As I had mentioned the other day, I’ve never been much to pay attention to where my credit cards came from – all I know is I have two in my pocket, and the balances are too high at the moment. And the way I like to shop for anything, whether it’s a new pair of jeans or a credit cards is to make a list and research all available cards and offers, so I know what’s available from the different banks and what the best credit card might be for my needs as every body has different needs when it comes to credit card use. So, let’s start shall we?

Royal Bank of Canada Credit Cards

Visa Infinite Avion

Premium Travel rewards card
No blackout periods or seat restictions
1 RBC rewards point for every dollar spent
15000 welcome points for every dollar spent

RBC Rewards Visa Gold
A premium credit card with no annual fee
1 RBC rewards point for every $2 spent
Points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, gifts, etc

Visa Classic II
Collect rewards with every purchase
1RBC rewards point for every $1 spent

Visa Platinum Avion
Points for flights can be redeemed for any airline
no blackout periods or seat restrictions
1 RBC point for every dollar spent
15000 welcome reward points

Visa Classic Student II
Collect rewards with every purchase
1RBC rewards point for every $1 spent

Visa Gold Preferred
Insurance Coverage
1 RBC rewards for every dollar spent
2500 bonus points on enrollment

British Airways Visa Platinum
10,000 Bonus BA miles upon enrollment
31 day out of province/country emergency medical insurance
1 british airways mile for every dollar spent
Double British Airways Miles for every dollar spent on British Airways Flights

Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum
Earn Aisa miles towards flights
Earn Asia miels for dollars spent on the card
Complimentary Enrolment in the Marco Polo Club
5000 Bonus Asia Miles upon enrollment

US Dollar Visa Gold
Perfect for US travellers
Transactions made are in US Funds. No conversion rates
1 RBC rewards point for every $1 spent

Esso Visa Classic
Earn points towards free gas at Esso
No annual Fee
Redeem points for car washes, gas and other esso products

WestJet RBC MasterCard
Earn Westjet Dollars towards flights and vacations
1% of card spent is rewarded with westjet dollars
Earn an additional 1/2% on westjet flights and vacations

WestJet RBC World Mastercard
Earn WestJet Dollars towards flights
Earn 1.5 percent of credit card spend towards WestJet Dollars
Earn additional .5 percent of net purchase on WestJet Flights and Vacations

Visa Classic Low Rate
Great if you carry a balance
11.9 percent interest rate
21 days grace period
Free additional card

Visa Classic Student
Basic everyday student visa card
No annual fee
Free additional Card

Visa Classic II Student Card
Collect rewards points with every purchase
Earn 1 RBC rewards point for every $1 spent

Visa Platinum
No annual fee
Essential Travel and Purchase insurance included
Credit limit of up to $50,000

The Royal bank of Canada offers sixteen different credit cards, and except for the two WestJet offerings, they’re all Visa Cards of some fashion. Some are rewards cards, some are travel cards and some are student credit cards but all offer different features depending on your needs: for example, the Esso Visa card wouldn’t do me much good as I currently don’t have a car. But, if I decided to travel lots in the future, it might be beneficial for me to investigate the travel rewards cards over time as I might as well make travel points. Right now, I carry the low interest card with me and although my balance is high, at least the interest rate is low.