CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card Review - Money We Have (2024)

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The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card is easily one of Canada’s most underrated travel rewards credit cards. You get a decent earning rate and great travel benefits. The rewards are flexible, and the annual fee for the first year is typically waived.

Even though CIBC is one of the big six banks in Canada, their credit cards don’t seem to get as much attention as American Express and co-branded travel credit cards. That’s a mistake, as this card offers a lot of value. Read my CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card review now for the full details.

Welcome Bonus and Earn Rate

The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card typically has a welcome bonus of 35,000 – 50,000 Aventura points. This offer is usually broken down into two parts. You get the first bonus when you make your first purchase, and the second bonus is given when you spend $3,000 in the first four months. Right now, you get another 25,000 Aventura points when you spend $6,000 in the first four months. This is the best offer the card has ever had.

It’s worth noting that CIBC gives you four months to meet the minimum spending requirement to get your full welcome offer. This is relevant since most other credit card providers only give you three months. The card does have an annual fee of $139, but it’s usually waived for the first year.

The earning rate is a respectable 2 Aventura points per dollar spent on CIBC travel bookings, 1.5 points on gas, grocery, and drug store purchases, and 1 point on all other purchases. This isn’t the highest earning rate available out there, but it’s similar to other comparable travel rewards credit cards.

Benefits and Perks

The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card is an excellent travel credit card because it provides a fair amount of benefits for people who are on the move. It’s a bit shocking more people don’t consider this card, especially since the annual fee for the first year is usually waived.

Airport Lounge Access

Cardholders get a free Visa Airport Companion Program membership, plus four free annual passes. This gives you access to 1,200+ global airport lounges in more than 100 countries. To give you some context, the value of these passes is about $190, so this perk alone is worth more than the annual fee.

NEXUS Application Rebate

Another travel benefit of the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite is the NEXUS application rebate of $50. It’s good every four years, but NEXUS memberships last five years, so you’re essentially getting your NEXUS for free. Keep in mind that you must charge your NEXUS application to your CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite card to be entitled to the rebate.

Travel Insurance

• Travel medical – $5,000,000 for 15 days / 3 days if you’re 65 or older
• Trip cancellation – up to $1,500 per person / $5,000 total
• Trip interruption – up to $2,000 per person
• Flight/trip delay – up to $500 / 4 hours
• Delayed and lost baggage – up to $500 / 6 hours
• Auto rental collision/loss damage – 48 consecutive days / $65,000
• Hotel/motel burglary – $2,500
• Common carrier travel accident – $500,000

Your out-of-province emergency travel medical insurance covers you for up to 15 days if you’re under the age of 65 or for three days if you’re 65 or older. Although 15 days may seem short, you can purchase extended coverage.

Mobile Device Insurance

The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card is one of the few travel cards that also come with mobile device insurance. Your eligible devices (cell phones and tablets) are covered up to $1,000 from theft, loss, and accidental damage. To be eligible, you must charge the full cost of your device to your card. If your phone is being subsidized, then you must charge the full amount of your bill to your card.

Purchase Insurance

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

Cardholders that charge the full cost of their purchases to their CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card are covered for loss, theft, and damage for 90 days, thanks to the included purchase security. In addition, the manufacturer’s warranty is doubled, up to one additional year.

Visa Infinite Benefits

• Concierge service –Have someone plan your trip, make reservations, deliver presents and more.
• Luxury Hotel Collection –When booking hotels through the Visa Infinite Hotel Collection, cardholders can access the best available rates, free Wi-Fi and room upgrades (when available).
• Dining and Wine Country programs –Enjoy food and wine discounts and invites to private events.

How to Redeem Your Points

CIBC Rewards points are pretty easy to earn and understand. You can redeem 1,000 Aventura Points for $10 in travel, so your CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite card earns you 1% – 2% in rewards.

What’s nice about Aventura Points is that you have a few options. You can book online through your CIBC rewards account or via the Aventura Travel Assistant. What many people don’t realize is that the Aventura Travel Assistant is a full-service travel agency, and they can book a few things that you might not find through the online portal, such as attraction tickets and rooms at certain hotels. Basically, just about anything you find on Expedia can be booked through the Aventura Travel Assistant.

Since all travel being booked is done in real-time, there are no blackout dates to worry about. Plus, you can pay any taxes and/or surcharges from your flights if you book via your CIBC rewards account.

There’s also a fixed points option to redeem your points for flights based on five different zones. For example, Canada and the U.S. (long haul) require 25,000 – 35,000 points and have a maximum ticket price of $800. If that flight costs you more than $800, you’ll need to pay the remaining balance in points at $1 = 100 Aventura points ratio. On occasion, CIBC runs promotions where fewer points are required to redeem a flight, so the fixed points option can be quite lucrative.

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card Eligibility

• Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• At least the age of majority in your province or territory
• You have a minimum annual personal gross income of $60,000 or a household income of $100,000

Although no formal credit score is required, I recommend one of at least 700 before applying. That puts your credit score in good standing, which is ideal for a mid-tier credit card.

How the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Compares

Since the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card is a mid-tier travel credit card, it has a lot of competition. That said, the card is very strong so to determine what’s best for you, you need to see what else is out there.

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card vs. BMO World Elite Mastercard

I personally think the closest competition the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card has is the BMO World Elite Mastercard. The BMO card also typically has no annual fee for the first year, 4 free annual airport lounge passes, and slightly better travel insurance.

Some people will also point out that the BMO World Elite Mastercard has a better earning rate, but it takes 150 BMO Rewards points to earn $1 in travel. That means overall, you’re probably coming out ahead with the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card.

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card vs. Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card

Another card worth considering is the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card since it comes with six free annual lounge passes. I consider Scotia Rewards to be slightly more valuable than CIBC Rewards, but the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite does not waive the annual fee of $139 for the first year. The card does come with no foreign transaction fees, which will appeal to many travellers.

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card vs. American Express Gold Rewards Card

There’s also the American Express Gold Rewards Card. this card gives you four free annual Plaza Premium lounge passes, similar to the lounge passes you get with the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card. This card is also appealing because of the higher earning rate of 2 American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on grocery, gas, pharmacy, and travel purchases. You can also transfer your points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 value, which could increase the value of your points.

Final Thoughts

My CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card review is positive. The card is ideal for the people in the following situations:

• You want flexible rewards: Use your points on travel booked through CIBC travel or the fixed points travel option.
• You want travel benefits: Get airport lounge access, a NEXUS rebate, and travel insurance.
• You don’t want to pay a high annual fee: The yearly fee is waived for the first year, so you can test out the card.

Although the card doesn’t make my list of the best travel credit cards in Canada, it’s still a great travel credit card. You get great travel benefits, flexible rewards, and a decent earning rate. Admittedly, there are other cards out there that may offer higher earn rates, or better perks, but not many are as well-rounded as the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card.