Best Credit Cards for Beginners With Points in Canada

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

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, Marriott Bonvoy, or Hilton Honors. With the American Express Cobalt® Card, you can earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery	5
Food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	5
Streaming subscriptions	3
Gas station	2
Gas & Transit	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.

Find out in this article how to maximize the welcome bonus to get 60,000 points with your everyday spending. This offer may be withdrawn at any time.

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

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is the best credit card for free hotel nights.

With this welcome offer, you can earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. When you apply for this Card via Milesopedia, all you have to do is make $1,500 in Card purchases within the first 3 months.

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.

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.

With this welcome offer for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you can earn up to 50,000 Aeroplan points.

Here’s how:

• 20,000 Aeroplan points after spending $1,500 within the first 3 months
• 2,500 Aeroplan Points per month, after $500 in Card purchases per month for the first 12 months or 30,000 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.

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.

With this exclusive offer for the BMO® AIR MILES® Mastercard®*, you earn 1,500 AIR MILES Bonus Miles after $1,000 in Card purchases, representing 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.

Get a 1.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months*, 1% fee applies to balance amounts transferred*

Would you like a travel rewards credit card with no annual fee? Here is an option for you: the American Express® Green Card.

By signing up for the American Express® Green Card, you can earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you charge $1,000 in purchases to your Card in the first 3 months of Cardmembership. It’s a $100 value, 10,000 Aeroplan points or 12,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

With this no-fee credit card, you’ll also have access to online promotional offers that earn points or rebates on your purchases.

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

The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card has no annual fee and offers cashback.

Apply for a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card by May 31, 2022, and earn an extra 10% back (up to $100) when you spend up to $1,000 in everyday purchases within your 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.