Neo Mastercard®

Neo Mastercard®

To get bonus rewards at a wide variety of merchants, the Neo Credit card offers bonus cash back rewards at many popular retailers. And, it's for no annual fee.

$0.00
Annual fee
Learn more
$25
Welcome bonus
Learn more
$126
Annual rewards
Learn more
Find your top card |Read our disclosure
creditcardGenius Disclosure
creditcardGenius receives a referral fee for some credit cards listed; however, our comprehensive and math-based algorithm solely dictates the results of our rating system. Our ratings and rankings are strictly independent of compensation. Click to read our detailed disclosure.
Monthly Spending:
$

Pros & cons

Pros

  • Earn an average of 5% cash back with Neo retail partners.
  • No annual fee.
  • Ability to upgrade your card to Neo Premium for more rewards and benefits.

Cons

  • Does not earn rewards everywhere.
  • No insurance included.

Your rewards

Getting your welcome bonus

Based on $2,000 in monthly spending, you can get up to an estimated $25.

For all welcome bonus details click here.

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 Neo Mastercard, here's how you earn rewards:

  • Average of 5% cash back at partner retailers
  • 1% cash back on gas , up to $500 spent monthly
  • 1% cash back on groceries , up to $500 spent monthly

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 Neo Mastercard in particular, if you spend $2,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:

Statement credits $126

Calculating your annual rewards

$24,000 annual spending x 0.53% return on spending = $126 annual rewards

$126 annual rewards $0.00 annual fee = $126 net annual rewards

Details and eligibility

Estimated Credit Score
560 - 659
Personal Income
N/A
Household Income
N/A
Canadian resident who has reached the provincial age of majority.
Annual Fee
$0.00
Extra Card Fee
$10
Card type
Credit
Purchase
19.99% - 29.99%
Cash Advance
22.99% - 31.99%
Balance Transfer
22.99% - 31.99%

Genius Rating

Neo Mastercard's 3.3 Genius Rating is based on the weighted average of the following scores:

Rewards
1.2
Fees
4.2
Insurance
0.0
Interest
0.8
Perks
1.2
Approval
4.6
Acceptance
5.0
User Reviews
2.1

Methodology

All scores are produced by our math-based rating algorithm that takes into account over 126 credit card features.

Learn more about our rating methodology.

Neo Credit card review

creditcardGenius Team
Fact Checked
Fact Checked
Accuracy is important to us so this article has gone through a thorough 3-stage review process and fact-checked by our team.

Want something a little different when it comes to your credit card rewards? A Neo Financial credit card may be for you.

They offer 2 versions of their credit card, and here we'll discuss the Neo Standard Credit Card – which is the no annual fee version.

This card will give you an average of 5% cash back at partners, and gets you 1% back on gas and groceries, and has lower credit score requirements than most other rewards credit cards, making for a good beginner credit card, or someone looking to improve their credit. Neo also makes it easy to customize your card with various add-on bundles.

Here's what this card has to offer.

Neo Financial credit card rewards

Neo Financial offers regular cash back credit cards.

And Neo does things differently. Neo has also partnered with plenty of retailers who will give you extra cash back when you shop with your Neo Card. There's nothing special you have to do to take advantage – all you have to do is swipe your card.

You can earn an average of 5% back when shopping with Neo's retail partners.

What about everywhere else? Well, that is going to depend on how much money you have deposited into a Neo Everyday Account. The more you have deposited there, the higher your rewards will be. This account comes with an interest rate of 0.1%.

Here's what you can earn.

Neo Everyday account balance$0$1,000$3,000$5,000$10,000
Gas1%1.5%1.75%2%3%
Groceries1%1.5%1.75%2%3%
Everything else0%0%0.5%0.5%1%

Now, there's one more layer to this. There are also spending caps on how much you'll earn in each category. Reach the cap, and you won't earn rewards above that.

Here's what they are.

  • Groceries – $6,000
  • Gas – $10,000
  • Everything else – $20,000

5 benefits of the Neo Mastercard

Beyond the rewards, here are 5 other benefits to the Standard Neo credit card.

1. Upgrade to Neo Premium

Neo makes it easy to upgrade your card. For $4.99 per month ($59.88 per year), you can earn more rewards on purchases and get more benefits with your Neo card.

For rewards, you'll earn cash back at these rates on everything:

  • 3% back on gas and groceries, and
  • 0.5% back everywhere else.

You'll also earn even more cash back on purchases with Neo Partners, including:

  • 6% average cash back at restaurants, bars, and cafes,
  • 4% on popular streaming services,
  • 4% on ride sharing services,
  • 4% on food delivery services, and
  • 3% or more at retail partners.

You'll also get these extra benefits:

  • credit score monitoring,
  • $2,500 group life insurance,
  • 24/7 legal assistance,
  • purchase protection and extended warranty, and
  • priority security support.

2. Redeem your rewards any time

A lot of cash back credit cards only offer rewards once per year, at their choosing.

With Neo, you can redeem your rewards whenever you want, with no minimum redemption.

And, you've got choices when it comes to how you want to redeem your rewards too.

You can simply apply them for a statement credit, or you can choose to use them for merchandise and other rewards through Neo.

3. No annual fee

The card has no annual fee, which means everything you earn goes right back in your pocket.

If you decide you want to see what Neo bundles offer, you only pay a monthly fee instead of an annual fee for them. That gives you the flexibility to test them out for just a month, then remove them from your no fee card if it's not working for you.

4. Lower credit score requirements

Some credit cards require a score of at least 660 to be considered, with many needing at least 725 or better.

But not with Neo. Neo only requires a lower credit score of 600 to be approved for their credit cards. It makes their cards open to more people.

If you're having some credit score issues, this is one potential option to look into. And even though it has lower credit score requirements, you're still getting good rewards on your purchases.

5. Many one-time welcome bonuses

Finally, with many of Neo's partners, you can earn 15% back on your first purchases with them.

It's easy cash back when you get a new Neo Financial credit card.

2 downsides of the Neo Mastercard

Nothing is perfect of course, so here are 2 things to keep in mind.

1. No included insurance coverage

A big downside – there's no included insurance coverage. Even the basics like extended warranty and purchase protection aren't here, let alone travel insurance.

If you like having some free insurance coverage, Neo credit cards can't help you.

2. Caps on earning rewards

This is a rare credit card where you need to have a savings account in order to get the best deal. If you don't have a Neo Everyday Account with a decent amount of money deposited into it you're going to be very limited as to what you'll earn in rewards.

And even if you do, you're not going to be earning much interest on your balance either, seeing as you're only getting 0.1%.

Your turn

Neo Financial has an interesting credit card product that's different from what else is out there.

Have a Neo Financial credit card? Leave a user review below so others can see what you thought of it.

FAQ

What does the Neo Standard Mastercard offer for rewards?

The Neo Credit Card offers an average of 5% cash back when shopping at a partner retailer. Outside of that you'll only earn 1% cash back on gas and grocery stores. You can also earn more rewards when you have money deposited in a Neo Everyday account.

What are some of the benefits of the Neo Mastercard?

Some of the benefits to Neo credit cards include being able to redeem cash back on demand, and the ability to easily add and remove bundles that give you extra cash back and perks from your credit card.

What is the annual fee and income requirements of the Neo standard credit card?

The Neo credit card has no annual fee and no income requirements.

Key benefits

  • Earn an average of 5% cash back when shopping with partner merchants.
  • Earn 1% cash back on gas and groceries.
  • Earn an average of 3% cash back with partner streaming services, rideshares, and food delivery.
  • Cash back earned at partners is an average based on current offers. Cash back varies per offer and partner.
  • Get your cash back paid out when you like.
  • No annual fee.
  • No income requirements.
  • Upgrade your Neo Card with Neo Premium for more rewards and benefits.

User reviews

2.1 out of 5

Reviewed by 37 Canadians

5 stars
16%
4 stars
5%
3 stars
11%
2 stars
5%
1 stars
62%
Jen 3 months ago
1

If I could give negative stars I would. Horrible customer service. It took 6 phone calls, being put on hold numerous times, two dropped calls, and an outrageous number of "security" questions to answer before my account was unfrozen.

Lyn 10 months ago
1

It's a horrible credit card. They automatically add charges without your consent . I used the secured neo credit card and the started charging me 5 dollars each month without consent. I also have a link of this on their own website.

https://support.neofinancial.com/hc/en-ca/articles/28873105144077-Monthly-fee-for-secured-credit-cards..

Annie a year ago
1

Worse customer i ever dealt with in my life...they have no clue what they are doing. Amateurs. After many many calls with different agents without resolution. I tried to escalate to a manager but they asked what for? Now i ask them to cancel my card and they said they cant help :/

Andrew a year ago
1

I dunno I can't speak for the customer service side other than the one time i needed it, it was very easy. Other than the one time I have had absolutly no issues with these guys. I make over $20 a month in cash back every month, vs the $50 a year with scotia. in the last 18 months I have made just shy of $400 in cashback so yeah premium card without the fee's. Don't let people who are used to dealing with big banks steer you away from this card. Yeah the cust service is a bit automated but I can live with that to have everything just work unlike scotia....

Mark a year ago
1

These folks are an absolute joke. Useless and pathetic. they straight up lie to you.

Pairs well with...

Credit Card Genius Cash IconGC: $125
Tangerine World Mastercard
Tangerine World Mastercard®Up to $100 bonus cash back* + 1.95% on balance transfers for 6 months.*
Credit Card Genius Cash IconGC: $135
MBNA True Line Preferred Mastercard
MBNA True Line® Mastercard®0% on balance transfers for 12 months (3% fee) + No annual fee.*
Credit Card Genius Cash IconGC: $20
BMO CashBack Mastercard
BMO CashBack® Mastercard®*Up to 5% cash back + No annual fee.*
Scotiabank Value Visa
Scotiabank Value Visa CardLow permanent interest rates of 13.99% + First year free.*
Credit Card Genius Cash IconGC: $150
BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard
BMO CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®*Exclusive: Up to $480 bonus cash back + First year fee waived.*
MBNA Smart Cash World Mastercard (Quebec Version)
MBNA Smart Cash® World Mastercard® (QC)5% on gas and groceries for 6 months + Up to 2% cash back on all purchases.*
Credit Card Genius Cash IconGC: $125 + $25
MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard (Quebec Version)
MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® (QC)Up to 20,000 bonus points + Annual bonus worth up to 15k points.*
CIBC Select Visa
CIBC Select Visa* Card0% on balance transfers for 10 months + First year fee rebate.*
Vancity enviro Visa Infinite
Vancity enviro Visa Infinite* CardUp to 10 points per $1 spent on purchases.*
Credit Card Genius Cash IconGC: $125
BMO Eclipse Rise Visa
BMO eclipse rise Visa* CardUp to 25,000 bonus points* + No annual fee.*

creditcardGenius is a smart credit card matchmaker that compares 126+ features of 229+ credit cards, with objective ratings, rankings and reviews. Built in 2017, for Canadians by Canadians, creditcardGenius is trusted by more than 200,000 people every month, 50,000 newsletter subscribers, and 15M people since launch.

Read more about creditcardGenius

About creditcardGenius

creditcardGenius

The creditcardGenius team of writers is dedicated to bringing factual, helpful, and thorough information to Canadian consumers. Each piece of content goes through a 3-step review process because quality is important to us.

Read more about creditcardGenius Team

About creditcardGenius Team

creditcardGenius Team

Rating Methodology

The most comprehensive credit card rating system in Canada.

126+ total data points analyzed
Data point breakdown