Earn 50,000 Bonus Avios with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite (expired on November 15, 2015)

Royal Bank is offering a 50,000 sign up bonus Avios promotion with its British Airways Visa Infinite card. This is actually very exciting to see. That being said, the conditions may seem a little steep for some as we take a look at the highlights of the credit card:

• $165 annual fee
• $75 fee for supplemental cardholders
• Earn 15,000 sign up bonus points upon approval
• Earn 35,000 additional bonus points after spending $9,000 in the first 3 months (if you sign up before November 15, 2015)
• Earn 250 bonus points when you rent a car with Avis
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on British Airways and British Airway Holidays purchases
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 10% off British Airways flights departing from Canada
• Receive a complimentary Companion Award Ticket (eVoucher) when you spend $30,000 or more during a calendar year

Note that the 50,000 bonus sign up promotion is not shown on the regular Royal Bank website, but you can find it on the British Airways website or on this direct RBC link. The minimum spend requirement to attain this sign up bonus comes out to $3,000 in spending per month. If you have some big bills coming up, like a home renovation, this may be a good choice. I value Avios at 1.7 cents a piece, so 50,000 Avios is about $850 in value, which definitely offsets the $165 annual fee.

The key value of this credit card lies in the Companion Award Ticket, though it requires a steep $30,000 spending per calendar year. So this is a little tricky this first year as the year is coming to an end. You only really have about 3 months left in 2015 to reach the $30,000 spending. What you can do is apply for this credit card closer to the end of the promotional period (November 15, 2015). By the time the card arrives, we are closer to into December. If you can manage to delay the $9,000 in spend requirement and cram it somehow in January and February, that puts you 30% (9,000 / 30,000) of the way there. So you will have another $21,000 in spending from March till the end of the year.

This credit card is obviously not for everyone, but I do see the value in the credit card for big spenders. Especially those who fly on British Airways and can take advantage of the 2x multiplier, as well as the 10% discount on British Airways flights.

I do believe that this credit card can hold value for a specific target market, but definitely not for the average credit card user. I would one day like to see the annual fee waived for the normal 15,000 sign up bonus Avios as an alternative promotion. The reason is then the average person can give the credit card a try as well.