Air Canada Aeroplan Reserve vs TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite

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For Canadians who fly Air Canada several times a year, the right Aeroplan credit card can feel like an unofficial elite status: free checked bags, priority lines, better seat availability and a steady stream of points for future trips. Two of the most talked-about options are the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card. Both plug directly into the Aeroplan ecosystem, but they serve very different types of travelers. This guide breaks down how the cards compare in real-world use so you can decide which one actually fits the way you fly.

At a Glance: Who Each Card Is Really For

The American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card is Air Canada’s premium co-branded product with Amex. It carries a high annual fee in the low-to-mid six-hundreds range, but in return it offers airport lounge access, strong priority benefits, richer earn rates on Air Canada purchases and extra perks like eUpgrade credits on card approval events from time to time. It is designed for travelers who see an airport several times a month and value comfort and time savings as much as points.

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card sits in the mid-tier segment, with an annual fee just under one hundred and fifty dollars for the primary cardholder, often rebated in the first year through TD promotions or waived long term if you hold a premium TD chequing account. It provides a free first checked bag on Air Canada flights, preferred Aeroplan pricing, decent category earn rates and solid insurance, but no Air Canada lounge access. It suits flyers who take perhaps two to six Air Canada trips per year and want practical savings without committing to a premium fee.

In practice, many frequent flyers end up holding more than one Aeroplan credit card over time. You might start with TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite when you are flying to visit family twice a year, then upgrade to a premium product like the Amex Aeroplan Reserve once work travel or frequent international trips become a regular part of your life. The right answer depends on how often you fly, where you fly, and how much you are willing to pay for comfort.

To make the comparison concrete, imagine two travelers. Emma flies Toronto to Vancouver and Toronto to Orlando once or twice a year with her family. Lucas flies Montreal to London, New York and Vancouver monthly for work. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite will likely be enough for Emma. Lucas is exactly the type of flyer who can extract outsized value from the Amex Aeroplan Reserve.

Fees, Points Earning and Everyday Value

The first major difference between the two cards is cost. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve carries a premium annual fee in the high hundreds of dollars range for the primary card. Supplementary Reserve cards also have a sizeable fee, though Amex offers a companion no-fee supplementary product with fewer perks that can help household members earn points without adding to the annual cost. In contrast, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite charges an annual fee in the low hundreds for the primary card and a smaller fee for authorized users, and TD frequently runs promotions that rebate the first-year fee when you meet a minimum spend requirement.

On earning, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve has a high earn rate on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases, typically three points per dollar on eligible tickets and vacation packages, with elevated rates at restaurants and food delivery and a base rate on everything else. That means a three-thousand dollar business class ticket from Toronto to Tokyo paid directly to Air Canada can generate around nine thousand Aeroplan points before any status or promotional bonuses. Frequent flyers who regularly buy higher-value Air Canada fares can see their balances grow quickly.

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite offers a more modest but still attractive earn structure. Air Canada purchases usually earn more than the base rate, and everyday categories such as gas, groceries and travel or dining earn at a middle-tier multiplier. For example, a family that spends one thousand dollars a month on groceries and gas and another thousand a year on domestic Air Canada flights could see a meaningful number of Aeroplan points accumulate over a year, enough for a one-way economy ticket within North America on a standard date if they combine it with flying activity.

For many travelers, the swing factor is how much of their spend is actually on Air Canada or travel-related categories. A consultant who regularly charges flights and hotels will likely realize better value from the richer earn rates on the Amex Reserve, whereas a family whose biggest expenses are groceries, gas and occasional flights may find the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite’s lower fee and balanced tiered earning more affordable.

Airport Experience: Lounge Access and Priority Perks

This is where the Amex Aeroplan Reserve pulls clearly ahead for frequent flyers. Cardholders receive Maple Leaf Lounge access for themselves when flying Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner on the same day. In practice, that means you can arrive early at Toronto Pearson before a 7 a.m. flight to Vancouver, grab a proper breakfast in the lounge, use outlets and Wi-Fi, and board more relaxed. On a long layover in Montreal en route to Paris, the lounge offers showers, snacks and a quieter place to work compared to the main terminal.

Beyond lounges, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve typically includes priority check-in, priority boarding and often priority baggage handling when flying Air Canada. For example, on a full Friday evening flight from Calgary to Toronto, Reserve cardholders can use a dedicated check-in lane, board in an earlier group that still has overhead bin space, and often see their luggage among the first on the carousel. Over a year of frequent trips, those small time savings add up, especially when you are connecting to another flight or heading straight to a meeting.

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite does not include Maple Leaf Lounge access. You still benefit from the standard Air Canada experience for your fare type, and if you hold Aeroplan Elite Status separately you can access lounges through your status, but the card itself does not unlock lounges. Nor does it provide the same level of priority airport services that the Reserve card does. For a traveler who might fly to Cancun once in winter and Halifax once in summer, skipping lounge access to save several hundred dollars in annual fees can be a sensible trade-off.

To gauge which matters more to you, consider your last few trips. If you routinely find yourself arriving early at busy hubs like Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal and spending two or three hours in crowded departure halls, the comfort upgrade from regular lounge access can be substantial. If most of your flights are short hops on off-peak days, you might rarely feel deprived without lounge access.

Free Checked Bags, Travel Insurance and Hard Cash Savings

Both cards deliver one of the most valuable recurring perks for Air Canada flyers: a free first checked bag for the primary cardholder and companions traveling on the same reservation when the trip is on Air Canada and your Aeroplan number is linked properly. For a family of four flying Toronto to Calgary round-trip on economy fares that do not include checked luggage, standard baggage fees can easily reach around four hundred dollars for the trip. Having either card can wipe out that cost, sometimes covering the entire annual fee on the very first family vacation.

The Amex Aeroplan Reserve and TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite both offer a suite of travel insurance benefits, including emergency medical coverage for out-of-province travel up to a specified age, trip interruption and cancellation insurance when you charge eligible travel costs to the card, delayed and lost baggage coverage and car rental collision damage waiver. Where they differ is in coverage limits and age cut-offs. For instance, one card may provide emergency medical coverage for up to fifteen consecutive days of travel for those under a certain age, while the other might offer a slightly different number of days or a different maximum lifetime limit.

In real life, this matters when things go wrong. Imagine your flight from Ottawa to Vancouver is cancelled due to a snowstorm and you end up needing two nights of hotel stays and meals before you can be rebooked. With qualifying travel booked on either card, you can often claim reimbursement for those unexpected expenses up to the policy maximum. Or consider renting a car in Los Angeles for a week-long road trip. By declining the rental company’s collision damage waiver and relying on the card’s coverage, you can save hundreds of dollars in add-on fees.

For infrequent travelers, the presence of solid travel insurance on the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite can be a major reason to choose it instead of a basic no-fee card. For road warriors and international flyers, the more comprehensive insurance often found on premium cards like the Amex Aeroplan Reserve can provide greater peace of mind, especially for costly long-haul trips booked months in advance.

Elite Status Synergy and Aeroplan Sweet Spots

Both cards integrate tightly with Aeroplan, but the way they complement elite status and redemptions can feel different depending on how you travel. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve is built with status chasers in mind. While exact thresholds and offers can change, premium Aeroplan cards have been known to provide status qualifying boosts or credits when you meet annual spend thresholds. If you are aiming for Aeroplan 35K or 50K status through a mix of flying and credit card spending, a Reserve-level card can make that climb slightly easier.

In contrast, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite sometimes offers modest status-related benefits such as small status qualifying credits for every block of annual spend, but it is generally not the main tool serious status seekers rely on. Instead, it fits better as a card that gets a typical traveler into the ecosystem: preferred reward pricing, family sharing of points and a decent earn rate on daily expenses help you reach practical redemption goals like a return flight from Montreal to Miami in economy during shoulder season.

Where both cards shine is leveraging Aeroplan’s sweet spots. As an example, a couple planning a trip from Toronto to Lisbon can save significantly on business class by using Aeroplan points earned from card spend and welcome bonuses. If each partner holds an Aeroplan credit card, family sharing allows their points to pool automatically. Dynamic pricing means the exact number of points needed will vary, but a pair of mid- to high-value redemptions in a year can easily return several times the card’s annual fee if you value business class flights highly.

Another common sweet spot involves short-haul flights within North America. A traveler based in Vancouver who often visits family in Kelowna or Victoria might use Aeroplan points for these regional routes, which can be pricey in cash but more reasonable in points on certain dates. The steady trickle of points from gas and grocery spend on a TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite can quietly fund those trips, while heavy Air Canada spend on the Amex Reserve can accumulate enough points for international travel every couple of years.

Acceptance, Flexibility and Everyday Use

There is also a practical consideration that has nothing to do with airports: where you can actually use your card. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite runs on the Visa network, which is widely accepted at small businesses, independent restaurants and service providers across Canada. You are more likely to be able to use it to pay for things like dental bills, local contractors or municipal fees. That broader acceptance makes it easier to funnel a larger share of your everyday spending into Aeroplan points.

The Amex Aeroplan Reserve, built on the American Express network, enjoys strong acceptance at major retailers, airlines, hotel chains and many restaurants, but you will still encounter merchants, especially smaller shops, that do not take Amex or impose surcharges. For a traveler who wants to put as much as possible on a single card to maximize points and hit spend thresholds for bonuses, those pockets of non-acceptance can slow things down. In practice many cardholders pair an Amex Reserve with a Visa or Mastercard as a backup.

On the flip side, Amex often runs statement credit and bonus point offers targeted at specific merchants or categories. A traveler might receive an Amex offer for a rebate on a hotel chain stay, which can effectively discount a weekend in Montreal or Vancouver. Those targeted promotions can partially offset the higher annual fee if you pay attention and enroll when offers appear in your account.

For frequent Air Canada flyers who live in larger cities and primarily spend with national chains, Amex acceptance is usually sufficient to make the Reserve a practical everyday card. For those in smaller communities or who frequently deal with independent merchants, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite’s Visa backbone can make it a smoother primary card.

Which Card Makes Sense for Different Types of Air Canada Flyers

For a light but regular flyer, such as someone who takes two or three round trips per year within North America, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite is often the more rational choice. The free first checked bag benefit alone can save roughly seventy to one hundred dollars per direction per person on routes where economy fares do not include luggage. If you use that perk for even a couple of trips, you can recoup most or all of the annual fee. Add to that a steady earning rate on groceries and gas, and you have a card that quietly subsidizes family travel.

For a road warrior or long-haul enthusiast who flies Air Canada at least once a month, particularly through hubs like Toronto or Vancouver, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve generally offers much better lifestyle value. Lounge access on each trip could be worth the equivalent of buying several day passes per year. Priority check-in and boarding translate into real time savings, especially on Monday morning flights to New York or London where lines can be long and overhead bins fill quickly. For someone billing their flights back to an employer, the higher annual fee can feel like a justifiable personal investment in comfort.

There is also a middle group: travelers who make three to five trips a year, including at least one international vacation. For them, the choice is more nuanced. If they strongly value comfort and tend to arrive at airports early, stretching to the Amex Reserve can make trips feel noticeably more premium, especially on long connections. If they are more price-sensitive and tend to travel with family on economy fares, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite’s lower fee plus free bags can free up cash to spend at the destination instead.

A concrete way to decide is to look back at your last twelve months of flying and run some simple numbers. Add up what you paid in checked bag fees on Air Canada, then estimate the value you would place on lounge visits based on how often you fly. Combine that with a rough value for the points you would have earned with each card’s earn rates, and compare it to each annual fee. That back-of-the-envelope calculation often reveals quickly whether the premium Reserve benefits would pay for themselves in your specific situation.

The Takeaway

For frequent Air Canada flyers, both the Amex Aeroplan Reserve and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite can be powerful tools. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite shines as a practical, relatively affordable way to unlock free checked bags, earn Aeroplan points on everyday spending and gain access to preferred reward pricing without committing to a premium annual fee. It works particularly well for families and casual travelers who take a few trips a year and want straightforward savings.

The American Express Aeroplan Reserve, by contrast, is a premium travel companion built for those who live in airports. If you are regularly flying for work or pleasure, value lounge access and priority services, and spend significant amounts directly with Air Canada, the Reserve’s higher annual fee can be more than justified by the comfort, time savings and accelerated earning it delivers.

Ultimately, the better card depends less on which product looks more impressive in your wallet and more on how often you fly, how you value comfort versus cash savings, and where your everyday spending goes. By mapping your personal travel patterns to the specific benefits and costs outlined above, you can choose the Aeroplan card that turns your future Air Canada flights into something noticeably better than just another trip from point A to point B.

FAQ

Q1. Is the Amex Aeroplan Reserve worth it if I only fly Air Canada twice a year?
The Amex Aeroplan Reserve is usually hard to justify if you only take one or two trips per year. In that case, the lower annual fee and free checked bag benefit of the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite typically provide better value, unless you place an unusually high personal value on having lounge access for those few trips.

Q2. Do both cards give a free checked bag on Air Canada flights?
Yes. Both the Amex Aeroplan Reserve and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite provide a free first checked bag for the primary cardholder when flying on eligible Air Canada itineraries, and the benefit usually extends to companions on the same reservation. The exact number of companions covered and the fare types that qualify can vary, so it is important to review the current card terms before you travel.

Q3. Which card is better for lounge access?
The Amex Aeroplan Reserve is clearly better for lounge access because it includes Maple Leaf Lounge access when you fly Air Canada or eligible partners the same day. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite does not provide lounge access on its own, so you would need Aeroplan Elite Status or a separate lounge membership if lounges are important to you.

Q4. How do welcome bonuses compare between the two cards?
Welcome bonuses change frequently, but in general the Amex Aeroplan Reserve tends to offer a higher headline number of Aeroplan points in exchange for larger spending requirements spread over several months. The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite typically offers a smaller bonus but often pairs it with a first-year annual fee rebate. Travelers should check the current promotions and consider whether they can realistically meet the required spending thresholds.

Q5. Is Visa acceptance really that much better than Amex in Canada?
Visa is accepted at a wider range of small businesses, local service providers and some government-related payments, which makes the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite easier to use as an all-purpose card. American Express acceptance has improved, especially at major retailers and travel brands, but there are still pockets where it is not taken, so Amex Aeroplan Reserve cardholders often carry a backup Visa or Mastercard.

Q6. Which card earns Aeroplan points faster on Air Canada tickets?
On purchases made directly with Air Canada, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve generally has a higher earn rate than the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite, so frequent ticket purchases on Air Canada can accumulate points more quickly with the Reserve. However, if you rarely buy flights or your biggest expenses are in other categories like gas and groceries, the difference may be less significant in practice.

Q7. I have Aeroplan Elite Status already. Does that change which card I should pick?
If you already hold Aeroplan Elite Status, you may not value some card perks as highly because you already have priority check-in, boarding and sometimes lounge access. In that case, you might lean toward the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite to keep costs down, unless you want to stack the Reserve’s benefits with your status for extra comfort or take advantage of any status qualifying boosts a premium card might offer.

Q8. Can either card’s annual fee be reduced or offset?
The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite annual fee can sometimes be fully or partially offset if you hold certain premium TD bank accounts that rebate credit card fees, or through promotional first-year rebates. For the Amex Aeroplan Reserve, there is no direct bank account rebate, but heavy travelers can effectively offset the fee through a combination of lounge visits, free checked bags, insurance coverage and the value of points earned if they frequently fly on higher-priced Air Canada tickets.

Q9. Which card is better for booking family vacations?
For many families, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite strikes a better balance because of its lower annual fee and free checked bag benefit that applies to multiple companions on the same reservation. If you take one big trip a year, such as a family vacation from Toronto to Cancun or Vancouver to Maui, the baggage savings and everyday earn on groceries and gas can be very compelling. The Amex Reserve can still work for families that travel more often and value lounges, but its fee is harder to justify for a single annual vacation.

Q10. If I travel for work and get reimbursed, which card should I choose?
Travelers who are reimbursed for flights and hotels often get the most from the Amex Aeroplan Reserve because they can charge high-ticket Air Canada fares to the card, earn bonus points and enjoy lounges and priority services while their employer covers the travel cost itself. The higher annual fee then becomes a personal investment in comfort and accelerated earning. If your employer restricts which cards you can use, or you travel less frequently, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite might still be a more appropriate choice.