You don't have to pay an annual fee on a credit card to benefit from great interest rates and programs. There are a wide variety of no-fee cards available on the market. To see your options more clearly, use our credit card comparison tool. If you don’t \ have time to do this, no problem! The Hardbacon team has compiled its list of the 15 best no annual fee credit cards for you.
Visa No Fee Scotiabank Value
The Scotia Visa Minima Card No Annual Fee offers an attractive interest rate on purchases and cash advances of 16.99%. The minimum credit limit is $500.
You can transfer higher rate balances to this credit card. Take advantage of the current welcome offer to get 3.99% interest on your transfers during the first 6 months.
A minimum income of $12,000 is required for this credit card. Other benefits include discounts for vehicle rentals with AVIS.
American Express Essential Credit Card
With a 12.99% interest rate on purchases and cash advances, the American Express Essential Credit Card saves you money if you can't pay off your full monthly balance.
Other benefits with this credit card include purchase protection coverage as well as $100,000 in travel accident insurance.
This card also gives you privileged access to reserved or pre-sale tickets for concerts, movies and other cultural events.
American Express SimplyCash Card
The American Express SimplyCash Card has a 19.99% interest rate on purchases, which increased to 21.99% on cash advances.
The current welcome offer provides 2.5% cash back on purchases for the first 3 months after joining, up to a maximum of $150.
When the offer ends, the cash back percentage drops to 1.25% with no limit on the amount that can be accumulated.
Other benefits with this credit card include purchase protection coverage as well as $100,000 in travel accident insurance. This card also gives you privileged access to reserved or pre-sale tickets for concerts, movies and other cultural events.
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card has a 19.95% interest rate on both purchases and cash advances.
The current welcome offer entitles you to a 1.95% interest rate on balance transfers during the first 6 months.
You earn 2% cash back on 2 spending categories of your choice, including groceries, restaurants and fuel. The cash back percentage is 0.50% on all other purchases.
There is no limit on the amount of cash back you can earn and it can be deposited into your savings account or used to reduce your credit card balance. If you deposit your cash back rewards into your Tangerine Savings Account, you'll get 2% cash back on a third spending category.
Organize your everyday life and maintain control of your spending with the functionality to analyze your consumption habits.
Other benefits with this credit card include:
▪ 90-day purchase protection that covers loss, theft or damage.
▪ An extended warranty that doubles the period of repair services to a maximum of one year. The lifetime maximum is $60,000 for this coverage.
Tangerine World Mastercard
The Tangerine World Mastercard is one of the new credit cards offered by Tangerine. A minimum income of $60,000 per person or $100,000 per household is required.
The interest rate on purchases and cash advances is 19.95%.
The current welcome offer provides a rate of 1.95% for 6 months on balance transfers.
You earn 2% cash back on 2 spending categories of your choice, including groceries, restaurants and fuel. The cash back percentage is 0.50% on all other purchases.
There is no limit on the amount of cash back you can earn and it can be deposited into your savings account or used to reduce your credit card balance. If you deposit your cash back rewards into your Tangerine Savings Account, you'll get 2% cash back on a third spending category.
Its “Mastercard Travel Rewards” cash back program provides cash back rewards and discounts at selected merchants when you travel outside of Canada.
And that's not all! The card also offers:
▪ Boingo Wi-Fi access that gives you access to over a million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.
▪ Mobile device insurance (smartphones or tablets) when you finance the purchase through a plan. You can be covered for up to $1000 in the event your device is lost, stolen or damaged.
▪ Access to MasterCard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey. It is a program of exclusive offers for restaurants, shops and spas located in more than 400 airports.
BMO CashBack Mastercard
The BMO CashBack Mastercard offers a 3% rate on all grocery purchases, 1% on recurring bills and 0.5% on your other purchases.
The interest rate on purchases is 19.99% and is 22.99% for cash advances.
Take advantage of the current welcome offer to benefit from a cash back rate of up to 5% during the first three months and a 1.99% interest rate on balance transfers during the first nine months.
The BMO website offers a rebate calculator to estimate the number of points you can earn. This credit card also offers extended warranties as well as discounts on car rentals and Cirque du Soleil performances.
BMO Rewards Mastercard
The BMO Rewards Mastercard gives you one point for every dollar spent with the card.
The interest rate is 19.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances.
Take advantage of the current welcome offer that gives you 15,000 points, in addition to the option of transferring another balance at 1.99% interest for nine months.
A calculator is available on the BMO website to estimate the reward points you will earn.
This credit card also offers extended warranties as well as discounts on car rentals and Cirque du Soleil performances.
MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard
The MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard earns 2 points per eligible dollar spent on fuel, groceries and in restaurants. The annual limit is $5000 for each category.
For all other purchases, it is 1 point per dollar. Points never expire and can be redeemed for travel, cash back and more.
This card comes with an interest rate of 20.99% on purchases and cash advances.
Take advantage of the current welcome offer to earn 5000 points when signing up for electronic statements and 5000 additional points on the first eligible purchase within 90 days of account activation.
Desjardins Cash Back Visa and Mastercard
The Desjardins Cash Back Visa or Mastercard gives you up to 2% cash back rewards for all purchases made in the following categories:
▪ Restaurants (Uber Eats, Ben & Florentine, La Belle Province, Restaurant ZIBO, etc.)
▪ Entertainment (Ticketmaster, Festival d'été de Québec, Piknic Electronik, Cirque du Soleil, Sépaq, etc.)
▪ Public transportation (STM, Uber, Limocar, Lime Scooter…)
▪ Automatic payment withdrawals.
For the remainder, the cash back percentage is 0.5%.
There is a calculator on the Desjardins website you can use to estimate the amount of cash back rewards you could earn.
Its interest rate on purchases and cash advances is 19.90%.
Other benefits with this credit card include mobile device insurance (phones and tablets) and travel insurance. You can also get an additional card free of charge for another member of your family.
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard earns points for every dollar spent with your credit card.
▪ 30 points for every dollar spent in partner stores (Maxi, Provigo Wholesales Club, PC Travel, etc.)
▪ At least 30 points for every liter of fuel purchased from Esso.
▪ 45 points for every dollar spent at Pharmaprix.
▪ For everything else, it's 10 points for every dollar.
The interest rate is 10.97% on purchases and 21.97% on cash advances.
Take advantage of a welcome offer that provides a 0.97% interest rate on balance transfers during the first 6 months.
A PC Optimum Rewards Calculator is available on the PC Financial website.
This credit card also offers:
▪ Emergency travel medical insurance. It provides coverage during all trips of 10 days or less for people aged 65 or under.
▪ Auto Rental Collision Damage Insurance. This protection covers damage and theft of a rental car.
▪ Assistance in the event of identity theft.
▪ A 24/7 concierge service to help you make restaurant reservations, find event tickets and more.
PC Financial World Mastercard
The PC Financial World Mastercard earns points for every dollar spent with your credit card.
▪ 20 points for every dollar spent in partner stores (Maxi, Provigo Wholesales Club, PC Travel, etc.)
▪ At least 30 points for every liter of fuel purchased from Esso.
▪ 35 points for every dollar spent at Pharmaprix.
▪ For the rest, it's 10 points for every dollar.
Its interest rate is 20.97% on purchases and 21.97% on cash advances. Take advantage of a welcome offer that provides a 0.97% interest rate on balance transfers during the first 6 months. A PC Optimum Rewards Calculator is available on the PC finance website.
This credit card also offers:
▪ Global Mastercard Global services, which offers you a cash advance in case of an emergency
▪ Purchase protection against theft, loss and damage for 90 days after purchase
▪ An extended warranty that doubles the usual warranty
▪ A 24/7 concierge service to help you make restaurant reservations, find event tickets and more.
PC Financial Mastercard
The PC Financial Mastercard earns points for every dollar spent. Here's how the point rewards work:
▪ 10 points for every dollar spent in partner stores (Maxi, Provigo Wholesales Club, PC Travel, etc.)
▪ 20 points for every dollar spent at PC Travel (C’est 10 ou 20 points?)
▪ At least 30 points for every liter of fuel purchased from Esso.
▪ 25 points for every dollar spent at Pharmaprix.
▪ For the rest, it's 10 points for every dollar spent.
The interest rate on this card is 20.97% on purchases and 21.97% on cash advances. The card also entitles you to a welcome offer with an interest rate of 0.97% for balance transfers during the first 6 months, but a minimum income of $80,000 per person or $ 50,000 per household is required. You can add up to 4 additional cards for your family members to the same account, earning more PC Optimum points.
This credit card also offers:
▪ Mastercard Global Services, which offers you a cash advance in case of emergency.
▪ Purchase protection against theft, loss and damage for 90 days after purchase.
▪ A free extended warranty that doubles the usual warranty.
▪ A 24/7 concierge service to help you make restaurant reservations, find event tickets and more.
Scotiabank Scene Visa Card
The Scene Visa card gives you 1 Scene point for every dollar of regular purchases made with your credit card.
Its interest rate is 19.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances.
Take advantage of the current welcome offer to earn 2500 SCENE points by making $500 in everyday purchases in the first 3 months.
SCENE points are quintupled for every dollar spent at CINEPLEX theatres or on cineplex.com.
A free movie ticket requires 1250 points and 1000 points save $10 at participating restaurants including Harvey's, East Side Mario’s, Bier Markt, and Swiss Chalet. The card also provides discounts on car rentals with AVIS.
BMO AIR MILES No Fee Mastercard
The BMO AIR MILES No Fee Mastercard for students helps you maximize your miles. You receive 1 mile for every $20 spent on purchases made with the credit card. Your miles are doubled at participating AIR MILES retailers, such as Shell, Staples, IGA and Rona.
Take advantage of the current welcome offer to receive 950 bonus AIR MILES and access to an interest rate of 1.99% on balance transfers for nine months. Another current offer lets you to quintuple your miles at SHELL until December 31st.
Redeem your AIRS MILES for hotel nights, flights, cruises and other travel related purchases. You can also use them for electronics and movie tickets, among others.
An AIR MILES mile calculator is available on the BMO website.
It offers extended warranties and purchase protection, in addition to discounts on car rentals and Cirque du Soleil performances.
The interest rate on purchases is 19.99% and 22.99% on cash advances.
MBNA Best Western Rewards Mastercard
With the Best Western Rewards Mastercard, earn 5 points per dollar of eligible purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Earn points for hotel stays, dining out and more.
Take advantage of the current welcome offer to earn 20,000 Best Western Rewards points with your first qualifying purchase.
A Best Western Rewards point calculator is available on the MBNA website.
Other benefits with this credit card include collision and damage insurance for rental vehicles. You can also take advantage of other perks such as lost luggage assistance, extended warranties and purchase protection that covers the item for the first 90 days after purchase.
The interest rate on purchases is 19.99% and 20.99% on cash advances.
How would you like to earn hundreds of dollars in rewards?
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About The Author: Sophie Albo
Sophie is the content specialist at Hardbacon. She is currently in her 3rd year of a bachelor's degree in marketing at Concordia University. Her passion for Fintech and was revealed during the 2016 Cooperathon where she received special award.
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