The most common question I’ve been asked when folks find out that I love Miles and Points is “What is the best credit card in Canada?”
That is a loaded question that sometimes takes me a while to answer. This is because complex travel redemptions via programs like Air Canada Aeroplan or British Airways Avios can have the highest cash value for an itinerary, but learning those systems takes a while to master. Plus, not everyone wants to travel to the extent that the Frugal Flyer team does.
Therefore, today I want to give a list of amazing credit cards for everyday Canadians who may not wish to learn complex systems. There will still be some rewards, rather than just cashback cards showcased, in case you want to dip your toes into the points game.
And if you want to know the credit card every Canadian should have in their wallet, just skip straight to the end! Spoiler alert: it’s not even a travel credit card.
The Utility That Is Offered by Credit Cards
When maximizing your personal finances in Canada, not every credit card product you keep in your wallet needs to be a flashy American Express Platinum card. Not every reward you earn has to be airline miles or hotel points, as cash back is perfectly acceptable.
When you do spend your hard-earned points, not every redemption needs to be to Cathay Pacific First Class or the St. Regis Red Sea. Everything about to be recommended is designed to get you great rewards for the money you were already going to be spending.
The credit cards I’ll be talking about today all offer you unique utility. Not only do they earn rewards in the form of points or cash coming back into your pocket, but they also include useful additional features you’ll actually find a way to employ.
In the world of Miles & Points, there are all kinds of product perks and bonuses being offered, be they lounge access, baggage bonuses, or discounts on point redemptions. The benefits I’m writing about today are those any normal person can understand with a minimum of effort.
The Best Credit Cards for Everyday Canadians
Rogers Red Mastercard
The first card I’m going to recommend is the least complicated: the Rogers Red Mastercard. This is a useful product for any person who only wants the simplicity of pure cash back, no annual fee, and excellent redemption rates.
With the Rogers Red Mastercard, Rogers, Fido and Shaw postpaid customers can earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases and get a 1.5x redemption bonus on Rogers, Fido and Shaw purchases – a 3% cash back value.
Check out our Rogers Red Mastercard review for more details.
$60 cash back
$0
$110+
$0
Yes
–
You should only get this card if you’re a Rogers, Fido, or Shaw customer as it boosts the earn rate from 1% on all purchases to 2%. It then increases your redemption to a total of 3% assuming you redeem your cash back to pay your phone bill or other bill with Rogers, Fido, or Shaw. No other cashback card with no annual fee in Canada compares.
For those of you too lazy to use an eSim abroad to save money on roaming bills, you also get 5 free Roam like Home days for short trips.
Click here to apply for the Rogers Red Mastercard with a $50 FlyerFunds Rebate!
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite
The next card is an old favorite of ours here at Frugal Flyer: the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card. This is the most competitive Canadian credit card to waive foreign exchange (FX) fees on the market.
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card offers benefits such as no foreign transaction fees and six annual complimentary airport lounge access passes.
In 2025, we awarded this card as the Best Overall Travel Credit Card and Best Credit Card for Foreign Transactions.
Check out our Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card review for more details.
40,000 Scene+
$40,000
$550+
$150
No
Jul 1, 2025
Its $150 annual fee is either full or partially offset by the existing FlyerFunds rebate offer (more info on that below), but even with that added cost, this card is more than worth it. Keep in mind that as a Visa Infinite card, this card requires a minimum personal income of $60,000, or a minimum household income of $100,000 to apply.
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card currently can earn up to 40,000 Scene+ points when fulfilling the welcome bonus requirements. Scene+ points aren’t just for movies, as they can also be used on any travel expense, as well as dining options like Canadian patriotic favorite Swiss Chalet.
On top of this, it totally waives any foreign transaction fees, offers 4x Scene+ points on the Scene+ Travel Portal, 3x on transactions at the Empire family of grocery stores, 2x on all other groceries, dining, entertainment, and transit charges, and 1x on everything else. All these categories code overseas, as well.
If you want a single, easy card to keep in your wallet, get great value out of your points, and save big on trips abroad, this is the best choice in Canada. Did I mention it comes with six annual airport lounge passes, as well?
Click here to apply for this offer on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card with a $150 FlyerFunds Rebate!
American Express Cobalt Card
Next up is a welcome addition to any wallet, whether you’re just getting into Miles & Points, and want to dip your toes into a more advanced game, or if you’re an experienced lounge hopper looking to improve your travels.
The American Express Cobalt card gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Membership Rewards on eligible restaurant, food delivery, and grocery store purchases.
In 2025, we selected this card to receive the award Best Points Credit Card for Grocery Purchases.
Check out our American Express Cobalt card review for more details.
15,000 Membership Rewards
$9,000
$330+
$156
Yes
–
The American Express Cobalt card is hyper-impressive because of its earn rates. Earning 5x Membership Rewards points on groceries and dining (up to $2,500 per statement period), 3x on streaming, 2x on transit and gas, and 1x on anything else makes this an easy way to turbocharge the number of points you earn with daily routine spend. We have called it one of the best credit cards in Canada for a reason.
The best part is that the American Express Membership Rewards points can be redeemed at 1 cent per point, or even better, transferred to partners like Aeroplan and Flying Blue for free reward flights. The $12.99 monthly fee is barely a concern compared to the benefits.
Simplii Financial Cashback Visa
The next card on our list is by far the easiest to understand. The Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa card is an incredible card because it earns 4% back on all dining and restaurants, up to $5,000 per year. That’s up to $200 a year just for eating out you were doing anyway.
The Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa card earns 4% cash back on purchases at restaurants, bars, and coffee shops on up to $5,000 in spending per calendar year.
Check out our Simplii Financial Cash Back card review for more details.
$100 cash back
$1,000
$160+
$0
Yes
–
It also earns back 1.5% cashback on gas, groceries, pharmacies, and pre-authorized purchases, up to $15,000 a year. All other purchases earn 0.5%.
While the rewards are generous and easy to understand, the main downside of this card is you have to wait until December to receive earned cash back. All cash back earned over the year is paid as a credit on your December statement, so Merry Christmas to the cardholders.
This card comes with almost no income requirements, but you do need to be a client of Simplii Financial via either the Simplii No Fee Chequing Account or the Simplii High Interest Saving Account in order to apply. Both of these Simplii banking accounts are excellent products, even if you aren’t looking to add another credit card to your wallet.
Click here to apply for this offer on the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card with a $60 FlyerFunds Rebate!
WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
The final product on our list, before we get to the credit card every eligible Canadian should have in their wallet, is the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard offers benefits including an annual WestJet companion voucher and a first free checked bag on WestJet flights.
Check out our WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
450 WestJet dollars
$5,000
$450+
$119
Yes
–
With the transition from Westjet Dollars to Westjet Points on the horizon, I don’t think there’s a lot to get excited about the earnings rates on this card. The 2% back in Westjet dollars on all Westjet purchases and 1.5% on everything else, when one considers its $119 annual fee, is neither good nor bad.
The reason I do feel this card holds unique value for average Canadians is twofold. First, there’s the Companion Voucher. This is exactly what it sounds like: a voucher that allows you to bring a +1 on any Westjet flight you’re booked on at a very discounted base fare price.
It can be a bit complicated to use, which is why we wrote an entire article on how to get the most out of the Westjet companion voucher. When the lessons there are applied in conjunction with redeeming Westjet dollars, you can save hundreds of dollars on airfare for two or more travelers.
Secondly, there’s the baggage perk of getting the first checked bag free on all Westjet flights. This can be a huge value, especially for families on the go because both parents can be cardholders and so get one free checked bag per parent. Do be advised: as a World Elite Mastercard, this requires a minimum personal income of $80,000 or a minimum household income of $150,000.
The Must-Have Credit Card for Every Canadian
There is one card that all Canadians should have in their wallet (assuming they meet the $80,000 annual personal income or $150,000 household income requirements). That product is the totally annual fee-free Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard. I’m not advertising this just to be patriotic, I assure you.
The Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard includes valuable benefits such as complimentary gold membership to the Canadian Tire roadside assistance program.
Check out our Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
0 Canadian Tire Money
$0
$0+
$0
Yes
–
Why am I recommending a glorified store credit card? I admit the fact it earns its rewards in the infamous Canadian Tire Money (CTM) isn’t ideal, but it’s not bad when one considers almost all of us need to shop at a Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Atmosphere, or Pro Hockey Life at least a few times a year.
It earns 4% CTM on all the stores above, as well as elevated rates of up to 7 CTM cents per liter at Canadian Tire gas stations, 3% on groceries (excluding Costco and Walmart) up to $12,000 per year, and 1% on all other transactions. But these aren’t what makes the card exciting.
The reason this product is useful for a normal person is because of its Bill Pay Feature. This allows you to have the cash flow flexibility of paying various vendors who normally don’t accept credit cards with your Canadian Tire World Elite Mastercard.
Let’s take a look because, with this humble Canadian Tire card, you can pay for things like city property taxes, water utilities, and even university tuition and receive rewards. That’s pretty great for a no-fee card!
There’s another benefit that is excellent in a cold winter country like Canada: a free Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance Gold Package membership, normally valued at $114.95 plus tax.
The plan offers up to five service calls year-round coverage for towing up to 200km, battery boosts, flat tire changes, fuel delivery, extrication and winching, lockout, and trip accident assistance.
Almost every member of Frugal Flyer has this card and has used it. Here in Edmonton, the temperatures often get to the -40 territory in winter, and I’ve had to use the subcontractors provided by Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance. They’ve always been at least 2-3 hours faster than their biggest competitor, Alberta Motor Association (the local affiliate of the Canadian Automobile Association).
Your mileage may vary, but for the price of $0, it’s hard to beat those odds.
Conclusion
To wrap up, I think that all the credit cards on this list will make excellent additions to any wallet. More importantly, they are easy to use, easy to understand, and deliver excellent values for Canadians whose miles and points literacy is of any level, from just getting started to world jet setter.
I hope that I’ve helped you consider what’s on the market and been able to provide you value in making sure the next credit card to make it into your wallet is the best for your Miles & Points journey.
Kirin Tsang
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