Best credit cards in Canada
Compare Canadian credit cards, ranked by what each one is worth to you in a year, after fees. Pick your spending and the numbers update.
Card details updated November 10, 2026 How we rank
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
Not sure which kind of card you need? Help me choose
176 credit cards, ranked for you
Ranked by value in year one at $1,000 a month, after fees. How we rank
-
Ranked 81. BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard
BMO · Mastercard
Worth in year one $146Then each year −$292.7% back on gas, recurring bills and office supplies, 1% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- $0 at your spending Needs more spending. Up to 50,000 BMO Rewards points.
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $175 a year
Needs $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
Read the full review: BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard
-
Ranked 82. Desjardins Bonus Visa
Desjardins · Visa
Worth in year one $141Then each year $1412% back on restaurants, recurring bills and entertainment, 0.5% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 83. Desjardins Cash Back Mastercard
Desjardins · Mastercard
Worth in year one $141Then each year $1412% back on restaurants, recurring bills and entertainment, 0.5% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 84. Desjardins Cash Back Visa
Desjardins · Visa
Worth in year one $141Then each year $1412% back on restaurants, recurring bills and entertainment, 0.5% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 85. CIBC Dividend® Visa Card
CIBC · Visa Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $135Then each year $1352% back on groceries, 0.5% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $15,000 household income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 86. Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard®
Walmart · Mastercard Expert Score 7.4 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $130Then each year $1051% 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
-
Ranked 87. Walmart Rewards™ World Mastercard®
Walmart · Mastercard Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $130Then each year $1051% 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
-
Ranked 88. RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard
RBC · Mastercard Expert Score 7.5 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $129Then each year $1293% back on groceries, restaurants and food delivery, 1% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $120 a year
Needs $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
Read the full review: RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard
-
Ranked 89. Scotia Momentum® Visa Card
Scotiabank · Visa Expert Score 7.7 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $128Then each year $1282% back on groceries, food delivery and pharmacy, 1% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $49 a year
Needs $12,000 personal income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 90. RBC Cash Back Mastercard
RBC · Mastercard Expert Score 8.0 out of 10. Very good
Worth in year one $123Then each year $1232% back on groceries, 0.5% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 91. Home Trust Preferred Visa Card
Home Trust · Visa Expert Score 8.0 out of 10. Very good
Worth in year one $120Then each year $1201% back on everything
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $15,000 personal income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 92. Tims® Secured Credit Card
ATB Financial · Mastercard Expert Score 6.6 out of 10. Fair
Worth in year one $120Then each year $1202% back on groceries and gas, 0.3% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Approval is easier with a deposit
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 93. American Express® Aeroplan® Card
American Express Expert Score 8.0 out of 10. Very good
Worth in year one $117Then each year $1174% back on flights, 2% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- $0 at your spending Needs more spending. Up to 45,000 Aeroplan points.
- Annual fee
- $120 a year
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 94. National Bank mycredit Mastercard
National Bank · Mastercard Expert Score 7.1 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $117Then each year $1171% back on restaurants and recurring bills, 0.5% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 95. Laurentian Bank Visa Cashback
Laurentian Bank · Visa
Worth in year one $112Then each year $1122% back on groceries, gas and recurring bills, 1% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $65 a year
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 96. CIBC Aventura® Visa Card for Business
CIBC · Visa
Worth in year one $111Then each year −$91.5% back on travel, hotels and gas, 1% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $120 a year
Needs $35,000 personal income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 97. ManulifeMONEY+ Visa Infinite
Manulife Bank · Visa
Worth in year one $111Then each year −$282% back on pharmacy, 1% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $139 a year
Needs $60,000 personal or $100,000 household income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 98. BMO Blue Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
BMO · Mastercard
Worth in year one $106Then each year −$446.7% back on travel and brand partner, 0.7% back on everything else
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 first year Then $150 a year
Needs $80,000 personal income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
Read the full review: BMO Blue Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
-
Ranked 99. Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
Tangerine · Mastercard Expert Score 8.5 out of 10. Excellent
Worth in year one $105Then each year $1050.5% back on everything
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Needs $12,000 personal income
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
-
Ranked 100. RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard
RBC · Mastercard Expert Score 7.6 out of 10. Good
Worth in year one $105Then each year $1051% back on everything
- Welcome offer
- None listed
- Annual fee
- $0 No annual fee
Income rule not listed
Loading the details…
The details didn’t load. See the full review
Showing 20 of 176 cards
Filters
Your spending a month
Your balance
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
Help me choose
Mr. Loonie is typing
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.
- Balance transfer Good if you have card debt to pay down over several months. Watch for a transfer fee and the regular rate once the promo ends.
- 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
Questions people ask
What’s the best credit card in Canada?
It depends on how you spend. At $2,500 a month, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business is worth the most in year one on our list, and the American Express Cobalt™ is worth the most after that. Pick your own spending above to see your order.
Which card has the best welcome offer right now?
At $2,500 a month, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business offer is worth about $1,275 and the American Express® Aeroplan® Reserve Card offer about $1,200. Offers change often, so check the date on each card.
What income do I need for a credit card?
No-fee cards that list a minimum most often ask for $15,000 or $80,000 a year. Cards with an annual fee most often ask for $60,000 or $80,000 personal income. Use the income filter to hide cards that ask for more than you earn.
Does comparing cards here affect my credit score?
No. Comparing is free and we never check your credit. Your score can change when you apply, because the bank checks your credit then.
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