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Author: Money.ca

By Money.ca

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This offer is not available for residents of Quebec.

The TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card stands out among travel credit cards for its nice welcome bonus, strong rewards rate on all purchases, and particularly massive earn rate for purchases via through Expedia® For TD†. It also offers substantial long-term value for those who have a TD All-Inclusive Banking Plan, as that membership rebates the card’s annual fees for the primary cardholder and an Authorized User.

Unfortunately the card leaves a bit to be desired due to its relative lack of auxiliary travel features. This could underwhelm some travelers but may be forgivable for those who are just focused on getting as many free flights and hotel nights as possible.

Pros and Cons of the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card

Pros

Pros

  • Major combined value for the welcome bonus (up to $1,000†)
  • Good base earn rate on all purchases
  • Huge earn rate when you book travel through Expedia® For TD†
  • Very flexible redemption options
  • $100 TD Travel Credit† when you book at Expedia® For TD
  • Visa Infinite Benefits
  • Great savings on annual fees for accountholders of TD’s All-Inclusive Banking Plan
Cons

Cons

  • Does not provide free lounge access
  • Charges foreign transaction fees

Welcome bonus

Earn up to $1,000 in value†, including up to 115,000 TD Rewards Points† and no Annual Fee for the first year†. Conditions Apply. Account must be approved by January 3, 2024.

  • Earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 TD Rewards Points when you make your first purchase with your card†.
  • Earn 95,000 TD Rewards Points when you spend $5,000 within 180 days of account opening†.
  • Earn a birthday bonus of up to 10,000 TD Rewards Points†.
  • Get an annual TD Travel Credit† of $100 when you book at Expedia® For TD.
  • Get a free 12 month† Uber One membership (that's $120 in value†). 
  • Get an Annual Fee Rebate for the first year†.

To receive the first-year annual fee rebate, you must activate your card and make your first purchase on the account within the first 3 months after account opening and you must add your additional cardholders by January 4, 2024.

Apply now.

Earning TD Points

  • Earn 8 TD Rewards Points† for every $1 you spend when you book travel through Expedia® For TD†
  • Earn 6 TD Rewards Points† for every $1 you spend on Groceries and Restaurants†
  • Earn 4 TD Rewards Points† for every $1 you spend on regularly recurring bill payments set up on your Account†
  • Earn 2 TD Rewards Points For every $1 you spend on other purchases made using your card†

Points don’t expire as long as your account is active, and the card has no caps on the total amount of TD Points that can be earned.

Redeeming TD Points

Though there are a number of redemption options with TD Points, you get the best value when redeeming for travel via one of two methods:

Book Any Way†

The Book Any Way† redemption path allows you to charge eligible travel expenses to your credit card and then retroactively redeem your points for those expenses within 90 days of the expense date. Travel expenses may include but are not limited to:

  • Flights
  • Air travel taxes
  • Baggage fees
  • Airport parking and shuttles
  • Car rentals
  • Local commuter transport, like trains, buses or subways
  • Cruises
  • Lodging
  • Travel attractions and entertainment

Each point redeemed via Book Any Way† is worth $0.004 for the first $1,200 of any redemption and $0.005 for the remainder of any redemption above $1,200.

Expedia® For TD

Points can alternatively be redeemed† for flights, hotels, vacation packages and rental cars via ExpediaForTD.com. Redeeming with this method yields a flat value of $0.005 per point. The site will indicate the dollar value of the TD points you have on hand, and then you apply those points to your travel purchase when checking out.

Aside from the high value in earning and redeeming† rewards via ExpediaForTD.com, the platform also provides a nice price guarantee feature: If you find a cheaper Flight + Hotel package within 24 hours of booking or a cheaper hotel rate up to 48 hours before check-in, Expedia will refund the difference between what you paid and the lower rate you found.

Other redemption paths

TD Points can also be redeemed for the following, though the value you get per point tends to be lower than what you get for the above two travel redemption methods.

  • Amazon’s Shop with Points†: Select your TD card as your method of payment at Amazon.ca checkout, then automatically apply points toward your purchase. 10K TD Points can be redeemed for $33 (value of $0.0033 per point) and can be redeemed for Amazon.ca purchases either in part or in full.
  • TD’s Shop the Mall†: Redeem points for clothing, electronics and computers from retailers like Roots, Zara, and the Body Shop.
  • TD’s Shop the Catalogue†: Redeem points for merchandise including clothing, games, furniture, and appliances.
  • Gift cards† at retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Canadian Tire, and more.
  • Cash statement credit† for your TD card account. This requires a minimum 10K points to redeem. The first 10,000-point minimum is worth $0.005 per point and then each additional 400 points is worth $1 (0.0025 per point).
  • Education credit† via HigherEdPoints.com. Credits must be purchased in minimum 62,500 points/$250 credit increments, for a redemption value of $0.004 per point.

Insurance and protections

The card’s suite of travel insurance, car rental insurance, and purchase coverage is adequate, though not the best in the field for its price point.

Coverage type
Coverage level
Travel medical insurance (below age 65)†
Up to $2 million for first 21 days
Travel medical insurance (above age 65)†
$2 million for first 4 days
Trip cancellation†
up to $1,500 per person; max. $5,000 per group
Trip interruption†
up to $5,000 per person; max $25,000 per group
Common carrier travel Accident†
Up to $500,000
Delayed and lost baggage†
Max $1,000 per person with baggage lost or delayed for at least 6 hours
Auto rental collision/loss damage Insurance†auto rental collision/loss damage insurance†
Up to 48 consecutive days of coverage
Extended warranty†
Up to 12 additional months of coverage for items with valid manufacturer’s warranty
Purchase security†
Eligible items are covered if they are stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase
Hotel/motel burglary insurance†
Coverage up to $2,500 per occurrence for each Cardholder on the Account and eligible family members travelling with the Cardholder
Mobile device insurance†
Up to $1,000 of coverage in the event of loss, theft, accidental damage, or mechanical breakdown for eligible mobile device

Compared to competing Canadian travel credit cards with a comparable annual fee, some notable weaknesses in the above suite of travel insurance include the relatively brief coverage periods of Travel Medical Insurance†; low-ish maximums for Trip Cancellation payouts†. A comparative strength of the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card is its Trip Interruption coverage†, which is very generous.

You can check out our guide to credit card travel insurance to learn more about the different types of coverage listed above, and to review other Canadian travel credit cards that might have stronger travel insurance benefits.

Apply now.

Fees, rates and eligibility requirements

The card’s $60,000 individual and $100,000 household annual income requirements are reasonable for a travel credit card with rewards earn rates at this level, as are the $139 annual fee for the primary cardholder and $50 annual fee for each additional authorized user. Other fees and interest rates are also standard, with a 20.99% purchase interest rate; 22.99% balance transfer rate; 22.99% cash advance rate; and 2.5% foreign transaction fee.

One very unusual card benefit is the possibility of getting both the primary cardholder’s $139 annual fee and an additional authorized user’s $50 annual fee fully rebated every year.† This feature is available to new cardholders who are also members of TD’s All-Inclusive Banking Plan. It’s rare for Canadian banks to really reward clients that bundle together multiple products, and it’s an incentive that other financial institutions might do well to take note of.

How does it compare to competing travel cards?

TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card
Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card
BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*
Annual fee
$139 (first-year annual fee rebate)†
$120
$150
Sign-Up bonus value
Earn up to $1,000 in value†, including up to 115,000 TD Rewards Points† and no annual fee for the first year†. Conditions apply. Account must be approved by January 3, 2024.
Earn up to $650* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points¹. Offer ends Oct. 31, 2023
Get up to 60,000 points and the annual fee waived in the first year for both the primary cardholder and authorized users*
Regular Earn Rate
2 points per $1 (1% return)†
1X Scene+ point for every $1 (1% return)
1 point for every $1 spent everywhere else* (0.67% return)
Special Earn Rate
Earn 8 TD Rewards Points† for every $1 you spend when you book travel through Expedia® For TD† (4% return)
6X Scene points on every $1 CAD at eligible grocers in Canada¹; 5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD (5% return) on eligible groceries, dining and entertainment
5x the points for every $1 spent on eligible travel purchases* (3.3% return), 3x the points for every $1 spent on eligible dining and entertainment purchases and recurring bill payments* (2% return)
Added-Value features
Annual fee rebated for TD All-Inclusive Banking Plan accountholders†
No foreign transaction fees
Complimentary membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass,* with four annual complimentary passes.
Travel insurance package
Generous trip interruption coverage†
Above-average coverage in all major categories
Missing hotel burglary coverage; average/above average coverage elsewhere*

When compared to competing travel credit cards with comparable annual fees, the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card strengths and weaknesses are clear:

Its sign-up bonus eclipses the competition, which gives it an immediate punch of value. It’s also something of a no-brainer card for those who have TD’s All-Inclusive Banking Plan, as the annual fee rebate† effectively makes the card free to use year after year.

It’s less ideal for those who are unlikely to spend a significant amount at through Expedia® For TD. The foreign transaction fees, lack of free airport lounge access and middling travel insurance package might ultimately make it a better card for those who do a significant amount of domestic travel; those who frequently find themselves overseas might consider a different travel credit card with more globetrotter-friendly perks, such as:

Scotiabank Gold American Express® card

No foreign transaction fees, earns 6X Scene points for each $1 CAD on all eligible purchases at Sobeys and eligible grocers¹, 5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on other eligible groceries and 3X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on gas, and has an all-encompassing travel insurance package.

¹ Conditions Apply. Visit here for the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card to learn more.

BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*

Includes complimentary membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass,* with four annual complimentary passes. That’s a ~$128 USD value that renews every year*. Plus the up to 60,000-point sign-up bonus* and first year annual fee waiver* is still competitive with the TD card’s sign-up bonus.

*Terms and conditions apply

Drawback: There are increased earn rates but you earn only 1 point for every $1 spent everywhere else where they do not apply.* You can learn more about this card by reading our complete BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* review.

Apply now.

FAQs

  • What is the difference between TD Points and TD Rewards Points?

    +

    There is no meaningful difference beyond the different names.

  • Do I need to notify TD when travelling?

    +

    Most banks, including TD, no longer require international travel notifications, though TD does continue to monitor its clients’ credit card activity whether they are inside or outside Canada.

  • What is Expedia for TD?

    +

    Expedia® For TD is a partnership between Toronto-Dominion Bank and the online travel agency Expedia. Booking travel with Expedia® For TD yields the best value possible for your TD Points, though it is a less flexible and more limited redemption method than the Book Any Way† method.

About our author

Money.ca
Money.ca, Money.ca Editorial Team
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