Most people have heard of rewards programs like Aeroplan and Air Miles, but National Bank’s À La Carte Rewards (referred to as National Bank Rewards from here) aren’t as well known. You can earn points by spending on eligible credit cards – and from there, it’s up to you to choose from flexible redemption options.
Before we dive in, we’ll mention that all these cards have fantastic insurance packages. To help you determine if the rewards program is a good fit, we’ll also look closely at 3 personal credit cards and 1 business option. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer.
Key Takeaways
- You can only earn À La Carte Rewards with a National Bank credit card.
- Redemption options include travel, merchandise, gift cards, investments, and statement credits.
- All National Bank credit cards include an exceptional travel insurance package but our favourite card is the National Bank World Elite Mastercard.
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National Bank À La Carte Rewards at a glance
Currency: À La Carte rewards points
Redemption options: À La Carte travel, vacation reimbursement, investments, merchandise, gift cards, statement credit
Pros:
- Flexible redemption options
- Earn points with credit card spending
- Extensive travel insurance packages
- Dedicated À La Carte travel portal (powered by Transat)
Cons:
- Only way to earn is through credit cards
- Travel is the only high-value redemption option
How to earn National Bank Rewards points
There’s only one way to earn National Bank Rewards points: a National Bank credit card. You can earn welcome bonus points, when available, plus accrue points on your daily spending. Here are your options:
| Credit card | Welcome bonus | Rewards | Annual fee + income requirements | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Bank World Elite Mastercard | None | * 5 points per $1 spent on groceries and restaurants * 2 points per $1 spent on gas, electric vehicle charging, recurring bills, and travel booked through À La Carte Rewards * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * $150 * $80K personal or 150K household | Apply |
| National Bank World Mastercard | None | * 1.25 points per $1 spent between $0 to $20,000 in annual purchases * 2 points per $1 spent between $20,001 to $30,000 in annual purchases * 1.25 points per $1 spent on $30,001 and more in annual purchases | * $115 * $50K personal or $80K household | Apply |
| National Bank Platinum Mastercard | None | * 2 points per $1 spent on groceries and restaurants, up to $1,000 spent per month (1.5 points after) * 1.5 points per $1 spent on gas, electric vehicle charging, recurring bills, and travel booked through A La Carte Rewards * 1 point per $1.50 spent on all other purchases | * $70 * No income requirements | Apply |
| National Bank Business Platinum Mastercard | None | * 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases | * $125 * No income requirements | Apply |
National Bank World Elite Mastercard
The
The downside? There’s no welcome bonus, and to qualify, you’ll need $80,000 in personal or $150,000 in household income.
National Bank World Mastercard
The
The card comes with the same insurance as the World Elite card, minus mobile device coverage. This stripped-down card has a lower annual fee of $115 and lower income requirements, but you won’t receive that nice travel fee reimbursement every year.
National Bank Platinum Mastercard
The last personal card option we’re looking at is the
You’ll earn up to 2 points per dollar spent on groceries and restaurants (up to $1,000 in monthly spending). Plus, you’ll get the same excellent insurance coverage as the more premium cards.
National Bank Platinum Business Mastercard
Looking to earn rewards on your business purchases? The
You’ll earn a steady 1.5 points per $1 spent and the low annual fee of $125 is waived for your first year, too. If you’re in the market for a straightforward business card with uncomplicated rewards, this card is the way to go.
How to redeem National Bank Rewards
One of the nice parts of À La Carte Rewards is the flexibility you have in redeeming your points. While travel is your best bet, it’s certainly not your only option.
À La Carte Travel Agency: 1 cent per point (CPP)
This is your top redemption option if you want to make the most of your points. The platform is powered by Transat, which gives you options including flights, hotels, vacation packages, and more. You can redeem 10,000 points for $100 of your booking, giving you a decent value of 1 CPP. If you don’t have enough points to cover your entire booking, you can pay the remaining balance with your credit card.
Booking online is free, but booking through a travel agent will incur a fee of $25–$35 per person.
Travel reimbursement: 0.83 – 0.91 CPP
National Bank also allows you to use your points as a travel statement credit to offset travel charges. To redeem the points this way, simply charge your travel booking to the card and redeem your points for a statement credit towards it. While you won’t get the best value per point, it can be a good option if you find a better deal outside of the À La Carte Agency.
For example, if you book a hotel or a cheaper flight through a different travel agency, you charge the expense to your card. Then, redeem your reward points for a statement credit.
Redeem less than 55,000 points: 12,000 points = $100 (0.83 CPP)
Redeem more than 55,000 points: 11,000 points = $100 (0.91 CPP)
National Bank products (0.83 CPP)
National Bank offers product redemptions towards mortgage payments or investments.
If you have a mortgage or All-in-One line of credit from National Bank, you'll be able to use your points towards the principal of your loan. Redeem 12,000 points for a $100 payment.
If you have an RRSP or TFSA investment account with National Bank, you can redeem 12,000 points towards a $100 contribution to the account.
In both cases, you get a redemption value of 0.83 CPP.
Merchandise: 0.81 CPP
As with many rewards programs, you can purchase brand-name merchandise with your points. We compared a handful of items and came to an average value of 0.81 CPP, which is just slightly lower than the value for travel statement credits.
| Item name | Points required | Price (13% tax included) | Point value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napoleon Executive 4 piece tool bbq set | 11,850 | $113 | 0.95 cents |
| Cuisinart 12-Cup Classic Programmable Coffeemaker | 12,300 | $113 | 0.92 cents |
| Cuisinart 5.5 qt Stand Mixer | 50,000 | $452 | 0.90 cents |
| Bose Home Speaker 500 | 62,824 | $565 | 0.90 cents |
| LeapFrog LeapPad Ultimate Ready for School Tablet | 16,750 | $146.90 | 0.88 cents |
| Kobo Aura e-Reader & Case | 24,500 | $197.75 | 0.81 cents |
| Honeywell Oscillating Tower Air Purifier | 23,900 | $192.10 | 0.80 cents |
| American Tourister Bayview Spinner Carry On | 11,350 | $89.27 | 0.79 cents |
| Breville The Perfect Panini Press | 13,800 | $101.70 | 0.74 cents |
| Tissot V8 Swissmatic Men's Watch | 73,150 | $497.20 | 0.68 cents |
| Nikon COOLPIX W300 Digital Camera | 69,600 | $463.30 | 0.67 cents |
Gift cards: 0.76 CPP
This redemption offers a lower return on your points when compared to merchandise, but there's a wide assortment of gift cards with values ranging from $25 to $500. We came up with an average value of 0.76 CPP.
Here’s a sampling of what was available:
| Gift cards | Gift card amount | Points required | Point value (CPP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cora | $25 | 3,900 | 0.64 cents |
| Cineplex | $25 | 4,100 | 0.61 cents |
| Starbucks | $50 | 6,300 | 0.79 cents |
| Gap | $100 | 12,000 | 0.83 cents |
| Fairmont Hotels | $100 | 12,500 | 0.80 cents |
| Best Buy | $100 | 13,000 | 0.77 cents |
| Hudson's Bay | $200 | 24,000 | 0.83 cents |
| Best Buy | $500 | 62,700 | 0.80 cents |
Cash statement credits: 0.4 CPP
The final option is a simple cash statement credit applied towards your balance. You’ll need at least 6,250 points to choose this redemption option and it will give you the lowest point value at just 0.4 CPP.
The fine print: Your points won’t expire as long as your credit card is active and in good standing. You can’t transfer the points to other reward programs and there’s no price matching for travel bookings. You can, however, use points to cover taxes and fees without any loss of point value.
Is the National Bank Rewards program worth it?
For the most part, the National Bank Rewards program makes earning points with your Mastercard pretty simple. While you may have to pay attention to spending caps, the program is flexible in how you redeem your points – and it offers fairly high redemption values regardless of how you use your points.
The cards that earn À La Carte Rewards really stand out for their insurance packages, though. Even the basic card option comes with competitive insurance coverage that’s great for both travel and everyday use.
FAQ
How much are National Bank Mastercard points worth?
Your point value depends on how you redeem the points. Booking flights, hotels, or vacation packages through À La Carte Agency powered by Transat gives you the best value of 1 CPP. Redeeming for a travel statement credit, investments, and merchandise will also give you around 0.81 to 0.91 CPP.
How do I contact National Bank Rewards?
You can call National Bank Rewards at 1-800-341-8083 (toll free) Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (ET) or Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET). You can also contact them online.
Are NBC Rewards good?
Frequent travellers will probably get a lot of use from the NBC Rewards program since it offers the highest value for travel redemption. Still, the point return for other purchases is also reasonably high, making it a worthwhile program for anyone who holds a National Bank credit card.
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