Credit Cards
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What a Balance Transfer Costs Once the Fee Is Counted
Nine of the 98 personal cards we track publish a promotional balance transfer rate. What the transfer fee does to a 0% offer, what happens at the end of the term, and the number 70 cards do not publish at all.
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The Eligibility Rules Canadian Card Issuers Actually Publish
Most of what decides an application is never published. Here is what is: income requirements on 43 of 98 cards, and almost nothing else.
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What an Annual Fee Has to Earn Back Before It Is Worth Paying
The fee is only the start. What the extra earn rate has to be, how much you have to spend to clear it, and the four ways the arithmetic gets flattered.
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How to Read a Credit Card Earn Rate, and the Cap Underneath It
The headline rate is the best rate on one category up to a limit. Where the caps sit on real Canadian cards, why the base rate matters more, and how to convert points into a number you believe.
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The 2.5% Foreign Transaction Fee, and the Five Cards That Do Not Charge It
It applies to the currency, not the country, so it catches US dollar subscriptions bought from your sofa. What it costs, which five cards charge nothing, and why a blank fee is not a zero.
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What a Credit Card Welcome Bonus Is Actually Worth
The spend requirement and the time limit are the whole story. Why first year value flatters every card that pays a bonus, and the three things to check before applying.
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How Credit Card Interest Actually Works in Canada
The grace period, why cash advances never get one, what the rates really are across 98 cards, and the arithmetic behind the minimum payment.