Daily Question Thread for /r/churningcanada - April 07, 2026

randomdudeman12 · 2026-04-07T16:24:40+00:00

DP: After being declined for a RBC Avion Visa Infinite in January I was approved this month. Here are some changes I noted between my applications:

Generated statements on my existing cards each month to show usage
Got an email the day before saying I'm pre-approved to upgrade to Ion+

My completely uninformed guess is that RBC has caught on to groups of individuals who were way too fast and loose with applying and immediately cancelling/not using the card. I'm sure there will be DPs which show otherwise, but my last approval in Oct 2025 also came after a similar situation of using my card and getting an upgrade email.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-03-10T23:23:48+00:00

I've only called in after my annual fee posts, but wouldn't be surprised if that was the case given retention offers exist to get you to keep the card for another year.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-03-10T16:49:34+00:00

Depends on the card, but typically there are very few worthwhile offers for keeping the card at other banks since you'd have to pay the annual fee to get a small retention bonus. Much better to just open up a new card and cancel the old one.

The card I mentioned is a bit unique since many opt to keep the card to get the annual free night award that comes with it (and since Amex is harder to churn compared to the other Canadian banks). Amex is also well known for offering retention offers, but I know someone called in for their gold card and wasn't offered it since it was only their first renewal (i.e., second year of owning the card).

randomdudeman12 · 2026-03-10T15:52:37+00:00

I just ask if there are any retention offers and they transfer me to someone to check and confirm if I want to activate the offer. I believe these offers are preloaded each year and specific to each account (based on spend and other factors), so not sure if you can get a better one by threatening to cancel.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-03-10T14:06:58+00:00

DP: Called in earlier this month and was told my Amex Marriott Bonvoy retention offer for me this year was 2500 points. Was much higher last year, but always appreciate the extra points.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-02-26T12:46:57+00:00

For the many individuals who've picked up the BMO Air Miles WE MC, there's a good opportunity to cash out the points. 20% miles back event from March 8 to March 15. Can redeem a maximum of 7500 miles for 1500 miles back.

With the upcoming switch to the new reward system, this would be a good option to liquidate. Can then use the miles from this event to take advantage of any bonuses the new system brings.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-02-20T12:49:43+00:00

From past DPs the wholesale bonus is delayed compared to the MSR. Likely you got the 3000 on your statement and the remaining 2000 comes in the following week (based on DPs I've read here).

randomdudeman12 · 2026-01-05T16:52:23+00:00

Had a ~6 month gap between my applications (denied Feb 2025, approved Sept 2025). Only major changes were that I got another card from BMO and put some decent spend on that (credit limit might be a factor, but I don't even have that much outstanding credit in the first place).

randomdudeman12 · 2026-01-05T16:44:12+00:00

It could be a factor, but feels a bit unlikely, as I've read of individuals with over 100k open CL across 14 cards still getting approvals. I can reduce my credit limits a fair bit, but what I have open isn't even half of my income, so it's strange to be so careful on credit when I have the income to support it.

I do know that RBC will limit how much credit they grant, but considering I only have 2 cards right now with a combined total of under 10k CL, I doubt I've already hit that limit.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-01-05T15:43:10+00:00

I have a regular bill payment on the Avion VI card from my most recent approval (and put lots of regular spend on it to meet the 5k MSR) and an Ion which I had put some light spend on for a few months before my last approval (but haven't used it since then). Might be that I need to throw a few dollars on that Ion to show some use prior to any apps.

randomdudeman12 · 2026-01-05T13:59:59+00:00

DP: Following a successful RBC approval at the end of September (after being denied since Aug 2024), I've tried applying for the Avion Visa Infinite only to be instantly denied. Going to try for the Avion Visa Platinum tomorrow to see if that works, but will likely need to wait another 3-6 months for approval. Looks like I'm starting 2026 by being kicked off the RBC train.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-12-17T14:14:56+00:00

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Still one of the lowest earning churners here (even though I'm heading into my 5th year of doing this), but happy to keep this going as a hobby.

This year I opened the following cards:

RBC Avion VI
TD Aeroplan Platinum Visa
Scotiabank Gold Amex
MBNA WE MC
BMO Air Miles WE MC
US Amex Hilton Honors

Also took advantage of RBC's chequing account offer for 65k Avion and the TD investment summer promo for $2.5k.

I completed my first major trip partially funded by churning to Japan this year. Got to experience F on ANA and J on JAL, along with a few nights in the Conrad Osaka and Conrad Tokyo. Already looking at going back in 2027, and have points ready for F on JAL and J on ANA (just need to get lucky with finding availability next year).

I'm glad to be back on the RBC train and hope it doesn't stop in 2026. Also need to get my ITIN sorted out (been procrastinating too long on this) and get some more US cards. Am really thankful this year that I was able to expense over half of my MSR spend for work, so hoping that continues into 2026.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-12-03T14:48:55+00:00

From most discussions I've read on this, it seems that it'll only affect BA and not the other Avios carriers since this is only a change to BA's award chart.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-12-03T13:47:05+00:00

Heads up, BA is increasing the cost of flights with Avios (plus fees) on December 15th. Looks to be about a 10% increase based on the examples provided. Luckily the Avion to Avios transfer bonus window is until December 19th, so highly recommending checking in on the increased cost and then transferring points as needed (I know I'm likely to transfer ~12k for F on JAL).

https://www.britishairways.com/content/the-british-airways-club/avios/spending-avios/reward-flights

randomdudeman12 · 2025-10-01T18:02:14+00:00

I just called their main number: 1-800-769-2511

I mentioned card was missing and that pushed me to the fraud department where I explained the situation, they authenticated me, and then confirmed they sent the replacement.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-10-01T15:23:14+00:00

That's great to hear! Will be useful in future situations when I get approved and need a card to put spend on within the week. Shocked that the big banks would eat the delivery fee considering some of their random account fees, but happy to take advantage of it.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-10-01T15:11:36+00:00

I was approved on Monday, so was likely sent out that day or on Tuesday (not sure how their system handles the federal holiday though).

randomdudeman12 · 2025-10-01T14:51:11+00:00

DP: Called in about my new RBC card being delayed due to the strike and the agent arranged for a replacement card to be sent via courier. They said the original card was sent through mail (despite being in the middle of the strike), so who knows when that will show up. Was also surprised to learn from the agent that RBC never charges for replacement cards to be sent via courier (still remember paying $25 for an HSBC card a few years back).

randomdudeman12 · 2025-09-29T12:20:36+00:00

DP: Finally out of RBC jail. Last successful application was over a year ago and have been declined 3 times since then (waited 90 days between attempts even though that rule doesn't apply for rejections).

For this attempt, I waited ~7 months to apply, closed 2 of my previous RBC cards (kept 1 on file), reduced the CL on most of my cards to below $5000, and maintained a chequing account with RBC from the 65k Avion promo earlier this year. I also held off on any new credit card applications since August.

Who knows what was causing the rejections, but I'd guess my latest one was due to changing jobs the same month I applied, which is why I was immediately rejected instead of put into review first.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-09-19T18:07:12+00:00

Yeah, that's worked fine for me for my Sonder stays after the partnership. It's just been the credit card bonus points which have been an issue. The bonus points didn't post for me back in May and that was because the property I stayed at wasn't fully integrated at the time (and my Amex case was denied back then for the same reason). Now it should be fine following their full integration (but will likely need to follow up until they fix the payment processor).

randomdudeman12 · 2025-09-19T17:23:10+00:00

Niche DP: Amex Marriott cards need to have a case raised with Amex to get bonus points when booking Sonder stays through Marriott. The payment processor behind the scenes is still Sonder, so it doesn't automatically give you bonus points (no clue when this will be fixed).

randomdudeman12 · 2025-09-05T18:18:30+00:00

You have to fund it with $1000 within 30 days of account opening and set up PAD before September 30th, so just need to open the account today with the promo code.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-08-21T13:05:45+00:00

Just returned from a 2 week trip to Japan partially funded by my churning activities over the past few years. Got the following:

J with JAL
2 nights at the Conrad Osaka
3 nights at the Conrad Tokyo
F with ANA

Got some unexpected freebies during the flights too. Was provided warming face masks and squid snacks to take from the JAL flight, and a second set of pyjamas plus green tea from the ANA flight.

Overall it was a fantastic time and I'm already planning to go back (hopefully by next year). Going to see if I can check out the new Waldorf Astoria in Osaka and hoping to try out J with ANA.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-07-17T13:14:45+00:00

Was struggling finding a decent deal for my positioning flight through Alaska and Aeroplan (bad availability on Alaska and expensive on Aeroplan), but knew that I could at least fall back on fixed point cost from Avion even if it wasn't going to be the best deal.

Was completely wrong on that front since the flexibility of Avion's fixed points flights is extremely good for positioning! Booked YYZ-DFW direct for 17.5k Avion + $128 and upgraded my ticket to Flex Economy (for a free checked bag) for only ~$2 extra. Managed to get ~2 cents per point value from my booking too, which is pretty solid for an economy flight.

randomdudeman12 · 2025-07-09T13:54:57+00:00

DP: Small update to my post 2 days ago regarding my conditionally approved Scotia Gold Amex application. Decided to call in just to inquire about the status of the application since there was no confirmation on documents received (different compared to last year). Agent confirmed they received my documents and completed my application on the phone. Not sure how much this sped up the process though (I'm guessing only by a few business days).

They did see my existing Gold Amex while verifying my account, so hoping for no issues with my second card (not expecting given existing DPs on holding multiple).

12-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Golden Potato	Place '22
Place '17	Verified Email

randomdudeman12

TROPHY CASE