Best National Bank Credit Cards in Canada for 2026
The best National Bank credit card is the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, which offers an impressive earn rate and a solid insurance package. For these reasons and more, it's been named among Canada's best credit cards, specifically for grocery and restaurant purchases.
As one of Canada's Big 6 Banks, National Bank offers a wide variety of credit cards. It offers the same level of selection, value, and ease of application as other banking giants, such as BMO and TD. Whether you prefer travel perks, cash back, or low interest, National Bank has at least one card to suit you (and your spending style).
In this article, we'll explain what sets this card apart and showcase a few of National Bank's other excellent credit card products.
Key Takeaways
- The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is a premium card from National Bank and the best option for a restaurant or grocery card in Canada.
- For a low fee, cash back card, look into the National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard.
- The National Bank loyalty program is called c À La Carte Rewards Program and it offers a range of valuable redemption options, including credits towards National Bank financial products.
- National Bank is one of Canada's biggest banks, serving 3.1 million clients with a full suite of products and services.
Best National Bank credit cards in Canada
| Category | Credit card | Annual fee | Features | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best National Bank card | National Bank World Elite Mastercard | $150 | * Earns up to 5 points per $1 spent * 10 types of insurance * Generous annual travel fee credit | Learn more |
| Best for cash back | National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard | $30 | * Earn up to 1.5% cash back * 2 types of insurance * Very low annual fee | Learn more |
| Best for low-interest | National Bank Syncro Mastercard | $35 | * 8.9% purchase rate * 12.9% cash advance and balance transfer rate * First year annual fee waived | Learn more |
| Best for no minimum income | National Bank Platinum Mastercard | $70 | * Earns up to 2 points per $1 spent * 10 types of insurance * Competitive annual fee | Learn more |
| Best for business | National Bank Platinum Mastercard Business Card | $125 | * Earns up to 1.5 points per $1 spent * 10 types of insurance | Learn more |
1. Best National Bank credit card for travel: National Bank World Elite Mastercard
Rewards:
- 5 points per $1 spent on groceries and restaurants, up to $2,500 in total spend per month (2 points after)
- 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 the most travel rewards and premium perks, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard ticks all the boxes. Its high earn rate (1.55%) has landed it a spot on the list of Canada's best grocery credit cards and best restaurant cards, plus honourable mention as a top travel insurance card.
This card earns National Bank À La Carte Rewards, which are worth up to 1 cent per point when redeemed for travel purchased through the rewards program. This gives you a potential return of up to 2.3% on your purchases.
One of the best perks this card offers is the annual $150 travel credit. Cardholders can have this refund applied to purchases such as flight upgrade fees, airport parking, and baggage fees. Use these amounts in full every year, and you've come out ahead of the $150 annual fee.
Pros:
- Up to 5 points per $1 spent on purchases
- Annual $150 travel fee reimbursement
- Access to National Bank Lounge at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport
- 10 types of insurance
Cons:
- No welcome bonus
- High income requirements
2. Best National Bank credit card for cash back: National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard
Rewards:
- 1.5% cash back on online purchases, gas, and groceries
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
If it's cash back rewards, National Bank's best option is the National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard. Users earn up to 1.5% cash back on purchases, which means the low $30 annual fee is cancelled out pretty quickly. Plus, once you've banked $25 in cash back, you can redeem it any time.
It may not be much, but this National Bank card offers 2 types of insurance, including extended warranty and purchase protection.
It's also worth noting that while you do need a good credit score to be approved for this card, there are no income requirements at all, which makes it more accessible to a wider range of people.
Pros:
- Up to 1.5% cash back on purchases
- Redeem cash back on demand
- Low annual fee
- No income requirements
Cons:
- Limited insurance
- Unimpressive base earn rate
3. Best low-interest National Bank credit card: National Bank Syncro Mastercard
Rewards:
- This card does not earn rewards on purchases
The National Bank Syncro Mastercard is an excellent option for anyone who tends to carry a balance on their credit card and, therefore, is looking for an option with a low interest rate. This card offers an interest rate of prime + 4% on purchases, currently at 8.9%.
The interest rate is slightly higher for cash advances and balance transfers, but is still quite low at prime + 8%, currently 12.9%. As with most low-interest cards, you won't earn any rewards or enjoy perks, but the National Bank Syncro Mastercard does include extended warranty and basic purchase protection.
Plus, the $150 annual fee is very low, and the National Bank Syncro Mastercard doesn't have any income requirements. It may not offer any opportunities for rewards or fancy perks, but it's relatively easy to acquire and can definitely help you keep costs down.
Pros:
- 8.9% interest rate on purchases
- 12.9% interest rate on balance transfers and cash advances
- Low annual fee
- No income requirements
Cons:
- No rewards on purchases
- Limited insurance
4. Best National Bank credit card with no minimum income requirements: National Bank Platinum Mastercard
Rewards:
- 2 points per $1 spent on groceries and restaurants, up to $1,000 in total spend per month (1.5 points after)
- 1.5 points per $1 spent on gas, electric vehicle charging, recurring bills, and travel booked through A La Carte Rewards
- 1 point per $1.50 spent on all other purchases
It's rather surprising that the National Bank Platinum Mastercard has no income requirements, as cards this valuable are typically much harder to get. It's similar to the National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard, in that it still requires a good credit score, but it has much more to offer.
For a reasonable $70 annual fee, the solid 1.13% average earn rate offers plenty of value. The À La Carte program offers several flexible redemption options, including a unique option to redeem points for credit towards your National Bank products and/or services. This means you can pay down your line of credit, make mortgage payments, contribute to an RRSP, and more, all with your credit card points.
Plus, this card comes with a significant insurance package – 10 types, including one of the best extended warranties available, tripling your coverage for up to 2 extra years.
Pros:
- No income requirements
- Up to 2 points per $1 spent on purchases
- 10 types of insurance
- Excellent extended warranty coverage
Cons:
- Low monthly caps on bonus categories
- No welcome bonus
5. Best National Bank credit card for business: National Bank Platinum Mastercard Business Card
Rewards:
- 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases
The National Bank Platinum Mastercard Business Card is the best option for businesses. While there is an annual fee, it's lower than most other business cards in this class. Plus, this National Bank card offers an estimated $540 in annual rewards, which far outweigh the annual fee. A large part of that value comes from its impressive insurance package, which includes 8 types of coverage.
And, if you have a personal National Bank credit card, you can combine points from both cards. While not unheard of, this certainly isn't a benefit offered by all rewards programs.
In addition to card-specific rewards, all National Bank business cards offer access to Mastercard's Easy Savings program. It's a free program that automatically applies savings and discounts across a variety of purchases, including hotels and workplace productivity software.
Pros:
- 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases
- 8 types of insurance
- Access to the Mastercard Easy Savings program
- Ability to combine rewards points with a personal card
Cons:
- $125 annual fee
- No welcome bonus
!class=text-center
Compare all National Bank credit cards
Each of the
Here's how National Bank credit cards compare when arranged by Genius Rating:
This credit card comparison table displays our default Genius Rating, which applies our standard weight to all 7 of our scoring categories (rewards, fees, insurance, interest, perks, approval, and acceptance). The ratings displayed for individual credit cards are weighted based on what each card does best.
Learn more about our Genius Rating methodology
How the À La Carte program works
National Bank's À La Carte Rewards program lets cardholders earn points on everyday purchases, which can then be redeemed for travel discounts, merchandise, gift cards, and more.
The main way to earn points is through regular use of your National Bank credit card, they can also be gained through welcome bonuses and various promotional offers. Plus, business cardholders have the added flexibility of combining points earned with those from a personal National Bank rewards card.
These are the redemption options and associated values offered by the À La Carte program:
- À La Carte Travel Agency (1 cent per point, or CPP): Book flights, hotels, and vacation packages for free or pay a $25-$35 fee to book with a travel agent. 10,000 points give you $100 off your booking, making it the best redemption option.
- Travel statement credit (0.83–0.91 CPP): If you find cheaper travel options outside of the À La Carte Travel Agency, you can book the travel and charge it to your National Bank card. Then, redeem your points for a statement credit.
- National Bank financial products (0.83 CPP): If you've got a National Bank mortgage or All-in-One line of credit, you can put 12,000 points toward a $100 credit that goes against your principal. Customers with RRSP or TFSA investment accounts can also put their points toward statement credits.
- Merchandise (0.81 CPP): We crunched the numbers on a dozen items you can purchase with your points. While there are some deals to be had, you'll typically get a fairly low point value.
- Gift cards (0.76 CPP): Gift cards don't give you as much value for your points, but it's handy to cash in points for gift cards in denominations from $25 to $500.
- Statement credits (0.4 CPP): If you prefer to earn cash back, you'd be better off getting a cash back credit card. Statement credits offer the lowest value – though if you don't want to do anything else with your points, this is better than nothing.
- Charitable donations: Take a look at the charities that National Bank currently donates to and contribute your points to a cause. For example, you could donate them to Diabetes Quebec, the Canadian Red Cross, and other regional charities.
Tip: If you don't have enough points to pay for your entire travel booking, you can combine cash and points to complete your purchase.
Pros and cons of National Bank credit cards
Here's what National Bank of Canada credit cards have to offer – the good and the bad.
Pros:
- Good selection of low-fee or no-fee cards: Of the National Bank credit cards we track, over half have an annual fee under $100, and of those, over half have no annual fee at all. Even the most expensive National Bank Mastercards have fees on par with the average for premium credit cards.
- Solid rewards and cashback: Of the 6 National Bank Mastercards we're looking at, most of them earn rewards – either cash back or National Bank À La Carte Rewards. Bear in mind that if the card you choose has a low fee or no fee, you'll be able to pocket even more of those rewards.
- Travel insurance coverage with most cards: The 4 most premium National Bank Mastercards include solid insurance packages. The average value of a National Bank credit card is $431. with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard and National Bank World Mastercard each providing an estimated insurance value of almost $600.
- Travel perks: The National Bank World Elite Mastercard includes access to the National Bank Lounge at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport, everyday digital offers, and Cirque du Soleil discounts. Plus National Bank partners with Transat to give you personalized travel advice and support.
- Flexible rewards redemption: You can redeem your points for travel, statement credits, banking products, financial products (like a mortgage, retirement savings account, or tax-free savings account), gift cards, merchandise, or charitable donations.
Cons:
- Lacklustre rate of return: National Bank credit cards have estimated rates of return ranging from 0% for the cards that earn no rewards to a middling 1.55% for the top-end travel rewards card. In contrast, some of the best rewards credit cards we track have estimated rates of return ranging from 2% to 4.5%.
- Monthly earning caps: Since the low or no-fee cards have low earn rates, you might be interested in the National Bank Platinum Mastercard, which earns 2 points per $1 on groceries and restaurants. Unfortunately, National Bank caps the increased rates at the first $1,000 spent in a month.
- Minimal perks and overall benefits: With the notable exception of the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, National Bank credit cards tend to include few perks and benefits. If you're looking for more out of your credit card, you'll want to look elsewhere, especially since you can't transfer points to partner programs.
How to apply for a National Bank credit card
If you're a resident of Canada and of the age of majority in your province, you can apply for a National Bank credit card.
- Current National Bank clients can visit their preferred card's page, click "Apply now," sign in to their online banking account, and follow the instructions from there.
- New National Bank clients can their preferred card's page, click "Apply now," then enter the necessary information and follow further instructions.
If you're not already a client, the application process will require you to verify your identity with an appropriate ID.
Keep in mind that National Bank will ask for your income and check your credit score as part of the application review process.
Here's what National Bank cardholders think
Looking at posts on Reddit, there are a variety of comments regarding whether or not National Bank credit cards are a good choice. These cards don't appear to be as popular a discussion topic as other credit cards, and many, if not most relevant comments are a few years old.
This one is 4 years old, commenting on whether or not the National Bank World Elite Mastercard is a worthwhile card for daily expenses:
Much more recently, this Redditor replied to a question about a National Bank offer for professionals, and gave a positive the National Bank World Elite Mastercard a bit of a shoutout:
Not all cardholders are happy campers, though. This business credit cardholder had a poor experience with their business card from National Bank, though they don't specify the exact card:
FAQ
What is the minimum income for a National Bank World Elite Mastercard?
As a World Elite card, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard requires high annual income requirements of $80,000 in personal income or a combined household income of $150,000 a year. You'll also need a relatively high credit score, approximately between 760 and 900.
Are National Bank credit cards good?
Yes, National Bank has several excellent credit cards. In fact, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard is one of Canada's best restaurant cards and best grocery cards. The other options aren't quite as high-value, but they're still worth considering, especially if you're a newcomer to Canada.
What is the best National Bank credit card?
The Best National Bank credit card is the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, but it's mostly best for travellers. If you prefer cash back, the National Bank ECHO Cashback Mastercard is the best choice, and the National Bank Syncro Mastercard is the top choice if you want a low interest rate.
What are the National Bank credit card requirements?
To apply for a National Bank credit card, you must be a Canadian resident that's of legal age in your province or territory. You'll need to provide appropriate ID too. A good credit score is required for most cards, though there are a few that don't require specific personal or household income amounts.
