When it comes to earning miles and points and generating value with credit cards, we often talk about paying annual fees on credit cards and recommend some excellent premium credit cards to improve your travels, even though they often come with higher income requirements and annual fees.
However, we recognize that everyone’s personal finance situation is different. Not all Canadians can qualify for those cards with higher income requirements right now, and that is ok. No matter where you are in your career or personal finance journey, there are a number of credit cards in Canada that can add value to your life regardless of your income level.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best credit cards for low income earners in Canada.
Why Do Financial Institutions Have Credit Card Income Requirements?
Credit card income requirements are imposed on financial institutions by the credit card networks they partner with (American Express, Visa, and Mastercard).
When you use a credit card, the merchant or service provider will be charged an interchange fee when they process the transaction. Premium credit cards typically have marginally higher interchange fees. Financial institutions want higher interchange fees as it is a way for them to earn revenue, while business owners want lower interchange fees as it takes away from their profit.
Typically, customers who have a higher annual personal income will make more purchases and spend more on their credit card, which in turn generates more interchange fees for the financial institution. Thus, by gatekeeping these premium credit cards behind a minimum personal or household income requirement, the potential audience for these cards is much smaller, minimizing the interchange fees charged to merchants.
The concept of minimum income requirements is also cited in the “Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada” which mentions:
“In addition, premium payment cards shall only be given to a well-defined class of cardholders based on individual spending, assets under management, and/or income thresholds and not on the average of an issuer’s portfolio.”
Be aware that financial institutions may choose to verify annual personal income declared on applications at their discretion.
Universal Canadian Credit Card Income Requirements
While it is common for each financial institution to determine the personal and household income requirements for their credit products, there are a few universal credit card income requirements in Canada that pertain to certain brands of credit cards.
For example, any credit cards that are “Visa Infinite credit cards” will have an annual personal income requirement of $60,000 or an annual household income requirement of $100,000. On the other hand, any credit cards that are “World Elite Mastercards” will have an annual personal income requirement of $80,000 or an annual household income requirement of $150,000.
If you are interested in obtaining a credit card with either of those naming conventions, the income requirements will be consistent across all financial institutions in Canada. This is pretty handy since you will know once you can qualify for a whole new range of credit cards once your income grows to the required level.
Best Low Income Credit Cards With Annual Fees
The credit cards mentioned below require an annual income of $12,000 or lower and come with annual fees, but they also have better benefits and perks compared to those with no annual fees.
American Express Credit Cards
American Express Canada is a unicorn when it comes to financial institutions in Canada, as all of their credit cards have no minimum income requirements. While their credit products did have minimum income requirements previously, in 2017 they dropped those requirements and did not follow the voluntary “Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada” due to their lower market share.
American Express has cards that fit all consumers, from the more basic credit cards to some of the most premium credit cards in Canada. Yes, this means that you can absolutely apply for and be approved for their premium credit cards, such as the American Express Platinum card or the American Express Business Platinum card, without having a high income.
A few of the best American Express Canada cards we recommend considering based on the total value they can bring to you as a cardholder are listed in the table below:
| Credit Card | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
120,000 Membership Rewards Estimated value: $2,640 |
|
 |
100,000 Membership Rewards Estimated value: $2,200 |
|
 |
90,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,890 |
|
 |
85,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,785 |
|
 |
60,000 Membership Rewards Estimated value: $1,320 |
|
 |
40,000 Membership Rewards Estimated value: $880 |
|
 |
40,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $840 |
|
 |
60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Estimated value: $540 |
|
 |
50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Estimated value: $450 |
|
 |
15,000 Membership Rewards Estimated value: $330 |
|
As always, ensure you read up on the card that you are interested in before applying to ensure you can get the most out of the benefits, perks, and welcome bonus, especially when you will be paying out of pocket for an annual fee.
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card is one of the best choices for Canadians who want a credit card with excellent earning rates and are willing to pay an annual fee. The minimum annual personal and household income requirement for this card is $12,000.
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card earns up to 6x Scene+ points at Empire grocery stores and charges no foreign exchange fees on purchases made in foreign currencies.
In 2025, we awarded this card as the Best Fixed Value Points Credit Card.
Check out our Scotiabank Gold American Express card review for more details.
40,000 Scene+
$7,500
$500+
$120
No
Jul 1, 2025
Regardless of your personal income, the Scotiabank Gold American Express card is one of the best credit cards in Canada as it has extremely high earning rates at Empire grocery stores, other grocery stores, restaurants, food delivery, and entertainment purchases.
The earning rates on these bonus categories see cardholders receiving a minimum of 5 Scene+ Rewards per dollar spent, an effective 5% return on all purchases. Scene+ Rewards points are super easy to redeem towards travel purchases, groceries, and alcohol purchases at a rate of 1 cent per point.
Cardholders also receive a valuable benefit in the form of no foreign transaction fees, meaning that using this card on any purchases involving a foreign currency will save 2.5% over a credit card that does not have this benefit. Similar to other American Express credit cards, they can also access Amex Offers as a way to save money at various retailers, restaurants, and on services.
As a result of the high earning rates and no foreign transaction fee benefit, the Scotiabank Gold American Express card is one of the best credit cards for grocery purchases and one of the best credit cards for purchases in foreign currencies.
You can also earn an additional $100 cash back via PayPal if you apply and are approved for this card through Frugal Flyer. Click here to apply with this offer.
Best Low Income Credit Cards Without Annual Fees
The credit cards mentioned below require an annual income of $15,000 or lower and have no annual fees, which also means they have fewer benefits.
Rogers Red Mastercard
The Rogers Red Mastercard has no minimum income requirements.
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
–
If you are a Rogers, Fido, or Shaw customer, the Rogers Red Mastercard is hands-down the best no annual fee low income credit card you can add to your wallet.
The card earns 2% cash back on all purchases if you are a Rogers, Fido, or Shaw customer, and cardholders can redeem for 50% more value when using their cash back towards Rogers, Fido, and Shaw Purchases (including things such as cell phone or internet bills). This works out to a 3% cash back rate when redeemed towards these purchases.
Cardholders will also receive up to five free “Roam Like Home” days every calendar year to be used when traveling outside of Canada. Alternatively, look into a service like Airalo or Google Fi if you are interested in saving on mobile fees when traveling.
You can also earn an additional $50 cash back via PayPal if you apply and are approved for this card through Frugal Flyer. Click here to apply with this offer.
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
The Tangerine Money-Back credit card has a minimum annual personal and household income requirement of $12,000.
The Tangerine Money-Back credit card offers cardholders the ability to choose up to three accelerated spending categories to increase their cash back earnings.
Check out our Tangerine Money-Back credit card review for more details.
$100 cash back
$1,000
$175+
$0
Yes
Apr 30, 2025
Cardholders will earn 2% cash back on three categories of their choice and are able to adjust these categories whenever they desire, with the new category taking effect for the next billing statement. Earned cash back is paid monthly, making this card a great option for those customers who want to get their cash back in their wallets as soon as possible.
You can also earn an additional $75 cash back via PayPal if you apply and are approved for this card through Frugal Flyer. Click here to apply with this offer.
Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card
The Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa card has a minimum annual personal and household income requirement of $15,000.
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
–
This card is a great option for those who spend regularly at restaurants, bars, and coffee shops as cardholders will earn 4% cash back on these categories on up to $5,000 in purchases per calendar year which is outsized value from a credit card with no annual fee.
However, cash back is only paid once per year on the last day of the cardholder’s December statement. While this might not be an issue for many, it is somewhat unfortunate that cardholders cannot access their earned cash back when it is convenient for them.
You can also earn an additional $60 cash back via PayPal if you apply and are approved for this card through Frugal Flyer. Click here to apply with this offer.
MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard
The MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard has no minimum income requirements.
The MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard earns 2x MBNA Rewards points on restaurant, grocery, digital media, memberships, and household utility purchases.
In 2025, we awarded this card as the Best Fixed Value Points Credit Card (No Annual Fee).
10,000 MBNA Rewards
$500
$175+
$0
Yes
–
This card earns 2 MBNA Rewards points per dollar spent on all restaurant, grocery, digital media, memberships, and household utility purchases. Cardholders will receive the elevated earning rate for up to $10,000 in spending per purchase category annually.
MBNA Rewards points are slightly less useful than other loyalty program points, as their best use case is for booking travel through the MBNA Travel Portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. Cardholders can also redeem for statement credit and gift cards, but the value is less than 1 cent per point.
Scotiabank American Express Card
The Scotiabank American Express card has a minimum annual personal and household income requirement of $12,000.
The Scotiabank American Express card earns 3x Scene+ points at Empire grocery stores, plus 2x Scene+ points on grocery, dining, entertainment, gas, daily transit, and select streaming purchases.
5,000 Scene+
$1,000
$110+
$0
Yes
Jul 1, 2025
This card can be considered a more basic version of the Scotiabank Gold American Express card and might be the right fit for those Canadians who are looking for a card with similar benefits while avoiding paying an annual fee.
The card earns 3 Scene+ Rewards points at Empire brand grocery stores and 2 Scene+ Rewards points at other grocery, dining, entertainment, gas, daily transit, and select streaming purchases. As previously mentioned, Scene+ Rewards points can be redeemed for 1 cent per point, making the above earning rates an effective 3% and 2% return on all spending.
You can also earn an additional $60 cash back via PayPal if you apply and are approved for this card through Frugal Flyer. Click here to apply with this offer.
Conclusion
No matter the income level, each and every Canadian can find a credit card that benefits their personal financial situation. While we have covered the best value-added credit cards with lower income requirements above, consider also viewing our credit card comparison tool to see other relevant cards as you can filter by both personal income and household income requirements.
Josh Bandura
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