Adding Up the Total Rewards From Your Air Travel Credit Card

This post is sponsored by CIBC.

The CIBC Aventura Visa Card and the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card are two of CIBC’s most popular travel rewards credit cards for good reason. Ideal for frequent flyers, CIBC’s rewards program lets you earn points that can be easily redeemed for travel on any airline with no blackout dates or seat restrictions.*

Living in lockdown for much of the past year and a half, however, you may have put your travel plans on hold, leaving you to wonder: what should I do with all those extra points? The good news is that CIBC’s flexible rewards program lets you redeem points for more than just travel rewards. You can use all those accumulated points to get a variety of things, including merchandise, gift cards, exclusive experiences, charitable donations and more. You can even use your points to pay down your Aventura credit card balance or contribute to your CIBC TFSA or RRSP or your CIBC Investor’s Edge investment portfolio.

Let’s take a closer look at all the benefits and rewards of the CIBC Aventura Visa and the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card.

CIBC Aventura® Visa

With the CIBC Aventura Visa, you earn 1 point for every $1 spent on travel that you purchase through the CIBC Rewards Centre, and 1 point for every $1 spent at eligible gas stations, grocery stores and drugstores. All other purchases earn you 1 point for every $2 spent. Presently you can earn up to 10,000** bonus Aventura Points: you’ll receive 7,500 points when you make your first purchase, and you’ll get up to 2,500 more points once you’ve completed eligible activities. That bonus is worth up to $100^^ when redeemed for travel, which is a great deal for a no-fee credit card (annual interest rate: 20.99% for purchases, 22.99% [or 21.99% for Quebec residents] for cash).

The card also features auto rental collision/loss damage insurance, $100,000 common carrier accident insurance, and purchase security and extended warranty insurance. Clearly, the card’s points and extras like car rental and accident insurance are a boon for travellers, but even if you aren’t planning to take a trip in the near future, this no-fee card has lots to offer. Purchase security and extended warranty insurance offer extra protection for most new items you charge to your card. Furthermore, you can use your points to bid on one-of-a-kind experiences like weekend trips and skydiving adventures.

You can also redeem your Aventura Points with the Shop With Points/Payment with Points features.‡ Using the Shop With Points feature, you can pay for a credit card purchase with points seconds after making it. With CIBC’s Payment with Points feature, you can use points to contribute to a registered CIBC account or your CIBC investment portfolio—a great way to reach your financial goals faster.‡

 

CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card

If you’re looking for a card that helps you earn points even faster, the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card is a good pick. You get 2 points per $1 on travel purchased via the CIBC Rewards Centre, as well as 1.5 points per $1 spent at eligible gas stations, grocery stores and drugstores. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. The incredible welcome offer gets you up to 35,000 Aventura Points^ (which is up to $800 in travel value). Plus, you and up to three cardholders get the annual fee ($139) rebated in the first year^ (annual interest rate: 20.99% for purchases, 22.99% [or 21.99% for Quebec residents] for cash).

Free card extras include an impressive suite of insurance offerings (including mobile device insurance), a NEXUS ^◊ application fee rebate† and a Priority Pass membership with four airport lounge visits per year.^

Save up your points for a big family trip when you’re ready to travel, or redeem them now for merchandise the whole family will enjoy, like an Xbox, camping supplies or a home theatre bundle. You can also do something really special by using your points to make a donation to a charitable cause, like Charitable Impact or CIBC Run for the Cure. All eligible donations will receive a tax receipt.

 

How the CIBC Rewards program works

The CIBC Rewards program makes it easy and quick to redeem points. Just head on over to the CIBC Rewards portal where you can redeem your points for:

• Travel: To redeem travel points, call an Aventura Travel Assistant, who will assist you with your travel plans, including booking flights and hotels, securing tickets to events and more.
• Merchandise & More: Select from over 1,000 items (like fashion, housewares, electronics and more), as well as gift cards and charitable donations.
• Promotions: Check out the CIBC Special Offers site to view special promotions, like deals on grocery or gas gift cards.
• Auction: Use your points to bid on exclusive experiences like a bed-and-breakfast stay in Quebec City or a daring skydiving adventure.
• Shop With Points‡: Go shopping with your Aventura credit card and then sign into CIBC Online Banking or CIBC Mobile Banking. Go to your credit card transaction history and select an item from your pending transactions to pay off by redeeming points (or pay off just part of it—the amount is up to you).
• Payment with Points‡: Put points towards your Aventura credit card balance or use points to contribute to your CIBC TFSA or RRSP account. You can even put points towards your CIBC mortgage or line of credit or your CIBC Investor’s Edge portfolio.

 

The bottom line

If you’ve been postponing travel and don’t expect to take a trip over the holidays, why not use the CIBC Rewards program and redeem your points to get gifts or make charitable donations for people on your shopping list? You don’t have to travel to enjoy your CIBC Aventura points!

*For full details see maximum ticket prices and Aventura Flight Rewards Chart at www.CIBCRewards.com. Some airlines may impose fees, restrictions or other conditions on air travel.

This post was sponsored by CIBC. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely our own.