Pros & cons
Pros
- Up to 5 points per $1 spent on purchases.
- Includes 10 types of insurance.
- Annual $150 in travel fee reimbursements.
Cons
- High income requirements of $80,000 personal or $150,000 household.
- 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 National Bank World Elite Mastercard, here's how you earn rewards:
- 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
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 National Bank World Elite Mastercard in particular, if you spend $2,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:
| Any travel from National Bank | $552 | |
| Any travel | $458 | |
| National Bank investments | $458 | |
| Merchandise | $447 | |
| Gift Cards | $425 | |
| Statement credits | $221 |
| Redemption Option | Point Value | Total Value |
|---|---|---|
| Any travel from National Bank | 1 cent | $10 |
| Any travel | 0.83 cents | $8 |
| National Bank investments | 0.83 cents | $8 |
| Merchandise | 0.81 cents | $8 |
| Gift Cards | 0.77 cents | $8 |
| Statement credits | 0.4 cents | $4 |
Calculating your annual rewards
$24,000 annual spending x 2.30% return on spending = $552 annual rewards
$552 annual rewards − $150.00 annual fee = $402 net annual rewards
Top related credit cards
Compare similar cards side-by-side.
8x Award Winner
Details and eligibility
- Estimated Credit Score
- 760 - 900
- Personal Income
- $80,000
- Household Income
- $150,000
- Annual Fee
- $150.00
- Extra Card Fee
- $50
- Card type
- Credit
- Purchase
- 20.99%
- Cash Advance
- 22.49%
- Balance Transfer
- 22.49%
Insurance coverage
- Extended Warranty
- 2 years
- Purchase Protection
- 180 days
- Mobile Device
- $1,000
- Emergency Medical Term
- 60 days
- Emergency Medical over 65
- 15 days
- Trip Cancellation
- $2,500
- Trip Interruption
- $5,000
- Flight Delay
- $500
- Baggage Delay
- $500
- 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
National Bank World Elite Mastercard's 4.4 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 Mastercard
GC: $150
GC: $125 + $25
GC: $125 + $25
Our review
If you're looking for a travel credit card that gives you valuable rewards, superior insurance, and a very unique perk, then the National Bank World Elite Mastercard could be the perfect addition to your wallet.
It's one of 3 travel Mastercards issued by National Bank. Here's everything this travel rewards credit card has to offer.
Earning rewards with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard
This card offers bonus rewards in a variety of categories. The rewards earned with every purchase will give cardholders:
- 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
Those are some high earn rates. And based on a typical $2,000 monthly spend, you're looking at earning a total of $552 in annual rewards.
But there's a major point to note about the 5 points per $1 spent category – you only earn that on groceries and restaurants if your total monthly spending is less than $2,500. After that, you'll earn 2 points per $1 spent on groceries.
That can severely hamper the rewards you earn if you're a big spender. If you do expect to spend a lot of money every month, use this card for the bonus categories and find a no annual fee credit card to make purchases at non-category stores.
À la carte reward points
What can you use your National Bank Rewards for?
With these À la carte points, cardholders can plan vacations or shop for gift cards and name brand merchandise. Plus, points can be exchanged for a number of different financial products.
Here's a summary of your redemption option, as well as what your points are worth.
You'll get the best value by booking through NBC Rewards, where you'll be able to use your points to book flights and vacation packages.
Here's where you can learn more about the National Bank À La Carte Rewards program.
4 benefits to the National Bank World Elite Mastercard
There's much more to this card than the rewards. Here are 3 other things we love about the card. It's not as many as other premium cards, but they're big ones.
1. $150 annual travel credit
Checked bag fees. Seat selection fees. These fees wreak havoc on our bottom line on the few days of vacation we can afford to take.
But this credit card is here to save the day. Every year you have the card, you get a $150 travel credit you can use towards paying these pesky fees:
- airport parking,
- baggage fees,
- seat selection,
- airport lounge access, and
- airline seat upgrades.
To use the credit, all you have to do is charge these costs to your NBC Mastercard, keep the receipt, and submit a claim afterwards.
And with that, you can say goodbye to at least some of the fees. If you redeem the full amount, you've essentially made the annual fee disappear.
2. Airport lounge access
There's a decent level of airport lounge access provided with this World Elite Mastercard.
First, National Bank operates their own lounge in Montreal – it's inside the international section. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard can grant access to the lounge anytime you want for free (though you'll have to pay for additional guests).
On top of that, you'll also get a Mastercard Travel Pass membership. It doesn't come with any free passes, but you can use your annual travel credit to pay for the US$32 fee.
3. Terrific insurance
The insurance package included in this card is among the best in Canada. This credit card includes 10 types of insurance – you can see the full details above.
There are a couple of things that stand out. Many credit cards will not give you emergency medical insurance if you are 65+, but this World Elite card will cover you for 15 days of travel. Just note the coverage ends when you turn 75. If you're below the age of 55, you get a stunning 60 days, and 31 days if you're between 55 to 65.
Plus, your purchases will be covered with one of the best purchase protection and extended warranty insurance policies in Canada. You get triple extended warranty and 180 days of purchase protection.
2 downsides to the National Bank World Elite Mastercard
There are a few things you'll want to take into consideration with this World Elite Mastercard.
1. Cap on earning 5 points per $1 spent
We've stated it once already, but it needs to be stated again – spend too much per month (over $2,500), and you're only earning 2 points per $1 spent on groceries and restaurants.
You can really hamper the rewards you earn by spending too much on your card.
2. High annual fee and income requirements
The annual fee is a little higher than other similar premium credit cards at $150.
It's also coupled with high income requirements of either $80,000 personal or $150,000 household, which can put it out of the reach of many.
Comparison to the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
There's another Mastercard that also offers up to 5 points per $1 spent – the
Let's see how these 2 flexible rewards cards stack up.
| National Bank World Elite Mastercard | MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Earn 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 | * 5 points for every $1 spent on restaurants, groceries, and select recurring bills (up to $50,000 spent annually per category) * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Welcome Bonus | * None |  $150 GC Boost + 30,000 bonus points (terms) |
| Average Earn Rate | 2.3% | 2.86% |
| Best Redemption Options (Value of 1 point) | * Flights and vacation packages through NBC Rewards (1 cent) * Any travel booking – 0.83 cents | * Any travel through MBNA Rewards – 1 cent * e-gift cards – 1 cent * Cash – 0.83 cents |
| Insurance Coverage | 10 types | 12 types |
| Perks | * $150 annual travel credit * Mastercard Travel Pass * Unlimited access to the National Bank lounge in Montreal | * Mastercard Travel Pass |
| Annual Fee | $150 | $120 |
What you actually earn for rewards is quite similar with this card, with the MBNA card having a slightly better earn rate.
The rewards are also more flexible, with more valuable options than what NBC Rewards provides. And this is all for a lower annual fee.
But NBC has the trump card with the $150 annual travel credit to take a bite out of pesky fees like checked bags. And these fees can basically offset the annual fee and make the NBC card a supreme no annual fee card.
Which is better? If you can use the full travel mount, we would go with National Bank. But the MBNA Rewards World Elite is an excellent alternative if you don't think you can.
Leave a review
There's a lot to like about the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. For those of you who have the card, what do you think of it?
Leave a user review so others can see your thoughts on the card.
FAQ
What does the National Bank World Elite Mastercard offer for rewards?
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard offers National Bank Rewards points 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
What perks does the National Bank World Elite Mastercard offer?
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard offers a few major perks. They are:
- $150 annual travel credit,
- 10 types of insurance, and
- airport lounge access.
What are the annual fee and income requirements of the National Bank World Elite Mastercard?
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $150 and income requirements of $80,000 personal or $150,000 household.
People also viewed
GC: $175
Key benefits
®ECHO, ALLURE, EDITION and À LA CARTE REWARDS PLAN, are registered trademarks of National Bank.
®ULTRAMAR is a registered trademark of Valero, used under licence.
® WORLD MASTERCARD and WORLD ELITE are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Inc. Authorized user: National Bank.
® Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
User reviews
Reviewed by 16 Canadians
Thank you for your review!
Hang tight while we verify and approve it.
If you want to see your review right away...
Create an account:
Worst credit card you can have in your wallet. Good luck getting any insurance claims from CanAssistance. An insurance company handle claims on behalf of National bank. It’s like the Mafia. Find all kinds of ways to deny claims after wasting your time asking you to upload all kinds of documents that don’t even exist on this planet.
Run away from bother National bank and CanAssistance. It appears all the Montreal / Quebec Mafia running this business.
Skip this, all those insurances are just a placebo. By the time you need to ask for them after a long delay they will bs you. I got an Air Canada flight delay which made me lose the next Air Canada flight: Air Canada cancelled my next flight and assigned me a new one 2 days later. I claimed the reimbursement of the new flight I had to pay to leave at next day because of flight delay and flight cancellation (I tried not to request for no other expenses to keep it simple). After a long delay they told me this was not among the insured risks and in a phone call they alledged they only insured flight lost due to a public transportation or something very specific that would not include Airline delays or cancellation. If this is the strongest reason for getting this card, dont do it. If another reason, is the Not Convenient Lounge in YUL, better take the Scotia Bank Passport. As there is nothing left for this card to justify what it cost, better dont take it. It is sad because National Bank inself has a nice customer service.
CanAssistance is a garbage company that makes lots of excuse for not paying as per the policy.
I was told annual fee waived only for the first year. Lowered my rating from my previous 5 star to 4 since branch failed to disclose correct information when I applied for the card.
I was looking to replace my HSBC + Rewards lower interest Mastercard which was a great card for Costco up until RBC decided to take over HSBC. I thought NBC world elite can be a decent replacement but I am not sure worth paying $150 a year. I’m sure there are other no annual fee cash back cards yield more in return than this MC. I will cancel before the renewal to void that hefty $150 fee.
Just approved while I was at the branch. I was told $150 yearly fee will be waived every year since I’m a professional engineer. With that title I was getting whole bunch of other banking perks on my other accounts and identity protection free.
Not sure If I get travel credit since I’m not paying the annual fee. I will know soon when I fly to Austin, TX for my Christmas holiday.
