Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard vs American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
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 bonus 10% cash back (up to $100) for purchases made in your first 2 months.10 Plus, get a promo rate on balances you transfer for a limited time. Conditions apply.
- During your first 30 days, transfer balance up to your credit limit and pay an interest rate of only 1.95% on the transferred balance for 6 months (22.95% after that). A Balance Transfer fee of 1% on the amount transferred will apply.11 Conditions apply.
- Offer expires November 30, 2026
New American Express® Aeroplan®* Cardmembers can earn up to 45,000 Aeroplan points:
- Earn 35,000 Aeroplan points after spending $7,500 in purchases on your Card within the first 6 months.
- Plus, earn an additional 10,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in month 13
- You could earn up to $1,550 in value within your first 13 months. When you combine the Welcome Bonus offer of up to $900 in value, your earn potential in accelerated and everyday spend earn rate categories with approximately $515 in value, and the $140 in value you get from exceptional benefits, you can earn up to $1,550 or more in value within your first 13 months. Terms and usage assumptions apply.
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.
$458
First-year value
$1,010
$283
Every year after
$345
Amex Aeroplan® is worth $552 more to you in year one.
It stays ahead after that, by $62 a year.
How the first year adds up
Annual rewards
$282.86
cash back a year
Welcome bonus
+ $100
first year only
Annual fee
− $0
no annual fee
Finly rebate
paid by FinlyWealth
First-year value
$457.86
Annual rewards
$465.12
24,480 points a year
Welcome bonus
+ $665
first year only
Annual fee
− $120
First-year value
$1,010.12
Where each card earns
A year of your spending at each card's own reward rates, most first.
2%Groceries
$85.14
2%Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Food & Dining, Fast Food
$84
2%Recurring Transactions
$48
0.5%All other purchases
$65.72
1.5xFood and drinks
6,300 pts
$119.7
2xAir Canada
480 pts
$9.12
1xAll other purchases
17,700 pts
$336.3
Fees, rates and eligibility
What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.
Annual fee
⁕ Notice: As of Jan 12, 2027, the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card annual fee will increase to $150. Annual fees charged on or after this date will reflect the new fee. The Additional Aeroplan®* Card annual fee will increase to $59. The Additional Aeroplan®* No Fee Card will be renamed to the Additional Aeroplan®* Companion Card and the annual fee will increase to $25. Learn more about new benefits.
Additional cards
Interest rates
Interest rates
Purchase:
20.95%1
Cash Advance:
22.95%1
Balance Transfer:
22.95%1
1 The annual interest rate on Purchases is 20.95% and Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers) is 22.95%. Rates are subject to change. If you don't make 2 consecutive monthly Minimum Payments, or at any time thereafter, an interest rate of 25.95% will apply to your Account on Purchases and 27.95% on Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers).
Purchase:
30% Annual2
Cash Advance:
30% Annual2
2 As a Charge Card, the balance must always be paid in full each month. 30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full. Payments must be received and processed by the date of the next monthly statement to avoid interest charges.
Recommended credit score
Recommended credit score
Income required
Income required
Min Personal Income:
$12,000
Min Household Income:
N/A
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
How each card earns
The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.
- 2% Money-Back Rewards on your choice of two categories from the 13 offered by Tangerine (Grocery, Restaurants, Gas, Entertainment, Furniture, Hotel-Motel, Drug Store, Reccurring Bill Payments, Home Improvement, Public Transportation and Parking and more). Change them up every 90 days to match your spending habits.
- Have your Money-Back Rewards deposited into a Tangerine Savings Account and get a third 2% Money-Back Category.
- 0.5% cashback on all other credit card purchases.
- Earn 2X the points on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada®* and Air Canada vacations®*
- Earn 1.5X the points on eligible Dining and Food Delivery purchases in Canada
- Earn 1X the points 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
Cash back: every dollar it earns counts as a dollar, so there's nothing to convert.
We count each point at 1.9¢ a point, what it's worth redeemed for Flights, its best value. Every dollar figure above uses that value.
Point redemption options
Point redemption options
Nothing to redeem: it pays cash back.
Most Optimal
Flights
1.9¢ / pointCar Rentals
0.9¢ / pointTravel
0.825¢ / pointMerchandise
0.75¢ / pointGift Cards
0.72¢ / point
Insurance and perks
What both cards include comes first in each list.
Insurance
Insurance
Extended Warranty
Up to a yearPurchase Protection
90 days
Extended Warranty
1 yearPurchase Protection
90 days, $1,000 per occurrenceBaggage Delay
$500 (Aggregated with Flight Delay)Car Rental Damage & Theft
$85K, up to 48 daysCommon Carrier Travel Accident Insurance
$500,000Hotel Burglary Insurance
$500Flight Delay
$500 (Aggregated with Baggage Delay)
Perks
Perks
No extra perks.
Status lift
Get 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for every $20,000 in eligible net purchases charged to your Card, up to 25,000 SQCFree first checked bag
Enjoy your first checked bag free (up to 23kg/50lb) for up to 9 people travelling on the same reservation on Air Canada®* flightsExtra points
Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brandsFree Extra Night at Hotels
Receive an extra night free for every 3 hotel nights redeemed with Aeroplan points
Amex Experiences™
From music and movies, to specially curated dining and online shopping opportunities, stay connected with all that we have to offer from the comfort of your own home
Our take
Why we like it
Why we like it
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.
This card comes with the free checked bag benefit, which can save hundreds on a single trip for you and your family, more than making up for the annual fee of the card. In addition, the card helps you reach the next Aeroplan Status faster with spending on the card. However, if you don't have a specific use for these two benefits, there are many better cards in terms of benefits and rewards.
Pros
Pros
- Customizable cashback
- Unique categories available
- High recurring transaction optimization
- High pharmacy purchase optimization
- Bonus category available
- No annual fee
- Expedited status upgrades
- Free first checked bags
- Free extra hotel night
- Instant decision. No credit impact.
Cons
Cons
- Basic insurance
- Low base earn rate
- Limited rewards
- Weaker insurance coverage
More comparisons
Other cards we've put each of these up against.

vs Amazon Rewards Mastercard

vs Amex Cobalt

vs Amex SimplyCash

vs Amex SimplyCash™ Preferred

vs BMO CashBack World Elite

vs CIBC Costco Mastercard

vs Neo Mastercard®

vs Rogers Red

vs Rogers Red World Elite

vs Scotia Momentum Visa

vs Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite +

vs Scotiabank Passport

vs Simplii Financial Visa Card

vs Tangerine World Mastercard

vs Amazon Rewards Mastercard

vs Amex Aeroplan Reserve

vs Amex Cobalt

vs Amex Gold

vs Amex Green

vs Amex Marriott Bonvoy

vs Amex Platinum

vs Amex SimplyCash

vs Amex SimplyCash™ Preferred

vs CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite

vs MBNA Rewards World Elite

vs Rogers Red World Elite

vs Scotia Amex Gold

vs Scotia Momentum Visa

vs Scotiabank Passport

vs TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite
Legal
General Terms:
Applicants must apply for the Card and must consent to a credit check. Accounts must be in Good Standing in order to receive Money-Back Rewards. See the Tangerine Money-Back Rewards Program Terms & Conditions for full details.
Balance Transfers are treated as Cash Advances and interest applies from the transaction date that appears on your monthly statement to the date you repay the balance in full. There is no interest-free grace period on Cash Advances or Balance Transfers.
Annual Interest Rates: The annual interest rate on Purchases is 20.95% and Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers) is 22.95%. Rates are subject to change. If you don't make 2 consecutive monthly Minimum Payments, or at any time thereafter, an interest rate of 25.95% will apply to your Account on Purchases and 27.95% on Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers).
Other Fees and Rates: These fees are charged on the day the transaction occurs (unless otherwise indicated): Cash Advance: $3.50 within Canada, $5 outside of Canada; Balance Transfer: 3% or minimum of $5 (unless reduced or waived) of the amount transferred when it is posted to your Account. Dishonoured Payment: $25; Rush Card: $25; Over-Limit: $25 (maximum one Over-Limit charge per monthly statement period); Past Statement Reprint: $5 per past statement. There is no charge for a reprint of your current monthly statement. Foreign Currency Conversion: When the converted transaction amount gets posted to your Account, we'll add a foreign currency conversion fee of 2.50% to the converted transaction amount.
See your Information Box in the application for full details or visit Tangerine.ca/CreditCardLegal. Rates and fees are subject to change.
Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers) do not earn Tangerine Money-Back Rewards. See the terms and conditions of the Tangerine Money-Back Rewards Program at Tangerine.ca/CreditCardLegal for full details on other items that do not earn Tangerine Money-Back Rewards.
5 Purchase Assurance and Extended Warranty: For most new purchases made anywhere in the world using your Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard®, you may receive a lifetime maximum of up to $60,000 for the following insurance coverage:
- Purchase Assurance to automatically cover loss, theft or damage on most new insured items for 90 days from the date of purchase
- Extended Warranty which may double the period of repair services to a maximum of one year
Insurance coverage is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (ABIC). ABIC, its subsidiaries, and affiliates carry on business in Canada under the name of Assurant®. ®Assurant is a registered trademark of Assurant, Inc. Coverage is subject to eligibility, limitations and exclusions. For details of the coverage, including definitions and benefits, refer to the Certificate of Insurance provided with the card.
Any of these offers may be changed or cancelled at any time without notice.
10 Rewards Promotional Offer:
The Tangerine 10% Limited-time Promotional Offer (the “Offer”) is only available to new Tangerine Credit Card Account holders who (i) apply for a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card (the “Account”) by November 30, 2026, (ii) activate their Account within 45 days of approval, and (iii) have up to a maximum of $1,000 in total Net Purchases posted to their Account within the 60-day period beginning on the date the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is activated. “Net Purchases” include purchases charged to the Account (less any refunds, returns or other similar credits) but do not include payments, Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers and Cash-Like Transactions), interest, fees, insurance premiums, adjustments or other charges. The Offer Bonus of 10% (up to $100) will be credited to the Primary Cardholder’s Account within 1–2 statement cycles after the 60-day promotional period provided the Account is open and in Good Standing at time of payout. Limit of one Offer per eligible Client. This Offer is non-transferable. Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended at any time. All other Account terms, including the Tangerine Money-Back Rewards program terms, remain unchanged and continue to apply. See the Tangerine Credit Card Cardholder Agreement for more details, including definitions of any capitalized terms.
11 Balance Transfer Promotional Offer at 1.95% for 6 months (1% Balance Transfer Fee)
A Promotional Rate of 1.95% will apply to any and all Balance Transfers made within 30 days of the Account opening, and will remain in effect for 6 Statement Periods from the date the last such Balance Transfer was posted to the Account (the “Promotional Rate Period”). To take advantage of this Promotional Offer, you must complete the Balance Transfer request within 30 days of Account approval. You must also activate your Card within 45 days of Account approval for the requested Balance Transfer to be processed, or the Balance Transfer will be automatically cancelled. Balance Transfers are treated as Cash Advances on your Card and do not have an interest-free grace period. Balance Transfers may not exceed the available credit on the Account. If the Balance Transfer exceeds the available credit, the Balance Transfer transaction will not be processed. A 1% Balance Transfer Fee will be charged on each Balance Transfer amount and will be immediately charged to your Credit Card. This Balance Transfer Fee is waived by Tangerine if you are a resident of the province of Quebec at the time you accept this offer. Interest does not accrue on the Balance Transfer Fee, however it is included in the Minimum Payment amount on your monthly statement. You must continue to make all of your monthly Minimum Payments by the Payment Due Dates shown on your monthly statements. If you still have an amount owing from your Balance Transfer when the Promotional Rate Period ends, the Cash Advance interest rate of 22.95% will apply to that amount. You must continue to make the Minimum Payments on your Account, regardless of whether the Balance Transfer has been processed to your Account. We don’t charge interest on new Purchases that appear on your statement for the first time if we receive full payment of the Balance on your statement (including payment of any Balance Transfers included in that Balance), by the Payment Due Date on your statement. This means you will pay interest on new purchases that appear on your statement for the first time unless we receive payment of your entire balance each month by the payment due date. For example, if you do a promotional (or non-promotional) balance transfer for $7,000 and spend $500 in new purchases during the same statement cycle, we must receive payment of the entire balance of $7,500 on or before your payment due date to avoid paying interest on your new purchases that month of $500. Balance Transfers may not be used to transfer money to or from another Tangerine Account. See the Tangerine Credit Card Cardholder Agreement for more information about how we apply payments to your Account.
◊ Changing Your 2% Money-Back Categories: At the time of Application, you will choose either two (2) or three (3) 2% Money-Back Categories (depending on your choice of Redemption Destinations as described above in Section 5 of the Tangerine Money-Back Rewards Program Terms and Conditions. If your online session ends early during the Application process and you did not have a chance to select your 2% Money-Back Categories, we will choose them on your behalf. Whether you choose your 2% Money-Back Categories or they are chosen for you, you can make one (1) 2% Money-Back Category change request at any time after the Credit Card Account opening. Any further 2% Money-Back Category change requests will take effect on the first billing date following a 90-day hold period after the previous 2% Money-Back Category change took effect. During the 90-day period, you may request a change to your 2% Money-Back Category selection at any time. However, the change will not take effect until this period has ended. If you request multiple changes to your 2% Money-Back Categories throughout this period, we will select the most recent change request as the request that is to be implemented. To review the history of changes to your Credit Card Account, log in at tangerine.ca and go to “Manage Rewards”.
Tangerine is not responsible for maintaining accuracy of content on this site. Please refer to Tangerine's site for the latest product details.
*Terms and conditions apply.
As a Charge Card, the balance must always be paid in full each month. 30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full. Payments must be received and processed by the date of the next monthly statement to avoid interest charges.
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.



