Which Credit Cards Give the Most Rewards Points or Cash Back?
/How to Get the Most Credit Cards Rewards Points
First Published Date: November 11, 2016
Today, I will talk about maximum rewards points offered by annual fee credit cards in Canada. Keep in mind that I am not looking at introductory bonus points, insurance benefits or other perks offered by these cards. The cards that offer the most rewards may not be the best credit cards when it comes to extra benefits. For example, the American Express Gold Rewards Credit Card is one of the best cards in terms of rewards, but in terms of benefits it’s one of the worst cards. Why? Read my Amex Gold Review here.
Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com
Best Proprietary Points Credit Card – The Scotia Bank American Express Gold Card offers the most proprietary rewards points (4 points per dollar) on 4 categories (grocery, gas, entertainment, restaurants). However, it offers a poor 1 point per dollar on all other spending.
There are three other credit cards that offer a flat 2 points per dollar on all spending across the board. These cards are: BMO World Elite MasterCard, MBNA Rewards World Elite MasterCard, and Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard.
Best Airline Loyalty Points Credit Card – Both the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite and the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite offer 1.5 miles on 4 categories (grocery, gas, pharmacy, and at AirCanada.com purchases excluding vacation). However, these cards offer a poor 1 mile per dollar on all other spending.
Best Hotel Loyalty Points Credit Card – The Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express Credit Card offers 1 Starpoint per dollar across the board on all categories. Although there are other hotel credit cards that offer more points per dollar, Starpoint is the most valuable hotel currency on the market (currently 1 Starpoint valued at 2.5 cents or more), and for that reason the SPG Amex credit card provides most value for every dollar spent.
Best Cash Back Credit Card – The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card offers the most cash back return (4 percent on gas + grocery and 2 percent on pharmacy + recurring bills). However, it offers a poor 1 percent on all other spending.
The BMO CashBack World Elite MasterCard offers a flat 1.75 percent return on all spending across the board. Another no fee credit card worth mentioning is Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card. It offers 2 percent cash back in 2 categories of your choice and 1 percent on everything else.
Best Hybrid Points Credit Card – The American Express Gold Rewards Credit Card offers 2 points on gas, grocery, drugstore, and travel purchases and 1 point on everything else. These points can be converted to airline (Aeroplan, Avios, etc.) or hotel points (Hilton, SPG, etc.) or can be used as statement credit. The 2 points per dollar earning opportunity makes this card the highest Aeroplan (or other airline points) earner credit card in Canada.
Bonus Credit Card Points Tip – Although The Scotia Bank American Express Gold Card and MBNA World Elite Rewards MasterCard are proprietary points travel credit cards, its ability to redeem points for cash back (MBNA) and statement credit on any purchases (Scotia) make these cash back credit cards as well.
Last Word – Don’t pick any credit cards based on only rewards points they offer. There are many other elements to it, such as what types of insurance coverage provided, who is the insurance provider, if any concierge service is available, if the card provides anniversary bonus, and so on.
A Dawn Journal has lots of articles on credit card tips and unlike many other sites, I do not receive money, participate in any affiliate program, or promote any credit cards. So my opinions are honest and unbiased. Always do your research and make informed decisions before making your credit card selections.
