TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Review

The TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum is an entry-level Aeroplan card. The main benefit is that you’ll earn Aeroplan points on all your eligible purchases, but despite being a co-branded Aeroplan credit card, you don’t get any Air Canada benefits.

The good news is that this card comes with a decent welcome bonus, and the additional perks you get could justify the annual fee of $89 (often waived in the first year). Read my TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum review now for the full details.

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card

Welcome bonus and earn rate

The welcome bonus for the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum has consistently been 20,000 Aeroplan points. You get 10,000 Aeroplan points after your first purchase and another 10,000 points when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days of cardmembership. That welcome bonus can easily have a value of up to $400.

The regular earn rate on the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum is 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on gas, groceries, and purchases made with Air Canada, including Air Canada Vacations. All other purchases earn you 1 Aeroplan point per $1.50 spent. For an entry-level card, that’s not bad.

Benefits and perks

Unlike the other TD Aeroplan credit cards, you don’t get any Air Canada benefits. That said, you do get some basic travel insurance (not medical or trip cancellation), purchase security, extended warranty protection and mobile device insurance.

Earn 50% more Aeroplan points at Starbucks

When you link your TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card to your Starbucks Rewards account, you’ll earn 50% more Stars and Aeroplan points. This is in addition to the Aeroplan points you’ll earn when paying for your purchase. If you’re new to Starbucks Rewards, you’ll get 200 Bonus Stars when making a qualifying purchase within 7 days of joining.

Save with Avis and Budget Rent a Car

When renting a car at Avis Rent a Car and Budget Rent a Car locations in Canada and the U.S, you’ll save at least 10% on base rates when paying with your TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card. International locations offer a minimum of 5% off base rates.

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum travel insurance

• Flight/trip delay – up to $500 / 4 hours
• Delayed and lost baggage – up to $1,000 / 6 hours
• Common carrier travel accident – $500,000
• Hotel/motel burglary – $2,500
• Auto rental collision/loss damage – 48 consecutive days / $65,000

Although the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card comes with some decent extended travel insurance, it lacks travel medical insurance, which is very disappointing. That said, most entry-level travel cards don’t typically give you even this much insurance, so some would argue that this travel insurance package is great.

Mobile device insurance

When you charge the full cost of your mobile device (cellphone or tablet) to your TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card, you get mobile device insurance for up to $1,000. This insurance covers loss, theft, damage, or mechanical breakdown. If you’re getting your device on a subsidized plan, then you need to charge the full amount of your monthly bill to your card for your insurance to apply.

Purchase insurance

• Purchase security – 90 days
• Extended warranty – Up to one additional year

Purchase security protects your purchases from loss, theft, and damage for up to 90 days. As for the extended warranty, the manufacturer’s warranty for any of your purchases is doubled up to one additional year.

How to redeem your points

The TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum earns you Aeroplan points, so all your redemptions. Fortunately, you get a lot of options with Aeroplan since you can use your points for flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages and even cruises.

With Aeroplan, you can book any available seat on Air Canada with no blackout dates. Since Aeroplan flies to 1,300+ destinations and has more than 45 airline partners, you can get almost anywhere in the world on points. The downside of Aeroplan is that it uses dynamic pricing. That’s where the number of points required for a flight will change based on supply and demand. Obviously, more popular flights will cost you more points (or cash).

Generally, 1 Aeroplan point is typically worth 1.5 – 2 cents each. When looking up flight rewards, if you can find something in that range, it’s worth using your points. If the redemptions have a value below that threshold, you’re better off paying cash and saving your points.

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum eligibility

• You’re a Canadian resident
• You’re the age of majority in the province or territory in which you reside

There is no minimum income requirement to be considered for this card. Although there’s also no posted credit score, it’s recommended that yours be at least 660 before applying for the card.

How the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum compares

As an entry-level Aeroplan/travel credit card, the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card has a lot of competition. That said, there are three other cards I recommend comparing to.

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum vs. CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card

The closest competition to the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum is the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card. Both cards have the exact same earning rate, but the CIBC card has no annual fee. That said, the TD card has a higher welcome bonus and comes with some travel insurance (no travel medical)

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum vs. WestJet RBC Mastercard

It’s not exactly apples-to-apples, but you could also compare the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum to the WestJet RBC Mastercard. The earning rate for the WestJet card is 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages, and 1% on all other purchases. In addition, you get a free annual companion voucher, starting at $199, which has a lot of value. If you fly WestJet more often than Air Canada, this may be a better choice.

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum vs. American Express Green Card

When considering any no fee travel credit card, the American Express Green Card needs to be in the conversation. With this card, you earn a straight 1 American Express Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all purchases, which is arguably a better earning rate than what the TD card offers. More importantly, you can redeem 1,000 points for a $10 statement credit or you can transfer your points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. That means you can use your points for any type of travel booked or you can transfer them to Aeroplan when you find a good redemption.

Final thoughts

My TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum review is positive. This card is ideal for people in the following situations:

• You want to earn Aeroplan points – You’ll earn Aeroplan points on almost all your purchases with this card.
• You bank with TD – If you have an All-Inclusive Banking Plan, you can get the annual fee for this card waived each year.
• You don’t have a high income – There’s no minimum income requirement for this card.

Although you don’t get any Air Canada benefits with this card, you’ll earn Aeroplan points on all eligible purchases. Aeroplan is arguably the best travel rewards loyalty program in the country, so having a credit card that earns you Aeroplan points can help you save on travel in the future.