The strongest everyday earner in Canada for food spend. If you can work around Amex acceptance, the Cobalt out-earns nearly every premium card at a fraction of the fee.
Ranking basis: $2,845.24 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: People who spend heavily on groceries, restaurants, and delivery and want maximum transferable points per dollar.
Skip if: Your main grocery stores don't take Amex, or you want a simple card with no monthly-fee bookkeeping.
$191.88 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,565.12 · Amex Membership Rewards · See offer
The Visa answer to the Aeroplan Reserve: same core perks with universal acceptance, traded against smaller peak bonuses.
Ranking basis: $2,208 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: Air Canada regulars who want premium Aeroplan perks without Amex acceptance issues.
Skip if: Your spend can't reach the bonus tiers; the mid-tier TD Aeroplan VI keeps most of the useful perks.
$599 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,104 · Aeroplan · See offer
The Visa answer to the Amex Aeroplan Reserve: unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access and the same status-credit engine, on a card accepted everywhere. Compelling for CIBC clients who fly Air Canada often, but the income gate and $25,000 spend for the full bonus keep it a narrow-audience card.
Ranking basis: $2,208 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: High-income Air Canada loyalists who want unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access on a widely accepted Visa and will clear the spend thresholds.
Skip if: You don't clear the $150K/$200K income bar or won't spend $25,000 a year; the standard CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite covers the checked-bag basics for a fraction of the fee.
$599 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,104 · Aeroplan · See offer
A balanced mid-premium card that pairs well with the Cobalt. Good value with the travel credit, but rarely the single best card on its own.
Ranking basis: $2,200 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: Travellers who want strong MR earning and real travel insurance without the Platinum's $799 commitment.
Skip if: Most of your spend is groceries and dining; the Cobalt is the better Amex.
$250 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,670 · Amex Membership Rewards · See offer
A starter card that earns like a premium one: 3x Avion points on most everyday spending for $48 a year. The Avion Visa Infinite adds a bigger bonus and travel insurance, not a better everyday earn rate.
Ranking basis: $2,138 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: Younger or newer-to-credit applicants who want an entry point into the Avion points ecosystem for a low fee.
Skip if: Most of your spending falls outside groceries, dining, gas, transit and streaming, or you want the Avion Visa Infinite's bigger bonus and travel insurance.
$48 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,181 · RBC Avion · See offer
Interchangeable with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite. Chase whichever has the better welcome offer or fee waiver this quarter.
Ranking basis: $2,105 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: CIBC clients who fly Air Canada and check bags: same case as the TD version, different bank.
Skip if: You bank elsewhere; pick the Aeroplan VI card from your own bank when offers are equal.
$139 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,122 · Aeroplan · See offer
The default Aeroplan card for most Canadians. Not a big earner, but the checked-bag benefit and redemption perks make it an easy hold for AC loyalists.
Ranking basis: $2,105 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: Air Canada flyers who check bags and redeem through Aeroplan; the checked-bag perk alone can clear the fee.
Skip if: You rarely fly Air Canada; a flexible-points card earns Aeroplan indirectly with more options.
$139 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,122 · Aeroplan · See offer
A step-up card that mostly makes sense during elevated offers or for clients who value the lounge access; otherwise the standard Infinite is the smarter Avion play.
Ranking basis: $1,882 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: RBC premium clients who want lounge access and a bigger Avion bonus inside their existing bank.
Skip if: The standard Avion Infinite captures most of the program's value at 30% of the fee.
$399 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,021 · RBC Avion · See offer
A first-year-value play: the bonus plus fee waiver is genuinely large, but the ongoing program is portal-locked and mediocre.
Ranking basis: $1,861 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: TD clients who book travel anyway and want a large, simple first-year haul without learning points programs.
Skip if: You value flexibility; TD Rewards can't transfer anywhere.
$139 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,400 · TD Rewards · See offer
The best 'simple points' earner in Canada. Pairs a huge food multiplier with no-FX: a strong one-card answer for pragmatists.
Ranking basis: $1,830 modelled value over 24 months
Best for: Food-heavy spenders who want high guaranteed earn without learning transfer partners.
Skip if: You'd rather earn transferable points; the Cobalt's MR points are worth roughly double per point.
$120 annual fee · Modelled first year ≈ $1,065 · Scene+ · See offer
Rewards math assumes you pay your balance in full every month — interest charges quickly exceed any rewards value.
Benchmark monthly spend: $722 groceries, $279 dining, $250 travel, $200 gas/transit and $800 other. Values use expected informed point valuations, structured caps, modelled welcome conditions and two annual fees where applicable; unstructured perks and benefits are excluded. Use the Card Finder for your own spending.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best credit cards in canada?
Amex Cobalt Card leads this ranking on its category-specific modelled value over 24 months of $2,845.24. TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege is the closest runner-up. See the full comparison table above for how every card in this category scores.
How is this ranking put together?
Modelled 24-month value on the monthly household benchmark printed below the table; expected informed point values; unstructured perks excluded; cards within $50 or 5% of the leader co-rank. The Standard Score remains visible as editorial context, but it does not override the category's decisive job.
What is the single best credit card in Canada?
There's no universal single winner. The best card depends on how you spend and what you value. This overall ranking surfaces the highest Standard Score across all categories, but our category rankings (travel, cash back, no-fee, and more) usually match a specific spending pattern better than one generalist pick.
How often is this ranking updated?
Every card's Standard Score updates whenever we revise its scoring inputs, fee, or offer data. Check the "Last reviewed" date on each review for exactly when that card was last verified.