In my opinion, these credit cards are the perfect combo for my wallet in 2023.
To earn 5 points per dollar on grocery, convenience store, food delivery as well as dining purchases.
To earn 5 points per dollar for many businesses like Amazon or the SAQ thanks to gift cards
To earn 5 points in these spending categories abroad (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.)
To earn 2 points per dollar (including abroad) at the grocery store
For Snowbirds shopping at Costco in the U.S. (Visa only)
No FX-Fee
Six complimentary airport lounge visits per year
To earn 5 points per dollar for my Marriott expenses
For its Annual Free Night Award (35,000 points value)
For 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year for my Marriott Bonvoy Elite status
For Canada’s best credit cards insurance: up to 60 days for international travel, up to 3 years of warranty for purchases.
For an annual travel credit of up to $150
To earn 5 points per dollar at grocery stores and restaurants that don’t accept American Express.
To get my first free checked bag with Air Canada (as well as my spouse’s and children’s)
For benefits with Air Canada and the Aeroplan flight rewards Preferred Pricing
For insurance on flight rewards booked with Aeroplan points
For free access to VIP airport lounges with my family.
To get Hilton Honors Gold Elite status (complimentary breakfasts).
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.
Alternatively, transfer them to Aeroplan points, Avios (British Airways/Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy, or 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:
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.
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is the best Mastercard credit card on NBC.
With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:
And since it’s a 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:
What’s more, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.
Finally, Milesopedia voted National Bank World Elite Mastercard the Best Credit Card for Travel and the Best Credit Card for Insurance in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively.
With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, you’ll receive up to 40,000 Scene+ points in welcome bonus (a $400 value):
Then, each year, if you make at least $40,000 in purchases on the card, you’ll earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 points, a value of $100.
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, and 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 purchases, in the following categories:
The Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport is an excellent Visa credit card for this type of purchase.
These points can be used against any travel purchase at the rate of1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb). You can also redeem your points for cash back at Scene+, for example, at your local grocery store checkout at the same rate of 1,000 points = $10.
The Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport also offers :
We voted this credit card the Best No FX Fee Credit Card of 2024 and 2025.
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 you keep, because each year at renewal, you’ll get an annual one-night free certificate worth 35,000 points, plus 15 Elite nights per year, counting towards your Marriott Bonvoy 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.
Last but not least, this Card comes with a wide range of insurances : baggage delay, baggage loss or theft, $500,000 travel accident, flight delay, hotel/motel burglary, rental car theft and damage, Purchase Security, Purchase Protection.
With this offer for TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you can earn up to 40,000 Aeroplan points† and no annual fee for the first year:
It’s the best TD credit card for occasional Air Canada travellers. With the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 1.5 points† per dollar of eligible purchases for:
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:
With this Card, you get:
You can use your Membership Rewards points in many ways:
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 :
With this card, you also have advantages for your travels:
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.
Of course, I have other credit cards in my wallet, as and when the welcome offers come along – including those offered in the first year – or the benefits are relevant!
But the six credit cards listed in this article are the ones I keep, and they fit my lifestyle perfectly! What are your favourite credit cards right now?
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