If you’re in the market for a new credit card, it’s important to consider the welcome bonus that the credit card is offering. This is a one-time incentive to encourage you to apply for the card, only available in your first year with the card.

The signup bonus is a big part of the value you’ll get from a new credit card, above and beyond its core features, at least in the first year. Often the signup bonus will influence your decision to apply, perhaps even more strongly than the card’s other qualities.

Here are the best credit card offers in Canada for December 2024.

Methodology

This list is an opinionated ranking of the best credit card offers in Canada, based on a few key factors that we use to evaluate the appeal of a signup bonus.

First and foremost, we look at the net value you can expect to earn when you apply for the card. This is the value of any first-year bonuses, rebates, and deals, minus annual fees. Rewards points are adjusted to a cash value based on our Points Valuations.

Next, we consider how easy it is to earn the welcome bonus. Cards may get a boost for a low spending requirement, or a long timeline to meet the spending threshold to qualify for the bonus. Meanwhile, they may get dinged for a high spending requirement, merchant category spending requirements, or drawn-out recurring monthly requirements.

All else being equal, we prefer cards with low annual fees. Any card with a first-year annual fee waiver, offering a bonus above a certain value, is a candidate for this list. However, the total first-year value of the offer is a bigger factor, as you can earn points faster and still come out ahead by paying high annual fees for cards with larger signup bonuses.

Finally, we may give a card a slight boost if its offer is significantly better than usual, or if we like the long-term features of the card. However, this list is mostly determined by what you can gain in the first year with a new credit card, compared to other deals available now.

Business Platinum Card from American Express

Not surprisingly, the Business Platinum Card from American Express remains among the cream of the crop. Fortunately, the welcome offer was recently bumped up to 150,000 points.

Currently, the card offers Canada’s most sizeable total welcome bonus: 110,000 points upon spending $15,000 in the first three months, and another 40,000 in the second year.

While this premium Amex card comes with a high annual fee of $799, it’s offset by the value of the large signup bonus alone.

Plus, you may even find long-term value in keeping the card thanks to its best-in-class perks, including extensive lounge access, comprehensive travel insurance, $200 annual travel credit, and generous refer-a-friend bonuses.

If you’re looking to rack up points quickly, the Business Platinum Card from American Express is without a doubt a great place to start, as long as you can meet the beefy minimum spending requirement.

American Express Platinum Card

The personal Platinum Card is currently offering a solid welcome bonus of 140,000 Membership Rewards points, which is a jump up from the offer for up to 100,000 points for the past year or so.

As we see with the Business Platinum, you’ll earn the lion’s share of 100,000 points in the first year upon spending $10,000 in the first three months, with the second batch awarded after you’ve paid the $799 annual fee once more.

As a cardholder, you’ll get a $200 dining credit and a $200 annual travel credit to use each year, in addition to the regular carousel of Amex Offers.

If the spending requirement on the Business Platinum is too hefty, consider this excellent offer instead.

American Express Gold Rewards Card

Earning the full current welcome bonus of 70,000 Membership Rewards points on the Gold Rewards Card requires you to spend $1,000 each month, for the first 12 months. The total amount you need to spend is more than on the Platinum Card, and you’ll need to keep track of it every month.

The 10,000 points earned upon spending $4,000 in the first three months isn’t too lucrative, but the total welcome bonus over the year adds up, and is undoubtedly attractive.

On the other hand, since you’ll have to spend at least $13,000 spread out over the first year, you’d probably be better off looking elsewhere, especially if you can get more points sooner with a smaller spend with the Platinum.

American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card

The latest offer on the business variant of Amex’s premium Aeroplan card has a high minimum spending requirement to unlock the first batch of points, and then a second swath of points upon spending $3,500 in month 13 as a cardholder.

This means that you’ll have to pay the annual fee twice before you receive the full welcome bonus, and you’ll also have to remember to put the spend through in month 13 so you don’t miss out on any points.

On the other hand, this card features a number of ongoing Air Canada perks, including unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access, rollover benefits, and the ability for high spending to fast track qualifying for and maintaining Aeroplan Elite Status.

Apply for this card prior to December 15 of any year to ensure you enjoy the rollover benefits.

RBC^® British Airways Visa Infinite^†

RBC^® has an ongoing boosted offer on its British Airways co-branded card. While the value is quite strong, the spending requirement is higher and on a shorter timeframe than the Avion cards.

Also, Avios are harder to use and more restrictive than Avion points. As Avion can be transferred 1:1 to Avios, I’d always opt for flexibility first, and only apply for the more limited card after exhausting other options.

As a bonus, the card received a bit of a makeover in April 2024, and now has a better earning structure.

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

The current offer for the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card has a lower total bonus than its business variant above.

However, the spending requirements are also lower in year one and year two, which you may find more appealing. Just make sure you hit the $2,500 spending threshold in month 13 to achieve the full potential of the offer.

American Express Business Gold Rewards Card

The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card recently saw a drop to its welcome bonus, commensurate with its smaller $199 annual fee.

As it stands, you can earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points for the welcome bonus. This is a fairly large drop down from the previous long-standing offer for up to 75,000 points.

It’s simple to earn the bonus, with a spending requirement of $5,000 in three months on any category of purchases.

Consider this offer if you’re in immediate need of a boost of points, but your efforts may be better spent elsewhere for now.

TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite^* Card

TD’s in-house rewards cards make for a great stat-padder when you’re looking for general travel value outside of airline or hotel loyalty programs.

The current offer on the TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite^* Card has been bumped back up to match its record high, with up to 135,000 TD Rewards Points up for grabs.

That’s worth a fixed value of up to $675 towards any travel booking via Expedia^® for TD^†. With a reasonable minimum spending requirement spread out over six months and a first-year annual fee rebate†, this offer is certainly worth considering.

Plus, you’ll also get a $100 annual travel credit^†, which you can use on a hotel or vacation package of at least $500 booked through Expedia^® for TD^†. This goes a long way to improving the value proposition on the card, whether in the first year or long-term.

The latest offer for this card runs through to January 6, 2025.

RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†

RBC’s top-tier Avion card is offering up to 70,000 Avion points as a welcome bonus, which is also a record-high offer.

This card enjoys a location a bit higher on the list than its counterparts for offering an elevated number of points, despite its higher annual fee. Plus, there’s a second swath of points distributed in year two.

The end date for this offer is marked at January 15, 2025, which leaves plenty of time to add it to your wallet if you meet the eligibility requirements.

TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite Privilege^* Card

After a long run at the top of this list with a offers for more than 100,000 points in 2023, TD’s premium Aeroplan card has remained a few positions down with a lower welcome bonus throughout 2024.

The latest offer is for up to 80,000 points,^† which is the amongst the lowest we’ve seen in the past couple of years.

As a plus, there’s no monthly requirement to keep track of. Instead, the total required spending is quite high, at $12,000 in the first 180 days† and $24,000^† in the first year.

This latest offer runs through to January 6, 2025.

RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite* Business

The RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite* Business card recently received a boost for up to 35,000 Avion points, as well as a first-year annual fee rebate.

As a big plus, the card has no spending requirement. With a reasonable annual fee for a high-end business credit card, it’s a valuable way to boost your Avion balance, and worth keeping around for its 1.25x base earning rate.

You’ll likely need to have a registered business with documentation to be approved for an RBC business credit card.

TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite^* Card (Enhanced Offer)

The TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite^* Card is routinely one of our favourite mid-tier Aeroplan cards.

The latest enhanced offer – available exclusively through affiliate channels – is for up to 50,000 Aeroplan points,^† which is the highest bonus available on mid-tier Aeroplan co-branded credit cards in Canada. While the total spending requirement is high, it’s also spread out over a full year, so you should have no trouble reaching it.

Plus, there’s a first-year annual fee rebate,† so you won’t incur any costs while you try out the card.†

In order to receive the third dose of points, you’ll need to pay the annual fee for the second year^†. However, the boost of 25,000 points certainly makes it worthwhile.

This exclusive enhanced offer ends on January 6, 2025.

CIBC Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite Privilege^* Card

CIBC’s top-tier Aeroplan card is offering up to 60,000 points at the moment, but you’ll have to put in a bit of effort to get there.

After getting 20,000 points upon making your first purchase, you’ll then need to spend $7,000 in the first six months to fulfill the first spending threshold, and then 10,000 points come in the second year, after having spent at least $15,000 in year one.

If you manage to spend $25,000 each year, you’ll also have an Annual Worldwide Companion Pass in your Aeroplan account, which can be valuable if used strategically.

RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite^† 

Recently, RBC lowered the offer back down from the record-high welcome bonus on the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite.†

As it stands, you’ll get 35,000 points upon approval, without any spending requirement.†

While you’ll earn more points more quickly on day-to-day spending with Amex cards, RBC^® Avion cards are a great way to cover your bases in the oneworld airline alliance.

You can use your Avion points to supplement your Amex MR transfers to British Airways Executive Club or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or for the unique ability to convert to American Airlines AAdvantage miles. You can also find value in the Air Travel Redemption Schedule.

RBC^® Avion Visa Platinum^†

If your income doesn’t qualify for the RBC^® Avion Visa Infinite^†, you can also apply for the RBC® Avion Visa Platinum^†, with the same offer and available perks.

American Express Aeroplan Card

The American Express Aeroplan Card is yet another mid-tier Amex card with a respectable welcome bonus.

The latest offer on the card saw a slight drop to the total welcome bonus, with 10,000 points awarded in year two instead of 20,000. As a plus, the first part of the welcome bonus is awarded in year one in one fell swoop, without a monthly minimum spending requirement to keep track of.

However, you’ll want to make sure to spend $1,000 in month 13 to get the second swath of points, so be sure to give yourself a reminder.

CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business Card

CIBC’s Aeroplan business card is a tale of two offers: an achievable portion up-front for good value, followed by an excessive spending requirement for a meagre prize.

For the first part alone, the card has a first-year annual fee rebate and a reasonable spending requirement. Even without considering the long-term spending threshold, you could do a lot worse for a new business credit card.

Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card

Like the Cobalt Card, the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card is known more for its keeper prowess than for its outstanding signup offers. You’ll earn 5x Scene+ points on eligible grocery and restaurant purchases^†, or 6x points at Empire grocery stores.^†

On the other hand, the current welcome offer is solid, currently offering 25,000 Scene+ points^† with a low $1,000 spending threshold, or a total of up to 45,000 points^† with higher spending of $7,500 in the first year. That’s worth $450 when redeemed for travel, and there’s a first-year annual fee waiver, too.†

Scene+ points are great for general travel expenses at fixed value, and along with the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card, the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card is a top contender for a travel card with no foreign transaction fees.

This latest offer runs through to January 2, 2025.

CIBC Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite^* Card

As it stands, the CIBC Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite^* Card sits in third place amongst the core Aeroplan co-branded credit cards, at least in terms of first-year value.

With this offer, the first half of the welcome bonus is awarded in the first year upon spending $5,000 in the first four months, and then the second half comes in the second year after having spent $10,000 in the first year.

On the plus side, the card is offering a first-year annual fee rebate, which is a common and popular feature.

As is usually the case with CIBC, there’s no published expiry date for this offer.

TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Platinum^* Card

With a signup bonus of up to 20,000 Aeroplan points^†, an annual fee rebate for the first year^†, and a low income requirement, this card is one of the best ways for beginners early in their credit journey to begin collecting meaningful sums of Aeroplan points.

If you’re hesitant to apply for cards with high annual fees, or if you can’t be approved for higher-income cards, this card is as good a starting point as they come.

CIBC Aventura^® Visa Infinite Privilege^* Card

The upper crust of CIBC’s Aventura lineup of credit cards has a solid offer at the moment. After spending a total of $6,000 in the first four months, you’ll have earned at least 57,500 Aventura Points: 50,000 from the welcome bonus, and at least 7,500 from meeting the first two minimum spending requirements.

When redeemed against a travel expense at 1 cent per point, that’s worth $500.

Aventura Points are useful for booking independent hotels, short-term rentals, cruises, and car rentals, which are otherwise difficult to book with points. Consider this offer as part of your overall strategy.

WestJet RBC^®World Elite Mastercard

After a return to the record-high offer for the last few months, the WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard has been bumped up a few spots down on this list thanks to card returning to its standard offer.

In the first year as a cardholder, you can earn up to 450 WestJet dollars, then you’ll get another boost of 100 WestJet dollars in year two.

While you might not get the same sort of outsized value from WestJet dollars as you would with other loyalty programs, if you fly with WestJet with any frequency, this card should be on your radar for its ongoing benefits.

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

The business variant of Amex’s Bonvoy cards ranks higher than the personal card thanks to a higher welcome bonus, albeit paired with a higher minimum spending requirement.

Plus, it’s worth holding onto for the long-term, due to the Free Night Award you’ll enjoy as an annual benefit in exchange for a reasonable annual fee.

This new offer is available indefinitely, and since there’s never a bad time to apply for the card, now is as good a time as any to add it to your portfolio.

American Express Cobalt Card

The American Express Cobalt Card is a favourite for everyday earning, with an unbeatable 5x rate on groceries and restaurants. The card is arguably more attractive for its keeper appeal than it is for its signup bonus, which saw a huge drop recently.

Still, the value of the welcome offer is worth applying for, even with a baseline welcome bonus. In fact, there’s never a bad time to add a Cobalt Card to your rotation.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

The Marriott Bonvoy personal card is currently offering a bonus of up to 55,000 Bonvoy points.

If you’re eligible, this is a good opportunity to pad your Bonvoy balance for an upcoming aspirational redemption.

Your best bet is to maximize the welcome bonus and then burn the points on a valuable redemption as quickly as possible. Then, keep it in the sock drawer for the 35,000-point Free Night Award each year.

As with its business counterpart, this offer runs indefinitely, and there’s never a bad time to apply.

BMO AIR MILES®† World Elite®* Mastercard®*

In 2023, BMO acquired AIR MILES, and the bank has been breathing life back into the loyalty program since then.

If you’re entrenched in the AIR MILES world, then consider padding your balance with the current offer on the BMO AIR MILES®† World Elite®* Mastercard®*, with 3,000 AIR MILES®† up for grabs.†

Fortunately, you’ll receive the entire allotment of the welcome bonus after charging $3,000 in eligible expenses to the card in the first three months, which is entirely reasonable.

Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® – powered by Neo

If you have your eyes set on an award flight with Cathay Pacific, the Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® – powered by Neo is the only card in Canada that directly earns Asia Miles.

7,000 miles are awarded upon activating your card, while the other 20,000 come after a minimum spending requirement of $5,000 in the first three months.

Aside from a 10% discount on Cathay Pacific flights, the card doesn’t offer much else in the form of unique travel or cardholder benefits. On the other hand, if you’re looking to pad your Asia Miles balance, this offer falls squarely in the category of low-hanging fruit.

American Express Green Card

The American Express Green Card is Amex’s lowest-tier card that earns Membership Rewards. It comes with no annual fee, and it’s a great option for anyone with a new or recovering credit file.

Currently, the welcome bonus stands at 10,000 MR points upon spending $1,000 in the first three months. While that’s not necessarily going to get you a seat in business class, it’s still enough to score a transcontinental flight in economy on many airlines.

Otherwise, the card doesn’t come with too many bells and whistles, which is to be expected for a card with no annual fee.

Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card

Recently, Scotiabank debuted a new offer on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, its flagship no foreign transaction fee card.

With the current offer, you’ll enjoy a welcome bonus of 25,000 Scene+ points (worth $250 when redeemed against travel expenses) after a very reasonable $1,000 minimum spending requirement.

Plus, this card comes with six lounge visits each year through the Visa Airport Companion Program†, which is a great perk to use when you’re away from home.

Conclusion

We hope that this list will help guide you as you select your next card application, with an emphasis on the value of the signup bonus.

Feel free to view all credit cards to sort and filter by your own criteria as you compare other options. You can also book a Points Consulting call with the Prince of Travel team if you’d like some personalized advice.

^† Terms and conditions apply. Refer to the card issuer’s website for complete up-to-date information. 

Card issuers are not responsible for the accuracy of the content on this website. Reasonable efforts are made to ensure accuracy with content.