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 ≈ $699 · Amex Membership Rewards · 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.
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 · First-year net value ≈ $1,040 · Amex Membership Rewards · See offer
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 ≈ $840 · RBC Avion · 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.
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 · First-year net value ≈ $481 · RBC Avion · See offer
A quietly strong everyday earner with the market's broadest 5x list. The birthday bonus rewards loyalty in a way few cards do.
Best for: High utility/subscription spenders — the 5x category list covers bills most cards ignore.
Skip if: You want a premium program or big welcome bonus; this card wins on earn, not on splash.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $400 · MBNA Rewards · See offer
A perk-forward card in an average points program. The lounge visits and NEXUS rebate carry the value; the points are the supporting act.
Best for: CIBC clients who want travel perks — lounge visits and NEXUS rebates — bundled into a mainstream card.
Skip if: You're optimizing point value; Aventura sits a tier below the majors.
$139 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $478 · CIBC Aventura · See offer
Strong perks and the best travel medical coverage at this fee level, wrapped around a below-average points currency. Buy it for the benefits, not the points.
Best for: Travellers who value the insurance package and lounge visits over point-value optimization.
Skip if: You compare points per dollar in real cents — BMO Rewards' low point value undercuts the big multipliers.
$150 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $720 · BMO Rewards · See offer
Good multipliers on a weak currency. Fine as a BMO client's everyday card; rarely the cross-market winner.
Best for: Everyday spenders in the BMO ecosystem who want high multipliers on a Visa without a premium fee.
Skip if: You compare real cents per dollar — 5x at 0.67¢ is ~3.35%, which strong cash-back cards approach with none of the portal friction.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $590 · BMO Rewards · See offer
A genuinely strong top-tier card for Desjardins members, let down for everyone else by the fixed-value points ceiling and steep non-member fee.
Best for: Desjardins members who spend heavily on dining, groceries, and travel and want the richest Odyssey tier's lounge access and concierge perks.
Skip if: You're not a Desjardins member — the $395 non-member fee is hard to justify against Amex Platinum or Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege.
$395 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $450 · Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS · See offer
A large headline bonus attached to a program that's barely a month old at time of review. Promising on paper, but treat the redemption value as unproven until Blue Rewards has a track record.
Best for: Shoppers at Blue Rewards partner merchants who want a large points bonus and don't mind an unproven, brand-new loyalty program.
Skip if: You want a mature, well-understood points program — Aeroplan or Amex MR cards have a longer redemption track record.
$150 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $700 · BMO Blue Rewards · See offer
A capable, broad-earning World Elite card that rewards everyday spend well. The points currency is the limiting factor, not the earn rate.
Best for: National Bank clients who want broad 5x categories — and, if they fly internationally out of Montréal, genuinely useful lounge access.
Skip if: You want transferable points — Amex MR or Aeroplan cards offer more redemption upside for a similar fee.
$150 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $150 · National Bank Rewards · See offer
The lounge access is real but capped at six visits a year, and Aventura's redemption ceiling doesn't improve much between tiers. Pay for this one only if you'll actually use the lounges often.
Best for: CIBC clients who travel often enough to use six lounge visits a year and want to stay inside the Aventura program.
Skip if: The standard Aventura Visa Infinite's four lounge visits already cover your travel frequency — save the $360 fee difference.
$499 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $517 · CIBC Aventura · See offer
A first-year-value play: the bonus plus fee waiver is genuinely large, but the ongoing program is portal-locked and mediocre.
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 · First-year net value ≈ $730 · TD Rewards · See offer
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+ · See offer
A sensible starter card into a real points program, not a toy loyalty card. Graduate to the Avion Visa Infinite once your credit profile allows it.
Best for: Younger or newer-to-credit applicants who want an entry point into the Avion points ecosystem for a low fee.
Skip if: You already qualify for the standard Avion Visa Infinite — its bigger bonus and higher earn rate outperform this entry tier.
$48 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $396 · RBC Avion · See offer
A capable mid-tier TD Rewards travel card with excellent everyday accelerators. The missing emergency medical coverage is the notable gap for a card called 'Travel'.
Best for: Travellers who want strong grocery/dining/transit earn and a first-year-free mid-tier card, and who'll book travel through Expedia For TD.
Skip if: You need travel medical coverage built in, or you want transferable points with higher redemption value.
$89 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $330 · TD Rewards · See offer
The cleanest free on-ramp to RBC Avion. Upgrade to the ION+ once your spend justifies the fee.
Best for: Anyone who wants to start earning transferable Avion points with zero annual fee.
Skip if: You spend enough to justify the ION+'s $48 fee — its higher earn rate and added perks pay for themselves quickly.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $260 · RBC Avion · See offer
A reasonably priced World Elite card for Desjardins members based in or flying through Quebec. The points ceiling and single-airport lounge limit its appeal outside that footprint.
Best for: Desjardins members who fly through Montreal-Trudeau and want World Elite travel insurance at a modest fee.
Skip if: You're not a Desjardins member, or you don't transit YUL — the lounge access has no value elsewhere.
$130 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $260 · Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS · See offer
Not a serious earner on its own, but a legitimate zero-cost way to start accumulating transferable MR points, especially for applicants who don't yet qualify for the paid Amex cards.
Best for: Anyone who wants a free foot in the door to Amex Membership Rewards — including eventual Aeroplan transfers — without any income bar or fee.
Skip if: You already qualify for the Cobalt or Gold Rewards — those cards earn dramatically more MR points for a modest monthly or annual cost.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $260 · Amex Membership Rewards · See offer
A strong no-fee Scene+ grocery card for Empire-banner shoppers. The 3x grocery rate is genuinely good; Amex acceptance is the only real friction.
Best for: Shoppers at Sobeys-family grocers who want a no-fee Scene+ earner and can work around Amex acceptance.
Skip if: Your grocery store doesn't take Amex, or you want travel insurance built in.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $180 · Scene+ · See offer
A solid no-fee TD Rewards earner. The 3x grocery/dining/transit rate is genuinely good; just redeem through Expedia For TD to get full value.
Best for: Anyone who wants a no-fee everyday points card with strong grocery, dining, and transit earn and no income requirement.
Skip if: You want maximum point value or transferable rewards — TD Rewards redeem best only through Expedia For TD.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $200 · TD Rewards · See offer
A capable no-fee everyday earner with an unusually broad 2x list and a birthday bonus. Redeem for travel to get the most from the points.
Best for: Anyone who wants a no-fee points card with broad 2x categories and doesn't mind ~0.5¢ cash redemptions.
Skip if: You want higher redemption value or uncapped categories — a flat cash-back card may net more.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $120 · MBNA Rewards · See offer
A fine no-cost way to dabble in Aventura points. Serious travellers should graduate to the Visa Infinite.
Best for: Occasional travellers who want free, flexible travel points without an annual fee.
Skip if: You spend enough to clear the Aventura Visa Infinite's fee — its bonus categories and insurance pay for themselves.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $190 · CIBC Aventura · See offer
The weakest rung of the Odyssey ladder: no welcome offer, no confirmed fee waiver, capped 2% categories, and a 0.65% base rate. The gap to the World Elite Mastercard is small enough that most members should skip straight there.
Best for: Desjardins members whose spend concentrates in the 2% categories and stays under the annual caps.
Skip if: Much of your spend falls outside those categories — 0.65% on everything else is weak, and the World Elite Mastercard adds lounge passes and higher rates for $20 more.
$110 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $70 · Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS · See offer
Rewards math assumes you pay your balance in full every month — interest charges quickly exceed any rewards value.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best rewards credit cards in canada?
Amex Cobalt Card leads this ranking with a Standard Score of 7.7/10. Amex Gold Rewards Card 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 — six weighted components applied identically to every card in this category. Cards with the same published one-decimal score are co-ranked. The full weights, grading scale, and principles are published in our methodology.
What makes a card a "flexible" rewards card instead of just a points card?
Flexibility means the points transfer to multiple airline or hotel partners at your choice, rather than being locked to one loyalty program. That optionality is what lets an informed redemption beat a fixed-rate card — but it also means the value you get depends entirely on how well you redeem, not just how many points you earn.
How many points programs should I realistically juggle?
For most people, one flexible currency plus a no-fee cash-back card as a fallback covers almost every situation. Spreading earn across three or four programs usually just delays the day any one balance is large enough to book something meaningful.