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💳 High Welcome Bonus Offers on RBC Avion Cards + New Air Transat Loyalty Program

💳 High Welcome Bonus Offers on RBC Avion Cards + New Air Transat Loyalty Program

RBC Avion has new welcome bonuses, Air Canada is handing out extra Aeroplan points, and Air Transat wants in on the loyalty game. Let’s talk about what matters (and what to ignore).

Brianna Harrison
January 24, 2026

In This Issue:

💳 New Welcome Bonus Offers on RBC ION, ION+ & Avion Visa Infinite Cards

✈️ This Week In Travel News: New Air Transat Loyalty Program + 50% Bonus Aeroplan Points

🛫 Chexy Deals: Business Class to Europe + Asia from YYZ, YUL, & YVR

🚀 Love Chexy? Come Work with Us!

We’re looking for people to join the Chexy team. If you thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and enjoy helping people, this is your chance to shape the future of our platform while supporting the users you already know and love.

🇨🇦 ENDING SOON: Earn up to 5,000 Aeroplan® Points with Chexy!

This is your final reminder - our Aeroplan bonus offer ends January 31st, 2026. If you’re already paying rent, bills, tuition, or taxes, this is one of the easiest ways to earn extra Aeroplan points on payments you’re making anyway.

Here’s how you can earn up to 5,000 bonus Aeroplan points:

1,000 points when you create a Chexy account, link your Aeroplan account, and complete your first payment
3,000 points after processing $3,000 in payments through Chexy
1,000 points for completing 12 consecutive monthly payments

Plus, earn a bonus 1,000 points for each person you refer to Chexy.

Ends January 31, 2026. Learn more here.

Terms and conditions apply.

💳 New RBC Welcome Bonus Offers: Avion Visa Infinite, ION, & ION+ Cards

RBC just boosted the welcome bonuses across its Avion cards, and some of these offers are genuinely strong – if you know how the points work and how to hit the spend requirement without stretching your budget.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the two Avion setups that matter most, and how using Chexy can help you unlock the full value. 👇

✈️ RBC Avion Visa Infinite: Up to 55,000 Avion Points (~$1,100 in Travel)

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite welcome bonus is the headline offer, and the one that earns full, flexible Avion points. If you’re an avid traveller, this is where the value lies.

⭐️ The offer: up to 55,000 points

You’ll earn:

35,000 points on approval (no minimum spend!)
20,000 more after spending $5,000 in the first 6 months

Apply by June 15th, 2026.

That $5k spend is very manageable if you use Chexy to pay your rent, bills, or other large expenses.

Here’s a quick real-life example:

If your rent is $2,000 per month and you pay it with Chexy:

3 months of rent = $6,000
Chexy fees = $105
Total charged = $6,105

You’ve already cleared the full welcome bonus, plus earned ~6,100 Avion points from the spend itself.

Rent alone can earn you ~24,420 points, and with the welcome bonus, you’re easily looking at 79,420+ Avion points in the first year.

Valuing Avion points at ~2.3 cents each, 79,420 points are worth about $1,826. Minus the Chexy fee + annual card fee, your net value in year one is ~$1,287.

If you redeem those points at a fixed 1 cent per point (100 points = $1 off) for travel:

Flight value: $794
Total fees: $540
Net value: ~$254 in year one

😎 Why These Points Matter

Unlike entry-level Avion cards, these points can:

Be redeemed using RBC’s Air Travel Redemption Schedule
Be transferred 1:1 to airline partners like British Airways and Asia Miles
Stretch well beyond 1¢ per point if used strategically

Even after Chexy fees and the $120 annual card fee, the math still works heavily in your favour.

🤩 Other Benefits

Besides the welcome bonus, this card offers:

Earn rate of 1.25x points on travel purchases, 1x on everything else
Strong travel insurance (trip cancellation, medical, baggage, etc.)
No category restrictions

This card doesn’t offer lounge access and has 2.5% foreign transaction fees. Still, for anyone who travels even occasionally, it delivers real value, especially in year one.

🌟 RBC ION Visa: Up to 11,000 Avion Premium Points

The RBC ION Visa is a no-fee starter rewards card, best for students, first-time cardholders, or anyone who wants to earn points on everyday spending without paying an annual fee or meeting income requirements.

⭐️ The Offer:

Earn up to 11,000 Avion Premium points.

Get 4,000 welcome bonus points on approval and earn 7,000 bonus points when you spend $500 in your first 3 months. Apply by May 6th, 2026.

Some benefits of this card include:

No annual fee, no income requirement
Earn points on common everyday categories like groceries, gas, and subscriptions
Includes purchase security and extended warranty

It’s important to note that these cards earn Avion Premium points, which have different rules from Avion Elite points. This means travel redemptions are poor value and airline transfers aren’t available, but you can use them for statement credits or merchandise.

💸 RBC ION+ Visa: Up to 21,000 Avion Premium Points

The ION+ is the step-up version of the ION card, designed for people who spend more in everyday categories and want higher earn rates without jumping to a premium card.

⭐️ The Offer:

Earn up to 21,000 Avion Premium points.

Get 7,000 welcome bonus points on approval and earn 14,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 in your first 6 months. Apply by May 6, 2026.

Some benefits of this card include:

Higher earn rates on groceries, dining, gas, transit, and subscriptions
Includes mobile device insurance (in addition to purchase security and extended warranty)
Easy-to-hit welcome bonus, especially if you use Chexy for rent and bills

👏 How to Maximize Your Points Earning

Here’s a real-world example of how you can earn points + the welcome bonus with Chexy and without changing your spending habits:

Let’s say you pay $2,500 in monthly rent + bills through Chexy, using one of these cards:

Monthly bills: $2,500
Chexy fee (1.75%): $43.75
Total charged monthly: $2,543.75
Total yearly spend: $30,525

Both cards earn 1 Avion point per $1, so you’ll earn 30,525 points per year.

Let’s say you’re using the ION+ and earn the 21,000-point welcome bonus – that brings it up to 51,525 points earned in the first year.

Assuming a value of about 2 cents per point (via strong redemptions), you’re getting about ~$1,030 in value. Subtract Chexy fees ($525/year), and you’ll get a net first-year value of ~$505.

That’s pretty strong for a no- or low-fee credit card. 💁🏼‍♀️

🧠 So… Which One Should You Get?

Want travel value? The Avion Visa Infinite is the only one here where the welcome bonus and points actually get you flights. Chexy just makes it easier to unlock that bonus sooner.

Want everyday rewards with low commitment? The ION or ION+ cards let you earn rewards on rent, bills, groceries, and more, without worrying about high spend requirements. Just remember – redeem your points wisely and not on travel.

✈️ This Week In Travel

A couple of noteworthy updates in the Canadian travel and points world this week: one that’s more wait-and-see, and one that you can take advantage of right now.

🌴 Air Transat Is Launching Its Own Loyalty Program (Later in 2026)

Air Transat announced it’s entering the loyalty game with a brand-new program in partnership with Desjardins and Visa, launching in the second half of 2026.

We don’t have many details right now, but we know this will almost certainly come with at least one Air Transat-branded Visa card and some form of built-in perks for frequent flyers.

Here’s what we can reasonably expect (based on similar launches):

Discounts or perks at booking
Potential free or discounted seat selection
Checked bag or priority boarding benefits tied to the card
Possibly elite-style tiers down the line

This will likely be most useful for Quebec and Ontario travellers, where Air Transat operates the majority of its routes.

TL;DR: Interesting move, especially for leisure flyers in QC and ON. But we still need to see earn rates, redemptions, and card perks to see if it’s truly worthwhile.

✈️ Get 50% Bonus Aeroplan Points on Air Canada Flights

Air Canada is currently offering 50% bonus Aeroplan points on eligible flights worldwide, with no registration required.

Here’s how it works:

Book by January 31, 2026
Travel anytime in 2026
Valid on Economy (except Basic), Premium Economy, and Business
Your Aeroplan number just needs to be attached to the booking

If you’re already planning a flight this year, consider these free extra points. 🤑

How to stack it even more:

Using an Aeroplan co-branded card on top of the promo boosts your earn rate even more.

One of the strongest options is the Amex Aeroplan Reserve, which earns 3x Aeroplan points on Air Canada purchases. You’ll also get perks like a free first checked bag, priority boarding, and lounge access.

If you’re using Chexy regularly, the welcome bonus becomes much easier to hit, too. Big recurring bills can help clear the upfront spend requirement without changing your day-to-day habits.

TL;DR: If you’re flying Air Canada this year, this promo is a no-brainer. Use the right Aeroplan credit card, and your flights will earn points much faster.