Cash back credit cards in Canada convert your spending directly into dollar-value rewards — no points programmes, no transfer strategies, no redemption windows. If simplicity and guaranteed return matter to you, cash back is the right choice.
Top Picks at a Glance
| Card | Annual Fee | Top Earn Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard | $120 | 5% groceries | Best grocery cash back |
| Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% groceries & recurring bills | Best tiered cash back |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% groceries & gas | Best grocery + gas combo |
| MBNA Smart Cash World Elite Mastercard | $120 | 5% gas & groceries (first 6 months) | Best gas + grocery cash back |
| Simplii Financial Visa Infinite | $0 | 4% restaurants & bars | Best dining cash back (no fee) |
| Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard | $0 | 1.5% on everything | Best flat-rate no-fee card |
| Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card | $0 | 2% in 3 chosen categories | Best category-choice no-fee card |
| CIBC Dividend Visa | $0 | 2% groceries | Best no-fee grocery card |
| Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back | $99 | 4% gas; 2% pharmacy | Best for gas-heavy drivers |
Best Cash Back Card for Groceries
BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard
Annual fee: $120 | Network: Mastercard World Elite
5% cash back on grocery purchases on the first $500/month (then 1%). Also earns 4% on transit and recurring bills, 3% on gas and EV charging, and 1% on everything else. Cash back is redeemable monthly in $1 increments.
At a $1,000/month grocery spend, the 5% rate hits its cap at $500 — delivering $25/month from groceries alone. Adding the 3% gas and 4% transit earn makes this the strongest all-round cash back card for urban Canadian households.
Income required: $80,000 personal / $150,000 household
Full BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard Review →
Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite
Annual fee: $120 | Network: Visa
4% cash back on groceries and recurring bills (up to $25,000/year combined), 2% on gas and transit, 1% on everything else. Cash back is paid annually each November. The 4% on recurring bills (Netflix, gym memberships, phone plans) is unique among Canadian cash back cards and adds real value without extra effort.
Income required: $60,000 personal / $100,000 household
Full Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Review →
Best Cash Back Card for Grocery + Gas
CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
Annual fee: $120 | Network: Visa
4% cash back on groceries and gas (up to $80,000/year combined), 2% on transit, dining, and recurring bills, 1% on everything else. For households with significant gas spending — particularly in suburban and rural areas — the 4% on both groceries and gas makes this the strongest dual-category earner. Cash back is redeemable as a statement credit at any time in $25 increments.
Full CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Review →
Best No-Fee Cash Back Cards
Simplii Financial Visa Infinite — Best for Dining
Annual fee: $0 | Network: Visa
Earns 4% cash back on restaurant, bar, and coffee shop purchases on the first $5,000/year — the best dining earn rate on any no-fee Canadian card. Also earns 1.5% on eligible pharmacy purchases and 0.5% on everything else. Cash back is paid monthly.
Full Simplii Financial Visa Infinite Review →
Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard — Best Flat-Rate
Annual fee: $0 | Network: Mastercard World Elite
Earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases and 3% on Rogers, Fido, and Shaw services. For households that want consistent rewards without tracking categories, this is Canada’s best no-fee flat-rate card. Also earns 3% on foreign currency transactions (which more than offsets the 2.5% FX surcharge, making it net-positive abroad).
Full Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard Review →
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card — Best for Category Flexibility
Annual fee: $0 | Network: Mastercard
Choose 2–3 categories that earn 2% cash back from a list including groceries, gas, dining, recurring bills, home improvement, and more. All other purchases earn 0.5%. Cash back is deposited monthly to a Tangerine savings account (or as a statement credit). The category flexibility makes this card adaptable to your actual spending pattern.
Full Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card Review →
CIBC Dividend Visa — Best No-Fee Grocery Card
Annual fee: $0 | Network: Visa
Earns 2% on groceries and 1% on everything else. Straightforward, accessible (lower income threshold than Visa Infinite cards), and linked to CIBC’s banking ecosystem. If you want a grocery cash back card with no fee and don’t hit the Visa Infinite income threshold, this is the pick.
Full CIBC Dividend Visa Review →
Cash Back Earn Rate Comparison
| Card | Annual Fee | Groceries | Gas | Dining | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO CashBack World Elite | $120 | 5% (first $500/mo) | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% | 4% | 2% | 1% |
| MBNA Smart Cash World Elite | $120 | 5%* | 5%* | 1% | 1% |
| Simplii Financial Visa Infinite | $0 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 4% | 0.5% |
| Rogers Red World Elite | $0 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Tangerine Money-Back | $0 | 2% (chosen) | 2% (chosen) | 2% (chosen) | 0.5% |
| CIBC Dividend Visa | $0 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
*MBNA Smart Cash earns 5% on groceries and gas for the first 6 months (on first $500/month combined); then 2% on gas/groceries.
Is a Cash Back Card Worth an Annual Fee?
Quick breakeven calculation:
For the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite ($120/yr) at 4% on groceries vs. 1% on a no-fee card:
- Extra 3% on $1,000/month groceries = $30/month extra = $360/year
- Fee: $120 — Net gain: $240/year at $1,000/month grocery spend
For the BMO CashBack World Elite ($120/yr) at 5% on first $500/month groceries vs. 1% no-fee:
- Extra 4% on $500/month = $20/month = $240/year extra from the top category alone
- Fee: $120 — Net gain: $120/year minimum, more from gas and transit earn
Annual-fee cash back cards typically break even at $500–$800/month in the top earning category, depending on the card.
Card terms, earn rates, and annual fees are subject to change. Verify current rates with the issuer before applying.