MoneySense curated this list of the best cash back credit cards in Canada to help you maximize your rewards on your everyday purchases. Whether you’re looking for high earn rates, low fees and/or other benefits, our credit card guide will help you find the perfect card to boost your cash-back savings.
Featured cash back credit cards
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Gold: Best cash back card
Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard
Earn a minimum of 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and 3% on U.S. dollar purchases. Redeem rewards when you want.
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Annual Fee:
$0
Interest Rates:
25.99% purchase, 27.99% cash advance, 27.99% balance transfer
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Silver: Best cash back card
CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card
Earn 4% cash back on gas and groceries, and save at the pump with exclusive fuel discounts.
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Annual Fee:
$120
Interest Rates:
20.99% purchase, 22.99% cash advance, 22.99% balance transfer
Welcome offer:
$250 value
Join and earn over $400 in value including a first year annual fee rebate.†
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Bronze: Best cash back card
SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express
Get a minimum of 2% cash back on all your purchases—one of the highest base rates in Canada.
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Annual Fee:
$120
Interest Rates:
21.99% purchase, 21.99% cash advance, N/A balance transfer
Welcome offer:
$250 value
Earn a bonus 10% cash back on all purchases for your first 3 months (up to $2,000 in purchases). Plus, earn a $50 statement credit when you make a purchase in month 13. This could add up to $250 in bonus value in your first 13 months.
Why trust us
MoneySense is an award-winning magazine, helping Canadians navigate money matters since 1999. Our editorial team of trained journalists works closely with leading personal finance experts in Canada. To help you find the best financial products, we compare the offerings of major institutions, including banks, credit unions and card issuers. Learn more about our advertising and trusted partners.
Compare popular cash back credit cards
Compare the best travel credit card options in Canada with our interactive tool and filter credit cards based on your spending needs, including rewards value, annual fees, income requirements and more. Use this tool to compare credit card options, or keep scrolling for our editors’ top picks.
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Best cash back credit cards in Canada
MoneySense award winners
We break down the pros and cons of our gold, silver and bronze-winning travel credit card picks. Scroll further for other good options, including the best airline credit card and best no-fee alternative.
How we determine the best cards
MoneySense editors apply their credit card expertise and knowledge of Canadians’ financial goals to come up with selection criteria that matches the needs of the intended cardholder, including local and international travellers. For this series of the best travel credit cards in Canada, your return on spending is a key consideration, because it represents the value of the points you earn with every purchase, which can be earned or redeemed from travel purchases. For Canadians, we consider annual fees and eligibility criteria (for student credit cards), perks and insurance (for premium credit cards) and other factors, specific to each travel card category. The addition of links from affiliate partners has no bearing on the results in this “best travel credit cards in Canada” ranking. Read more about the MoneySense selection process and about how MoneySense makes money.
Gold: Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard
At a glance: The Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard is the best cash back credit card in Canada, offering a high earn rate of 1.5% on all purchases—so there’s no need to strategize spending by maximizing bonus categories. Plus, the accelerated rate of 3% on all U.S. purchases is enough to cover foreign transaction fees. This also provides exceptional travel perks, including airport lounge access, and emergency medical and trip cancellation insurance, all without an annual fee. The Roger Red World Elite Mastercard is our pick for best no fee cash back credit card in Canada.
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Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 1.5% to 3% cash back
- 3% cash back on all U.S. dollar purchases
- 1.5% on all other purchases (2% for Rogers, Fido and Shaw customers)
Welcome offer: None at this time.
Card details
| Interest rates | 25.99% on purchases, 27.99% on cash advances, 27.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | $80,000 per year |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Solid rewards: Earn 1.5% on all purchases made in Canada. And as a Mastercard, this is one of the best cards to use at Costco, which doesn’t accept Visa or American Express.
- Rogers, Fido and Shaw customers earn more: Customers get 2% cash back on all purchases (instead of the standard 1.5%). Plus, when they redeem cash back with Rogers, Fido or Shaw, the rewards are worth 1.5 times more. For example, $100 in cash back becomes $150 when applied to a Rogers bill.)
- Save on roaming fees: The card comes with five Roam Like Home days annually at no cost for Rogers mobile plans, worth up to $80.
- Great for U.S. shopping: Earn 3% cash back on purchases in U.S. dollars, offsetting the typical 2.5% foreign transaction fee.
- No annual fee: This is uncommon for World Elite Mastercards in Canada.
- Flexible redemptions: Redeem rewards against purchases on your card for as little as $10.
Cons
- High income requirement: As a World Elite Mastercard, the eligibility requirements might put it out of reach for some Canadians.
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Silver: CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
At a glance: The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite offers high earn rates on everyday purchases. You won’t find a better rate on groceries rewards or gas rewards (which includes EV charging spends), making it one of the highest cash rewards credit cards around. Plus, you can redeem your cash back anytime and save at the pump with exclusive fuel discounts.
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CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
Annual fee: $120 (rebated first year)
Rewards: 1% to 4% cash back
- 4% cash back on eligible gas, EV charging and grocery purchases
- 2% on dining, daily transit and recurring payments
- 1% on everything else
Welcome offer: Get up to $400 in value, including a first-year annual-fee rebate. Offer not available to Quebec residents.
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances, 22.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000 |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Broad spending categories: Enjoy boosted rewards on more purchases, including transportation, which includes taxis, ride sharing and public transit.
- Fuel discounts: Link your card with Journie Rewards and save 3 cents per litre at Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron gas stations. Get an additional 7 cents off per litre every time you reach 300 Journie Rewards points.
- Flexible redemptions: Get your cash back whenever you need it. Many other cards issue cash back only as an annual statement credit.
Cons
- Less competitive base rate: 1% is pretty standard for a minimum earn rate, but it’s still lower than some other cards.
- High income requirement: It may be more difficult to qualify for this card than some others.
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Bronze: Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
At a glance: The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is one of the most flexible-earning cash back credit cards on the market, allowing you to pick up to three 2% bonus categories of your choice, from a list of 10. Better yet, you can change your categories as needed, with 90 days’ notice.
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Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
Get a $50 gift card upon approval on ratehub.caget offer
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 0.5% – 2% cash back
- 2% in up to 3 categories of your choice (including groceries, gas and dining)
- 0.5% cash back on everything else
Welcome offer: Earn an extra 10% cash back during the first two months (up to $100 in cash back).
Get a $50 gift card upon approval on ratehub.caget offer
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.95% on purchases, 22.95% on cash advances and 22.95% on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal or household income of $12,000 |
| Credit score | 660 or higher |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Customizable bonus categories: Pick two bonus categories for unlimited 2% cash back, and get a third 2% category by automatically depositing your earnings into a Tangerine account. Change your categories any time with 90 days’ notice.
- Free supplementary cards: Maximize earnings at no added cost.
- Monthly redemptions: Rewards are paid out once a month, instead of once per year, like with some other cashback credit cards in Canada.
Cons
- Limited insurance offerings: This cash back card only offers the two of the most basic insurance coverages: purchase assurance and extended warranty.
- Income requirement: Although the requirement is low, some great cash back cards have no requirement at all.
More Canadian cash back cards with competitive rates and perks
Best Amex cash back credit card: American Express SimplyCash Preferred
At a glance: The American Express SimplyCash Preferred offers impressive earn rates on grocery and gas purchases, two of the most-used spending categories. It also has the highest base earn rate in Canada: at 2%. Combined with solid insurance coverage, access to Amex benefits and free supplementary cards, this is a strong opti