[INTERVIEW] RBC Avion Rewards Launch

Today, we are featuring spokesperson, Niranjan Vivekanandan, Senior Vice President, Loyalty & Merchant Solutions at RBC. He will be sharing more information on the RBC Avion Rewards enhancements. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions Niranjan.

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In celebration of the new RBC Avion program, they launched two new credit cards with a promotion on their sign up bonus:

And now, onto the interview questions!

1) Please tell us about yourself and your role with RBC.

A: I’m the head of loyalty at RBC where I lead Canada’s largest proprietary loyalty program, Avion Rewards. Our team is focused on rewarding consumer and business clients’ engagement and loyalty through offers, experiential rewards and linked loyalty partnerships enabled through digital currency. We’re working to reimagine the role that the bank plays in our clients’ lives and create new services for future growth.

2) It looks like the Avion Rewards program made some enhancements; can you tell us more about that? Why now?

A: Yes, absolutely. We’ve taken what we’ve built over the last two decades with our leading RBC Rewards loyalty program and have taken it to the next level with the launch of Avion Rewards. This next generation loyalty program takes everything that millions of Canadians have grown to love about RBC Rewards and reimagines it to an end-to-end “best deal” shopping and commerce experience.

With everyday life becoming increasingly expensive, delivering value to our members is paramount. Canadians are looking to save money without having to jump through hoops or make compromises. With Avion Rewards, we’re delivering a more inclusive program with the flexibility and value that they want.

In terms of the enhancements themselves, we’re particularly excited about Avion Rewards ShopPlus, a shopping companion that proactively connects members to thousands of retail partners and provides added value as they shop online. It saves consumers time and money by delivering the most relevant, cash back deals, coupons and offers right where they shop online so they don’t have to worry about missing out on deals.

Avion Rewards members also have more flexibility than ever to use their Avion points in ways that matter most to them. In addition to redeeming points for a wide selection of travel, merchandise, gift cards and experiences, eligible members can now use their points to pay for any qualifying everyday purchases.

Additionally, we’ve expanded our network of retail partners from hundreds to close to 2,000, bringing members exclusive cash back deals, discounts and offers on top of the ‘always on’ offers they receive from our exclusive loyalty partners including Petro-Canada, Wayfair, Rexall, DoorDash, Lowe’s, RONA and Réno-Dépôt and more.

Finally, we’ve created a new membership structure, increasing the number of RBC clients that can join the program (including mortgage and investment clients). And this is just on day one – there is so much more to come.

3) One thing that I was looking for was more transferable airline or hotel partners, is this in the works?

A: We’re always working with our partners to identify additional opportunities to extend our loyalty offerings, including those with their own loyalty programs. Today, many of our members enjoy the flexibility and benefits of converting their Avion points to points, miles or other “partner rewards” offered through partners’ loyalty programs, including a number of airlines. As well, our Avion Rewards members can always choose to redeem their Avion points for virtually all their travel needs including flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. In addition to our cards that earn Avion points, we also offer several co-branded credit cards with a number of leading airlines including our WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

4) What else can we look forward to with RBC Avion Rewards? Any closing thoughts?

A: Avion Rewards will grow and evolve, and we look forward to expanding our industry-leading loyalty program and offerings to deliver exceptional value to Canadians in one single program. We’ll continue to deliver new and innovative capabilities, differentiated experiences and additional merchant partners, and offers to even more Canadians in the months ahead.

To discover and experience Avion Rewards, please visit www.avionrewards.com.