Quick overview of the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard
The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is like multiple cards in one. You can redeem your points for travel, gift cards, merchandise or a statement credit – the choice is yours, and your points never expire. The pace at which you’ll collect rewards with the card is also stellar, as it has some of the highest earning rates available in categories in which you probably spend a lot of money.
Who is the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard for?
This card is designed for individuals seeking a rewards program with a wide range of benefits and perks. Whether you're a frequent traveler, a shopping enthusiast or want to earn rewards on everyday purchases, the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard is an excellent option and one of the best credit cards in Canada.
With its generous rewards program, cardholders can earn points on every dollar spent, which can be redeemed for travel, merchandise or even cash back. Additionally, this card offers various travel benefits, including travel insurance coverage, purchase protection and concierge services. It's ideal for those looking to maximize reward potential and enjoy exclusive benefits.
Pros and cons
Pros
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High earn rates: Up to 5 points per $1 on groceries, restaurants, digital media, memberships, utilities
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Generous welcome bonus of up to 30,000 points, covering first-year annual fee
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Points never expire, flexible redemption options including travel and statement credit
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Birthday bonus: Up to 15,000 points annually, 10% of points earned in the previous year
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Comprehensive benefits: Price protection, purchase assurance, extended warranty, travel insurance
Cons
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High income requirements: $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income
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Annual fee of $120 after the first year
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Travel insurance package not as robust as other cards at similar price points
MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® welcome bonus
The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® comes with a welcome offer of up to 30,000 bonus points after making $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening. Additionally, new accounts can earn an additional 10,000 bonus points†† after enrolling for paperless e-statements within the first 90 days after opening an account.
These two welcome offers have a combined value of approximately $300 when redeemed for travel or $250 when redeemed for a card statement, so the welcome bonus more than offsets the card’s $120 annual fee in your first year.
How to Earn MBNA Rewards Points with the World Elite Mastercard
The MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard is similar to the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard® in that it allows cardholders to earn additional points in select "everyday" categories. What makes the card differ besides the $150 annual fee (plus $50 per year for each additional cardholder) is that the rewards are supercharged:
- Earn 5 MBNA Rewards points for every $1 spent†† in several categories, including groceries, restaurants, digital media, memberships and household utilities.
- Earn 1 MBNA Rewards point for every $1 spent†† on any eligible purchase made with the card.
The Platinum Plus card earns just 2 points in the bonus categories, capped at $10,000 in annual spending, whereas the World Elite Mastercard's cap is a massive $50,000, so the annual fee is truly worth it for anyone planning to really make use of the World Elite version of the MBNA Rewards credit card.
But the card also has another unusual benefit that gives it added long-term value: Each year, you receive up to 15,000 extra points as part of your Birthday Bonus‡, which amounts to 10% of the total number of points you earned in the 12 months prior to your birthday.
How to redeem MBNA Rewards points
MBNA Rewards points can be redeemed on whatever cardholder wants, including cash back against a statement, travel rewards (airfare, hotels, rental cars), gift cards, merchandise and more. When redeeming MBNA Rewards for travel, 100 points are worth $1. When redeeming for cash back against a statement, 120 points are worth $1 (or about $0.0083 per point). That’s a very, very good rate for redeeming points against a statement credit; most rewards cards charge $0.005 per point for those redemptions.
Key Benefits of the MBNA Rewards World Elite Card
You will need to either have a minimum personal income of $80,000 or a minimum household income of $150,000 to be eligible for the card††††. If you don’t meet those income requirements you might consider the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard® instead.
Probably the biggest benefit of the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is the hugely impressive earning rate the card provides in critical everyday categories. Those categories include eligible dining, grocery, digital media, memberships and household utilities (think hydro, gas, etc.), which provide additional rewards for those who prefer earning points on recurring items (and shifting those rewards towards travel or cash back).
Equally generous is the spend cap with the card. Like the rewards earning rate, that cap is 5X what you get with the Platinum Plus Mastercard. Even better, the top-end rewards with the card can quickly compensate for the $120 annual fee if used correctly. Add to that the up to 15,000 bonus points on your birthday month, and you will have a big earner that can provide significant value for money.
MBNA World Elite Mastercard insurance coverage
As a World Elite Mastercard product, the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® features a very impressive selection of insurance coverage to keep cardholders safe. These include:
- Rental vehicle collision damage waiver benefits: Enjoy car rental coverage for up to 31 days when you use the card to make your car rental booking and waive the additional coverage at the counter.
- Price protection: If you make a purchase with your card and find the same product advertised in Canada at a lower price within 60 days after purchase, the difference will be refunded, up to $500 per item and $1000 per year across all price protection claims.
- Purchase assurance: This policy covers eligible items purchased with your MBNA credit card for the first 90 days from the date of purchase.
- Extended warranty benefits: Doubles eligible warranties for up to one additional year on eligible purchases made with your MBNA credit card.
- Travel benefits: Lost Document and Ticket Replacement, Lost Luggage Assistance and Legal Assistance
- Travel insurance: Coverage for Common Carrier Accidents, Unexpected Return Home, Personal Effects and Travel Medical Insurance
- Mobile device insurance: Up to $1,000 in coverage for eligible mobile devices in the event of loss, theft, accidental damage, or mechanical breakdown
The card also features the enhanced benefits that come from Mastercard World Elite cards. These include 24-hour fraud monitoring, emergency card services (including emergency card replacement and emergency cash transfers), and Mastercard zero liability coverage against fraudulent transactions.
Extra benefits of the World Elite Mastercard from MBNA
The MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard offers several additional benefits designed to give you peace of mind at home or abroad:
- Concierge service: This service offers time-saving assistance for various tasks such as booking travel and accommodations, making restaurant reservations and securing tickets to popular events. Costs for these services are charged to your MBNA Rewards World Elite credit card.
- Additional rental car discounts: When you use the MBNA Rewards World Elite card to book rental cars through Avis or Budget, you'll receive up to a 10% discount off the base rate (10% off in Canada and 5% off in the United States). Quote your discount code (#C078405 for Avis or #A331704 for Budget) at the time of reservation and charge the full rental to your MBNA credit card.
- Emergency card services: Access to emergency card replacement and emergency support.
How the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® compares
Is the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard worth it?
With the first year's annual fee more than compensated by the card's generous welcome bonus and a particularly favorable earning rate for high-spend categories such as groceries and restaurants, this card is ideal for individuals who want to earn and redeem rewards without having to alter their spending habits or worry about redemption restrictions. Price protection and other benefits are included as an added bonus.
However, compared to other rewards cards in the same price range, the card's travel insurance package is not the most comprehensive.
MBNA World Elite eligibility requirements
The MBNA Rewards World Elite credit card is available to all Canadian residents of the age of majority in their province/territory of residence. Additionally, a "good" credit score of around 660 is generally required to apply for the card successfully.
You'll also need to either have a minimum personal income of $80,000 or a minimum household income of $150,000 to be eligible for the card††††. If you don’t meet those income requirements, you might consider the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard® instead.
FAQs about the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
††, ‡, ✪, ***, ††††, Terms and Conditions apply.
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec.
Sponsored advertising. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and TD is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete information on this MBNA credit card, please click on the “Apply Now” button.
The Toronto-Dominion Bank is the issuer of this credit card. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. ®MBNA and other-trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.
Cory Santos is a finance editor at Money.ca
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