Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards in Canada
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No annual fee credit cards let you earn rewards without paying a yearly cost. While they typically offer lower earn rates than premium cards, the best no-fee cards can still provide excellent value, especially if your spending is moderate. Here are the top no-fee cards available in Canada.
Top 33 Cards
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
MastercardTangerine · No annual fee
Earn 10% cashback on purchases
Pros
- +No annual fee ever
- +Choose your own 2% cashback categories
- +Simple and flexible rewards structure
Cons
- –Only 0.50% on non-category spending
- –Mastercard network (fewer airport lounges)
Wealthsimple Visa Infinite Card
VisaWealthsimple · No annual fee
5% cashback for 30 days
Pros
- +2% flat cashback on everything is best-in-class
- +No foreign transaction fees
- +No annual fee for qualifying clients
Cons
- –Need $100K+ assets or direct deposit to waive monthly fee
- –Visa Infinite requires $60K personal or $100K household income
BMO CashBack Mastercard
MastercardBMO · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Excellent 3% rate on groceries
- +Good for building credit
Cons
- –Only 0.5% on general purchases
- –No travel benefits
Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card
VisaSimplii Financial · No annual fee
Earn 10% cashback for 4 months
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Excellent 4% on dining
- +Good grocery and gas earn rate
Cons
- –Low base earn rate
- –Must have a Simplii account
Home Trust Preferred Visa Card
VisaHome Trust · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +No foreign transaction fees (saves 2.5%)
- +Flat 1% cashback on everything
Cons
- –Only 1% base cashback
- –No bonus categories
Neo Financial Mastercard
MastercardNeo Financial · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +High cashback at partner stores
- +Guaranteed approval (secured option)
Cons
- –Low earn rate outside partner network
- –Partner network still growing
BMO SPC CashBack Mastercard
MastercardBMO · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Free SPC student discount membership
- +3% cashback on groceries
Cons
- –Low base earn rate
- –Limited perks beyond SPC
CIBC Costco Mastercard
MastercardCIBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Great earn rates across categories
- +3% on gas and dining
Cons
- –Requires Costco membership
- –Cashback paid as annual certificate
MBNA True Line Mastercard
MastercardMBNA · No annual fee
0% intro rate on balance transfers
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Low regular interest rate of 12.99%
- +Balance transfer promotional offers
Cons
- –No rewards or cashback
- –No travel perks
Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard
MastercardRogers Bank · No annual fee
Earn 3% cashback for the first 6 months
Pros
- +No annual fee with World Elite benefits
- +Flat 1.5% cashback on everything
- +Effective 0.5% gain on foreign purchases
Cons
- –$80,000 household income requirement
- –Cashback redeemed against Rogers bills ideally
TD Rewards Visa Card
VisaTD · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Simple 1x earn everywhere
- +Good starting point for TD product-switching
Cons
- –Only 1x earn rate
- –Points value is modest
Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card
VisaScotiabank · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +5x at Cineplex theatres
- +Scene+ redeemable at Sobeys/FreshCo
Cons
- –Only 1x earn rate on most purchases
- –Low point value
Triangle World Elite Mastercard
MastercardCanadian Tire · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee with World Elite benefits
- +4% at Canadian Tire family stores
- +Good gas earn at Petro-Canada/Gas+
Cons
- –CT Money has limited redemption (Canadian Tire stores)
- –$80,000 household income for WE tier
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
MastercardPC Financial · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +High earn rate at Shoppers Drug Mart
- +Great for Loblaws/No Frills shoppers
Cons
- –Points only redeemable at Loblaw stores
- –$80,000 household income requirement
WestJet RBC Mastercard
MastercardRBC · No annual fee
Earn up to 250 WestJet dollars
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +1% back in WestJet dollars
- +Access to member-exclusive WestJet fares
Cons
- –Lower earn rate than World Elite version
- –No companion voucher
RBC ION+ Visa Card
VisaRBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Automatic cashback redemption
- +No minimum redemption threshold
Cons
- –Only 1% earn rate on everything
- –No bonus categories
RBC Cash Back Mastercard
MastercardRBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +2% on groceries is competitive for a free card
- +Mastercard acceptance everywhere
Cons
- –Only 0.5% on non-grocery spending
- –No travel insurance
RBC Rewards+ Visa Card
VisaRBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +RBC Rewards points ecosystem
- +Available to students and newcomers
Cons
- –Low earn rate
- –Points less flexible than cashback
American Express Aeroplan Card
AmexAmerican Express · No annual fee
Earn 10,000 Aeroplan points
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Earn Aeroplan points for free
- +Priority boarding benefit
Cons
- –Low earn rate (1x everywhere)
- –Amex acceptance limitations
SimplyCash Card from American Express
AmexAmerican Express · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Higher flat rate than most free cards (1.25%)
- +No earning caps
Cons
- –Amex acceptance limitations
- –No bonus categories
BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
MastercardBMO · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Earn AIR MILES for free
- +Mastercard universal acceptance
Cons
- –Low earn rate (1 Mile per $25)
- –AIR MILES devaluation concerns
Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card
VisaScotiabank · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Decent grocery and bills earn rate
- +Visa acceptance everywhere
Cons
- –Low base cashback rate (0.5%)
- –No travel insurance
Desjardins Cash Back Visa Card
VisaDesjardins · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Visa acceptance
- +Good option for Quebec residents
Cons
- –Lower earn rate than competitors
- –Primarily marketed in Quebec
National Bank Syncro Mastercard
MastercardNational Bank · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Simple 1% flat cashback
- +Auto-redemption as statement credit
Cons
- –Only 1% earn rate
- –No bonus categories
PC Financial Mastercard
MastercardPC Financial · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Strong earn rate at Loblaws/Shoppers Drug Mart
- +Integrates with PC Optimum program
Cons
- –Points only for Loblaws/Shoppers redemption
- –Low earn rate outside PC stores
CIBC Dividend Visa Card
VisaCIBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +1% on groceries and gas
- +Visa acceptance
Cons
- –Only 0.5% on other spending
- –Lower tier than Dividend Infinite
TD Cash Back Visa Card
VisaTD · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +1% on groceries and gas
- +TD banking integration
Cons
- –Only 0.5% on other spending
- –Outperformed by Tangerine Money-Back
Scotiabank American Express Card
AmexScotiabank · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Earn Scene+ points for movies and travel
- +Good Amex entry card
Cons
- –Amex acceptance limitations
- –Low base earn rate
Brim Financial Mastercard
MastercardBrim Financial · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee AND no FX fees is rare
- +1% cashback on everything
- +Mastercard acceptance including Costco
Cons
- –Only 1% earn rate
- –Smaller issuer (less branch support)
Canadian Tire Mastercard
MastercardCanadian Tire · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +4% back at Canadian Tire and gas bars
- +Good for CT, SportChek, Marks shoppers
Cons
- –Low earn rate outside CT family
- –CT Money only for Canadian Tire stores
RBC HSBC Mastercard
MastercardRBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee
- +Easy transition for former HSBC customers
- +Mastercard acceptance
Cons
- –Very low earn rate (0.5%)
- –Better free cards available
RBC Avion Visa Platinum
VisaRBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee Avion card
- +Access to RBC Avion ecosystem
- +Visa acceptance everywhere
Cons
- –Lower earn rate than Infinite tier
- –Limited travel insurance
CIBC Aventura Visa Card
VisaCIBC · No annual fee
Pros
- +No annual fee travel card
- +Aventura points for flexible travel
- +Visa universal acceptance
Cons
- –Low earn rate without annual fee
- –Aventura less valuable than Aeroplan
Quick Comparison
| Card | Annual Fee | Network | Groceries | Gas | Dining | Travel | Welcome Bonus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card | No annual fee | mastercard | 2x | 2x | 2x | 0.5x | Earn 10% cashback on purchases | Apply |
| Wealthsimple Visa Infinite Card | No annual fee | visa | 2x | 2x | 2x | 2x | 5% cashback for 30 days | Apply |
| BMO CashBack Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 3x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1.5x | 1.5x | 4x | 0.5x | Earn 10% cashback for 4 months | Apply |
| Home Trust Preferred Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| Neo Financial Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1x | 1x | 1x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| BMO SPC CashBack Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 3x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| CIBC Costco Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 2x | 3x | 3x | 2x | — | Apply |
| MBNA True Line Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | —x | —x | —x | —x | 0% intro rate on balance transfers | Apply |
| Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1.5x | 1.5x | 1.5x | 1.5x | Earn 3% cashback for the first 6 months | Apply |
| TD Rewards Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| Triangle World Elite Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1.5x | 4x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| PC Financial World Elite Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 3x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| WestJet RBC Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1.5x | Earn up to 250 WestJet dollars | Apply |
| RBC ION+ Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| RBC Cash Back Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 2x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| RBC Rewards+ Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| American Express Aeroplan Card | No annual fee | amex | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | Earn 10,000 Aeroplan points | Apply |
| SimplyCash Card from American Express | No annual fee | amex | 1.25x | 1.25x | 1.25x | 1.25x | — | Apply |
| BMO AIR MILES Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 0.4x | 0.4x | 0.4x | 0.4x | — | Apply |
| Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| Desjardins Cash Back Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| National Bank Syncro Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| PC Financial Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| TD Cash Back Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| Scotiabank American Express Card | No annual fee | amex | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| Brim Financial Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| Canadian Tire Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 1x | 4x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
| RBC HSBC Mastercard | No annual fee | mastercard | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.5x | — | Apply |
| RBC Avion Visa Platinum | No annual fee | visa | 0.8x | 0.8x | 0.8x | 0.8x | — | Apply |
| CIBC Aventura Visa Card | No annual fee | visa | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | — | Apply |
How We Chose These Cards
We evaluated no-fee cards on their earn rates, welcome bonuses, additional perks, and overall value proposition. A card doesn't need to be free to be good, but these cards prove you can get solid rewards without an annual fee.
We rank cards based on category fit, fees, and commonly used perks. Learn more about our methodology.
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