Benchmark Money

Best cash back credit cards in Canada

Cash back is the only reward that cannot be devalued. A point is worth what the issuer decides it is worth this year, and a dollar is worth a dollar, which is why a cash back card that pays slightly less can still be the better card.

We track 32 cash back credit cards in Canada, 19 of them with no annual fee. Every figure here comes from the issuer’s own published pages and terms, last checked 18 August 2026. Where an issuer does not publish something we leave it blank rather than guess, which is explained on how we research.

How we picked

  • The rate that applies to what you actually buy, not the headline rate on one category.
  • Whether the rate survives its cap. A card paying 5% up to $500 of spend a month pays 5% on $6,000 a year and its base rate on everything after that.
  • The annual fee measured against the extra return, so a fee only wins if the card clears it on ordinary spending.
  • How the money comes back. A statement credit once a year is worth less than cash paid monthly, and rewards you can only spend at one retailer are not cash back at all.

The 10 best cash back credit cards

  1. Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card

    TangerineNo annual fee2% on groceries4.3 out of 5

    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.

    Read the full Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card review

  2. TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card

    TD$139 a year3% on groceries4.2 out of 5

    Best for spreading spending around

    3% across five categories with a separate $15,000 cap on each, rather than one shared pot. Nobody realistically exhausts $75,000 of bonus spending, so this is effectively uncapped for a normal household.

    The annual fee is waived for the first year only.

    Read the full TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card review

  3. Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Credit Card

    Wealthsimple$240 a year2% on everythingNo foreign transaction fee4.2 out of 5

    Best flat rate card for Wealthsimple clients

    A flat 2% on everything with no foreign transaction fee, which is the best combination on this list. The catch is that the $240 fee is billed monthly and only disappears while you keep $100,000 with Wealthsimple.

    Read the full Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Credit Card review

  4. Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card

    Scotiabank$120 a year4% on groceries4.1 out of 5

    Best for bills and groceries

    4% on groceries and on recurring bills, which few cards pay well on. The first year is free, and it is a Visa, so it works everywhere.

    The annual fee is waived for the first year only.

    Read the full Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card review

  5. SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express

    American Express$119.88 a year4% on groceries4.1 out of 5

    Best cash back card for gas and groceries

    4% on gas and groceries up to $30,000 a year and 2% on everything else, which is the highest base cash back rate in this comparison. Billed at $9.99 a month.

    Read the full SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express review

  6. CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa Card

    CIBC$99 a year3% on groceries3.9 out of 5

    3% on gas and groceries with no published cap, 2% on transport, dining and bills, and the $99 fee waived in the first year.

    The annual fee is waived for the first year only.

    Read the full CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa Card review

  7. CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card

    CIBC$120 a year4% on groceries3.7 out of 5

    Best for drivers who also buy groceries

    4% on both groceries and gas is a combination almost nothing else offers. Two spending caps run at once, though, and the tighter one arrives sooner than most people expect.

    The annual fee is waived for the first year only.

    Read the full CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card review

  8. Triangle World Elite Mastercard

    Canadian TireNo annual fee3% on groceries3.7 out of 5

    Best for Canadian Tire regulars

    4% back at Canadian Tire and Sport Chek with no annual fee, and Canadian Tire Money is worth a full dollar on the dollar. Useless if you do not shop there.

    Read the full Triangle World Elite Mastercard review

  9. Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard

    Rogers BankNo annual fee1.5% on everything3.6 out of 5

    Best for Rogers and Fido customers

    2% on everything if you are a Rogers customer, and 3% in value if you spend the rewards on your Rogers bill. Despite its reputation this is not a no foreign exchange fee card.

    Read the full Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard review

  10. Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card

    Simplii FinancialNo annual fee4% on dining3.5 out of 5

    Best for restaurants, if you eat out lightly

    4% on restaurants with no annual fee is a good headline, but the cap arrives at $5,000 of dining and the other categories share one pot. Not available in Quebec.

    Read the full Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card review

The other 22

Every cash back card we track, in the same order. A card outside the top ten is not a bad card; it is a card that lost to the ones above it on the criteria at the top of this page.

Questions people ask

Which is the best of the cash back credit cards in Canada?
On our ranking it is the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card. That is our opinion rather than a fact, built from the criteria at the top of this page, and the runners up are close enough that your own spending can reorder them.
Are there any with no annual fee?
19 of the 32 on this page have no annual fee, and the best rated of those is the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card.
How often is this page updated?
It is generated from our card database every time it loads, so it reflects whatever we last verified rather than whenever somebody last edited an article. Each card carries its own verification date.
Do you earn money from these links?
On some cards, yes, and it is disclosed on the card page next to the button. It does not change the ranking, which is why the ranking rules are published rather than described as a proprietary score.

Other lists

Comparing something other than cash back credit cards? Compare every personal card on your own spending, look at business cards, or browse the full directory.