Online shopping is one of the fastest-growing spending categories for Canadians — from Amazon.ca weekly orders to US retailer purchases to digital subscriptions. The right credit card earns 2–5% on online purchases and eliminates foreign transaction fees on USD sites.
Best Cards for Online Shopping
| Card | Annual Fee | Online Earn Rate | No FX Fee | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card | $0 | 2% (online shopping category) | No | Best no-fee online card |
| American Express Cobalt | $156 | 5x MR on food delivery + 1x MR elsewhere | No | Food delivery platforms |
| Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard | $0 | 1.5% everywhere; 3% on foreign spend | Net positive | US online sites |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite | $150 | 1x–3x Scene+ | Yes | International online shopping |
| Home Trust Preferred Visa | $0 | 1% everywhere | Yes | Budget US online shopping |
| Amazon.ca Mastercard | $0 | 2.5% on Amazon.ca | No | Amazon-primary shoppers |
| BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard | $120 | 1.5% on general purchases | No | General online + strong grocery |
| MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | $120 | 5x MBNA Rewards on eligible spend | No | MBNA rewards earners |
How Online Purchases Are Coded
Most online retailers code as general retail / merchandise on your credit card — they don’t usually earn bonus points in grocery, dining, or other specialty categories. Exceptions:
- Food delivery apps (DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, Uber Eats) — often code as restaurant/dining on many cards
- Amazon.ca — codes as “merchandise” or “warehouse club” depending on the card
- Shoppers Drug Mart online — may code as drug store
Cards with a flat rate or online shopping category perform best for general online spending.
Best No-Fee Pick: Tangerine Money-Back
The Tangerine Money-Back card lets you choose “online shopping” as one of your 2% cash back categories. This applies to all online purchases made in CAD at any Canadian retailer — Amazon.ca, Shopify stores, Canadian retailers, etc. At no annual fee, this is the most targeted tool for general online shopping.
Limitation: Tangerine’s “online shopping” category typically applies to Canadian merchants only, not to purchases billed in USD. For USD purchases, you’ll still pay the 2.5% FX fee (plus earn 2% back — roughly break-even).
Best for Amazon.ca: Amazon.ca Mastercard
The Amazon.ca Mastercard earns 2.5% back at Amazon.ca and Amazon.com (in Amazon.ca credits), plus 1.25% everywhere. No annual fee. Purpose-built for heavy Amazon shoppers. Welcome bonus typically includes Amazon.ca credits.
See Best Credit Cards for Amazon.ca for a full breakdown.
USD Online Sites: Use a No-FX Card
When shopping on US websites (Amazon.com, eBay US, US retailers), all purchases are billed in USD. Your Canadian card applies the exchange rate plus a 2.5% FX fee. On $500 USD/month in US online shopping:
| Card | FX Fee | Earn Rate | Net Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard card (no bonus) | 2.5% | 1% | -1.5% = -$113 |
| Scotiabank Passport (no FX) | 0% | 1x Scene+ = 1% | +1% = +$75 |
| Rogers Red (3% on foreign) | 2.5% charged / 3% returned | net +0.5% | +$38 |
| Home Trust Preferred (no FX) | 0% | 1% | +1% = +$75 |
For any meaningful USD online spending, a no-FX card is essential.
Digital Subscriptions and Streaming
Monthly subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, Adobe, Microsoft 365) usually code as general retail:
- Tangerine (online shopping category): 2%
- Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite (recurring bills category): 4%
- Rogers Red: 1.5%
The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite earns 4% on recurring bills — the best rate for Canadian subscriptions billed in CAD.
Best Strategy by Shopping Type
| Shopping Type | Best Card |
|---|---|
| Amazon.ca | Amazon.ca Mastercard (2.5%) |
| General Canadian online retail | Tangerine Money-Back (2% online category) |
| US online shopping (Amazon.com etc.) | Scotiabank Passport or Rogers Red (no-FX) |
| Food delivery (DoorDash, Skip, Uber Eats) | Amex Cobalt (5x MR at restaurants/delivery) |
| Digital subscriptions (streaming, software) | Scotiabank Momentum (4% recurring bills) |
| All online, simple | Rogers Red (1.5% flat, no fuss) |
Related Articles
- Best Credit Cards for Amazon.ca
- Best Cash Back Credit Cards in Canada
- No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards
- Rogers Red vs Fido vs Brim
- Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card Review
Online merchant coding and category classification vary by card and retailer. Verify your earn category on your first purchase. See our Advertiser Disclosure.