Best Rewards Credit Card Rankings in Canada in 2018
Credit cards don’t exist solely to help you spend money. If you choose the right one for your lifestyle, you can earn just by doing your regular shopping. The key is to choose a credit card with a solid and worthwhile rewards program that suits you.
First, let’s clarify what a rewards credit card is.
What Are Rewards Credit Cards?
Credit card rewards programs come in different formats, but the basic idea is the same; you earn a fixed number of points for every dollar that you spend. Once you’ve earned enough points, you can redeem them for different types of rewards, depending on the specific card. These include travel rewards cards, which give you points toward flights and other travel expenses; hotel rewards cards, which let you earn free hotel stays; auto rewards cards, which give you points toward gas and car-related purchases; and dining cards, which generate rewards points when you eat out.
How To Choose The Best Rewards Credit Card
When trying to determine the best rewards card for you, consider your spending patterns. Your card should allow you to earn points when buying the items you would be purchasing anyway. For example, if you are a frequent business traveler, then a hotel rewards credit card that earns extra points on hotel stays would be a smart choice. A large family would do best with a rewards card that earns points at the grocery store they shop at most frequently, while anyone who covers a lot of miles would benefit from an auto rewards credit card.
Summary of Best Rewards Credit Card Canada 2018
We’ve put together the below list to allow you to compare the different options available in Canada with greater ease (click the card names for a super-fast scroll to their respective reviews).
| Credit Card | Reward Points Structure | Annual Fees | Card Review | Apply for Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Cobalt | 5 pts/$ on dining and grocery 2 pts/$ on travel 1 pt/$ on the rest | $120 | Read More | Apply Now |
| BMO® AIR MILES®† World Elite®* Mastercard®* | 1 Air Mile/$10 on purchases 2 Air Miles at selected card dealerships 15% discount on North American flights | $120 | Read More | Apply Now |
| Scotiabank SCENE Visa | 5 pts/$ on Cineplex Odeon movies 1 pt/$ on the rest | $0 | Read More | Apply Now |
| American Express Gold Rewards | 2 pts/$ on travel 1 pt/$ on the rest Transfer 1:1 to Aeroplan | $150 | Read More | Apply Now |
| BMO Shell Air Miles Mastercard | 2 Air Miles/$ at Shell 1 Air Mile/20$ on the rest | $0 | Read More | Apply Now |
| CTFS Triangle World Elite Mastercard | 3% in CT money on groceries (up to $12,000) 4% in CT money on selected stores 5 ¢/L on gas at Gas+ | $0 | Read More | Apply Now |
| PC Financial World Elite Mastercard | 30 pts/$ at selected stores and travel (pctravel.ca) 3 ¢/L on gas at Esso 10 pts/$ on the rest | $0 | Read More | Apply Now |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite | 2 pts/$ at Starwood and Mariott 1 pt/$ on the rest | $139 | Read More | Apply Now |
| Best Western Rewards Mastercard | 5 pts/$ on selected categories and stores 1 pt/$ on the rest | $0 | Read More | Apply Now |
Best Lifestyle Rewards Credit Card Winners
American Express Cobalt
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $0
– Annual fees: $120
The American Express Cobalt is the best rewards credit card in Canada for foodies and bon vivants. You earn a giant 5 points per $1 spent on eating out in restaurants or bars, as well as on food delivery, and even on your grocery bills.
The 2 points per $1 spent on travel—which includes hotel stays, gas, and ground transportation—make it a diverse card as well. All other purchases earn 1 point per $1. Receiving up to 30000 points as a welcome bonus is obviously another major plus (minimum spend required, terms and conditions are subject to change).
Points earned can be redeemed on flights, concerts and events, Amazon.ca purchases, etc. Or they can be redeemed for statement credit.
American Express Cobalt users also receive great insurance on all of their travel and merchandise purchased with the card, and free supplementary cards can help accumulate points faster.
Click here to learn more on the American Express Cobalt card
Best Travel Rewards Credit Card
BMO® AIR MILES®† World Elite®* Mastercard®*
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: good_excellent
– Min personal income required: $80000
– Annual fees: $120
BMO Air Miles World Elite‘s regular earn rate—1 Air Mile per $10 spent—is simple and transparent enough, but what’s better is that there’s a 15% discount on all Air Miles flights in North America with no blackout periods.
As a welcome bonus, you can receive up to 2000 Air Miles. With a flight from Canada to Cancun costing just 5,000 Air Miles, it won’t take too long before you’re jetting off.
Click here to apply for the BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard
Scotiabank SCENE Visa
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $12000
– Annual fees: $0
The Scotia SCENE is a good fit for true movie buffs. You’ll earn 5 points for each dollar spent in Cineplex Odeon cinemas and 1 point on every $1 spent anywhere else. There’s a welcome bonus of 2000 points, which is equivalent to 2 free movie tickets (accounts must be opened by date included in the terms and conditions; please click on the link below).
What makes this rewards structure worthwhile is that you only need 1,000 points to earn a movie ticket. Given that a movie ticket + popcorn costs about $17 or so, you’ll be earning one free ticket for every 10-12 cinema visits, even if you don’t use your card anywhere else. Other reward redemption options like music also begin at 1,000 points.
The Scotiabank SCENE card has $0 annual fee, and the qualifying income level is low, making it one of the best reward credit cards in Canada for students.
Best Flexible Travel Rewards Credit Card
American Express Gold Rewards Card
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $0
– Annual fees: $150
Flexible travel means travelling how, when, and where you like—but this flexibility extends to how you pay as well. Many credit cards force cardholders to use their points or miles in a certain way. This is not the case with the Amex Gold Rewards card.
American Express is known for its excellent travel cards and the Gold Rewards card sets the bar. Cardholders begin their experience with an impressive 25000-point introductory bonus for a minimum spend of $1500 in the first 3 months. For spending $1 on travel-related purchases, they earn 2 rewards points, and 1 point per $1 on any other purchase. These points can be transferred to an array of other rewards programs including Aeroplan, Delta SkyMiles, and more at a 1:1 ratio.
It’s also easy to book travel arrangements you like and redeem points for them later with the Amex Gold Rewards card (rarely offered in the travel rewards world). As long as the purchase is travel-related, you can wait for it to hit your statement, and then pay it off in full with your points. To cap it all off, cardholders will appreciate a thorough travel insurance package that includes emergency medical, car rental theft and damage, travel accidents, lost and stolen baggage, flight delay, and hotel and motel theft coverage.
Click here to learn more on the American Express Gold Rewards card
Best Day-to-Day Rewards Credit Card Winners
BMO Shell Air Miles Mastercard
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $15000
– Annual fees: $0
Those who love Canada’s popular Air Miles loyalty program have another credit card option to consider. Gas is high on the list of many Canadians’ most common purchases, and BMO’s Shell Air Miles Mastercard accommodates this by accelerating its default earnings rate of 1 Mile per $20 spent: cardholders will earn 2x the Air Miles when making purchases at Shell stations and other Air Miles partners.
Air Miles are some of the best rewards in Canada, as they can be used for all travel arrangements, including airfare, hotels, vacation packages and more. With extended warranties and purchase protection on items purchased with the card, plus its $0 annual fee, almost everyone can find a benefit to appreciate from this excellent addition to BMO’s lineup.
Overall, those who travel and spend significantly on gas will find something to love about the BMO Shell Air Miles card.
CTFS Triangle World Elite Mastercard
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $
– Annual fees: $0
Rewards cards that help you earn toward your next vacation are exciting, but it’s much more practical to use a rewards card that makes a difference in your day-to-day budget. The CTFS Triangle World Elite MasterCard is a rare card which actually helps you save money on your daily bills. With a 3% Canadian Tire Money earn rate on grocery bills at participating stores, 4% earn rate in Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek, and Atmosphere, and 5 cents back per litre of gas at Gas+ locations, the Triangle World Elite card can bring serious savings.
Families that spend large amounts each month on groceries, gas, home and garden items, or auto expenses – or all of the above – will find it easy to get the maximum $360 of Canadian Tire Money back on their credit card purchases. Once you spend up to $12,000 in the groceries category, your earn rate will revert to 1% in that category only.
Along with a high earn rate for day to day rewards, the Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard doesn’t charge an annual fee, and your Canadian Tire Money will never expire as long as your account is open. You can spend Canadian Tire Money like cash at participating stores, so once you’ve earned it on your groceries, you can spend it again on the next grocery bill. Interest rates are a reasonable 19.99% on purchases and 22.99 % on cash advances; you’ll get the reassurance of Mastercard reliability, contactless payments for small purchases, and 24/7 online account management.
Click here to apply for the CTFS Triangle World Elite Mastercard
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $80000
– Annual fees: $0
When you compare rewards credit cards in Canada—particularly those with no annual fee—you’ll find that few cards offer a meaningful points rate outside of the promo period. With the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, you earn 30 points per $1 spent at stores like Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmaprix, pctravel.ca, and PC mobile. For families and shoppers who regularly shop in these stores, this might be worthwhile, particularly because the card comes with $0 annual fee.
Redeeming your points is refreshingly simple. Once you’ve earned 0 or more, all you need to do is present your credit card to the cashier when you go to pay and ask him/her to take $20 (or more) off your grocery bill. Since you get the money directly off your grocery bill, we consider it to be a ‘cash equivalent’ credit card.
It should be noted that a PC Optimum point is worth relatively little compared to, say, offerings from cash back cards with accelerated earn rates for groceries. 1 PC Optimum Point = $0.001 redeemable at one of the aforementioned grocery stores; this might end up being less valuable than, say, a cash back card that earns 3% on all grocery spend. That said, the PC Financial card does come with an impressive array of insurance and extended warranty perks, so it might be more beneficial for some than a cash back card.
Click here to apply for the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Rewards Credit Card Winner
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: good_excellent
– Min personal income required: $60000
– Annual fees: $139
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card occupies the opportune middle ground between cards that earn rewards and offer perks, and those that reduce/eliminate expenses derived from fees. Being the best of both worlds means that Passport Visa cardholders earns Scotia Rewards points, offers of the most valuable travel benefits, and is exempt from the fees that accrue from purchases made in a foreign currency.
Cardholders are introduced to the card with a bonus of 25000 points, which is awarded for just a minimum spend of $1,000 during your first 3 months. In the meantime, they’ll earn 2 points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, and entertainment expenses, and 1 point per $1 spent elsewhere. Points are redeemable on travel arrangements, merchandise, and more. Besides 0 foreign transaction fees, the card’s other travel perks includes access to Priority Pass lounges at airports worldwide, with 6 free entry passes.
To top it off, everyone can appreciate protection with travel medical insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and remediation for damage to their rental car. It’s easy to see why the Passport Visa is more than worth its $139 annual fee.
Click here to apply for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card
Best Hotel Rewards Credit Card Winner
Best Western Rewards® Mastercard®
Eligibility Criteria:
– Credit score required: fair_good
– Min personal income required: $15000
– Annual fees: $0
Given that it has $0 annual fee, there’s basically nothing to lose and free hotel stays to gain from MBNA’s Best Western Mastercard® (as long as you pay off your balance each month). The card generates a high rate of 5 points per every $1 you spend in a Best Western property. Purchases in other ‘eligible’ locations earn a regular flat rate of 1 point per $1 spend, though MBNA is rather unclear as to what does and does not fall under this category. We recommend the card primarily to those who travel frequently and accumulate significant hotel spend.
The Best Western Mastercard® is currently offering a 20000-point welcome bonus, enough for a one-night stay. The spending requirement to get the points is very low: just make one eligible purchase that you don’t return.
Aside from hotel stays, Best Western points can be redeemed on dining and gift cards. Other perks include travel protection, extended warranty, and lost luggage assistance on travel that you book with this card.
Click here to apply for the Best Western Rewards® Mastercard®
Rewards Credit Cards – the Gifts That Keep on Giving
Canadians have some of the world’s best rewards credit cards to choose from, whether they want the immediate gratification of a big intro cash bonus, the chance to earn valuable rewards over time, or to make their travels more comfortable. While any of the highly-reviewed credit cards here would likely serve you well, it’s vital to find a rewards model that’s in sync with how you live your life. If you’re a bit overwhelmed, try inputting your personal criteria into our rewards credit card calculator.
If you need a hand identifying your next credit card, drop us a line in the comments below or by email, and we’ll work hard to help you narrow down the available choices.
Article comments
Thanks for this article. I currently have a TD Infinite Travel Visa but I’m wondering if this is the best travel or points card. I want to know which card has the best option for entrance into airport lounges in Toronto. How can I find out which airport lounges accept which cards?
Hey Mzfitz,
We highly appreciate your request for additional information about airport lounges, and can surely help you find a way to take advantage of them from Toronto. Most of the best travel cards offer membership to the Priority Pass program, which operates hundreds of these VIP lounges internationally. They publish a list on their website, which we’ll link below, but we can also summarize what your options are.
In Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson airport, there are multiple lounges operated by Priority Pass in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, called the “Plaza Premium Lounge”. You’ll have access from all terminals and regardless of whether you’re flying domestic or international. Here, you’ll find a variety of awesome amenities such as showers, free Wi-Fi, phones, alcoholic beverages, A/C, television, more comfortable seating (reclined seating!), and all the tools and equipment you need to do business remotely.
https://www.prioritypass.com/en/Lounges/North-America/Canada/Toronto/Toronto-Lester-B-Pearson-Intl
The cards that offer Priority Pass are many, but we prefer Scotiabank’s because they also have nice travel perks of their own. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite, for example, gives free Priority Pass membership (a $99 value) plus 6 free entrance passes every year, each of which are worth the $27 you’d otherwise pay to get in. That’s a total of $261 in value up front, for a $139 annual fee that also gives you great travel insurance and the ability to earn rewards from your purchases. Its main highlight is exemption from foreign transaction fees (commonly 2.50%), which can save you a bundle.
The Scotiabank Gold Amex will also get you into the full network of Priority Pass clubs, but at a discount ($65 membership versus $99) instead of for free. However, it’s a more accessible card with less eligibility restrictions. Either would work well.
Hope that helps,
The GreedyRates Team
Hi
Thanks for the article. We’re just stating a plumbing company and looking for a business cards with high rewards program. It seems the rewards are mostly travel. Is that the best way to go? We were initially thinking cash back?
Thanks
Julia
Hey Julia!
Thanks for the excellent comment, and best of luck with your plumbing business. It’s not all luck when it comes to business credit cards, however, so if you make an informed choice then it will have a bigger positive impact. We’ve got a couple suggestions for you, and will help you choose the card that is most suitable.
First, check out the BMO Business Rewards Mastercard, which will be nice for a plumbing business especially. The card offers 3 BMO Rewards Points for each $1 you spend on gas, office supplies, and internet or cell phone payments. Plumbers are always on call, so earning a ton of flexible Rewards Points on your gas bills will be a huge benefit, allowing you to save up for vacations, merchandise, and even cash against your monthly statement. Even on purchases other than gas, supplies, and bills, you’ll earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent. For spending $5,000 in the first three months, you’ll already have 35,000 Points anyway, courtesy of BMO’s generous bonus.
If you want cash back, BMO offers another excellent credit card that is ultimately just as suitable for you. The BMO Cashback Business Mastercard has one of the most impressive introductory bonuses around, with 6.00% cash back for 4 months on gas, internet and phone bills, and office supplies. Then, its default cash back earnings rate is 1.50% on on these categories, 1.75% at Shell, and 0.75% cash back on all other purchases.
If you’d like to take a look at all our highest recommended credit cards for business, then delve into the page linked below, where you’ll be able to compare them all one-on-one. As always, let us know if you’d like to provide more exacting criteria, or get another recommendation. We’re reachable by email as well.
https://www.greedyrates.ca/cards/cash-flow-management-credit-cards/
GreedyRates Team
Great article! We currently have the BMO World Elite credit card and spend anywhere from 6000-10000/month, which means we earn 600-1000 air miles/month. We try and charge everything!
You provide an example of a flight to Cancun only costing 5000 airmiles, but it’s not that simple. I tried booking a flight to Rome this spring using my airmiles. No only was it 6000 airmiles (low season) but there were additional taxes, approx $600 per ticket, which is close to the amount of a regular priced ticket to Rome – not always beneficial to use for flights. We use our air miles for restaurant vouchers or hotel stays.
That being said, any suggestions for a credit card that has a cash back option? We would like to use the cash back to book flights, hotel stays, etc or use towards our credit card balance. Any suggestions?
Hey Michelle! Thanks for singing our praises! We’re glad to hear that you’re putting your BMO World Elite card to work, and that you’re satisfied with it. You’re right, however, that using points for airfare isn’t the simplest way to redeem them. There are often some extra fees and charges to consider, but it’s good that you’ve found another use for your points. Cash back is also broadly useful for travel, as you mentioned, because you can either use it directly or offset the cost of the arrangements you’ve booked with the card itself.
If you need some cash back card suggestions, we’d be happy to comply. First, check out the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite card. We chose this one to recommend simply because of its high earnings rate and flexible point redemption model. You’re able to redeem your cash back against your statement whenever you like (after airfare purchases, for example). As an introductory bonus, you’ll earn 9.00% cash back on gas, grocery, and recurring expenses, and then 3.00% when the promotion ends. You get 1.00% cash back on all purchases, as well as travel medical insurance and other nice perks. You can learn more about the card by reading our full TD Cash Back Visa Infinite review.
Another purposeful cash back card for travelling is the BMO CashBack World Elite card, which is similar to the one you have now, but earns cash back instead of miles. You’ll earn 1.50% on all your purchases, and 4.00% for the first 4 months. You can learn more about the card by reading the full BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard review.
GreedyRates Staff
Hi there! This is awesome info – I am keen on the Amex, but – I have a single one time large purchase to make in the states (about 45k Canadian) so I don’t think I can max out the Amex points, what card would you suggest for this? Thanks!
Hi Malcolm! The credit card you get will also depend on your ability to pay back the $45,000 balance you intend to accrue. For example, if you think you’ll be carrying some part of it month to month, then getting a low interest credit card is a great idea. Even if you must pay the foreign transaction fee, you’ll save much more than 2.50% of the total purchase price, just by negating some interest.
The Amex isn’t a bad option either, but have you considered paying for the purchase with a balance, loan, or line of credit and then transferring it to a promotional balance transfer card like the MBNA Platinum Plus? If you’re commonly approved for large credit limits and have excellent credit, it could be an option. Essentially, you’d be taking out a loan at another Canadian bank, like RBC for example, buying your $45,000 item, incurring the 2.50% foreign fee and then a 1.00% transfer fee to the Platinum Plus (3.50% is an extra $1,575 which totals $46,575). This assumes that your approved credit limit is enough to handle the entire transfer, but even with the added 3.50%, 0.00% interest for 12 months means that you’ll save literally thousands in interest.
Let us know what strategy you go with. We’re always here to help!
GreedyRates Staff
Hi, great website guys! Looking for a new everyday, all-use card and hesitating between the Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite and the BMO World Elite Mastercard (since Amex is not accepted everywhere). No issue with the credit requirements and not worries about the difference in the annual fee. Want the best overall card for points, perks and insurance. Thanks for helping me out!
Hi Sanja! We really appreciate the compliments, and are happy you’ve found GreedyRates helpful. If you’re comparing the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite card and the BMO World Elite Mastercard, we can help you narrow down which is best. When looking for a great everyday card, both are a solid choice, so you can’t really go wrong, but there are certain nuances to grasp. For example, it would help to understand where your biggest expenses are. The Scotia Momentum card offers 4.00% cash back on gas and groceries for its primary rewards, while the BMO card helps cardholders earn 3 points per $1 on their travel, dining, and entertainment costs. It’s also useful to compare how the real-world value of these rewards stacks up against cash back.
Using our Loyalty Program Bible (linked below), we can see that BMO rewards are worth around $0.007 each, so a $100 purchase in the primary earnings category would be 300 points, or a value of about $2.10. The same $100 purchase would earn $4.00 cash back in an accelerated category with the Scotia card. The lesser earnings category closes the gap somewhat, with BMO’s 2 points per $1 translating to around $1.40–whereas Scotia’s 1.00% cash back default would earn $1.00 on a $100 purchase. Cash back is relatively direct (statement credit) while BMO points can be used on merchandise, travel rewards, and statement credits.
Another subjective notion is the perks that come with the two cards. The two have comparable travel medical insurance, but BMO has the extra inclusion of four free VIP airport lounge passes each year. That’s a $200 value. Both cards nullify the annual fee during the first year as well, making it a close race. In our opinion, if you’re a regular traveller, the BMO card is more beneficial, while the Scotia card makes a larger financial impact from everyday purchases. The choice is yours!
You can learn more about the two cards by reading our full Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite card review and our BMO World Elite Mastercard review.
GreedyRates Staff
To make this article useful you would have needed to identify rebate percentages by calculating the value of points.
Hi Richard! Thanks for your suggestion. You’re right: comparing different rewards programs is pretty difficult, because rewards points denominate value differently and are collected at varying rates. To help contrast one card with another, or multiple cards, we’ve built our Loyalty Program Bible, which gives a specific CAD value for each type of reward point, depending on what it’s redeemed for. You can check it out in the link below. Thanks!
https://www.greedyrates.ca/blog/greedyrates-loyalty-program-bible/
GreedyRates Staff
Hi there ! I have a small business and spend about $30000 monthly on my TD VISA
aeroplan card at the moment. I like to redeem the points on flights with Air Canada
or visa cards or gas cards. What should I switch to ?
Hey Sue, thanks for your question! If you want a Visa card that’s great for travelling with Air Canada and can offset gas purchases, you’ll like the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card. It grants an impressive 25,000 Aeroplan miles right out of the gate, and then another 25,000 for spending $1,000 during the first three months. With $30,000 monthly spending, you’ll easily eclipse that amount, and including the bonuses, will easily cover the cost of several flights during your first year.
This is because gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and Air Canada bills earn miles at a rate of 1.5 per $1, with 1.25 points per $1 spent everywhere else. The cherries on the cake are priority check-in and boarding, complimentary checked bags, four annual Maple Leaf Lounge passes, and a once-yearly 50% companion flight discount. If this card doesn’t satisfy all of your requirements, feel free to point out where we went wrong and we’ll supply another recommendation. Thanks again!
GreedyRates Staff