways Avios and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at 1:1 (10,000-point minimum), American Airlines AAdvantage at 10 points to 7 miles (5,000 minimum) and WestJet points at 1:1 (1,000 minimum). Conversions are one-way, can take up to 4 weeks, and need the airline account in your name. Gift cards, merchandise and paying down the card are available too, but travel and conversions are where the points work hardest.
Perks & benefits
The headline perk is automatic Avion Elite membership, which is what puts the airline conversions and the Air Travel Redemption Schedule on the table. Elite members also get access to RBC's higher-value retail offers through Avion Rewards.
The rest is the partner list shared across RBC cards: 3 cents a litre off and bonus points at Petro-Canada when linked, up to 20% off Hertz base rates with Five Star status, 3x Canadian Tire Money when linked to Triangle Rewards, and a complimentary DoorDash DashPass trial. What the card does not include: lounge access, a travel credit, hotel or airline status, or a foreign transaction fee waiver.
Insurance
The insurance package covers the trip, not your health. There is no emergency medical coverage on this card, so anyone travelling outside their province needs a separate policy. Trip cancellation pays up to $1,000 per person (up to $5,000 per trip) and trip interruption up to $2,500 per person, both when the trip is paid with the card and/or Avion points.
Around that sit flight delay after 4 hours ($250 per person, $500 per occurrence), delayed baggage ($500 per person), hotel and motel burglary up to $2,500, travel accident cover up to $500,000 and rental car collision and loss damage on vehicles up to $65,000 MSRP for up to 48 days. Purchase security runs 90 days and extended warranty doubles the manufacturer's warranty by up to 1 year. There is no mobile device insurance and no lost baggage cover.
My take
I'd get this card if you want Avion Elite and can't meet the Avion Visa Infinite's income bar; if you can, the Infinite is the better card at the same $120.
For me, the Platinum was the ticket into Elite, and that's how I'd judge it. The conversions to Avios, Asia Miles and AAdvantage, along with the fixed-points flight chart, are what make Avion points worth more than 1 cpp, and this card gets you there with no income test. The 70,000-point offer is a good reason to apply now rather than later.
As an everyday card it's weak. A flat 1x with no categories trails most travel cards, and the missing emergency medical is a real gap at $120. If you qualify for the Avion Visa Infinite, it costs the same, carries the same offer and adds 1.25x on travel, emergency medical and mobile device cover, so I'd only pick the Platinum when the income bar is the obstacle.
The good
- Avion Elite with airline conversions and the fixed-points flight chart
- No minimum income requirement
- Up to 70,000 points, 55,000 of them in year one
The catch
- No emergency medical or mobile device insurance
- Flat 1x with no bonus categories, not even travel
- $120 fee with no first-year waiver