Due to sprawling commutes and harsh weather conditions, road travel can be a difficult task for Canadian drivers. To do their part to help out, many credit card reward programs have perks that are designed to benefit drivers.
Credit card perks for drivers come usually come in three forms:
- Roadside assistance
- Benefits and reward points on rental car purchases
- Rewards for gas purchases
These can be a tremendous benefit to people that drive often.
If you’re looking for credit card rewards that are very helpful for drivers, take a look at this handy guide of Canada’s best credit cards for drivers.
Scotiabank® Gold American Express Card
Driver benefit: Car rental, gas purchases
Annual fee: $120 (no fee during first year; each supplementary card $29/year)
Annual interest rates: 19.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances
MInimum credit limit: $5,000
Card type: Travel rewards
The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is a strong travel rewards card that offers many benefits to drivers. This card offers Rental Car Collision Loss/Damage Insurance as well as triple the reward points when used on gasoline purchases to users as regular features.
This Amex card features a Welcome Offer that includes:
- A chance to earn up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points in your first year (that’s up to $400 towards travel).
- No annual fee in the first year, including on supplementary cards (regular annual fee $120).
- Get a 0.00% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for the first 6 months (22.99% after that; 1% balance transfer fee).
Regular benefits of this Amex card include:
- No foreign transaction fees: Users will not pay 2.5% foreign transaction fees on any foreign currency purchases, including online shopping and when travelling abroad. Only the exchange rate applies.
- Front Of The Line®: Amex exclusive benefits such as exclusive ticket presales.
- Amex Offers®: Offers for shopping, dining, travel, and more.
- American Express Invites®: Enjoy a variety of special offers and events.
- Travel insurance that includes:
- Trip Interruption/Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Travel Emergency Medical Insurance
- Flight Delay Insurance
- Travel Accident Insurance
- Rental Car Collision Loss/Damage Insurance
- Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance
- Purchase Security & Extended Warranty Protection
- Complimentary Concierge Services 24/7
- Airport Lounge Access to 1,200 VIP Lounges
Earn reward points on this card at the following rates:
- Earn 5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible grocery stores, restaurants, fast food, and drinking establishments. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.
- Earn 5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible entertainment purchases. Includes movies, theatre, and ticket agencies.
- Earn 3X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible gas and daily transit. Includes rideshare, buses, taxis, subway, and more.
- Earn 3X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible select streaming services.
- Earn 1X Scene+ point for every $1 spent on every other purchase.
CIBC Dividend® Visa Card
Driver benefit: Gas purchases
First-year value: $261
Annual fee: $0 (each additional card: $0)
Type of card: Cash back, no-fee card
Annual interest rates: 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances
Minimal annual income: $15,000 household
The CIBC Dividend® Visa Card is a no-fee, cash back rewards credit card that is positively great for drivers. It lets card users save when filling up at the pump:
- Save on gas with Journie Rewards: Link this card to automatically save up to 10 cents per litre† at participating Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron gas stations.†
This card offers the following special offer to new users:
- Get 5% cash back for the first 4 statements on net purchases of up to $2,000 (up to $100 cash back).†
Regular features on this card include:
- CIBC Global Money Transfer™: Get 0.125% cash back for every $1 spent when you send money abroad, and incur no transfer fees or interest if you pay your balance by the payment due date.†
- Get cash back on demand: Redeem your cash back at any time when you have a minimum of $25 through CIBC Online and Mobile Banking®.†
- Enjoy extra protection on new purchases: Double the manufacturer’s original warranty, up to one year on eligible purchases.
Get cash back on this card at the following rates:
- 2% cash back on eligible grocery purchases†
- 1% cash back on eligible gas, transportation, dining purchases and recurring payments†
- 5% cash back on all other purchases†
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
Driver benefit: Gas purchases
Annual fee: $0
Annual interest rates: 19.95% on purchases, 19.95% on cash advances
Money back: Unlimited
Card type: Cash back
The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is a great card for Canadian drivers that fill up often at the pump, offering 2% Money Back on purchases including gas.
As well, this card offers a limited-time Welcome Offer:
- Earn 15% back (up to $150) when you spend up to $1,000 in everyday purchases within your first 2 months.
- Enjoy a low promotional interest rate of 95% on balance transfers for the first 6 months.
- A Balance Transfer Fee of 1% on the amount transferred will apply
This no-fee credit card provides users with these ongoing perks:
- Money-Back Rewards on everyday purchases
- Monthly Money-Back Rewards
- No limit to Money-Back Rewards
- Personalized Categories
This credit card’s cash back reward system works like this:
- Earn 2% Money-Back Rewards in two 2% Money-Back Categories of your choice including purchases on gas
- Earn 0.50% Money-Back Rewards on all your other everyday purchases
American Express Cobalt Card
Driver benefit: Car rental, gas purchases
Monthly fee: $12.99
Card type: Travel rewards
Annual interest rate: 20.99% on purchases, 21.99% on cash advances
The American Express Cobalt Card can be a tremendous benefit to Canadian drivers with its car-centric credit card rewards. This card provides bonus points for car rentals as well as strong rental car coverage:
- Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance: Receive coverage for theft, loss and damage of your rental car with an MSRP of up to $85,000 for rentals of 48 days or less.
This card offers the following Welcome Offer to new users:
- Earn up to 50,000 Membership Rewards® points.
- In your first year as a new Cobalt Cardmember, you can earn 2,500 Membership Rewards® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $500 in purchases on your Card. This could add up to 30,000 points in a year.
- Plus, you can earn a Welcome Bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend a total of $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months of using this card.
Cobalt Cardmembers receive regular Perks such as:
- Bonus reward offers and access to great events.
- Access Front Of The Line® Presale & Reserved Tickets to some of your favourite concerts and theatre performances and special offers and events curated for Cardmembers with American Express® Experiences.
- Book better stays with The Hotel Collection: Enjoy benefits at over 600 participating hotels and resorts in over 30 countries that include:
- Up to $100 USD hotel credit to use on amenities like dining, spa or other leisure facilities when charged to the room.
- A one-category room upgrade at check-in, when available.
- Mobile Device Insurance
- Travel coverage that includes:
- Out of Province/Country Emergency Medical Insurance
- Flight Delay Insurance
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Hotel Burglary Insurance
- Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance
- $250,000 Travel Accident Insurance
- Shopping coverage that includes:
- Buyer’s Assurance® Protection Plan
- Purchase Protection® Plan
- Amex Offers: Offers that are tailored to you for dining, shopping, and more through the Amex App or Online Services.
- American Express Travel Online: Deals on select hotel and car rental bookings, plus offers that earn you statement credits on your eligible purchases.
Rack up rewards points on this card using this system:
- 5x points on eligible food and drinks, groceries and more.
- 3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
- 2x points for $1 spent on travel and transit from eligible ride shares in Canada to a weekend getaway.
- 1x points on everything else.
- Earn 1 additional Membership Rewards point for every $1 spent on eligible hotel or car rental bookings.
- Refer a friend, and earn a maximum annual referral bonus of up to a maximum annual referral bonus of 75,000 Membership Rewards points for approved referrals.
TD Cash Back Visa Infinite
Driver benefit: Road services, car rental, gas purchases
Annual fee: $120 (no fee during first year; $50 for first Additional cardholder, $0 for subsequent Additional cardholders)
Annual interest rates: 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances
Eligibility: $60,000 personal or $100,000 household annual income
Credit limit: $5,000 minimum
Card type: Cash back
The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card is a cash back credit card that offers many benefits to drivers. In addition to earning cash back on gas purchases, other driver-focused features of this card include:
- Deluxe TD Auto Club Membership:
- Emergency Road and Towing Services
- Traffic Accident Emergency Services
- Stolen Vehicle Emergency Services
- Motorist Legal Services
- Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance: Get the Collision/Loss Damage coverage at no additional cost when charging for the full cost of a car rental.
- Save with Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car: Save a minimum of 10% off the lowest available base rates in Canada and the U.S., and a minimum of 5% off the lowest available base rates internationally.
| What is roadside assistance?
Roadside assistance is a service that helps motorists experiencing operational or mechanical problems with their car while travelling. This coverage can help drivers with problems that include replacing flat tires, fuel delivery, battery boosts, towing and winching, and if you get locked out of your car.. |
This card’s limited-time promotion allows new users to:
- Earn 6% Cash Back on all Purchases for the first 3 months up to a total spend of $2,000.
- Pay no Annual Fee in the first year (for Primary and Additional Cardholders).
Rewards exclusive to this card include:
- Complimentary Visa Infinite Concierge service available 24/7.
- Visa Infinite Food and Wine Experiences: Enjoy exclusive access to gourmet events at some of Canada’s top restaurants.
- Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection: Receive exclusive benefits at 900 select hotels.
Travel insurance coverage for cardholders include:
- Travel Medical Insurance: Up to $2 million of coverage for the first 10 days.
- Emergency Travel Assistance Services
- Delayed and Lost Baggage Insurance: Up to $1,000 overall coverage
You can redeem your Cash Back Dollars to help pay down your Account balance whenever you please (minimum amount of $25) at these rates:
- Earn 3% in Cash Back Dollars on eligible grocery Purchases and gas Purchases, and on regularly recurring bill payments set up on your Account
- Earn 1% in Cash Back Dollars on all other Purchases made with your Card
With this card, your Cash Back Dollars never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.
BMO World Elite® Mastercard®
Driver benefit: Car rental
Annual fee: $150 (waived for first year)
Annual interest rates: 20.99% on purchases, 23.99% on cash advances
Minimum income: $80,000 (individual) or $150,000 (household) annual income required
Card type: Travel rewards
The BMO World Elite Mastercard is a robust travel card with a rewards program that favours drivers. In addition to its other travel perks, this card offers bonus points on car rentals.
This card features a Welcome Offer that includes:
- The chance to earn up to 30,000 points:
- Earn 25,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.
- Earn 5,000 points on your first anniversary.
- $150 annual fee waived in the first year.
Travel rewards for this card include:
- Free membership in Mastercard Airport Experiences (LoungeKey): Get exclusive airport lounge access plus 4 free passes a year.
- Travel and medical protection: With unlimited-trips-per-year coverage for journeys up to 21 days (up to $2 million in eligible medical expenses).
Earn reward points on this card at these rates:
- Get 3 BMO Rewards points for every $1 spent on travel, dining and entertainment purchases.
- Get 2 points for every $1 spent everywhere else.
- Get 2 bonus points for every $1 you spend on rentals at participating National Car Rental® and Alamo Rent a Car® locations.
As we see from this list, Canadians have many cards to choose from when trying to find the best credit cards for drivers. Pick one that fits your lifestyle to get the most benefit from your card!
Are you looking for a credit card? Have something specific in mind? Find your ideal credit card at RatemyRewards.ca!
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