BC
T H E G LO B E A N D M A I L • T U E S D AY , O C T O B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 3
SPECIAL INFORMATION FEATURE
BUSINESS CREDIT CARDS
Business credit card helped clothier
take her enterprise to the ‘next level’
Access to credit, ability to combine points, extended travel insurance make RBC Visa Business Avion
one of the best business credit cards available
K
rista Hauser is a successful
entrepreneur in Moosejaw,
Sask. She ran a licensed
daycare for numerous years,
then opened up her own ladies’
apparel shop, grew it and took on
a business partner.
But getting a business credit
card early this year was a game
changer.
“It’s allowed us to take our
business to that next level and
have the buying power that a
young business doesn’t always
have,” said Hauser, proudly noting that the day she got her RBC
Business Avion credit card was a
“huge milestone” for her.
Automatic
savings for
business
credit card
clients
B
usiness-to-business
purchases used to be
made mostly by cheque.
But as credit card companies
and their clients evolved, so
have their preferred methods
of payment.
“Businesses are increasingly
using credit cards to pay
one another,” said Richard
Thomas, Head of Business
Credit Cards at RBC.
That’s why RBC Business
Avion has introduced Visa
SavingsEdge for its business
cardholders.
This free, innovative and
convenient program allows
business credit card clients to
get automatic savings when
making business purchases at
select retail partners.
“If a business credit card
client has enrolled his card
and needs to buy stock
photography to update his
website, he can purchase from
our partner iStockphoto, using
his RBC Visa Business Avion
card, and he’ll get the discount
automatically,” Thomas said.
Other common scenarios
when business owners could
take advantage of the new
program include renting a
vehicle at Alamo or National
Car Rental for business travel
and purchasing gifts for clients
from Baskits or Godiva.
PROOF OF SUCCESS
Aside from allowing her to
purchase inventory, Hauser’s
business credit card is almost a
badge of honour, she said, proving to other lenders and suppliers that she runs a booming
business.
“Most suppliers want to know
that a major lender stands
behind you before they give
you in-house credit or in-house
terms,” Hauser said.
According to Richard Thomas,
Head of Business Credit Cards at
RBC, Hauser is like many small
business owners. They initially
finance their business with
their personal credit card, but
once they can prove that they’re
responsibly running a viable
business, they get a business
credit card and unlock even more
avenues for success.
“If a small business owner
is just relying on her personal
credit card or personal credit
history, she’s not able to access
the full range of financing or
bank support that’s out there,”
Thomas said. “A business credit
card helps to build up a credit
history that’s specific to the
business, which becomes quite
important when looking to
expand the business.”
A business credit card will also
help keep business and personal
expenses separate, which is a
“real benefit at tax time,” according to Thomas, and helps to save
time and even out potentially
uneven cash flows.
POINTS POWER
For Hauser, one main advantage
to using an RBC Business Avion
credit card is the ability to earn
Rewards points.
A business credit card that’s affiliated with a rewards program allows entrepreneurs to earn points while
buying for their business.
apparel“When
buying trips come
up in Chicago, Los
Angeles or wherever,
we’re hoping we
can use some of
those Rewards points
that we’ve earned
so far for travel or
hotel stays.
”
Krista Hauser,
Business owner
“When apparel-buying trips
come up in Chicago, Los Angeles or wherever, we’re hoping we
can use some of those Rewards
points that we’ve earned so
far for travel or hotel stays,”
Hauser said.
But she’s not adverse to using
her point for personal trips, too.
“After my first year in business,
buying my start-up inventory
and whatnot, I just really needed
a vacation,” Hauser said. “I had
collected enough points to use
them toward a vacation to Mexico for my husband and I. So
that’s what we did.”
And, because Hauser also
holds an RBC Avion personal
credit card, she’s able to combine the points she’s earned
buying supplies for a home renovation with those she’s earned
making purchases for her store.
That means she can take vacations, buy merchandise or contribute to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan sooner and
more often.
“If I have an RBC Avion personal credit card and an RBC
Avion business credit card, I’ll
earn the same RBC Rewards
points on each card and I’ll see
these on my monthly statement,”
Thomas said. “When I’m ready
to redeem, I can combine those
points together to maximize my
Rewards value.”
credit cards so highly is that the
program is continuously trying
to serve its cardholders better. For instance, RBC Avion has
long been known for its superior
travel service, providing great
flexibility and stability, as well
as ease of booking and various
types of travel insurance. But
as of Sept. 3, RBC Avion has also
introduced Trip Cancellation
and Trip Interruption insurance
for all cardholders – personal
and business.
“It’s a real benefit to business
owners,” Thomas said. They can
now be reimbursed for penalties and non-refundable charges
pre-paid on their credit card if
they’ve had to unexpectedly
cancel their trip. And if their
trip is interrupted because of
an emergency, they’ll be reimbursed for extra costs to get
back home.
For Hauser, whose business
has grown this year to become
a l m o s t l i ke a m i n i d e p a r tment store, adding footwear
a n d h a n d b a g s to t h e m i x ,
doing business without a business credit card would now
be unimaginable.
“There’s absolutely no looking
back,” Hauser said.
TOP TRAVEL
INSURANCE COVERAGE
Another reason why clients such
as Hauser value their RBC Avion
BUSINESS AVIONERS
HAVE THE RIGHT TO
PLAY
Partners include:
Lenovo
n National Car Rental
n Alamo
n The Globe and Mail
n Baskits
n ADT
n Park’N Fly
n Blue Mountain
n Godiva
n
Find out more online at:
VisaSavingsEdge.ca
Building your business is hard work. Understanding and using
your travel rewards program shouldn’t be. You deserve a program
that is fast and easy to use and that gives you the Rights and
Freedoms that are the envy of the Travel Rewards Universe.
You deserve to be a Business Avioner.
®
®
‡
®
Apply for the RBC Visa Business Platinum Avion card and
receive 15,000 RBC Rewards welcome points upon enrolment .
Visit rbc.com/businessavion or call 1-800-769-2520.
®
†
AS HARD AS THEY
WORK
BUSINESS AVIONERS CAN DO THAT
® / TM Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s). † To receive the 15,000 bonus RBC Rewards points, your application form must be received by
December 31, 2013 and approved by us. Upon enrolment, 15,000 bonus RBC Rewards points will appear on your first credit card statement. Bonus points offer is only offered to the first Primary Business Cardholder on the account; Secondary Business Cardholder, as well as existing
Visa Business Platinum cardholders as of the offer eligibility period are not eligible for this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer.