Scores are computed, not assigned. Each of the seven components is measured as a share of the best figure any card in that class actually publishes, at a reference spend of $2,500 a month. The full method is published, including the weights and the spending profile every card is measured against.
Two things to read carefully. A score only means something within its class, so an 85 here and an 85 there are not the same claim. And the strongest card on this page is not automatically the right card for you: the model does not know where American Express is accepted, or whether you will ever use a lounge.
Mid-tier travel cards
24 cards rankedAnnual fee between $1 and $299. The most crowded class in Canada, and the one where the spread between best and worst is widest.
| Card | Score | Net cost | Strongest on | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Bank World Elite MastercardNational Bank | 64.1 | $0 | net annual cost, travel insurance | Apply → |
| 2 | TD First Class Travel Visa InfiniteTD | 60.7 | $39 | net annual cost, travel insurance | Apply → |
| 3 | Scotiabank Gold American ExpressScotiabank | 56.7 | $120 | foreign transaction fee, earn value | Apply → |
| 4 | American Express Gold Rewards CardAmerican Express | 56.0 | $150 | redemption flexibility, welcome bonus | Apply → |
| 5 | Scotiabank Passport Visa InfiniteScotiabank | 53.2 | $150 | airport lounge access, foreign transaction fee | Apply → |
| 6 | American Express Cobalt CardAmerican Express | 50.2 | $192 | earn value, redemption flexibility | Apply → |
| 7 | BMO eclipse Visa InfiniteBMO | 45.9 | $70 | — | Apply → |
| 8 | RBC Avion Visa InfiniteRBC | 45.4 | $120 | redemption flexibility, travel insurance | Apply → |
| 9 | CIBC Aeroplan Visa InfiniteCIBC | 44.6 | $139 | redemption flexibility, travel insurance | |
| 10 | BMO Ascend World Elite MastercardBMO | 44.0 | $150 | travel insurance | Apply → |
| 11 | BMO VIPorter World Elite MastercardBMO | 44.0 | $199 | welcome bonus, travel insurance | Apply → |
| 12 | WestJet RBC World Elite MastercardRBC | 43.6 | $139 | travel insurance | Apply → |
| 13 | TD Aeroplan Visa InfiniteTD | 42.5 | $139 | redemption flexibility, travel insurance | Apply → |
| 14 | CIBC Aventura Visa InfiniteCIBC | 41.9 | $139 | travel insurance | |
| 15 | CIBC Aventura Gold VisaCIBC | 39.6 | $139 | — | |
| 16 | Tangerine Rewards World Elite MastercardTangerine | 37.3 | $120 | travel insurance | Apply → |
| 17 | BMO VIPorter MastercardBMO | 35.9 | $89 | — | Apply → |
| 18 | Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® – powered by NeoNeo Financial | 35.3 | $180 | redemption flexibility, welcome bonus | |
| 19 | RBC Avion Visa PlatinumRBC | 35.0 | $120 | redemption flexibility, welcome bonus | Apply → |
| 20 | Marriott Bonvoy American Express CardAmerican Express | 34.8 | $120 | redemption flexibility, welcome bonus | Apply → |
| 21 | American Express Aeroplan CardAmerican Express | 34.1 | $120 | redemption flexibility | Apply → |
| 22 | WestJet RBC MastercardRBC | 31.6 | $39 | net annual cost | Apply → |
| 23 | TD Aeroplan Visa PlatinumTD | 31.2 | $89 | redemption flexibility | Apply → |
| 24 | TD Platinum Travel VisaTD | 30.8 | $89 | — | Apply → |
Not ranked: United® MileagePlus® Neo World Elite® Mastercard®, MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard. We are missing a fact these cards cannot be scored without, so they are held out rather than given a number we cannot stand behind.
No-fee points cards
4 cards rankedNo annual fee, earning a loyalty currency rather than cash. Nothing here charges you anything, so the ranking is decided almost entirely on what the card earns. No card in this class competes on travel insurance or airport lounge access or foreign transaction fee, so that weight is spread across the remaining components.
| Card | Score | Net cost | Strongest on | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | More Rewards RBC Visa InfiniteRBC | 90.5 | $0 | earn value, net annual cost | |
| 2 | More Rewards RBC VisaRBC | 76.6 | $0 | net annual cost | |
| 3 | BMO eclipse rise VisaBMO | 69.4 | $0 | net annual cost, welcome bonus | Apply → |
| 4 | TD Rewards VisaTD | 66.4 | $0 | net annual cost, welcome bonus | Apply → |
Cash back cards
9 cards rankedCards whose return is cash rather than points, at any fee level. Filed here rather than under no-fee because someone shopping for cash back compares them to each other regardless of price.
| Card | Score | Net cost | Strongest on | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wealthsimple Visa Infinite PrivilegeWealthsimple | 66.5 | $240 | earn value, travel insurance | Apply → |
| 2 | Tangerine Money-Back World MastercardTangerine | 52.9 | $0 | net annual cost, welcome bonus | Apply → |
| 3 | Wealthsimple Visa InfiniteWealthsimple | 51.5 | $240 | earn value, foreign transaction fee | Apply → |
| 4 | Tangerine Money-Back Credit CardTangerine | 51.4 | $0 | net annual cost, welcome bonus | Apply → |
| 5 | Rogers Red World Elite MastercardRogers Bank | 51.0 | $0 | net annual cost, earn value | |
| 6 | CIBC Costco MastercardCIBC | 43.9 | $0 | net annual cost | |
| 7 | KOHO EverythingKOHO | 33.5 | $177 | foreign transaction fee | Apply → |
| 8 | KOHO ExtraKOHO | 30.9 | $144 | foreign transaction fee | Apply → |
| 9 | KOHO EssentialKOHO | 29.7 | $0 | net annual cost | Apply → |
Not ranked: Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite. We are missing a fact this card cannot be scored without, so it is held out rather than given a number we cannot stand behind.
Business travel cards
11 cards rankedIssued to a business and sold on travel benefits: a loyalty currency, lounge access, a waived FX fee, or insurance.
| Card | Score | Net cost | Strongest on | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Business CardScotiabank | 73.4 | $199 | airport lounge access, foreign transaction fee | Apply → |
| 2 | American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve CardAmerican Express | 70.5 | $599 | airport lounge access, redemption flexibility | Apply → |
| 3 | TD Aeroplan Visa Business CardTD | 67.2 | $149 | redemption flexibility, net annual cost | |
| 4 | American Express Business Platinum CardAmerican Express | 66.7 | $799 | welcome bonus, airport lounge access | Apply → |
| 5 | TD Business Travel Visa CardTD | 64.4 | $149 | net annual cost, travel insurance | |
| 6 | American Express Business Edge CardAmerican Express | 61.9 | $89 | earn value, net annual cost | |
| 7 | WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for BusinessRBC | 61.1 | $175 | travel insurance, net annual cost | |
| 8 | CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business PlusCIBC | 58.8 | $139 | redemption flexibility, net annual cost | |
| 9 | Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express CardAmerican Express | 53.1 | $150 | redemption flexibility, net annual cost | Apply → |
| 10 | American Express Business Gold Rewards CardAmerican Express | 52.1 | $199 | redemption flexibility, net annual cost | Apply → |
| 11 | RBC Avion Visa Business CardRBC | 49.8 | $120 | redemption flexibility, net annual cost |
Not ranked: BMO Rewards Business Mastercard. We are missing a fact this card cannot be scored without, so it is held out rather than given a number we cannot stand behind.
Business cash back cards
not rankedIssued to a business and sold on return rate rather than travel perks.
We cover 1 card in this class: Scotia Momentum for Business Visa. That is below the 4 needed for a ranking to mean anything, because every component is scored as a share of the best in class and a class this small would take full marks on almost everything by construction. How we score cards