Scotiabank Gold American Express® CardScotiabank Gold American Express® Card•Earn up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points + no annual fee in your first year†
FR
FR
FRBest offers

Top 3 – Best Credit Cards with No Annual Fees - August 2026

Share

The best no annual fee credit card in Canada depends on your spending. For cash back, the CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card earns up to 2% on groceries with no annual fee. For flexible categories, the Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard®* pays 2% in the categories you choose. To build your credit simply, the RBC ION Visa Card earns points with no fee. Compare the best no annual fee credit cards in Canada below.

Here are our 3 best no annual fee credit card offers:

Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
RBC ION Visa Card
Apply Now
Annual fee$0Welcome offer
Up to 14,000 pointsEnds Nov 4, 2026
Apply Now
CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card
Apply Now
Annual fee$0Welcome offer
Up to $100
Apply Now
Tangerine® Money-Back World Mastercard®*
Apply Now
Annual fee$0Welcome offer
Up to $100Ends Sep 30, 2026
Apply Now

Tangerine® Money-Back World Mastercard®*

TangerineCash Back
Annual fee
$0
Our valuation
$100
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$100Total$100Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to $100
Ends Sep 30, 2026
Apply Now

on Tangerine's website

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+.
Legal

*Conditions apply.

† Bank Offer: This offer is provided by Tangerine Bank and is subject to their terms and conditions.

† Bank Offer: This offer is provided by Tangerine Bank and is subject to their terms and conditions.

Annual fee

Primary card$0
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$50,000
Household$80,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xGas & EV
  • 0.5xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$415
2nd Year Value$246

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceIncluded
Auto Rental CollisionIncluded

RBC ION Visa Card

RBCRBC Avion Rewards - Premium
Annual fee
$0
Our valuation
$210
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$210Total$210Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 14,000 points
Ends Nov 4, 2026
Apply Now

on RBC's website

With the RBC ION Visa card, earn up to 14,000 Avion points^, a value of up to $100 in gift cards†.

This RBC credit card with no annual fee lets you earn 1.5X Avion points per dollar in the following categories1:

  • Groceries
  • Transit, gas, and electric vehicle charging
  • Streaming, digital games, and subscriptions

You also earn 1 Avion point per dollar on all other eligible purchases1.

Plus, save 3¢ per litre on fuel at Petro-Canada and earn 20% more Petro-Points and Avion points when you pay with an eligible linked RBC card4.

Legal

Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions

^ This offer is only available for new RBC ION Visa credit card applications received between June 16 and November 4, 2026 (“Offer Period”) and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”), subject to the conditions below. Co-applicants (co-applicant and authorized user[s]) on an RBC ION Visa credit card account, as well as existing RBC Royal Bank personal credit cardholders who switch to an RBC ION Visa credit card during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.

7,000 Avion points (“Welcome Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty (60) days after your application has been approved, provided that your RBC ION Visa credit card account (“Credit Card Account”) remains open and in good standing at the time the Welcome Points are credited to your account, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive credit card account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status.

An additional 7,000 Avion points (“Additional Points”) will be awarded to you if a total of at least $500 (the “eligible transaction amount”) in eligible net purchases or eligible pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“eligible transactions”) is charged to your RBC ION Visa credit card account within the first three months from your credit card account opening date (the “Period”), provided your account is open and in good standing at the time the Additional Points are credited to your credit card account. The Additional Points will be credited approximately 60 days after you have reached the eligible transaction amount. Eligible transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions, and bill payments that are not pre-authorized payments set up with a merchant), interest, and other fees. Credits for returns or adjustments that reduce the amount of eligible transactions below the $500 threshold will result in the cancellation of your Additional Points.

The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

If you close your eligible credit card or switch to another type of RBC ION Visa credit card before the Welcome Points or Additional Points have been credited to your account, you may no longer be eligible for this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank reserves the right to cancel, modify, or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even if your application has already been approved, including if we have reason to believe that you are manipulating or abusing the process, or engaging in suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by Royal Bank in its sole discretion. For full terms and conditions applicable to the Avion Rewards program, visit www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800-769-2512.

† To obtain gift cards or gift certificates with a value of $100, you need 14,000 Avion points. A minimum of 1,400 Avion points must be redeemed for most $10 gift cards or gift certificates. Some exceptions apply. Point redemption values may vary. For full terms and conditions and restrictions applicable to the redemption of Avion Rewards points, as well as current point redemption values, visit https://www.avionrewards.com/terms or call 1-800-769-2512.

Annual fee

Primary card$0
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 1.5xGas & EV
  • 1.5xStreaming
  • 1.5xGroceries
  • 1.5xTransit
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$773
2nd Year Value$200

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years

CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card

CIBCCash Back
Annual fee
$0
Our valuation
$100
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$100Total$100Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to $100
Apply Now

on CIBC's website

The CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card is one of the best no-fee cash-back Visa credit cards in Canada.

Get 5% cash back on net purchases for the first 4 statements, on up to $2,000 in purchases (up to $100 cash back)†.

Plus, get :

  • 2% cash back on eligible grocery purchases†
  • 1% cash back on eligible gas, electric vehicle charging, transportation, and dining purchases and on eligible recurring payments†
  • 0.5% cash back on all other purchases†

This no-annual-fee CIBC credit card offers certain insurance coverages:

  • Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance
Legal

This is a digital-exclusive offer.† To be eligible for this offer: 1) this offer must have been directly communicated to you from CIBC or from a partner/affiliate; and 2) you must apply for the eligible card through the link provided in the CIBC or partner/affiliate communication to you. † This offer is reserved for you. Please do not forward it to anyone else.

This offer is reserved for you. Please do not forward it to anyone else. CIBC may approve your application, but you are not eligible to receive this Offer if you have opened, transferred or cancelled another Dividend card within the last 12 months.†

† Terms and conditions apply. Click on Apply Now to learn more.

Annual fee

Primary card$0
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$15,000
Household$15,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 1xGas & EV
  • 1xRestaurants
  • 1xTransit
  • 1xBills & recurring payments
  • 0.5xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$436
2nd Year Value$238

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years

Frequently Asked Questions: no annual fee credit cards

Here are frequently asked questions in the Milesopedia community about no annual fee credit cards in Canada.

What is the best no annual fee credit card in Canada?

The best no annual fee credit card depends on your spending habits. For cash back, the CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card earns up to 2% on groceries. For flexible categories, the Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard®* pays 2% in the categories you choose. You can also check our best no-fee credit cards page to compare every option.

Is a no annual fee credit card worth it?

Yes, a no annual fee credit card is still worthwhile. Since it costs nothing to hold, you can keep it year after year to improve your credit history. In addition, many of these cards earn cash back or points, so they reward your everyday purchases without any membership fee.

Can you earn points with a no annual fee card?

Yes, several no annual fee credit cards let you earn points or cash back. For example, the RBC ION Visa Card earns RBC Rewards points on your purchases. The CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card instead gives you cash back that applies directly to your balance.

Which no annual fee card has the best cash back?

The CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card ranks among the best no annual fee cash back credit cards. You earn up to 2% on groceries and 1% on eligible gas, transit and dining. The Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard®* is a strong alternative thanks to its customizable categories.

Is there a minimum income for a no annual fee card?

It depends on the card. Many no annual fee credit cards do not require a high minimum income. However, World Elite Mastercard versions, such as the upgraded Tangerine Money-Back card, ask for a personal income of $60,000 or a household income of $80,000.

How many no-fee cards should I hold?

There is no single ideal number. Since these cards cost nothing, you can hold several to cover different spending categories. Just keep your accounts active and pay your balances in full each month to maintain a healthy credit score.

Does a no annual fee card include insurance?

Some no annual fee credit cards offer basic protections, such as purchase assurance and extended warranty. Full travel coverage remains rare on this type of card. For broader travel insurance, see our best credit cards with insurance page instead.

How do I apply for a no annual fee credit card?

You can apply online in a few minutes. Click the Apply button shown next to each credit card on this page. To compare more options before you choose, visit our best credit cards page in Canada.