The $150 travel credit covers the fee
The card gives a $150 annual credit toward travel-related fees: seat selection, checked baggage, airport parking, seat upgrades, and lounge access. If you take even one or two trips a year, those charges are easy to hit, and the credit cancels the $150 annual fee outright. Treat the effective fee as $0 for any traveller who will use the credit, then read the earn rate and lounge access as pure upside.
Earn rates
The card earns À la carte Rewards points at three tiers. Groceries and restaurants earn 5 points per dollar on combined spending up to $2,500 per month, then 2 points per dollar beyond that. Gas, EV charging, recurring bill payments, and travel booked through À la carte earn 2 points per dollar. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar.
| Spending category | Earn rate | Points per $100 spent |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries & restaurants (to $2,500/mo combined) | 5 pts / $1 | 500 pts |
| Groceries & restaurants (beyond the cap) | 2 pts / $1 | 200 pts |
| Gas, EV charging, recurring bills, travel | 2 pts / $1 | 200 pts |
| Everything else | 1 pt / $1 | 100 pts |
À la carte Rewards points are worth about 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through the À la carte Rewards platform, so the 5x rate returns roughly 5% in travel value within the monthly cap. Redeem against any travel purchase with no blackout dates. Verify the current point value and cap with National Bank before applying.
National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau
The card includes unlimited complimentary access to the National Bank Lounge in the international section of Montreal-Trudeau Airport (YUL). Access covers the cardholder plus one guest and up to two children under 12, when departing on an international flight. For a traveller who flies internationally out of Montreal, this is the card’s defining benefit, and it is unusual: most cards cap lounge visits per year, while this one does not for that single lounge.
The trade-off is that the lounge benefit is tied to one airport. Travellers who fly mainly out of Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, or other Canadian hubs will get less from it, and should weigh a card with a broader lounge network such as Priority Pass or Visa Airport Companion instead.
Key benefits
À la carte Rewards
À la carte Rewards is National Bank’s in-house points program. Points redeem for travel at about 1 cent each through the À la carte Rewards platform, applied against flights, hotels, car rentals, and other travel purchases with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. The program is fixed-value rather than transferable: points do not move to airline frequent-flyer programs like Aeroplan.
That keeps redemption simple and predictable. The trade-off is the same as any fixed-value program: you cannot chase the outsized 2 to 4 cents per point that a transferable currency like Aeroplan or Amex Membership Rewards can reach on premium-cabin long-haul awards. For travellers who value a high, reliable everyday earn rate over award-chart optimization, the fixed value is a feature, not a limitation.
Travel insurance
- Emergency medical: 60 days (age 54 and under)
- Emergency medical: 31 days (55–64), 15 days (65–75)
- Trip cancellation: up to $2,500 per person
- Trip interruption: up to $5,000 per person
- Flight delay: up to $500 per person
- Baggage delay: up to $500 per person
- Lost or stolen baggage: up to $1,000 per person
- Rental car collision / damage waiver
- Purchase protection: 180 days
- Extended warranty: up to 2 additional years
Emergency medical coverage shortens with age: 60 days for travellers 54 and under, 31 days for 55 to 64, and 15 days for 65 to 75. Travellers near or beyond those windows should arrange supplemental insurance for longer trips. Always review the certificate of insurance before departure.
What the earn math looks like
A cardholder spending $2,500 per month, weighted toward the categories this card rewards:
| Category | Monthly spend | Rate | Monthly points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries and restaurants | $1,100 | 5x | 5,500 pts |
| Gas, recurring bills, travel | $300 | 2x | 600 pts |
| All other spending | $1,100 | 1x | 1,100 pts |
| Total | $2,500 | 7,200 pts / mo |
86,400 À la carte Rewards points per year at this spend mix, or about $864 in travel value at 1 cent per point. The $150 travel credit cancels the $150 fee, so that value is effectively net. That is a ~2.9% all-in return on everyday spend, lifted higher for anyone who concentrates more of the monthly cap on groceries and dining.
Good fit if
- You fly internationally out of Montreal and will use unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.
- You spend heavily on groceries and dining. The combined 5x rate up to $2,500 a month is among the best everyday earn structures in Canada.
- You will use the $150 travel credit on baggage, seat selection, parking, or upgrades, which cancels the annual fee.
Less useful if
- You fly mainly out of Toronto, Vancouver, or Calgary: the lounge benefit is tied to Montreal-Trudeau, so a card with a Priority Pass or Visa Airport Companion network may serve you better.
- You want to maximize cents per point on premium-cabin awards: À la carte Rewards is fixed at about 1 cent per point and does not transfer to airline programs like Aeroplan.
- You do not meet the $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income requirement for World Elite Mastercard eligibility.