Earn rates
The Visa Infinite earns at two rates. Air Canada purchases, gas stations, EV charging, and grocery stores earn 1.5x Aeroplan points, up to a combined $80,000 per year in those categories. All other purchases earn 1x. At Air Canada specifically, the card earn stacks on top of the Aeroplan miles you earn from the flight itself, so the card rate is additive to the flight credit.
| Spending category | Earn rate | Points per $100 spent |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada purchases | 1.5x Aeroplan | 150 pts |
| Gas and EV charging | 1.5x Aeroplan | 150 pts |
| Grocery stores | 1.5x Aeroplan | 150 pts |
| Everything else | 1x Aeroplan | 100 pts |
1 Aeroplan point ≈ 1.5¢ in travel at typical fixed-chart redemptions, and more on premium-cabin partner awards. Actual value varies by route and partner.
The 1.5x rate applies to a combined maximum of $80,000 per year across all eligible categories. Spending above that cap earns at the base 1x rate.
Key benefits
The Smart Plus fee waiver
CIBC Smart Plus is CIBC’s premium chequing account. The monthly fee is $29.95, but it is waived entirely when you maintain a minimum daily balance of $4,000 in the account. Account holders receive up to $139 toward the Aeroplan Visa Infinite annual fee — covering it completely.
The Smart Plus waiver makes the most sense if you already bank at CIBC and carry or can maintain a $4,000 balance. If you don’t bank at CIBC, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite is a stronger comparable: the $100 Nexus credit per cardholder offsets much of that card’s $139 fee without requiring a banking relationship change. See the TD vs. CIBC comparison for a full breakdown.
Free checked bag
The free checked bag benefit applies when you book Air Canada flights with the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite. The primary cardholder and up to eight companions on the same booking each receive one free checked bag on Air Canada–operated flights. On a return trip for two people, the savings are approximately $120 to $180 depending on the route, which on its own approaches the annual fee.
Aeroplan status acceleration
The card earns 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits per $20,000 spent, up to a maximum of 25,000 SQC per year — the same rate as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite. That 25,000 SQC annual cap applies across all Aeroplan co-branded cards combined, regardless of issuer. For most cardholders the contribution is modest but meaningful for members within reach of a tier threshold.
Travel insurance on the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite
The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite scores 81 of 100 on the figures its certificate publishes, joint 17th of the 59 Canadian cards compared. Emergency medical is capped at $5,000,000 for trips up to 15 days. At 65 the longest covered trip falls from 15 days to 3.
| Emergency medical | $5,000,000 · age 0–64: 15 days; age 65+: 3 days · 90-day stability window |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | $1,500 per person · $5,000 per account |
| Trip interruption | $2,000 per person |
| Flight or trip delay | $500 per person · after 4 hours · $500 per trip |
| Baggage delay | $500 per person · after 6 hours |
| Rental car collision or damage | Pays first · rentals to 48 days · vehicles to $85,000 |
You must charge 75% of the trip cost to the card for the coverage to apply. A booking made with points still qualifies. You have 90 days from the incident to report a claim. Dependent children are covered to age 21.
Every figure from the certificate, with its own wording
| Emergency medical | limit: $5,000,000 (per insured person, per trip) age 0–64: $5,000,000, 15 days; age 65+: $5,000,000, 3 days pre existing stability days: 90 days (180 days if age 65 or over on the departure date) |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | per person: $1,500 (per insured person, per trip) per account: $5,000 (per trip for all insured persons combined) covered reasons: Your medical condition or admission to a hospital or medical facility following an emergency. (first of 27 covered reasons set out in the chart; remaining reasons omitted for length) |
| Trip interruption | per person: $2,000 (covers Trip Interruption and Trip Delay, per insured person, per trip) |
| Flight or trip delay | per person: $500 (aggregate for all insured persons combined, not per person; sub-limits of $100 for transportation and $100 for entertainment expenses) trigger hours: 4 hours (certificate prints the figure in words (four hours); the product summary prints the numeral) per trip cap: $500 (per occurrence for all insured persons combined) |
| Baggage delay | per person: $500 (aggregate of $1,000 for all insured persons combined; purchases must be made within four days of the delay) trigger hours: 6 hours (certificate prints the figure in words (six hours); the product summary prints the numeral) |
| Lost, stolen or damaged baggage | per person: $500 (aggregate of $1,000 for all insured persons combined per occurrence) |
| Travel accident | limit: $500,000 (per insured person; maximum payable for one accident regardless of the number of losses) common carrier only: Yes (also covers a taxi, bus, train or airport limousine travelling directly to or from a terminal, and time in the terminal) covers 24h: No (coverage runs from boarding or arrival at the terminal until alighting or departure from the terminal) |
| Hotel or motel burglary | $2,500 (per burglary occurrence for all insured persons combined) |
| Emergency travel assistance | offered: Yes (provided by Global Excel Management Inc. under the travel medical certificate) hotline url: cibc.client.insure (printed without a scheme in both documents; assistance is by phone at 1 866 363-3338 or collect 905 403-3338) |
| Rental car collision or damage | is primary: Yes (except for losses waived or assumed by the rental agency or its insurer; no deductible) limit basis: the actual cash value of the rental car and valid rental agency loss of use charges vehicle value cap: $85,000 (MSRP in the vehicle's model year, excluding all taxes, at the place the rental agreement is signed or the car is picked up) max rental days: 48 days (consecutive days; exceeding 48 days voids coverage for the whole rental) excluded classes: Vans, cargo vans or mini cargo vans (other than mini-vans), Trucks, pick-up trucks or any vehicle that can be spontaneously reconfigured into a pick-up truck, Limousines, Off-road vehicles, Motorcycles, mopeds or motor bikes (vehicle-type items 3 to 7 of the certificate's excluded vehicles list; later items (trailers, campers, recreational vehicles, buses, handmade vehicles, antiques, tax-free cars) omitted for length) territory: The rental car may be driven across provincial and state boundaries in Canada and the United States and between Canada and the United States. (stated as an exception to the exclusion for operating the car in violation of the rental agreement; coverage requires Canadian residency) |
| Purchase protection | days: 90 days (from the date of purchase; applies when at least a portion of the purchase price is charged to the card) limit per year: $60,000 (stated as a maximum total per cardholder for all CIBC cards held, shared with Extended Protection; the document does not state it as an annual figure) |
| Extended warranty | cap: $60,000 (maximum total per cardholder for all CIBC cards held, shared with Purchase Security) |
| Mobile device | limit: $1,000 (per occurrence and per insured person; one claim in any 12 consecutive months and two in any 48 consecutive months across all CIBC cards) requires full charge: Yes (full purchase price charged to the card, or financed with the card through a provider's payment plan with all bill payments charged to the card) eligible events: Mobile Device Insurance provides coverage in the event your mobile device is lost, stolen or accidentally damaged, anywhere in the world. (coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase when the full price is charged to the card, and ends two years from purchase) |
Figures above are from the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card Certificates of Insurance, effective 2025-07-01, underwritten by Belair Insurance Company Inc.. Checked against the certificate for 13 coverage types. Terms change without notice; verify with the issuer before relying on any figure.
Income requirement
The Visa Infinite requires a personal income of $60,000 or a household income of $100,000. If you do not meet the income threshold, the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Platinum is the entry-level alternative, though with a weaker earn rate on non-bonus categories.
What the earn math looks like
A cardholder spending $2,500 per month, split across typical categories:
| Category | Monthly spend | Rate | Monthly points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | $600 | 1.5x | 900 pts |
| Gas | $200 | 1.5x | 300 pts |
| All other spending | $1,700 | 1x | 1,700 pts |
| Total | $2,500 | 2,900 pts / mo |
34,800 Aeroplan points per year from everyday spending at this mix. At a conservative 1.5 cents per point, that is approximately $522 in Aeroplan value annually. For CIBC Smart Plus account holders who qualify for the fee waiver, the card’s net annual cost is $0, making the earn-to-fee ratio exceptional.
Good fit if
- You already bank at CIBC and maintain or can maintain a $4,000 Smart Plus balance
- You want strong Aeroplan earn on gas and groceries without a net annual fee
- You fly Air Canada regularly and want free checked bag coverage for travel companions
Not sure this is the card for how you travel? Book a free conversation, or see membership plans for ongoing help.
Less useful if
- You bank at TD and frequently cross into the U.S. The TD Infinite’s $100 Nexus credit is a more direct offset and requires no banking change.
- You want the highest earn rates across all categories, including dining and transit — the Infinite Privilege adds 1.5x on those categories
- You rarely use gas and grocery as primary spend buckets and would benefit more from a transferable-points card
See it in action
A flat bed across the Atlantic on Aeroplan's fixed chart, with no fuel surcharges. The redemption that makes points worth learning.
See the math →