These are the 15 Best Travel Credit Cards in Canada for 2019

When choosing the best travel credit card in Canada, no annual fee can make all the difference. The CIBC Aventura Visa Card doesn’t have an annual fee. You can earn 5,000 points upon signing up and points don’t expire. Along with travel perks like lounge access and a NEXUS application rebate, the card gives you access to CIBC Travel Concierge, a full-service travel agency. You can also use your points to pay off your credit card debt.

With the Scotiabank Gold America Express card, you can earn points faster: 4 points for every dollar you spend at eligible outlets. Your cards provides you with a host of special offers and discounts, as well as access to concierge services and airport VIP lounges. Travel insurance is included as well. The annual fee for this card is $99 and $29 for each supplementary card.

When it comes to the best flexible travel credit card, Canada has a consistent winner in the American Express Gold Rewards Card. The welcome bonus on this card is a whopping 25,000 points if you spend $1,500 in the first three months. You can use your points to pay for any travel-related expense, including taxes and fees. You can also transfer your points to other travel rewards programs. The card can get you upgrades on hotel rooms and car rentals and comes with a comprehensive insurance package. The annual fee is $150.

Whether it’s to pay for those trips to take when you can’t wait for retirement or a flight home for the holidays, the BMO SPC Air Miles Mastercard is one of Canada’s best travel credit cards for students. It gives you access to student discounts at many of the country’s top retailers, an 800 Air Miles sign-up bonus and one reward mile for every $20 you spend. There is no annual fee.

If one of your main criteria for travel destinations is that they should be among the cheapest places to travel from Canada, you probably don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on bank fees while travelling. The Home Trust Preferred Visa is a top contender for the best travel card for Canada, mainly because there is no foreign currency conversion fee on purchases you make abroad. You earn 1% cash back on all purchases you make, without any limit on how much you can earn. There is no annual fee either.

If you’re a frequent flyer, it’s wise to look for a credit card with great travel rewards. A top contender for the title of "best travel rewards credit card Canada 2019" is the BMO World Elite Mastercard, which gives you 3 reward points for every dollar you spend on travel, dining and entertainment. For everything else, you earn 2 points to the dollar. If you spend $3,000 in the first three months, you get a 35,000 point welcome bonus. You get VIP lounge access at the airport and travel insurance for 21 days for an unlimited number of trips per year. There is an annual fee of $150, but if you spend $3,000 in the first three months, this fee will be waived for the first year.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card, you earn 2 reward points for every dollar you spend on eligible purchases and 1 point per dollar for everything else. Spend $1,000 in the first three months and you earn 25,000 bonus points. The card also gives you Priority Pass membership and six free visits per year to airport lounges. What really makes this a great card for people who frequently travel abroad is that there is no foreign currency conversion markup if you make purchases outside of Canada or online, so those popular souvenirs won’t cost you more than they should. The annual fee for this card is $139, with one free supplementary card and then $50 for each additional card.

While the Rogers World Elite Mastercard doesn’t waive the foreign transaction fee for purchases made abroad, using this card can save you money. This is because you get 4% unlimited cash back on all purchases made abroad. There’s also a 2% cash back on all Rogers products and services you buy and 1.75% on all other eligible purchases. The card also gives you airport lounge access and travel insurance. There is no annual fee but you need to have a personal income of at least $80,000 a year.

In terms of the best travel rewards program, Canada has options that offer airport lounge access, travel insurance and more. The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, for instance, allows you to redeem your points for hotel accommodation. For every dollar you spend at any of the hotels under the Marriott umbrella you earn 5 points, while you get 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Once a year you get a free night at an eligible hotel and a welcome bonus of 75,000 points. If you spend $3,000 in the first three months, you can get several more nights of accommodation. For the first year there is no annual fee but thereafter it is $95.

One of the best things to do after you retire is to travel the world and the seven seas. The problem is that many travel credit cards don’t provide travel health insurance for seniors. The Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard, however, is perfect for seniors because it provides coverage for 15 days for people between 65 and 75. You can also earn back 2% of your purchases in Desjardins Bonusdollars, which you can redeem in various ways.

With the American Express Cobalt Card, you earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on travel and transit. Better yet, you earn 5 points for every dollar you spend on food and drinks at eligible outlets, whether it’s in the form of groceries, restaurant meals or even food delivery. The card gives you access to perks like hotel room upgrades and front-of-the-line reservations for concerts and other events. Instead of an annual fee, you pay $10 per month. In the first year, you can earn 2,500 rewards points for every $500 you spend in a month and this can add up to 30,000 points for the year.

Best Western may not be one of the most unusual places to stay in Canada, but it’s convenient and the chain has hotels all around the world. This makes the MBNA Best Western Rewards Mastercard a great choice if hotel deals are important to you. It starts with your first eligible purchase, which can earn you 20,000 rewards points, translating to one night free at a Best Western hotel. Every dollar you spend at a Best Western property will earn you 5 points. The rewards are flexible and there is no annual fee for this card.

The Blue Sky Credit Card from American Express is one of the best no-fee travel credit cards in Canada. If you spend $500 in the first three months, you earn 10,000 points with a value of $100. You can earn another 5,000 points for each person you refer. Your purchases earn you 1.25 points for every dollar you spend. You get front-of-the-line access and travel insurance and you can redeem your points towards any travel purchase.

Another contender for the best travel credit card in Canada is the Meridian Visa Platinum Travel Rewards Card. This one is a good choice if you’re planning a trip to one of those cheap European summer vacation spots, since you earn 2 points for every dollar you spend in foreign currency. For all other purchases, you earn 1 point for every dollar spent. It comes with comprehensive travel insurance, including insurance for your mobile phone and access to a 24/7 travel assistance hotline. In the first year, the card is free. After that, the annual fee is $49. Supplementary cards are free.

You might not always have the option of flying with one of the world’s safest airlines. In this case, you want the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card. It gives you comprehensive travel insurance, including coverage for medical emergencies, flight delays, lost luggage, accidents and burglaries. You also get 15,000 welcome points, enough for a short-haul return flight. You can then earn 1 point for every dollar you spend, with 25% extra for travel-related purchases. If you link your card to the Petro-Canada rewards program, you can save 3 cents per litre on gas and earn 20% extra in rewards points. The annual fee for this card is $120 and $50 for each additional card.