The Best Visa Credit Cards December 2022
First posted on April 28, 2022
In the market for a Canadian Visa Card? Overwhelmed with so many choices? Here we make it easy and pick six Visa Cards from the dozens available that are best across several categories.
Quick jump to each of the categories on this page:
One of Canada's oldest, largest and best known loyalty programs, Air Canada's Aeroplan has a lot of credit cards partnered with it however the primary card out of them all is the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card. This card also happens to be the best overall Visa card in Canada thanks to a great welcome bonus, strong points earning, the potential to get outsized value from those points and a slew of travel and insurance benefits. With the ability to redeem points to almost any destination worldwide in Economy to Business to First Class the Aeroplan program is tough to compete with if you know how to make those most it. Add in card features like first checked bag free, Preferred Pricing for Aeroplan flight redemptions, a NEXUS credit and you can see why this is the best Visa card in Canada.
Why this card is the best Visa Card in Canada?
The welcome bonus of up to 50,000 Aeroplan Points coupled with no annual fee in the first year provides huge value of at least $750!
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!
Annual Fee $139 Limited Time Offer
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For Quebec residents, please click here. † Terms and Conditions apply. |
One of the most popular cards in Canada thanks to it being on the market for so many years is the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card! This stalwart is also the best Hybrid Visa card in Canada. What do we mean by Hybrid? Well, this is Rewards Canada's favourite type of category, and Hybrid means it provides the two most popular redemption options when it comes to travel. The first option is the any airline any time option and you get that with RBC Rewards' Avion airline award chart - you can redeem points for travel on any airline that you can book via RBC Rewards. The second option is converting points to airline frequent flyer programs and the Avion card has you covered here! You can convert points to American AAdvantage, British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and WestJet Rewards. What more could you ask for?
Why is this card the best Hybrid Visa Card?
The best ever bonus for this card is now out! You can earn up to 55,000 bonus RBC Rewards Points and the first part is the easiest welcome bonus to earn in the Canadian market - you get 35,000 points on approval - no minimum spend or timeline required. Then spend $5,000 over 6 months and get another 20,000 points.
Up to a 2.3% return on your spending depending on which reward ticket you book.
Convert your points to American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific or WestJet. Keep your eye out for transfer bonus several times per year!
 RBC Avion Visa Infinite Annual Fee: $120 Additional Card Fee: $50 Get up to 55,000 bonus points (a value of up to $1,100), that’s enough to fly anywhere in North America or the Caribbean! (Taxes and Fees extra) - You’ll get 35,000 Welcome Points on approval and 20,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in your first 6 months. Apply by January 31, 2023
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One of the most well rounded travel rewards cards in Canada, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card is the best No Foreign Transaction Fee Visa Card in Canada. What this means is they don't charge the 2 to 3% that most cards do in Canada when you make a purchase that isn't in Canadian dollars. Like to shop online from the U.S.? Travel a lot outside of Canada? This card will save you on average 2.5% on those purchases. On top of this it has a decent earn rate of 1 to 2 Scene+ points per dollar and those points can be redeemed for any travel that your purchase with any travel provider or via Scene+ Travel. On top of that the card has complimentary lounge access membership with six free lounge visit passes per year - each pass saves you US$32!
Why is this card the best No FX Fee Visa Card?
No Foreign Transaction fees will save you on average 2.5% on all purchases that are made outside of Canada whether travelling or shopping online
Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible grocery stores, dining, entertainment purchases, and daily transit purchases (including buses, subways, taxis and more).
Redeem your points for any travel that is booked through any travel provider
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access, plus 6 free lounge visits per year that are worth US$192 in total
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CIBC's Aventura line of credit cards are quite popular in Canada thanks to the popularity of the bank and relative ease of use of the CIBC Rewards program. That line up of cards also includes the CIBC Aventura® Visa* Card which is the best no annual fee travel rewards Visa card in Canada. With a relatively strong points earning structure coupled with the Aventura airline award chart for redeeming for flights, the card provides good value for a no fee card. It also has some insurance coverage and strong welcome bonus for a no fee travel card.
Why is this card the best no annual fee travel rewards Visa card?
A sign up bonus worth up to $120
An accelerated earn rate of 1 point per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores and drug stores
Redeem your points for any travel booked via CIBC Rewards
Includes Auto Rental Collision and Loss Damage Insurance, Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance $100,000 and Common Carrier Accident Insurance
• 1 Point for every $1 spent on travel purchased through the CIBC Rewards Centre† |
The best cash back Visa card in Canada is the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card. Featuring a first year annual fee rebate and 10% cash back for the first 4 statements on net purchases of up to $2500† plus a strong 4% return on groceries and gas you can turbocharge your cash back. Plus you will benefit from a high cap on earn categories ($20K), no limit to the cash back you can earn, and strong insurance benefits! On top of this you can cash out cash back rewards anytime your balance hits $25 - no need to wait for a once per year cash out like this card's biggest competitor.
Why is this card the best cash back Visa Card?
Strong 10% cash back welcome bonus where you can get up to $250 cash back
4% cash back on grocery and gas purchases
2% cash back on eligible transportation, dining purchases and recurring payments
You can redeem your cash back at anytime when your rewards balance reaches $25
CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card
Annual Fee $120 Additional Cards (Up to 3): $30
Annual interest rate 20.99%† on purchases and 22.99%† on cash advances and 22.99% † on balance transfers
$60,000 personal or $100,000 household annual income †
Welcome Offer: Get a first-year annual fee rebate for you and up to three Authorized Users† and 10% cash back for the first 4 statements on net purchases of up to $2500.†
10% cash back for the first 4 statements ($ 250 cap) & Fee Rebate†
After that, get 4% cash back on eligible gas and grocery purchases.†
• 2% cash back on eligible transportation, dining purchases and recurring payments†
• 1% cash back on all other purchases†
• Get cash back on demand - redeem your cash back at any time when you have a minimum of $25 through CIBC Online and Mobile Banking®†
Save on gas with CIBC and Journie Rewards
Link and use your CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card with Journie Rewards to automatically save up to 10 cents per litre† at participating Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron gas stations.†
• This offer is not available for residents of Quebec.
This is a digital-exclusive offer.† To be eligible for this offer, you must apply for a new eligible card using the “Learn More” link available on this webpage.†
†Conditions Apply
The best no annual fee Visa Card in Canada is the Simplii Financial™ Cash Back Visa* Card. For being a no fee card it has a great cash back rewards earn rates. You earn 4% cash back on dining purchases (up to $5,000 in purchases annually), 1.5% back on gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and pre-authorized payments (up to $15,000 in purchases annually), and 0.5% on all other purchases. The current welcome bonus is also great at 10% cash back on up to $500 in dining spend made in the first four months
Why is this card the best no fee cash back Visa card?
4% cash back on dining is one of the best earn rates for a no fee card
1.5% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and pre-authorized payments is great for a no fee card
The welcome bonus of 10% cash back on the first $500 in dining spend is an easy way to get $50 in rewards
The card also provides purchase protection and extended warranty coverage
 Simplii Financial™ Cash Back Visa* Card Card Type: Credit Card Annual Fee: $0 Additional Card Fee: $0 Annual interest rate 19.99% on purchases and 22.99% on funds advances $15,000 annual household income
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There you have it! The best Visa cards in Canada!
Feel free to explore our site for many more articles, tips and tricks for credit cards and loyalty programs in Canada!