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The Ultimate British Airways Executive Club
Credit Card Portfolio

Last Updated on June 18, 2023





In this feature of Rewards Canada' Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios we look at the ultimate one for earning British Airways Executive Club Avios. This is an ideal wallet for those who like to fly with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways and other oneworld partner airlines.

We have always recommended that you should carry a Visa, a Mastercard and an American Express card in your wallet as there are benefits, promotions and earning potential unique to each brand of credit card. There are a few options that could be utilized for a British Airways portfolio however we feel the trio listed below are best suited for the task. These cards will provide strong Avios earning along with some good benefits and strong insurance coverage while not breaking the bank on annual fees.

What is Rewards Canada's Ultimate British Airways Executive Club Credit Card Wallet? It is the following three cards:

Visa: RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card

American Express: American Express Cobalt® Card

Mastercard: HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®

You may be asking why does a British Airways portfolio even make sense for someone in Canada? There are many reasons! First off, British Airways is founding member of the oneworld alliance which means you can use Avios for flights not only on British Airways but on their oneworld partners like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways just to name a few. Second, is for some really good redemption options on those airlines. From the famous Aer Lingus Toronto to Dublin Aer Lingus economy class sweet spot to redeeming for Qatar Airways QSuites to low Avios requirements for intra-European and intra-Asia flights, the options with BA's Executive Club are numerous!

Why these three?

A quick overview as to why these three cards make up this portfolio:

  • RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card: Your card to provide discounts on British Airways flights when you are purchasing them with cash and for providing an annual companion fare if you meet the minimum spend required.
  • American Express Cobalt Card: Your primary Avios earner providing up to 5 Avios per dollar spent
  • HSBC World Elite Mastercard: Your secondary Avios earner and card with No Foreign Transaction Fees (for purchases made in currencies other than C$)

The RBC British Airways Visa Card is the obvious choice in this portfolio since it is the only Executive Club co-brand card in Canada and its primary function in the portfolio is to provide discounts on British Airways flights. For American Express it's the Cobalt Card which provides the highest potential Avios earning on many everyday purchases. For the Mastercard portion of the portfolio you have the best Mastercard in Canada which provides pretty good Avios earning but more importantly no foreign transaction fees so you can save 2.5% on average for any non-C$ purchases.

Key benefits of this portfolio

  • Potential to earn a lot of Avios
  • Discounts on British Airways flights
  • Excellent insurance coverage
  • No Foreign Transaction fees

How to maximize your Avios earning with these cards

Before we jump into maximizing your earning with these cards let's look at their earn rates in Avios per dollar spent (we'll discuss the conversion rates below).

  RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card American Express Cobalt® Card HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®
British Airways Flights 2 Avios 2 Avios 2.4 Avios
Other travel purchases 1 Avios 2 Avios 2.4 Avios
Grocery 1 Avios 5 Avios 1.6 Avios
Dining / Food Delivery 1 Avios 5 Avios 0.8 Avios
Select Streaming Services 1 Avios 3 Avios 0.8 Avios
Gas 1 Avios 2 Avios 1.6 Avios
Daily Transit (includes taxi / ride shares) 1 Avios 2 Avios 0.8 Avios
Drug Stores 1 Avios 1 Avios 1.6 Avios
All other spending 1 Avios 1 Avios 0.8 Avios

Right away from the chart you can see that for the most part the card that gives you the best earn rates is the American Express Cobalt Card. The card earns Membership Rewards points that convert 1:1 to British Airways Executive Club. With earn rates of one to five Membership Rewards points it equates to one to five Avios per dollar spent. You'll want to try to funnel as much accelerated category spending as you can onto this card. Do note there is an annual cap of $30,000 on the 5x points earning for eats and drinks. There is no cap on the Cobalt card's 3x and 2x points earning categories. If you hit that cap you can move your spend to the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card to earn 1 Avios per dollar spent for dining while using the HSBC World Elite Mastercard for groceries to earn 1.6 Avios per dollar spent.

For purchases in the few categories where the Cobalt Card doesn't have the highest earn rate or where American Express isn't accepted it will be a mix of the other two cards. For example, Loblaw's family of grocery store purchases (as the don't accept Amex) as well as drug store purchases it is best to use the HSBC card as the card earns 6 points per dollar on groceries (which equates to 2.4 Avios per dollar) and 4 points per dollar for drug stores (equates to 1.6 Avios per dollar). Costco only accepts Mastercard so the HSBC is your go to card there and all other purchases can be funneled to your RBC BA card to earn 1 Avios per dollar.

It will also be a mix of the cards when it comes to travel purchases. For any travel outside of flights on British Airways you'll want to utilize the HBSC World Elite Card as it earns the most Avios on those purchases. When purchasing British Airways tickets you will most likely be better off purchasing them with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card even though it earns less than the HSBC card. In most cases the 10% discount will be worth more than the extra Avios and the purchase(s) will help you reach the $30,000 annual spend requirement to receive the companion voucher.

For example, if you purchase a $1,000 ticket with British Airways on your HSBC card you would earn the equivalent of 2,400 Avios. Thanks to the 10% discount that same ticket will only cost $900 with the RBC card and you'll earn 1,800 Avios. Those 600 extra Avios earned on the HSBC card are worth $9 (at 1.5 cents per point valuation) which doesn't even compare to the $100 saved by using the RBC card. All that said you also will have to take into consideration the RBC card does not offer trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance while HSBC does.

For transactions in foreign currencies you'll want to use the HSBC World Elite Mastercard for the majority of them to save the 2.5% charged by the RBC BA card and the Amex Cobalt Card. However, in terms of eats and drinks the Cobalt Card will earn 5x points globally so you'll want to use it as you'll still come out ahead even with the 2.5% FX fee.

In general, you will want to funnel as much spending onto the Amex Cobalt Card and then the HSBC card for one simple reason - each of the card's other redemption options. In the world of points and miles it is always good to keep a stash of points in a flexible or hybrid rewards program which American Express Membership Rewards and HSBC Rewards are. By doing so you are not limiting yourself to one program (even though we are focusing on British Airways Executive Club) since you can redeem for and travel via Membership Rewards and HSBC Rewards, use your points for statement credits and even convert to other airline and hotel programs. Essentially you're keeping your all your options open with the Cobalt and HSBC Card.

The only caveat to funneling all your spend to those two cards is if you do want to reach the annual requirement of $30,000 in spending on the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card to receive the annual companion voucher (learn more about the voucher in the next section). In that case I would still try to use the Cobalt Card as much as possible for the 5x earning and then put everything else on the RBC card.

As a tie in to keeping your points as flexible as possible we recommend that you do not transfer your American Express Membership Rewards or HSBC Rewards points to British Airways Executive Club until you know you are close to actually redeeming for an award ticket.

The only time we recommend converting points without an award in mind is during bonus time! Both issuers have run bonuses at in the past for transferring their respective points to British Airways. HSBC consistently offers it at least once pear year while American Express used to but they have been quiet on that front since 2021. We're keeping our fingers crossed to see an Amex bonus return in 2023!

The typical bonus we see from HSBC (as well as the last Amex bonus) is 30% which bumps up the effective earn rate on the HSBC card to 1.04 to 3.12 Avios per dollar. And if Amex brings it back you'd be looking at 1.3 to 6.5 Avios per dollar from the Cobalt Card.

Additional benefits from the cards in this portfolio:

This is where the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card comes in handy and that is for booking tickets and flying with British Airways. The discount is off the total cost of the fare (including taxes, fees, and carrier charges) for travel in any cabin from economy (World Traveler) to premium economy (World Traveler Plus) for business (Club World) or even First Class. If you buy several British Airways tickets a year, that 10% off can provide big savings – especially if it is for business or first class. Think about a business class flight between Toronto and London that can run $5,000 or more. Ten percent of that is $500 and that alone pays for the $165 annual fee a few times over! Click here to learn more about the 10% discount.

The second benefit to the RBC card is the annual Companion Award eVoucher. You'll receive the voucher when you spend $30,000 or more on the card in any calendar year. This voucher is used when you make an award booking which means it can save you a lot of Avios! What this means is that when you book an award ticket departing from Canada you can use the voucher when to redeem for second award ticket on the same reservation to take a companion along. All you pay are the taxes and fees for the companion fare. Just like the 10% discount this is benefit is available on all fare classes. Thinking about a business class reward that is 100,000 Avios per person? Well, with this voucher it basically becomes 50,000 Avios per person - plus taxes and fees of course!

The American Express Cobalt Card itself does not have a lot of travel benefits outside of its decent insurance coverage. However It does have Amex Offers, which are offers provided to cardmembers throughout the year where you can receive statement credits or bonus points for shopping with specific retailers. The card also has American Express Experiences which include Front of the Line concert tickets and other special event offers.

Finally, the HSBC World Elite Mastercard provides you with No Foreign Transaction fees, Mastercard Travel Pass by Dragon Pass and an annual $100 travel enhancement credit. That $100 travel credit can be used towards seat selection fees, baggage fees or even to cover the lounge access fee when using your Mastercard Travel Pass. The HSBC card also comes with an excellent insurance coverage including the country's best out of province emergency medical coverage for those over 65.

Earn up to 107,000 Avios with the welcome bonuses in the first year

The RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card has a limited time welcome bonus offer providing up to 60,000 Avios in the first year. The bonus is awarded as 15,000 Avios when you are approved for the card and then 35,000 Avios when you spend $6,000 in the first three months. You'll earn the final 10,000 points after the first year with the card as an anniversary bonus

The American Express Cobalt Card offers up 15,000 welcome bonus points over the course of 12 months. It is awarded as 1,250 bonus points for each month that you spend $750 or more on the card. Those 15,000 points work out to 15,000 Avios.

The HSBC World Elite Mastercard also has a limited time welcome bonus that awards up to 80,000 HSBC Rewards Points along with no annual fee in the first year. 20,000 points are awarded when you are approved for the card and then you can earn 10,000 points each month when you spend at least $1,000 each month for the first 6 months of account opening. Those 80,000 points work out to 32,000 Avios.

If you do get yourself all the card in the Ultimate British Airways Credit Card Portfolio you'll have 122,000 Avios not including the Avios you earn on your actual spending to receive those bonuses. That's more than enough Avios for four round trip tickets in economy class between Toronto and Dublin on Aer Lingus or a one round trip business class ticket to the UK on British Airways.

Recommended reading: RWRDS Availability Alert: Aer Lingus Business Class Toronto to Dublin

Here are further details on these three cards:


RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card

RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card

Get Up To 60,000 Aviosˆ with the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite

Annual Fee: $165 | Additional Card Fee: $75 | 20.99% on purchases 22.99%* on cash advances and balance transfers *21.99% if you reside in Quebec.



Terms & Conditions apply




Receive up to 60,000 Aviosˆ, here’s how:
Step 1: Receive 15,000 Avios as welcome bonus upon approval
Step 2: 35,000 bonus Avios when you spend $6,000 CAD in the first 3 months
Step 3: Another 10,000 bonus Avios after your first yearˆ
  • Collect 1 Avios for every $1 CAD spent on qualifying net purchases*
  • Collect double Avios when you shop with British Airways and BA Holidays*
  • Earn a companion voucher when you spend $30,000 CAD annually. You can either take a companion with you or fly solo instead for a 50% Avios discount on the cost of one reward seat ticket. Plus, you'll have the flexibility to pay a lower, flat fee to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges and a fixed Avios amount when you make a Reward Flight booking
  • 10% off British Airways flights when you book and pay with your card∞
  • Redeem for flights and more - you can spend your Avios on all of the travel things you love, including cabin upgrades with British Airways or reward flights with British Airways and any of the oneworld partner airlines to almost 1,000 destinations worldwide**
  • Comprehensive Insurances including 31–day out of country/province emergency medical insurance1, flight delay insurance2, hotel burglary3 and rental car4 insurance. Even eligible purchases you make with the card are protected3.
  • Luxury Visa Infinite benefits5 such as first in line service for exclusive events and hotel and dining exclusives via www.visainfinite.ca
  • Complimentary 24/7 Concierge Service5
  • Link your RBC card with a Petro-Points membership to instantly save 3₵ per litre on fuel at Petro-Canada stations and earn 20% more Petro-Points and 20% more RBC rewards points
  • Get $0 delivery fees for 12 months from DoorDash
  • Link your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card with a Rexall Be Well account and get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall. Redeem Be Well points faster for savings in store on eligible purchases where 25,000 Be Well points = $10

Corresponding legal references and product terms are available on the RBC website, which will be available and agreed upon in the customer onboarding process.

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American Express Cobalt Card

Top Overall Travel Rewards Credit Card Top Hybrid Travel Credit

American Express Cobalt® Card

2024 Top Overall Travel Rewards Card | 2024 Top Hybrid Travel Rewards Card
In your first year as a new Cobalt Cardmember, you can earn 1,250 Membership Rewards® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in net purchases on your Card. This could add up to 15,000 points in a year. That’s up to $150 towards a weekend getaway or concert tickets

Monthly Fee $12.99/month of Cardmembership ($155.88 annually) | Additional Cards: $0 | Annual interest rate 20.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances

  • Earn 5x the points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada, including groceries and food delivery. Spend cap applies.
  • Earn 3x the points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada
  • Earn 2x the points on eligible ride shares, transit & gas in Canada
  • Earn 1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings via American Express Travel Online 
  • Earn 1x point for every $1 in Card purchases everywhere else
  • Enjoy access to hotel bookings, and up to $100 USD hotel credit  to use on amenities when charged to the room for a stay of 2 or more consecutive nights through The Hotel Collection from American Express Travel
  • Transfer points 1:1 to several frequent flyer and other loyalty programs
  • Cobalt Cardmembers receive regular Perks such as bonus reward offers and access to great events
  • Access Front Of The Line® Presale & Reserved Tickets to some of your favourite concerts and theatre performances and special offers and events curated for Cardmembers with American Express® Experiences
  • American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment
  • Click here to apply for the American Express Cobalt Card


HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® Top No FX Fee Credit Card

HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®

Top No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card for 2023

Primary Cardholder Annual Fee: $149 (1st year annual fee rebate*) | Authorized User Annual Fee: $0 Per Card | Annual interest rate: 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances and balance transfers. | $80,000 personal or $150,000 household annual income



This card has been closed to new applications





• Receive a $100 annual travel enhancement credit*

• With the HSBC World Elite Mastercard you earn 6 points for $1 in Net Purchases which are Travel Purchases, 4 Points for $1 in Net Purchases that are Gas, Grocery and Drugstore Purchases and 2 Points for $1 in Net Purchases, other than Travel, Gas, Grocery and Drugstore Purchases.
• Save on all your foreign currency purchases (even online) with no additional foreign currency conversion charges.
• Enjoy maximum flexibility and redeem your Points on your terms for:

• Travel
• Gift cards and valuable merchandise
• Financial rewards
• Rewards for miles

*Terms and Conditions apply
®/TM Mastercard and World Elite are registered trademarks, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Used pursuant to licence

This offer is only available to residents of Canada other than the province of Quebec (Quebec residents eligible for separate offer)





Other Card Options:

For American Express you actually have a variety of cards you could actually choose from including the American Express Gold Rewards Card or The Platinum Card. These cards will earn less points (Avios) but provide more benefits than the Cobalt Card. The Platinum Card is well known as the best airport lounge access card in Canada so if you fly a lot and need lounge access this is the card to get. The Platinum Card also provides discounts on British Airways flights via the International Airline Program, however the discount is only available on premium fares.

On the Visa side of things the best alternative option is the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card. With the Avion card you are able to convert your Avion Rewards points on a 1:1 based to British Airways and just like HSBC, RBC tends to offer a transfer bonus once or twice per year. If you include that bonus this card will actually earn more than the RBC BA card (outside of British Airways bookings) but you would forego your 10% discount and the ability to earn that companion voucher.

With Mastercard there are no other options for earning Avios (either directly or by conversion) so there are no other cards that can be truly considered as a British Airways card. However, if the majority of your purchases go onto the Cobalt Card and the RBC British Airways Card you could look at adding a no annual fee Mastercard such as the Rogers World Elite Mastercard in place of the HSBC card to save some money on annual fees.

This feature was first posted on August 7, 2017 and is updated regularly.

Title image courtesy of British Airways

 


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