best credit cards IN CANADA
Cheap travel is great... but free travel is even better. All financially-responsible Canadians can easily get free travel thanks to credit cards and travel rewards.
Travel rewards are a great way to get hundred of dollars in free travel each year by getting new credit cards regularly, which is also positive for your credit score if you do it the right way. Our upcoming free video course will help you learn a lot more.
But the key to travel rewards is choosing the right credit cards.
Here are the best offers in Canada*
Be careful! There are obviously some details you need to know: make sure you read the important info about credit cards.
Best Credit Cards (October 2020)
Marriott BonvoyTM American Express® Card
An excellent card to get free hotel stays, the best offer in Canada currently
≈ $357
in free travel after $1,500 in 3 months
Our favorite card in Canada is a must-have for pretty much all travelers! The Welcome Bonus is so good, and it’s one of the few cards that is valuable every subsequent year too.
You could get up to 8 free nights with the Welcome Bonus alone if you maximize it and use the Marriott points well. The earn rate is also great and an additional card is also offered free of charge.
Every year, you’ll get a certificate for a free night in luxury hotels, a very lucrative benefit that can very easily be worth hundreds of dollars.
Welcome bonus of 50,000 Marriott Points
≈ $450 (estimated value 0.9¢/pt)
Points earned on the $1,500 minimum spend
= $27 (minimum value)
Card fee
= $120 (deducted from the total free travel)
Total of ≈ $357 of free travel
(no minimum value)
+ all Points earned with your regular purchases
After the $357 Welcome Bonus…
Here is the Points earn rate:
2 pts (≈ 1.8%) per $ everywhere
or
5 pts (≈ 4.5%) per $ at Marriott hotels
Marriott Points are Variable-Value Points, which means you have to use them wisely to get the most value.
Points can be redeemed for Marriott hotel stays (best use most of the time) or transferred to 40 airline programs.
More details in how to maximize your Marriott Points.
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection & extended warranty
No medical travel insurance
No trip cancelation insurance
or
Marriott BonvoyTM American Express®
Offer Summary-
≈ $357 in free travel
-
Variable-Value Points (and transferable)
-
Silver Elite Status & benefits at Marriott
-
Good earn rate and free additional card
-
Excellent insurance coverage (except medical)
-
Many AMEX benefits
-
No minimum income required
-
Minimum spend of $1,500 to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
or
American Express® AIR MILES ®* Platinum Credit Card
An excellent card for those who know how to maximize the AIR MILES program (i.e. by using it for travel)
≈ $276
in free travel after $1,500 in 3 months
The AMEX AIR MILES Platinum Card is a great card to earn AIR MILES, and despite the Platinum name, it’s not a premium card and is accessible to all travelers.
AIR MILES is a pretty well-known, but quite misused. Like ALL rewards programs, avoid any use other than for travel to maximize their value, this is the most basic rule. But even when used as simple Cash Rewards (fixed-value points), AIR MILES can still be worthwhile.
The new Welcome Bonus offer launched October 21st is very interesting (50% higher than the previous one) and in terms of travel benefits, you get what amounts to a 25% discount on an AIR MILES flight reward every calendar year (short-haul roundtrips within North America are often the best sweet spot of the AIR MILES award chart).
The card also has a good earn rate on the groceries, restaurants, drinks, transit, and gas categories.
Finally, you can add free additional cards to earn faster and you’ll get car rental insurance and the standard retail protections.
Offer subject to change without notice.
Welcome bonus of 3,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles
≈ $360 (estimated value 12¢/pt)
Earning of 300 points on the $1,500 minimum spend
≈ $36 (at multiplier earn rate)
Card fee
= $120 (annual fee)
Flytrippers Valuation Welcome Bonus
≈ $276 in free travel
(or $227 minimum as fixed-value Cash Rewards)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the ≈$276 Welcome Bonus…
Earn rate at Flytrippers valuation (≈ 12¢ per AIR MILES mile):
- 0.1 pts (≈ 1.2%) per $ everywhere
- 0.2 pts (≈ 2.4%) per $ on groceries, restaurants, drinks, gas, and transit*
or
Earn rate as fixed-value points (= 10.5¢ per AIR MILES mile):
- 0.1 pts (= 1.05%) per $ everywhere
- 0.2 pts (= 2.1%) per $ on groceries, restaurants, drinks, gas, and transit*
* category multiplier capped at $30,000 in annual spend
AIR MILES are hybrid points: they can be used as variable-value points or as fixed-value points.
Variable-value uses offer more potential value, while fixed-value uses are a lot simpler.
As fixed-value Cash Rewards, your 3,300 AIR MILES are worth $347.
As variable-value Dream Rewards, your 3,300 AIR MILES is the equivalent of almost 2 and a half short-haul roundtrips, which often represents value of a lot more than $347 (especially with the annual 25% discount). Alternatively, the 3,300 AIR MILES can be worth more than $347 on certain car rentals.
In short, the best sweet spot of the AIR MILES Award Chart is often for short-haul off-peak flights, but car rentals can also offer 12¢-15¢ in value per point.
That can be over 40% more value than the fixed-value redemptions that give you a guaranteed return of just 10.5¢ per point as AIR MILES Cash Rewards.
More details about the AIR MILES program coming soon.
Car rental insurance
Purchase protection
Extended warranty
No medical travel insurance
No trip cancelation insurance
No trip interruption/delay insurance
No flight delay insurance
No baggage delay/loss insurance
No hotel burglary insurance
AMEX AIR MILES Platinum
Offer Summary-
≈ $276 in free travel
-
Hybrid points (fixed-value or variable-value)
-
Annual 25% discount on an AIR MILES reward flight
-
Free additional cards
-
Good earn rate on bonus categories
-
Car rental insurance & retail insurance
-
No minimum income requirement
-
Minimum spend of $1,500 to reach
-
Terms and conditions apply*
BMO World Elite™* MasterCard®*
An excellent card for an easy-to-use travel credit and airport lounge passes
$327
in free travel after $3,000 in 3 months
This is an excellent offer, especially for those who prefer more flexible and easy-to-use points that can be applied to almost any travel expense.
The BMO World Elite MasterCard also offers 4 free airport lounge passes and great insurance coverage (including for flights booked with points from other programs).
The card has a good earn rate and is accepted at Costco.
Not to be confused with BMO AIR MILES World Elite MasterCard below, which has a similar look.
Offer ends October 31st, 2021.
BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Get this card link for the most up to date information.
Welcome Bonus of 40,000 BMO Rewards points
= $284 (fixed-value of 0.71¢/pt)
Earning of 6,000 points on the $3,000 minimum spend
= $43 (at base earn rate)
Card fee
= $0 (1st year free promo)
Flytrippers Valuation of Welcome Bonus
= $327 in free travel
(fixed value)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the $327 Welcome Bonus…
Earn rate at fixed value (= 0.71¢ per BMO Rewards point):
- 2 pts (1.42%) per $ everywhere
- 3 pts (2.13%) per $ in travel, restaurants, and entertainment
BMO Rewards points are fixed-value points, so they give you great flexibility but can not give you outsized value (or give you a good deal or “rebate” compared to the cash price).
They are almost 100% flexible, as they can be applied to many types of travel expenses as a travel credit. But you have to book via the BMO Rewards website, so you have to make sure they have the best price (they do have a price match feature though).
More details about BMO Rewards points coming soon.
Medical travel insurance (21 days; under age 65)
Trip cancelation insurance
Trip interruption/delay insurance
Flight delay insurance ($500; 6hr minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage delay/loss insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Travel accident insurance
Purchase protection (90 days)
Extended warranty (1 year)
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO World Elite™* MasterCard®*
Offer Summary-
$327 in free travel
-
4 free airport lounges passes
-
Easy-to-use fixed-value points
-
Great insurance coverage
-
Good earn rate on everyday purchases
-
24/7 travel concierge + Boingo Wi-Fi
-
Minimum income of $80,000 required
-
Minimum spend of $3,000 to reach
-
Terms and conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO AIR MILES®† World Elite®* MasterCard®*
An excellent card for those who know how to maximize the AIR MILES program (i.e. by using it for travel)
≈ $276
in free travel after $3,000 in 3 months
The BMO AIR MILES World Elite is a great card to earn AIR MILES.
AIR MILES is a pretty well-known, but quite misused. Like ALL rewards programs, avoid any use other than for travel to maximize their value, this is the most basic rule. But even when used as simple Cash Rewards (fixed-value points), AIR MILES can still be worthwhile.
The Welcome Bonus is very interesting and you get a 15% discount on AIR MILES flight rewards in North America (which are often the best sweet spot of the AIR MILES award chart).
The card also offers 2 airport lounge passes, is accepted at Costco, and has great insurance coverage (including for flights booked with points from other programs).
Finally, you’ll earn 5x the Miles at Shell until December 31st.
Offer ends November 2nd.
BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Get this card link for the most up to date information.
Welcome Bonus of 2,000 AIR MILES
≈ $240 (estimated value of 12 ¢/pt)
Earning of 300 points on the $3,000 minimum spend
≈ $36 (at base earn rate)
Card Fee
= $0 (1st year free promo)
Flytrippers Valuation of Welcome Bonus
≈ $276 in free travel
(or $242 minimum as fixed-value Cash Rewards)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the ≈$276 Welcome Bonus…
Earn rate at Flytrippers valuation (≈ 12¢ per AIR MILES mile):
- 0.1 pts (≈ 1.2%) per $ everywhere
or
Earn rate at fixed value (= 10.5¢ per AIR MILES mile):
- 0.1 pts (1.05%) per $ everywhere
AIR MILES are hybrid points: they can be used as variable-value points or as fixed-value points.
Variable-value uses offer more potential value, while fixed-value uses are a lot simpler.
As fixed-value Cash Rewards, your 2,300 AIR MILES are worth $242.
As variable-value Dream Rewards, your 2,300 AIR MILES is the equivalent of 1 and a half short-haul roundtrips, which often represents value of a lot more than $242 (especially with the 15% discount). Alternatively, the 2,300 AIR MILES can be worth more than $242 on certain car rentals.
In short, the best sweet spot of the AIR MILES Award Chart is often for short-haul off-peak flights, but car rentals can also offer 12¢-15¢ in value per point.
That can be over 40% more value than the fixed-value redemptions that give you a guaranteed return of just 10.5¢ per point as AIR MILES Cash Rewards.
More details about AIR MILES coming soon.
Medical travel insurance (15 days; under age 65)
Trip cancelation insurance
Trip interruption/delay insurance
Car rental insurance
Flight delay insurance ($500; 6hr minimum)
Baggage loss/delay insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection (90 days)
Extended warranty (1 year)
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO AIR MILES®† World Elite®* MasterCard®*
Offer Summary-
≈ $276 in free travel
-
2 free airport lounge passes
-
Hybrid points (variable or fixed value)
-
15% discount on some AIR MILES flight rewards
-
Excellent insurance coverage
-
24/7 travel concierge + Boingo Wi-Fi
-
Minimum income of $80,000 required
-
Minimum spend of $3,000 to reach
-
Terms and conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
American Express Cobalt™ Card
An excellent card for those who spend a lot every month
≈ $398 *
in free travel after $500 each month
This offer and this card is completely different from all the others. To get the welcome bonus, instead of having to spend an amount for the first 3 months, you have to spend $500 a month for 12 months.
It is only for those who spend a lot each month. That said, with the 5X Accumulation Rate Points on some purchases, this is by far the most lucrative card for everyday purchases.
Welcome Bonus of 30,000 American Express MR Select Points
≈ $324 (estimated value of 1.08 ¢/pt)
Points earned on the $500 minimum monthly spend
≈ $194 (estimated value*)
Card Fee
= $120 (deducted from free travel)
Total of $398 in free travel
(minimum value of $360)
+ all the Points earned with your regular purchases in excess of the amount included*
* estimated monthly expenses based on an assumption of $500 per month, half of which in food at 5X and half at 1X
Here is the Points earn rate:
1 pt (≈ 1.08%) per $ everywhere
or
2 pts (≈ 2.16%) per $ for travel and transportation
or
5 pts (≈ 5.4%) per $ at restaurant, convenience stores that code as food stores and grocery stores (and all stores that sell gift cards at in these locations)
American Express Points are hybrid (fixed-value or variable-value) and transferable.
Variable value: The Cobalt’s Select Points are different than the AMEX Points earned on the Gold and Platinum cards. They can not be transferred to Aeroplan, Avios, Delta and other airlines. They can only be transferred to Marriott (recommended) and Hilton (not recommended). They can also be used via American Express’s fixed-price award chart directly.
Fixed value: Points can also be applied to travel expenses via the AMEX portal, which gives you more flexibility but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
Medical travel insurance 15 days (64 years old and under)
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection (90 days)
Extended warranty on purchases
American Express Cobalt™ Card
Offer Summary-
≈ $398 in free travel (30,000 Points Welcome Bonus)
-
Excellent earn rate (5X on food, 2X on travel & transit)
-
Access to Cobalt cardmember perks, bonus rewards & events
-
Hybrid Points (Fixed-Value or Variable-Value)
-
Only card with monthly signup bonus
-
For those who spend a lot each month
-
Excellent insurance coverage and AMEX benefits
-
No minimum income required
-
Minimum spend of $500 per month to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
Scotiabank Gold American Express
A great card for travel insurance for those with income under $60K
$140
in free travel after $1,000 in 3 months
There’s no valid excuse for not having great insurance coverage for free, because almost all are eligible for this card that does not require a high income (only $12,000).
Paying for a flight with a card that does not have insurance is a big mistake than can be costly. This card offers doesn’t offer a huge signup bonus but it has an excellent earn rate on your purchases in certain categories, especially food that now earns 5X the points!
The card has a new benefit: no foreign transaction fee, which is an amazing deal.
Singup Bonus of 25,000 Scotia Points Rewards
= $250 (fixed value of 1.0¢/pt)
Points earned on the $1,000 minimum spend
= $10 (minimum amount)
Card fee
= $120 (deducted from free travel total)
Total of $140 of free travel
(fixed value)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the $140 Signup Bonus…
Here is the Points earn rate:
1 pt (1.0%) per $ everywhere
or
3 pts (3.0%) per $ in gas stations, transit, and streaming services
or
5 pts (5.0%) per $ in grocery stores, restaurants, and in entertainment
Scotia Points are fixed-value Points and can be applied to travel expenses as a credit, so they are extremely flexible but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
25-day Medical travel insurance (64 years and under)
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4hr minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Trip cancellation insurance
Trip interruption insurance
Travel accident insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection and extended warranty
or
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
Scotia Gold American Express
Offer Summary-
$140 in free travel
-
Perfect for lower incomes
-
No foreign transaction fee
-
Excellent insurance coverage
-
Good earn rate on everyday purchases
-
Easy-to-use Fixed-Value Points
-
Minimum income of $12,000 required
-
Minimum spend of $1,000 to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
Scotia Passport Visa Infinite
An excellent card to use abroad with no foreign transaction fees (and with 6 lounge passes)
$171
in free travel after $1,000 in 3 months
Almost all credit cards in Canada charge you a 2.5% transaction fee over the exchange rate for all purchases made in foreign currency.
All travelers should consider this card to save 2.5% on every dollar spent abroad: this is by far the best card to use outside Canada. You also get 6 free passes to access airport lounges.
The welcome bonus is really not the highest, but if you travel a lot, it’s a great addition to any Travel Hacking strategy. Not to be confused with the Scotia Passport Visa, it’s only the Visa Infinite that is interesting.
Welcome bonus of 30,000 Scotia Points
= $300 (fixed value of 1.0 ¢/pt)
Points accumulated on the $1,000 minimum spend
= $10 (minimum value)
Card Fee
= $139 (deducted from the total of free travel)
Total of $171 in free travel
(fixed-value)
+ all points accumulated with your regular purchases
After the $171 Welcome Bonus …
Here is the Points earn rate:
1 pt (1.0%) per $ everywhere
or
2 pts (2.0%) per $ in grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment and public transportation
Scotia Points are Fixed-Value Points and can be applied to travel expenses as a credit, so they are extremely flexible but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
Medical travel insurance 25 days (64 years and under)
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Trip cancellation insurance
Trip interruption insurance
Travel accident insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection and extended warranty
Scotia Passport Visa Infinite
Offer Summary-
$171 in free travel
-
6 free airport lounge passes
-
No Foreign Transaction Fees
-
Easy-to-use Fixed-Value Points
-
Excellent insurance coverage
-
Good earn rate on everyday purchases
-
Minimum income of $60,000 required
-
Minimum spend of $1,000 to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
An excellent card to earn Aeroplan Miles or Avios Points
≈ $240
in free travel after $1,500 in 3 months
A great option for those under $60k of income.
This card remains a great way to earn Aeroplan Miles or Avios Points.
25,000 American Express MR Points – Welcome Bonus
≈ $375 (estimated value of 1.5 ¢/pt)
Points earned by reaching the $1,500 minimum spend
= $15 (minimum value)
Card Fee
= $150 (deducted from the total amount of free travel)
Total of $240 in free travel by getting the card
(minimum value of $115)
+ all Points earned with your regular purchases
After the $240 Signup Bonus…
Here is the Points earn rate:
1 pt (≈ 1.5%) per $ everywhere
or
2 pts (≈ 3.0%) per $ in grocery stores, drugstores, gas stations and in travel
American Express Membership Rewards Points are hybrid (fixed-value or variable-value) and transferable.
Variable value: Points can be transferred to Aeroplan, Avios, Delta and others (and potentially give you more for your money, but this requires more flexibility). They can also be used via American Express’s fixed-price award chart directly.
Fixed value: Points can also be applied to other travel expenses via the AMEX portal, which gives you more flexibility but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
Medical travel insurance 15 days (64 years and under)
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Trip interruption insurance
Travel accident insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection and extended warranty
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
Offer Summary-
≈ $240 in free travel (25,000 Points Welcome Bonus)
-
Points transferable 1:1 to Aeroplan & Avios
-
Good earn rate (2 pts / $1 for travel and certain categories)
-
Hybrid Points (Fixed-Value or Variable-Value)
-
Excellent insurance coverage
-
Many AMEX benefits (and free supplementary card)
-
No minimum income required
-
Minimum spend of $1,500 to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite
An excellent card to get airport lounge access (for new CIBC clients)
≈ $220
in free travel after $1,000 in 3 months
This is an excellent offer, but especially if you have never had a CIBC card (since the promo is only for new CIBC customers).
It’s rare that the value of free travel you get with the CIBC Aventura card is so high, and the card now offers 4 free airport lounge passes (a little less than the Scotia Visa Passport that offers 6) and also the free membership to NEXUS to speed up your airport experience.
Welcome Bonus of 20,000 CIBC Aventura Points
≈ $220 (estimated value of 1.1 ¢/pt)
Travel credit
= $120 (fixed value)
Card Fee
= $120 (deducted from amount of free travel)
Total of $220 in free travel*
(minimum value of $200)
+ all points earned with your regular purchase
After the $220 Welcome Bonus …
Here is the Points earn rate:
1 pt (≈ 1.1%) per $ everywhere
or
1.5 pts (≈ 1.7%) per $ in grocery stores, gas stations and drugstores
CIBC Aventura Points are hybrid (fixed or variable).
Variable value: Points can be used via the fixed-price award chart and potentially give you more for your money, but this requires more flexibility.
Fixed Value: Points can also be applied to other travel expenses via the CIBC portal, which gives you more flexibility but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
Medical travel insurance 15 days (64 years old and under)
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Trip cancellation insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Travel accident insurance
Damaged cellphone insurance
Extended warranty on purchases
Detailed report on the credit card coming soon
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite
Offer Summary-
≈ $220 in free travel
-
4 free airport lounge passes
-
Free NEXUS membership
-
Hybrid Points (Fixed-Value or Variable-Value)
-
Excellent insurance coverage
-
Free supplementary card
-
Minimum income of $60,000 required
-
$1,000 minimum spend to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card
A good card to earn more AMEX/Aeroplan Points if you can reach the high minimum spend
≈ $275
in free travel after $5,000 in 3 months
If you have a small business of any kind, you have access to additional cards that are especially useful if you have already others.
This card comes with a nice welcome bonus but requires a higher minimum amount than personal cards but it remains very interesting to complement its card wallet.
Welcome bonus of 30,000 American Express Points
≈ $450 (estimated value of 1.5 ¢/pt)
Points accumulated on the $5,000 minimum amount
= $75 (minimum value)
Card fees (tax deductible for SMEs)
= $250 (to be deducted from the total)
Total of $ 275 free trips
(minimum value of $ 100)
+ all points accumulated with your regular purchases
After the $275 Singup Bonus …
Here is the Points earn rate:
1 pt (≈ 1.5%) per $ everywhere
or
2 pts (≈ 3.0%) by $ at three suppliers among the AMEX list
American Express Points are hybrid (fixed-value or variable-value) and transferable.
Variable value: Points can be transferred to Aeroplan, Avios, Delta and others (and potentially give you more for your money, but this requires more flexibility). They can also be used via American Express’s fixed-price award chart directly.
Fixed value: Points can also be applied to travel expenses via the AMEX portal, which gives you more flexibility but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
No medical travel insurance (SME card)
Flight delay insurance ($500, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personnal effects insurance
Trip cancellation insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase insurance (90 days)
Extended warranty on purchases
Detailed report on the credit card coming soon
American Express® Business Gold
Offer Summary-
≈ $275 in free travel
-
Points transferable to Aeroplan & others
-
Hybrid Points (Fixed-Value or Variable-Value)
-
Excellent insurance coverage
-
Many AMEX benefits
-
Excellent earn rate with 3 suppliers
-
No minimum income required
-
Minimum spend of $5,000 to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO AIR MILES®† MasterCard®*
A no-annual-fee card that can be good to build up the length of your credit history
≈ $120
in free travel after $1,000 in 3 months
The BMO AIR MILES MasterCard has a lower welcome bonus and earn rate, and limited insurance coverage and benefits, as most no-annual-fee cards do.
But it has a low minimum income requirement, is accepted at Costco, and AIR MILES can be very valuable.
The card earn rate at AIR MILES Partners is pretty good for a no-annual-fee card.
AIR MILES is a pretty well-known, but quite misused. Like ALL rewards programs, avoid any use other than for travel to maximize their value, this is the most basic rule. But even when used as simple Cash Rewards (fixed-value points), AIR MILES can still be worthwhile.
It also has a special 1.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months, but Flytrippers strongly recommends never carrying a balance on any credit card.
Finally, you’ll earn 5x the Miles at Shell until December 31st.
Offer ends November 2nd.
BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Get this card link for the most up to date information.
Welcome Bonus of 950 AIR MILES Bonus Miles
≈ $114 (estimated value of 12 ¢/pt)
Earning of 50 points on the $1,000 minimum spend
≈ $6 (at base earn rate)
Card Fee
= $0 (Card has no annual fee)
Flytrippers Valuation of Welcome Bonus
≈ $120 in free travel
(or $105 minimum as fixed-value Cash Rewards)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the ≈$120 Welcome Bonus…
Earn rate at Flytrippers valuation (≈ 12¢ per AIR MILES mile):
- 0.5 pts (≈ 0.6%) per $ everywhere
- 1 pt (≈ 1.2%) per $ at participating AIR MILES Partners
or
Earn rate at fixed value (= 10.5¢ per AIR MILES mile):
- 0.5 pts (0.525%) per $ everywhere
- 1 pt (1.05%) per $ at participating AIR MILES Partners
AIR MILES are hybrid points: they can be used as variable-value points or as fixed-value points.
Variable-value uses offer more potential value, while fixed-value uses are a lot simpler.
As fixed-value Cash Rewards, your 1,000 AIR MILES are worth $105.
As variable-value Dream Rewards, your 1,000 AIR MILES is almost three-quarters of the amount needed for a short-haul roundtrip, which often represents value of a lot more than $105. Alternatively, the 1,000 AIR MILES can be worth more than $105 on certain car rentals.
In short, the best sweet spot of the AIR MILES Award Chart is often for short-haul off-peak flights, but car rentals can also offer 12¢-15¢ in value per point.
That can be over 40% more value than the fixed-value redemptions that give you a guaranteed return of just 10.5¢ per point as AIR MILES Cash Rewards.
More details about AIR MILES coming soon.
Purchase protection (90 days)
Extended warranty (1 year)
No medical travel insurance
No trip cancelation insurance
No trip interruption/delay insurance
No car rental insurance
No flight delay insurance
No baggage delay/loss insurance
No hotel burglary insurance
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO AIR MILES®† MasterCard®*
Offer Summary-
≈ $120 in free travel
-
Hybrid points (variable or fixed value)
-
Recommended for beginners only
-
No annual fee; to build up length of credit history
-
No travel insurance coverage (retail ins. only)
-
Accepted at Costco
-
Minimum income of $15,000 required
-
Minimum spend of $1,000 to reach
-
Terms and conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO Rewards® MasterCard
A no-annual-fee card that can be good to build up the length of your credit history
$114
in free travel after $1,000 in 3 months
The BMO Rewards MasterCard has a lower welcome bonus and earn rate, and limited insurance coverage and benefits, as most no-annual-fee cards do.
But it has a low minimum income requirement of $15k, is accepted at Costco, and you can add additional cardholders to earn more.
Also, BMO Rewards points are very easy to use.
It also has a special 1.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months (1% fee applies to balance amounts transferred), but Flytrippers strongly recommends never carrying a balance on any credit card.
Offer ends October 31st, 2021.
BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Get this card link for the most up to date information.
Welcome bonus of 15,000 BMO Rewards points
= $107 (fixed value of 0.71 ¢/pt)
Earning of 1,000 points on the $1,000 minimum spend
= $7 (at base earn rate)
Card Fee
= $0 (Card has no annual fee)
Flytrippers Valuation of Welcome Bonus
= $114 in free travel
(fixed value)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the $114 Welcome Bonus…
Earn rate at fixed value (= 0.71¢ per BMO Rewards point):
- 1 pt (0.71%) per $ everywhere
- 2 pts (1.42%) per $ at Alamo & National car rental locations
BMO Rewards points are fixed-value points, so they give you great flexibility but can not give you outsized value (or give you a good deal or “rebate” compared to the cash price).
They are almost 100% flexible, as they can be applied to many types of travel expenses as a travel credit. But you have to book via the BMO Rewards website, so you have to make sure they have the best price (they do have a price match feature though).
More details about BMO Rewards points coming soon.
Purchase protection (90 days)
Extended warranty (1 year)
No medical travel insurance
No trip cancelation insurance
No trip interruption/delay insurance
No car rental insurance
No flight delay insurance
No baggage delay/loss insurance
No hotel burglary insurance
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
BMO Rewards® MasterCard
Offer Summary-
$114 in free travel
-
Easy-to-use fixed-value points
-
Recommended for beginners only
-
No-annual-fee card; to build up length of credit history
-
No travel insurance coverage (retail ins. only)
-
Accepted at Costco
-
Minimum income of $15,000 required
-
Minimum spend of $1,000 to reach
-
Terms and conditions apply*
Detailed article on the credit card coming soon
American Express Platinum Card®
The most premium card there is, with unlimited airport lounge access (recommended for those who travel a lot)
≈ –$94
in free travel after $2,000 in 3 months
We’re keeping it here in case you’ve started traveling and want the unlimited lounge access now…
But if not, we strongly recommend waiting for the Welcome Bonus to return to normal.
We both have this card and it is amazing. But since its fee is high and the welcome bonus that normally makes the first year profitable is now halved (and is “once-in-a-lifetime”), we recommend it only when it is a profitable offer.
Unlimited access to airport lounges (for 2 people) and Gold Elite Status at Marriott and Hilton are some of the perks that make your travel experience more luxurious.
And these are just some of the benefits of this card, the most prestigious in Canada (and now a sleek shiny metal card).
25,000 American Express MR Points Welcome Bonus
≈ $375 (≈ 1.5 ¢ / pt)
Points earned on the $2,000 minimum spend
≈ $30
Annual travel credit
= $200
Card Fee
= $699 (deducted from total free travel)
Total of –$94 in free travel
(or an even worse value of –$229 as fixed-value points)
+ all points earned with your regular purchases
After the –$94 Welcome Bonus…
Here is Points earn rate:
3 pts (≈4.5%) per $ on dining
2 pts (≈2%) per $ on travel
1 pt (≈1.5%) per $ everywhere
American Express Points are hybrid (fixed-value or variable-value) and transferable.
Variable value: Points can be transferred to Aeroplan, Avios, Delta and others (and potentially give you more for your money, but this requires more flexibility). They can also be used via American Express’s fixed-price award chart directly.
Fixed value: Points can also be applied to travel expenses via the AMEX portal, which gives you more flexibility but can not give you more for your money.
More details coming soon in the Travel Hacking section.
Medical travel insurance 15 days (64 years and under)
Flight delay insurance ($1,000, 4h minimum)
Car rental insurance
Baggage & personal effects insurance
Trip cancellation insurance
Trip interruption insurance
Travel accident insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Purchase protection and extended warranty
or
American Express Platinum Card®
Offer Summary-
≈ –$94 in free travel
-
Unlimited access to airport lounges (for 2 people)
-
Gold Elite Status at Marriott and Hilton
-
Points transferable 1:1 to Aeroplan and Avios
-
Hybrid Points (Fixed-Value or Variable-Value)
-
Excellent earn rate on dining and travel
-
Exceptional insurance coverage
-
No minimum income required
-
Minimum spend of $2,000 to reach
-
Certain conditions apply*
or
This content was not sponsored. The views and opinions expressed on this page are purely our own.
All offers described on the Flytrippers website are subject to the financial institutions’ latest terms and conditions that can be found on their website.
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