The Best Mastercard Credit Cards
These 3 credit cards are among the best Mastercard credit cards in Canada!
Here is a table summarizing the different offers. For more details, read on or click on the name of a card.
HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®
The HSBC World Elite Mastercard is an excellent no-conversion-fee credit card for foreign currency purchases, especially for your travel purchases.
For a limited time, you can get:
- Up to 110,000 points* (a $550 value in travel rewards) if you live in Quebec and with no minimum purchase!
- Up to 80,000 points* (a $400 value in travel rewards) and first-year annual fee waiver if you live outside Quebec
With the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®, you can earn:
- 6 points per dollar for travel purchases (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc.)
- 4 points per dollar for grocery, gas or drugstore purchases
- 2 points per dollar for all other purchases (including Costco)
This means a 1 to 3% return, depending on your purchases!
You can easily redeem your points on any travel purchase made with the HSBC World Elite Mastercard (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc). But you can also transfer your points to three airline loyalty programs: British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer.
In addition, the HSBC World Elite Mastercard comes with:
- $100 Annual Travel Credit (for airport lounges, for example)
- Unlimited access to Boingo WiFi hotspots around the world
- 10% discount for hotel bookings on Expedia or Agoda
- Premium insurance for your travels and purchases
Finally, the HSBC World Elite Mastercard does not charge any conversion fees for foreign exchange transactions: you save 2.5% for each transaction.
National Bank's World Elite Mastercard®
The National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard® is the Best National Bank Mastercard credit card.
With this exclusive welcome offer for Milesopedia readers, you can get up to 70,000 points, and the first year’s annual fee is waived for the primary cardholder. Here’s how:
- 30,000 points after $5,000 in Card purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 30,000 points if $12,000 or more in net purchases are charged to the credit card within 12 months of account opening
- 10,000 points if you sign up for Credit Card Payment Protection for a minimum of 3 months
With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:
- 5 points per dollar on grocery and restaurant purchases
- 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 on all other purchases
And since it’s a National Bank Mastercard credit card, 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
- Flight upgrades
In addition, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and free Wi-Fi with Boingo. And unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.
Finally, Milesopedia voted the National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard® as the Best Travel Credit Card and Best Credit Card for Insurance in 2023.
This promotion is intended for individuals who do not have a National Bank Mastercard credit card and have not held a National Bank credit card within the last 24 months.
BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®*
The BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* is one of the best cash back Mastercard credit card in Canada.
For a limited time, you will earn 10% cash back on all purchases for the first three months (up to $260 cash back). Besides, the annual fee is waived in the first year!
With the BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®*, you earn between 2% and 5% cash back on many spending categories:
- 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.
Finally, it is one of the only credit cards in its category to offer an extended warranty of 2 additional years.
MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
With the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® you can earn 5 points per dollar on:
- Dining purchases
- 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 dining purchases, grocery purchases, digital media, subscriptions and household utility purchases.
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.
BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard
The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard is one of Canada’s best travel Mastercard credit cards. With our exclusive offer, you can get up to 70,000 Welcome Bonus Points:
- 40,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
- 2,500 points per month after $2,000 in monthly purchases from the 4th to the 15th month, up to 30,000 points
Plus, the annual fee is waived in the first year for both the primary cardholder and authorized users.
With the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard, you earn:
- 5 points per dollar on travel purchases
- 3 points per dollar on dining purchases
- 3 points per dollar for entertainment purchases
- 3 points per dollar on recurring bill payments
And 1 point for every $1 spent everywhere else, including at Costco. You can use your points for travel purchases on the BMO Rewards website (flights, hotels, car rentals, all-inclusive).
The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard also offers:
- Four annual complimentary passes to airport VIP lounges
- Premium insurance for your travels or purchases
- Concierge services
BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®*
With this exclusive offer for the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®*, you can earn 3,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles after $3,000 in Card purchases, representing a $310 cash value. Besides, the annual fee is waived in the first year!
With this card, you earn 3 miles for every $12 spent at participating AIR MILES Partners. Everywhere else, you’ll earn 1 Mile for every $12 spent, including at Costco and Walmart. And it’s the only AIR MILES credit card in Canada to offer a 15% discount on AIR MILES flights within North America with no blackout periods.
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®* card also offers:
- Premium insurance for your travels or purchases
- Double the miles for car rentals with National or Alamo
- Concierge services
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card has no annual fee and offers cash back.
Through May 2, 2023, you can earn an additional 10% 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.