Credit cards that offer travel rewards can make your next vacation more affordable. In addition to earning rewards points, many offer benefits like free lounge access and elite status with rental car programs and hotel chains.
The Amex Business Platinum Card provides an exceptional travel experience with its tailored perks tailored to suit your spending and credit card habits. Benefits include airport lounge access, Nexus fee reimbursement and travel credits as well as elite status with two rental car programs and hotel chains.
1. Aeroplan Visa Card
CIBC’s premium Aeroplan credit card, the Visa Infinite Privilege card, provides travelers with exceptional travel perks – lounge access and priority status among them – along with generous welcome bonuses and an annual Companion Pass.
This credit card earns 1.5 points for every dollar spent, and provides travel insurance such as baggage, flight delay, rental car damage protection and trip interruption and cancellation coverage. Furthermore, there’s also an attractive signup bonus and annual fee waiver in its first year of membership.
NerdWallet’s credit cards evaluation criteria includes earning rates and categories, fees, rewards and welcome bonuses as well as notable features such as perks, insurance and consumer protections. When selecting top travel credit cards in Canada our selection criteria takes individual consumer value into consideration.
2. TD Aeroplan Visa
TD offers one of Canada’s premier premium Aeroplan co-branded credit cards: its offering from TD Bank stands out in particular due to its exceptional earning potential (especially in gas and travel categories) as well as practical travel perks, such as free first checked bag on Air Canada flights, $100 rebate on NEXUS application fee rebate and lounge access.
Cardholders of eligible gas, grocery and Air Canada purchases such as Air Canada Vacations earn 1.5 Aeroplan points+ per dollar spent; other purchases earn 1 Aeroplan point+ per dollar spent. Other benefits of having an Aeroplan Card include purchase security/extended warranty protection as well as trip cancellation/interruption/travel medical/delay baggage/lost luggage insurance as well as rental car collision damage waiver.
Addition cardholders may be added without incurring an extra cost and are eligible to all the same card benefits, including an annual travel credit of $100.
3. WestJet Rewards
WestJet Rewards may not have quite the same allure as Aeroplan, but it still makes for a worthwhile option for Canadian travellers. Entry-level cards cost $39 with signup bonuses typically of 100 WestJet dollars; higher end WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard cards charge a $139 fee but offer signup bonuses of up to 40,000 Scene+ points plus 150,000 WestJet dollars! WestJet dollars can only be redeemed against base fare flights on WestJet or codeshare partner airlines and cannot pay taxes, fees or charges on these flights – unlike Aeroplan.
WestJet rewards is a revenue-based program, rather than one offering miles or Avios points, that offers multiple levels of earning and redemption depending on the type of flight purchased. Earning potential is enhanced through spending with select WestJet partners like car rentals, hotels and retail. Plus, earning is made easier through spending with select WestJet partners such as car rentals, hotels and retail. Silver status comes automatically; gold can be achieved if spending enough.
4. Scotiabank Gold Amex
Scotiabank Gold Amex stands out among travel credit cards as an exceptional value with its generous Scene+ points earn rates, no foreign transaction fees and an extensive array of travel perks, including complimentary concierge service and access to Amex Offers.
As far as earning rates go, this card boasts an attractive 3% return on gas, transit and streaming purchases (though not leading in any category). Furthermore, Scotiabank Gold Amex comes with an incredible welcome bonus of 40,000 Scene+ points after spending $1,000 within three months – an extremely generous incentive!
If you prefer flexibility when redeeming points, this card could be perfect, though its annual fee can be substantial. Alternatively, Amex Cobalt Card might offer better transfer partners and 1 Million of Travel Medical Insurance Coverage to those under 65.
5. Boingo Visa
Mastercard World and World Elite cardholders now enjoy free Wi-Fi at over one million hotspots around the globe, such as airports, hotels, restaurants, convention centers and stadiums – providing them with an invaluable benefit that keeps them connected on the move. This perk makes staying connected easier than ever!
This offer is open to both primary and supplementary cardholders of World and World Elite cards issued by Mastercard. To take advantage of it, visit this page on the Mastercard website and enter your card number to verify eligibility.
From there, you can easily create an account and enjoy 12 annual accesses of unlimited data and minutes at Boingo-affiliated hotspots. Please read through and agree to the full Terms & Conditions before creating an account for each eligible card you possess – creating separate Boingo accounts may be necessary in such instances.
