Best American Express Cards in Canada - September 2026

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card offers an excellent welcome bonus.

Until November 1, 2026, you can earn up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points, broken down as follows:

• 30,000 Scene+ points by charging $2,000 in purchases to the card within the first 3 months
• 20,000 Scene+ points by making $7,500 in purchases on the card in the first year

This represents a value of up to $500 for travel (including Airbnb).

With the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, you earn 6 points per dollar spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà par IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! grocery stores. FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.

Also, you earn 5 points per dollar for:

• Grocery stores
• Restaurants
• Entertainment centers

And 3 points per dollar on gas, transit and streaming services purchases.

You can redeem your points on travel purchases (flights, hotels, all-inclusive and even Airbnb). You can also use your points as cash back rewards with Scene+.

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card also offers no foreign transaction fees, excellent insurance for your travel or purchases, concierge service, exclusive American Express benefits like the Front of the Line program.

The Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card is the best credit card for the self-employed, professionals and small business owners who travel.

With this welcome offer, you can earn up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points:

• Earn 80,000 points after you spend $10,000 on your Card in your first 6 months of Cardmembership.
• Plus, earn 30,000 Points by making a purchase during your 15th month of Cardmembership.

This exceptional offer ends on September 22, 2026.

It’s a card we recommend you keep, because each year at renewal, you’ll get an Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points, plus 15 Elite nights per year, counting towards your Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.

With this Card, you earn 5 points per dollar for all your spending at Marriott Bonvoy establishments, and you can earn 3 points per dollar for :

• Gas
• Dining
• Travel

And 2 points per dollar on all other purchases.

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

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

New Cardmembers can earn up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points with the current offer:

• Earn 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on your Card in your first 6 months of Cardmembership.
• Plus, earn 30,000 points by making a purchase during your 15th month of Cardmembership.

This offer ends on September 22, 2026. The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.

Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.

To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.

The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.

You move up to Gold Elite status automatically when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year, or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your Card.

Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 110,000 point welcome offer is worth about $990, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.

Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.

You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.

The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.

Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.

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

American Express Cobalt® Card welcome offer

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer we value at $255.

Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.

You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.

You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:

• 15,000 Aeroplan points
• 15,000 Avios points
• 15,000 Flying Blue Miles
• 18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

If hotel points are what you are after, our ultimate guide to Marriott Bonvoy and our complete map of Marriott Bonvoy hotels by category show what those points can actually buy.

American Express Cobalt® Card benefits

Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.

• 5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, home food delivery and convenience stores. A spend cap applies.
• 3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
• 2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
• 1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
• 1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
• Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
• No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
• Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
• The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
• Front Of The Line^® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
• A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.

To see how it compares with the rest of the line-up, read our round-up of the best credit cards from American Express in Canada.

The 5X categories and where they apply

The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers four kinds of merchants:

• Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
• Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
• Home food delivery.
• Convenience stores: Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven.

The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.

With the American Express Cobalt® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

Travel insurance

• Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
• Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
• Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
• Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
• Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
• Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.

Rental car insurance

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

Purchase protection and extended warranty

Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.

American Express Cobalt® Card fees

• Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
• Additional cards: $0.
• Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
• Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
• Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
• Minimum income required: none.

Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.

Earn up to 60,000 Membership Rewards points with this welcome offer for the American Express Gold Rewards Card. That’s a value of $600 toward travel or any purchase charged to the Card:

• 5,000 Membership Rewards points per month when you charge $1,000 in net purchases to your Card, for 12 months (a total of 60,000 points in the first year).

You can also transfer your points to airline partners such as Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair), Flying Blue, and hotel partners (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors).

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, you would have the choice of earning up to :

• 60,000 Aeroplan points
• 60,000 Avios
• 60,000 Flying Blue Miles
• 72,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With this Card, you get many benefits like:

• $100 annual travel credit
• Priority Pass membership and 4 complimentary Plaza Premium visits per year
• $50 NEXUS credit

You earn 2 points per dollar for travel purchases, and at:

• gas stations
• grocery stores
• drugstores

And 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

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

The Platinum Card^® is the best premium card in Canada for travellers.

With this welcome offer, you can earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards^® points:

• 70,000 points after charging $10,000 to your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership
• 30,000 points when you make a purchase between the 15th and 17th month after your Cardmembership begins

With this Card, you get:

• 2 points per $1 on eligible dining and delivery purchases in Canada
• 2 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases charged to the Card
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases charged to the Card

You can use your Membership Rewards^® points in many ways:

• Transfer points to airline partners: Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways / Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, etc.
• Transfer points to hotel partners, including Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy
• Redeem points for statement credits to offset any travel purchase charged to your Card (1,000 points = $10)
• Redeem points for statement credits towards other purchases (1,000 points = $10)
• And more!

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards^® points to a partner loyalty program, you could earn up to:

• 100,000 Aeroplan points
• 100,000 Avios
• 100,000 Flying Blue Miles
• 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With this card, you also have advantages for your travels:

• $200 Annual Travel Credit
• An annual meal credit of $200
• A $100 statement credit for NEXUS membership
• Complimentary access for you and one additional guest to more than 1,550 airport lounges in over 140 countries
• Hilton Honors Gold status
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• Access to the Fine Hotels + Resorts program

Last but not least, The Platinum Card^® offers a wide range of insurance coverage: rental car theft and damage, $500,000 travel accident, emergency medical expenses (out-of-province or out-of-country), lost or stolen baggage, flight delays and misdirected baggage, hotel or motel burglary, Purchase Protection, Purchase Security.

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

For a limited time, by signing up for the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, you can earn up to 100,000 Scene+ points, worth up to $3,000 in value over the first 14 months (including about $1,000 in travel rewards from the bonus points).

With the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, you earn 2 points per dollar spent on all purchases. These points can be used against any travel purchase (plane tickets, hotels, all-inclusives, and even Airbnb), and you can also use them for other rewards in the Scene+ program, like cash back.

Plus, with this card, you pay no foreign transaction fees, and you get 10 free accesses to VIP airport lounges (Priority Pass).

And you benefit from excellent insurance for your trips and purchases, premium concierge service, and exclusive American Express Invitations offers.

Earn a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Membership Rewards® points with the American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®

• 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $7,500 in purchases within the first three months of Cardmembership.
• 20,000 additional points after spending $30,000 on your Card in your first 12 months of Cardmembership.

Plus, earn 10,000 bonus points in each calendar quarter when you spend $20,000 or more.

With this Card, you earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar on your purchases.

You can then use your points in many ways:

• Statement credit for travel purchases
• Statement credit for all purchases
• Transfer to partner programs (Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Delta Skymiles, Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, etc.).
• Book your flight with American Express Travel at a special rate

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, you would have the choice of earning up to:

• 70,000 points Aeroplan
• 70,000 Avios
• 70,000 Flying Blue Miles
• 84,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

Alternatively, 70,000 Membership Rewards points can also represent a value of $700 for travel or for any purchase charged to the Card.

Also, as a cardmember, you get many advantages such as up to 55 interest-free days to maximize your cash flow.

Finally, you are covered with reliable insurance for your travels and purchases.

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

With this welcome offer for American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card, you can earn up to 85,000 Aeroplan points. Here’s how:

• Earn 60,000 points after you spend $7,500 on your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership
  
• Plus, earn an additional 25,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $2,500 in the 13th month

With this Amex Aeroplan Card, you earn 3X the points on purchases made directly with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations. And 2x the points on Dining and Food Delivery purchases in Canada. Everywhere else, you will earn 1.25X the points.

With this Amex Aeroplan Premium Card, you receive many Air Canada travel benefits, such as access to Maple Leaf Lounges in North America for you and one guest, priority check-in, priority boarding and priority baggage handling. It’s the best Amex Aeroplan Card for frequent Air Canada flyers.

With this American Express Aeroplan Card, 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 this welcome offer for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you can earn up to 45,000 Aeroplan points. Here’s how:

• Earn 35,000 Aeroplan points after charging $7,500 to your Card within the first 6 months.
• Plus, earn an additional 10,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $1,000 in the 13th month.

With this Card, you earn 2x the points on purchases with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations.

And 1.5x the points for dining and food delivery services 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.