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.
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 · First-year net value ≈ $714 · Amex Membership Rewards
The benchmark premium travel card in Canada. Exceptional first-year value and best-in-class lounge access, but only for people whose travel patterns genuinely absorb the perks.
Best for: Frequent travellers who will actually use lounges, the travel credit, and hotel status several times a year.
Skip if: You travel less than 3-4 times a year — the math simply doesn't clear the fee.
$799 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $2,400 · Amex Membership Rewards
The best widely-accepted cash-back card for grocery-and-gas-heavy households. Visa acceptance is its trump card over the Amex SimplyCash Preferred.
Best for: Households with heavy grocery and gas bills who want top cash rates on a Visa accepted everywhere.
Skip if: Your spending is spread across categories — a 2% flat card beats the blended rate.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $560 · Cash back
The strongest all-around cash-back Mastercard in Canada by blended rate. The fee pays for itself quickly for grocery-heavy households.
Best for: Households with heavy grocery and recurring-bill spend who want the strongest blended cash-back rate available on a Mastercard.
Skip if: Your spend doesn't clear $12,000/year in groceries — the no-fee CashBack Mastercard captures most of the value for free.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $560 · Cash back
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.
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 · First-year net value ≈ $880 · Aeroplan
A dependable flexible-points program with sneaky-good chart redemptions. Strongest inside the RBC ecosystem; middling as a pure earner.
Best for: RBC clients who take short-haul North American flights and will use the redemption chart.
Skip if: You want maximum earn per dollar — Amex MR cards accumulate faster.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $1,000 · RBC Avion
Canada's best all-round no-FX card. The 2.5% FX saving plus lounge visits deliver real, unglamorous value even though the points ceiling is low.
Best for: Canadians who spend abroad regularly and want lounge visits plus simple redemptions on one Visa.
Skip if: You maximize point value through transfers — Scene+ can't play that game.
$150 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $850 · Scene+
The most premium Scene+ product to date: a real travel credit and lounge access stacked on Scotiabank's no-FX simplicity, but the $599 fee needs disciplined use of the credit and lounge visits to clear.
Best for: Frequent travellers who want Scotiabank's simplest no-FX premium card, with a travel credit and lounge access that offset the higher fee.
Skip if: The standard Passport Visa Infinite's $150 fee already covers your travel frequency — the Privilege tier's extra perks need heavier usage to break even.
$599 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $550 · Scene+
The most flexible free cash-back card in Canada: you build your own earn categories. Modest ongoing value, but there's no fee to justify.
Best for: No-fee shoppers who want to pick their own 2% categories and never think about a renewal fee.
Skip if: Your spend doesn't concentrate in 2-3 categories — a flat-rate card like the Rogers World Elite beats it on unchosen spend.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $340 · Cash back
A notable first for Tangerine: its first paid card, and the first non-Scotiabank-branded way into Scene+. Solid if lounge access and Scene+ redemptions matter to you; the no-fee Money-Back Card still wins on pure simplicity.
Best for: Tangerine banking clients who want Scene+ points and lounge access without opening an account at Scotiabank directly.
Skip if: You're loyal to Tangerine specifically for its no-fee lineup — the Money-Back Card remains the free option.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $380 · Scene+
Frequently asked questions
What is the best credit cards in canada?
Amex Cobalt Card leads this ranking with a Standard Score of 8.3/10. Amex Platinum Card (Canada) 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?
Cards are ranked by the Standard Score — a weighted average of first-year value, ongoing value, redemption flexibility, perk usability, low friction, and strategic fit. The same fixed, published weights apply to every card on this site; see our methodology for the full breakdown.
Does compensation affect this order?
No. Scores are set before any monetization decision, and referral relationships (where they exist) are disclosed separately. A card that pays us nothing can outrank one that does.