Miles and points: you need them to fuel your thirst for adventure. We at Frugal Flyer are in the business of showing you the best way to maximize getting them, and the best way to get the most value out of them.
Today, we’ll be looking at credit card combos designed to maximize your returns. These can come through daily spending, or just from the continued perks of being a cardholder of certain products.
We’ll go into various combinations, all of which are designed to provide you with maximum return on any annual fees you have to pay, and preferably allow you to have something available in your wallet to get the highest return on whatever it is you need to buy.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the most valuable credit card combinations that are available to Canadians.
The “Aeroplan Jetsetter” Card Combination
Our first combination is designed around maximizing the opportunity for you to embark on one of the Star Alliance’s many excellent carriers via our favourite frequent flyer program, Air Canada Aeroplan.
For routine flights, we as Canadians often need to fly Air Canada to get across this massive country, though the best value is in booking long-haul premium cabin fares on partner airlines such as All-Nippon Airways business class or Turkish Airlines business class.
The key component in this first combo is the American Express Cobalt card. The main reason you’ll want this in your wallet is that it earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on dining and groceries, up to a cap of $2,500 (or 12,500 points) per statement period. At a 1:1 transfer to the Air Canada Aeroplan program, that’s up to 12,500 Aeroplan points per month.
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
–
You can also earn 3x on streaming (though this won’t result in many total points), as well as 2x on gas, rideshare, and transit.
While the American Express Cobalt card is the core element of the combo, you’re going to need a backup in your wallet. A lot of stores even today have the dreaded “No Amex” sign, and it’s always prudent to carry a Visa or Mastercard.
If you’re looking to continue maximizing your Aeroplan points, either the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card or the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite card should be your choice.
Both of these cards earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on uncategorized spend, as well as 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on gas, groceries, and Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations purchases.
| Credit Card | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
40,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $840 |
|
 |
40,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $840 |
|
You’ll also get some priority benefits on Air Canada flights to help make travel faster, and the travel insurance on the cards covers all Aeroplan reward flights where you redeem points but pay the taxes and fees with your co-branded credit card.
Next up, we have some optional extras. First up, to avoid being dinged by 2.5% foreign exchange fees, consider a prepaid card like the EQBank prepaid Mastercard or Wise prepaid Visa.
Then, if you absolutely must have airport lounge access and don’t mind high annual fees, you can add either the American Express Platinum card or the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card.
If you’re flying a lot of domestic economy, I’d lean toward the latter, especially with more Air Canada cafes opening up; otherwise, go for the Platinum card as it includes access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection.
| Credit Card | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
100,000 Membership Rewards Estimated value: $2,200 |
|
 |
85,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,785 |
|
Finally, if you’ve followed our guide on getting US credit cards for Canadians, definitely consider adding the Chase Aeroplan Mastercard to your wallet. Not only can it help you get or keep Aeroplan elite status, but it also offers an excellent way to convert up to 200,000 Aeroplan points to the equivalent of $2,500 USD in travel value per year through the “Pay Yourself Back” feature.
The “Scene+ Fanatic” Card Combination
Next up, I have a very simple solution for those of you who want easy travel rewards and don’t want to think too hard.
This combo has everything you need: no foreign transaction fees, a common shared points currency, airport lounge access for your trips, a single issuing bank, and lots of coverage to earn those sweet, sweet points at the highest rate you can on every transaction.
I am of course referring to the Scene+ program, which is a partner with Scotiabank. These points are not just for movies and films. You can redeem all your Scene+ points at 1 cent per point on travel, as well as redeem them for the same value at a bunch of partners we cover in our dedicated Scene+ loyalty program guide.
For your daily grocery, dining, and food delivery service needs, you should be using the Scotiabank Gold American Express card.
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
We’ve covered it a lot and at length, most notably it earns 6 Scene+ points per dollar spent at Empire banner grocery stores (including Safeway and Sobeys), and 5 Scene+ points on all eats, drinks, and purchases at other grocery stores. These earning rates are phenomenal and make holding this card a no-brainer.
That’s before we get into the 3x on gas, rideshare, transit, and streaming services. The multipliers are good for a space of up to $50,000 in spend per year, which is more than enough spend for the average household.
For your travel-specific needs, we recommend adding the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card to your wallet. This product is an excellent addition to any wallet as it charges no foreign transaction fees and comes with six free Dragonpass airport lounge passes per year as well. It also codes overseas, so you can expect to earn 2x the Scene+ points per $1 spent on overseas restaurants.
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
This will probably not be in your daily spend repertoire; you can bust it out to use it in Canada for its 3x on select grocery stores and 2x on all other eats, drinks, and grocery purchases if you hit the $50,000 cap on the Gold card.
And lastly, if you’re concerned about the annual fees, don’t be. You can reduce the fees by holding certain Scotiabank bank accounts, a synergy worth considering if you are deep in the Scene+ loyalty program.
The “Flying Blue Adventurer” Card Combination
Our next combo is for those who want to maximize the Air France/KLM Flying Blue loyalty program. As is so often the case, the central credit card in this lineup is the American Express Cobalt Card once again due to its 5x earning rate on all dining and groceries, and 2x earnings on gas and transit.
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
–
American Express Membership Rewards in Canada only transfers to Flying Blue at a rate of 1:0.75, so 5 Membership Rewards points are only worth 3.75 Flying Blue Miles. However, with the many incredible options afforded by this program and the availability of both Air France and KLM flights to and from North America, this exchange is more than acceptable.
Who wouldn’t want to fly directly from the urbane cultural metropolis of Edmonton to the quaint village called Amsterdam on KLM Business Class? Plus, Flying Blue Promo Rewards can make your next redemption even cheaper.
Now, that $2,500 per month limit on earning 5x Membership Rewards, or $30,000 per year cap, is a bit of a pain. On top of that, if you only earn 1 Membership Reward point on all other spend, that’s a measly 0.75 Flying Blue. Sacre bleu!
Instead, I recommend that your uncategorized spend goes onto the Brim Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard, which earns 1 Flying Blue per dollar spent. On top of that, it earns 2 points at restaurants and bars, making it the most efficient way to earn Flying Blue points once your Cobalt has hit its maximum allotment per year.
The Brim Financial Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard offers Flying Blue Miles on purchases that can be used for flights around the world, along with a way to increase your status with Flying Blue.
Check out our Brim Financial Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
0 Flying Blue Miles
$0
$0+
$132
Yes
–
If you wanted to round out this combo, I’d suggest a third optional addition: the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. The reason I’m recommending it doesn’t have much to do with its points system or anything like that. No, I recommend it because of its ironclad travel insurance.
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard offers benefits that include an annual $150 travel credit and access to the National Bank VIP airport lounge in the Montreal Airport International terminal.
As a result of its stellar travel insurance and purchase protection benefits, we awarded this card as the Best Overall Insurance Credit Card of 2025.
Check out our National Bank World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
0 À la carte Rewards
$0
$0+
$150
Yes
–
For example, with Aeroplan co-branded credit cards, you get your card’s travel insurance applied to flights that you booked with Aeroplan points and paid for the taxes and fees via your co-branded card. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard’s travel insurance is even stronger, as it applies to all flight award bookings as long as you charge a portion of the taxes and fees to the card.
The Brim Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard’s insurance is a bit weaker than the National Bank’s excellent insurance, plus you can use the National Bank World Elite Mastercard’s $150 travel credit to break even on the annual fee.
The “All the King’s Horses and All the King’s Free (K)Nights” Card Combination
Alright, for those of you who love Marriott Bonvoy benefits like breakfast buffets, and sometimes occasionally getting a room upgrade, I have a pair of keeper cards for you: the American Express Marriott Bonvoy card and the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card.
| Credit Card | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Estimated value: $540 |
|
 |
50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Estimated value: $450 |
|
The $120 and $150 annual fees, respectively, can be a bit of a pill to swallow. On the upside, in addition to any welcome bonus you may receive, you will also receive an annual free night certificate worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points on your credit card anniversary.
You can earn one free night certificate per card per cardholder anniversary, and these free night certificates can be topped up to an additional 15,000 Bonvoy points if your desired redemption is greater than 35,000 points. With a little bit of foresight and cunning, you can easily exceed the cost of the annual fees when redeeming these free night certificates.
In short, this card combination is just a great way to get free stays at Marriott hotels every year with minimal effort.
You can also add an American Express Cobalt Card if you want to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points, though this combo is really more about benefiting from the free night certificates. At a transfer rate of 1 Amex Membership Rewards point to 1.2 Marriott Bonvoy points, it makes for a great daily earner.
If you’re an advanced player and have entered the US credit card market, then that means you can also get American versions of these cards.
You can pick from amongst the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, and/or the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card. For an even more advanced play, you could downgrade one of these products to one of the secret Marriott Bonvoy cards available only on the US market.
While there are Chase Marriott cards, none of them, except the secret Ritz-Carlton card, have bonuses as attractive as these ones.
The “No Annual Fees” Card Combination
Up until now, many of the credit cards I’ve recommended have had annual fees. In the world of Miles & Points, the most lucrative redemptions, like luxury long-haul business class flight redemptions or stunning luxury resorts, will all require some amount of money out of pocket.
But this style of earning rewards isn’t for every Canadian. Some folks want to just earn cashback and not have to worry about the complexities of booking travel, and especially don’t want to have to pay annual fees. If you match that description, this combo is for you.
First up, we have the Simplii Financial Cashback Visa card, which earns 4% cashback at bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, up to $5,000 in spend (or $200 cashback) per year. Use it mostly for this category, and remember that the payout only comes on your December statement as a credit to your account.
The Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa card also awards 1.5% cashback on gas, groceries, pharmacy, and preauthorized payments.
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.
$80 cash back
$1,000
$140+
$0
Yes
–
Next, we have two options for almost all your other purchases. If you’re a Rogers, Fido, or Shaw customer, get the Rogers Red Mastercard or the Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard.
These cards earn 2% cashback on all purchases so long as you’re a customer with one of these companies. On top of that, you get a 1.5x redemption bonus so long as you only redeem cashback against your phone bill for an effective earn rate of 3%.
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’re not a Rogers customer, then the easy substitute is the Tangerine World Mastercard. So long as you have your cashback set up to be deposited into your Tangerine savings account, you earn 2% cashback on 3 categories of your choice, so pick the ones you most commonly spend on.
The Tangerine World Mastercard offers cardholders the ability to choose up to three accelerated spending categories to increase their cash back earnings.
In 2025, we awarded this card as the Best Customizable Cash Back Credit Card.
Check out our Tangerine World Mastercard review for more details.
$100 cash back
$1,000
$225+
$0
Yes
Aug 31, 2025
And lastly, save yourself on the foreign transaction fees! You can get one of the no-FX prepaid cards I recommended earlier in the article, or seriously consider the Home Trust Preferred Visa card. This product charges no foreign transaction fees overseas and earns 1% cashback on all purchases in Canada. As a credit card, it means you don’t have to load funds into it to use it, though.
Conclusion
I hope that the combos I’ve presented today make sense for you to meet your travel goals. Feel free to mix and match any of the cards on this list, or the countless details on frugalflyer.ca, for what makes sense in your wallet.
The most important thing is that you’re getting value out of your credit cards and making your daily regular spend work for your travel dreams. So don’t be afraid to combo up instead of just relying on one product for your credit card and personal finance needs!
Kirin Tsang
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