Assessment: TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card is our pick for the best Aeroplan credit card for beginners and the best overall TD credit card.

This card offers a consistently high welcome bonus, meaningful Air Canada perks, strong insurance, and the ability to earn valuable Aeroplan points. The benefits that come with the card can easily justify the $139 annual fee.

That said, no credit card is perfect, and if you want a credit card with more perks or better earning rates, there are options that are stronger in these areas.

Let’s dive into the many reasons why the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card one of the best Aeroplan co-branded credit cards out there, and also where it doesn’t quite measure up.

What We Love: earning Aeroplan points on day-to-day purchases, valuable Air Canada perks, insurance coverage for Aeroplan award tickets. What we’d change: bring back the Buddy Pass, add complimentary Maple Leaf Lounge visits, boost earning rates.

Strong Welcome Bonus

Over the past few years, the welcome bonus on the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has fluctuated between 40,000 and 70,000 Aeroplan points.

You typically earn a portion of the welcome bonus immediately after making your first purchase, and then the next batch of points are earned after you meet a minimum spending requirement within the first 180 days (usually $6,000).

If you spend enough on your card within the first year, a final one-time anniversary bonus is awarded as part of most welcome bonuses these days, too.

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card may also come with a one-time annual fee rebate, depending on the offer.

We value Aeroplan points at 2.1 cents per point. Using this valuation, at the lower end of the range, we’d value a welcome bonus of 40,000 Aeroplan points at around $840 (all figures in CAD), while an offer at the higher end of the range of 70,000 Aeroplan points can be worth a staggering $1,470.

Of course, depending on how you choose to redeem your points, it could also be worth much more or less.

The best time to apply is when the welcome bonus is at or close to 70,000 Aeroplan points, or any time when there’s an annual fee rebate.

While it’s always a good practice to wait for the highest welcome bonus possible, even with a lower welcome bonus, there’s a lot of value in signing up for the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card.

Standard Earning Rates

Every time you use your TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you’ll earn Aeroplan points.

The number of points you earn depends on where the purchase is made, as the card comes with the following earning rates:

• Earn 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on eligible gas, groceries, and purchases made directly with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations†
• Earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases†

The elevated earning rates on gas and grocery purchases are on par with similar credit cards; however, there are other credit cards that offer better earning rates in these (and other) categories.

For example, a number of other credit cards offer elevated earning rates in categories such as dining, food delivery, recurring bill payments, and streaming services.

With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, when you spend money dining out or ordering in, you’ll only earn the baseline rate of 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent.

Depending on how much you spend in certain categories, it may be worth considering putting some of your spending on a credit card other than the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, and we’ll explore a couple potential options in the final section of this review.

Flexible Redemptions with Aeroplan Points

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is one of the best airline loyalty programs for anyone looking to travel at a fraction of the cost.

Not only can you redeem your Aeroplan points for Air Canada flights, but you can also redeem Aeroplan points for flights with 45+ partner airlines.

Aeroplan points are worth the most when you redeem them for long-haul business class and First Class flights. However, you can still get a lot of value when you redeem Aeroplan points for shorter flights, or even flights in economy.

For example, the welcome bonus that comes with the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card could potentially cover a one-way flight from Vancouver to Tokyo in business class, if you can find ANA business class awards for 55,000 points apiece.

Alternatively, if you want to explore a nearby city or book a positioning flight to a different airport, you could also use Aeroplan points to book short-haul flights. This can be a great option since one-way economy flights within North America that are under 500 miles cost as few as 6,000 points.

For example, a flight from Toronto to New York City is only 342 miles, meaning that you could book a round-trip economy flight between the cities for as few as 12,000 Aeroplan points.

If you’d like to learn more about Aeroplan’s incredible redemption opportunities, check out our guide to Aeroplan.

Comprehensive Insurance Coverage

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card’s insurance coverage is very strong, and it’s one of the reasons why this card has such a high rating in this review.

To start, ‌the emergency medical insurance of up to $2,000,000 is available on the first 21 days of a trip (or on the first four days of a trip for cardholders aged 65 and up).†

Credit cards with similar annual fees usually only offer emergency medical insurance on the first 15 days of travel.

The card’s additional travel insurance offerings, including trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, delayed and lost baggage insurance, and flight delay insurance all provide similar or better coverage than other comparable credit cards.

What’s more, most credit cards, even ones with excellent travel insurance, won’t cover you on award bookings, but with your TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you still enjoy insurance coverage on Aeroplan award bookings when you charge the full taxes and fees of the award ticket to your card.†

Lastly, when you use your card for larger expenses, you receive extra purchase and security insurance, and an extended warranty, including on mobile phone purchases.†

What Else Does the Card Offer?

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card comes with additional benefits that make this card worth keeping for the long-term, especially if you fly with Air Canada.

One notable benefit is that you and up to eight travel companions on the same booking can all check one bag at no cost on Air Canada flights.†

With Air Canada, the first checked bag normally costs around $35 for one-way flights within North America, and $75 for one-way flights to other international destinations. That means that this benefit alone could‌ save you hundreds of dollars, especially if you travel often or as a couple or a family.

Other Air Canada benefits that come with the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card include the following:

Rounding out the card’s benefits is the NEXUS rebate. Every four years, you’ll be eligible to receive a NEXUS application fee rebate of up to $100.†

Other Cards to Consider

There’s a lot to love about the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, but there are also options to consider, depending on your travel goals.

For example, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card doesn’t come with any airport lounge access.

If you’re looking for stronger airline benefits, including lounge access, then the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card is worth considering, too.

For a higher annual fee, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card will earn you more Aeroplan points on your day-to-day expenses, and give you access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and airport lounges through the Visa Airport Companion Program.†

With this card, you’ll also enjoy priority boarding and check-in, plus even more Air Canada benefits.†

Alternatively, if you don’t care about travel benefits, and you’d rather earn the highest amount of Aeroplan points possible, the American Express Cobalt Card has the best earning rates in the country.

With the Amex Cobalt Card, you won’t earn Aeroplan points directly, but the Amex Membership Rewards points you earn can be transferred to Aeroplan points at a 1:1 ratio.

Notably, the American Express Cobalt Card earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in select categories, including dining and groceries.

Conclusion

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card is a great credit card for Air Canada benefits and earning Aeroplan points, and it’s our pick for the best overall TD credit card product.

For a reasonable annual fee, you get a generous welcome bonus,  as well as strong ongoing credit card travel and insurance benefits.

There are other cards worth considering if you don’t mind paying more for better benefits, or if you’re willing to sacrifice Air Canada perks for better earning rates.

That being said, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card is one of the best Aeroplan credit cards available to Canadians, and one that we recommend as an essential credit card for all Canadian travellers.

† Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the TD website for the most up-to-date product information.