Whether you’ve got a big international trip or the cross-country Canadian vacation of a lifetime coming up, the right travel credit card is one of the best things you could pack. Travel credit cards can earn you rewards on top of common purchases like flights, gas, and dining out, but they can also include benefits like travel insurance and discounts to exclusive events or restaurants.
We’ve named the Scotiabank Gold American Express the #1 travel credit card thanks to strong rewards and benefits, but we’ll look at your other credit card options to help you find the credit card most suited to your travel needs.
The best travel credit cards in Canada
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Gold: Best travel credit card
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
Earn up to 6 Scene+ points per $1 spent and access incredible travel perks, including no foreign transaction fees.
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Annual Fee:
$120
Interest Rates:
20.99% purchase, 22.99% cash advance, 22.99% balance transfer
Welcome offer:
$500 value
Earn up to $1,050 in welcome offers, first year rewards and savings value, including no annual fee in your first year, and up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points.
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Silver: Best travel credit card
American Express Cobalt Card
One of the fastest ways to earn flexible Membership Rewards points. You can transfer points to Aeroplan to boost their value.
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Annual Fee:
$156
Interest Rates:
21.99% purchase, 21.99% cash advance, N/A balance transfer
Welcome offer:
$150 value
Earn 1,250 points for each month you spend $750, up to a maximum of 15,000 points.
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Bronze: Best travel credit card
MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
Get 5 MBNA Rewards points per $1 across five categories, plus an annual bonus of 10% of the points earned over 12 months.
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Annual Fee:
$120
Interest Rates:
19.99% purchase, 24.99% cash advance, 22.99% balance transfer
Welcome offer:
$200 value
Earn 20,000 bonus points (approximately $165 in cash back value) after you make $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days.
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.
Gold: Scotiabank Gold American Express
The Scotiabank Gold American Express is our pick for Canada’s best all-round travel credit card. It comes with unbeatable rewards and benefits, including up to 6 points per dollar on groceries and 5 points on dining, food delivery, and entertainment—plus the ability to redeem points retroactively for purchases made within the past 12 months.
With comprehensive travel insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and exclusive American Express perks, this card is the perfect travel companion for both everyday spending and your next adventure.
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Scotiabank Gold American Express
Annual fee: $120
Rewards: 1 – 6 Points per dollar
- 6 points per $1 at Sobeys-affiliated stores
- 5 points per $1 on dining, entertainment and groceries
- 3 points per $1 on gas, transit and streaming
- 1 point per $1 on everything else
- Pay no FX fees on foreign purchases
Welcome offer: Earn up to $1,050 in value in the first 12 months, including up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points. Offer ends October 31, 2025.
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances, 22.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | $12,000 per year |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
| Point value | 1 Scene+ point = $0.01 when redeemed for travel, store purchases and food and drink at Cineplex and Scene partners |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Straightforward redemptions: When you book through Scene+ Travel, powered by Expedia, it’s easy to redeem points in increments of 100 (valued at $1).
- Redemption window: Through the apply points to travel option, you can redeem your points retroactively for up to 12 months after making a travel purchase.
- Comprehensive insurance benefits: This credit card offers robust travel insurance coverage, including $1 million in medical travel insurance for up to 25 days—one of the longest coverage periods available with Canadian cards.
- No foreign transaction fees: Enjoy savings on foreign currency transactions while travelling or shopping online, as this card waives the usual 2.5% foreign transaction fee.
Cons
- Fixed point redemption value: While earning rates are high, points are always valued at $0.01 and cannot be transferred to airline frequent flyer programs.
- Limited acceptance: American Express is not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard.
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Silver: American Express Cobalt
With outstanding earn rates in broadly-defined, popular spending categories like dining, groceries, and streaming services, the American Express Cobalt card is a travel rewards beast. Points are easy to redeem and incredibly flexible—and you can increase their value by transferring them to other travel loyalty programs. Plus, it includes a comprehensive insurance package.
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American Express Cobalt
Annual fee: $155.88 ($150 for Quebec residents)
Rewards: 1 to 5 points per dollar
- 5 points per $1 on dining and groceries
- 3 points per $1 on streaming services
- 2 points per $1 on transit and gas
- 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
Welcome offer: Earn 1,250 points for each month you spend $750, up to a maximum of 15,000 points.
Card details
| Interest rates | 21.99% on purchases and cash advances, 25.99% to 29.99% penalty APR on purchases and cash advances (rates are variable) |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
| Point value | 1 Amex Membership Rewards point = $0.01 when redeemed with the Flexible Points Travel Program, $0.015 on average with the Fixed Points Travel Program, and up to $0.02 with airline points transfers |
Pros and cons
Pros
- High earn rates: Get some of the highest rates around, including 5x points on food and drinks, 3x on streaming services, and 2x on gas, transit, and ridesharing. The base earn rate is a respectable 1 point per $1 spent.
- Flexible redemptions: Amex Membership Rewards points are pretty lucrative. Redeem the simple way at a flat rate of 10,000 points for $10 towards any travel expense, boost point values by using Amex’s Fixed Point chart, or transfer points to Aeroplan for the best value.
Cons
- Reward cap on food: This card has a $2,500 monthly cap on rewards for food and groceries.
- Limited acceptance: Although American Express can be used at tens of thousands of businesses across the country, it’s not as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard.
- High annual fee: The monthly fee comes to a total of ${_rh.creditCards.american-express-cobalt-card.subsequent_year_annual} per year—a bit more than the $120 charged by comparable cards in Canada.
- No trip cancellation coverage: While the card includes plenty of insurance, it lacks the trip interruption and cancellation coverage that you’ll find with many other premium cards.
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Bronze: MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
You’re sure to rack up points quickly with the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard. In addition to earning 5 MBNA Rewards points per $1 spent across five categories—restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership and household utility purchases—Canadian cardholders get an annual birthday bonus of 10% of the points earned in the last 12 months. Happy birthday to you!
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MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
Annual fee: $120
Rewards: 1 – 5 Points per dollar
- 5 points per $1 on eligible restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership and household utility purchases until $50,000 is spent annually in the applicable category
- 1 point for every $1 on all other eligible purchases
Welcome offer: earn 20,000 bonus points (approximately $165 in cash back value) after you make $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days. (Not available for residents of Quebec.)
Card details
| Interest rates | 19.99% on purchases, 22.99% on balance transfers and 24.99% on cash advances
Notice rate changes beginning in September of 2025: 21.99% on eligible purchases, 22.99% on balance transfers, and 22.99% on cash advances. |
| Income required | $80,000 per year |
| Credit score | 660 or higher |
| Point value | 1 MBNA Rewards point = $0.01 when redeemed for travel |
Pros and cons
Pros
- High earn rates: This World Elite Mastercard offers one of the highest rates of return, with a whopping 5 points per $1 spent across five spending categories.
- Annual birthday bonus: Every year, enjoy a bonus equal to 10% of the points earned within the last 12 months (up to a maximum of 15,000 points).
Cons
- Travel redemption option: If you want to redeem points for travel, your only option is to use the MBNA Rewards platform.
- High income requirement: As with other World Elite Mastercards, the minimum annual income needed to qualify is quite high at ${_rh.creditCards.mbna-rewards-world-elite.eligibility.income.personal} personal or ${_rh.creditCards.mbna-rewards-world-elite.eligibility.income.household} household.
How we determine the best cards
To select the best cards in this competitive category, we evaluated several key factors that are important when using a travel credit card. First, we considered the return on spending and weighed that against any annual fee. We also looked at travel-related perks and benefits, like insurance coverage and no foreign exchange fees. The addition of links from affiliate partners has no bearing on the results in this ranking. Read more about Jessica GibsonSource