Rankings
Best Credit Cards for Wedding Expenses in Canada
The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard records $1,049 of first-year value on our example profile, and the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite + records $676. A wedding is a one-time spend, so an offer’s minimum spend matters more here than an ongoing rate.
Which credit card earns the most on wedding spending?
The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite + and the SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express record the highest first-year value in the catalogue: $1,049, $676 and $663 on our example profile.
| Card | Annual fee | First-year value | Net annual rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopBMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard | $139 | $1,049 | $430 |
| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite + | $120 | $676 | $400 |
| SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express | $120 | $663 | $516 |
| TD Cash Back Visa Infinite | $139 | $659 | $324 |
| RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard | $120 | $643 | $343 |
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.
Welcome bonuses drive that order. The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard shows $619 more in the first year than in an ordinary year, and that gap is the offer rather than the card’s rates.
Put it into practiceFind My CardHow much cash back does a large one-time purchase earn?
$10,000 charged to a card paying a flat 1% earns $100, at 2% it earns $200, and at 3% it earns $300.
| Purchase | At 1% back | At 2% back | At 3% back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top$2,000 | $20 | $40 | $60 |
| $5,000 | $50 | $100 | $150 |
| $10,000 | $100 | $200 | $300 |
| $20,000 | $200 | $400 | $600 |
A category bonus applies only where the merchant records in that category. A venue, caterer or photographer often records as general merchandise or dining, so a card paying a high rate on groceries or gas will not pay that rate on a wedding.
Where a card pays the same rate on everything, the arithmetic in the table is what you can expect, before any welcome bonus.
Can wedding spending meet a welcome bonus minimum spend?
Often it can, if the eligible purchases fall inside the qualifying period and meet the minimum, both of which the offer’s terms measure from account opening.
We record the minimum spend and the qualifying period where the offer documents them, and the card page shows both beside the bonus. Balance transfers, cash advances, fees and cash-equivalent purchases are commonly excluded.
Do not spend money you would not otherwise spend: a bonus worth less than the extra purchases is a loss, and the bonus is paid once.
Which card should pay for the honeymoon?
The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard pays 3.33% on travel purchases, the highest travel rate we track, and the Scotiabank Gold American Express keeps a foreign transaction fee off spending abroad.
| Card | Travel rate | Annual fee | Net annual rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopBMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard | 3.33% | $150 | $122 |
| Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege | 3% | $395 | $187 |
| CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa | 2% | $99 | $355 |
| Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard | 2% | $130 | $312 |
Travel cards pay their bonus rate on flights, hotels and other travel booked directly, and booking through a card’s own portal can change both the rate and the points earned. Check which channel the terms require before you book.
Where a card earns points instead of cash back, compare the programs on our program pages before assuming a multiplier is worth more: a point is worth what the redemption method gives it.
What if the balance cannot be cleared in the first month?
A reward of 1% to 3% does not survive a credit-card interest rate: at 21.99%, $5,000 carried for a year costs about $1,099 in interest before any payment.
| Card | Purchase rate | Annual fee | Interest on $1,000, one year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopScotiabank Platinum American Express | 9.99% | $399 | $100 |
| Desjardins Flexi Visa | 10.9% | $0 | $109 |
| MBNA True Line Gold Mastercard | 10.99% | $39 | $110 |
| Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege | 11.9% | $395 | $119 |
Where a balance will run for months, a card with a lower purchase rate usually costs less overall than a rewards card, even with no rewards at all. Compare the interest figure with the cash back the same spending earns.
Interest is normally charged on a daily balance, so the figure above is a simple estimate rather than a statement projection.
How do I check these against the wedding budget?
Put your own monthly spending into Find My Card, and add the one-time amount to see how the totals move.
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.
The value figures on this page use the same engine, profile and example spending as every card page. Affiliate relationships never change an estimate or the order of a ranking.
Keep reading
RankingsBest Credit Cards for Home Improvements in CanadaRenovation spending usually records as a general purchase rather than a bonus category, so the card that pays the same rate everywhere is the one to use for a large home-improvement bill. The SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express records $516 in net annual rewards on our example profile.
RankingsBest Credit Cards in CanadaThe 146 Canadian credit cards we track, ranked by what they’re worth in dollars in year one. Top pick right now: TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card at $1,251.
RankingsBest Credit Cards for Families in CanadaThe MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard and the National Bank World Elite Mastercard pay 5% on groceries — the highest grocery rate we track — and the Scotia Momentum Visa pays 2% at pharmacies for $49 a year.
RewardsHow to Redeem Credit Card Points in CanadaThe same points are worth different amounts depending on how you use them. In the programs we have reviewed, the recorded value ranges from 1 ¢ a point to 0.1 ¢ a point.
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