Canada’s 5 Best TD Credit Cards

TD is one of Canada’s biggest banks. They’re a major Aeroplan partner, and they also offer other travel and cash back credit cards.

Read on to find out more about our top picks for the best TD credit cards in Canada.

Best TD Credit Cards

Best Overall TD Credit Card

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card is the bank’s flagship product, and our choice for their best credit card. At the “core” tier of the Aeroplan cards, it offers the most bang for your buck for the vast majority of cardholders.

Most of the card’s ongoing value comes in the form of Aeroplan and Air Canada benefits. You’ll get free checked bags on Air Canada flights, preferred pricing on Aeroplan flight rewards when you fly with Air Canada, and a few ways to get closer to Aeroplan Elite Status by spending with the card.

Additionally, the card provides travel insurance, which covers Aeroplan flight rewards. You’ll want to pay for the flight’s taxes and fees with this card so that you’re protected in the event of a travel snafu.

Best Premium TD Credit Card

If you’re looking for premium traveller perks and Air Canada benefits, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card is the way to go. The card earns a base rate of 1.25 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on all purchases.

Aeroplan members can earn Aeroplan 25K Status by racking up 100,000 Aeroplan points (excluding welcome bonuses and transferring points) in a year. If you’re planning on spending your way to status, using the Visa Infinite Privilege card would reduce the amount you need to spend by 20%.

You’ll also get an enhanced travel experience, with unlimited access to Maple Leaf Lounges and six free visits per year to DragonPass lounges, priority airport services (including check-in and boarding), and more flexible ways to qualify for higher tiers of Aeroplan Elite Status.

As for savings, you’ll get the best preferred pricing rates for Aeroplan flight rewards on Air Canada flights, as well as the opportunity to spend your way to unlocking a Worldwide Companion Pass.

Best TD Credit Card for Travel Purchases

Not all of your travel arrangements can be booked on points. While it’s easy enough to get flights covered with loyalty programs like Aeroplan, there are a much wider range of hotels, vacation packages, experiences, and tour operators where you’ll most likely have to pick up the bill yourself.

The TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card is an awesome card for all travel purchases. It earns 4% back in the form of TD Rewards points when you book with Expedia for TD. For a guaranteed rate that doesn’t depend on finding limited sweet spots and award availability to extract its full potential, it simply can’t be beat.

For maximum value, you can use your TD Rewards points to book anything available on the Expedia for TD website. This is a great way to snowball your rewards – as you book travel, you’ll earn even more travel!

Not to mention, cardholders get a $100 annual credit towards a $500+ hotel or vacation booking. As well, you’ll get a birthday bonus, where you’ll get a 10% boost on points you’ve earned (up to a limit) each year.

Best No Fee TD Credit Card

Among TD’s no-fee cards, the TD Rewards Visa Card has an appealing rewards structure. You’ll earn 2% back (in the form of TD Rewards points) travel bookings, 1.5% back on groceries and restaurants, and 1% back on recurring bills.

Those rates are quite strong when compared to other entry-level credit cards, and indeed higher value than the alternative no-fee TD Cash Back Visa Card.

Most importantly, you can park your TD Rewards points here if you ever decide to cancel or downgrade your TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card. That way, your points won’t expire while you await a good travel opportunity.

Best Cash Back TD Credit Card

The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card is chief among TD’s cash back cards. You’ll earn 3% cash back on groceries, gas, and recurring bill payments.

While not the absolute best card on the market for any one of these categories, it’s the only card with high earn rates on all three. If you don’t want to juggle several credit cards and these categories cover most of your expenses, the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite would serve you well.

Considering its frequent First Year Free promotions and the ability to waive your annual fee every year with a TD All-Inclusive Chequing account, it’s not hard to maintain these rewards year after year at no cost.

Also, the card comes with a Deluxe TD Auto Club Membership. It’s their only credit card with this benefit, and one of the only cards in Canada that offers roadside assistance. For heavy commuters or road-trippers, it’s a valuable perk that could get you out of an unpleasant situation.

Not to mention, the roadside assistance dovetails nicely with the 3% rewards on gas, giving you one credit card for all of your driving needs.

TD Credit Cards: What You Need to Know

When choosing a TD credit card, you should familiarize yourself with what benefits a TD credit card can offer, what features to look out for, and how TD credit cards can fit into an optimized overall credit card strategy.

Why get a TD credit card?

TD credit cards are one of the best ways to earn Aeroplan points. As Aeroplan’s primary bank partner, TD’s co-branded cards often have bigger bonuses with easier spending requirements than their counterparts from CIBC and American Express.

Once you have your flights covered, TD Rewards points are also a great way to cover your other travel expenses. You can use them for anything on Expedia, like hotels and car rentals, or even redeem them for statement credit for pretty much any out-of-province expense, including gas or restaurants.

TD generally values a strong relationship with their members. It can be harder to get approved initially, but longtime clients will find it easier to open additional products, sometimes even receiving pre-approvals.

If you already bank with TD, getting one of their credit cards is a no-brainer. On most cards, you can get your annual fee rebated every year if you have a TD All-Inclusive Chequing account. This is useful if you plan on keeping a Visa Infinite card year after year for its benefits and higher everyday earning rates.

What should you look for in a TD credit card?

TD has three different types of rewards on their credit cards, all on the Visa payment network:

  • Aeroplan co-branded cards earn Aeroplan points and come with Air Canada benefits. They’re best for avid Aeroplan collectors who know how to stretch the value of their frequent flyer points, or who’ll benefit from travel insurance on Aeroplan award ticket bookings.
  • TD Rewards cards earn points that can be used for travel expenses. You can book flights, hotels, car rentals, or anything else available on Expedia for TD, at a rate of 0.5 cents per point. Otherwise, you can redeem points for statement credit against any other travel purchase at a rate of 0.4 cents per point. TD Rewards cards have decent earning rates on uncategorized transactions and excellent rates on travel.
  • Cash Back can be redeemed any time you’ve accumulated at least $25. They’re the easiest rewards to use and understand, but the trade-off is that their value is limited. Compared to their peers, TD’s cash back cards are somewhat competitive for groceries, gas, and recurring payments, and weak for other purchases.

For each type of rewards, TD offers cards with a wide range of welcome bonuses, everyday rewards, annual fees, perks, and income requirements.

Any of these cards come with the standard benefits for their Visa tier:

  • All Visa Infinite cards have access to Concierge services, the Luxury Hotel Collection, and the Dining Series & Wine Country program
  • In addition, Visa Infinite Privilege cards come with a DragonPass membership which includes six annual visits to participating airport lounges and restaurants each year

TD regularly puts on First Year Free promotions for new signups for all cards at or below the Visa Infinite tier. It’s generally best to wait for one of these opportunities before applying.

What’s the optimal strategy for TD credit cards?

If you’re a dedicated traveller who wants to see as much of the world as possible by maximizing your credit cards, TD’s wide range of credit cards will undoubtedly have a significant presence in your wallet.

In an optimized credit card strategy, you would leverage TD’s Aeroplan credit cards (in conjunction with Aeroplan cards from CIBC and American Express) to collect a large balance of Aeroplan points, which you’d use towards booking international flights at a high value.

Meanwhile, you’d use the more flexible TD Rewards credit cards to cover your non-flight travel expenses, such as car rentals or non-chain hotels, by booking through the Expedia for TD portal.

TD is also known for granting the welcome bonus upon switching credit cards between the two families, so you could collect points and maximize benefits across both the Aeroplan and TD Rewards card families while preserving the same account (and all of its history) on your credit file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some questions we frequently hear from readers about the best TD credit cards in Canada.

Can I have the TD Aeroplan Platinum, Infinite, and Privilege cards at the same time?

Yes, the cards are separate products. You can have any combination at the same time, and you can open them all and be eligible for all welcome bonuses. However, note that TD and Aeroplan may limit the number of credit card bonuses earned by a member if they deem this behaviour to be excessive.

Which credit bureau does TD check?

TD uses Equifax for credit inquiries, although they sometimes have pre-approvals for existing clients.

How do I apply for a TD credit card?

If you’re having technical difficulties getting approved when submitting a credit card application online, consider booking an appointment at a TD branch or applying by phone.

Can I do a product switch with TD?

Yes, you can switch in a branch or by phone. There are no bonuses available for downgrades, and usually the bonuses for upgrades are smaller than what you’d get for a new application.

Generally speaking, a switch between credit cards in different families (Aeroplan, TD Rewards, or Cash Back) will yield the strongest bonuses.