Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a full-service international financial company, currently the largest among the five big banks in Canada by assets. The bank was established in 1864 and currently has over 86,000 employees and 17 million customers worldwide.
With headquarters in Toronto, RBC offers a wide range of financial services, including personal & commercial banking, wealth management, investor & treasury services, capital markets, and insurance, and offers the best RBC credit cards.
RBC offers a wide range of credit cards, from Visa and Mastercard, which cut across seven categories: travel cards, rewards cards, cashback cards, no annual fee cards, low-interest cards, student cards, and business cards.
This review focuses on the best RBC credit cards, their pros and cons, fees, cashback and rewards to help you find the best credit card for your lifestyle and spending needs.
Read on to learn more.
Overview of the Best RBC Credit Cards in Canada
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by which RBC credit card to choose from the competitive options RBC provides. RBC has different categories of credit cards; the interest rate, fees and rewards of each credit card vary.
Here is a table showing the best RBC credit cards in Canada.
RBC Credit Cards | Welcome offer | Annual fee | Purchase interst rate |
RBC Avion Visa Infinte | 55,000 points | $120 | 19.99% |
WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard | 450 WestJet Dollars | $119 | 19.99% |
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business | 25,000 points | $175 | 19.99% |
WestJet RBC Mastercard | 50 WestJet Dollars | $39 | 19.99% |
RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard | -- | $99 | 19.99% |
RBC Cash Back Mastercard | -- | $0 | 19.99% |
RBC ION Visa | 6,000 bonus points | $0 | 19.99% |
The Best RBC Credit Cards in Canada
Our list of the best RBC credit cards in Canada covers a vast variety of standard, premium and business cards offers, as well as their key features, the pros and con of the different cards.
1. RBC Avion Visa Infinite
- Annual Fee: $120
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Rewards: 1 point for every $1 purchase + 25% extra cashback for all eligible travel purchases.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite is the best RBC credit card for travel. This card is a solid travel card offered by RBC, which offers perks and travel rewards for every frequent flyer. This card offers 1 point on every $1 spent on eligible purchases. The 25% cashback extra of this credit card distinguishes it from other credit cards out there.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite offers up to $55,000 as a welcome bonus. You get 35,000 points when you are approved and 20,000 points when you spend a maximum of $5,000 within the first six months of card membership.
Furthermore, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite has mobile device insurance in Addition to purchase protection. However, you must have a $60,000 minimum personal income or a $100,000 minimum household income to qualify.
Pros
- Special offer of 55,000 points as a welcome bonus
- Stellar reward rates; 1 Avion point per dollar spent and 25% cash back on eligible travel purchases
- Travel insurance covers trip cancellation and interruption insurance and medical emergency insurance.
- It also offers mobile device insurance and purchase protection
- Car rental insurance
Cons
- The annual fee is high
- A foreign transaction fee of 2.5%
- You must earn a personal income of $60,000 and a household income of $100,000
2. WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
- Annual Fee: $119
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Rewards: 1.5% cash back for everyday purchases. 2% cashback for WestJet Vacations or WestJet flights.
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard offers one of the competitive cashback rates on eligible travel purchases. It is especially suited for frequent travellers who love WestJet.
This card currently offers 450 WestJet dollars as a welcome bonus. You earn 1.5% cash back in WestJet dollars when you make everyday purchases and 2% cash back on Westjet flights and vacations.
You can easily redeem your WestJet dollars by using the dollars to purchase WestJet flights and vacation packages. In addition, this card helps you save big on travel plans and keeps you protected with its travel insurance.
However, you must have a $80,000 minimum personal income or a $150,000 minimum household income to qualify.
Pros
- Stellar reward rates; earn 1.5% in WestJet dollars on everyday purchases and 2$ in WestJet dollars for eligible flights and vacations.
- Offers a welcome bonus of $450 WestJet Dollar
- Travel insurance covers $500,000 in Travel Accident Insurance, trip cancellations, flight delays, emergency purchases, etc.
- Amazing travel experience with benefits like priority services, lounge access, advance seat selection, and higher earning rates when you fly with WestJet flights.
- Offers purchase protection and extended warranty protection
Cons
- The annual fee is expensive
- A foreign transaction fee of 2.5%
- Minumum personal income of $80,000 and household income of $150,000 to apply.
3. RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business
- Annual Fee: $175
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Rewards: 1.25% cash back for every eligible purchase.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business is especially suited for small business owners in Canada. This card offers extra perks, easier accounting and increased security.
The card offers rewards on all purchases, 12 huge insurance packages and an easy-to-earn welcome bonus of 25,000 points. With RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business, you earn 1.25% for every dollar spent on the $75,000 in annual purchases and 1% on every purchase afterwards.
However, you must earn a personal income of $60,000 and a household income of $100,000 to qualify.
Pros
- Offers a welcome bonus of 25,000 points
- Stellar reward rates; you can earn 1.25% cash back on every purchase
- Offers flexibility to redeem your points for travels, gift cards and merchandise.
- Offers premium travel benefits
- Offers mobile device insurance, travel accident insurance, emergency purchase insurance, and many more.
Cons
- The annual fee is expensive
- Personal income requirement is high
4. WestJet RBC Mastercard
- Annual Fee: $39
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Rewards: 1% cash back for every eligible purchase. 1.5% cashback on WestJet Vacations packages and WestJet flights.
Like the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, the WestJet RBC Mastercard is ideal for earning cashback while travelling.
This card offers 130 WestJet dollars as a welcome bonus upon spending $2,000 within your first three months of membership. You can also earn 1.5% cash back in WestJet dollars on WestJet purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
The card has an annual companion voucher. With a $199 annual round-trip companion voucher, you can make a cost-effective trip with the WestJet RBC Mastercard.
Pros
- Stellar earn rates; 1.5% on WestJet purchases and 1% on every other purchase
- Offers an annual companion voucher of $199
- Instant fuel savings at Petro-Canada
- Offers stolen baggage insurance, hotel burglary insurance and many more
- No income requirement
Cons
- High annual fee
5. RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard
- Annual Fee: $99
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Cashback Rate: 1.5% cash back on every purchase
The RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard offers premium benefits and 1.5% unlimited cashback on every purchase.
Even though this card has a $99 annual fee and 19.99% purchase rate, you can still save some dollars from your everyday purchases.
However, you must have $80,000 minimum personal income or $150,000 minimum household income to qualify.
Pros
- Offers stellar reward rate, 1.5% on all eligible purchases
- Car rental coverage
- Offers great travel perks, get Mastercard Travel Rewards cash rebates
- Mobile internet access at million of hotspots worldwide
- Mastercard Airport Experiences from LoungeKey
Cons
- Annual fee is expensive
- Has a transaction fee of 2.5%
- You must earn a personal income of $80,000 and household income of $150,000 to apply
6. RBC Cash Back Mastercard
- Annual Fee: $0
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Cashback Rate: 2% cashback on groceries & 1% cashback on every other purchase
As the name implies, the RBC Cash Back Mastercard is one of the best cashback credit cards out there, offering a competitive cashback rate.
In addition to 2% unlimited cashback on groceries & 1% cash back on every other purchase, this card has no annual fee.
Furthermore, RBC Cash Back Mastercard has purchase security and extended warranty protection.
Pros
- No annual fee
- Offers purchase security and extended warranty insurance
- Stellar reward rates; 2% cash back on groceries and 1% for other eligible purchases
Cons
- Foreign transaction fee of 2.5%
7. RBC ION Visa
- Annual Fee: $0
- Purchase Rate: 19.99%
- Cashback Rate: 1.5 points per $1 spent on groceries, rides, gas, streaming, etc, & 1 points on every other purchase
The RBC ION Visa is a credit card tailor-made for gamers. This card offers 1.5 points on every dollar spent on groceries, rideshares, streaming, daily transit, digital gaming, and subscriptions.
This no annual fee card also offers 1 point on every dollar spent on everything else. You can easily redeem your Avion points to pay bills or your credit card balance.
With this card, you enjoy purchase protection and extended warranty insurance.
Pros
- No annual fee
- Lucrative reward rates
- Special offer of 6,000 Avion points as a welcome bonus
Cons
- You must have a credit score of at least 600 to qualify
How I Reviewed The Best RBC Credit Cards in Canada
After years of experience with the different RBC credit cards in Canada and months of research, I have chosen these RBC credit cards listed above as the best based on several factors.
I chose these cards based on their reward points, annual fees, cash back, interest rates, signup bonuses, and balance transfer offers.
No single credit card can be best for everyone. So compare your options and decide which is the best fit for your lifestyle and spending needs.
Final Thought on The Best RBC Credit Cards
At first, deciding which RBC credit card to choose may seem overwhelming. But now, you can easily choose an RBC card that suits your spending habits without a doubt.
Whatever category of RBC credit card you choose, remember to select the one that will reduce the cost of your purchases and increase your savings.
Choosing a low-fee and low-interest credit card will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars from your everyday purchases.
However, I recommend you read the following articles if you’re looking for more competitive credit cards.
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Hi, I'm Adeola Adegoke. I am a licensed Insurance Broker in Manitoba, and I hold a master’s degree in Mathematical Sciences (with a major in Financial Modeling) from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Tanzania.
Also, I have a second master's degree in Statistics from the University of Regina, and I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Manitoba.
The primary purpose of Money Reverie is to help everyday Canadians make better financial decisions by providing up-to-date financial news and information, reports, product reviews, and government programs.
