If you frequently visit Tim Hortons, you've no doubt come across ads for the Tims Mastercard. It unlocks high rewards on a variety of purchases for no annual fee.

So what does it offer? Here's our full guide on this card so you can decide for yourself if it's worth it or not.

Earning rewards with the Tims Mastercard

The Tims Mastercard will earn you Tim Rewards everywhere you shop. You can then use your rewards for any product on Tims menu.

Here's what you'll earn everywhere:

• 5 points per $1 spent at Tim Hortons
• 5 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, EV charging, transit, taxis, rideshares
• 2 points per $4 spent everywhere else

You may notice the Tims earn rate doesn't match what you may see in marketing bullets. The 15 points per $1 spent you see includes what any Tims Rewards member would earn at Tims. The credit card itself only provides 5 points per $1 spent at Tim restaurants.

So how many points could you earn in a year? Based on spending $2,000 per month, which includes $100 per month at Tims, you're looking at 47,100 points per year.

Using your Tims Rewards

So what are Tims Rewards worth? It actually varies wildly depending on what you redeem your points for.

We have the full breakdown on almost all items on Tims menu. But here are a few of the more popular ones, and what a point is worth.

Overall, we've given a Tims point a value of 0.5 cents each, but your mileage will definitely vary based on what you redeem them for.

To better compare with other credit cards, we used this number to show what your return is:

• Tim Hortons: 2.5%
• Gas, groceries, EV charging, transit, taxis, rideshares: 2.5%
• All other purchases: 0.25%

You can view our whole guide to Tims Rewards here.

2 benefits to the Tims Mastercard

You get this card for the rewards. But there are a few other things to like about it.

1. No annual fee or other requirements

All the rewards you're going to earn come with no annual fee. It's one less fee you'll have to pay.

There's also no income requirements or other hoops to worry about when it comes to getting your Tims Rewards.

2. A secured version is available

If your credit score isn't the best, there's a secured version of this card. The only real difference is in the rewards, where you'll earn fewer points on purchases, but get a card that's much easier to be approved for. Just note that a security deposit is required to get a secured card.

Here's how secured credit cards work.

2 downsides to the Tims Mastercard

There are definitely a few things you'll want to think about with the Tims Mastercard.

1. Lower base earn rate

There are quite a few high earn rates in a couple of basic categories. But outside of these you're only earning 1 point per $2 spent. With a point only worth 0.5 cents each, that's a paltry return of only 0.25%.

With that said, it's offset by earning 2.5% back on the various categories.

2. Low insurance coverage

When it comes to insurance, the Tims Mastercard just offers the basics of extended warranty and purchase protection. While it's par for the course with no fee cards there are others that do offer more in this regard.

Comparison to the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card

Even if you are a die-hard Tims fan, is it the best no fee card for you? Here's how it stacks up to a top no fee rewards card in the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card.

	Tims Mastercard	Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card
Welcome Bonus	$20 Tims digital gift card (terms)	$50 GeniusCash + 5,000 bonus points (terms)
Earn Rates	* 5 points per $1 spent at Tim Hortons * 5 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, EV charging, transit, taxis, rideshares * 2 points per $4 spent everywhere else	* 2 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, Home Hardware, and Cineplex * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Special Features	None	None
Insurance Included	2 types	0 types
Income Requirements	None	$12K personal

The Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card is more geared towards the main pillars of the Scene+ program (Sobeys, Cineplex, Home Hardware), while Tims offer plenty of rewards at not just Tim Hortons, but a few other basic categories.

But the base earn rates are another story. Each Scene point is worth 1, giving this card a minimum return of 1%. You can use your points in a few ways, including travel, Recipe Unlimited restaurants, and groceries.

Taking both things into account, here are the average returns on all purchases:

• Tims Mastercard: 0.98%
• Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card: 1.14%

Scotiabank is the clear winner here. But that's not to say the Tims card has no place in your wallet. You could combine them together in your wallet and use the Scene Visa for everything else and use your Tims card for the bonus rates..

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FAQ

What is the Tims Mastercard?

The Tims Mastercard lets you earn Tims Rewards everywhere you shop. You can then use your rewards towards free items at any Tims restaurant. This card is issued by Neo Financial.

What rewards does the Tims Mastercard offer?

The Tims Mastercard earns Tims Rewards at these rates:

• 5 points per $1 spent at Tim Hortons
• 5 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, EV charging, transit, taxis, rideshares
• 2 points per $4 spent everywhere else

We value a Tims Reward point at 0.5 cents.

What are the annual fee and income requirements of the Tims Mastercard?

The Tims Mastercard has no annual fee or income requirements.