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Best no annual fee credit cards in Canada

Credit cards with no annual fee, ranked by what they earn for your spending.

Card details updated November 10, 2026 How we rank

What matters most?
Your spending a month
What’s in each?
Light:
Groceries $400, restaurants $100, gas $100, recurring bills $100, everything else (base rate) $250, foreign currency $50
Typical:
Groceries $800, restaurants $250, gas $250, recurring bills $250, travel $150, everything else (base rate) $650, foreign currency $150
Big:
Groceries $1,200, restaurants $500, gas $400, recurring bills $400, travel $500, everything else (base rate) $1,600, foreign currency $400
Yours:
Your own amounts, saved on this device only
The balance you carry

Not sure which kind of card you need? Help me choose

24 of 72 no annual fee credit cards match your filters

Ranked by value in year one at $2,500 a month, after fees. How we rank

  1. Ranked 21. Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard®

    Walmart · Mastercard Expert Score 7.4 out of 10. Good

    Worth in year one $280
    Then each year $255

    1% back on everything

    Welcome offer
    $25 you’d get The full offer. Up to $25 back.
    Annual fee
    $0 No annual fee

    Income rule not listed

    Loading the details…

    The details didn’t load. See the full review

    Read the full review: Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard®

  2. Ranked 22. Walmart Rewards™ World Mastercard®

    Walmart · Mastercard Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good

    Worth in year one $280
    Then each year $255

    1% back on everything

    Welcome offer
    $25 you’d get The full offer. Up to $25 back.
    Annual fee
    $0 No annual fee

    Income rule not listed

  3. Ranked 23. CIBC Adapta™ Mastercard®

    CIBC · Mastercard Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good

    Earned in year one 34,800 points
    Then each year 31,800 points

    2 points per $1 on travel, 1 point per $1 on everything else

    Welcome offer
    3,000 points you’d get The full offer. Up to 3,000 points.
    Annual fee
    $0 No annual fee

    Needs $50,000 personal or $15,000 household income

    Loading the details…

    The details didn’t load. See the full review

    Read the full review: CIBC Adapta™ Mastercard®

  4. Earned in year one 15,000 points
    Then each year 0 points

    1 point per $1 on home improvement

    Welcome offer
    15,000 points you’d get The full offer. Up to 15,000 points.
    Annual fee
    $0 No annual fee

    Income rule not listed

Showing 4 of 24 cards

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.

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
What do you want your card to do?
A bit more about you
How much goes on your card each month?

If you picked Earn on what I spend, Earn points for travel, and Keep it simple, no fee.

How much do you usually carry from month to month?

If you picked Pay down a balance.

Would you move it to a new card?

If you picked Pay down a balance.

Which sounds most like you?

If you picked Build my credit.

What’s your personal income a year?
Anything you must have?

If you picked Earn on what I spend, Earn points for travel, Keep it simple, no fee, and Build my credit.

Which kind of card fits you?

Start with what you want the card to do. Each one has its own ranked list.

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

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