Rankings
Best Credit Cards for Pharmacies in Canada
The Scotia Momentum Visa and the Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard pay 2.00% at pharmacies — the highest rate we track — but only one of them has no annual fee.
Which credit card pays the most at pharmacies?
The Scotia Momentum Visa, the Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back and the Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard all pay 2.00% at drugstores. Two of them charge no annual fee.
| Card | Rate in this category | Annual fee | Net annual rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopScotia Momentum Visa | 2.00% | $49 | $307 |
| Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back | 2.00% | $99 | $272 |
| Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard | 2.00% | $0 | $246 |
| Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard | 2.00% | $0 | $246 |
| American Express Gold Rewards | 2.00% | $250 | $31 |
| moi RBC Visa | 1.60% | $0 | $226 |
WalletReturn example spending of $2,000/month: groceries $500, dining $200, gas $150, transit $80, travel $100, recurring bills $200, entertainment $100, drugstore $40, online $300, other $330.
Our example profile spends $40 a month at pharmacies, so a drugstore rate alone moves the yearly total by only a few dollars. The card that wins overall may still be the one with the better grocery, dining or bill rates.
Put it into practiceFind My CardIs a fee card worth it for pharmacy rewards alone?
Usually not. At 2% back, a $49 annual fee needs $2,450 of pharmacy spending a year to pay for itself.
That is $2,450 a year, or about $204 a month, spent only at pharmacies. Few households reach it: our example profile spends $40 a month.
So if two cards pay the same drugstore rate and one is free, the free one wins on that category. The fee card has to justify itself with the rest of your spending, its other categories, or benefits you would actually use.
Are drugstore rewards capped?
On some cards the drugstore rate draws on an annual limit shared with other bonus categories, so spending elsewhere reduces what is left at the bonus rate.
WalletReturn records the cap where the card documents one, and shows a lower post-cap rate in the working. Compare cards on the rate you can realistically trigger across a year, not the headline rate on the first dollar spent.
Does every purchase at a pharmacy earn the drugstore rate?
Purchases that record as a drugstore or pharmacy merchant qualify; other things bought in the same store may record differently.
Cosmetics, groceries and general merchandise bought at a pharmacy can sit in their own categories, and prescriptions reimbursed by an insurer still count as spending on your card. Keep the card’s published list of eligible categories as the reference.
How do I check this against my own pharmacy spending?
Use Find My Card with your own monthly drugstore amount; the ranking, the caps and the yearly totals are recalculated on your numbers.
The values on this page use WalletReturn example spending of $2,000/month: groceries $500, dining $200, gas $150, transit $80, travel $100, recurring bills $200, entertainment $100, drugstore $40, online $300, other $330.
Every card is put through the same earn rules, cap records and welcome offers. Affiliate relationships never move a card up a ranking or change an estimate.
Keep reading
RankingsBest Credit Cards for Online Shopping in CanadaOnline shopping is the largest discretionary line in our example profile at $300 a month. The CIBC Costco Mastercard and the Tangerine Money-Back World Mastercard both pay 2.00% back — the highest online rate we track — and neither charges an annual fee.
RankingsBest Credit Cards for Groceries in CanadaThe Canadian credit cards that pay the most at grocery stores, with the real return per dollar: MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, National Bank World Elite Mastercard, BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard all earn 5%.
RankingsBest Credit Cards for Gas in CanadaCanadian credit cards with the highest return on gas and EV charging: Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back leads at 4%.
RankingsBest Credit Cards for Restaurants and Food Delivery in CanadaThe highest restaurant and food-delivery rates on Canadian credit cards: up to 5% on the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, National Bank World Elite Mastercard.
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