CIBC Aventura Credit Card Offers Worth $500+

In addition to Aeroplan credit cards, CIBC has also come out with updates to its in-house Aventura line of credit cards.

These offers have an open-ended expiry date, and are valid as of June 1, 2023. Let’s take a closer look at what’s currently available.

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite & Visa Gold: 40,000 Aventura Points

CIBC’s core in-house rewards product, the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card, is presently offering 40,000 Aventura points and an annual fee waiver for the first year.

The welcome bonus is structured as follows:

• 20,000 Aventura points upon first purchase
• 20,000 Aventura points upon spending $1,000 in the the first four months

This isn’t amongst the strongest offers CIBC has put forward on the Aventura Visa Infinite over the years. At the same time, the minimum spending requirement to unlock the full bonus is quite attainable, and as long as you spend $250 in each of the first four months, you’ll have fulfilled all the requirements.

Likewise, with the ongoing ability to redeem Aventura points for 1.25 cents per point (cpp) against pending travel purchases extended through to March 31, 2024, 40,000 Aventura points can go a long way towards offsetting expenses from a trip that you can’t otherwise book with points.

When it comes to daily spending, the card awards modest rewards on everyday purchases:

• Earn 2 Aventura points per dollar spent on travel booked via the CIBC Travel Rewards Centre
• Earn 1.5 Aventura points per dollar spent on gas, groceries, and drugstore purchases
• Earn 1 Aventura point per dollar spent on all other purchases

As a cardholder, you’ll also get a DragonPass membership with four lounge passes for you and your guests (including access to airport restaurants and experiences), as well as a NEXUS application fee rebate.

Applicants must have at least $60,000 in annual personal income, or $100,000 in annual household income to be eligible.

If you don’t meet the income threshold of the Visa Infinite, you could instead apply for the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card as long as your income is over $15,000, with an equivalent welcome offer.

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege: 80,000 Aventura Points

The premium variant of the Aventura family, the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege Card, has a welcome bonus of up to 80,000 Aventura points, distributed as follows:

• 50,000 Aventura points upon spending $3,000 in the first four months
• 30,000 Aventura points upon renewing the card for a second year

In this case, not only is there is a high welcome bonus, but the points are also easy to earn without a monthly spending requirement. $3,000 is a very achievable minimum spend requirement, and 50,000 Aventura points is quite a generous lump sum.

The regular earning rates on the Visa Infinite Privilege card are more generous than its lower-tier counterparts:

• Earn 3 Aventura points per dollar spent on travel booked via the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre
• Earn 2 Aventura points per dollar spent on dining, entertainment, transportation, gas, and groceries
• Earn 1.25 Aventura points per dollar spent on all other purchases

The card comes with an annual fee of $499. Luckily, it can be reduced by $139 if you have a CIBC Smart Plus Chequing Account. It can also be partially offset by the card’s $200 annual travel credit, bookable by phone with the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre.

By maximizing these two rebates, you can reduce the net annual fee to $160.

In fact, since the annual travel credit is based on a calendar year cycle, you could even redeem two sets of the $200 travel credit and come out ahead in the first year!

The Visa Infinite Privilege card comes with the same travel benefits as the Visa Infinite card, but stronger: six DragonPass visits per year instead of four, and more insurance coverage.

You’ll also have access to the Visa Infinite Privilege Concierge service, which is useful for booking exclusive experiences, such as dining reservations or event tickets, as well as travel arrangements.

If you intend to renew the card for a second year, you’ll be given 30,000 Aventura points, which are worth a minimum of $300. Combined with the $200 annual travel credit, you’ll effectively get to keep this card for a second year and continue enjoying its Visa Infinite Privilege perks for no fee, if you so choose. 

You must have at least $200,000 in annual household income to apply for any Visa Infinite Privilege card.

CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Business: 60,000 Aventura Points…?

At first glance, the offer for the CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Business looks very strong, at 60,000 Aventura points. This is the same signup bonus as seasons past, but now, the card comes with an annual fee rebate for the first year.

However, the breakdown of the bonus is its demise:

• 25,000 Aventura points upon first purchase
• 35,000 Aventura points upon spending $35,000 in the first year

You need to spend $35,000 to earn the full welcome bonus. That’s just shy of $3,000 per month for a full year. Consider that many other premium cards require $5,000 total over three months to earn the full bonus, and it’s pretty clear that your spending volume could be better allocated to other cards. 

While it’s easy enough to get business credit cards, there are better cards out there at the moment. I’d favour cards like the Business Platinum Card from American Express, with a larger bonus and a more valuable award program.

If you are interested in picking up this card for your business, here are the everyday rewards rates on purchases:

• Earn 2 Aventura points per dollar spent on travel booked via the CIBC Rewards Travel Centre
• Earn 1.5 Aventura points per dollar spent on gas and other travel purchases
• Earn 1 Aventura point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Applicants can be approved with at least $35,000 in personal annual income. Or, if you’d prefer to apply on the basis of your business financials, you can apply for the CIBC Aventura Visa Card for Business Plus, which has all of the same features and bonuses.

Conclusion

CIBC is running a couple of decent welcome bonuses on Aventura credit cards. The best option is the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege Card, which is offering up to 80,000 Aventura points upon spending $3,000 in four months and renewing the card for a second year.

The ongoing promotion of redeeming Aventura points towards all pending travel purchases at 1.25cpp is set to run until March 31, 2024, so you have plenty of time to make the most of any of these CIBC Aventura signup bonuses.

Although not the highest priority, you can treat Aventura as a strong filler option for collecting points. If you’ve exhausted, say, your Aeroplan opportunities and are at a loss for your next card, now would be a good time to diversify into other points programs.