Best Desjardins Credit Cards in Canada for 2026
The Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard is our top choice for the best Desjardins credit card, since it offers great rewards for groceries, restaurants, transit, and more – especially for a credit union credit card.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a card with more redemption flexibility or low interest rates (because you carry a balance), Desjardins has other options for you. In the interest of being thorough, we'll also highlight credit cards from other issuers that might be a better fit for your situation.
Key Takeaways
- Desjardins is a credit union based in Quebec, but it issues Mastercard and Visa credit cards throughout Canada.
- The Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard is your best flexible rewards option.
- Desjardins cards typically have low to no income requirements, which makes them easier to qualify for.
Best Desjardins credit cards (+ best alternatives)
While Desjardins offers a variety of credit cards, none ranked among the best in our most recent credit card ratings. They do offer some strong options, but there's almost always another credit card available that's a little (or a lot) better overall.
Here are the top Desjardins credit cards, along with some alternatives you may want to consider.
| Category | Desjardins credit card | Annual fee | Features | Our recommended alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for flexible rewards | Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard | $130 | * Comprehensive travel insurance * Earns up to 3% back | American Express Cobalt Card |
| Best for cash back | Desjardins Cash Back World Elite Mastercard | $100 | * High earn rates across multiple categories * Slightly lower annual fee | Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card |
| Best for low interest | Desjardins Flexi Visa | $0 | * Permanently low interest rates * No annual fee | MBNA True Line Mastercard |
| Best for travel | Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege | $395 | * Solid travel insurance coverage * Earns up to 4% back | RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege |
| Best for no fee cash back | Desjardins Cash Back Mastercard | $0 | * No annual fee * Includes mobile device coverage | Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card |
| Best for business | Visa Desjardins Business Card | $60 | * Free legal assistance * Low interest rate | BMO CashBack Business Mastercard |
Best for flexible rewards
Are you on the hunt for rewards? The Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard lets you earn Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS rewards on all your spending. We also like the card's extensive insurance package – but the card doesn't measure up when it comes to your return on spending and there's no welcome bonus to speak of.
You might also consider: American Express Cobalt Card
While the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard is a decent option, the American Express Cobalt Card is our top-ranked credit card in Canada. You'll earn points at a higher rate, get a sweet welcome bonus, and enjoy more perks and benefits. Did we mention how valuable Amex Membership Rewards are?
Rewards:
- 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants (up to $2,500 spent per month)
- 3 points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services
- 2 points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit, and ride share purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Pros:
- Best credit card in Canada
- Get up to 15,000 welcome bonus points
- Four ways to redeem points for high value
- 10 types of insurance included
Cons:
- Lower acceptance as an American Express
Best for cash back
The Desjardins Cash Back World Elite Mastercard stands out for its high earn rates across multiple categories and nice perks for a lower-than-average annual fee. You'll also get 9 types of insurance and discounts on rental cars.
You might also consider: Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card
Not only does the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card card have lower income requirements, but it also comes with similar earn rates, more insurance coverage, and a welcome bonus of 10% cash back for the first 3 months, up to $2,000 in spend. There's a reason that it's our top cash back card for recurring bills.
Rewards:
- 4% cash back on groceries and recurring bill payments
- 2% cash back on gas and transit
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
Pros:
- Visa Infinite benefits
- Ability to get annual fee waived
- 11 types of insurance included
Cons:
- High income requirements of $60,000 personal or $100,000 household
- Rewards only paid out once per year as a statement credit
Best for low interest
Although the Desjardins Flexi Visa doesn't have rewards or a welcome bonus, it makes up for it with permanently low interest rates. You'll pay just 10.9% on purchases and 12.9% on balance transfers and cash advances. You might not be rewarded for spending, but you'll be punished less if you carry a balance.
You might also consider: MBNA True Line Mastercard
We named the MBNA True Line Mastercard the best balance transfer card in Canada for a reason. Just like the Desjardins option, there's no annual fee or rewards, but MBNA offers an incredible promotional rate of 0% on balance transfers for 12 months.
Pros:
- 0% on balance transfers for 12 months (3% transfer fee)
- 12.99% interest rate on purchases
- No annual fee
Cons:
- No rewards on purchases
- Higher regular cash advance and balance transfer interest rates
- Limited insurance included
4. Best for travel
The Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege is great for travel as it earns 4% back on transit (plus entertainment and restaurants) and 3% back on travel and groceries. The main thing it lacks is a welcome bonus, and it offers slightly less insurance coverage than similar cards.
Still, you'll get a steady 1.75% earn rate for all other purchases, along with low interest rates and a respectable insurance package, making it a solid option.
You might also consider: RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege
Though the Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege is a good option, there's a reason we named the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege the best travel insurance card in Canada. With more travel insurance options, a hefty welcome bonus, and a similar annual fee, the value proposition is hard to pass up.
Rewards:
- 1.25 points per $1 spent on all purchases
Pros:
- 12 types of insurance
- Up to 70,000 welcome bonus points
- Points worth up to 2.33 cents each
- 3 cents off per litre at Petro-Canada
Cons:
- Poor rewards if not redeemed through the Air Travel Redemption chart
- $99 additional card fee
5. Best for no fee cash back
If you're interested in cash back rewards, the Desjardins Cash Back Mastercard might be on your radar. You won't pay an annual fee (though you also won't get a welcome bonus), so the money you earn in rewards goes straight into your pocket. It's a basic card with basic insurance, which might be just what you're looking for in a simple day-to-day credit card.
You might also consider: Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
If you're looking for a no-fee cash back credit card with a solid earn rate and a few perks and benefits, it's hard to do better than the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card. It is similar to the Desjardins card, but it gives you a better balance transfer rate and a welcome bonus worth up to $100.
Rewards:
- 2% cash back on purchases in up to 3 Money-Back Categories
- 0.5% cash back on all other purchases
Pros:
- Earn an extra 10% cash back for the first 2 months, up to $1,000 spent
- 1.95% on balance transfers for 6 months
- No annual fee
Cons:
- Only earns 0.5% cash back on non-category purchases
- Limited insurance included
6. Best for business
The Visa Desjardins Business Card has several things going for it: a low annual fee, low interest rates, and perks like free legal assistance. But you'll only earn points once you've spent $12,000 – and you'll stop earning when you hit $500,000 in purchases. Once you've earned the points, you'll have to wait until your card's anniversary before you receive a statement credit.
You might also consider: BMO CashBack Business Mastercard
The Desjardins business card has lower interest rates, but the BMO CashBack Business Mastercard makes up for slightly higher rates with its welcome bonus, discount on fuel, and lack of an annual fee. We also love that you can choose when to redeem your points; with Desjardins, you're only paid out once per year on your anniversary.
Rewards:
- 1.75% cash back at Shell
- 1.5% cash back on gas, office supplies, and cellphone/internet bills
- 0.75% cash back on all other purchases
Pros:
- 10% cash back on gas, office supplies, and recurring cell phone/internet bills for the first 3 months
- Save up to 7 cents per litre at Shell
- No annual fee
Cons:
- Only earns 0.5% cash back outside of bonus categories
- Limited insurance included
Compare all Desjardins credit cards
We analyze over 126 features for each credit card and group them into 7 main categories. Then, we run those through our algorithm, which calculates a score out of 5: our Genius Rating. With the following comparison, we limited ourselves to Desjardins credit cards, and calculated the potential rewards earnings based on $2,000 of monthly spending.
Pros and cons of Desjardins credit cards
Before you apply for a Desjardins credit card, weigh the benefits and drawbacks to decide if it's right for you.
With Desjardins, you can enjoy some decent perks and rewards:
- Desjardins insurance value. Desjardins is a big name in insurance and their credit cards include some valuable insurance coverage. We studied the insurance coverage offered with Canadian credit cards and found that Desjardins cards offer up to $619 in insurance coverage.
- Low-interest options. While the average Canadian credit card has an interest rate around 20%, 3 of the Desjardins credit cards we looked at have significantly lower interest rates that will save you money if you tend to carry a balance.
- Low to no income requirements. The majority of Desjardins credit cards have low or no income requirements, making them more accessible to more Canadians. Note, though, that you'll still need a good credit score to be approved.
- Generally low annual fees. The majority of Desjardins credit cards have lower-than-average annual fees, putting them reasonably within reach of most Canadians.
But there are also some downsides to be aware of:
- Low average rate of return. The average rate of return on Desjardins credit cards is low. Returns of 1% or higher are considered decent, but only half of the Desjardins credit cards reach this threshold.
- Low estimated perks value. We also studied the value of included credit card perks and benefits and found that Desjardins generally falls short in this area. Most Desjardins cards offer around $220 a year in perks and benefits value – though the
Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege is an exception. - No welcome bonuses. A little over half of the credit cards we track offer welcome bonuses – extra value you get from a credit card simply by signing up or by hitting particular spend limits or other requirements. But Desjardins offers no welcome bonuses on any of their credit cards.
What is Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS?
Many credit card issuers have their own unique, in-house rewards program, and Desjardins is no different. Its loyalty program is known as Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS, which is a relatively flexible rewards program that lets you earn points using Desjardins credit cards and redeem them for a variety of things. Here's a quick rundown.
How to earn rewards
Just like other credit cards, you earn rewards points by making purchases with your card. But only the following credit cards will earn Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS:
Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold
How to redeem Desjardins rewards
To redeem Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS rewards, just log in to the BONUSDOLLARS Rewards Catalog website and choose how you want to use the points.
Keep in mind that, unlike some rewards programs, you can't transfer BONUSDOLLARS to other rewards programs or boost your rewards earn rate.
Our Take: If you want to maximize your credit card rewards, Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS probably isn't the best choice.
Desjardins vs. big bank credit cards
For the best in rewards or perks, you'll likely want to opt for a big bank card. When you compare Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS to other major rewards programs, you quickly see it just doesn't offer as much.
But there's one area where Desjardins outshines its competitors: customer service. Since it's part of a cooperative financial group, Desjardins prioritizes their customer experience over their bottom line. If you prefer to bank with a company driven by values, Desjardins might be a good choice.
How to apply for a Desjardins credit card
To apply for a Desjardins credit card, you must be a Canadian resident and the age of majority in your province or territory. From there, you'll need to have a good credit score and ensure you meet the card's income requirements.
Note: Depending on which credit card you want to apply for, you may need to be a member of a caisse that's affiliated with the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec or the Caisse Desjardins Ontario Credit Union Inc.
If you haven't decided which card to apply for, take some time to find a card that matches your spending habits and has an annual fee (or no fee) that you can comfortably afford. Once you've found the Desjardins card of your dreams, click on the secured credit card application link and provide the required information:
- Your full name and contact information
- Gross income
- Monthly housing costs (rent or mortgage payments) and places of residence
- Financial information including accounts, other credit cards, and investments
If you're applying for a joint credit card, your co-signer will need to provide the same information.
Once you've completed the application and submitted it online, all you have to do is wait!
FAQ
What is the best Desjardins credit card?
The best Desjardins credit card depends on what you're looking for from a credit card. For example, Desjardins has a solid cash back credit card, one that has low interest rates, and one with flexible rewards.
Does Desjardins offer Visas or Mastercards?
Desjardins offers 3 Mastercards: a basic Mastercard and a couple of World Elite Mastercards. It also offers 5 different Visas: 4 basic Visa cards and a single Visa Infinite Privilege credit card.
How do I contact Desjardins credit card?
You can request that customer service call you or contact them directly at 1-800-361-5121 (or 514-397-4415 if you're in Montreal). Desjardins also has a chat feature on its website that may be able to answer your questions.
Does Desjardins have 24/7 support?
Yes, if your Desjardins credit card is lost or stolen, you can call 1-800-361-5121 (or 514-397-4415 if you're in the Montreal area) anytime, 24/7 to speak with a customer service agent and get a replacement card.
What is the best credit union credit card?
The best credit card issued by a credit union is the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard. We love the high earn rate for everyday categories like groceries, restaurants, transit, and more. Plus, the card has great insurance coverage.
What company owns Desjardins?
Desjardins isn't owned by a company; instead, members of the credit union technically own it. Desjardins Group is made up of 293 credit unions and their 7 million members who pay annual dues.
$100 GeniusCash + Earn up to 15,000 Welcome Bonus Membership Rewards® Points.*