Best National Bank Credit Cards In Canada For October 2025
If you want the cream of the crop, the overall best National Bank credit card is the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. But whatever type of card you prefer, whether it's travel perks, cash back, or low interest, National Bank has at least one card to suit your needs.
As one of Canada's Big 6 Banks, it's no surprise that National Bank offers a wide variety of credit cards. It offers the same level of selection, value, and ease of application as other banking giants, like BMO or TD.
The reviews below look at the top National Bank option for several categories of credit cards, along with pros and cons, application instructions, and tips for how to maximize the À la carte Rewards Program.
Key Takeaways
- National Bank offers a premium World Elite Mastercard, which earns up to 5 points per $1.
- For a low fee, cash back card, look into the ECHO Cashback Mastercard.
- All National Bank credit cards are part of the À la carte Rewards Program.
- National Bank is one of Canada's biggest banks, serving nearly 3 million clients with a full suite of products and services.
Best National Bank credit cards for October 2025
| Category | Credit card | Annual fee | Features | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best National Bank Mastercard for travel | National Bank World Elite Mastercard | $150 | * Earns up to 5 points per $1 spent * 10 types of insurance * Generous annual travel fee credit | Learn more |
| Best National Bank Mastercard for cash back | National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard | $30 | * Earn up to 1.5% cash back * 2 types of insurance * Very low annual fee | Learn more |
| Best low interest National Bank Mastercard | National Bank Syncro Mastercard | $35 | * Purchase interest rate calculated as prime + 4% * 2 types of insurance * Very low annual fee | Learn more |
| Best no annual fee National Bank Mastercard | National Bank mycredit Mastercard | $0 | * Earn up to 1% cash back * 2 types of insurance * No income requirements | Learn more |
| Best for no minimum income | National Bank Platinum Mastercard | $70 | * Earns up to 2 points per $1 spent * 10 types of insurance * Competitive annual fee | Learn more |
| Best for business | National Bank Platinum Mastercard Business Card | $125 | * Earns up to 1.5 points per $1 spent * 10 types of insurance * First year's annual fee is waived | Learn more |
1. Best National Bank credit card for travel
For the most travel rewards and premium perks, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard ticks all the boxes. You'll earn National Bank À La Carte Rewards at these rates:
- 5 points per $1 spent on groceries and restaurants
- 2 points per $1 spent on gas, electric vehicle charging, recurring bills, and travel booked through À La Carte Rewards
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
National Bank Rewards are worth up to 1 cent per point when redeemed for travel purchased through À La Carte Rewards, giving you a potential return of up to 2% on your purchases.
The best part of the card is the Savvy Traveller Reimbursements. Every year, you can get a refund of up to $150 on travel fees like upgrades, airport parking, and baggage fees. Use these amounts in full every year, and you've come out ahead – even after paying the $150 annual fee.
Pros:
- Up to 5 points per $1 spent on purchases
- Annual $150 travel fee reimbursement
- Access to National Bank Lounge at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport
- 10 types of insurance
Cons:
- Income requirements of $80,000 personal or $150,000 household
- No welcome bonus
Just looking for insurance? The National Bank World Mastercard offers the same coverage with lower income requirements and an annual fee of $115.
2. Best National Bank credit card for cash back
If it’s cash back rewards, National Bank's best option is the National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard. For a low $30 annual fee, you'll earn:
- 1.5% cash back on online purchases, gas, and groceries
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
This NBC Mastercard also offers 2 types of insurance, including extended warranty and purchase protection.
Pros:
- Up to 1.5% cash back on purchases
- Redeem cash back on demand
- Low annual fee of $30
Cons:
- Limited insurance included
3. Best low interest National Bank credit card
If you tend to carry a balance on your credit card, you’ll want one with a low interest rate. National Bank’s low rate card is the National Bank Syncro Mastercard. It offers an interest rate of prime + 4% on purchases, currently at 8.9%.
The interest rate is slightly higher for cash advances and balance transfers, but is still a relatively low prime + 8%, currently at 12.9%.
In keeping with most low-interest cards, you won’t earn any rewards or enjoy perks – though it does include extended warranty and basic purchase protection coverage.
Pros:
- 8.9% interest rate on purchases
- 12.9% interest rate on balance transfers and cash advances
Cons:
- No rewards on purchases
- Limited insurance included
4. Best National Bank credit card with no annual fee
National Bank offers a few no annual fee cards, but the best one is the National Bank mycredit Mastercard. It’s a cash back credit card that offers the following earn rates:
- 1% cash back on recurring bills and restaurants
- 0.5% cash back on all purchases
Despite having no annual fee, it also delivers perks like 3 types of insurance, including valuable mobile device coverage.
Pros:
- 1% cash back on recurring bill payments and restaurants
- No annual fee
Cons:
- Only earns 0.5% cash back on all other purchases
- Limited insurance included
5. Best National Bank credit card with no minimum income
Many of the cards on our list have high income requirements that can make them unattainable for the average Canadian. Fortunately, the National Bank Platinum Mastercard has no income requirement but still offers rewards and insurance coverage.
You’ll earn up to 2 points for every $1 spent on groceries and restaurants, and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on gas, electric vehicle charging, recurring bills, and travel booked through À La Carte Rewards. All other purchases earn you 1 point for every $1.50 spent.
While there is an annual fee of $70, the card’s impressive insurance package certainly makes it worthwhile.
Pros:
- Up to 2 points per $1 spent on purchases
- 10 types of insurance
- No minimum income required
Cons:
- Low monthly caps on bonus categories
- Poor base earn rate of only 1 point per $1.50 spent
- No welcome bonus
6. Best National Bank credit card for business
It probably comes as no surprise that the National Bank Platinum Mastercard Business Card is the best option for businesses. While there is an annual fee, it’s lower than typical business cards charge. Plus, NBC is running a promotion that waives the annual fee for your first year.
Businesses large and small can earn a steady 1.5 points for every $1 spent. You can use those rewards for statement credits, travel, investments, and more. To get you started, NBC is offering up to 60,000 bonus points if you sign up before January 2025.
Pros:
- 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases
- 8 types of insurance included
- Welcome bonus of up to 60,000 points
Cons:
- $125 annual fee (waived for the first year)
Compare all National Bank credit cards
This table displays our default Genius Rating, which applies our standard weight to all 7 of our scoring categories (rewards, fees, insurance, interest, perks, approval, and acceptance).
About National Bank
National Bank is one of Canada's Big Banks, the sixth largest in the country. It was established in 1859 and now has a net worth of approximately $80.36 billion, with more than 31,300 employees serving over 2.9 million clients as of the end of 2024.
Also in 2024, Surviscor ranked National Bank as having the highest customer experience scores of all big banks in the country.
With products and services that include bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and loans, National Bank is a full-service banking institution. It acquired Canadian Western Bank in early 2025, expanding its products and services as well as its presence in the western provinces.
Pros and cons of National Bank credit cards
Here's what National Bank of Canada credit cards have to offer – the good and the bad.
Pros:
- Good selection of low fee or no fee cards: Of the National Bank credit cards we track, over half have an annual fee under $100, and of those, over half have no annual fee at all. Even the most expensive National Bank Mastercards have fees on par with the average for premium credit cards.
- Solid rewards and cashback: Of the six National Bank Mastercards we're looking at, most of them earn rewards – either cash back or National Bank À la carte Rewards. Bear in mind that if the card you choose has a low fee or no fee, you’ll be able to pocket even more of those rewards.
- Travel insurance coverage with most cards: The four most premium National Bank Mastercards include solid insurance packages, with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard and National Bank World Mastercard each providing an estimated insurance value of almost $600.
- Travel perks: The National Bank World Elite Mastercard includes access to the National Bank Lounge at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport, everyday digital offers, and Cirque du Soleil discounts. Plus National Bank partners with Transat to give you personalized travel advice and support.
- Flexible rewards redemption: You can redeem your points for travel, statement credits, banking products, financial products (like a mortgage, retirement savings account, or tax-free savings account), gift cards, merchandise, or charitable donations.
Cons:
- Lacklustre rate of return: National Bank credit cards have estimated rates of return ranging from 0% for the cards that earn no rewards to a middling 1.58% for the top-end travel rewards card. In contrast, some of the best rewards credit cards we track have estimated rates of return ranging from 2% to 4.5%.
- Monthly earning caps: Since the low or no fee cards have low earn rates, you might be interested in the National Bank Platinum Mastercard, which earns 2 points per $1 on groceries and restaurants. Unfortunately, National Bank caps the increased rates at the first $1,000 spent in a month.
- Minimal perks and overall benefits: With the notable exception of the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, National Bank credit cards tend to include few perks and benefits. If you’re looking for more out of your credit card, you’ll want to look elsewhere, especially since you can’t transfer points to partner programs.
National Bank À la carte Rewards
National Bank rewards cards earn points through the National Bank À la carte Rewards Program, and you have lots of options when it comes to redeeming those points:
- À la carte Travel Agency (1 cent per point, or CPP): Book flights, hotels, and vacation packages for free or pay a $25-$35 fee to book with a travel agent. 10,000 points give you $100 off your booking, making it the best redemption option.
- Travel statement credit (0.83–0.91 CPP): If you find cheaper travel options outside of the À la carte Travel Agency, you can book the travel and charge it to your National Bank card. Then, redeem your points for a statement credit.
- National Bank financial products (0.83 CPP): If you’ve got a National Bank mortgage or All-in-One line of credit, you can put 12,000 points toward a $100 credit that goes against your principal. Customers with RRSP or TFSA investment accounts can also put their points toward statement credits.
- Merchandise (0.81 CPP): We crunched the numbers on a dozen items you can purchase with your points. While there are some deals to be had, you’ll typically get a fairly low point value.
- Gift cards (0.76 CPP): Gift cards don’t give you as much value for your points, but it’s handy to cash in points for gift cards in denominations from $25 to $500.
- Statement credits (0.4 CPP): If you prefer to earn cash back, you’d be better off getting a cash back credit card. Statement credits offer the lowest value – though if you don’t want to do anything else with your points, this is better than nothing.
Tip: If you don’t have enough points to pay for your entire travel booking, you can combine cash and points to complete your purchase.
Maximizing your À la carte Rewards
When it comes to earning points at a faster rate, focus your spending on the highest-earning categories. All National Bank cards earn at least 1 point per $1 spent, but depending on your card, you could earn up to 1.25 to 5 points per $1 spent on categories like restaurants, groceries, gas, and travel.
When you’re ready to redeem your points, go with options that give you the most value. Booking travel through the À la carte Travel Agency gives you the best return, but you could also get reimbursement for other travel.
Don’t forget you also have travel-related perks through your card. For instance, the World Elite Mastercard has an annual $150 travel credit that can be used for expenses like airport parking, baggage fees, and seat selection.
Read your card’s terms and conditions carefully since you may have restrictions on travel expenses. For instance, you must apply for a travel expense refund within 60 days of making the purchase.
How to apply for a National Bank credit card
If you’re a resident of Canada and the age of majority in your province, you can apply for a National Bank credit card. Click the "Apply Now" button on our site or visit the National Bank website to complete an application.
Keep in mind that National Bank will ask for your income and check your credit score as part of the application review process.
FAQ
What is the minimum income for a National Bank World Elite Mastercard?
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard requires a minimum personal income of $80,000 a year or a combined household income of $150,000 a year. You’ll also need a good credit score of at least 760 to 900.
Are National Bank credit cards good?
National Bank credit cards are good, though not typically the best. Although none of the cards have welcome bonuses, their range includes cards that are low fee, earn rewards, or have great benefits like insurance and discounts.
What is the best National Bank credit card?
The Best National Bank credit card is the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, but it's mostly best for travellers. If you prefer a card with a low interest rate, the National Bank Syncro Mastercard is your best National Bank option.
What are the National Bank credit card requirements?
Requirements vary by card. Some, like the National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard, have no income requirements, while others, like the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, have a steep $80,000 personal or $150,000 household requirement.
Editorial Disclaimer: The content here reflects the author's opinion alone. No bank, credit card issuer, rewards program, or other entity has reviewed, approved, or endorsed this content. For complete and updated product information please visit the product issuer's website. Our credit card scores and rankings are based on our Rating Methodology that takes into account 126+ features for each of 229 Canadian credit cards.
