4 Essential Credit Cards for Every Canadian Traveller

I’m often asked about the best Canadian credit cards for travel. The answer always depends on a number of factors: your travel goals, your appetite for annual fees, the current signup bonuses, etc.

As much as a one-size-fits-all solution seems too good to be true, I always find myself coming back to the same recommendations, as the best cards rise to the top on any occasion.

Here are four Canadian credit cards that deserve a permanent spot in your wallet, each of which can benefit every Canadian traveller.

American Express Cobalt Card

The American Express Cobalt Card has been a fan favourite ever since its debut in 2017. It’s a supercharged everyday earner that also has flexible transfer partners through earning American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points.

The card earns an unbeaten 5 MR points per dollar spent on groceries and dining (up to $30,000 annually), 3 MR points per dollar spent on streaming services, and 2 MR points per dollar spent on gas, public transit, and travel purchases.

In particular, the rewards on eats and drinks is unparalleled in the Canadian credit card scene. If you’re able to maximize your earning at grocery stores and restaurants, you’re sure to wind up with a healthy balance of MR points every year.

Most Canadians will benefit from having a 5x food card, as groceries and dining combine to make up a large slice of many Canadians’ personal everyday spending.

But what sets the Cobalt Card apart from competitors with similar earn rates is the flexibility and value of Membership Rewards. You can transfer the points earned on your card to Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Marriott Bonvoy, among other programs.

Transferring MR points to one of these airline loyalty programs gives you access to the three major worldwide airline alliances: Star Alliance (Aeroplan), Oneworld (Avios), and SkyTeam (Flying Blue). By transferring your rewards and redeeming them through loyalty programs, you’ll unlock high-value and aspirational bookings that you can’t achieve with other types of points.

By pairing sky-high earning rates with transferable rewards, the Cobalt Card is actually better than co-branded cards for racking up frequent flyer miles and hotel points on everyday spending.

Although transferring points to airline and hotel partners will almost always be your best option value-wise, you can also redeem MR points against…