Tangerine · Mastercard
Best no-fee card
You pick two categories to earn 2% on, there is no fee and no cap. The simplest card here to recommend, and the easiest to hold alongside something else.
Rates and features verified 2026-08-18Full terms and conditions
What we like, and what we don’t
Worth having
- No annual fee, and no cap on the 2% categories
- You choose the categories, so it fits your spending rather than the other way round
- A third 2% category if you route your cash back into a Tangerine savings account
- Low $12,000 income requirement
- Cash back is paid monthly rather than held until December
Watch out for
- The base rate is 0.5%, which is poor. Everything outside your chosen categories earns badly
- No travel medical, no trip cancellation, no rental car coverage, no mobile device coverage
- Changing a category takes effect only after a 90-day wait, after the first free change
- There is no general travel category, only Hotels-Motels
- 2.5% foreign transaction fee
What this card earns
- Groceries
- 2%
- Gas
- 2%
- Dining and restaurants
- 2%
- Drugstore
- 2%
- Recurring bills and subscriptions
- 2%
- Transit
- 2%
- Entertainment
- 2%
- Everything else
- 0.5%
- Bonus categories at once
- 2 you choose which
The earning fine print
THE CARDHOLDER CHOOSES which categories earn 2%; everything else earns 0.5%. Two categories by default, or three if cash back is redeemed into a Tangerine Savings Account. Two is recorded so the comparison never assumes an account the cardholder may not have. Thirteen categories are selectable: Grocery, Eating Places, Gas, Entertainment, Furniture, Hotels-Motels, Drug Stores, Recurring Bill Payment, Home Improvements, Public Transportation and Parking, Fitness and Sports Clubs, E-Games, and Foreign currency purchases. There is no general Travel category, only Hotels-Motels. One free category change; later changes take effect after a 90-day hold. No cap is published on 2% earning.
The welcome offer
- Welcome bonus
- $100 after you spend $1,000, within 2 months
- Offer ends
- 2026-09-30
What the offer actually requires
Marketing says "10% cash back for 2 months"; the legal text defines it as a 60-day period beginning on the activation date. Must apply by 30 September 2026 and activate within 45 days of approval. The 1% balance transfer fee on the promotional 1.95% transfer is waived for Quebec residents; the standard transfer fee is 3% or $5 minimum.
Fees and interest rates
- Annual fee
- None
- Additional card
- Free
- Foreign transaction fee
- 2.5%
- Cash advance fee
- $3.50
- Dishonoured payment fee
- $25
- Purchase APR
- 20.95%
- Cash advance APR
- 22.95%
- Balance transfer APR
- 22.95%
- Balance transfer promo
- 1.95% for 6 months
- Balance transfer fee
- 1%
Who can get this card
- Minimum personal income
- $12,000
Insurance and benefits
- Purchase protection
- Included
- Extended warranty
- Included
What the benefits really mean
This is the standard Money-Back Mastercard, NOT the Money-Back World Mastercard. The $1,000 mobile device protection belongs to the World version. No travel medical, trip cancellation, rental car CDW or mobile device coverage on this card. Purchase Assurance and Extended Warranty share a $60,000 lifetime maximum.
Our verdict
The best no-fee card on this list, and the one most people should own even if they own something else. Because you choose the categories, it plugs whatever gap your main card leaves. Put it on the two things your premium card earns 1% on and it quietly outperforms.
What it is not is a card to travel with or to rely on. There is no insurance of any kind here, and the 0.5% base rate punishes you for using it outside your chosen categories. Hold it as a second card, not your only one.
Cards worth comparing this against
Compare this against every card we track
Where this came from. tangerine.ca product page, fees FAQ, Money-Back Rewards Program T&Cs (Sept 2025), certificate of insurance. We take every figure from the issuer’s own pages, never from another comparison site, and we leave a field blank rather than guess at it.