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Published Sep 24, 2025 8:29 PM UTC • 5 min read
By putting your purchases on your credit card, you can get a massive return on your spending, so if you're doing that, it's better to use one of the best rewards credit cards to get the highest value possible.
Data-driven rankings of 120+ credit cards using a proprietary algorithm
Comprehensive analysis using 25+ data points including terms and conditions, points programs, and more
Objective editorial approach - we strive for unbiased reviews following our editorial guidelines
FinlyWealth's credit cards content, including rankings and recommendations, is overseen by a team of engineers and writers who specialize in credit cards, banking, and personal finance. Our work has been featured in The Globe and Mail, GoBankingRates, and AOL. Our proprietary analysis systems evaluate product features, terms, and conditions to deliver comprehensive reviews and comparisons while maintaining strict editorial standards for accuracy and integrity.
Our choice for: Best Overall Rewards Credit Card
on MBNA's website
Welcome Bonus
Up to 30,000 points ($245 in cash back value or $300 when redeemed for MBNA Travel)††
Rewards Rate
1x - 5x Points
Points
Annual Fee
$120
Interest Rates
19.99%* / 24.99%*
The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is one of the best reward credit cards in Canada, offering high rewards on frequently spent categories such as groceries and restaurant purchases. The annual birthday bonus, unique to this card, also provides a significant boost to your yearly earnings. Additionally, the card features a comprehensive list of benefits, including price protection—a rare and valuable perk not found with many other cards in Canada. These factors make this card one of the best to have in Canada.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Mobile Device Insurance
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Flight Delay
Travel Accident
Emergency Medical Term
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Baggage Delay
Benefits
Details
Annual Birthday Bonus
Car Rental Discount
Trip and legal Assistance
Concierge Services
Price Protection
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our choice for: Best for Travelers
on American Express' website
Welcome Bonus
Up to 15,000 Membership Rewards® points
Rewards Rate
1x - 5x points
Points
Annual Fee
$155.88⁕
$12.99 Paid Monthly
⁕ For Quebec, $150/year
⁕ IMPORTANT NOTICE: Effective November 5, 2025, the monthly fee for non-Quebec residents will increase to $15.99 per month ($191.88 annually), and the annual fee for Quebec residents will increase to $191.88 per year.
Interest Rates
21.99%* / 21.99%*
This card was voted one of the Best Credit Card in Canada by FinlyWealth. The rewards earned on this card for a person with average spending exceed those of other credit cards in Canada by a huge margin! In addition, this card has a good benefits coverage, a flexible amex cobalt bonus points redemption program (1:1 transfer to Aeroplan® or Avios), making it the best candidate to become the main credit card for the majority of people.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Emergency Medical Term
Flight Delay
Baggage Delay
Hotel Burglary Insurance
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Travel Accident
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Mobile Device Insurance
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Benefits
Details
Amex Experiences™
Travel Credit
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our choice for: Rogers, Shaw, or Fido Customers
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Annual Fee
$0
Interest Rates
20.99% - 25.99%* / 22.99% - 27.99%*
This card is one of our top-ranked options in terms of rewards, especially if you are a Rogers, Fido, or Shaw customer. With those services, you can effectively get a 3% cashback rate, which is a higher rate than almost any other card offers, even those with annual fees! If you have a high income of $80K or a household income of $150K, you can apply for the World Elite version of this card, which comes with additional insurance and benefits like a lounge pass.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Benefits
Details
No Cost roaming
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our choice for: Best Overall Cashback Credit Card
on Neo Financial's website
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Annual Fee
$125
Interest Rates
19.99% - 26.99%□ / 22.99% - 28.99%
This card offers one of the highest cash back rates in Canada for gas (up to 4%), grocery (up to 7%) and recurring purchases (up to 5%) which is pretty hard to beat. While the cash back rates are very high, you need to mind the spend caps set for each category to see if your earning potential is really that high compared to most other credit cards. However, for a typical person who's spending is generally below $12k per year in grocery, $6k per year in recurring bills and $12k per year in gas then you'll be doing pretty well, especially with the great insurance and benefit offers as outlined in our neo world elite mastercard review below.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Emergency Medical Term
Trip Cancellation
Trip Interruption
Flight Delay
Baggage Delay
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Hotel Burglary Insurance
Car Rental Accident
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Car Rental Personal Effects
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Benefits
Details
Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our choice for: Best No Annual Fee Points Card
on American Express' website
Welcome Bonus
Up to 10,000 points ($210 value)
Rewards Rate
1x point
Points
Annual Fee
$0
Interest Rates
21.99%* / 21.99%*
The American Express® Green Card is a great option for those looking for a no-frills card that earns rewards on all purchases without any annual fee or minimum income requirement. It's an accessible card with no cap on rewards, making it ideal for those who want to earn points without the higher costs and complexities of premium cards. However, it does come with lower rewards earnings across most categories and a modest welcome bonus.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Benefits
Details
Amex Experiences™
Extra points
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our choice for: Low Annual Fee Points Card
on RBC's website
Welcome Bonus
Get up to 21,000 Avion points^. Apply by November 25, 2025.
Rewards Rate
1x - 3x Points
Points
Annual Fee
$48
Interest Rates
20.99% / 22.99%□
This card is not by any means one of our favorite cards. For an annual fee it offers almost no notable benefits, with many no annual fee credit cards offering much more. The points earned are fine, but given the inflexibility of ION Avion points, it's very hard to get good value for the points earned, and it's much easier to earn more and do the same with some other credit card reward programs.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Mobile Device Insurance
Benefits
Details
Gas Discount
Extra points
Extra points
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our choice for: No Annual Fee Cashback Card
on Tangerine's website
Welcome Bonus
10% Cash Back (up to $100 value) + 1.95% balance transfer promo rate for 6 months
Annual Fee
$0
Interest Rates
20.95%* / 22.95%*
While we think Tangerine isn't the best single credit card to own, it's still a valuable card to have in your arsenal for maximizing your rewards. It offers one of the highest cashback rates for pharmacy and recurring bill payments, areas where your other credit cards might not provide significant rewards. This card only requires a Fair credit score, making it an excellent choice for people who don't have a high credit score yet.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
When deciding which cards earned the top spots for rewards, three factors were considered. First, the reward rate on purchases across different categories was evaluated. Second, we looked at whether these categories were popular spending areas, such as groceries, restaurants, and similar everyday expenses. Finally, the annual fee was deducted from the total rewards to ensure a fair comparison between cards with no annual fee and those that have one.
Since FinlyWealth's credit card compare tool already factors in all these considerations, most of the selected cards are top recommendations from that tool.
About the author
Kevin Shahnazari
Credit Card Expert
Kevin started FinlyWealth and juggles a bit of everything—digging into data, running our marketing, and keeping the finances on track. Before this, he spent years as a data scientist at tech companies...
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Abid Salahi
Credit Card Expert
Abid leads the design and engineering of the FinlyWealth website, making sure everything runs smoothly and looks great. He’s a seasoned software engineer who follows best practices and designs interfa...
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Sara Skodak
Lead Writer
Since graduating from the University of Western Ontario, Sara has built a diverse writing portfolio, covering topics in the travel, business, and wellness sectors. As a self-started freelance content ...
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