We’ve been living in uncertain times over the last year, in the grips of a global pandemic.
So, rather than worry about saving for future travel, to help save some money in the here and now, here are some top credit card combos to look at when stocking up on basics.
All of these will give some extra rewards in your wallet, and take away at least a little stress on your finances. Each combo only has one card with an annual fee.
| Pairs For… | Best Credit Card Pair | Reasons Why |
|---|---|---|
| Saving on groceries | Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite and BMO CashBack Mastercard | 4% cash back on groceries plus 3% cash back at Walmart Supercentres |
| Saving at Costco | RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard and Tangerine Mastercard | 2% cash back on up to 3 categories of your choice plus 1.5% cash back at Costco and all other purchases |
| Maximizing your cash back anywhere | Amex SimplyCash Preferred and Home Trust Preferred Visa | 2% cash back on all purchases and 1% back on all stores that don’t accept Amex |
| Saving on annual fee | Tangerine Mastercard and Amex SimplyCash | 2% cash back on up to 3 categories of your choice plus 1.25% on all other purchases |
| Saving your travel rewards | Amex Cobalt and MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus | Up to 8.75% travel rewards and 2% rewards where Amex isn’t accepted ‒ when this coronavirus wave is over and we can travel again |
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Credit card pair for saving on groceries
Traditional grocery stores (think Loblaws and Sobeys) are the main target for many looking to get not only groceries but other household items as well.
Thankfully, there are plenty of cash back credit cards that offer bonus rewards on grocery store purchases. And if this is something you want, here are 2 top cards to consider pairing.
Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card and BMO CashBack Mastercard
Why are these cards the perfect pair exactly?
With the
GC: $20
$20 GeniusCash + 10% cash back on purchases for 3 months + 4% cash back on groceries.*
Here’s what you’ll get from this Scotiabank cash back card:
- 10% cash back for the first 3 months,
- 4% cash back on both groceries and recurring bills,
- 2% cash back on gas and transit purchases, and
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
That being said, if you like Walmart Supercentres, Visa doesn’t classify them as grocery stores (neither does Amex). However, Mastercards do.
And to complete this package, we’ll recommend the
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 5% cash back for the first 3 months, up to $2,500 in spend,
- 3% cash back at grocery stores (up to $500 spent per month),
- 1% cash back on recurring bills (up to $500 spent per month), and
- 0.5% cash back on all other purchases.
And since it’s a Mastercard, you can also earn some rewards if you shop at Costco.
Credit card pair for saving at Costco
Costco is a top shop for everything you need, plus you can get everything in bulk at rock bottom prices.
However, Costco is defined as a general merchant by Mastercard, so you need a Mastercard that simply offers a high base earn rate on everything. Your “grocery” bonus categories won’t count at Costco.
RBC Preferred World Elite Mastercard and Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard
What makes these cards good together? You get a high base earn rate at Costco (and other stores) and can get some extra cash back on categories of your choice.
The
And to get a boost in cash back, you can pair it with the
- 2% cash back on up to 3 categories of your choice, and
- 0.5% cash back on other purchases.
This combo means you can earn an extra 0.5% cash back on your selected categories, and 1.5% cash back everywhere else.
×1 Award winner GC: $125
1x Award winner
For a few more perks, you could also look at the
GC: $125
A one card solution: Instead of a credit card combo, to keep things simpler you could just opt to get the
Credit card pair for maximizing your cash back anywhere
Just want to get the most cash back possible, while also not having to worry about categories?
We have just the pairing for you.
American Express SimplyCash Preferred Card and Home Trust Preferred Visa
Another top-rated cash back card, the
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 4% cash back on gas and groceries
- 2% cash back on all other purchases
If Amex acceptance concerns you, pair it with a card like the
Or, simply opt for the
Credit card pair for saving on annual fees
Prefer not to pay an annual fee? There are a couple of reasons when annual fees don’t make sense, like if:
- you don’t spend much on credit cards, or
- you simply prefer not to pay annual fees.
So here’s our top pair that doesn’t require you to pay any annual fees, and will still earn you some solid rewards.
Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard and American Express SimplyCash
What makes these cards fit together so well? Let’s start with the
×1 Award winner GC: $125 1x Award winner
You’ll earn 2% on up to 3 categories of your choice while earning 0.5% on every other purchase.
However, you can upgrade that base 0.5% earn rate with the
And if there are places that don’t accept Amex, you’ll still be earning at least 0.5%.
Other cash back credit cards to think about
Of course, these are merely our recommendations, there are plenty of other cards to consider when making credit card combos for your wallet.
There are TD Cash Back Visa cards, CIBC cash back cards, and various RBC Cash Back Mastercards to look at.
- RBC Cash Back Mastercard
- RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard
- CIBC Dividend Visa
- CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa
- CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
- TD Cash Back Visa Infinite
Each of these credit cards offer unique earn rates that may work well for you.
Credit card pair for maximizing your travel rewards
Let’s be honest, while not great, this pandemic will pass, and at some point the current travel restrictions will end. When? We don’t really know, but it won’t last forever.
So wouldn’t it be nice to have something to look forward to? Here’s a top travel rewards pairing, so you can start saving up travel points for your next trip.
American Express Cobalt and MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard
Talking about travel rewards means we need to include not just our #1 rated travel card, but our best credit card as well – the
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 
8x Award winner
You’ll not only earn plenty of points but can get great value for them as well.
Here’s how you earn points:
- 5 points per $1 on groceries, restaurants, and food delivery,
- 2 points per $1 on gas, transit, and travel, and
- 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
And in your first year, you can also earn plenty of bonus points. You can earn up to 15,000 points after spending $750 every month for the first year.
So what can you do with them? You’re collecting Amex Membership Rewards, some of the most flexible travel rewards out there.
Here are your options for redeeming your points for travel, and how much a point can be worth:
- Aeroplan – up to 2 cents per point (CPP),
- Fixed Points Travel Program – up to 1.75 cents per point,
- transfer to Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors – up to 1.16 CPP, and
- redeem for any travel – 1 CPP.
Or, if you’re looking forward to seeing your favourite team play once the sports leagues are letting fans back , you can use your points towards Ticketmaster purchases, where each point is worth 1 cent.
And for Costco or Loblaws banner store shoppers, pair it with the
Earning flexible MBNA Rewards points, on your daily purchases you’ll earn:
- 2 points per $1 on gas, groceries and restaurants (up to $5,000 spent annually in each category), and
- 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
In the first 3 months, you’ll earn double points on your category spend. And it comes with an additional bonus of up to 10,000 points.
When redeemed for travel rewards through MBNA they’re worth 1 cent each, giving you a return of between 1% – 2% on all your spending.
It’s a great pairing that will give you flexible rewards you can use with any travel provider, and can be used at any store as well.
If you would prefer a Visa to an American Express
Would you prefer a Visa to an Amex card in this combo? Then consider the
It also earns plenty of flexible rewards at these rates:
- 5 points per $1 spent on gas, transit, groceries, and restaurants, and
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
A BMO Rewards 0.67 cents when redeemed for travel, for a return of up to 3.35% on purchases.
On top of that are 2 unique perks. First, every year on your card’s anniversary, you’ll get a $50 lifestyle credit that gets applied to your first purchase of more than $50.
The other is you’ll earn 10% bonus points when an authorized user is added to the account.
It has an annual fee of $120 (waived for the first year), and income requirements of either $60,000 personal or $100,000 household.
GC: $150
Your turn
Many of these credit card combos will give you major rewards on your daily purchases, but these aren’t the only ones out there.
What credit card combos do you carry in your wallet?
Let us know in the comments below, and share them with everybody.
FAQ
What is the best no fee cash back credit card combo?
If you want a no fee credit card combo, we recommend looking at the Tangerine Mastercard and Amex SimplyCash card. With these 2 cards, you’ll earn 2% cash back on up to 3 categories of your choice, while earning 1.25% cash back on all other purchases.
What is the best cash back credit card in Canada?
Our best cash back credit card is the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite, which offers 4% cash back on groceries and recurring bills, 2% cash back on gas and transit, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
What is the best cash back credit card to use at Costco?
The best cash back credit card to use at Costco is the Brim World Elite Mastercard, where you’ll earn 2% cash back on all purchases, for an annual fee of $89. If that annual fee is too much for you to handle, then you can look at the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, which offers 1.57% cash back on all purchases (2% on travel) for a lower annual fee of $0.
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