TD Gold Travel Visa - is it worth it?
 

http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/tdvisa/...visa_offer.jsp

How much would one have to charge per year for this to be worth it? How does it stack up against other credit cards? What other factors to consider? I only have plain, no-charge cards right now.

Here's my two cents worth...

What's really cool about the TD Travel Gold is that you get 5 points per $1 you charge at their Travel Agency (no fees either when doing business with them!) So, this adds up quite quickly. To note: 5000 points = $75, they deliver your paper ticket (if you cannot get e-ticket) anywhere in the world free of charge via courier (I had plane tickets couriered to me three or four times in the UK), and you get points on the balance of the cost of the ticket even when you redeem (but you sometimes have to call them up to ask them to credit because they sometimes forget).

So, I don't entirely look at it in terms of how much I need to charge to get my money's worth, but rather, how much do I need to travel and how much will my cost savings ($$$, time, hassle, etc.) be from them issuing vs. dealing with someone else. They are quite efficient at booking and handling the tickets, and you call them collect from anywhere in the world when you need to. (Admitedly, the travel agency does have a few incompetent agents, but as always, you just hang up and dial again and get someone else who knows what is going on.)

The annual fee is $99 with co-applicant is 120$ or something like that? So, redeem 10000 points = $150 and you have already made the annual fee back. (Note also that you can get your annual fee waived by having a Select Service account.)

I don't charge car rentals to my TD Travel Gold though -- I use the Silver Diners Club for that. So, between the two cards, I feel I have everything I need covered.

I've only had the card for a year and a half now and I must say that I have benefited quite handsomely. So, I'm quite satisfied.

I don't have one.


$99 annual fee
7500 bonus points on sign up = $112.50
1.5% reward on purchases
has travel insurance benefits

downfalls: must plan your purchases in multiples of $5000 to get $75 travel rebates


My recommedation: Sign up for one year. Cancel your card before they charge you your annual fee for year 2. Find a new card one year after that.

My alternative option
Open a President's Choice MasterCard from the Real Canadian Superstore.
Spend $30,000. Convert the 30000 PC points you earned into 30000 Petro-Points. Convert 30000 Petro-Points into 15000 Sears Club points. Redeem these points for $600 in Sears club certificates. Use them to pay for Travel Services from Sears Travel (or merchandise or other services from Sears). My alternative gives you a 2% reward if redeeming 15000 Sears Club points. Requirements you must have a Petro-Canada Petro-Points card and a Sears Canada charge card with Sears Club. No annual fees. No added insurance benefits.

It's your choice.

The Sears conversion used to be DOUBLE that amount until only a couple of months ago. Then they changed it because too many rewards were given out. There is also another problem coming up.

Sears Canada is very actively preparing to enter MasterCard market. They want to be a major CC issuer like Canadian Tire did a couple years ago.

When that happens... which will be soon, there will only be Sears MasterCard. There will be no more Sears Store Card. So the current relationship with President Choice MasterCard and Petro Points will likely end as well to keep the credit card consumers.

So you collect points, and when it is time to redeem... the program rules will have changed by then.

If you are interested to read more about Sears Canada, here is my reference:

[URL=http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/030717/sears_establish_bank_1.html [/URL]



[This message has been edited by MoreMiles (edited 08-19-2003).]

More Miles, if you remember I wrote about the Sears "Double" Conversion early last summer. Since then I've converted my 450,000 PC points into $1800 in Sears Club Certificates. (Don't tell Sears this.)

I am a Sears shareholder, so I follow there public fillings closely. Over the last several analysts' and media conference calld they indicated the Sears MasterCard. is to COMPLEMENT the Sears "Charge" Card. The Sears MasterCard is marketed only to EXISTING Sears Card holders in AB, BC & ON who have tended not to shop at Sears frequently but have excellent-to-good credit ratings.
More Miles, I think you are wrong that Sears will discontinue issuing Sears Cards in the future. BTW, Canadian Tire still issues its Canadian Tire Charge Cards to both personal and business clients.

Even excluding blackouts not worth it ? Just me HO but I haven't found a car as good as CIBC aeregold or Diners as far as insurance and such. HAve AC lose your bags once and let me konw your outcome!!

NO, $$$ talks. Credit Card business is very lucrative so Canadian Tire wants to make the best of it. In my opinion, Sears is following exactly the same business model in coverting a Store card to a MasterCard.

Canadian Tire Financial Services is no longer taking applications for the Canadian Tire Card. We are now exclusively offering the Canadian Tire Options MasterCard. With the Options MasterCard you can earn Canadian Tire 'Money' On The Card on purchases made at Canadian Tire stores AND everywhere MasterCard is accepted! Please go to the Options MasterCard section on the website for detailed features and benefits and find out how to apply today!

taken from http://www.ctfs.com/english/faqs.html#q6

For me, the big plus of the TD Travel card is the flexibility in redemption - I know that I can redeem the points for the seats I want. This is the exact opposite of Aeroplan where, given my travel patterns, I am pretty much guarenteed not to be able to get the seats I am looking for, even at 200%.

------------------
Saturday nights should be spent with family.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?R2C8265A5


More on rental car gold card insurance.

I used to get a free TA service with the free Gold card but this is no more. Have you ever booked a WS flight? I am wondering if they can give you the web fares as sometimes these are MUCH cheaper than the call centre. I am seriously thinking about this card or Avion. Avion might be a choice if I can get out of YEG - have to see if they allow you to use AS/QX in conjunction with AAdvantage awards.

Any new comments regarding either card? Any sweet bonus offers on right now? CIBC is out for me as Aeroplan is too frustrating to deal with for seats. Really 15,000 miles on AP is worth about $225 in TD or a flight to YVR, which will actually be available!! Also, TD has ticked me off by just raising the rate on my line of credit 1% because they felt like it - local branch manager is trying to get it reversed so TD may be fully out the picture if this injustice is not reversed!

[This message has been edited by Altaflyer (edited 10-21-2003).]

Like you said, most miles reward are valued at 1.5%

The only TD card that I like is... TD Gold Elite. It comes with a CAA-like membership and 1% cashback. They are also reasonable because you do not lose any unredeemed reward when you cancel your card. They will still mail a cheque to you at the end of the year even it's cancelled in mid-year. Most cards will void any reward accumulation upon termination of account.

1% cash with no limit... it's pretty good, especially if you spend enough. Unlike CIBC cashback card, you can earn thousands of dollars since there is no limit.

In my opinion, 1% in cash is better than 1.5% in miles.

Thanks for the comment Moremiles. For me, since I don't spend millions on the card I will easily be able to spend the TD Points on travel so for me this makes more sense.

Was looking more at Avion and this is a darn good product. Aadvantage now has an award that allows you to combine ANY of their partners on an award, oneworld or otherwise!! ie. off-peak Y YEG-SEA-ORD-LHR-ATH is 40,000 miles and allows a stop and a jaw!! Or for domestic you can get awards on WS or AC up to a set max in $$ but no J. Awards in J on AA seem a bit higher than AC. No booking fees either way. The $25 fee on Aeroplan really means the card is more expensive than Avion once you start adding the fees on. Avion also gives you 2500 miles each year so you really only need to spend $12500 for 15,000 miles or a shorthaul award.

Now - any bonuses for AVION??? Please!!! I know there were some for up to 10,000 points some time ago.

Forgot one more thing...Avion has the extended warranty coverage. For a $2000 laptop this would run at least $150 and it is NOT included with Aerogold so you might not charge such large electronic items to that card but would gladly charge this to an Avion card. Wonder if Staples will do a "dummy" return of my laptop in a month or so to "tranfer" it to the Avion from my MC?

[This message has been edited by Altaflyer (edited 10-21-2003).]

No. You only have 10 days for returning computer product, everything else is 30 days.

http://www.staples.ca/support/faq/returns/policy.asp

Yes, well that's if I'm actually returning it - here its just accounting, although it is a return and I certainly will not be upset if they don't do it. I guess we'll see.