In this edition of Head-to-Head, we’ll compare the two Mastercard products issued by Rogers Bank: the Rogers Red Mastercard® (formerly the Rogers Connections Mastercard) and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard.
Both cards offer cash back on purchases, no annual fees, and useful perks that are especially beneficial for those who use Rogers products and services.
Let’s put the cards up against each other to help decide which is best for your wallet.
Card Basics
We’ll kick things off with a look at the essentials offered by both cards: the welcome bonus, the annual fee, and the earning rates.
1. Welcome Bonus
Both the Rogers Red Mastercard® and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard offer welcome bonuses in the form of cash back.
As a welcome bonus with the Rogers Red Mastercard®, you can earn 10% cash back during the first three months of card membership, up to a value of $100.† To maximize the offer, you’d need to spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months.†
On the other hand, the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard offers a simpler but less sizeable welcome bonus, which is $25 cash back when you make your first purchase within the first three months of getting the card.†
Verdict: The winner here is the Rogers Red Mastercard®, with its offer of up to $100 cash back, earned upon spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months.†
This is quadruple the $25 welcome bonus offered on the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard. However, it’s worth noting that you simply have to make a purchase to earn the bonus on the World Elite® product.†
2. Annual Fee
The Rogers Red Mastercard and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard both have no annual fees,† putting them squarely on even ground in this category.
Verdict: This is a clear tie, since neither card requires an annual fee.
3. Earning Rates
Both the Rogers Red Mastercard and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard offer opportunities to earn cash back on eligible purchases.
With the Rogers Mastercard, you can earn cash back at the following rates:
- 2% unlimited cash back on all eligible purchases if you have a qualifying service with Rogers, Fido, or Shaw†
- 2% unlimited cash back on eligible US dollar purchases (offset by a 2.5% foreign transaction fee)†
- 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases†
Comparatively, the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard offers the following slightly elevated earning rates:
- 3% unlimited cash back on eligible US dollar purchases (offset by a 2.5% foreign transaction fee)†
- 1.5% unlimited cash back on all other eligible purchases†
It’s worth noting that the category earning rate for US dollar purchases on both cards is offset by a 2.5% foreign transaction fee levied by both cards. If you have a high volume of spending in US dollars, you may want to consider a card with no foreign transaction fees instead.
Verdict: If you don’t have an eligible Rogers, Fido, or Shaw service, then the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard wins out with its baseline earning rate of 1.5% cash back on most purchases.†
However, if you have a Rogers co-branded credit card, you likely also have an eligible Rogers, Fido, or Shaw service, and if this is the case, the Rogers Mastercard card is the better choice, with unlimited 2% cash back on most purchases.†
Perks and Benefits
Often, the incremental perks and benefits offered by credit cards can tip the scales in one direction over another. Let’s take a look at the extra features on the Rogers Mastercard and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard.
1. Redeeming
With most cash back credit cards, there typically aren’t interesting ways to redeem your rewards beyond a statement credit, and indeed, this is the case with both the Rogers Red Mastercard® and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard.
Both cards earn cash back that can be redeemed against any purchase made on the card in the last 90 days.
To redeem your cash back, you’ll need a minimum of $10 available in your account. Then, you’ll simply sign into your Rogers bank account, and choose which purchase you’d like to redeem against.
However, as a notable bonus, you’ll get 30% more cash back with the Rogers Red Mastercard® every time you redeem against an eligible Rogers, Fido, or Shaw product or service.†
For example, if you redeem $10 cash back to pay for a Rogers, Fido, or Shaw bill, it’ll get turned into a $13 statement credit.†
Now, if you were to exclusively use the cash back earned on your Rogers Red Mastercard® against Rogers, Fido, or Shaw bills, the effective baseline earning rate bumps up to 2.6% cash back.†
In other words, for every $100 you spend on the card, you’ll earn the equivalent of $2.60 cash back when it’s redeemed for an eligible Rogers, Fido, or Shaw bill.
Verdict: The Rogers Red Mastercard® wins here, due to the 30% bonus applied when redeeming cash back for eligible Rogers, Fido, or Shaw services.†
2. Extra Features
Given that both cards have no annual fees, it’s not surprising that they both also have fairly limited perks and benefits compared to credit cards with higher annual fees.
Of the benefits, one that the two cards have in common is the opportunity to purchase a new phone with a 0% interest rate through the Equal Payment Plan.†
To take advantage of this perk, you’ll need to pay for a new device that costs at least $250 using your Rogers credit card at a Rogers, Shaw, or Fido store, and afterwards, you’ll be able to set up financing for a 36-or 48-month term.†
If you aren’t able to pay for a phone outright, then this perk can be particularly useful, since you won’t incur any interest or additional fees, as long as you make your monthly payments.†
Furthermore, until December 31, 2023, both cards are offering five free TTC rides so that customers can try out the newly available 5G connectivity on their subterranean journeys.†
To access your free rides, you just need to tap your Rogers credit card using a mobile wallet as your form of payment when riding the TTC, and you’ll see the fare returned to you as a statement credit.†
Beyond these perks, the two products each offer a couple of card-specific benefits that may be of value.
With the Rogers Red Mastercard®, each year you’ll get five Roam Like Home days for Rogers mobile phone plans, which lets you enjoy your phone plan even while you’re abroad at no cost.† Depending on where you’re travelling, this benefit could have a value of up to $75 (five days at $15/day).†
On the other hand, the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard provides cardholders with a complimentary membership to Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass.† As a member, you’ll have access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide.†
It’s important to note, however, that this benefit doesn’t cover the cost of entry. To take advantage of the participating airport lounges and their amenities, you’ll need to pay $32 (USD) per visit.†
Finally, as an additional perk, the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard can be used to connect Boingo’s more than one million hotspots worldwide for free Wi-Fi access.† You’ll also get 12 90-minute in-flight sessions over the course of a calendar year, which you can use on planes that use Boingo Wi-Fi.
Verdict: It’s difficult to pick a winner in this category, but ultimately, we may have to side with the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard for complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi and the incremental lounge access membership.†
However, it’s worth noting that the benefits offered on both cards can be particularly useful to anyone in the Rogers ecosystem, or for purchasing a mobile device with 0% interest.†
Other Factors
1. Insurance
When it comes to insurance, the Rogers Red Mastercard® doesn’t offer any coverage, while its World Elite® counterpart does offer some basic coverage when you use the card to make eligible purchases and bookings.
By booking your travel with the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard, you can take advantage of the emergency medical coverage, as well as the trip cancellation, interruption, and delay insurance for short out-of-province and out-of-country trips.†
Additionally, when you reserve and pay for a car rental using the World Elite® card, you’re provided with some coverage for theft of and damage to the vehicle.†
Finally, the World Elite® card also provides purchase protection and extended warranty coverage, which can be helpful if you run into issues with an eligible item recently purchased on the card.†
Verdict: In this category, the World Elite card is the clear winner, as it provides some limited insurance coverage compared to the zero coverage offered by the Rogers Mastercard.
2. Ease of Approval
To be eligible for the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard, you need to have a minimum personal annual income of at least $80,000, or a household income of at least $150,000.†
You’ll also need to charge at least $15,000 on the card each year to remain eligible.†
On the other hand, the Rogers Red Mastercard® has no minimum income requirement, and you’re just subject to credit approval.†
Verdict: With no minimum income required, and no minimum annual spending requirement, the Rogers Red Mastercard® is more accessible, and comes out ahead in this category.
3. Supplementary Cardholders
Both the Rogers Red Mastercard® and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard allow you to add up to nine supplementary cardholders for no additional fee.
Verdict: It’s a tie here, since there’s no cost either way.
4. Visual Appearance
The two cards feature relatively different visuals and styles.
The Rogers Red Mastercard® is done up in a modern vertical layout and a bright, on-brand red.
Comparatively, the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard uses a sleeker silver-on-black colour scheme, and the more traditional horizontal layout.
The World Elite® card seems to be going for a classic or elegant look, while the Rogers Mastercard comes across with more everyday appeal. Both cards feature the Rogers logo prominently.
Verdict: I personally gravitate towards the sleekness of the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard, making it my choice for the winner here.
Conclusion
Both the Rogers Red Mastercard® and the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard offer similar value in terms of earning rates, baseline redemption opportunities, and perks.
Choosing between the two cards really depends on whether or not you’re a Rogers customer, how much you intend to spend on the card each year, and which card perks have more utility for you.
If you’re a Rogers customer, you’ll certainly want to consider the Rogers Mastercard, as you’ll enjoy a higher baseline earning rate on everyday purchases, a 30% bonus when using cash back against Rogers, Fido, or Shaw expenses, and the travel perk of five free Roam Like Home days each year.†
On the other hand, if you’re not a Rogers customer, then you may want to look at the Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard to take advantage of the free Boingo Wi-Fi and the insurance benefits, while still having access to a decent baseline cash back earning rate on most purchases.†
And since both cards come with no annual fee, there’s no cost to add one to your lineup of credit cards to take advantage of any perks that you may be interested in.
†Terms and conditions apply. Refer to the card issuer’s website for complete, up-to-date information.