This is a narrow card, and I mean that as a description rather than a knock. RBC calls it the only Avios-earning credit card in Canada, and everything about it points at one airline: 3 Avios per dollar on British Airways, a companion voucher, and 10% off British Airways fares from Canada.
If you already fly British Airways or its oneworld partners and like the Avios chart, I can see the appeal. For everyone else, I'd look hard at the 1 Avios per dollar on everyday spending and the missing trip cancellation cover, and remember that RBC's own Avion cards can convert points to Avios too.
Welcome offer
RBC is offering 50,000 bonus Avios on the British Airways Visa Infinite, verified on RBC's page on October 13, 2026. The bonus comes in one piece: $6,000 in qualifying purchases or pre-authorized bill payments posted within the first 90 days, and the Avios land in your British Airways Club account about 15 weeks after you reach the spend.
RBC frames the bonus as enough for a one-way Reward Flight to London from all Canadian destinations. No end date is published, so confirm the current offer on RBC's page before applying. Additional cardholders and existing RBC cardholders switching into this card are not eligible, and the address on your British Airways Club account has to match the card account for the Avios to post.
$6,000 in 90 days is about $2,000 a month, a fast pace for a single card. Time the application before a large planned expense, such as a British Airways booking that also earns 3 Avios per dollar, so the spend comes naturally.
Fees & eligibility
The card costs $165 a year with no first-year waiver, and each additional card is $75. Eligibility is a personal income of $60,000 or a household income of $100,000, the standard Visa Infinite bar, and RBC notes the card can cost merchants more to accept.
The purchase rate is 20.50%, a little lower than RBC's other travel cards, 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 confirm the conversion fee in RBC's disclosures before spending abroad. The Avios only come out ahead if you pay the balance in full every month.
Earning rewards
The top rate is 3 Avios per dollar on British Airways purchases, including British Airways Holidays, when you buy directly from the airline. Bookings through a travel agency or third-party site may not code as British Airways and can earn the base rate instead.
Dining and food delivery earn 2 Avios per dollar at restaurants, bars and fast-food outlets, though liquor stores do not count. Everything else, including groceries and gas, earns 1 Avios per dollar, which is the weak spot: most household spending lands in that bucket.
Redeeming rewards
Avios live in The British Airways Club, and their main use is Reward Flights on British Airways and oneworld partner airlines to almost 1,000 destinations. Each Reward Flight costs a fixed number of Avios plus a cash amount for taxes, fees and carrier charges, and the Avios price depends on whether you travel on peak or off-peak dates.
RBC's examples, all off-peak economy round trips from London, show the range: 26,000 Avios plus $4 to Rome, 55,000 plus $240 to New York, and 110,000 plus $640 to Sydney. Avios can also go toward premium cabin upgrades, part-payment of selected cash fares, and hotels or experiences. There is no fixed dollar value per Avios, so the return depends on the route and how much cash the booking still needs.
Perks & benefits
The headline perk is the Companion Voucher, earned once per calendar year when you spend $30,000 on the card. Use it to bring a companion on the same Reward Flight, paying only their taxes, fees and carrier charges, or fly solo and take 50% off the Avios price. The spend counts from January 1, so it resets every year regardless of when you opened the account.
The second perk is 10% off British Airways round trips from Canada booked at ba.com/RBC10 with the card and a promo code, valid on mainline British Airways flights booked through December 31, 2026. Visa Infinite adds the Luxury Hotel Collection, a complimentary GigSky data plan (1 GB for 15 days), concierge, and discounts with Park'N Fly, Viator and VIA Rail. There is no lounge access and no checked bag benefit.
Insurance
The insurance covers the basics of travel but skips the coverage most people want from a travel card. Emergency medical has no dollar cap and covers the first 31 days of a trip if you are under 65 (7 days at 65 and older). There is no trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance, so a non-refundable fare is at risk if plans change.
What is included: flight delay after 4 hours (up to $500 per occurrence), delayed baggage, hotel burglary, rental car collision and loss damage on vehicles up to $65,000 MSRP for up to 48 days, and $500,000 common carrier accident cover. Purchase security runs 90 days and extended warranty doubles the manufacturer's warranty by up to a year. There is no mobile device or lost baggage coverage.
My take
I'd get this card if British Airways is your airline and you can reach $30,000 a year for the companion voucher; if not, I'd collect Avios through a flexible points card instead.
The card works best as a tool for one job. Spend $30,000 in a calendar year, book two seats on a Reward Flight for the Avios price of one, and the $165 fee looks small next to a long-haul companion seat. The 10% British Airways discount and the 3x on direct bookings add to that if you fly the airline regularly.
Outside that case, I don't see much. One Avios per dollar on groceries and gas is a slow earn, there is no trip cancellation cover, and RBC's Avion cards can convert points into Avios while keeping other options open. For most people, I'd treat Avios as a destination for flexible points rather than a reason to carry this card.
The good
- Companion Voucher can halve the cost of a Reward Flight
- 3 Avios per dollar on British Airways and 10% off BA fares from Canada
- Unlimited emergency medical for 31 days
The catch
- Only 1 Avios per dollar on groceries, gas and most spending
- No trip cancellation or interruption insurance
- Companion Voucher needs $30,000 in a calendar year