Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card: Should You Keep It?
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Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card Review
The Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card is a travel rewards credit card that lets you earn rewards points for everyday purchases that can be used for travel, merchandise, gift cards, or special events.
The Cost
Annual Fee = $99 (First year free). Additional cards = $30
Minimum annual income required = $60,000 (personal) or $100,000 (household)
Rewards Points Snapshot
– Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent in all credit card purchases
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent in foreign currencies
– No caps, no tiers, no restrictions
First Time Bonus
None
Anniversary Bonus
None
Features & Benefits
– Complimentary 24/7 Visa Infinite Concierge.
– Emergency Medical Insurance (48 days<59, 23 days=60–64, 15 days=65-75, None>76, Amount: 5 M/per person).
– Travel Accident Insurance (up to $1,000,000 CAD, No age limit).
– Auto Rental Theft and Collision/Loss Damage Insurance (Up to 48 days)
– Trip Cancellation Insurance ($2,000 each).
– Trip Interruption Insurance (Unlimited).
– Flight Delay Insurance (Not clear – No mention of after how many hours, Looks like $2,000, but please call Meridian to confirm).
– Lost and Delayed Luggage (Not clear - No mention of after how many hours, Looks like $500-$1,000, but please call Meridian to confirm).
– Extended Warranty Insurance (1 additional year, $50,000 lifetime limit).
– Purchase Security (90 days, $50,000 lifetime limit).
– Price Protection Insurance (60 days, $100 per item, $500 per year limit)
– Mobile Device Insurance (Up to $1,000)
What’s Missing
– Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance
Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card - My Take
The Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card is a new entrant on the Canadian credit card market. The rewards points earning rate is not that great because it generates only 1.5 percent return on everyday purchases. However, the 3 percent return on foreign purchases would offset the 2.5 percent foreign transaction fees and there will still be a half percent return. Most Canadian cards charge foreign transaction fees. If you want to know which cards do not charge foreign fees, watch my video on that.
The interesting twist this card has is its insurance. It offers rich travel insurance for a $99 annual fee. Also, the Emergency Medical Insurance offers longer coverage than most other Canadian travel credit cards (and a higher amount, up to $5 million) for up to 75 years old.
If you pay careful attention to insurance providers, there are two providers working together here. For travel related insurances such as emergency medical, trip interruption, trip cancellation, baggage delay, etc., the provider is Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company. For other segments of insurance such as auto rental, mobile device, purchase + price protection, extended warranty, etc., the provider is American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (ABIC).
Whichever travel credit cards you use (such as Scotia Gold Amex, Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard, and many other Canadian cards), travel insurances are provided by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida. I would stay away from these, as there are numerous complaints and bad reviews online about these providers when it actually comes to processing claims. So, for the travel insurance elements, the provider is Desjardins and not ABIC, which is a good thing.
Now, it all comes up to your decision making if you are comfortable trusting Desjardins as your insurance provider. Of course, I am assuming they are better than ABIC, but I am not too familiar with Desjardins when it comes to processing claims. You don’t want to take chances paying out of pocket for, let’s say, a $500,000 bill should you require an airlift from a foreign country to Canada and your provider is finding causes to decline your claims.
To wrap it up, Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card should not be your primary card to maximize rewards/points earning (except foreign transactions). But it can be a good card for travel insurances if you are fine with Desjardins being the travel insurance provider. Always do your research and make an educated decision.
As of this writing, I do not hold this card.
