Start here: RBC Avion Rewards — earn on a personal RBC card, redeem, convert and keep your points

Step 1: What Avion Rewards is and who it suits

You will learn: what Avion Rewards is, what a Point is and is not, and which RBC cardholders the programme is built for.

Avion Rewards is the program formerly known as RBC Rewards, offered by Royal Bank of Canada [1]. The Terms apply to the Program, and the agreements applicable to your accounts are issued separately [1]. The Program is offered at no additional costs or charges, though you remain responsible for charges and fees applicable to your accounts [1].

Points have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for cash and do not constitute your property for any purpose [1]. RBC attributes a monetary value to Points in certain situations, including Pay Credit Card with Points, Pay Bills with Points, or when a Credit Card Account is not in Good Standing and RBC decides to use Points to pay debt owed on the account [1]. Points may only be redeemed, transferred to another Rewards Account or converted to partner rewards that Royal Bank designates, in accordance with the Terms [1]. Additional terms, conditions, instructions or disclaimers that appear on your screen and relate to the Program form part of the terms, and you accept them by continuing to participate [1].

The programme is built for holders of a Net Purchase Personal Credit Card Account: a personal credit card account that allows Cardholders to earn Points on Net Purchases [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points programmes compared and Start here: cards and transfers.

Step 2: How you join: your card, the Primary Applicant and Good Standing

You will learn: how participation begins, who owns the Rewards Account and what Good Standing means for a personal card.

To participate and start earning Points, you need to activate and sign your Card, and/or use your Card or Account [1]. As soon as you or any Authorized User uses the Card or Account, it means you have read the Terms and understand and agree with them [1]. There is only one Rewards Account per Net Purchase Personal Credit Card Account, and it is tied to the Primary Applicant's Card [1]. Points in that Rewards Account belong to the Primary Applicant, subject to the Co-Applicant's ability to redeem, transfer and convert Points as set out in the Terms [1].

For a Cardholder to earn Points on a Net Purchase, the account and/or Card must be in Good Standing: not past due for more than two consecutive statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status at the time the Net Purchase is posted [1]. Good Standing is also required to redeem, transfer and convert at the time of the transaction [1]. For a Net Purchase Personal Credit Card Account, an account past due for more than 90 days means no Cardholder on the account may earn, redeem, transfer or convert Points [1].

Go deeper: authorized user and card selection framework.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: what earns Points, when they post and how returns affect them.

Points are earned for any Net Purchase made by any Cardholder on a Net Purchase Credit Card Account, anywhere the Card is accepted worldwide, beginning as soon as the account is opened and the Card is activated [1]. A Net Purchase is the full amount charged to a Credit Card Account for a purchase of goods and/or services made by a Cardholder, including taxes, less any credits [1]. Different types of Net Purchase Credit Card Accounts earn at different rates; for more information the terms point to rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/rewards.html [1]. RBC reserves the right to unilaterally amend the earn rate and will notify you in writing at least 60 days in advance [1].

Points earned during a statement period are available for redemption on the Statement Date [1]. If a Net Purchase is not processed by the merchant, the network or Royal Bank by the Statement Date, posting may be delayed to the next statement period [1]. Credits for returns or price adjustments reduce or cancel the Points earned on the original Net Purchases [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points earning rates compared and earning rate.

Step 4: How to use points: redeem, transfer and convert

You will learn: the three ways Points leave your Rewards Account, and the conditions attached to each.

Points can generally be redeemed for any type of Reward available under the Program, unless the Terms state otherwise [1]. Some Rewards need a specific account type, and Air Travel Rewards require the holder to be an Avion Air Travel Rewards Participant [1]. The Rewards Account is debited on the date Points are redeemed [1]. An Alternate Contact may only redeem Points for Travel Rewards, cannot transfer Points or redeem any other Reward, and is treated as acting as your agent with full authority [1].

A transfer to another eligible Rewards Account counts as a redemption for all purposes, and the receiving account's ownership and redemption rules then apply to those Points [1]. Transferring from the Rewards Account tied to an Avion Account to a Non-Avion, Personal ION or Avion Rewards Core Product Account means the transferred Points can no longer be redeemed for Air Travel Rewards or for British Airways Avios, American Airlines AAdvantage Miles or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles [1]. On a Net Purchase Personal Credit Card Account, the Primary Applicant and Co-Applicant may redeem, or transfer to Rewards Accounts tied to other eligible accounts either of them owns, and a Co-Applicant doing so is deemed to act as the Primary Applicant's agent [1].

Anyone authorized to redeem and transfer may convert Points, except Alternate Contacts [1]. Conversion conditions are: Good Standing; membership of the other loyalty program; at least the minimum number of Points set by RBC; and a partner account in the same name as the Card/Account [1]. A conversion is final, may not be reversed, counts as a redemption, may take up to four weeks to appear, may carry a service fee notified before the transaction, and is then subject to the partner's terms, under which partners may expire the rewards [1].

• WestJet, open to all Net Purchase Credit Card Accounts: 1 Point becomes 1 WestJet point, minimum 1,000 Points [1].
• Canadian Tire Money, open to all Net Purchase Credit Card Accounts: 140 Points become $1.00, minimum 140 Points in increments of 1, maximum 25,000 Points per day, with a linked Triangle Rewards account [1].
• Avios, for Avion Air Travel Rewards Participants: 1 Point becomes 1 Avios, minimum 10,000 Points [1].
• AAdvantage, for Avion Air Travel Rewards Participants: 10 Points become 7 miles, minimum 5,000 Points in increments of 10 [1].
• Asia Miles, for Avion Air Travel Rewards Participants: 1 Point becomes 1 Asia Mile, minimum 10,000 Points [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points redemption options compared, transferring RBC Avion points to Aeroplan, transfer ratio and minimum transfer.

Step 5: Keeping points: no tiers, closure and changes

You will learn: what happens to Points when RBC changes the programme, when the programme ends and when a card account closes.

The sections of the Avion Rewards Terms and Conditions used for this course describe no status tiers for personal Net Purchase accounts [1]. RBC may change the Program and the Terms, including earn rates, the number of Points needed for a Reward and the rules on expiry or cancellation of Points [1]. It sends written notice at least 60 days before an essential change and at least 30 days before a non-essential change [1]. For a non-essential change that increases your obligations or reduces RBC's, you may refuse it and withdraw by closing your accounts without cost, penalty or cancellation indemnity, by notifying RBC no later than 30 days after the change comes into force; otherwise you are treated as agreeing to the modified Terms [1]. No notice is required for added features or partners, or for purely cosmetic, organizational, procedural or other non-substantive changes that do not negatively affect your rights, benefits or obligations [1].

If events beyond RBC's control materially affect its willingness to continue the Program, the Program may be terminated or suspended without prior notice and Points may be cancelled [1]. RBC may also suspend or terminate the Program for any reason on 90 days' prior notice, and Points unredeemed 90 days after termination may be automatically cancelled [1].

When you close the account for any reason, or RBC closes it for a reason other than cause, participation terminates and Points remain available for redemption, transfer or conversion by the Primary Applicant and Co-Applicant within 12 months after closure; if the account is shared, Points are not divided or transferred between them [1]. Closure for cause, such as an account not in Good Standing, fraud or abuse, misrepresentation, failure to comply, bankruptcy or an unfulfilled obligation, means RBC cancels the Rewards Account and Points immediately and/or converts Points to a monetary value applied as a payment to the account [1]. On the death of the Primary Applicant, an unshared account is closed and Points are available for redemption by the estate within 12 months; on a shared account, ownership may pass to a qualifying Co-Applicant, or the account is closed and Points are available to the Co-Applicant for 12 months [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points expiry compared and transferable points when closing a card.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five checks to run on your own card before you redeem or convert anything.

1. Confirm your card is a personal RBC credit card that earns Avion Rewards Points, and read the Avion Rewards Terms and Conditions [1].
2. Check its earn rate at rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/rewards.html, because rates differ by account type [1].
3. Keep the account from going more than 90 days past due, because that blocks earning, redeeming, transferring and converting [1].
4. Before converting, open the partner account in the same name, confirm the minimum, and check whether your card makes you an Avion Air Travel Rewards Participant, because a conversion is final and cannot be reversed [1].
5. If you plan to close the card, use the Points within 12 months of closure [1].

After the checklist, continue with the Avion Rewards programme hub for every Flyerfolio page about this programme.

Next: read Canadian card points value compared, then return to the programme hub and the terms.