Maximize your travel value with Expedia® for TD
Money.ca / Money.ca
Updated: August 08, 2023
For travellers who hunt for bargains through travel comparison websites, Expedia® For TD gives you a flexible way to redeem points without sacrificing price.
As a financially savvy Canadian, you’ve probably booked your vacation using one of the many discount websites. There are dozens of these platforms online, and they all promise to save you hundreds on your travel costs with just a few clicks of your mouse. Expedia is one of the most popular travel comparison websites, but have you heard about Expedia® For TD? If you have the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, financially savvy Canadians can use their points directly for travel booked via Expedia® For TD. We take a closer look at how you can maximize your travel value by using Expedia® For TD.
Why use Expedia® For TD?
There are some excellent reasons to use Expedia® For TD, as well as some tips and tricks for boosting your points-earning potential.
Easy redemption and competitive pricing
With a lot of travel deal websites, you often can’t use your travel rewards credit card points to pay for your trip – which is a real bummer. Instead, you’ll have to charge your travel to your credit card and pay off the balance with points, which isn’t the most efficient way to use your travel rewards points. Or you’ll do what most people do: book your trip through your travel reward credit card’s preferred interface. These interfaces are often more expensive and have inconvenient blackout dates.
When you use the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, you can redeem your points directly through Expedia® For TD to pay for hotels, air travel, rental cars, and cruises. You’ll enjoy the same price match guarantee, the same low prices, and no blackout dates or restrictions that you’ve come to expect with the regular Expedia platform.
Earn more
The TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card also helps you earn extra rewards on purchases made through Expedia® For TD. You’ll earn a better reward rate than some of the other top travel rewards credit cards available in Canada. For example, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard lets you earn 2% in WestJet dollars when you buy WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages using your card⁸. With the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, any Expedia® For TD purchase will earn you 4% back†, that’s double the best competing credit card!
Blend your loyalty programs
While the earnings rate on the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card is excellent, the rewards don’t stop there. When booking your travel with Expedia® For TD, you can use other existing loyalty program memberships in combination with your Expedia® For TD bookings. So, your WestJet, Aeroplan, and VIPorter points will boost your total rewards and essentially let you earn points twice for the same purchase.
Get premium perks
Rewards aside, this credit card also offers a generous suite of extra perks including a comprehensive list of travel insurance coverage. When you book your travel with the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, your trip is covered by:
- Travel medical insurance of up to $2M in coverage†
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance of up to $1,500 per insured person†
- Travel accident insurance for common carriers up to $500,000†
- Emergency travel assistance services†
- Delayed and lost baggage insurance up to $1,000 per person†
Is the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card worth it?
If you regularly spend a significant amount of money on travel, and you book your trips through Expedia, this credit card is an excellent choice. The best way to maximize your points is to both book your travel and redeem your points through Expedia® For TD: using this strategy will help you earn an impressive 4% on every dollar you spend. 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†.
You’ll earn twice what you would by using the leading WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or Aeroplan credit cards, making this card the strongest travel rewards card in its class.
TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card
Earn up to $800 in value†, including up to 100,000 TD Rewards Points† and no Annual Fee for the first year†. Conditions Apply. Must apply by September 5, 2023.
If you’re considering the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, right now is a great time to sign up.
Earn up to $800 in value†, including up to 100,000 TD Rewards Points, no Annual Fee for the first year† and additional travel benefits. Conditions Apply. Must apply by September 5, 2023.
- Earn a welcome Bonus of 20,000 TD Rewards Points when you make your first Purchase with your Card†.
- Earn 80,000 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 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 September 6, 2023.
The details:
- Annual fee: $139 (first-year annual fee rebate) †
- Minimum income eligibility: $60,000 personal or $100,000 household annual income.
- Credit score required: Good;Excellent
- Welcome offer: Earn up to $800 in value†, including up to 100,000 TD Rewards Points† and no Annual Fee for the first year†. Conditions Apply. Must apply by September 5, 2023.
- Other perks: Travel insurance†, rental car discounts†
- Purchase APR: 20.99% | Cash advance APR: 22.99%
†Terms and conditions apply.
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here.
Maximizing your travel value with Expedia® For TD
While this credit card has many perks and a strong rewards rate, no matter where you make your purchases, it shines for anyone who travels frequently and wants to book their trips exclusively via Expedia® For TD. If you want to maximize your travel value with Expedia® For TD, here are a few tips for enhancing how you earn and redeem points.
Earning points with Expedia® For TD
Like most travel rewards credit cards, the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card lets you earn points by using your credit card for daily spending. But here’s the difference: you can boost those rewards when booking travel through Expedia® For TD. 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†.
Redeeming points with Expedia® For TD
There are two ways to redeem your TD Points. First, book your travel normally and use your points to pay for those expenses after they appear on your credit card statement. When you use this strategy, your TD Points value is about $0.004.
If you book your travel through Expedia® For TD, your TD Points value is higher, about $0.005, so the same number of points will stretch further.
For example, if you had 40,000 TD Points, and you used the first method to book your travel, your points would be worth about $160. If you use those points to book travel through Expedia® For TD, they would be worth about $200.
These redemption and earning rates may seem confusing, so here is a simple table showing how your dollars earn you rewards, depending on where you are earning and redeeming your points.
| Redemption | Earned through Expedia for TD | Earned Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Redeem through Expedia For TD | $0.45/4.5% | $0.15/1.5% |
| Redeem other travel expenses | $0.36/3.6% | $0.12/1.2% |
There are several ways to both earn and redeem TD Points, and they all yield different benefits, but the most advantageous method is to book travel at Expedia® For TD and redeem your travel rewards via Expedia® For TD. The second-best method is to spend with Expedia® For TD and redeem your rewards for other travel-related expenses, which is still worth 3.6%, making this card relatively flexible.
Keep in mind that you can also use your Aeroplan, WestJet dollars, Rewards, and VIPorter loyalty numbers when booking through Expedia® For TD, letting you double dip your rewards earnings.
Saving money on travel with Expedia® For TD
The biggest benefit of using Expedia is its lowest price guarantee. When you search for flights or vacation packages through WestJet, Aeroplan, or some travel rewards booking services, your options are usually limited. The prices aren’t as low and there could be blackout dates. With Expedia® For TD, you are guaranteed the lowest price available.
In the past, opting to use a website like Expedia meant that while you could get the lowest price, the trade-off was that you couldn’t use your rewards to pay for your travel. Also, you couldn’t earn that higher reward rate when booking your travel.
With the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card, you can use Expedia® For TD, get the lowest possible rate on your flights and hotels, and also earn the 4%† reward rate for booking your travel. You won’t have to compromise on rewards, cost, convenience, or earnings rate.
Booking through Expedia® For TD also means you’ll have access to Expedia’s last-minute deals and seat sales, and you’re eligible for their price match guarantee. So if you find a better deal elsewhere, they’ll match it and give you a $50 credit – guaranteeing the lowest possible price.
Expedia® For TD interface and ease of use
Redeeming your points through Expedia® For TD is just as easy as using the regular website. After logging in, you’ll see your points displayed in the top right-hand corner. You’ll also see the cash equivalent of your points, which is useful for quickly calculating whether you can afford a trip or not. If you see a travel deal that you can’t afford with your points alone, you can always choose to pay for the trip with a combination of points and cash.
While redeeming your points through Expedia® For TD is the most effective way to maximize point value, you can also redeem your points for other purchases. To do this, make your purchases as you normally would, and once they appear in your online banking portal, call TD and let them know which purchases you’d like to pay for with your points.
Should I sign up?
Since the $139 annual fee is waived for the first year†, signing up for the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card is a no-brainer. This is the best credit card in Canada for you if you love to travel: you’ll get a lucrative welcome bonus ($800† value) that you can put towards your next trip, as well as the potential to rack up future points using Expedia® For TD. Give it a go! But if you’re still debating which travel credit card is best for you, take a look at our article on the Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards in Canada.
†Terms and conditions apply.
The offer for the TD® First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here.
Refer to RBC Page for up to date offer terms and conditions.
Jordann Brown is a freelance personal finance writer whose areas of expertise include debt management, homeownership and budgeting. She is based in Halifax and has written for publications including The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and CBC.
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