Rewards Canada is known for starting the top credit card ranking trend in Canada when we launched our first Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings in 2009. Since that time we continued with annual travel card rankings and added in cash back rankings. Now we have one more ranking - the best cards in Canada for different types of categories. Unlike our other rankings where we list first to fifth place, this feature only displays the top card for each type of credit card category.
From best overall to best low interest to best hotel card and many others in between, you'll find the best of each here. With nearly 20 years of research, experience in the loyalty and credit card space you can count on Rewards Canada to give you the most un-biased straight forward rankings. Unlike other websites and blogs we don't just cover cards we earn commissions on - we take them all into account as we have done since our inception in 2001. Do some cards earn us a commission? Yes! Do all of them? No. They all get equal consideration.
Also be sure to check out our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card Rankings and Top Cash Back Credit Card Rankings
Quick jump to each of the categories on this page:
The best overall card in Canada is the American Express Cobalt Card and it has been since it was launched late in 2017. Since that time it has ranked as our number one overall travel rewards card and it is the second best cash back card in Canada. That's why we rank it the best overall card in Canada. It broke records when it was launched in 2017 by offering 5x points on eats and drinks - no other card had done that before. And by eats and drinks this means restaurants, fast food, grocery stores, convenience stores, bars and yes, food and grocery delivery services. Next the card earns 3x points on popular streaming services, 2x points on gas and transit (including ride sharing) while all other spending earns 1 point per dollar. With travel and cash back redemptions on the Cobalt Card starting at a value of 1 cent per point that means this card gives you a minimum 1%, 2%, 3% and 5% return on your spending but it can actually go higher than that with some of the card's other redemption options. We recommend reading our review of the card here to learn about those redemption options.
Also check out our Rewards Canada Clash - Clash of the Reward Charts! American Express vs. RBC and see how the Cobalt Card destroys the RBC Avion card.
Provides the utmost in rewards flexibility with a trio of travel redemption options and redeem for any purchase made on the card (ie cash back)
Earns 5x Points per dollar on Eats & Drinks in Canada - including food delivery services like Skip the Dishes and Instacart
Hint: Use Instacart to bypass Costco, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore,
and other Loblaw family of stores non-acceptance of American Express. Check out our Cobal Card Confirmed Multiplier Locations to see where you can earn more points around the world!
Provides a 1% to 10% or higher rate of return when redeeming for travel
Provides a 1% to 5% rate of return when redeeming for any purchase on the card outside of travel (your cash back option)
Redeem your points at anytime for virtually any purchase starting at only 1,000 points (or as little as $200 in spending)
Convert points to Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France KLM, British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy and others
Top Overall Travel Rewards Card 2025 | Top Hybrid Travel Rewards Card 2025 | #3 Best Cash Back Card in Canada
In your first year as a new Cobalt Cardmember, you can earn 1,250 Membership Rewards® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in net purchases on your Card. This could add up to 15,000 points in a year. That’s up to $150 towards a weekend getaway or concert tickets
Monthly Fee $12.99/month of Cardmembership ($155.88 annually) | Additional Cards: $0 | Annual interest rate 21.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances
One of Canada's oldest, largest and best known loyalty programs has a lot of credit cards partnered with it. The question is which one is the best Air Canada Aeroplan card at this point in time. Right now that's the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card thanks to its sign up bonus and first year annual fee rebates. Add in the benefits for flying with Air Canada and the Preferred Pricing for Aeroplan flight redemptions and this is why this card is the mainstay Aeroplan card in Canada
The welcome bonus of up to 40,000 Aeroplan Points + first year free
Aeroplan Miles are very valuable when redeeming for business class and first class flights
A strong earn rate is offered on this card of 1 to 1.5 Aeroplan Miles per dollar spent
Extra benefits like preferred pricing on Aeroplan award flights, first checked bag free on Air Canada flights & more!
The program is becoming a big contender for booking hotels with points too!
Top Airline Credit Card for 2025
Earn up to $1,300 in value† including up to 40,000 Aeroplan points† and no Annual Fee for the first year†.
Conditions Apply. Offer effective as of January 7, 2025.
Annual Fee $139 | Additional Cards: $75 † | Annual interest rate 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on funds advances | $60,000 personal or $100,000 household annual income
Earn up to $1,300 in value†, including up to 40,000 Aeroplan points†, no Annual Fee for the first year† and additional travel benefits. Offer effective as of January 7, 2025.
Earning Aeroplan Points
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here.
† Terms and Conditions apply.
Sponsored advertising. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any TD product, please click the Apply Now button.
With the HSBC World Elite Mastercard no longer open to new applications, this category now goes to the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. This the card to have for making purchases in other currencies as you'll save on average 2.5% over most cards in Canada. On top of this it is a Points Earning Machine with earn rates that give you 1% to 6% back on your spending when you redeem for any travel (yes any travel with any travel provider) Or you can choose to redeem points for groceries at Empire stores (Safeway, Sobeys, Freshco, IGA & more), Cineplex purchases and even at Home Hardware with the same value as the travel redemptions so you don't have worry about which redemption provides the best return! (And right now due to technical issues this card's multipliers are working outside of Canada at select merchants!)
The welcome bonus of 40,000 Scene+ Points provides great value
Earns 6x points at Empire grocery stores, 5x points for other grocery stores, dining plus 3x points on gas and transit
No Foreign Transaction fees
Redeem points for any travel you book on the card. No restrictions of booking via a credit card's travel agency!
Redeem points for groceries, dining, movies and more at the same value as the travel redemptions
2025 Top Travel Points Credit Card with an annual fee
Earn up to $780* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points¹. Offer ends Jul 1, 2025
Annual Fee: $120 | Additional Cards: $29 | Minimum Income $12,000
*See Card Provider's website and Card Application for complete card details, terms and current offers. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy of information
Another major category to pay attention to in our current market situation is if you are needing to run a balance on your credit card(s). If you are and that card is a reward card with high interest rates you may need to look at a lower interest card. This is especially the case if you feel like it will take you more than two or three months to pay off that balance. In these cases the best low interest card in our market is the MBNA True Line Mastercard. It has a great low interest rate of 12.99% on purchases, which is 6 to 9% lower than most cards.
Interest rates of 12.99% on purchases and 17.99% balance transfers
No annual fee
You could get a 0% promotional annual interest rate (“AIR”)† for 12 months on balance transfers✪ completed within 90 days of account opening, with a 3% transfer fee.
$0 annual fee | $0 Additional Card | Standard Annual Interest Rates of 12.99% on eligible purchases, 17.99% on balance transfers✪, and 24.99% on cash advances|
If you are new to Canada or looking to start building (or rebuilding credit) one of your best options is to get a secured credit card. And the best option out there is the Neo Secured Credit card. This card is exact copy of their popular Neo Credit card which offers great cash back rewards and more. You get all that with the Neo Secured Credit card and you can choose how much money you want to secure the card with. It can be as little $50 or any amount above that and that becomes your card's credit limit.
It receives all the same rewards and benefits as the standard Neo Card!
$25 cash back bonus when you are approved for the card
No annual fee
Limited time offer: $25 welcome bonus2 when you apply and are approved for a Neo Secured Credit card
$5 monthly fee
2 Limited-time offer. Only new Neo Secured Credit customers are eligible for this offer. This offer is only awarded if a new customer is approved for a Neo Secured Credit. Customer has 90 days to complete the card application process. Offer is subject to the Rewards Policy, the Neo Platform Terms and Conditions and all other applicable terms and conditions. Offer may be amended or cancelled at any time without notice
3 Average based on current offers at select partners. Cashback varies per plan, offer and partner
4 Conditions apply.
The overall best cash back card in Canada is the SimplyCash® Preferred Card from American Express. This card has some of the best overall cash back earn rates thanks to a base earn rate of 2% and then 4% cash back on grocery store and gas station purchases. Sure other cards may even go as high as 5% cash back in select categories but this card's 2% base earn is pretty much double that of all those competitors and that makes a big difference in your cash back earning.
Earn a bonus 10% cash back on all purchases for your first 3 months (up to $2,000 in purchases) on top of your regular cash back earn rates. Plus, earn a $50 statement credit when you make a purchase in month 13. This could add up to $250 in bonus value in your first 13 months.
4% cash back on grocery purchases (up to $1,200 cash back annually for this category), unlimited 4% cash back on gas purchases
2% cash back on all other purchases
Strong insurance coverage, access to Amex Offers (Statement credits/discounts) and Amex ExperiencesTM
The best Cash Back Rewards Credit Card in Canada for 2025
Earn accelerated earn rates on eligible gas and grocery purchases
Earn a bonus 10% cash back on all purchases for your first 3 months (up to $2,000 in purchases). Plus, earn a $50 statement credit when you make a purchase in month 13. This could add up to $250 in bonus value in your first 13 months.
Monthly Fee: $9.99 ($119.88 annually) | Additional Card Fee: $0 | Annual interest rate 21.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances; Missed payment applicable rates, 25.99% - 28.99%
The Canadian credit card market has no shortage of no annual fee cards and most provide a very similar level of rewards and benefits. Out of them all we think the best card is the American Express Green Card. It provides the same type of flexibliity as its older sibling, the American Express Cobalt Card in that you can redeem for any travel, redeem for cash back and even convert the points to Aeroplan, British Airways, Marriott Bonvoy and other programs. In fact it is also the best no annual fee card for earning Aeroplan points!
Recommended reading: Clash of the Credit Cards! American Express® Green Card vs. CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card
Provides the utmost in rewards flexibility with a trio of travel redemption options and redeem for any purchase made on the card (ie cash back)
Earns 1 point per dollar on all spending. That's no less than a 1% return and goes higher depending on how you redeem the points
The welcome bonus of 10,000 points is worth no less than $100
Convert points to Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy and others
2025 Top No Fee Travel Rewards Credit Card
Get the Card that lets you live in the moment while getting ready for the future. The American Express® Green Card lets you go for it with every swipe or tap of your Card
As a new American Express® Green Cardmember, you can earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards® points when you charge $1,000 in purchases to your Card in the first 3 months of Cardmembership. That’s $100 towards groceries or concert tickets
Annual Fee: $0 | Additional Card Fee: $0 | Annual interest rate 21.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances; Missed payment applicable rates, 25.99% - 28.99% Variable
The topic of a best AIR MILES Card is one I don't like - I actually chastise other websites that award Best AIR MILES Card badges as it's total bunk. There are only two consumer cards offering AIR MILES, one no fee and this one. To award a best AIR MILES card is not necessary but in the ever competitive space of copy cat websites we have this listed so when people search on the Google for the best AIR MILES card that we actually rank in the results.
The best AIR MILES credit card in Canada is the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard. It has a good limited time welcome bonus that includes paying no annual fee in the first year. The card provides an annual discount on AIR MILES Reward flights anywhere in the world, has airport lounge access membership and offers free global Wi-Fi that even works on WestJet flights. On top of all this it has a pretty decent insurance coverage package. Overall it is the most well rounded AIR MILES card in Canada.
One of the best things about this card is the 25% discount it provides on one worldwide AIR MILES redemption annually
Complimentary membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass
Provides automatic AIR MILES Onyx Elite Status
World Elite Mastercard benefits like free global Wi-Fi from Boingo, benefits from Ritual and more
Welcome Offer: Get 2,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles! That’s enough for $210 towards your purchases with AIR MILES Cash! Plus, get the $120 annual fee waived for the first year
Annual Fee: $120 | Primary Card $50 Additional Card | Interest Rate: Purchases 20.99% Cash Advances 23.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents)
Several years ago we had upwards of six credit card choices for hotel loyalty programs but that has now dwindled down to one. Unfortunately many Canadians haven't caught on to hotel programs and the value they can provide. The best hotel credit card in Canada is the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card and it can provide huge value. Marriott Bonvoy points have a minimum redemption value of about a penny each and with this card earning no less than 2 points per dollar that translates to a 2% return - at a minimum. There are many cases where the value is much higher depending on which hotel you redeem for. Another good thing about a hotel credit card is that if there 2 or 3 or 4 of travelling you only need to earn enough points for one redemption - ie one hotel room - compare this to trying to earn enough points to redeem for 2 to 4 flights. Hotel programs, especially Marriott Bonvoy are a hidden gem in the travel world.
You earn a free night award each year on your card's anniversary date
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status and 15 night credit towards status
You can convert Marriott Bonvoy points to over 40 airline programs including Air Canada Aeroplan
The card has one of the best everday best earn rates of 2 points per dollar which we value as a 2% return at a minimum
New Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Cardmembers earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points after you charge $1,500 in purchases to your Card in your first three months of Cardmembership. Subject to change at any time
Annual Fee: $120 | Additional Card Fee: $0 | Annual interest rate 21.99% on purchases
You would think CIBC's Mastercard that is exclusively for Costco members would be the best Mastercard for Costco purchases but that's not the case! That card only earns 1% cash back at Costco where other cards can earn more. Your best bet is the recently updated BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard as it provides a 1.67% return on Costco purchases in addition to all the other opportunities at earning AIR MILES across Canada.
Recommended reading: Top 5 Mastercard Cards to use at Costco
1.67% return on spending at Costco
Complimentary membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass
Provides automatic AIR MILES Onyx Elite Status
World Elite Mastercard benefits like free global Wi-Fi from Boingo, benefits from Ritual and more
Welcome Offer: Get 2,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles! That’s enough for $210 towards your purchases with AIR MILES Cash! Plus, get the $120 annual fee waived for the first year
Annual Fee: $120 | Primary Card $50 Additional Card | Interest Rate: Purchases 20.99% Cash Advances 23.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents)
Don't be swayed by the $799 annual fee - this is a high end card with an annual fee to match. The card comes with welcome bonus of up to 80,000 points which is worth $800 or more. This isn't even taking into consideration all the other benefits that this card affords and there are a lot. An annual $200 travel credit, hotel elite status, NEXUS credit, the best lounge access of all cards in Canada and more.
Recommended reading: How to maximize the elite status benefits from The Platinum Card from American Express
Earns 3x Points per dollar on dining - including restaurants, fast food, coffee shops and more.
Redeem your points at anytime for virtually any purchase starting at only 1,000 points (or as little as $334 in spending)
Convert points directly to Air Canada Aeroplan or British Airways Executive Club on a 1:1 basis
Amazing travel benefits like an annual $200 travel credit, airport business class lounge access benefits, hotel elite status and more
2025 Top Ultra Premium Credit Card in Canada
Earn up to 140,000 Membership Rewards® points - that’s up to $1,400 towards a weekend away. Offer ends Jan 28, 2025
Annual Fee: $799 | Additional Card Fee: $250 for Platinum, $0 for Gold (First 2 Cards) then $50 each
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has replaced the American Express Business Edge Card as the best small business card as the latter has been closed to new applications. This card is perfect for small businesses who want a card that provides great travel benefits like amazing airport lounge access all without being tied to one airline. The card has a strong non-category bonus earn rate that of course is part of Membership Rewards so you get all the flexibility in travel rewards options the program providess. Like other Membership Rewards cards those points can then be used towards any travel bookings, statement credits and they can be converted to programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France KLM, British Airways Executive Club and others.
The welcome bonus of up to 150,000 points (worth $1,500+)
The best airline lounge access program out of any business card offered in Canada
Annual travel credit and other small business credits
Valuable redemption options via the Membership Rewards Select program including the ability to convert to Aeroplan
The best Small Business Travel Rewards Card in Canada for 2025
Earn up to 150,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points. Offer ends Jan 28, 2025.
Annual Fee: $799 | Additional Card Fee: $250 annually for Business Platinum Cards; $0 for Business Gold Cards | Purchase Interest: 21.99-28.99% on Flexible Payment Option limit and 30% on Due In Full balance
Earn points that you can redeem in a variety of ways.
Unlock spending power and payment flexibility with a full suite of business management tools that give you more control over your business - anytime and anywhere
Enjoy exclusive benefits for you and your business.
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment
There you have it! The best cards to get in various categories in Canada! Be sure to book mark this page as we will be adding more categories and as new cards or offers come along the best cards in each category may change!
This feature was first posted on April 14, 2020 and is updated on a regular basis.