RBC and Canadian Tire Announce Avion-CT Money Partnership

Royal Bank of Canada and Canadian Tire Corporation have announced a strategic partnership that will allow RBC Avion cardholders to earn and convert Avion points to Canadian Tire Money, and vice versa. The reciprocal loyalty arrangement, launching May 1, 2026, connects one of Canada's largest bank rewards programs with one of the country's most recognized retail loyalty currencies.

Under the partnership, RBC Avion cardholders will earn bonus Avion points on purchases made at Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Mark's, Atmosphere, and Party City stores. The bonus earn rate is 5 Avion points per dollar at these retailers, on top of the standard card earn rate. For an RBC Avion Visa Infinite cardholder who normally earns 1 point per dollar, this means 6 points per dollar at Canadian Tire family stores.

The conversion feature allows Avion points to be transferred to Canadian Tire Money at a ratio of 100 Avion points to $1 in CT Money. Conversely, CT Money can be converted to Avion points at a ratio of $1 CT Money to 80 Avion points. The conversions are processed through the RBC Mobile app and the Canadian Tire app, with transferred points appearing within 24 hours.

The conversion ratios are designed to offer flexibility rather than exceptional value. At 100 Avion points to $1 CT Money, the conversion is roughly equivalent to the baseline Avion redemption value through the RBC Rewards travel portal. The real value lies in the flexibility to use Avion points at Canadian Tire stores for household purchases, auto parts, sporting goods, and seasonal items, giving cardholders a practical alternative to travel redemptions.

For Canadian Tire, the partnership with RBC opens its loyalty program to a broader audience. Canadian Tire Money has long been one of Canada's most beloved loyalty currencies, but it has historically been earned only through purchases at Canadian Tire family stores or through the Canadian Tire-branded Triangle credit cards. The RBC partnership allows Canadian Tire to attract spending from the broader RBC cardholder base, estimated at over 5 million active credit card accounts.

RBC benefits from the arrangement by adding a high-profile retail earning accelerator that competes with the co-branded retail card partnerships offered by rival banks. TD has its partnership with Amazon and previously with Esso, CIBC has Costco, and Scotiabank has its Scene+ retail network. The Canadian Tire partnership gives RBC a comparable retail anchor.

The partnership does not affect the existing Triangle credit card program operated by Canadian Tire Financial Services. Triangle Mastercard and World Elite Mastercard holders will continue to earn CT Money at their existing rates, and the Triangle program's earn rates at Canadian Tire stores remain higher than the Avion bonus earn rates. Canadian Tire has positioned the RBC partnership as additive rather than competitive to its own card portfolio.

RBC has also announced that Avion cardholders will gain access to exclusive offers and promotions at Canadian Tire family stores, delivered through the RBC Mobile app. These offers may include bonus CT Money on specific product categories, early access to seasonal sales, and exclusive pricing on select items.

The partnership agreement is structured as a five-year deal with renewal options. Both companies have invested in backend system integration to support real-time point earning and conversion, a technical undertaking that required connecting RBC's rewards platform with Canadian Tire's loyalty infrastructure.

Industry analysts view the partnership as a win for both parties. RBC gains a differentiated retail earning opportunity that strengthens the Avion value proposition, while Canadian Tire gains access to a large new customer base for its family of stores. For consumers, the ability to shuttle points between a bank rewards program and a retail loyalty program adds a layer of flexibility that is relatively uncommon in the Canadian market.