Best travel credit cards in Canada

Travel rewards credit cards in Canada range from practical everyday earners to premium cards loaded with airport perks. The right card depends on where you spend, how often you travel and whether you can clear the income threshold. This guide covers four strong options across different fee tiers and reward structures — so you can match the card to your actual habits, not just the headline offer. For a broader look at how points and rewards programs work, see how credit card rewards work.

What makes a travel credit card worth carrying?

A strong travel rewards credit card in Canada does more than earn points on flights. The best ones layer in perks that reduce real travel costs — things like airport lounge access, travel insurance, NEXUS credits and no foreign transaction fees. Those extras can easily be worth $200 to $400 a year if you actually use them.

The catch is that most of these cards carry annual fees between $120 and $250, and some have income requirements that exclude a large portion of applicants. Before comparing earn rates, confirm you meet the eligibility threshold. A card you cannot get approved for is not a useful comparison point.

Best travel credit cards in Canada

The BMO Ascend World Elite®* Mastercard®* earns **5 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases**, with 3 points on dining, entertainment and recurring bills, and 1 point on everything else. The welcome offer adds up to 100,000 BMO Rewards points, a $200 NEXUS credit and a first-year fee waiver — which is a genuinely strong package for a $150 card. Authorized users also get the first-year fee waived, which is a detail many cards skip.

The honest trade-off here is the income requirement. At $80,000 personal or $150,000 household, this card is out of reach for a meaningful share of Canadians. The 2.5% foreign transaction fee is also a real cost if you spend in foreign currencies — it does not disappear just because you are earning points. After year one, the $150 annual fee applies, so the ongoing value needs to come from the travel earn rate and lounge access rather than the welcome bonus.

Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card — best for no foreign transaction fees

The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card earns 4 Scene+ points per $1 booked through Scene+ Travel, 3 points at Sobeys and IGA, 2 points on groceries, dining and transit, and 1 point elsewhere. It also includes six complimentary airport lounge visits per year, which is a perk usually reserved for higher-fee cards. The welcome offer of up to 60,000 bonus Scene+ points adds meaningful first-year value, and Scene+ points are flexible enough to apply toward travel purchases without being locked into a single airline or hotel program. Use the calculate your rewards to estimate what your spending profile would earn.

The main limitation is that the best hotel and car rental earn rate requires booking through the Scene+ Travel portal rather than directly with a provider. That is a real restriction if you prefer booking direct for status credits or flexibility. The $150 annual fee is also hard to justify if your travel is infrequent — the lounge visits and no-FX-fee benefit only pay off if you actually use them.

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card — best for everyday earners who travel

The Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card earns **6 points per $1 at Sobeys and Safeway banner stores**, 5 points on dining and entertainment, 3 points on gas and transit, and 1 point on other purchases. It also waives foreign transaction fees, which is unusual at the $120 fee tier. For Canadians who spend heavily on groceries and dining and want their everyday purchases to fund travel redemptions, this card punches well above its price point. It is worth comparing against other top travel rewards credit cards in Canada if your spending skews toward food and entertainment rather than flights.

The trade-off is network acceptance. American Express is not accepted everywhere in Canada, and that gap is most noticeable at independent retailers, some gas stations and certain grocery chains outside the Sobeys banner. If you rely on a single card for all spending, the coverage gaps can be frustrating. The 6-point grocery rate also only applies at eligible Sobeys-owned banners — if your primary grocery store is Loblaws, Metro or Costco, that headline rate does not apply to you.

American Express® Gold Rewards Card — best for flexible Membership Rewards points

The American Express® Gold Rewards Card earns 2 points per $1 on travel, gas, groceries and drugstore purchases, and 1 point on everything else. The welcome offer of up to 60,000 Membership Rewards points is competitive, and the card includes lounge visits, a NEXUS credit and an annual travel credit that help offset the $250 annual fee. One free additional Gold card is also included, which adds value for households where two people travel together.

At $250 per year, this is the most expensive card on this list — and the value case depends heavily on using the travel perks and transferring points to partners rather than redeeming at base rates. The 2x earn rate across multiple categories looks good on paper. In practice it depends entirely on whether your redemption strategy takes advantage of transfer partners. American Express acceptance gaps are also a real consideration if you plan to use this as your primary card.

How to choose the right travel card for your situation

The best travel credit card for you is the one that fits your income, your spending patterns and how you actually travel. A card with a $250 annual fee and premium lounge access is not a good deal if you take two flights a year and never use the airport. Equally, a card with no foreign transaction fees is worth prioritizing if you spend regularly in US dollars — whether online or abroad.

Think through these questions before applying. If you are unsure where to start, the find the right card for you can help narrow down options based on your profile.

• Do you meet the income requirement? Cards like the BMO Ascend World Elite require $80,000 personal income — confirm eligibility before applying.
• Do you spend in foreign currencies? If yes, prioritize the Scotiabank Passport or Gold Amex, both of which waive the 2.5% foreign transaction fee.
• Where do you spend most? Heavy grocery and dining spenders will get more from the Scotiabank Gold Amex; frequent flyers benefit more from the BMO Ascend or Passport.
• Will you use the travel perks? Lounge access, NEXUS credits and travel insurance only add value if you actually use them — factor in your travel frequency.
• Are you comfortable with American Express? Two cards on this list run on the Amex network, which has lower acceptance than Visa or Mastercard at some Canadian retailers.

Compare travel cards side by side

Earn rates and annual fees only tell part of the story. Welcome bonuses, insurance coverage and redemption flexibility all affect the real-world value of a travel card. Use the compare them side by side to put two or more of these cards head to head on the factors that matter most to you.

If you are still building your credit profile or want to explore options beyond travel rewards, the best rewards credit cards in Canada and best no annual fee credit cards in Canada cover a wider range of card types suited to different financial situations.