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Vancity enviro Visa Gold card review

Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold card review

Cameron Smonk

Feb 14, 2025

While we adhere to strict editorial guidelines, partners on this page may provide us earnings.

First year value

$159

Highlights

$159

First year value

6k bonus points

Welcome bonus

$99

Annual fee

first-year annual fee waived

Interest Rates

19.5%

Purchase APR

Eligibility

Good

Recommended credit score

Quick overview

When you see “enviro” attached to the card name you know there’s something different about the credit card in question, and the Vancity enviro Visa Gold card is no exception. It’s part of a line of cards from Vancity, the core appeal coming from them donating a portion of their profits to environmental causes – 5% in the case of this card.

On top of that, the Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold also has a bunch of perks and point earning potential, and a relatively manageable annual fee of $99 (which is waived for the first year). But is it worthy of your consideration?

Who’s the Vancity enviro Visa Gold for?

The main draw of this card is for environmental enthusiasts (it’s why they put “enviro” right in the name). Five percent of profits from all enviro™ Visa* cards go to the Vancity enviroFund™, and it also helps you track your carbon footprint on the Vancity app based on your purchases.

Beyond that, it works as a pretty straightforward point collecting card, with an annual fee that doesn’t cause shock and awe. It also may appeal to travellers because you earn 2x the points on travel purchases, but in all honesty, if travel’s your main objective, there are more compelling point cards out there.

Pros and cons

Pros

Pros

  • First year annual fee waiver

  • Ongoing annual fee waiver for Vancity Total Chequing Account holders

  • 5% of profits from the card support the Vancity enviroFund™ program

  • Uncomplicated rewards

Cons

Cons

  • Travel insurance lacking flight and hotel protections

  • Bonus categories are lacking

  • Limited availability for potential applicants

Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold card welcome bonus

The Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold card comes with a very basic welcome bonus for new accounts:

  • New cardholders get the first-year annual fee waived ($99 value)* and 2,500 bonus points on their first purchase ($25 rewards value)*. Plus, 3,500 bonus points each year on the card's anniversary ($35 rewards value)*. Terms and conditions apply. Offer valid until March 31, 2025.

All told, that first-year bonus of up to 6k bonus points is worth $60 in value - just for doing some very basic things. 

How to earn Vancity Rewards

Collecting points on the Vancity enviro Visa Gold card could not be more straightforward:

  • Earn 2x the points when booking travel through Vancity Rewards.
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all purchases.

You get 1x on every purchase you make (1000 points = about $10) and you make 2x points on qualifying travel purchases, which is a decent bump, if you are booking your next flight and hotel. No catches, no schemes – just spend and earn (albeit at a relatively slow pace compared to serious point cards that care less about the environment). 

Vancity enviro Visa Gold estimated first-year value

The enviro™ Visa* Gold card offers significant value thanks to its straightforward bonuses and first-year annual fee waived.

  • 1st-year value: $159

How to redeem Vancity rewards

You can redeem Vancity Rewards four ways:

  • Cash back (as an account payment or to pay off a recent purchase)
  • Travel booking through Vancity Rewards
  • Gift cards
  • Donations to select charities (starting at 2,000 points)

Like most cash back cards, the simplest way to spend the money you’ve gotten back is statement credits, either through an account payment, or by paying off a recent purchase. But you can also book travel through Vancity Rewards, turn it into gift cards, and – going along with the give-back theme of this card – also donate to select charities (once you’ve accumulated a minimum of 2,000 points).

Vancity rewards don’t expire as long as your account is in good standing. But if your account is past due, you may not be able to earn or redeem points, and your account could even be closed if it remains past due for 180 days. Here’s how it breaks down:

  • 30-60 days past due: You can still redeem points, but you won't earn them
  • 61-180 days past due: You won't be able to earn or redeem points
  • 180 days past due: Your account will be closed and your points will be canceled

If you bring your account back into good standing before it's closed, you can start earning and redeeming points again.

You can redeem Vancity Rewards from as little as 2,000 points. Even better, points never expire as long as your account is open and active.

Key features of the Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold

  • No fee in the first year
  • Double the points earned when spent on travel
  • Decent travel insurance coverage

Insurance coverage

Protection
Coverage amount
Extended warranty
1 year
Purchase protection
90 days
Price protection
60 days
Travel accident insurance
$500,000
Delayed/lost baggage
Up to $1,000 per person per trip
Car rental insurance
$65,000

Extra benefits of the enviro Gold Visa card

  • 5% of profits from this card support the Vancity enviroFund™ program every year
  • Use the Carbon Counter™ to estimate your carbon footprint
  • Add up to 4 additional cardholders for $0

Vancity enviroFund™ in action

Vancity's local approach means its enviroFund™ is making a bug difference in the communities that it serves. The enviroFund™ has supported a wide range of initiatives in-and-around Vancouver, including:

  • HUB Cycling: Making Metro Vancouver more bike-friendly
  • Reusables: Creating a network of restaurants and cafes sharing take-out reusables
  • Threading Change: Developing a global map of ethical brands and a network of clothing swaps
  • Project Zero: A business incubator bringing circular and low-carbon products to market

How it compares

up to $1,750

Welcome Bonus

$1,281

First Year Value

$0

Annual Value

Welcome Bonus: Get a total of up to 60,000 Aventura Points (up to $1,200 in value) during your first year†.

Learn More Apply Now On CIBC's Secure Site

The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card is one for the point heads (myself included – I’ve had this one). You get up to 60,000 Aventura Points† for making a minimum spend, and a handful of other point accelerators, making this card quite compelling, especially in its first year where its $139 fee gets waived.

If it was a point contest, the CIBC card would win hands down over the Vancity enviro Gold Visa. But here’s the thing – if your point maxing and ONLY point maxing, there’s probably even better options than the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa card. The thing that the Vancity card brings is its environmental support, something that will definitely appeal to a core group of users.

Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold Card CIBC Aventura® Gold Visa* Card
Annual fee:
$99 (first-year annual fee waived) 		Annual fee:
139 (one time rebate)
Welcome bonus:
Earn 2,500 bonus points on your first purchase ($25 rewards value)*. Plus, 3,500 bonus points each year on the card's anniversary ($35 rewards value)*. 		Welcome bonus:
Get a total of up to 60,000 Aventura Points (up to $1,200 in value) during your first year†.
Rewards:
• Earn 2x the points when booking travel through Vancity Rewards.
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all purchases. 		Rewards:
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible travel purchased through the CIBC Rewards Centre†
• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent at eligible gas stations, EV charging, grocery stores and drug stores†
• Earn 1 point on all other purchases
Insurance:
Extended warranty, purchase protection, travel accident insurance, baggage delay/baggage stolen insurance, rental car coverage 		Insurance:
Extended warranty, purchase protection, mobile device coverage, emergency medical, travel accident insurance, baggage delay/baggage stolen insurance, rental car coverage, flight delay/flight cancellation, hotel burglary insurance
Read review Apply Now

Disclosures:

  • †Terms and Conditions Apply. This offer is not available for residents of Quebec.

  • This is a digital-exclusive offer.†

    To be eligible for this offer:

    1) this offer must have been directly communicated to you from CIBC or from a partner/affiliate; and

    2) you must apply for the eligible card through the link provided in the CIBC or partner/affiliate communication to you.†

    This offer is reserved for you. Please do not forward it to anyone else.

    CIBC may approve your application, but you are not eligible to receive this Offer if you have opened, transferred or cancelled another Aventura card within the last 12 months.†

    Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by our advertising partners.

The Scotiabank Gold Amex Card is pretty ho-hum as far as point collectors go. It has an okay welcome bonus (up to $780* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points), but its first year fee isn’t waived so you’re on the hook for the $120 fee right away. Plus, it’s an Amex, which means you can’t use it as widely as you can a Visa.

While its welcome bonus makes it worth your consideration over the Vancity enviro Gold Visa*, it won’t be enough for the environment heads out there to give it the nod.

Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold Card Scotiabank Gold Amex Card
Annual fee:
$99 (first-year annual fee waived) 		Annual fee:
$120
Welcome bonus:
Earn 2,500 bonus points on your first purchase ($25 rewards value)*. Plus, 3,500 bonus points each year on the card's anniversary ($35 rewards value)*. 		Welcome bonus:
Earn up to $780* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points.
Rewards:
• Earn 2x the points when booking travel through Vancity Rewards.
• [[ ribn.prod.vancity-enviro-visa-gold
-card.earn_rate_2_description ]] 		Rewards:
• Earn 6x Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco, Foodland and more
• Earn 5x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on dining, food delivery, food subscriptions, other eligible grocery stores, and eligible entertainment purposes. Includes popular food delivery, food subscriptions, and movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.
• Earn up to 4x Scene+ points for every dollar you spend on hotel bookings, car rentals, and things to do with Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia
• [Earn 3x Scene+ points for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options, including rideshares, buses and subways, as well as eligible select streaming services.
• [Earn 1 Scene+ point on all other purchases
Insurance:
Extended warranty, purchase protection, travel accident insurance, baggage delay/baggage stolen insurance, rental car coverage 		Insurance:
Extended warranty, purchase protection, mobile device coverage, emergency medical, travel accident insurance, baggage delay/baggage stolen insurance, rental car coverage, flight delay/flight cancellation, hotel burglary insurance
Read review Apply Now

Disclosures:

  • Conditions Apply. Visit here for the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card to learn more.

    *See Card Provider's website and Card Application for complete card details, terms and current offers. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy of information.

2,000 miles

Welcome Bonus

$383

First Year Value

$53

Annual Value

Welcome Bonus: Get 2,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles! * That's enough for $210 towards purchases with AIR MILES Cash!* Plus, get the $120 annual fee waived for your first anniversary Expires Jun 01, 2025

Learn More Apply Now On BMO's Secure Site

I see Air Miles and I think “ugh.” Air Miles – despite their name and branding — are downright terrible points for travel. Combine that with the pitiful welcome bonus (2,000) and the high-end annual fee ($120) and this makes for a pretty uninteresting card to me. 

So, for once, it’s not just about the environment – I might take the Vancity enviro Gold Visa regardless, over the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard. But it’s also about the environment, so I call this a hands down win for Vancity.

Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold Card BMO AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®*
Annual fee:
$99 (first-year annual fee waived) 		Annual fee:
$120
Welcome bonus:
Earn 2,500 bonus points on your first purchase ($25 rewards value)*. Plus, 3,500 bonus points each year on the card's anniversary ($35 rewards value)*. 		Welcome bonus:
Get 2,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles! * That's enough for $210 towards purchases with AIR MILES Cash!* Plus, get the $120 annual fee waived for your first anniversary
Rewards:
• Earn 2x the points when booking travel through Vancity Rewards.
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all purchases. 		Rewards:
• Earn 3x the Miles per $12 spent at participating AIR MILES partners*
• Earn 2x the Miles for every $12 spent at any eligible grocery store*
• Earn 1x the Mile for every $12 in credit card purchases, everywhere you spend*
•Get a 25% discount on one worldwide AIR MILES flight redemption during the calendar year*
Insurance:
Extended warranty, purchase protection, travel accident insurance, baggage delay/baggage stolen insurance, rental car coverage 		Insurance:
Extended warranty, purchase protection, mobile device coverage, emergency medical, travel accident insurance, baggage delay/baggage stolen insurance, rental car coverage, flight delay/flight cancellation, hotel burglary insurance
Read review Apply Now

Disclosures:

  • *Terms and conditions apply
  • BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Apply now link for the most up to date information.


Users who go for Vancity seem to like it, if Reddit posts are any indication. Again, with the enviro brand, the whole point of this line of cards is to offer a feel-good alternative to traditional credit cards.

“I went from TD to Vancity. It’s nice not being treated like a fraudster every time you need to go to the teller. Vancity is great.” -u/BrilliantNothing2151

u/LastOfTheGuacamoles

“I would definitely recommend Vancity. I never had any problems with their app, and as a financial institution, they’ve provided me with far better, more compassionate service than CIBC ever did.” -

Is the Vancity enviro Visa Gold credit card worth it?

With the first year fee waived, if you’re looking for the most passive and easy way to give some money to the environment, I would say for sure – the Vancity enviro™ Visa* Gold is worth your time. Beyond that it has a straightforward and decent point earning structure, just without the serious bonuses some other cards offer. So, if you’re chasing a big point goal, maybe a high-end trip, this card probably isn’t for you especially when the annual fee kicks in. But for a group of environmental enthusiasts, I think this card cuts the mustard nicely. 

Eligibility requirements

  • Must be at least 19 years old
  • Must live in British Columbia and have a BC address

Those that have declared bankruptcy in the last seven years or have no previous credit history, the enviro Secured Visa card may be the right card for their needs.

Cameron Smonk Freelance Writer

Cam is a content marketer with a passion for saving, financial independence, and pulling off elaborate credit card point schemes. He has worked in Fintech and Finserve (specifically Group Retirement) and loves researching and writing about finance.

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