American Express® Green Card vs CIBC Costco Mastercard
Which one is better? Both cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.
Welcome bonus
Each offer as the issuer words it. The numbers below show whether your spending reaches it.
The offer
The offer
Earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 points when you charge $1,000 in purchases to your Card in the first 3 months.
No welcome bonus right now.
What each card is worth
Rewards, the welcome bonus and any Finly rebate in, the annual fee and FX fees out, all on your spending.
Worked out on a typical $2,000 a month of spending. Enter yours to see your own numbers.
$611
First-year value
$350
$421
Every year after
$350
Amex Green is worth $261 more to you in year one.
It stays ahead after that, by $71 a year.
How the first year adds up
Annual rewards
$420.66
22,140 points a year
Welcome bonus
+ $190
first year only
Annual fee
− $0
no annual fee
First-year value
$610.66
Annual rewards
$349.91
cash back a year
Welcome bonus
+ $0
no welcome offer
Annual fee
− $0
no annual fee
First-year value
$349.91
Where each card earns
A year of your spending at each card's own reward rates, most first.
1xAll other purchases
22,140 pts
$420.66
3%Food and drinks
$126
2%Gas
$39.74
3%CostcoGas
$5.18
2%COSTCOonline
$5.16
1%All other purchases
$173.82
Fees, rates and eligibility
What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.
Annual fee
Additional cards
Interest rates
Interest rates
Purchase:
21.99%1
Cash Advance:
21.99%1
1 If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.
Purchase:
20.75%
Cash Advance:
22.49%
Balance Transfer:
22.49%
Recommended credit score
Recommended credit score
Income required
Income required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Min Personal Income:
$15,000
Min Household Income:
N/A
How each card earns
The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.
- 1x point per $1 spent on all purchases
- 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
Points and how we value them
Points become dollars at each card's best redemption. Here's the value we used, and every other way to spend them.
Loyalty program
Loyalty program
We count each point at 1.9¢ a point, what it's worth redeemed for Transfer to Airline Partners, its best value. Every dollar figure above uses that value.
Cash back: every dollar it earns counts as a dollar, so there's nothing to convert.
Point redemption options
Point redemption options
Most Optimal
Transfer to Airline Partners
1.9¢ / point
Fixed Point Travel Program
1.16¢ / point
Transfer to Hotel Partners
1.08¢ / point.svg)
Flexible Points Travel Program
1¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
1¢ / point
Gift Cards
0.91¢ / point
Amazon.ca
0.7¢ / point
Merchandise
0.63¢ / point
Nothing to redeem: it pays cash back.
Insurance and perks
What both cards include comes first in each list.
Insurance
Insurance
Extended Warranty
Up to a year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Extended Warranty
Up to a yearPurchase Protection
Up to 90 days
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,000
Perks
Perks
Extra points
2 points on Amex Travel Online purchases
Amex Experiences™
With Amex Experiences™ and Front Of The Line® Amex Presale Tickets, American Express Cardmembers get access to amazing events in Canada
No extra perks.
Our take
Why we like it
Why we like it
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.
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
Pros
- No spending limits
- Flexible redemption options
- VIP perks
- Eco-friendly plastic
- Instant decision. No credit impact.
- Decent overall reward rates
- High dining optimization
- Mobile device insurance
Cons
Cons
- Lower reward rates
- Limited travel perks
- Limited acceptance
- Limited benefits
- No Costco warehouse optimization
More comparisons
Other cards we've put each of these up against.
vs Amazon Rewards Mastercard
vs Amex Aeroplan Reserve
vs Amex Aeroplan®
vs Amex Cobalt
vs Amex Gold
vs Amex Marriott Bonvoy
vs Amex Platinum
vs Amex SimplyCash
vs Amex SimplyCash™ Preferred
vs BMO CashBack World Elite
vs MBNA Rewards World Elite
vs PC World Elite Mastercard
vs Rogers Red World Elite
vs Scotia Amex Gold
vs Scotia Momentum Visa
vs Scotiabank Passport
vs Simplii Financial Visa Card
vs Amazon Rewards Mastercard
vs Amex Cobalt
vs Amex SimplyCash
vs Amex SimplyCash™ Preferred
vs BMO CashBack World Elite
vs CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite
vs PC World Elite Mastercard
vs RBC ION+ Visa
vs Rogers Red
vs Rogers Red World Elite
vs Scotia Amex Gold
vs Scotia Momentum Visa
vs Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite +
vs Simplii Financial Visa Card
vs Tangerine Money-Back
Legal
*Terms and conditions apply.
If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.
