Comparison of Desjardins credit cards and alternatives


Desjardins has recently devalued BONUSDOLLARS earning and raised annual fees on several cards. If you hold an Odyssée card or a Desjardins Mastercard World Elite, this comparison helps you weigh your options and find cash back or travel credit cards that are often more rewarding.
Recently, Desjardins announced changes to its products, including a devaluation of some of its credit cards, specifically in BONUSDOLLARS earning and higher annual fees. This is therefore a good time to review your credit card choices to see which options are the most advantageous.
You have probably had your Desjardins credit card for a long time.
15% of your credit score comes from your credit history in Canada across all your credit lines (credit cards, mortgage, line of credit, car loan, student loans, etc.).
To keep your history and avoid lowering your credit score, do not close your Desjardins credit card! Downgrade it to a basic version with no annual fee. Then you can get a more advantageous credit card from another financial institution.
For example, I had a very old Desjardins Modulo Visa credit card and I « downgraded » to the Flexi Visa card. This did not affect my history, and it also allowed me to start earning more points elsewhere, with other cards!
The Visa and Mastercard Boni Visa, Cash Back Visa, and Cash Back Mastercard credit cards are almost identical.
| Annual fees | Interest rate | BONUSDOLLARS | Rewards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boni Visa | $0 | 20,9 % | Yes | Up to 2% in BONUSDOLLARS at restaurants, on entertainment, alternative transportation, and pre-authorized payments 0.5% in BONUSDOLLARS on all other purchases |
Cash Back Visa and Cash Back Mastercard | $0 | 20,9 % | No (cash back) | Up to 2% cash back at restaurants, on entertainment, alternative transportation, and pre-authorized payments 0.5% cash back on all other purchases |
To earn even more, have more flexibility, and choose your own 2% cash-back category without paying an annual fee, consider the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card.
The good news is that this card has no maximum cash-back cap or restrictions, unlike Desjardins credit cards!
In addition, the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card has a welcome offer. This allows you to get a head start and earn much more cash back right from the start.
For example, if you are planning renovations or a major furniture purchase next month, you only need to change the category in your Tangerine profile to get 2% on those purchases.
In other words, for a $1,000 purchase at a renovation and hardware store, the cash back with the Tangerine card would be $20 (2% x $1,000). With the Cash Back Mastercard Card, for example, it would have been only $5 (0.5% x $1,000).
The Desjardins Cash Back World Elite Mastercard card is another cash-back card, and its annual fee is $100. It is not part of the BONUSDOLLARS program.
Here is the cash back it provides to the cardholder on everyday purchases:
The Desjardins Cash Back World Elite Mastercard card is the Desjardins credit card that offers the highest grocery cash back. The biggest drawback is that the rate drops to 1% after $10,000 in annual purchases (or if you have about $833 or more in grocery purchases per month, on average).
For a family with growing older children, or for people with a large grocery budget, there are other credit cards on the market that offer up to 6% per dollar spent:
| Card | Number of points per dollar spent on groceries | Annual cost | What to do with your points and other benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Cobalt® Card | 5 Membership Rewards | $12.99/month (or $150/year starting July 1, 2025) | Like cash back Transfer them to Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy, etc. |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card | 6 Scene+ points at IGA/Les Marchés Tradition, etc.) 5 Scene+ points at all other grocery stores | $120 or $0 the first year | Pay for your IGA groceries with your Scene+ points Pay for your travel with your Scene+ points |
| TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card | 6 TD Rewards Points | $139 or $0 the first year | 4 free lounge accesses at airports worldwide Annual TD Travel Credit of $100 |
| National Bank World Elite Mastercard | 5 NBC Rewards points | $150 | Use your NBC points to cover your travel Unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge |
In addition, most of these cards come with a welcome offer. This gives you a significant advantage in terms of rewards.
The Odyssée Gold Visa Card with an annual fee of $110 offers:
The free Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card analyzed above is still an excellent replacement option. It is a good card to use at Costco if you want a Mastercard.
The Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard® gives you the opportunity to earn 1.5% on everything! And if you have a service with Rogers, Fido, or Shaw, you earn 2% on all purchases charged to this card. In addition, it is free.
Otherwise, here are other options that give you more than the Odyssée Gold Visa card:
For example, with these first-year offers, you will have $0 in annual fees, up to $300 cash back, and more cash back on groceries, gas, and other purchases. It is worth switching!
The Desjardins Odyssée Lounge is only available to travellers in the International Zone of Montréal-Trudeau Airport. Other cards offer completely free entries, with more lounge options at airports worldwide.
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card has an attractive welcome offer and more travel benefits:
| Odyssée Gold Visa Card | Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card |
2% in BONUSDOLLARS at restaurants, on entertainment, alternative transportation, and pre-authorized payments 0.65% in BONUSDOLLARS on all other purchases 50% off admission to the Desjardins Odyssée Lounge | 3 points Scene+ (3%) at IGA, Rachelle Béry, Les Marchés Traditions, Sobeys, etc. grocery stores 2 points Scene+ (2%) at other grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment, and public transit 1 point Scene+ (1%) on all other purchases 6 free entries at airports worldwide No foreign exchange fees abroad Pay for your groceries and travel with your Scene+ points |
For $130 per year, the Odyssée World Elite Mastercard Card earns rewards according to the following structure:
The Odyssée World Elite Mastercard Card has excellent travel insurance, including trip cancellation. However, it requires that the entire trip be paid with the card to benefit from it. Other credit cards are less demanding and offer additional travel perks:
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is an excellent card that is promoted with a welcome offer a few times a year:
The Odyssée Visa Infinite Privilege Card is the best credit card at Desjardins.
It has an interest rate of 11.9% and provides 12 free lounge accesses per year to the Desjardins Odyssée Lounge. This card offers a full suite of travel insurance as well as several privileges.
However, it is one of the cards that is hit hardest by the Desjardins changes, with a decrease from 1.75% to 1.5% in the « Other » category, as well as the introduction of a $95 annual fee for each additional card.
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is an excellent card that is promoted with a welcome offer a few times a year:
The main earning categories of Desjardins credit cards cover spending on groceries, restaurants, entertainment, and alternative transportation. One of their major strengths is that they also include excellent travel insurance.
Their only drawback is that they do not offer welcome offers. This is truly unfortunate. An equivalent card with a bonus points welcome offer increases in value more quickly than a Desjardins credit card.
But whatever you choose, do not forget to always pay your balance in full! Otherwise, the savings from your cash back, points, or BONUSDOLLARS will disappear.
One Desjardins BONUSDOLLAR is worth $1 in value when redeemed for a statement credit, gift cards or catalogue items. Its real value, however, depends on your card’s earn rate (for example the Odyssée cards or the Desjardins Mastercard World Elite), which was lowered in the recent changes. To compare this return with other programs, see our top cash back card ranking in Canada.
Desjardins offers eight credit cards, depending on each person’s needs.
Desjardins caisses offer 3 Mastercard credit cards and 5 Visa credit cards. You can compare them easily via this link to the Protégez-Vous credit card comparison tool.
You have received your new Desjardins credit card in the mail! Congratulations! It will generally be received about 2 weeks after your application is approved.
Before activating the card, take the time to read all the information that comes with it. This may include terms of use, security tips, and other important details.
Call the activation number: You will usually find a phone number dedicated to activation in the cover letter or on the sticker on the card. Dial that number. For any other questions, contact Customer Service at 514 397-1580 or 1 888 389-7823.
Once you are on the line with the activation service, follow the voice instructions. You will probably need to provide personal information to confirm your identity, such as your card number, date of birth, or Social Insurance Number.
Choose a PIN (Personal Identification Number): After confirming your information, you may be prompted to choose a PIN for your card, if you have not already done so. Be sure to choose a memorable and secure PIN.
Once all steps are successfully completed, the system will confirm that your Desjardins credit card is activated and ready to use.
Then, a response will be provided, and the credit limit will or will not be granted to the card account.
If you have any questions, call Customer Service at 1-800-224-7737 (1-800-CAISSES).
Simply call Customer Service at 1-800-224-7737 (1-800-CAISSES).
You will have two choices:
If you have any questions, call Customer Service at 1-800-224-7737 (1-800-CAISSES).
Simply call Customer Service at 1-800-224-7737 (1-800-CAISSES).
The insurance policy is available at this link. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Customer Service at 1-800-465-7822.
Yes, all Desjardins credit cards charge a 2.5% fee on foreign currency transactions.
To see the few credit cards in Canada that do not charge this, read our article on the best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.
To enter the Desjardins Odyssée Lounge, it costs about $42 plus taxes for an adult and $26 for a child aged 3 to 11.
With the Odyssée Gold Visa card, there is a 50% discount on the cost of admission.
The Odyssée World Elite Mastercard card provides 8 free lounge accesses per year. Whereas the Odyssée Visa Infinite Privilege card provides 12 free lounge accesses per year to the Desjardins Odyssée Lounge.
Once you have used up these free lounge accesses, a 50% discount is offered on the regular admission rate.
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