TD Platinum Travel Visa* Review 2022

We all want to go places, just not to the same places. A unique travel card like the TD Platinum Travel Visa*  can be used for so much more than your next tropical escape. The flexible TD Points program can help save on your next Amazon purchase, score free Starbucks lattes, and even level up your education!  The TD Platinum Travel Visa* turns both your essential spending and your splurges into points you can use on what matters most. It might even be one of the best credit cards for students because of a little-known feature. Here’s what you should know about the incredibly versatile TD Platinum Travel Visa* card.   

TD Platinum Travel Visa* Perks & Benefits 

• $370 worth of welcome offers†
• 5x the points on eligible travel bookings†
• 3x the points on groceries and recurring bill payments †
• 2x the points on everything else†
• Unlimited points that never expire†
• Bonus points & Star rewards on Starbucks purchases†
• Redeem points for travel through any provider†
• No travel blackouts or seat restrictions†
• Discounted airport lounge membership†
• Redeem points for Starbucks purchases†
• Redeem points for Amazon.ca purchases†
• Redeem points for tuition costs or student loan payments†
• Purchase protection †
• Extended warranty †
• 4 types of travel insurance coverage †
• Discounted car rentals †
• Optional roadside assistance program †
• No minimum income required to be eligible†

TD Platinum Travel Visa* Welcome Offer

How does $370 of free stuff sound? I thought you’d say that. New TD Platinum Travel Visa* cardholders can earn up to 50,000 bonus TD Rewards points†. That alone is worth about $250 in travel discounts when redeemed through the exclusive Expedia portal for TD Points collectors. Then, the annual fee is waived for the first year for you and one additional cardholder. So, how do you score these bonus points and extra savings? 

You have to be a new TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card customer and apply before October 29th, 2022†. Next, you’ll get 15,000 bonus TD Points once you make a first purchase with your card in the first 3 months. Once you do that, the annual fee will be waived for the year. To earn another 35,000 TD Points you need to spend $1,000 on the card in the first 3 months of opening your account. Thanks to inflation, you’ll have no problem hitting that minimum $1,000 spend threshold. We’re looking at you, grocery stores!

^†Conditions apply. Visit the TD website to read all of the terms and conditions.

Earning TD Points with your Platinum Travel Visa*

The TD Points program is quickly growing in popularity and for good reason. It’s an incredibly flexible points program that lets you earn rewards on your daily purchases and redeem them for things like travel, merchandise, a credit on your account, and a few other crazy things that will blow your mind. The TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card offers you 3 accelerated points categories to help you bank even more points on the essentials: 

Up to 5x the points on travel purchases 

Travel purchases made with your TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card earn the most rewards with 5 TD Points per $1 spent online through Expedia for TD, but only 3 TD Points per $1 when you book through the very same portal by telephone. While I understand the desire to keep things digital to lower overhead costs for TD, this setup irks the heck out of me. Why?

Because anyone who has vision problems, is less tech-savvy, or doesn’t have reliable access to a computer, smart device, or internet connection is at a disadvantage. They don’t earn as many points as their peers using the same portal simply because they phoned in rather than self-serving online. That feels icky and unfair. Hopefully, they change this in future to be more accessible and inclusive to all TD Points collectors. Until then, try to book online through Expedia for TD to earn as many points as possible. On the upside, there is no annual spending cap on this accelerated purchase category.  

Up to 3x the points on groceries and bills

You’ll earn 3 TD Points per $1 when you use your TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card to buy groceries at eligible grocery stores. Be careful though, not all stores that sell groceries qualify as a grocery store. To get 3x the points, the store must have a Merchant Category Code (MCC) that classifies them as a grocery store in the Visa network.

To know for sure if your favourite grocery retailer qualifies, you can always call TD at 1-800-983-8472. The accelerated earn rate applies to all eligible grocery purchases up to a total annual spend of $15,000 a year. Once you hit the annual spending limit, the earn rate drops to 2 TD Points per $1. 

Do you have recurring monthly bills? That’s a rhetorical question, of course you do. To earn 3 TD Points per $1 on your monthly recurring bills, set them to automatically charge your TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card each month. Eligible recurring bill payments include online streaming subscriptions, insurance premiums, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, cell phone bills, membership fees, etc.

As long as the merchant accepts pre-authorized payments and is classified as “recurring payments” through the Visa network, then you’re good to go. However, there is a $15,000 annual spending cap on this too. Once your total recurring bill payments hit $15,000 in a year, the earn rate drops down to 2 TD points per $1. 

2x the points on everything else! 

All other purchases on your  TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card, outside the accelerated rewards category, earn 2 TD points per $1. You also earn 2 TD points per $1 once you exceed the $15,000 annual spending limit on groceries and recurring bill payments set up on your card.

There is no limit to the number of TD Points you can earn on your account. Even though the rate at which you earn points might adjust down if you hit the spending limits, you don’t stop earning points on any of your card purchases. That means you can earn limitless points with your  TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card. Cha-ching! Oh, and your TD Points never expire either. 

Bonus points at Starbucks!

TD and Starbucks have teamed up to help designer coffee lovers score more points on their guilty pleasures. You can earn bonus TD Points when you add your TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card to your Starbucks Rewards account. You’ll earn 50% more TD Points and 50% more Starbucks Stars when you link your TD card and use it to load your Starbucks Rewards account. From there, you’ll double dip both your TD Points and your Starbucks Stars when you make eligible purchases through the Starbucks app. 

You’ll also need to set up Starbucks as a rewards partner on your TD credit card. To do that, login into your TD account through EasyWeb or through the TD App, select your TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card, then select the Manage tab followed by the My TD Rewards tab, then select Starbucks from the list of TD partners. Voila! You’ll earn up to 3 TD Points and 50% more Starbucks Stars per purchase through your Starbucks rewards app. 

Redeeming your TD Points

TD credit cards are catching the eye of savvy points collectors and growing in popularity. That little green logo offers something for everyone. The TD Points program on the TD Platinum Travel Visa* Card is flexible enough to make globetrotters and home-bodies equally happy. Here’s how to redeem your TD Points: 

Best value when you redeem for travel

The TD Platinum Travel Visa* is a travel card, hence the name, so you’ll get the best redemption value on travel and travel-related purchases through the Expedia for TD portal. If Expedia for TD doesn’t have what you’re looking for, you’ll get the next best redemption value on travel purchases through any other travel provider of your choice.

Better yet, your points can be applied to travel related charges on your card like taxes, fees, and even excursions booked through your vacation resort! And there are no blackout dates or seat restrictions to worry about either. Your TD Points must be redeemed in 200 point increments on travel purchases. 

Redeem for a credit on your account

If cash is king for you, then you can redeem your TD Points for a credit on your TD Platinum Travel Visa* account to help pay down the balance. However, you need to have a minimum points balance of at least 10,000 TD Points in order to redeem for a statement credit. Then, every increment of 400 points over the minimum is worth $1 that can be redeemed as a credit to the account. 

Attention Amazon.ca shoppers! 

You can redeem your TD Points for purchases on Amazon.ca. It’s super easy. Just add your TD Platinum Travel Visa* to your Amazon account and Amazon will automatically enroll your card, unless you opted out of automatic enrollment. When you’re ready to purchase the items in your cart, select your TD Platinum Travel Visa* as the method of payment and choose how many TD Points you’d like to redeem. Their value will be deducted from your total to cover all or a portion of your purchase. 

Free stuff from TD

You can also redeem your TD points to get free stuff from the TDRewards.com online catalogue. You can score free name-brand merchandise across every possible category as well as gift cards to stores, restaurants, and gas stations. Keep in mind, redeeming for merchandise and gift cards give the lowest redemption value for your points. 

Free lattes? Yes please! 

Not only can you double-dip your Starbucks Stars and TD Points, you can also redeem your points for free Starbucks purchases too! If you’re having a hard time kicking that pricey caffeine addiction, the TD Platinum Travel Visa* can save your budget. Just swap your TD Points for Starbucks Stars. Then, redeem your Starbucks Stars for free coffee, handcrafted drinks, food, and eligible merchandise. 

Attention students! Is this the best redemption feature EVER?

Are student loans killing your buzz? What if I told you the TD Platinum Travel Visa* could slash your tuition bill? The TD Points program is the first I’ve come across that lets you redeem points towards your student loan balance and other education costs. TD Points can be used to purchase education credits on HigherEdPoints.com to pay off or pay down student loans or to help with tuition. 

And the best part? They don’t have to be your own TD Points either. Anyone can use their eligible TD Points to purchase education credits for you too. Thanks, Nana! Credits can be purchased in $250 increments and transferred to your HigherEdPoints account.

From there, you have 2 years to redeem your education credits for payment on federal/provincial student loans or directly towards tuition at participating post-secondary schools. And for what it’s worth, education credits are the second-highest redemption value after travel. I can’t even! 

Travel insurance benefits on your TD Platinum Travel Visa*

As a travel card, the TD Platinum Travel Visa* does not disappoint. Not only do you get the best redemption value on your points when used to book travel through Expedia for TD, you also get a host of other perks too. TD even provides a really cool Credit Card Travel Insurance Verification Tool to help you see what travel benefits are available on your TD credit card. That’s an incredibly handy feature I haven’t seen from other credit card providers.  Here’s a run down on the 4 complimentary travel insurance benefits you get: 

• Flight/Trip Delay Insurance†: Up to $500 in coverage if your flight or trip is delayed for more than 4 hours. 

• Delayed and Lost Baggage Insurance†: Up to $1,000 in coverage for the purchase of incidentals if your baggage is lost or delayed for more than 6 hours. 

• Travel Accident Insurance†: Up to $500,000 of coverage for bodily injury sustained while travelling on a common carrier like a plane, bus, train, ferry, etc. 

• Auto Rental Collision/ Loss Damage Insurance†: When you use your TD Platinum Travel Visa* card to book the full cost of your rental car through a rental car agency and decline their in-house insurance coverage, you’ll get collision and damage insurance free of charge.

To be eligible for each of these insurance coverage benefits, certain conditions and restrictions apply. To find out if you, your dependents and other travel companions are covered, and for how much, refer to the TD Platinum Travel Visa* Benefit Coverages Guide.  

^†Conditions apply. Visit the TD website to read all of the terms and conditions.

Other travel perks & discounts

Travel insurance isn’t the only perk you get. Your TD Platinum Travel Visa* also gives you special privileges at airports, on-demand access to help when you need it, other travel discounts, and a smarter way to spend. Here’s how: 

Luxury lounges & travel assistance

Your TD Platinum Travel Visa* card provides an annual discount on a Priority Pass Membership†, which gives you access to 1,200 VIP airport lounges around the world. In the event you experience a personal emergency while travelling, you can access Emergency Travel Assistance Services toll-free at  1-800-871-8334. Knock on wood! 

When you need a rental 

If you like to sight-see on your own terms while travelling, or you got rear-ended on your way to work, you can save money with car rental discounts. TD Platinum Travel Visa* holders get 10% off car rentals through participating Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car locations in Canada and the U.S., and 5% off participating international locations. You can also save money on rental car insurance when you book the full cost of an eligible rental car on your TD Platinum Travel Visa* and decline coverage from the rental agency. 

For the road trippers

Do you love to road-trip? Your TD Platinum Travel Visa* gives you the option to purchase a membership to TD Auto Club. You’ll get access to emergency roadside assistance 24 hours a day. Now you can hit the open road with confidence.

For the smart shoppers 

Savvy shoppers don’t just bargain hunt, they protect their purchases. When you make a purchase with your TD Platinum Travel Visa*, you automatically get Purchase Security and Extended Warranty for protection on most new items. If something is stolen or damaged within 90 days from the date of purchases, you’re covered. 

Rates & fees on the TD Platinum Travel Visa*

A killer rewards card, like the TD Platinum Travel Visa*, typically comes with an annual fee. At $89 per year, you get quite a bit back in complimentary perks. It’s not a terrible fee compared to other cards on the market, and it’s waived for the first year too. You can add up to 3 additional cardholders to your account. The first one will cost $35, also waived for the first year, and the remaining two are free. 

The interest rate is pretty standard at 19.99% on purchases and 22.99% for cash advances. There’s really nothing to write home about here, especially if you know how to use a rewards card properly. Ideally, you want to pay your balance off in full every month, which makes the interest rate on this card irrelevant. If you rack up a balance and don’t pay it off in full by the due date, interest charges start to cancel out the benefit of your points – so don’t do that!

Are you eligible for the TD Platinum Travel Visa* card? 

Despite the word “platinum” in the title, the TD Platinum Travel Visa* is an upper-level rewards card that is fairly easy to get. There is no minimum income required to qualify, which is great news for students, homemakers, those with lower or non-traditional incomes, and retirees. To qualify for this card, you must be at least the age of majority in the province where you live and be a permanent resident of Canada. 

Sometimes, a credit card will explicitly require post-bankrupt applicants to be discharged from bankruptcy for at least 7 years in order to be eligible. However, the TD Platinum Travel Visa* does not have any explicit requirements for post-bankrupts, leading us to believe you may be able to get this card if you have a bankruptcy or consumer proposal on your credit file that it is less than 7 years old.

However, we are only speculating based on the eligibility requirements of other cards. Approval is never guaranteed and your application is subject to a hard credit check. Applicants with a good credit score of at least 660 or higher are more likely to be approved. 

Who is the  TD Platinum Travel Visa* card for?

At first glance, the TD Platinum Travel Visa* looks like a great card for wanderlusters who want to convert their daily purchases into killer getaways. But upon closer inspection, it’s actually a fantastic card for anyone who wants a flexible rewards program to save money on major budget-busters. Specifically, 3 kinds of people come to mind; students, Starbucks lovers, and die-hard Amazon shoppers. Heck, it’s a great card for parents who want to help their kids with higher education costs! 

Travel is not top of mind when the price of everything just hit cruising altitude. As a Starbucks addict and devout Amazon shopper myself, I was already flexing my digits to hit that Apply button. It’s not often that a travel card can help you bank some serious savings on stuff other than travel; like what you need, what you want, and the simple joys that make life worth living. Luckily, you don’t have to choose between a white and green cuppa-joy or diapers for the tiny humans who make you want to inject that coffee directly into your bloodstream. 

With the TD Platinum Travel Visa* you can do both!  Lattes earn points, and points can cover those Amazon diaper purchases. Or your kid’s undergrad program. The HigherEdPoints program is a complete game-changer. And now that you can bank bonus points when the green siren calls, your guilty pleasures can actually bankroll their way to a cap and gown. Don’t worry, when you’re ready to travel again you’ll still score sweet deals on Expedia for TD. 

The TD Platinum Travel Visa* Rating

Purchase Interest Rate	3/5
Cash advance interest rate	3/5
Balance transfer	n/a
Annual Fee	4/5
Cash back	n/a
Welcome Offer	4/5
Purchase insurance	4/5
Extended warranty insurance	4/5
Travel insurance	4/5
Emergency medical travel insurance	n/a
Other Perks	5/5
Overall rating	3.8/5