Ranked by real-world annual value — groceries, gas, dining, and flat-rate options. Find your highest-earning card.
Ranked by real annual cashback value for the average Canadian household. All calculations use $800/mo groceries, $200 gas, $300 dining, $600 other.
Canada's highest grocery cashback rate — 5% at grocery stores.
The 5% grocery rate is the highest in Canada. The $120 annual fee is offset quickly — just $2,400 in grocery spending annually breaks even. For families spending $800+/month on groceries, this card earns $480+/year on groceries alone. Cap: 5% applies on first $500/month in groceries.
View BMO CashBack →4% on groceries with no monthly cap — best for high grocery spenders.
Unlike BMO's 5% (capped at $500/mo), CIBC's 4% has no monthly cap. For families spending $1,000+/month on groceries, CIBC overtakes BMO. Also earns 2% on dining — making it great for restaurant spenders too.
View CIBC Dividend →4% on groceries AND recurring bills — great for subscription households.
The "recurring bills" category is unique — Netflix, Spotify, gym memberships, and insurance all earn 4%. For tech-heavy households with many subscriptions, this can add hundreds in annual cashback beyond groceries.
View Scotiabank Momentum →2% on 2–3 categories of your choice — zero annual fee.
The best cashback card with no annual fee. Pick groceries, dining, and gas for 2% on all three — with no fees, any cashback is pure profit. Great for lower spenders where premium card fees eat into returns.
View Tangerine Card →2% cash back on everything — no categories to track.
Perfect for spenders who don't want to think about categories. 2% on everything means high earners on categories like travel, electronics, and services that other cards only give 1% on. Note: Amex not accepted everywhere.
View SimplyCash Pref. →1.5% on all purchases — plus 3% on Rogers/Fido purchases. No annual fee.
The Rogers card is a strong option for Rogers/Fido customers (3% back on their bills) and US online shoppers (no FX fees). The 1.5% flat rate on everything is the highest no-fee flat rate in Canada.
View Rogers Red →5× points on dining and entertainment — excellent for frequent restaurant goers.
For urban Canadians who eat out frequently, MBNA's 5× on dining is exceptional — especially with no annual fee on the standard version. Points can be redeemed for statement credits (effectively cashback).
View MBNA Rewards →No fee everyday banking
Set up direct deposit and skip the monthly fee. Free to open, and the Easy plan has no monthly fee. Worth doing if you will actually move your pay or your CRA deposits over, not if the card sits unused. Code BREMO2026.
Use a cashback credit card for purchases that earn bonus points, then use your KOHO account for everything else. KOHO earns 3.00% interest on your balance (vs 00% at big banks) and 00.5% cashback on the free plan. The combination maximizes your total annual return:
| Card | Annual Fee | Grocery Rate | Gas Rate | Dining Rate | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO CashBack World Elite | $120 | 5% (cap $500/mo) | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% (no cap) | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| Scotiabank Momentum Visa Inf. | $120 | 4% + recurring | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Tangerine Money-Back | $00 | 2% (if chosen) | 2% (if chosen) | 2% (if chosen) | 00.5% |
| Amex SimplyCash Preferred | $120 | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Rogers Red World Elite | $00 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus | $00 | 2× | 1× | 5× | 1× |
Use BMO at grocery stores (5%), Rogers Red for US online shopping (no FX), and Tangerine for any remaining categories. Stacking maximizes each spending type.
Cashback rates of 1–5% are instantly negated by 200–29% interest rates. Always pay your full statement balance monthly — cashback only makes sense when you pay in full.
Many cards offer 5–100% back for the first 3–6 months. Apply for a new card when you have a big purchase coming (furniture, appliances, travel) to maximize the welcome bonus.
A card earning $480/year with a $120 fee nets $360. A no-fee card earning $300/year nets $300. Always calculate net value, not gross cashback, when comparing cards.