Neo Mastercard® vs CIBC Costco Mastercard: Which one is better?

Neo Mastercard®
2.7

CIBC Costco Mastercard
2.8
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Our Cash Offer
$50 Cash Rebate offer from FinlyWealth
Our Cash Offer
N/A
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$181.33
First Year Bonus Value
+
$0
Annual Fee
-
$0
Finly Rebate
+
$50Exclusive Offer
First Year Value
$231.33
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
While the first year bonus value here may show $0, the actual welcome bonus offer for this credit card is , which we value at $NaN when you meet the minimum spending or other listed requirements. The value of $0 here was derived based on numbers in the spending inputs and whether you meet the minimum listed requirements.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$347.33
First Year Bonus Value
+
$0
Annual Fee
-
$0
First Year Value
$347.33
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
While the first year bonus value here may show $0, the actual welcome bonus offer for this credit card is , which we value at $NaN when you meet the minimum spending or other listed requirements. The value of $0 here was derived based on numbers in the spending inputs and whether you meet the minimum listed requirements.
How to Earn Rewards
- 1% cash back on grocery purchases up to $500 spending per month (3% cash back with $5k in a Neo everyday account, and 4% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to the 0.5-1% cash back tier after hitting spend cap
- 1% cash back on gas purchases up to $500 spending per month (3% cash back with $5k in a Neo everyday account, and 4% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to the 0.5-1% cash back tier after hitting spend cap
- 0% cash back on all other purchases with $0 in a Neo everyday account, or 0.5% cash back with $5k in a Neo everyday account up to $1,667 spending per month, or 1% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account up to $1,667 spending per month - drops to 0% cash back again after hitting spend cap
- +5% earned on average at Neo Partners.
Note: our reward calculations use the base cash back rates assuming you do not hold any money in a Neo everyday account to earn the higher tier (boosted) cash back rates, otherwise the reward estimates may be higher.
How to Earn Rewards
- 3% cash back on Restaurants
- 3% cash back on Costco Gas stations and 2% cash back on non-Costco Gas up to a combined maximum of $5,000 in spending (max $150 cashback per year)
- 2% cash back on Costco.ca purchases up to $8,000 in spending (max $160 cashback per year)
- 1% on everything else
Insurance Included
Balance Protection
optional add on
Insurance Included
Mobile Device Insurance
$1000Extended Warranty
Up to a yearPurchase Protection
Up to 90 days
Extra Benefits
Neo Premium ($4.99/month)
Neo Travel Benefits ($4.99/month)
Neo Food Cashback boost ($1.99/month)
Neo Mind and Body Perks ($9.99/month)
Extra Benefits
N/A
Interest Rates
Purchase:
19.99% - 29.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99% - 31.99%
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.75%
Cash Advance:
22.49%
Balance Transfer:
22.49%
Annual Fee
$0
Annual Fee
$0
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$15,000
Min Household Income:
N/A
Is this card worth it?
The Neo Credit Card is special because it earns rewards based on whether the merchant is a partner or not. Most of the time, the cashback earned at these partners is the highest possible compared to all other credit cards. However, we don't recommend using this card as your main credit card and suggest using it only at partner merchants. This is because the rewards at non-partner merchants are very small, and most merchants are not partnered with Neo.
Is this card worth it?
The CIBC Costco Mastercard offers one of the highest cashback rates on restaurant purchases in Canada, making it an excellent choice for optimizing rewards in this specific category, especially since it has no annual fees. If you use Costco Gas or shop on Costco Online, there is a decent cashback rate as well. However, for other categories, the cashback rate is average. Notably, you will be better off using other credit cards for warehouse Costco purchases, as you will only earn 1% cashback. If you are looking for no annual fee credit cards only, this is a good card to go for.
Pros
- High cash back on grocery and gas if you're willing to hold at least $5k in a Neo everyday account
- Unique cashback program which earns cashback based on partner instead of purchase category.
- Massive cashback at some partners that any other credit card couldn't beat.
- Unique benefit system where perks could be bought with a monthly fee and cancelled after use.
Pros
- Decent reward rate for a no annual fee credit card
- One of the highest cashback rates for restaurant purchases in Canada
- Has Mobile insurance
Cons
- Base Cash back is very low when you do not hold any money in a Neo everyday account
- No built-in purchase protection and extended warranty benefit.
Cons
- Doesn't come with a lot of benefits
- Doesn't earn much on Costco Warehouse purchases!


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