Best World Elite Mastercard Cards 2026

Q: Are Mastercards accepted at Costco in Canada?

Yes. Costco Canada exclusively accepts Mastercard credit cards in-store and at gas stations. All Mastercards, whether no-fee (Tangerine, PC Financial) or World Elite (BMO Ascend, National Bank, BMO CashBack, RBC Rewards), can be used at Costco. Visa and American Express cards are not accepted at Costco, making Mastercard a popular choice for its members.

Q: What is the difference between Mastercard, World Mastercard, and World Elite Mastercard?

These are three benefit tiers within the Mastercard network:- Mastercard standard : protections de base (responsabilité zéro, paiement sans contact).; - World Mastercard : ajoute des avantages voyage et expériences (Mastercard Priceless, certaines assurances).; - World Elite Mastercard : niveau supérieur incluant l’accès Mastercard Travel Pass par DragonPass, des assurances voyage complètes (incluant l’assurance soins médicaux d’urgence), et des avantages premium comme les nuits Hotel Stays ou des concierges.; The required income and credit score increase as you move up the tiers.

Q: How does Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass work?

Mastercard Travel Pass provides access to the DragonPass network of over 1,300 airport VIP lounges worldwide. A World Elite Mastercard holder receives complimentary annual visits (typically 4 to 6 depending on the card) and pays a preferential rate for additional visits (approximately US$32 per visit). Registration is done via the Mastercard Travel Pass app, where you obtain your personal QR code to present at the entrance of partner lounges.

Q: Do Mastercard cards offer good travel insurance?

World Elite Mastercard cards generally offer the best Mastercard insurance in Canada. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is among the best on the market with up to 60 days of emergency medical coverage. The BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* offers emergency medical coverage of up to $5 million for 21 days. Standard Mastercards offer less travel insurance; aim for the World Elite level if protection is a priority.

Q: Mastercard or Visa: which is more widely accepted?

In Canada and internationally, both networks have nearly equivalent coverage. The main difference lies with certain Canadian merchants: - Costco Canada accepte uniquement Mastercard.; - Certains commerces et services en ligne peuvent privilégier l’un ou l’autre.; - À l’étranger, certains pays favorisent davantage Visa, mais les zones touristiques acceptent normalement les deux.; If you shop at Costco, Mastercard is essential. Otherwise, the choice depends on the benefits offered by the card rather than the network itself.

Q: Which Mastercards offer the best cash back?

For cash back with no annual fee, the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card offers 2% in 2 (or 3) categories of your choice.With an annual fee, the BMO CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* and the National Bank Visa Infinite* Card offer up to 5% cash back on key categories (grocery, restaurants, transportation).

Best World Elite Mastercard Cards – September 2026

These credit cards are among the best World Elite Mastercard cards in Canada!

Here is a table summarizing the different offers. For more details, read on or click on the name of a card.

BMO Ascend™ World Elite^®* Mastercard^®*

The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard is one of the best World Elite Mastercard travel rewards credit cards in Canada. With our welcome offer, you can get up to 100,000 BMO Rewards points, for a total value of up to $1,600.

Plus, there’s no annual fee in the first year for the primary cardholder and additional cardholders, and you benefit from a 0% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for 12 months (with a 2% balance transfer fee).

With the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard, you get:

5 points per dollar on eligible travel*
3 points per dollar on eligible dining, entertainment, and recurring bill payments*
1 point per dollar on all other purchases*

The card also offers:

4 complimentary airport lounge accesses per year via Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass*
comprehensive travel insurance, including emergency medical coverage up to $5 million for 21 days*
A NEXUS statement credit in the first year*
Six months of Instacart+ membership plus a monthly $10 Instacart credit with an eligible card*

National Bank World Elite^® Mastercard^®

With Milesopedia, take advantage of an exclusive offer: your first-year annual fees are refunded with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. This offer is exclusively available on the Milesopedia network, from June 30 to November 4, 2026.

Refund of the first-year annual fee (a $150 value) for the primary cardholder. This fee is charged to your new card account, then refunded as a credit on your statement within five months of opening your account, provided it remains open and in good standing.

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is the best Mastercard credit card offered by NBC.

With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:

5 points per dollar for groceries and restaurants
2 points per dollar on gas and electric recharge purchases
2 points per dollar on recurring bills
2 points per dollar on À la carte Travel
1 point per dollar for all other purchases

And since it’s an NBC mycredit Mastercard, you can use it at Costco.

With this card, you have access to a $150 annual travel credit that you can use in any of these categories:

Airport parking
Baggage fees
Seat selection
Access to airport lounges
Airline ticket upgrades

What’s more, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.

Finally, Milesopedia has named the National Bank World Elite Mastercard as the Best Travel Credit Card in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

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.

Save on fuel with Shell

All Tangerine cardholders can get savings and rewards on fuel with Shell and Scene+ when you link your cards to your Shell Go+ account. Get up to 8¢/L in value with a linked Money-Back World Mastercard or Money-Back Credit Card:

Instant savings of 3¢ per litre on all grades of Shell fuel.
Earn up to 3¢ per litre in cash back with fuel selected as a 2% category.
Earn 1¢ per litre in Scene+ points value on all grades of Shell fuel, or 2¢ per litre in Scene+ points value on Shell V-Power^® when you link your Scene+ Account to Shell Go+.

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 purchase categories that interest you (groceries, gas, home furnishings, renovations, recurring bills, pharmacy, etc.) to earn 2% cash back ! And there’s 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 the first 30 days you hold the card, transfer credit card balances and pay only 1.95% interest on these balances for the first 6 months.

Save on fuel with Shell

Instant savings of 3¢ per litre on all grades of Shell fuel.
Earn up to 3¢ per litre in cash back with fuel selected as a 2% category.
Earn 1¢ per litre in Scene+ points value on all grades of Shell fuel, or 2¢ per litre in Scene+ points value on Shell V-Power^® when you link your Scene+ Account to Shell Go+.

MBNA Rewards World Elite^® Mastercard^®

With the MBNA Rewards World Elite^® Mastercard^®, you can earn 5 points per dollar of purchases for:

Dining
Grocery purchases
Digital media purchases (Netflix, Spotify, etc.)
Memberships
Household utility purchases (electricity, etc.)

Everywhere else, you will get 1 point per dollar.

Enough to make the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard the best MBNA credit card for restaurants, groceries, digital media, subscriptions and household utilities.

Knowing that Mastercard recognizes Walmart Supercenters as grocery stores, this is the best credit card for Walmart customers!

Plus, depending on your province of residence, you’ll get a welcome bonus of between 20,000 and 30,000 points, a value of $200 to $300!

And each year, you will receive Birthday Bonus Points equal to 10% of the total number of Points the Account earned in the 12 months before the month of your birthday, to a maximum Birthday Bonus each year of 15,000 Points.

PC^® World Elite^® Mastercard^®

The PC World Elite Mastercard currently offers a 20,000 PC Optimum points welcome bonus after spending $50 in the first two months, with no annual fee. With this Card:

4.5% back in points at Shoppers Drug Mart^{^®} and Pharmaprix^{^®5}
Get 3% back in points at Loblaw banner grocery stores including Loblaws^{^®}, No Frills^{^®}, Real Canadian Superstore^{^®}, Maxi^{^®} and at Joe Fresh.
At least 3¢ per litre back in points on fuel at Esso and Mobil
1% back in points per dollar spent everywhere else

This means you get between 1% and 4.5% back on your purchases made at PC Optimum stores. You can then use your points for discounts at checkout or convert them into $7 credit per 10,000 points directly on your card balance.

Additionally, this card includes travel medical insurance, rental car collision insurance, a concierge service, and 90-day purchase assurance—rare benefits for a no-annual-fee card.

RBC^® Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard‡

With the RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard, earn 12% cash back for the first three months^{^}, on up to $2,000 in purchases.

Thereafter, earn 1.5% cash back² on all your eligible purchases, including at Costco.

In addition, you benefit from several practical everyday advantages:

Instant fuel savings at Petro-Canada⁵
A 12-month complimentary DashPass subscription with DoorDash⁷
Additional Be Well points at Rexall⁶

Finally, the RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard also offers attractive insurance protections for your purchases and travel.

Purchase Security⁹ coverage for 120 days against theft or damage
Extended Warranty⁹ that triples the original Canadian manufacturer’s warranty for up to two additional years
Rental vehicle collision/loss damage insurance¹⁰

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

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

Right now, you can get up to $650 in value, including $40 cash back each month in your first year. Plus, you won’t have to pay the $139 annual fee in 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 the BMO CashBack^{^®} World Elite^{^®*} Mastercard^{^®*}, you get great cash back rates in the categories that matter most:

5% on groceries*
4% on transit including ride sharing, taxis and public transportation*
3% on gas and electric vehicle charging*
2% on recurring bill payments*
1% cash back on all other purchases, with no limit on the amount of cash back you can earn*

You also enjoy practical benefits like free membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass, free roadside assistance services, discounts on car rentals with National, Alamo and Enterprise, as well as comprehensive travel and purchase insurance coverage.

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

Mastercard Credit Cards Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions from the milesopedia community regarding Mastercard credit cards in Canada.

What is the best Mastercard in Canada?

Depending on your needs, several Mastercards stand out. The BMO Ascend™ World Elite^®* Mastercard^®* and the National Bank World Elite Mastercard are among the best travel points Mastercard cards in Canada.

For no annual fee, the Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard offers the best cash back. For Costco, several Mastercards work (BMO Ascend, NBC, PC Financial, BMO CashBack, RBC Preferred).

Are Mastercards accepted at Costco in Canada?

Yes. Costco Canada exclusively accepts Mastercard credit cards in-store and at gas stations. All Mastercards, whether no-fee (Tangerine, PC Financial) or World Elite (BMO Ascend, National Bank, BMO CashBack, RBC Rewards), can be used at Costco.

Visa and American Express cards are not accepted at Costco, making Mastercard a popular choice for its members.

What is the difference between Mastercard, World Mastercard, and World Elite Mastercard?

These are three benefit tiers within the Mastercard network:

Mastercard standard : protections de base (responsabilité zéro, paiement sans contact).
World Mastercard : ajoute des avantages voyage et expériences (Mastercard Priceless, certaines assurances).
World Elite Mastercard : niveau supérieur incluant l’accès Mastercard Travel Pass par DragonPass, des assurances voyage complètes (incluant l’assurance soins médicaux d’urgence), et des avantages premium comme les nuits Hotel Stays ou des concierges.

The required income and credit score increase as you move up the tiers.

How does Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass work?

Mastercard Travel Pass provides access to the DragonPass network of over 1,300 airport VIP lounges worldwide. A World Elite Mastercard holder receives complimentary annual visits (typically 4 to 6 depending on the card) and pays a preferential rate for additional visits (approximately US$32 per visit).

Registration is done via the Mastercard Travel Pass app, where you obtain your personal QR code to present at the entrance of partner lounges.

Do Mastercard cards offer good travel insurance?

World Elite Mastercard cards generally offer the best Mastercard insurance in Canada. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is among the best on the market with up to 60 days of emergency medical coverage.

The BMO Ascend™ World Elite^®* Mastercard^®* offers emergency medical coverage of up to $5 million for 21 days. Standard Mastercards offer less travel insurance; aim for the World Elite level if protection is a priority.

Mastercard or Visa: which is more widely accepted?

In Canada and internationally, both networks have nearly equivalent coverage. The main difference lies with certain Canadian merchants:

Costco Canada accepte uniquement Mastercard.
Certains commerces et services en ligne peuvent privilégier l’un ou l’autre.
À l’étranger, certains pays favorisent davantage Visa, mais les zones touristiques acceptent normalement les deux.

If you shop at Costco, Mastercard is essential. Otherwise, the choice depends on the benefits offered by the card rather than the network itself.

Which Mastercards offer the best cash back?

For cash back with no annual fee, the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card offers 2% in 2 (or 3) categories of your choice.

With an annual fee, the BMO CashBack^® World Elite^®* Mastercard^®* and the National Bank Visa Infinite* Card offer up to 5% cash back on key categories (grocery, restaurants, transportation).

No. Most World Elite Mastercard cards charge an annual fee of $120 to $150, a requirement from the Mastercard network for this tier of cards. However, several issuers offer the first year free. For a truly no annual fee card, see our best no annual fee Mastercard cards.

No. A World Elite Mastercard already requires a solid established credit history and isn’t suitable for building your first credit file. If you’re just starting out, see our best cards for students and beginners.

No. A personal income of $60,000 to $80,000 (or household income of $100,000 to $150,000) is generally required depending on the issuer, a requirement from the Mastercard network for this tier of cards. If you’re looking for a premium card with no income requirement, see our best American Express cards or our guide to cards with no minimum income.

Most issuers offer an instant online decision if you meet the required income and credit threshold. Cards with the lowest income threshold, generally around $60,000 personal, are usually the most accessible.