Our Selection Of The Best Cash Back Credit Cards In Canada

Q: Which Canadian card pays the highest cash back on groceries in 2026?

The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ currently leads with 4% cash back on grocery purchases and recurring payments, plus 2% on gas/transit and 1% elsewhere, with the first-year annual fee waived. The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard tops it at 5% on groceries, but only on the first $500 per month ($6,000 per year). For households spending more than $500 a month on groceries, Scotia Momentum delivers more total cash back annually thanks to its higher monthly cap.

Q: Are no-fee cash back cards worth it?

Yes, for low-to-moderate spenders. The Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard earns 2% in two (or three with a Tangerine savings account) chosen categories with no annual fee. The SimplyCash Card from American Express offers 2% on Canadian purchases with no fee. If your annual spend is under $20,000, a no-fee card almost always nets more than a $99-$120 fee card after the rebate. Above $25,000 annual spend, a premium card like the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ usually wins.

Q: When does cash back beat travel rewards?

Cash back wins in three scenarios: when you do not travel internationally at least once a year, when you cannot consistently meet minimum spend on a premium travel card, or when you value simplicity and predictability over complex point optimization. A 2% flat-rate cash back card returns a guaranteed 2% on every dollar. Travel cards can return 3% to 6% but only if you redeem for premium-cabin or partner awards. For most non-frequent flyers, cash back delivers a higher real return.

Credit Cards Our Selection Of The Best Cash Back Credit Cards In Canada

To the point Cash back credit cards are trendy in Canada. Find out why it's useful to have one and the best deals available.

Why You Should Use a Cash Back Credit Card?

Most banks in Canada issue cash back credit cards. Easy to use, these credit cards give you cash back for each purchase you made: either instantly, monthly, or yearly.

Thus, they will mainly address to those who :

believe that”Cash is king” and more tangible than points whose value can fluctuate, often downwards
are not in a credit card application bonus trigger period
have a lot of spending in specific or out of category stores

It is important to note that cash back credit card make up the majority of credit card issued in Canada! Far ahead of all other types of credit card travel points, airline miles, hotel points, etc.).

Best Cash Back Credit Cards – Consumers

These credit cards are excellent cash back credit cards in Canada.

CIBC Dividend^® Visa Infinite* Card

The CIBC Dividend^® Visa Infinite* Card is one of the best Visa credit cards with cash back in Canada.

Right now, with this welcome offer, get a 10% welcome bonus in the form of up to $250 cash back (period covered by your first 4 statements) and a rebate on your first year’s annual fees^†!

Plus, receive $50 cash back when you set up a pre-authorized payment within the first 4 months.

With this CIBC cash back credit card, you earn:

4% cash back on eligible gas, electric vehicle charging, and grocery purchases^†
2% cash back on eligible transportation and dining purchases and on eligible recurring bill payments^†
1% cash back on all other purchases^†

For example, if you spend $1,000 per month on groceries and/or gas and/or electric vehicle charging, you’ll earn $40 cash back per month or $480 cash back per year with this card for this category of purchases!

And that’s not counting the other purchases you’ll make with this card and the advantages it offers (particularly in terms of insurance).

And this CIBC Cash Back Credit Card offers many insurance coverages:

Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance
$500,000 Common Carrier Accident Insurance
Out-of-Province Emergency Travel Medical Insurance
Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance

SimplyCash^® Preferred Card from American Express

The SimplyCash^® Preferred Card from American Express is the only credit card in Canada that offers 2% cash back on all purchases. In addition, you can get:

4% cash back at gas stations
4% cash back at grocery stores

With this welcome offer, you can get 10% cash back on all your purchases (up to $2,000) during the first 3 months, for a total of up to $200. Plus, receive a $50 credit on your account after making a purchase in the 13th month.

The SimplyCash^® Preferred Card from American Express is particularly popular with those who have significant purchases to make: renovations, furniture or appliance purchases, as it offers 2% at all merchants.

This Card stands out for the numerous insurances offered: car rental theft and damage, $100,000 travel accident, emergency medical expenses (outside the province or country), lost or stolen baggage, flight delay and misdirected baggage, hotel or motel burglary, Purchase Protection, Buyer’s Assurance.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

SimplyCash^® Card from American Express

Are you looking for a cash back credit card with no annual fee and an excellent cash back rate for your everyday purchases? Here is an option for you: the SimplyCash^® Card from American Express.

With this no-annual-fee credit card, you earn:

2% cash back on gas purchases
2% cash back on grocery purchases
1.25% cash back on all other purchases

And with this welcome offer, you can earn 5% cash back on all your purchases (up to $2,000 in purchases) during the first 3 months (which is up to $100 in statement credits).

You benefit from several types of insurance : $100,000 travel accident, Purchase Protection, Purchase Security.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

American Express Cobalt^® Card

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is the best credit card from American Express, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

The welcome bonus is distributed monthly for the first 12 months. You’ll earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for every $750 in purchases charged to your card during the month (whether in the 1X, 2X, 3X or 5X category). That’s up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points.

You can easily use these points as statement credits for everyday or travel purchases. The value is the same for both: 1,000 points = $10.

Alternatively, transfer them to Aeroplan points, Avios (British Airways/Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy, or Hilton Honors.

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, you would have the choice of earning up to:

15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Métro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	5
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

This is a 1 to 5% return on all these purchases.

For example, if you spend $1,000 per month on groceries and/or restaurants and/or food delivery, you’ll earn $50 cash back per month, or $600 cash back per year with this card for this category of purchases!

And if you decide to transfer your points to other programs like Aeroplan, you could get even more value!

In addition, this card provides excellent insurance coverage: rental car theft and damage, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage, flight delay, $250,000 travel accident, hotel or motel burglary, Mobile Device Insurance, Purchase Security, Purchase Protection Insurance.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

Scotia Momentum^® Visa Infinite +* Card

The Scotia Momentum^® VISA Infinite +* card is recognized, year after year, as one of the best cash back credit cards in Canada. Milesopedia has even named it best cash back credit card in 2026.

Currently, thanks to this promotional offer, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ Card has no annual fee for the first year, including on additional cards. And you can get 15% cash back on all your purchases for the first three months (up to $2,000 in total purchases).

It also includes a new convenient benefit for travellers: enjoy 10 GB of free GigSky global mobile data for 15 days, as well as access to Travel Essentials to use essential apps like messaging, maps, and email while on the go. Cardholders also continue to receive 1 GB of free GigSky mobile data per year, plus a 20% discount on future GigSky purchases.

With the Scotia Momentum^® VISA Infinite+ card, you get:

4% cash back on grocery purchases and recurring payments
2% cash back on gas purchases, public transit, carpooling, and food delivery
1% cash back on all other purchases

For example, if you spend $1,000 per month on grocery purchases and/or recurring payments, you will get $40 cash back per month, or $480 per year, with this card, for this purchase category. And that’s not counting the other purchases you make with this card and the benefits it offers (including its excellent insurance coverage).

If you are a renter, you could, for example, use the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card on the Chexy site to pay your rent and get 4% cash back.

Also note that you can use your cash back at any time (the cash back balance must be at least $25).

BMO CashBack^® Mastercard^®* World Elite^MD*

BMO CashBack^® World Elite^®* Mastercard^®* is one of Canada’s best cash back Mastercard credit cards.

Currently, for a limited time, you could receive up to $480 in cash back in the first year. In fact, you will receive $40 in cash back for each monthly period in which you make $2,000 in purchases on your card.

Plus, there is no annual fee for the first year!

Additionally, you benefit from a 0% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for 12 months, as well as a 2% balance transfer fee.

With BMO CashBack^® World Elite^®* Mastercard^®*, you get between 2% and 5% cash back on many categories of purchases:

5% on grocery purchases (on the first $500 you spend monthly)
4% on transit (on the first $300 you spend monthly)
3% on gas and electric vehicle charging (on the first $300 you spend monthly)
2% on recurring bill payments (on the first $500 you spend monthly)

Everywhere else, you’ll earn 1% cash back, including at Costco. It is also one of the only credit cards in its category to offer a 2 additional years extended warranty.

Finally, enjoy six months of Instacart+ membership and a monthly $10 Instacart credit when you sign up with your eligible BMO credit card.

Tangerine^® Money-Back World Mastercard^®*

If you have an individual income of $60,000 or a household income of $80,000, you can choose the Tangerine^® Money-Back World Mastercard^®*.

This credit card has no annual fee and allows you to earn cash back on your everyday purchases. With the current offer, you can get $100 when you spend $1,500 within your first three months^††.

You get 2% unlimited cash back in 2 categories of your choice and 0.5% on all your other purchases. Plus, you can unlock a third 2% category when your cash back is deposited into a Tangerine Savings Account.

Choose from 13 spending categories (groceries, gas, restaurants, and more) and change them every 90 days to match your habits^◊.

The card also includes useful protections, including purchase assurance and extended warranty⁵, as well as mobile device insurance and coverage for rental vehicles⁵.

Finally, you can transfer high-interest credit card balances and enjoy a promotional rate of 1.95% for 6 months (a 1% transfer fee applies)¹¹.

BMO CashBack^® Mastercard^®*

The BMO CashBack Mastercard is a no-annual-fee, cash-back credit card. With the BMO CashBack Mastercard, you can earn 5% cash back for the first three months. This represents a maximum welcome bonus of $125 :

5% cash back on up to $500 in eligible grocery purchases, for a $25 bonus
5% cash back on up to $500 in eligible recurring bill payments, for a $25 bonus
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in all other eligible purchases, for a $75 bonus

Then you get a cash back rate of:

3% cash back on grocery purchases, including at Walmart Supercenters
1% cash back on recurring bill payments

You can also get a 0.99% welcome interest rate on balance transfers for nine months.

Finally, enjoy three months of Instacart+ membership and a $5 monthly Instacart credit when you sign up with your eligible BMO credit card.

Best Cash Back Credit Cards – Small Businesses

Bottom Line

Cash back credit cards probably won’t offer you a business-class seat to travel around the world.

On the other hand, these cards will offer you flexibility: you will be able to use this cash as you wish!

To discover our monthly ranking of the best credit card offers in Canada, it’s on this page!

Frequently Asked Questions about best cash back credit cards in Canada

Here are frequently asked questions in the milesopedia community about this card.

Which Canadian card pays the highest cash back on groceries in 2026?

The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ currently leads with 4% cash back on grocery purchases and recurring payments, plus 2% on gas/transit and 1% elsewhere, with the first-year annual fee waived. The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard tops it at 5% on groceries, but only on the first $500 per month ($6,000 per year). For households spending more than $500 a month on groceries, Scotia Momentum delivers more total cash back annually thanks to its higher monthly cap.

Are no-fee cash back cards worth it?

Yes, for low-to-moderate spenders. The Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard earns 2% in two (or three with a Tangerine savings account) chosen categories with no annual fee. The SimplyCash Card from American Express offers 2% on Canadian purchases with no fee. If your annual spend is under $20,000, a no-fee card almost always nets more than a $99-$120 fee card after the rebate. Above $25,000 annual spend, a premium card like the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ usually wins.

Can I combine multiple cash back cards strategically?

Absolutely, and Milesopedia readers regularly do. A common stack: Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ (4% groceries) for supermarket runs, CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite (4% gas and EV charging) for fuel, and American Express Cobalt (5x dining and food delivery) for restaurants. This trio captures the highest published rates on the three biggest discretionary spend categories. Just confirm you can hit each card’s minimum-spend bonus once, then settle into category routing.

When does cash back beat travel rewards?

Cash back wins in three scenarios: when you do not travel internationally at least once a year, when you cannot consistently meet minimum spend on a premium travel card, or when you value simplicity and predictability over complex point optimization. A 2% flat-rate cash back card returns a guaranteed 2% on every dollar. Travel cards can return 3% to 6% but only if you redeem for premium-cabin or partner awards. For most non-frequent flyers, cash back delivers a higher real return.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!

Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine is the President and Founder of Milesopedia and a leading expert in rewards programs, credit cards, and travel across Canada, France, and the U.S.A. Now 40 years old and a father of two, he has explored more than 100 countries—many of them alongside his wife Audrey and their children. Specializing in loyalty programs such as Aeroplan, Flying Blue, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, Jean-Maximilien helps travellers unlock the full potential of their points and benefits. His mission: empower others to travel better and smarter across North America and Europe.

All posts by Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Review type

Credit Cards

Why You Should Use a Cash Back Credit Card?

Best Cash Back Credit Cards – Consumers

Best Cash Back Credit Cards – Small Businesses

Bottom Line

Frequently Asked Questions about best cash back credit cards in Canada

Suggested Reading