$0 Annual fee The Desjardins Cash Back Mastercard is a solid choice for big-city dwellers looking to earn cash back on frequent urban expenses.
It’s also useful for some types of travel insurance, and while not entirely comprehensive, it does offer some notable coverage for a card with no annual fee.
Bonuses & Fees
This card has no welcome bonus, but also no annual fee.
Desjardins isn’t known for offering signup incentives, so if you want to add the card to your wallet, feel free to apply at any time – I wouldn’t recommend holding out for an offer.
Earning Rewards
This card offers a tiered rewards structure:
- 2% back on restaurants, entertainment, transit, and recurring pre-authorized payments
- 0.5% back on everything else
Clearly, this card is targeting young, on-the-go people who want to keep annual fees down while earning top dollar on “lifestyle” categories. It’s a pretty broad mix of bonus categories, and a uniquely appealing combination among no-fee cards if they tick your boxes.
While a grocery bonus is sorely lacking, these rates are incredibly strong for a no-fee Mastercard. There’s also no annual limit on cash back in bonus categories.
Redeeming Rewards
Cash back is issued as a statement credit every time your rewards reach $25.
Perks & Benefits
The card offers car rental benefits, including no young driver surcharge, and no fee for additional drivers. Cardholders can get a discount of up to 15% at Hertz or 10% at Dollar and Thrifty on eligible car rentals.
Insurance Coverage
The insurance on this card is quite strong for a no-fee card, in line with some of the features you’ll find on many premium credit cards.
You’ll get emergency medical insurance up to the age of 75, trip interruption/cancellation coverage, and flight and baggage delay coverage. However, it’s worth noting that these policies are only valid for trips up to 3 days. If you’re going away for more than a weekend, you’ll have to buy a top-up to be covered at all.
The card can be used for insurance on award tickets. Coverage is valid as long as the fees were paid using the credit card.
The card’s car rental insurance grants coverage for cars valued at up to $85,000, higher than the industry standard for this type of insurance. This could make for some memorable road trips!
Finally, the card has mobile device protection. If you buy your phone or tablet with this card, you’ll be covered for up to $1,000 for two years, in the event of loss, theft, or accidental damage.