Pros & cons
Pros
- 14,000 Avion points on approval (100 in gift cards)^.
- Earn up to 3 points per $1 spent on purchases.
- Save 3 cents per litre on fuel at Petro-Canada stations.
Cons
- Qualifies you for the Avion Rewards Premium membership level, which is not as flexible as the Elite level.
- Limited insurance included.
Your rewards
$60 GeniusCash offer
On approval, receive $60 GeniusCash on us when you apply for RBC ION+ Visa using this offer page.
GeniusCash offer expires on Oct 31, 2025.
Getting your welcome bonus
Based on $2,000 in monthly spending, you can get up to 14,000 points which translates to an estimated $116.◊
For all welcome bonus details click here.
Welcome bonus offer ends Nov 25, 2025.
How you earn rewards
Each card earns rewards differently. Part of choosing your card is deciding what type of rewards you want to get. With RBC ION+ Visa, here's how you earn rewards:
- 3 points per $1 spent on groceries , dining , food delivery, daily transit , rideshares, EV charging , streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
For all reward details click here.
How much your rewards are worth
The dollar value of your rewards depends on the specific rewards program ‒ and what you choose to redeem your points for. For RBC ION+ Visa in particular, if you spend $2,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:
| Charity donations | $360 | |
| Transfer points to WestJet Rewards | $360 | |
| Merchandise | $313 | |
| RBC financial products | $299 | |
| Gift Cards | $259 | |
| Travel through RBC Rewards | $209 | |
| Statement credits | $209 |
| Redemption Option | Point Value | Total Value |
|---|---|---|
| Charity donations | 1 cent | $10 |
| Transfer points to WestJet Rewards | 1 cent | $10 |
| Merchandise | 0.87 cents | $9 |
| RBC financial products | 0.83 cents | $8 |
| Gift Cards | 0.72 cents | $7 |
| Travel through RBC Rewards | 0.58 cents | $6 |
| Statement credits | 0.58 cents | $6 |
Calculating your annual rewards
$24,000 annual spending x 1.24% return on spending = $299 annual rewards
$299 annual rewards − $48.00 annual fee = $251 net annual rewards
Details and eligibility
- Estimated Credit Score
- 560 - 659
- Personal Income
- N/A
- Household Income
- N/A
- Annual Fee
- $48.00
- Extra Card Fee
- $0
- Card type
- Credit
- Purchase
- 20.99%
- Cash Advance Δ
- 22.99%
- Balance Transfer
- 22.99%
Insurance coverage
- Extended Warranty
- 1 year
- Purchase Protection
- 90 days
- Mobile Device
- $1,000
Please review your insurance certificate for details, exclusions and limitations of your coverage, terms and conditions apply.
Learn more about the value of credit card insurance coverage.
Genius Rating
RBC ION+ Visa's 3.2 Genius Rating is based on the weighted average of the following scores:
Methodology
All scores are produced by our math-based rating algorithm that takes into account over 126 credit card features.
RBC ION+ Visa review
One of RBC's newest credit cards, the RBC ION+ Visa is a low annual fee credit card and offers bonus rewards on some categories rarely seen anywhere else.
A card that earns Avion points, you'll have several ways you'll be able to use those rewards.
Here's what this credit card has to offer.
Earning rewards with the RBC ION+ Visa
The ION+ Visa is a member of the Avion Rewards family and falls in the premium tier.
Here's what you'll earn for rewards on your purchases:
- 3 points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, food delivery, daily transit, rideshares, EV charging, streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
For those who subscribe to streaming or gaming services, or for the big gamers out there, this card will earn you plenty of bonus points on your purchases.
But RBC hasn't forgotten about your everyday staples either. You'll still earn bonus points on things like groceries and gas.
So what does this net you for a return? You're looking at up to 3% return on your purchases, quite impressive for a low fee credit card.
Redeeming your RBC Avion points
It's good to know that you'll get a decent return on your Avion points, but what can you actually do with them?
The Avion Rewards program offers you multiple ways to get high value for your points.
You can learn more about Avion Rewards here and what it has to offer.
3 benefits to the RBC ION+ Visa
There is more to this card than just the rewards. Here are 3 other things we like about the RBC ION+ Visa.
1. Annual fee rebate for students
Students, or anyone 24 years old and younger, can get the entire annual fee of $48 rebated if they have an open RBC Advantagetm Banking Account for Students10.
2. Standard RBC benefits
There are standard benefits that are a part of every RBC Credit Card, and the ION+ Visa is no exception.
The first is at Petro-Canada. You'll save 3 cents per litre on fuel, and earn 20% bonus Petro Points. Another is at Rexall. You'll earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent.
The third is Metro. You'll earn 1 extra Moi point for every $2 spent at Metro, Food Basics, Jean Coutu, Super C, Brunet and Première Moisson (minimum purchase required). Finally there's DoorDash. You'll get a 3-month complimentary DashPass subscription.
Easy savings just by having an RBC credit card.
3. Easy to earn welcome bonus
The card doesn't have the biggest welcome bonus around, but it's very easy to earn.
You'll earn 14,000 points after your account is approved^. You can also earn 6,250 Moi points ($50 value) when you link your credit card to Moi Rewards card within 30 days of approval.^
2 downsides to the RBC ION+ Visa
Nothing is perfect, and this card is no exception – here are a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. Low insurance coverage for a card with an annual fee
For a card with an annual fee, the insurance coverage is just ok, with 3 types included (details are above).
With that said, it does include 1 very valuable type of insurance – mobile device coverage. You'll get coverage for an important device that goes everywhere you do.
2. Standard credit card interest
If you're the kind of person who pays their bill in full and on time, this won't concern you.
If not, you'll be subjected to a standard interest rate of 20.99% on new purchases (22.99%* on cash advances and balance transfers.)
Comparison to the RBC ION Visa
There's another RBC ION card you can take a look at – the
Here are the differences between them.
| RBC ION+ Visa | RBC ION Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Earn Rates | * 3 points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, food delivery, daily transit, rideshares, EV charging, streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * 1.5 points per $1 spent on groceries, daily transit, rideshares, EV charging, streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions1 * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Welcome Bonus |  $60 GeniusCash + 14,000 Avion points (terms) | $60 GeniusCash + 7,000 Avion points (terms) |
| Insurance Coverages | 3 types | 2 types |
| Annual Fee | $48 | $0 |
| Income Requirements | None | None |
The only real differences between these cards are the annual fee and the rewards earned. For no annual fee, you'll be earning half the rewards on the various accelerator categories.
So which is better really comes down to how much you spend on those accelerator categories, and if the mobile device insurance is worth it to you.
Leave a review
These are our thoughts on the RBC ION+ Visa, but what about you?
If you have the card, leave us a user review so others can see what you think about it.
FAQ
What does the RBC ION+ Visa offer for rewards?
The RBC ION+ Visa is part of the Avion Rewards family, and earns the following Avion points on purchases:
- 3 points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, food delivery, daily transit, rideshares, EV charging, streaming, digital gaming, and subscriptions
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
What can Avion points be used for?
Avion points can be redeemed for many things. But to get the best value, you'll want to stick to these 2 options:
- redeem for gift cards
- pay bills, your credit card balance or send money to friends with Interac e-Transfer
What is the annual fee and income requirements of the RBC ION+ Visa?
The RBC ION+ Visa has an annual fee of $48, which can be rebated for students, and has no income requirements.
Key benefits
Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions.
Corresponding legal references and product terms are available on the RBC website, which will be available and agreed upon in the customer onboarding process.
User reviews
Reviewed by 5 Canadians
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Do not get this card.
It advertises 3x the points on groceries, subscriptions, dining etc. But I have yet to see even one of my purchases get above 1x.
I’m not sure what retailers, grocery stores and subscriptions (I have all the usual ones) get you above 1x points. The reps aren’t able to tell you either. Absolute trash card.
Addressing the concerns others have raised:
(1) It's true that only grocery stores classified as MCC 5411 by VISA qualify; it was hard to find details on what stores this includes, but some unofficial internet sites stated Safeway, Save On Foods, Superstore qualify (amongst others) but not Costco. However, I couldn't find an official source of this information.
(2) It's true that redeeming points for travel is worse with this card than with the old Signature Rewards Visa. Old card was 100 points per dollar of travel, ION+ is 172 points per dollar of travel. But since it gets 3x the points, I believe this works out to 3 / 1.72 = 1.74x more value than the old card (when purchase qualifies for 3x, that is).
(3) It's true that travel insurance is no longer covered, but I looked at the details for my RBC Signature Rewards Visa and really that just covers loss of limbs or loss of life. It doesn't appear to cover more typical things like getting COVID or breaking a bone, nor does it cover spouse/dependents.
(4) As for the warranty/insurance coverage, I don't find view the Signature Rewards coverage nor the coverage of ION+ to be valuable, so I consider them equally good.
My conclusion: if the majority of purchases fall within the fine-print to get 3x the points, then it might be worth it.
Very mediocre card. I have older Rewards card from RBC and it even includes Car rental and accident travel insurance. This cards is garbage.
And if you're eyeing the grocery rewards, think twice. None of the big stores like Costco, Superstore or WallMart does not qualify for grocery rewards. Only following list in Canada: GA/Sobeys.
Voilà by IGA / by Sobeys / by Safeway.
Rachelle-Bery.
Les Marchés Tradition.
Sobeys and Safeway.
Foodland, FreshCo and Chalo! Freshco.
Co-op.
and Thrifty Foods.
So really you're getting less for more money in fees. Even though RBC offered me this card for free with the paid banking, but I am not interested. You should look elsewhere.
Very good to use exclusively for the 3x categories and welcome bonus if you have an account that waives the monthly fee (student). Had to verify assets and income though, which literally took hours.
Transferring to Westjet as the ONLY means of getting 3% back on your spending (unless you want to donate your points) is a terrible reward option. RBC advertises the card like it’s some great breakthrough with “3x the points” but then they go and neuter the value of those points! With 1 trillion in assets and profits in the billions I would have expected a better product, especially considering the value to be found in some of the competing products out there. Unless you love Royal Bank, this card is a hard pass (as is the no annual fee version).
