Simplii Financial™ Cash Back Visa* 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 20% cashback† for your first 3 months on up to $500 spend on eligible gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and pre-authorized payments.
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.
$488
First-year value
$350
$346
Every year after
$350
Simplii Financial Visa Card is worth $138 more to you in year one.
From year two, CIBC Costco Mastercard pulls ahead by $4 a year.
How the first year adds up
Annual rewards
$345.68
cash back a year
Welcome bonus
+ $92.5
first year only
Annual fee
− $0
no annual fee
Finly rebate
paid by FinlyWealth
First-year value
$488.18
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.
4%Food and drinks
$168
1.5%Gas, Pharmacy, Groceries, Recurring Transactions
$123.18
0.5%All other purchases
$54.5
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:
20.99%1
Cash Advance:
22.99%1
Balance Transfer:
22.99%1
1 “Purchase” means any Transaction other than a Cash Advance, Balance Transfer or Convenience Cheque. “Cash” means a Cash Advance, Balance Transfer and Convenience Cheque. Interest rates may change from time to time.
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:
$15,000
Min Personal Income:
$15,000
Min Household Income:
N/A
How each card earns
The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.
- 4% cash back on eligible restaurant, bar, and coffee shop purchases up to $5,000 spent per year†
- 1.5% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstore, and pre-authorized payments up to $15,000 spent per year†
- 0.5% cashback on all other 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
Insurance and perks
What both cards include comes first in each list.
Insurance
Insurance
Extended Warranty
Up to 1 year
Purchase Protection
Up to 90 days
Extended Warranty
Up to a yearPurchase Protection
Up to 90 days
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,000
Our take
Why we like it
Why we like it
If you dine out a lot and don't want to pay an annual fee for your credit card, the Simplii Financial™ Cash Back Visa* Card will undoubtedly be one of your best friends with its 4% cashback. Additionally, the card offers a decent cashback rate (1.5%) for gas, pharmacy, and groceries, making it one of the best no-annual-fee cashback credit cards in Canada. However, there are limits on how much you can earn in these categories. Therefore, you need to be careful not to exceed those limits; otherwise, your cashback rate will drop to 0.5% after those spending limits are reached.
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
- High restaurant optimization
- Decent cashback rates
- No annual fee
- Decent overall reward rates
- High dining optimization
- Mobile device insurance
Cons
Cons
- Basic insurance
- No benefits
- Capped rewards
- Limited benefits
- No Costco warehouse optimization
More comparisons
Other cards we've put each of these up against.
vs Amazon Rewards Mastercard
vs Amex Cobalt
vs Amex Green
vs Amex SimplyCash
vs Amex SimplyCash™ Preferred
vs BMO CashBack World Elite
vs CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite
vs MBNA Rewards World Elite
vs PC World Elite Mastercard
vs RBC ION+ Visa
vs Rogers Red
vs Rogers Red World Elite
vs Scotia Momentum Visa
vs Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite +
vs Tangerine Money-Back
vs Amazon Rewards Mastercard
vs Amex Cobalt
vs Amex Green
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 Tangerine Money-Back
Legal
†This offer applies to the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa* Card. You can qualify for this offer if you apply and are approved for a new eligible card beginning February 2, 2026.
This 20% cash back offer (applies an incremental 18.5% cashback to the 1.5% cash back already awarded) on eligible gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and pre-authorized payments and is available to new cardholders who apply and are approved for the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa* Card beginning February 2, 2026. The 18.5% incremental cash back applies on eligible gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and pre-authorized payments made during your first 3 monthly statement periods beginning from your account open date or $500 in total gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and recurring transactions (up to $92.50 bonus cash back), whichever comes first. This offer will not result in any changes to the 1.5% cash back already earned on eligible gas, groceries, drugstore purchases and pre-authorized payments and those purchases will be included within the $15,000 annual spend limit that earns 1.5% cash back.
This offer may be withdrawn or changed without prior notice at any time. Simplii Financial may, in its sole discretion, disqualify, limit or revoke this offer if you are believed to be abusing or manipulating it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity. Simplii Financial may approve your application, but you are not eligible to receive this offer if you have opened or cancelled a Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card within the last 12 months.
*“Purchase” means any Transaction other than a Cash Advance, Balance Transfer or Convenience Cheque. “Cash” means a Cash Advance, Balance Transfer and Convenience Cheque. Interest rates may change from time to time.
Simplii Financial is not responsible for maintaining the accuracy of content of this website. Please refer to Simplii Financial's official page for the latest information.
