There are many different Aeroplan credit cards on the market, but TD is the official partner of Aeroplan. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter who’s the official partner since consumers should only care about how specific cards benefit them. TD has three different Aeroplan cards, but the most popular one is the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite since it’s comparable to some of the best travel credit cards in Canada and has a reasonable annual fee. Keep reading my TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite review to find out if the card is any good and how it compares to other Aeroplan credit cards.

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Benefits

• $120 Annual fee – first year free (Until Sept. 3, 2019)
• 15,000 Aeroplan miles sign up bonus after your first purchase
• 10,000 additional miles when you charge $2,000 to your card in the first 90 days of account opening
• Earn 1.5 Aeroplan miles per $1 spent on grocery, gas, drugstore and aircanada.com purchases
• Earn 1 Aeroplan mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• One annual pass to an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge when travelling on an Aeroplan reward flight
• Comprehensive travel insurance package included
• Purchase security and extended warranty protection
• Discounts at participating Avis and Budget car rental locations

Although the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite comes packed with benefits, it doesn’t make my list of the best travel credit cards since the signup bonus is “only” 15,000 Aeroplan points. Don’t get me wrong, 10,000 Aeroplan points are still incredibly valuable, I just prefer a little more of a wow factor when it comes to welcome bonuses. That being said, this card is still one of the best Aeroplan credit cards in Canada.

The earn rate of 1.5 Aeroplan miles per $1 spent on grocery, gas and drugstore purchases is not bad, but people who make frequent purchases on aircanada.com will love this card since you’ll also earn 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 spent. 

I won’t go into the details of the travel insurance, but all you really need to know is that it’s a comprehensive package that covers you up to 21 days of travel if you’re under the age of 65. Some other credit cards only offer 15 days of coverage, but there are also some that offer 25 days so the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card neither has the best or worst travel insurance.

One thing that really annoys me about this card is how the Air Canada benefits only apply if you’ve booked an Aeroplan reward flight. That means you won’t get your first bag checked free or access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge when you pay for an Air Canada ticket with cash. That to me seems rather silly and a missed opportunity on TD / Air Canada / Aeroplan’s part.

The annual fee of $120 is reasonable considering the benefits but note that you can get this fee waived if you have an all-inclusive banking plan with TD.

How Aeroplan Works

Aeroplan is pretty straightforward, the Aeroplan miles you earn can be used to redeem flights. That being said, the process of redeeming flights can be difficult and annoying at times. To claim your “free” flight, you have two options: fixed mileage and market fare.

Fixed mileage tickets are the most common way to redeem your Aeroplan points since everything is based on a redemption chart. For example, it’ll take 25,000 points for a roundtrip ticket to anywhere within Canada and the continental U.S. With fixed mileage redemptions, there are only a limited amount of seats available so you might need to be flexible with your travel plans.

There’s also the market fare program which gives you access to any seat available. Aeroplan promotes this as a positive since the number of points required to make a redemption may be less than the fixed milage option since it’s based on supply and demand. While this is true at times, the majority of the time you’ll end up paying many more miles compared to the fixed mileage program.

If you used the fixed mileage program, your sign up bonus of 15,000 points would be enough for a round-trip, short-haul flight within Canada or the continental U.S. One of the best routes at this rate is Toronto to Atlanta since it would normally cost you about $500 if you were to pay cash. Alternatively, a one-way ticket from Toronto to Los Angeles would cost you about $300, but it would only require 12,500 Aeroplan miles so there is still some good value.

Don’t forget, some airlines may charge taxes, fees and surcharges which can eat into the value of your Aeroplan redemptions.

How the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite compares to other cards

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite’s stiffest competition is likely the American Express Gold Rewards card. Although the Amex Gold Rewards card has an annual fee of $150, you get a signup bonus of 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards when you charge $1,500 in purchases in the first three months. Those Amex points can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio so you’re effectively getting 25,000 Aeroplan miles as a welcome bonus.

The Amex card even has a higher earn rate since you’ll get 2 points per $1 spent on grocery, gas, pharmacy, and travel purchases. The only drawback is that American Express isn’t accepted at all retailers.

I also want to point out how the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard gives you your first checked bag and additional WestJet benefits regardless if you paid cash or you used your WestJet dollars to book your flight.  

Final thoughts

My TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite is positive. This might surprise you considering how a few things annoy me with the card, but I need to look at the big picture. People applying for this card are likely looking for simplicity and may not want to deal with converting points or American Express. There’s also a good chance that they’re existing TD customers who may want a credit card from their bank. This is a Visa card that will earn you Aeroplan points with little effort. That being said, if you’re looking for a better return, read my list of the best travel credit cards now.