Rewards
Best Credit Card Combinations in Canada
No single card leads every category: the best grocery rate we track is 5.00%, the best gas rate is 4.00% and the best online rate is 2.00%. A second card can cover what the first one misses.
Which card leads each category right now?
Groceries and dining peak at 5.00%, gas at 4.00%, recurring bills at 5.00% and online shopping at 2.00%, all before caps.
| Category | Best rate we track | Card | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopGroceries | 5.00% | MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | $120 |
| Dining | 5.00% | MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | $120 |
| Gas | 4.00% | Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back | $99 |
| Recurring bills | 5.00% | MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | $120 |
| Drugstores | 2.00% | Scotia Momentum Visa | $49 |
| Online shopping | 2.00% | CIBC Costco Mastercard | $0 |
These are the rates we can record from each card’s own earn rules. A leader in one category is rarely the leader in the next, which is the whole reason a two-card wallet exists.
Put it into practiceFind My CardWhy does one card not win everything?
Because cards concentrate their bonus rates on a short list of categories and set annual limits on them.
A card that pays 5% on groceries and dining pays much less on everything else. Add a second card and you can put the unbilled categories on a card that does pay them, instead of leaving them at the base rate.
Two cards also split spending across two sets of caps. If one card’s annual limit would be reached in a busy month, the second card keeps earning its bonus rate beyond it.
What breaks a card combination?
Fees that add up and caps that are shared between the categories you split.
| Card | Grocery rate | Cap | After the cap | Rewards on $500/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TopMBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | 5.00% | $50,000 a year | 1.00% | $300 |
| National Bank World Elite Mastercard | 5.00% | $2,500 a month of total spending | 2.00% | $300 |
| BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard | 5.00% | $500 a month | 1.00% | $300 |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express | 5.00% | $50,000 a year | 1.00% | $300 |
Two fees are not automatically worse than one, but the pair has to beat the single best card by more than the extra fee costs. Our example profile puts the leading two-fee-card pairs ahead of most single cards, and some two-card pairs with one annual fee ahead of both.
Check whether the second card’s bonus categories are capped, and whether its cap is shared with the categories you are already routing to it.
Which no-fee card works best as the second card?
The no-fee cards with the highest net annual rewards on our example profile, led by the Capital One Quicksilver World Elite Mastercard.
| Card | Annual fee | First-year value | Net annual rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopCapital One Quicksilver World Elite Mastercard | $0 | $792 | $396 |
| Capital One Quicksilver World Mastercard | $0 | $792 | $396 |
| Scotiabank American Express | $0 | $364 | $364 |
| Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard | $0 | $360 | $360 |
| Triangle World Elite Mastercard | $0 | $360 | $360 |
A no-fee second card adds categories without adding a fixed cost, so it never has to earn a fee back. That makes it the safer half of a pair: if your spending shifts, you can leave it in a drawer at no cost.
How do I build a combination for my own spending?
Start with the card you would keep if you could only have one, then look for the categories it pays the least on.
Find My Card ranks single cards on your profile. Compare shows two cards side by side, and My Wallet keeps the pair you end up holding so you can see what each one is worth.
Rewards are estimated from recorded earn rules, caps and welcome offers, with the same method for every card. Compensation never changes a ranking, and an unrecorded fact is never assumed in a card’s favour.
Keep reading
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Official sources and further reading
Terms vary by product. Confirm the provider’s current terms before acting. This guide does not predict approval, realized value or credit-score changes. How WalletReturn calculates value