Best Avion Card by Spending Category Canada 2026

One of Avion Rewards’ less obvious strengths is the RBC Ion Plus Visa — a $48/year card that earns 3x Avion points in categories where most premium Avion cards earn only 1x. Used alongside the flagship Avion Visa Infinite for travel purchases, the Ion Plus creates an Avion earning setup that outperforms single-card approaches for everyday household spending.

Here is the best Avion card for each major spending category.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

Groceries

Best card for grocery: RBC Ion Plus Visa. The 3x earn on groceries is the highest Avion rate available. At $1,000/month grocery spend, the Ion Plus earns 3,000 Avion points per month — equivalent to the Avion Visa Infinite’s entire earn on $3,000 in general spend.

Gas Stations

Best card for gas: RBC Ion Plus Visa. Same 3x structure as grocery. At $200/month on gas, that’s 600 points/month more than the standard Avion cards.

Transit

Best card for transit: RBC Ion Plus Visa. TTC passes, GO Transit, Presto, and other public transit purchases earn at 3x. An annual transit pass costing $1,800 earns 5,400 Avion points at 3x vs. 1,800 at 1x.

Streaming Services

Best card for streaming: RBC Ion Plus Visa. Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Crave, Disney+ — all earn 3x. At $100/month on subscriptions, that’s 3,600 points/year vs. 1,200.

Travel Purchases

Best card for travel: Avion Visa Infinite or Privilege, depending on annual spend. The 1.25x rate on flights, hotels, and car rentals outperforms the Ion Plus’s 1x for travel.

Qualifying travel purchases on the Avion Visa Infinite typically include: airlines, hotels, car rentals, travel agencies, and cruise lines.

Dining & Restaurants

Honest assessment: Avion cards do not have a strong dining earn rate. If dining is a major spend category, consider whether an Amex Cobalt (5x on dining, transfers to Aeroplan) or the Scotiabank Gold Amex (5x on dining, earns Scene+) better serves that category.

Everything Else

For uncategorised spend, the Privilege card earns 1.25x everywhere — useful for high-volume spenders who don’t want to track categories.

Optimal Two-Card Avion Setup

Annual earn estimate (household spending $2,500/month):

• $1,200/month grocery + $150 gas + $100 streaming + $150 transit = 4,800 points/mo at 3x
• $400 travel purchases/month on Avion Infinite = 500 points/mo at 1.25x
• $500 everything else/month on Avion Infinite = 500 points/mo at 1x

Total: ~5,800 Avion points per month = ~69,600/year

At portal value (1¢/pt): $696/year. If transferred to Avios for a premium redemption: potentially $1,400–$2,500 in travel value.

Summary Table

Related Articles

• How Avion Rewards Works
• What Are Avion Points Worth?
• Best Avion Sweet Spots for Canadians
• Avion vs. Aeroplan: Which Programme Is Better?

Earn rates and annual fees are subject to change. Verify at rbcroyalbank.com before applying. See our Advertiser Disclosure.