The Best Credit cards For Beginners
These credit cards are perfect for beginners.
It is therefore advised to keep a card like that, year after year, to improve your credit history.
Here is a table summarizing the different offers. For more details, read on or click on the name of a card.
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
With this offer for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you can earn up to 35,000 Avion Rewards points upon approval. So there’s no minimum spend.
You can use your Avion Rewards points for travel or redeem them with other loyalty programs such as :
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- British Airways Executive Club (and Qatar Airways Privilege Club)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- WestJet Rewards
For example, with the current welcome offer, you can get the equivalent of 35,000 British Airways Avios Points or 350 WestJet Dollars.
With the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you earn 1 point per dollar and 1.25 points for travel purchases.
And you’ll benefit from a wide range of insurance coverage: Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance, Out-of-Province/Country Emergency Medical Insurance, Rental Vehicle Collision/Loss Damage Insurance, Mobile Device Insurance.
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 earn 2,500 Membership Rewards points for every $500 in purchases charged to your card during the month (whether in the 1X, 2X, 3X or 5X category). That’s up to 30,000 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.
Or, you can transfer your points to Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors points. With the American Express Cobalt® Card, you can earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:
| Category | Points per dollar |
| Grocery stores (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.) | 5 |
| Food delivery | 5 |
| Restaurants and bars | 5 |
| Convenience stores | 5 |
| Streaming subscriptions | 3 |
| Gas station | 2 |
| Transportation | 2 |
| Travel | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
This is a 1 to 5% return on all these purchases.
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.
HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard®
With the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard®, you can earn $125 cash back as a welcome bonus with no minimum spending (for Quebec).
With this no annual fee credit card, you get:
- 1.5% cash back per dollar on online purchases
- 1% cash back per dollar on gas, grocery and drugstore purchases
- 0.5% cash back per dollar on all other everyday purchases
Plus, you get Mobile Device Insurance, Purchase Insurance and Extended Warranty Insurance.
RBC ION Visa Card
With the RBC ION Visa card, you can earn 3,500 Avion points as a welcome bonus.
With this no-annual-fee RBC credit card, you can earn 1.5 Avion points per dollar for :
- Grocery
- Rides, Gas & EV Charging
- Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions
And 1 Avion point per dollar for all other purchases. Plus, save 3¢/L on gas at Petro-Canada and earn 20% more points when you pay with a linked RBC card
Scotiabank American Express® Card
The Scotiabank American Express Card is one of the best no-fee credit cards in Canada.
For a limited time, you can earn up to 7,000 points in the first year, which is a $70 value for trips, including Airbnb.
With the Scotiabank®* American Express® card, you earn 3X Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.
Also, you get 2 points per dollar for:
- grocery stores
- Restaurants
- Entertainment
- Gas stations
- Transit
- streaming services
And 1 point per dollar of purchase for all other purchases.
You can redeem your points on travel purchases (flights, hotels, all-inclusive and even Airbnb). Or with Scene+ partners for cash back.
Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is the best credit card for free hotel nights.
With this limited-time welcome offer, you can earn up to 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points:
- 65,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after $3,000 in Card purchases within the first 3 months
- 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you make a purchase between 14 and 17 months of Cardmembership.
It’s a Card we recommend keeping because each year at renewal, you get an Annual Free Night Award (for up to 35,000 points at hotels worldwide) and 15 Elite Night Credits per year, counting towards your Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
With this Card, you earn 5 points per dollar on all purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases.
Finally, this Card comes with comprehensive insurance: baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage, $500,000 travel accident, flight delay, hotel or motel burglary, rental car theft and damage, Purchase Security, Purchase Protection.
Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
With this welcome offer for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you can earn up to 50,000 Aeroplan points.
Here’s how:
- 35,000 Aeroplan points after $3,000 in Card purchases within the first 6 months
- 2,500 Aeroplan points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $500 in purchases on your Card for the first 6 months of Cardmembership. That could add up to 15,000 Aeroplan points
With this Card, you earn 2X the points on purchases made directly with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations.
And 1.5x the points on Dining and Food Delivery purchases in Canada. Anywhere else, you will earn 1X the points.
Enjoy your first checked bag free (up to 23kg/50lb) for up to 9 people travelling on the same reservation on Air Canada®* flights.
Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.
HSBC Travel Rewards Mastercard
With the HSBC Travel Rewards Mastercard®, you can earn 25,000 points as a welcome bonus with no minimum spending (for Quebec).
With this no annual fee credit card, you get:
- 3 points per dollar on travel purchases
- 2 points per dollar on gas and everyday transportation purchases
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
You can use your points to pay for travel or to get many other rewards.
In addition, you will get Trip Interruption Insurance, Baggage Delay Insurance, Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance, Extended Warranty Insurance and Purchase Insurance.
BMO® AIR MILES® Mastercard®*
With this exclusive offer for the BMO® AIR MILES® Mastercard®*, you earn 1,500 AIR MILES Bonus Miles after $1,000 in Card purchases; that’s a $150 cash value. Besides, it’s a no-annual-fee credit card.
With the BMO® AIR MILES® Mastercard®*, you get 3x the Miles for every $25 spent at participating AIR MILES Partners. And 1 mile for every $25 you spend, Costco included.
Also, you can get a 0.99% introductory rate on balance transfers for 9 months (a 2% fee applies to balance amount transferred).
American Express® Green Card
Do you want a cash back credit card with no annual fee that earns travel points? Here is an option for you: the American Express® Green Card.
By signing up for the American Express® Green Card, you can earn 10,000 Membership Rewards Welcome Bonus Points when you charge $1,000 in purchases to your Card in the first 3 months of Cardmembership. This is a $100 value for travel or any purchase on the Card. You can also transfer your points to airline partners (Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Flying Blue, etc.) and hotel partners (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors).
That’s a nice welcome bonus for a credit card with no annual fee.
You’ll also have access to online promotional offers to earn points or rebates on your purchases with this no annual fee credit card.
Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card has no annual fee and offers cash back.
With this limited-time welcome offer, you can earn an additional 10% cash back (up to $100) when you spend up to $1,000 on everyday purchases during the first 2 months.
You can choose two to three categories that interest you (groceries, gas, furniture, home improvement, recurring bills, pharmacy, etc.) to earn 2% cash back ! And there is no annual cash back limit. It is one of the best credit cards for renovations.
In addition, the Tangerine Mastercard offers several insurance coverages for your purchases :
- 90 days purchase insurance
- One year extended warranty
Finally, during your first 30 days, transfer balances and pay only 1.95% interest on the transferred balance for the first 6 months.
Frequent Asked Questions about credit cards
Here are frequently asked questions in the milesopedia community about credit cards in Canada.
What is the best credit card in Canada?
There are more than 200 credit cards in Canada. There is no “one best credit card” in Canada.
Several credit cards can match your needs:
What is the best American Express credit card in Canada?
There are more than 30 American Express credit cards in Canada. Check out our best American Express Credit Cards page.
What is the best Mastercard credit card in Canada?
There are more than 90 Mastercard credit cards in Canada. Check out our Best Mastercard Credit Cards page.
What is the best Visa credit card in Canada?
There are more than 80 Visa credit cards in Canada. Check out our Best Visa Credit Cards page.