Comments on: Visa Infinite Credit Cards

By: Franko

Franko — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:07:18 +0000

I’m organizing a trip to France, and the TD Infinite card has given me a total of $1100 back for my trip. It’s important to note 3 things:

(1) I had emptied the card 2 years ago on my last flight to europe

(2) we are not big travelers, so these points are earned simply by doing groceries and the like.

(3) we are traveling with another couple who do not have a points card and they allowed me to buy their plane tickets with my card which really helped (9 points for every $1 spent).

The card has REALLY paid for its self many times over and I am VERY happy with it.

By: Jay Jay

Jay Jay — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:06:55 +0000

I work in a retail business, there is absolutely no prestige in Infinite cards, Gold card members or even regular card members have been given Visa Infinite cards.
I have talked to quite a few of our clients ( how did you get the card ? ) and they say ” Oh i dont know , it just came in the mail ” Minimum $60,000 requirement is only on the paper / application … I guess!
On the other hand American Express Platinum CHARGE card ( not credit card ) and Centurion card , the criteria is very firm and standards of aquiring the cards are strictly based on financial status/portfolio ….No Money….No Platinum charge card or Centurion card …..simple as that, this is why you dont see them very often .
Visa should have been selective with Infinite series.
Since there is no campaign on RBC Infinite card , so many are not aware it if it exists . Plus RBC should have given a different name so that it has its own distinction in the market. I can assure you that vast majority of merchants/customers will not know the difference between RBC Infinte or Regular Infinite card .( Suggestion RBC guys ) …. …..Unless RBC wants to keep it to Private Private RBC clients only ….then its a different storey

By: Ric Sandy

Ric Sandy — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:04:34 +0000

Visa has completely diluted the prestige and cachet of the Infinite card rollout by upgrading EVERYONE who was a Aerogold, Aventura, or Avion cardholder. I know many Aerogold and Avion Infinite cardholders who absolutely do not meet the minimum criteria for acceptance and received Infinite cards in the mail to replace their current cards. Visa Infinite is a poor substitution for Centurion and only a means to justify higher merchant fees.

By: Elman

Elman — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:42:07 +0000

credit cards will soon require pin # instead of signature. This will shift the onus of liability to the consumer. Maybe MDJ can do an article.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/moneytalks/2008/11/ellen_roseman_the_promise_and.html

By: NotSoInfinite

NotSoInfinite — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:37:04 +0000

Mike:

Not sure where you get “Infinity” from – the cards I’ve seen all say “Infinite”, which is why I think the branding’s weird.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:34:35 +0000

I just switched from the Platinum to the Infinite cards only becasue I still argued with them to give me the 15k points and they did. The cards are essentially the same except the .25 more points for travel related purchases, and a few more rather small perks. They do have a 60k individual or 100k family income requirement however.

The Infinity card is completely different. I was joking with the guy on the phone, there is a $499 fee for the card which seems nuts, but this card is for millionairs only. You have to have millions in investments/bank to even apply for the card.

I think it is smart branding really because how many non millionairs are going to want that card just casue it does suggest a little more pretiege. The cards have different names, although close. Infinite, and Infinity.

By: NotSoInfinite

NotSoInfinite — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:42:04 +0000

I think some people here are confusing the RBC Infinite Avion and the RBC Infinite cards – they are not at all the same. The Infinite Avion is relatively easy to obtain, the Infinite is NOT, and can be had only through a relationship with a private banker.

The Infinite Avion seems like a dilution of the brand, to me. Odd marketing.

By: FrugalTrader

FrugalTrader — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:48:08 +0000

Peter, the information provided for the RBC infinite card above was the information available at the time. I’m now in the process of updating to the most current info.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:26:14 +0000

Information in this article is either outdated or just wrong. I am an RBC Visa Platinum Avion card holder. My boyfriend has the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card. They are pretty much the same when it comes to annual fees or grace period or point redemption except for some extra perks for Visa Infinite. Both are $120 per year / 15000 points are given upon enrolment and 2500 each year upon renewal. (With 15000 one can travel short-haul within Canada). 1 point per each dollar spent for both cards, except the Infinite gives you 1.25 points per dollar spent on travel related purchases (airlines, hotels, car rentals etc.). Both have insurance and zero cardholder liability.
The only real “visible” difference is the fact that it is harder to apply for the Infinite card (apparently you need 65K – 100K per year income). The spending limit is not “infinite.” It, as with all cards, depends on your income and spending habits. (I mean the Infinite card does have all that 24-hour Concierge bs, but who cares about that).
Another perk with Avion cards is that you can exchange Avion points for British Airways points (most of the time 1 to 1; however, a couple times per year they have promotional periods when the points can be exchanged 1 to 1.5. How great is that?!) Otherwise travel is on any airline, any time, no blackouts or seat restrictions. Unlike the “Air Canada card” (I believe).

By: outoftheloop

outoftheloop — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:31:45 +0000

Are there any U.S. banks that offer this card at a reasonable rate? I’m unable to even locate any american banks that have the Visa Infinite.

By: Julian

Julian — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:56:35 +0000

Oh no! That’s terrible news! Well, I suppose all the other things about the card still make it a very good value.

By: Mihai

Mihai — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:07:06 +0000

“Its Platinum card, which apparently is by invitation only (not the case, I called and got it over the phone), has many special perks. Here are some of the best: Spend 20,000 per year or more on your card and receive 1 percent cash back – which will pay the 130.00 annual fee with money to spare. ”

What I understand is that the cash back is only for the amount OVER 20K/year; from the website.
“Get a 1% cash-back on net purchases exceeding CDN$20,000 per year. 1% cash-back will be credited to your account on the account anniversary date (maximum CDN$800/year)1.”

By: Telly

Telly — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:42:14 +0000

FT, all of the points we’ve collected on NW have been through previous flights. Between some business trips to China & Europe (mostly my husband) and our own paid flights to Africa & New Zealand, we’ve accumulated a number of miles but we’ve also used a fair amount as well.

I believe NW miles don’t expire quite as quickly as Aeroplan miles and NW offers greater miles once you reach elite level status whereas I believe Air Canada only reduces miles earned when you buy discounted tickets.

By: paulette

paulette — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:48:39 +0000

I love no fee credit card:) I also avail such kind of service.

By: Julian

Julian — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:22:13 +0000

Average Joe has it exactly right – Desjardins is the best kept secret in Canada.

As a westerner, I had never heard of Desjardins Financial Group and never saw any of their credit cards around until recently. But they do have the best deal around. Visa infinite may wish to check them out.

I did some research on Desjardins – there’s some interesting stuff here. Desjardins (started by a man of the same name) was an anti-bank hero of the people, who wanted to create a credit union that lent responsibly to those who weren’t ruling class types. Desjardins is perhaps the best known ‘local’ financial institution in Quebec, and is apparently the largest credit union in Canada.

But, unlike Vancity in Vancouver, which is a relative dinosaur in the credit card marketplace – with only two very basic credit cards to offer its clients – Desjardins has lots of products designed to appeal.

Desjardins basic gold, for example, has a much lower annual fee than other banks, and gives special perks.

Its Platinum card, which apparently is by invitation only (not the case, I called and got it over the phone), has many special perks. Here are some of the best: Spend 20,000 per year or more on your card and receive 1 percent cash back – which will pay the 130.00 annual fee with money to spare. Not that it matters, too, but people really notice their card design. It is really flashy silver and black – people always notice it at stores.

Air miles are basically bonus dollars which you can collect on anything at a 1/1 ratio; however, if you purchase anything in foreign currency, you get 2 percent in bonus dollars. The money can be redeemed at any time- the cash back is paid at the end of your renewal period.

There are some drawbacks: Desjardins’ customer service is not the greatest – their staff have some trouble speaking in English comfortably, and they may well be on a clock to answer calls, because you get the sense they want you off the phone as soon as your issues are resolved – maybe they don’t have many staff members. That’s another thing, they aren’t open late – especially if you live on the wet coast.

I have heard that they are moving into the BC marketplace soon, so maybe things will improve….

By: FrugalTrader

FrugalTrader — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:03:50 +0000

Telly, do you transfer your aeroplan points to NW? If not, how do you collect the points?

By: Telly

Telly — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:32:44 +0000

Mike,
We’ve used points for far trips in the past (China, Eastern Europe,…) but not with Air Canada. I’ve never used points to upgrade to business class. For some reason it always seemed so wasteful. I’d rather save them up to go elsewhere but I’ve heard it’s generally a good deal, as FT mentioned somewhere above.

Most of the miles we’ve accumulated have been with Northwest Airlines as we almost always fly out of Detroit. We’ve found it’s MUCH easier to use miles with NW than with Air Canada (less miles used and less notice required) which is a good thing because we rarely ever plan our vacations more than a couple months in advance (BC thing is an exception because it’s for a friends’ wedding).

By: Four Pillars

Four Pillars — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:15:53 +0000

Telly – a trip to BC sounds great. I used to do that sort of thing (before kids).

If you are trying to use up the points then just pick somewhere far, far away – book business class seats a year in advance. :)

By: firefly

firefly — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:45:14 +0000

I work for RBC, just to get that out of the way. :) As far as I know, we will have 2 versions of the Visa infinite. One is the on you have listed on your chart for Private banking client. We do, however, have a Visa Infinite Avion that more closely resembles the TD and CIBC versions. Annual fee is $120 as well. Here’s the public link to all the details: http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/visainfiniteavion/index.html

By: venter

venter — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:04:12 +0000

I have the TD card, no annual charge as I have the select service account. As far as booking with TD, the prices are identical to those posted by Belair Travel (who we have used for booking our trips in the past before the card). Also, using TD travel gets you 9X points per $1 spent.