The 10 best travel rewards credit cards in Canada in 2026
By: Cory Santos on February 5, 2026
This article was last updated February 2026.
If travelling is your passion, a travel rewards credit card can help you reach your next destination just that little bit faster.
Travel cards let you earn rewards on your purchases— and in turn, you can use those points or miles to book flights, hotels, or other travel, saving you money and getting you to where you want to go.
Here are our best travel rewards cards, including five with annual fees and five without.
Jump straight to:
Top travel rewards cards with annual fees
| Credit card | Annual fee | Eligibility | Bonus |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite | $139 (First Year Rebate) | 660+ credit score; $60,000 personal, $100,000 household income | Up to $1,450 in value† including up to 45,000 Aeroplan points† could be yours and receive an annual fee rebate for the first year†. Conditions Apply. |
| American Express Cobalt Card | $191.88 | >660 credit score; no income requirements | Earn 1,250 Membership Rewards® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in net purchases on your Card. This could add up to 15,000 points in a year. That’s up to $150 towards a weekend getaway or concert tickets |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | $120 | 660+ credit score; $12,000 personal income | Earn up to $850 in welcome offers, first-year rewards, savings value, and up to 45,000 bonus Scene+ points. Up to 4X Scene+ points for every dollar spent on hotel bookings, car rentals, and purchases related to Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia. |
| BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard | $199 (Waived for the first year) | 660+ credit score; $80,000 personal, $150,000 household income | Get up to $2,400 in value*, including 70,000 VIPorter points and a round-trip companion pass.* Plus receive $1,000 in Qualifying Spend. *Plus no annual fee in your first year* |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite | $150 | 660+ credit score; $60,000 personal, $100,000 household income | Earn up to $1,500 in first-year welcome offers, rewards, and savings, including up to 60,000 bonus Scene+ points¹ Travel benefits include no foreign transaction fees, 6 free visits to Priority Pass lounges, 24/7 concierge service and more. |
Top travel rewards cards with no annual fee
| Credit card | Annual fee | Eligibility | Bonus |
| American Express Green Card | $0 | 660+ credit score; no income requirements | 10,000 Membership Rewards® points when you charge $1,000 in purchases to your Card in the first 3 months of Cardmembership. |
| Scotiabank American Express Card | $0 | 660+ credit score; no income requirements | 5,000 bonus points†† ($25 in cash back value) after you make $500 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening. Plus, 5,000 bonus points† ($25 in cash back value) once enrolled for paperless e-statements within the first 90 days of account opening |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | $0 | 660+ credit score; $12,000 personal income | Earn up to 5,000 bonus Scene+ points within your first year (up to $50 towards travel) |
| $0 | 725+ credit score; $12,000 personal income | Earn up to 10,000 bonus Scene+ points within your first 3 months. | |
| $0 | 660+ credit score; no income requirements | Get 20,000 points when you spend $1,500 in the first 3 months – the equivalent of $133. |
How do travel rewards credit cards work?
Travel rewards credit cards are a type of rewards card that allows cardholders to earn points for every dollar spent on eligible purchases, typically with higher points conversion on travel-related purchases, such as airfare, baggage, hotels, gas, and more.
These travel cards are either co-branded with a specific airline or airline alliance or based on a flexible travel rewards program from a bank (Scene+, Avion, Aventura, Membership Rewards, etc.).
Annual fees
Travel cards come with variable annual fees. Higher fees usually come with larger rewards, like stronger insurance, and more generous travel perks. Annual fees can vary significantly, with premium options ranging from around $75 to up to $799 per year, with the $120 fee of the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card a good example of a premium option that offers $850 in potential first-year value but without the steeper price tag of more premium cards.
No-fee travel credit cards can act as a great entry point for consumers who occasionally travel but may hesitant to pay a high annual fee. These cards are available from all major issuers and offer basic rewards and essential insurance protections, making them a great option for everyday spending.
How to earn and redeem travel points and miles
Like other rewards credit cards, travel cards allow cardholders to earn rewards points on eligible purchases, including certain travel bonus categories like flights, hotels, cruises, and rental car bookings.
Some cards may limit bonus travel spending to select brands. Aeroplan, for example, requires cardholders to book with Air Canada or its partners to earn Aeroplan points on travel. Travel cards often also feature secondary “everyday” bonus categories, such as dining, gas, streaming services, or recurring bills.
Once you’ve earned enough miles or points, you can redeem rewards towards award travel (flights, hotel bookings, cruises, etc.), or for more everyday awards, like cash back as a statement credit, merchandise, gift cards, or deposits into eligible accounts.
While there is no hard-and-fast rule, booking flights often offers the best value for money, especially when using an airline-specific program like Aeroplan. That’s because there are significant variations in airline pricing, such as zone charts or saver awards, which are less likely to spike in price than cash airfare.
As a result, travel cardholders can potentially get big value for their points or miles, though the process of searching for those deals might be a headache for some.
More basic options, such as statement credits or gift cards, typically offer the least value to cardholders, but their value is much steadier than that of flights.
Here’s how point valuations can fluctuate within a program like Aeroplan:
https://www.lowestrates.ca/blog/10-best-travel-rewards-credit-cards/edit
Additionally, some travel rewards cards offer lucrative welcome bonuses that can be worth hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars. Typically, you’ll need to spend a set amount within a set time period (usually the first three months after account opening). The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card, for example, offers a welcome bonus of up to 40,000 Aeroplan points, redeemable for up to $800 in Air Canada award flights.
Redemption restrictions
It’s worth noting that there may be several restrictions on how you can redeem points or miles, depending on the program. Some programs, for example, use blackout dates to limit when you can redeem your rewards. Similarly, there may be additional surcharges or fees, as well as limited seat availability.
Finally, some programs’ rewards expire, meaning if you don’t use them, you might lose them. Here’s how the various Canadian travel programs compare:
- Aeroplan: Expire after 18 months of inactivity
- WestJet Rewards: Points never expire
- VIPorter: Expire after 24 months of inactivity
- Aventura: Expire after 36 months of inactivity
- Amex Membership Rewards Points: never expire
- Scene+: Expire after 24 months of inactivity
- MBNA Rewards: Expire 4 years after the calendar quarter in which they’re earned
Points transfers
Depending on the loyalty program, travel rewards credit cards may allow cardholders to transfer points between programs. Here’s how transferable Canadian travel rewards are:
| Program | Transfer partners |
| Amex Membership Rewards | Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Club, Delta SkyMiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Emirates Skywards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hilton Honors |
| Aeroplan | Star Alliance (26 carriers, including United MileagePlus, Lufthansa, Air China, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Flying Blue, TAP Air Portugal, and Turkish Airlines |
| WestJet Rewards | Delta SkyMiles, Flying Blue, Qantas |
VIPorter | Alaska Airlines, Air Transat |
Marriott Bonvoy | Amex Membership Rewards, United MileagePlus |
Cards from some bank-based loyalty programs (Scene+, Aventura, Avion) don’t offer external points transfers.
Card-specific perks
As with other rewards cards, with travel cards, you’ll typically get more benefits with an annual fee. Premium travel rewards typically come with perks that make travelling much more enjoyable, including:
- Airport lounge access: Travel cards may provide discounted or complimentary access to thousands of airport lounges through Priority Pass, DragonPass, or Visa Airport Companion.
- Travel credits: Cards may provide statement credits to offset select travel purchases (baggage, hotel stays, incidentals, etc.). Others may offer credits to offset border crossings, such as NEXUS.
- Free checked bags: Some airline-branded travel cards include a free checked bag for the cardholder and other travellers on the same reservation. Others offer priority boarding and baggage to make travel easier.
- No foreign transaction fees: Some travel cards waive the typical 2.5% Foreign transaction fee when you make purchases outside of Canadian dollars.
Comprehensive travel insurance
Premium cards may offer extensive travel and medical insurance coverage, including travel accident, delayed/lost baggage, trip cancellation/interruption, and hotel burglary insurance, which can save travellers thousands of dollars.
Here’s what insurance you might get from a travel card:
| Insurance | Coverage |
| Travel Accident | Pays a lump-sum benefit in the event of accidental death or certain severe injuries while travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus, ferry). |
| Emergency Medical | Reimburses eligible out‑of‑province or out‑of‑country emergency medical expenses (hospital, doctor, ambulance, meds) up to the policy limit for the covered trip duration. |
| Emergency Medical Term | The time-limited period (term) during which emergency medical coverage applies on a trip, typically with restrictions on those over 65. |
Trip Interruption/Cancellation | Reimburses prepaid, non‑refundable trip costs if you have to cancel before departure for a covered reason, or certain extra transportation/lodging if you must cut a trip short for a covered reason |
Flight Delay | Pays reasonable additional expenses (meals, accommodations, transportation) when a covered flight is delayed beyond the insurer’s specified waiting period |
Baggage Delay | Reimburses emergency purchases of essentials (clothing, toiletries) when checked baggage is delayed |
Lost/Stolen Baggage | Covers repair or replacement cost for personal items lost, damaged or stolen during an eligible trip |
Hotel Burglary | Reimburses loss or damage to personal items taken from your locked hotel/motel room following a break‑in |
Rental Car | Provides collision/loss damage coverage for theft or physical damage to a rental vehicle when you pay the full rental with the card and decline the rental agency’s insurance |
How to choose the right travel rewards credit card
Choosing the right travel card doesn’t have to be tough. Use the following steps to quickly identify the right credit card for you:
1. Know what you’re looking for
Before you choose a travel card, make sure you understand exactly what you’re looking for: free hotel nights, award flights to the tropics, airport lounge access, upgrades, or something else.
2. Check your loyalty
If you travel often, are you loyal to a particular brand? For example, if you frequently fly with Air Canada, an Aeroplan credit card makes the most sense. Or maybe you prefer to stay with Marriott brands when travelling; in that case, a Bonvoy credit card is your best bet for free nights.
However, if you aren’t loyal to an airline or hotel program, consider a general travel credit card from a bank’s program, such as RBC Avion, Scotia Scene+, or CIBC Aventura. These cards also offer greater flexibility when redeeming points for everyday rewards like groceries, gas, or cash back.
5. Weight the travel benefits vs. the annual fee
Travel credit cards often tout hundreds of dollars in benefits and welcome bonuses for new cardholders, but the numbers don’t always add up for everyone.
Be honest about how often you’ll travel. Premium cards look great on paper but only pay off if you use the equivalent of the fee on benefits. If you travel very occasionally, a no‑fee travel card that earns decent points in your everyday categories makes much more sense.
The easiest way to figure out if a card fits your budget is to add up the perks you’ll actually use this year (including the welcome bonus if you’re keeping the card a full year, travel credits you’ll actually redeem, value of your likely lounge visits, checked‑bag savings, etc.), a conservative estimate of your annual rewards, then subtract the annual fee.
That final number is the real cost of owning that card: if it’s a positive, it might be worth it; but if it’s a negative, it’s not.
Are travel rewards credit cards worth it?
Here’s when a travel card makes sense:
- If you travel frequently. Travel cards are worth it when you take multiple trips each year, since the points you earn likely equal a free flight
- If you want peace of mind worldwide. Premium travel cards offer prime coverage, including travel insurance, trip delay/cancellation coverage, and emergency assistance to reduce stress while abroad.
- If you're diligently paying off your cards every month. If you carry a balance, you’re throwing money away with travel credit cards. That's because if you only pay your statement in full each month to avoid interest, that negates your rewards.
- If your spending matches the bonus categories. A card only makes sense if your regular spending habits align with the card’s bonus categories.
When aren’t travel cards worth it?
Conversely, here’s why a travel card might not be right for you:
- If you often carry a balance. Carrying a balance causes interest charges, which can dilute the value of rewards points.
- If your travel habits don’t match the annual fee. Premium travel cards can charge annual fees of $500+ but offer perks like free baggage, lounge access, and priority boarding to make travelling a breeze. If you don’t travel enough to maximize those benefits, a premium card might not be for you— opt for a no-fee credit card instead.
- If you're struggling to pay off balances on multiple cards. Too many cards can signal underlying spending issues. In this case, consider cancelling one or two credit card and rolling the balances onto a low-interest balance transfer card.
Ultimately, a travel rewards credit card makes sense if your travel habits, spending patterns, payment history, and ability to actually use the card’s perks align so that the rewards and benefits exceed the cost. However, if they don’t, a no annual fee rewards card might be a better option.
