CIBC has a big repertoire of credit cards ranging from travel rewards, cash back, and more. But for those who don't want anything from this issuer, what are some CIBC credit card alternatives?
We've come up with some other options in 5 different categories to give you some much-needed credit card inspo. Here's the list in all its glory.
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CIBC credit cards and better alternatives
Here is a summary of the top CIBC cards, and the alternatives to consider.
| CIBC Credit Card | Better Alternative | Why It’s Better |
|---|---|---|
| CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite | Earn more rewards, more redemption options, more transfer partners | |
| CIBC Aventura Visa | Earn more points, better insurance, better value on most travel redemptions | |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | Earn more cash back, comes with free roadside assistance | |
| CIBC Dividend Visa | Earn more cash back, choose your categories to earn bonus rewards, great welcome bonus |
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite vs Amex Cobalt: Which is better for flexible travel?
Belonging to the CIBC Rewards program, the
Or, you can book any travel you like from CIBC Rewards and get a consistent 1 cent per point value every time you redeem.
This card earns up to 1.5 points per $1 spent on everyday spending and 2 points per $1 spent on travel through CIBC Rewards.
So, unless you’re getting great value from the Airline Rewards Chart, you’re looking at a meagre return of up to 1.5% for your everyday spending. Not exactly a great return for a card with a $120 annual fee.
Our top alternative – American Express Cobalt card
Enter the
With this card, you’ll earn plenty of points at these rates:
- 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants
- 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
Using the Fixed Points Travel Program, you can get a similar value for each point as with CIBC Rewards, but you’ll be earning much more of them, giving you much more total rewards.
And if you do choose to book any travel, you can use any provider you like and get up to a 5% return on your everyday spending.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can also transfer your points at a 5:6 ratio to Marriott Bonvoy and 1:1 to Aeroplan.
You’ll be flat out earning more rewards with this card, no matter how you slice it.
And for the cherry on top of this sundae, it has no income requirements either, whereas any Visa Infinite card has 60K personal or 100K household income requirements.
Transfer points to Aeroplan and 7 other travel partners with Canada's #1 credit card.* Transfer points to Aeroplan and 7 other travel partners with Canada's #1 credit card.*
×8 Award winner 
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Bonus Amex card: The
×1 Award winner 
GC: $60
1x Award winner
$60 GeniusCash + Up to 50,000 bonus points + No foreign exchange fees.*
Prefer a Visa instead?
Concerned about Amex acceptance? If you’d rather have a Visa, the
GC: $150
There’s also the
×1 Award winner GC: $100
1x Award winner
CIBC Aventura Visa vs MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus: Which is better for free travel rewards?
The no fee version of the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite, the
And while you can get great value for your points using the Airline Rewards chart, this card will leave something to be desired if you want to book any travel.
Our top alternative – MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard
To earn more points, the
This card offers:
- 2 points for every $1 spent on restaurants, groceries, and select recurring bills (up to $10,000 spent annually per category)
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Using your MBNA Rewards to book any type of travel is easy – each point is worth 1 cent, giving you a return of up to 2% on your spending, double what the Aventura Visa would give you.
CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite vs BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard: Which is better for cash back rewards?
When it comes to earning cash back on basics such as gas and groceries, the
You’ll earn 4% cash back on those categories, 2% cash back on restaurants, transit, and recurring bills, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Our top alternative – BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard
Our top alternative for this card is the
You’ll earn much more for rewards at these earn rates:
- 5% cash back on groceries, up to $500 in monthly spend
- 4% cash back on transit, up to $300 in monthly spend
- 3% cash back on gas, up to $300 in monthly spend
- 2% cash back on recurring bills, up to $500 in monthly spend
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
It also comes with more insurance, with 13 types included, plus free roadside assistance.
GC: $150
Other cash back cards to consider
GC: $100
GC: $20
CIBC Dividend Visa vs Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard: Which is better for free cash back rewards?
For a no fee cash back card option, the
While seemingly good, for only earning 0.5% on most purchases, you’ve only got one category that earns 2% cash back.
Our top alternative – Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard
So let’s consider the
You’ll earn 2% cash back on 2 categories of your choice from a list of 10 (3 if you have a Tangerine bank account). And there is no limit on how much cash back you can earn.
And if your spending patterns change, you can change your categories whenever you like, with the changes taking effect in 3 billing cycles.
And while it only earns 0.5% cash back on all other purchases, simply pair it with either the
Combining these cards makes for a winning no fee cash back credit card combo.
×1 Award winner GC: $125
1x Award winner
Agree or disagree?
CIBC certainly does have some good cards in their portfolio.
However, they’re far from groundbreaking, and there are better alternatives out there for them.
What do you think?
If you have a CIBC card, do you think it’s still the best for you after seeing our top alternatives?
Let us know in the comments below.
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