Pros & cons
Pros
- 1% back on all purchases.
- Includes mobile device insurance.
- Extensive emergency medical insurance.
Cons
- Low rewards for a card with a $110 annual fee.
- No welcome bonus.
Your rewards
How you earn rewards
Each card earns rewards differently. Part of choosing your card is deciding what type of rewards you want to get. With Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold, here's how you earn rewards:
- 2% cash back on restaurants , entertainment , transit , and pre-authorized payments
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
For all reward details click here.
How much your rewards are worth
The dollar value of your rewards depends on the specific rewards program ‒ and what you choose to redeem your points for. For Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold in particular, if you spend $2,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:
| Any purchase | $288 | |
| Gift Cards | $288 | |
| Desjardins financial products | $288 |
Calculating your annual rewards
$24,000 annual spending x 1.20% return on spending = $288 annual rewards
$288 annual rewards − $110.00 annual fee = $178 net annual rewards
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8x Award Winner
Details and eligibility
- Estimated Credit Score
- 760 - 900
- Personal Income
- N/A
- Household Income
- N/A
- Annual Fee
- $110.00
- Extra Card Fee
- $30
- Card type
- Credit
- Purchase
- 20.90%
- Cash Advance
- 21.90%
- Balance Transfer
- 21.90%
Insurance coverage
- Extended Warranty
- 1 year
- Purchase Protection
- 90 days
- Mobile Device
- $1,000
- Emergency Medical Term
- 60 days
- Emergency Medical over 65
- 15 days
- Trip Cancellation
- $2,500
- Trip Interruption
- unlimited
- Baggage Delay
- $1,000
- Lost or Stolen Baggage
- $1,000
- Rental Car Theft & Damage
- Yes
Please review your insurance certificate for details, exclusions and limitations of your coverage, terms and conditions apply.
Learn more about the value of credit card insurance coverage.
Genius Rating
Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold's 3.5 Genius Rating is based on the weighted average of the following scores:
Methodology
All scores are produced by our math-based rating algorithm that takes into account over 126 credit card features.
Top cards from Visa
GC: $150
Desjardins Odyssey Visa Gold Review
The Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold is a mid-tier credit card with a palatable annual fee of $110 and earn rates of up to 2%. This is through their BONUSDOLLARS system, a flexible rewards program with many different ways to redeem your points.
But one of the most standout features of this card is the 9 types of insurance categories under its belt (with a special perk for seniors).
Here's a quick analysis of this card, as well as how it stacks up its bigger brother, the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard.
Pros of the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold
It’s a basic card, but don’t worry – basic can still be good. Here are 4 things that this card has going for it.
1. Earn a ton of points
The first thing to talk about with this card is obviously the earning structure:
- 2% cash back on restaurants, entertainment, transit, and pre-authorized payments
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
Getting 2% on 4 decently popular categories is nothing to turn your nose at. A missing category may be groceries (and to a lesser extent, gas), but you'll still be able to get 1% back, which is better than some low-end cards that would only give you 0.5%.
2. An insurance package that even covers those over 65
Getting 9 types of insurance is already amazing in itself, but knowing that there are 15 days of coverage for those over 65 is massive.
With so many credit cards either stopping or stripping down coverage after you're old enough to take advantage of senior discounts, having a card like the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold is a huge advantage.
3. Discounts on lounge access in Montreal
If you live in or travel to Montreal often, you can get 50% off your entrance fee at the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport. Though this doesn't compare to the 8 free passes you'll get if you have the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard, it's still a nice ace to have up your sleeve.
4. Increased discounts on car rentals
A lot of Desjardins credit cards have a discount on car rentals, including the no fee ones. But where those cards only hand out discounts of 15%, the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold takes it a step further, offering up to 25% off at some of these popular rental car services:
- Hertz,
- Thrifty, and
- Dollar.
Cons of the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold
Nothing is ever perfect in credit card land, and of course, this card can’t be perfect either. Here are some downsides to having this card that you may want to consider.
1. No welcome bonus
So many major players in the credit card industry have a nice welcome bonus that really helps in swaying people to switch over. No dice on this card.
2. No physical branches outside of Quebec and Ontario
Desjardins, the credit union that provides this card, is based out of Quebec and only has physical branches in Quebec and Ontario. If you're outside of one of those provinces, you may have trouble if you need to speak to someone in person.
Comparison to the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard
This is the mid-range rewards-based credit card offered by Desjardins. The Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard is a better credit card in terms of rewards, but is it worth it for you?
Here are the two cards when put head to head.
| Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold | Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Normal earn rate | * 2% cash back on restaurants, entertainment, transit, and pre-authorized payments * 1% cash back on all other purchases |
* 3% cash back on groceries * 2% cash back on restaurants, entertainment, and public transportation * 1.5% cash back on all other purchases |
| Annual fee | $110 | $130 |
| Number of insurance types | 9 | 9 |
First off, the rewards category is won handily by the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard. We had mentioned that a minor sore spot was that the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold did not have any bonuses on groceries, whereas you'll be getting triple the return with the World Elite version compared to the Gold version. The only category where the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold comes out ahead (albeit marginally at only 0.5% better) is in pre-authorized payments. Everything else is tied.
This is where you'll have to do a little bit of math to find out if the annual fee difference is worth it or not. Though the difference is small, it's always worth knowing your spending habits to maximize your card the best you can.
The insurance is nearly identical, but the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard has slightly more in terms of mobile device coverage ($1,500 vs. $1,000).
And before we forget, there is a big bonus perk in terms of lounge access with the Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard. If you travel through Montreal-Trudeau, you'll get 8 free lounge passes with the World Elite card. If you're using the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold, you will still need to pay, but you'll save 50% every time.
FAQ
Does the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold have a welcome bonus?
No, there is currently no welcome bonus for the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold at the moment.
What kind of insurance coverage does the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold have?
This card has 9 types of travel insurance. One thing to note is that this has insurance coverage for those between the ages of 65 - 75, which is rare for most credit cards.
What other perks are included with the Desjardins Visa Odyssey Gold?
Other than earn rates that max out at 2%, this card comes with rental car discounts of up to 25% at 3 popular providers and 50% off lounge access at the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge in Montreal.
Key benefits
User reviews
Reviewed by 7 Canadians
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I have had a credit card from this provider since I was 19. Since I was with a credit union, this company was my only option for a credit card at the time.
The customer service has always been “peppy” but USELESS. They talk in customer service cliches, and offer you little to no solutions to your issues.
My card expired, and I’ve been waiting almost 2 months for my new card to arrive. I’ve had bills attached to the card bounce, I’ve had service providers drop me due to the card not being updated, I’ve wasted hours of my time on the phone with customer services trying to figure out where my card is. All they do is blame Canada post and say our mail system is backed up. It may be backed up, but not two months worth of a back up.
In fact, they have mailed out TWO cards with my name and identification that have yet to arrive to TWO separate locations. How can both of the cards not have reached me yet??
This is a ridiculous credit provider and the bonus dollar program is a pathetic rewards system. After four phone calls begging them for a solution, I’ve moved on to another provider. Not only will I never use this card/account again (if one of the cards ever shows up) but I will be taking every opportunity to spread the word that this is a horrible card and provider.
The 20% Bonus Bonidollars at end of Year if you are a Desjardins member, silightly dissapeared in the September Terms and Coditions update.
Now only the Master Card World Elite at 130 Annually has it.
Forcing you to get 5000 Credit margin in your Desjardins account (of course making you think you can go 5000$ more credit)
It has been a great card with great Value, but because of this move of siliently making dissapear advantages, it no longer is the deal it was.
GOOD CARD FOR TRAVEL
I hate their website so much.
We pay in full monthly so do not have any interest as 19.9% is very high. We love the insurance coverage.At over age 70 we still have two weeks coverage and take advantage of it. Trip to Europe only top up was insurance for prior to departure. Once away, very good coverage for no charge. Live close to USA border and often travel in North America can leave province with confidence we are covered. The bonus points pay our car insurance each year so actually the $110 fee is ok when we have $500 in insurance for Desjardin vehicle insurance paid with the points.
