Best balance transfer credit cards in Canada
Balance transfer credit cards ranked by what it costs to move a balance and carry it for a year, fees and interest included.
Card details updated November 9, 2026 How we rank
Not sure which kind of card you need? Help me choose
20 balance transfer credit cards, ranked for you
Ranked by what it costs to move $3,000 here and carry it for a year: the transfer fee, interest during and after the offer, and the annual fee. How we rank
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Ranked 1. BMO® Preferred Rate Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard Expert Score 7.9 out of 10. Good
Cost to move $3,000 $119After 18 months 15.99%0% on balance transfers for 18 months, then 15.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $90 3% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $29 a year
Needs $15,000 personal income
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Ranked 2. Scotiabank Value® Visa Card
Scotiabank · Visa Expert Score 8.4 out of 10. Very good
Cost to move $3,000 $164After 9 months 13.99%0% on balance transfers for 9 months, then 13.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $30 1% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $29 a year
Needs $12,000 personal income
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Ranked 3. Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite+ Card
Scotiabank · Visa Expert Score 8.5 out of 10. Excellent
Cost to move $3,000 $180After 12 months 22.99%0% on balance transfers for 12 months, then 22.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $120 a year
Needs $60,000 personal or $100,000 household income
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Ranked 4. BMO Ascend™ World Elite® Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard Expert Score 7.8 out of 10. Good
Cost to move $3,000 $210After 12 months 23.99%0% on balance transfers for 12 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $150 a year
Needs $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income
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Ranked 5. BMO Blue Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard
Cost to move $3,000 $210After 12 months 23.99%0% on balance transfers for 12 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $150 a year
Needs $80,000 personal income
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Read the full review: BMO Blue Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
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Ranked 6. Scotia Momentum® No-Fee VISA Card
Scotiabank · Visa Expert Score 7.9 out of 10. Good
Cost to move $3,000 $255After 9 months 22.99%0.99% on balance transfers for 9 months, then 22.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $12,000 personal income
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Ranked 7. BMO® CashBack® Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard Expert Score 8.2 out of 10. Very good
Cost to move $3,000 $262After 9 months 23.99%0.99% on balance transfers for 9 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $15,000 personal income
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Ranked 8. BMO eclipse rise Visa* Card
BMO · Visa
Cost to move $3,000 $262After 9 months 23.99%0.99% on balance transfers for 9 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
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Ranked 9. BMO® CashBack® World Elite® Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard Expert Score 8.0 out of 10. Very good
Cost to move $3,000 $270After 12 months 23.99%0% on balance transfers for 12 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $150 5% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $120 a year
Needs $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income
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Read the full review: BMO® CashBack® World Elite® Mastercard®
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Ranked 10. Laurentian Bank Visa Reduced Rate
Laurentian Bank · Visa Expert Score 6.6 out of 10. Fair
Cost to move $3,000 $292After 6 months 12.49%0.99% on balance transfers for 6 months, then 12.49%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $30 a year
Income rule not listed
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Ranked 11. Scotia Momentum® Visa Card
Scotiabank · Visa Expert Score 7.7 out of 10. Good
Cost to move $3,000 $304After 9 months 22.99%0.99% on balance transfers for 9 months, then 22.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $60 2% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $49 a year
Needs $12,000 personal income
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Ranked 12. BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard
Cost to move $3,000 $352After 9 months 23.99%0.99% on balance transfers for 9 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $150 5% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
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Ranked 13. Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
Tangerine · Mastercard Expert Score 8.5 out of 10. Excellent
Cost to move $3,000 $404After 6 months 22.95%1.95% on balance transfers for 6 months, then 22.95%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $30 1% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $12,000 personal income
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Ranked 14. Tangerine World Mastercard®
Tangerine · Mastercard Expert Score 8.4 out of 10. Very good
Cost to move $3,000 $404After 6 months 22.95%1.95% on balance transfers for 6 months, then 22.95%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $30 1% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $60,000 personal income
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Ranked 15. ManulifeMONEY+ Visa Platinum
Manulife Bank · Visa
Cost to move $3,000 $465After 6 months 22.99%1.99% on balance transfers for 6 months, then 22.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $90 3% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
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Ranked 16. ManulifeMONEY+ Visa Infinite
Manulife Bank · Visa
Cost to move $3,000 $604After 6 months 22.99%1.99% on balance transfers for 6 months, then 22.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $90 3% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $139 a year
Needs $60,000 personal or $100,000 household income
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Ranked 17. BMO® Eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
BMO · Visa Expert Score 7.6 out of 10. Good
Cost to move $3,000 $749After 12 months 23.99%0% on balance transfers for 12 months, then 23.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $150 5% of the balance
- Annual fee
- $599 a year
Needs $150,000 personal or $200,000 household income
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Read the full review: BMO® Eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
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Ranked 18. RBC Visa Classic Low Rate Option
RBC · Visa Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good
Cost to move $3,000, before the fee $142After 10 months 14.99%1.9% on balance transfers for 10 months, then 14.99%
- Fee to move $3,000
- $5 CAD
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $20 a year
Income rule not listed
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Ranked 19. TD Emerald Flex Rate Visa
TD · Visa Expert Score 7.7 out of 10. Good
No balance transfer offer listed Carrying $3,000 here costs $294 a year. See it ranked under Low interest
- Annual fee
- $25 a year
Income rule not listed
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Ranked 20. Laurentian Bank Visa Infinite
Laurentian Bank · Visa Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good
No balance transfer offer listed Carrying $3,000 here costs $760 a year. See it ranked under Low interest
- Annual fee
- $130 a year
Needs $60,000 personal or $100,000 household income
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How we rank cards
The list is math only: one set of rules, worked out for the choices you made.
What Year one and Every year mean
Year one is what a card is worth in its first year at your spending: the rewards it earns, plus any welcome offer your spending would reach, minus the first year’s annual fee.
Every year after leaves out the welcome offer and takes off the full annual fee, so a big offer can’t hide a weak earn rate.
We rank by the one you pick. When two cards come out the same, the one with the higher score goes first. Values are estimates, rounded to the dollar.
What’s in each spending choice
Each choice is an example month of spending, split across the kinds of spending cards reward differently. Pick the one closest to yours.
- Light, $1,000 a month: Groceries $400, restaurants $100, gas $100, recurring bills $100, everything else (base rate) $250, foreign currency $50
- Typical, $2,500 a month: Groceries $800, restaurants $250, gas $250, recurring bills $250, travel $150, everything else (base rate) $650, foreign currency $150
- Big, $5,000 a month: Groceries $1,200, restaurants $500, gas $400, recurring bills $400, travel $500, everything else (base rate) $1,600, foreign currency $400
How we value points
Each points program gets one value per point, taken from the program’s own valuation. Cards in the same program use the same value, so two cards that earn the same points are judged the same way.
- Aeroplan: 2 cents a point
- American Express Membership Rewards: 1.7 cents a point
- BMO Rewards: 0.67 cents a point
- British Airways Club: 2 cents a point
- Cathay Asia Miles: 1.5 cents a point
- CIBC Aventura: 1 cents a point
- Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS: 100 cents a point
- Flying Blue: 1.9 cents a point
- Marriott Bonvoy: 0.8 cents a point
- moi Rewards: 0.8 cents a point
- More Rewards: 0.2 cents a point
- National Bank a la carte Rewards: 0.9 cents a point
- PC Optimum: 0.1 cents a point
- RBC Avion: 1.7 cents a point
- Scene+: 1 cents a point
- TD Rewards: 0.5 cents a point
- Triangle Rewards: 100 cents a point
- United MileagePlus: 1.6 cents a point
- VIPorter: 1.5 cents a point
- WestJet Rewards: 1 cents a point
A card whose points we can’t value yet shows its points and sorts after the cards we can value.
What Low interest adds up
Low interest ranks by what a year of carrying a balance would cost: interest at the card’s purchase rate, plus the annual fee. It assumes the balance stays the same all year and leaves out rewards and welcome offers.
A balance transfer offer shows on the card when it has one, but it doesn’t change the order.
What Transfer adds up
Transfer ranks by what it would cost to move a balance to the card and carry it for a year: the fee to move it, interest at the offer rate while the offer lasts, interest at the card’s regular rate after that, and the annual fee.
Like Low interest, it assumes the balance stays the same all year and leaves out rewards. A card whose transfer fee isn’t listed shows its cost before the fee and sorts after the cards with a known fee. Cards with no transfer offer come last.
Does pay change the order?
No. The order comes only from the math above. We get paid when you apply through some links, and a bank can pay to show a card in a spot marked Sponsored. Pay never moves a card in the ranked list or changes its score.
Help me choose
Four quick questions, then a list that fits. Your answers only set the list. We don’t keep them.
Show the questions as a form
Help me choose
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Which kind of card fits you?
Start with what you want the card to do. Each one has its own ranked list.
- Cash back Good if you want money off your bill with no points to learn. Watch for the top rate usually covering a few kinds of spending, often with a yearly cap.
- Travel points Good if you fly at least once a year and will use points for flights. Watch for higher annual fees. Points are worth less on merchandise.
- No annual fee Good if you spend under about $1,500 a month or want a backup card. Watch for lower earn rates and fewer insurance perks.
- Low interest Good if you sometimes carry a balance from month to month. Watch for little or no rewards. Paying in full each month saves more than any rate.
- No foreign fee Good if you shop in US dollars or travel outside Canada. Watch for an annual fee on most of them. The fee you save abroad can cover it.
- New to Canada Good if you’ve just arrived and have no Canadian credit history yet. Watch for lower limits at first. Some need a Canadian bank account or a deposit.
- Build credit Good if you’re rebuilding your credit after missed payments. Watch for the deposit, which sets your limit. Rewards are small or none.
- Students Good if you’re in school with little or no income. Watch for low limits. Pay on time and the card builds your history.
Cards by bank
Cards by network
Rates, fees and offers come from the card issuers and change often. We work to keep this page accurate and current, but it may contain mistakes, so always check the issuer’s terms before you apply. Values are estimates for the spending you picked, rounded to the nearest dollar.
Spot something wrong? We’ll check it with the bank. Suggest a correction