For many Canadians, monthly bills like rent, utilities, cell phone plans, internet, and home/auto insurance make up a significant portion of their household budget. While these expenses are unavoidable, they also represent a massive opportunity to rack up rewards.
By strategically selecting a credit card that offers a “multiplier” on recurring payments, you can turn your basic monthly bills and fees into substantial cash-back or points and miles for redemption on your next vacation. Let’s break down the top credit cards in Canada for recurring bill payments to help you optimize every dollar that leaves your account on autopilot.
What Are Recurring Bill Payments?
It’s really in the name: payments, most common bills, that come up month after month after month (to everyone’s sadness). These are usually the non-glamorous kind of spending, but these payments keep the lights on in your home, the water running out of the taps, and the Wifi on (likely how you are reading this article!). These transactions are set up to automatically process every month.
Common examples or recurring bill payments in our everyday lives include:
- Utilities: Electricity, water, and heating.
- Telecommunications: Cell phone bills and home internet.
- Insurance: Auto, home, and life insurance premiums.
- Subscriptions: Streaming services (e.g., Netflix, Disney+), gym memberships, and meal kits/prep services (e.g., HelloFresh).
It is important to note that simply paying a bill manually every month through your banking portal is NOT what we’re talking about here. We are specifically referencing the use of credit cards and providing your credit card details to the service provider and authorizing them to charge the card automatically.
How About Rent?
One of the newest and most effective ways to leverage recurring bills is through Chexy, a platform that allows Canadian renters to pay their rent via credit card.
While rent is usually a tenant’s largest monthly expense, most landlords only accept e-Transfers or cheques. Chexy acts as the middleman, charging your credit card and sending an e-Transfer to your landlord.
Not only does this earn you rewards on rent, but it is also an incredible tool for meeting the minimum spending requirements to trigger welcome bonuses. For example, if you have recently signed up for a card that requires $5,000 in three months, putting your rent on your card gets you to that goal faster and makes it more attainable.
While Chexy does charge a 1.75% fee for Canadian American Express and Visa cards, or a 2.5% fee for international cards, it is still well worth using the service to meet a minimum spending requirement if the welcome bonus rewards are greater than the cost. If you are interested in signing up for Chexy, you can do so via our referral link here to receive $15 upon successfully making your first payment.
The Best Credit Cards for Recurring Bill Payments in Canada
Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card
If someone asked me for a one-size-fits-all option for their recurring bill payments, it would be the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card. You will earn 4% cash-back on groceries, recurring bill payments and monthly subscription purchases. The only caveat is that your 4% cash back is capped at $25,000 per cardholder year, but that still equates to over $2,000 in monthly expenses that you can charge to the card.
The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card earns 4% cash back on grocery purchases, eligible recurring bill payments, and subscription purchases.
Check out our Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite card review for more details.
Earn when you apply through Frugal Flyer.
$200 cash back
$2,000
$300+
$120 (FYF)
Yes
Apr 30, 2026
All utilities, insurance, property taxes, gym memberships, and other monthly expenses should go onto the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite card if you are serious about making your dollar go further. Even if your utility company charges a credit card processing fee (like mine unfortunately does), you will still come out earning a profit, as these fees will be less than 4%.
This is the highest cash back earning card in Canada for recurring bill payments, and is the card that is most often paired with Chexy to pay rent for those Canadians who want an easy set-it-and-forget-it approach to earning some extra cash back.
TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card
A strong competitor to Scotiabank, the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card earns 3% cash back on recurring bill payments and gas. While not a traditional monthly expense in the sense that it doesn’t come due at the same time each month, gas makes up a significant portion of most Canadians’ bills. You could justify holding this card for just returns on gas purchases alone.
The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card earns 3% cash back on all eligible grocery purchases, gas purchases, and regularly recurring bill payments.
$350 cash back
$3,500
$350+
$139 (FYF)
Yes
–
You will also get membership to the Deluxe TD Auto Club, which is their in-house 24/7 roadside assistance. Considering that most roadside assistance memberships are $100+, this is an underrated credit card benefit that almost pays for itself. In terms of fitting into your recurring bill payments strategy, I would use this card to focus on gas and top up on any other bills if you have already maxed out the Scotiabank Momentum’s 4% cash back limit.
Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard
If you prefer a card with no annual fee, the Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard is a top-tier choice. You can choose up to two 2% cash back categories (or three categories when you have your cash back rewards deposited to a Tangerine Savings account), with recurring bill payments as one of the categories.
The Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard offers cardholders the ability to choose up to three accelerated spending categories to increase their cash back earnings.
Check out our Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard review for more details.
Earn when you apply through Frugal Flyer.
$120 cash back
$1,500
$260+
$0
Yes
Apr 30, 2026
The cash back is also paid out monthly, making it a great option for those who want immediate rewards rather than waiting until the end of the year.
American Express Cobalt Card
The American Express Cobalt Card is likely the most well-known and most loved credit card for points and miles enthusiasts, primarily because of its ability to earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on food and drinks, including restaurant and grocery purchases.
The American Express Cobalt Card gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Membership Rewards on eligible restaurant, food delivery, and grocery store purchases.
Check out our American Express Cobalt card review for more details.
15,000 Membership Rewards points
$9,000
$300+
$191.88
Yes
–
However, its lesser-known superpower is for streaming services. You will earn 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on your monthly streaming subscriptions like Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify! We value American Express Membership Rewards points at 2 CAD cents per point when used with transfer partners, effectively getting us 6% back on our monthly entertainment!
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
While the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card does not have a dedicated earning multiplier for recurring bills or specific monthly expenses like streaming, it does have a place when used for paying rent.
When combined with Chexy, you can earn 1.25 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on your monthly rent. Chexy charges a 1.75% service fee for rent, however, Air Canada Aeroplan points are valued at 2 CAD cents per point, effectively earning us 2.5% on our rent.
The American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve card offers Air Canada benefits including Priority Airport Services, Eligible free first checked bags, and access to Maple Leaf Lounges™* across North America.
Check out our American Express Aeroplan Reserve card review for more details.
85,000 Aeroplan points
$10,000
$1,785+
$599
Yes
–
The American Express Aeroplan Reserve card also earns an Air Canada Annual Worldwide Companion Pass after spending $25,000. That means that if you pay rent with Chexy, you will be well on your way (or even past) to earning the pass in addition to working your way towards Aeroplan Elite Status.
Conclusion
Optimizing your recurring bill payments is one of the lowest-effort ways to increase your potential return on your monthly spending. By moving your automated monthly payments like streaming services and utilities or using a service like Chexy to pay your rent, you ensure that no dollar spent goes unrewarded.
Are you currently renting? Check out our guide on Chexy to learn more about earning rewards on your biggest monthly expense!
Quentin Tsang
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