Canada’s 10 Best Travel Credit Cards

For premium rewards and benefits, the American Express Platinum Card reigns supreme.

Like its counterpart for business owners, the personal Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards points, the most flexible transferable rewards in Canada. You can get a strong welcome bonus when you apply through a refer-a-friend link.

In particular, Canadians can transfer MR points to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, supplementing the points earned on other credit cards which carry the Aeroplan label. The best long-haul premium cabins on Air Canada’s partners can cost quite a few points, and cards with such a big welcome bonus are few and far between, so the Platinum Card is a great way to get you there more quickly.

If you spend a lot on dining and travel, you’ll earn 2 MR points per dollar spent, along with 1 MR point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

However, perhaps more so than everyday spending, the Platinum Card truly shines when it comes to airport lounges, and that access changes on January 1, 2027.

Until December 31, 2026, you’ll get unlimited visits to Priority Pass lounges for you and one guest, as well as Plaza Premium lounges and American Express Centurion Lounges for you, your spouse, and two children under the age of 21 or one travelling companion.

From January 1, 2027, you’ll get six complimentary visits a year each to Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges, and a guest’s visit counts as one of them. Each eligible supplementary cardholder gets two visits a year to each. Spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year, and your visits are unlimited again for the rest of that year and all of the next. Centurion Lounges and the rest of Amex’s Global Lounge Collection stay unlimited.

After that date, the Platinum Card stays our best overall travel credit card if you’ll spend $20,000 a year on it. It’s also our pick if you don’t rely on Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges.

For an elevated hotel experience, the card grants automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status.

This would be useful if, say, your priority is the Marriott Bonvoy program and you maintain a higher status there like Platinum or Titanium, but you like to ensure a few token benefits for those odd stays at other hotel brands.

Finally, the Platinum Card is among the best-in-class for travel insurance, offering higher payouts and wider-ranging coverage than most other credit cards.

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege† is RBC's top-tier travel card, and it delivers a unique value proposition that's hard to find elsewhere.

The card earns RBC Avion points at 1.25x on all purchases, but where it truly shines is in redemptions: you can redeem at 2 cents per point on business and first class bookings through RBC's travel portal, doubling the standard 1 cent per point rate on economy flights.

That 2-cents-per-point rate on business and first class bookings is a standout feature. The card also comes with six Visa Airport Companion lounge visits per year, priority airport services at select Canadian airports, and comprehensive travel insurance.

Avion points can be transferred to partners including British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, American Airlines AAdvantage, and WestJet Rewards, giving you solid flexibility for award bookings. The $399 annual fee is significant, but if you regularly book premium cabins, the value proposition can be compelling.

If you’d prefer to avoid the challenges of Amex’s limited acceptance, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card is another great choice.

New cardholders can receive a very competitive welcome bonus, often on par with the Business Platinum Card from American Express. However, with lower or more drawn-out spending requirements, you're at less of a risk of missing out entirely in case your spending fluctuates or you accidentally miss a deadline.

Beyond that, you’ll earn 2x Aeroplan points on Air Canada flights and vacations, 1.5x Aeroplan points on gas, groceries, dining, food delivery, and travel, and a strong base rate of 1.25x Aeroplan points on all other purchases.

As for perks, the card has all of the same premium Aeroplan benefits as the American Express Reserve cards, with the added benefit of a DragonPass membership with six free lounge visits per year.

If the annual fee is too steep ($599, or $699 from the first annual fee due on or after January 25, 2027), consider the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card instead. It has a lower annual fee and a smaller welcome bonus, and you’ll also have a lower earning rate, fewer Aeroplan benefits, and weaker insurance.

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† gives you RBC Avion points at their most useful level for a mid-range fee. For $120 a year, you get the same Avion Elite access as the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†, which costs $399.

That access is the reason to get the card. You can transfer your points to British Airways Avios, Cathay Asia Miles, American Airlines AAdvantage and WestJet Rewards, or book flights on RBC’s own fixed-points chart. If you’d rather keep things simple, your points are worth 1 cent each towards travel booked with RBC. Our valuation of Avion points is 2 cents each.

You’ll earn 1.25 Avion points per dollar on travel and 1 point per dollar on everything else, so this isn’t the card for fast earning on groceries or dining. The insurance is lighter too: emergency medical coverage lasts 15 days per trip (three days if you’re 65 or older), and trip cancellation covers up to $1,500 per person.

It suits you if you want flexible travel points for a modest fee, with a personal income of $60,000 or a household income of $100,000. If you book business class often and want lounge visits, the Avion Visa Infinite Privilege earns more on everyday spending and adds both.

Most Canadian credit cards charge a foreign transaction fee on purchases in another currency. The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card doesn’t, and it earns well on what you spend on a trip.

You’ll earn 3 Scene+ points per dollar on travel, 2 points per dollar on dining and entertainment, and 1 point per dollar on everything else, at home or abroad. When you book hotels, car rentals and activities through Scene+ Travel, you’ll earn 6 points per dollar. Our valuation of Scene+ points is 1 cent each.

Each year, you also get 10 Visa Airport Companion lounge visits and a $250 travel credit, plus Avis President’s Club membership. Emergency medical coverage goes up to $5 million for trips of up to 31 days (10 days if you’re 65 or older), and trip cancellation covers up to $2,500 per person.

The catch is the $599 annual fee, though Scotiabank takes $150 off if you hold its Ultimate Package chequing account. You’ll also need a personal income of $150,000, a household income of $200,000 or $400,000 in assets under management. If that’s out of reach, the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite +* Card also has no foreign transaction fees, with six lounge visits a year for a $150 fee.

The National Bank® World Elite® Mastercard® is the card to hold if insurance matters most on your trips. Trip cancellation covers up to $2,500 per person, even on award tickets, as long as you charge part of the trip’s cost, such as the taxes and fees, to the card. Trip interruption covers up to $5,000 per person.

Emergency medical coverage goes up to $5 million and lasts 60 days per trip if you’re 54 or younger, 31 days from 55 to 64 and 15 days from 65 to 75. A trip longer than that isn’t covered at all, and there’s no medical coverage from age 76. You’re also covered for flight delays (up to $500 after four hours), lost, damaged or delayed bags (up to $1,000 per person, of which up to $500 for a delay of six hours or more, when the whole fare is on the card) and collision damage on rental cars.

Beyond insurance, the card earns 5 À la carte Rewards points per dollar on groceries and dining, on up to $2,500 in total monthly spending (2 points per dollar after that). It also refunds up to $150 a year in travel expenses, and if you fly from Montréal-Trudeau, you get unlimited visits to the National Bank Lounge there.

The annual fee is $150, and you’ll need a personal income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000. If you’d rather have lounge visits around the world, the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card also carries $5 million of emergency medical coverage, for trips of up to 31 days.

If WestJet is your airline, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ is the card to hold. Its best perk is the annual companion voucher, which makes it a strong pick for couples and families. In a year you won’t use the voucher, you can trade it for two lounge passes instead.

You’ll earn 2 WestJet points per dollar on WestJet flights, WestJet Vacations and Sunwing Vacations, and on groceries and transportation, including gas, EV charging, public transit and rideshare. Everything else earns 1.5 points per dollar. Every 100 WestJet points is worth $1, so that’s 2% back on those categories and 1.5% on the rest. You also get a free first checked bag on WestJet flights.

The points are worth the most if you fly WestJet regularly. The annual fee is $139, and you’ll need a personal income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000. Emergency medical coverage lasts 15 days per trip (three days if you’re 65 or older).

If you’d rather keep your options open, Avion points from the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† transfer to WestJet Rewards too, as well as to other airline programs.

If Porter flies from your home airport, the BMO VIPorter World Elite®* Mastercard®* is built for you. You’ll earn 3 VIPorter points per dollar on Porter purchases, on up to $20,000 a year. With our valuation of VIPorter points at 1.5 cents each, that’s a 4.5% return.

The card also earns 2 points per dollar on groceries and dining (up to $10,000 a year combined), on gas and transportation (up to $5,000 a year) and on hotels (up to $5,000 a year). Everything else, including spending past those caps, earns 1 point per dollar.

The perks make Porter trips easier. You and up to eight guests on the same booking get a free first checked bag and a free carry-on bag. You also get PorterClassic seat selection for up to two passengers, priority airport services and priority rebooking if your flight is delayed.

The annual fee is $199, and you’ll need a personal income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000. The caps hold back heavy spenders, and the points are worth the most on Porter flights, so the card makes sense only if Porter is an airline you’ll actually fly.

If your business flies Air Canada, the American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card earns 3 Aeroplan points per dollar on Air Canada purchases, 2 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals, and 1.25 points per dollar on everything else. Our valuation of Aeroplan points is 2 cents each, so even the base rate returns 2.5%.

On Air Canada flights, you get priority check-in and boarding and a free first checked bag, and you can earn an Annual Worldwide Companion Pass. Until January 11, 2027, the card includes unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access within North America for you and one guest.

From January 12, 2027, that access extends to Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés worldwide, still with one guest. The card also adds up to six complimentary Priority Pass lounge passes a year, up to $100 a year towards Air Canada travel in your AC Wallet, and 15% off the points on the base fare of eligible Air Canada flight rewards.

The annual fee is $599 until your first annual fee billing date after January 12, 2027, when it becomes $799. It pays off if you’re on Air Canada several times a year. If your business flies a mix of airlines, the Business Platinum Card from American Express earns points you can move to several programs.

The CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card is an easy first travel card, because its best redemption doesn’t ask you to learn an airline program. You’ll earn 2 Aventura points per dollar on travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Centre, 1.5 points per dollar at gas stations, EV charging stations, grocery stores and drugstores, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

With the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart, a set number of points covers the base fare of a round-trip economy flight, up to a maximum fare for each region. At the top of the chart, 35,000 points covers a base fare of up to $800, about 2.29 cents per point, with taxes and fees paid separately. For other travel, your points are worth 1 cent each.

You also get four Visa Airport Companion lounge visits a year and a rebate on your NEXUS application fee. Emergency medical coverage lasts 15 days per trip (three days if you’re 65 or older), and trip cancellation covers up to $1,500 per person. The annual fee is $139, and you’ll need a personal income of $60,000 or a household income of $100,000.

Aventura points don’t transfer to airline programs, so the card can’t reach the business class value that programs like Aeroplan offer. Once you’re comfortable with points, a card that earns transferable points, such as the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, opens up more options.