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.
The Rogers Red Mastercard® is one of the best no-annual-fee credit cards in Canada, especially for Rogers, Fido or Shaw customers.
Right now, you can earn $60 cash back by making one purchase with your mobile wallet in the first 90 days AND 6 automatic payments from your Rogers, Fido or Shaw postpaid service in the first 8 months.
With the Rogers Red Mastercard®, by having a single qualifying service with Rogers, Fido or Shaw, you can earn 2% unlimited cash back on all your purchases. Eligible services include :
This card is now also available to Quebec residents with a mobile service with Rogers or Fido!
Plus, you get 1.5x more cash back on Rogers, Fido and Shaw purchases – that’s a 3% cash back value.
Plus, as a Rogers Red Mastercard® cardholder, you’ll get 5 days’ free access to Everywhere at Home, every year, on Rogers mobile plans (a value of up to $75).
If you’re not a Rogers, Fido or Shaw customer, you’ll earn 2% cash back on U.S. dollar purchases and 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases.
With the RBC ION Visa card, you can get a welcome bonus of 6,000 Avion points on approval.
With this no-annual-fee RBC credit card, you can earn 1.5 Avion points per dollar for :
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.
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.
Or you can transfer them into Aeroplan points, Avios (British Airways/Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors.
With the American Express Cobalt® Card, you can earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:
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.
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.
With this offer for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you can earn 35,000 Avion points upon approval. No purchase necessary!
You can use your Avion Rewards points for travel or redeem them with other loyalty programs such as :
The current welcome offer, for example, gives you the equivalent of 35,000 British Airways Avios or 350 WestJet Dollars.
With the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, you earn 1 point per dollar and 1.25 points for travel purchases.
What’s more, you’ll benefit from a wide range of insurances: trip cancellation and interruption insurance, out-of-province or out-of-country emergency medical care insurance, collision and damage insurance for rental vehicles, and mobile device insurance.
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 by spending $1,500 in the first 3 months after joining.
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.
With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you earn up to 35,000 Scene+ points as a welcome bonus (a $350 value) :
Then, each year, if you make at least $40,000 in purchases on the card, you’ll earn an annual bonus of 10,000 points, a $100 value.
With the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 3 points per dollar spent 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.
You’ll also earn 2 points for every dollar you spend, including on foreign transactions, in the following categories:
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card is an excellent Visa credit card for this type of purchase.
You can redeem your points for any travel purchase at the rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusive properties and even Airbnb). You can also use your points as cash back with Scene+, such as at your grocery store checkout at the same rate of 1,000 points = $10.
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card also offers:
We voted this credit card the Best No-FX Fee Credit Card of 2024.
Unlike the other two National Bank travel rewards cards, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard® does not require a minimum income.
With the National Bank Platinum Mastercard®, you can earn 2 points per dollar on grocery store and restaurant purchases, and 1.5 points per dollar on gas and electric vehicle charging, recurring bill payements and À la Carte Travel. And since it’s a National Bank Mastercard credit card, you can use it at Costco.
In addition, you get premium insurance usually dedicated for high-end credit cards:
We voted the National Bank Platinum Mastercard® as the best credit card for young professionals in 2024.
The new BMO eclipse rise Visa* Card is a no-annual-fee travel rewards credit card with no minimum income required.
With this offer, you can earn up to 25,000 points as a welcome bonus:
Moreover, you can get a 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months (a 2% fee applies to balance amounts transferred).
With the new BMO eclipse rise Visa* Card, you get :
You can use BMO Rewards points for all travel purchases made through the agency or website of your choice (flights, hotels, car rentals, all-inclusive resorts, Airbnb, etc.) or for rewards and gift cards on the BMO Rewards platform.
The new BMO eclipse rise Visa* Card also offers:
The Scotiabank American Express® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee credit cards in Canada.
For a limited time, you can earn up to 5,000 points in the first three months, representing a $50 value for travel (including Airbnb).
With the Scotiabank American Express® Card, you earn 3 points per dollar spent 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:
And 1 point per dollar of purchase for all other purchases.
These points can be used for any travel purchase (air tickets, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb) or with Scene+ partners for cash back.
With this welcome offer for the Aeroplan®* American Express® Card, you can earn up to 50,000 Aeroplan points.
Here’s how:
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.
With this exclusive offer for the BMO® AIR MILES® Mastercard®*, you earn 1,500 AIR MILES Bonus Miles after $1,000 in Card purchases, 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. Plus, you’ll earn 2X miles for every $25 spent at any eligible grocery store, wholesale club (warehouse like Costco) and alcohol retailer*. For the rest, you earn 1 reward mile for every $25 in purchases.
Also, you can get a 0.99% introductory rate on balance transfers for 9 months (a 2% fee applies to the balance amount transferred).
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 :
Finally, during your first 30 days, transfer balances and pay only 1.95% interest on the transferred balance for the first 6 months.
Here are frequently asked questions in the milesopedia community about credit cards 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:
There are more than 30 American Express credit cards in Canada. Check out our best American Express Credit Cards page.
There are more than 90 Mastercard credit cards in Canada. Check out our Best Mastercard Credit Cards page.
There are more than 80 Visa credit cards in Canada. Check out our Best Visa Credit Cards page.
