How Neo Shook Up the 2026 Secured Credit Card Award

Team Genius
Written by Team Genius 
on Feb 10, 2026
Fact Checked
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Accuracy is important to us so this article has gone through a thorough 3-stage review process and fact-checked by our team.

When it comes to secured credit cards in Canada, it's turning into Neo's world. The limited options that exist out there are only really designed to be basic cards to start building your credit. No rewards or features of any kind come with these cards.

But not Neo. Every card Neo Financial issues has a secured version available. It's a new way of imagining secured cards.

And when the second-best cash back card is available in secured form, it shoots up the list as the best secured credit card in Canada.

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About the creditcardGenius awards

We've been dishing awards to the best credit cards in various categories since 2017.

And our awards are strictly data driven. We look at over 126 data points and pump these through our own algorithms to produce scores out of 5 for all 227 cards we track.

Each award comes with its own eligibility criteria and a customized scoring system. We change the weights of each category to match the purpose of the award.

Here are our default weightings across 7 categories, which change depending on the category.

  • Rewards (31%)
  • Fees (20%)
  • Approval (5%)
  • Perks (16%)
  • Insurance (16%)
  • Interest (7%)
  • Acceptance (5%)

You can learn more about our methodology here.

Neo's top-level secured credit cards

Neo offers 3 main credit cards:

These are cash back cards offering varying levels of rewards, and 2 of them (the Neo Mastercard and Neo World Mastercard) have no annual fee.

All of these cards have secured versions, and suddenly you get a mix of cards with varying levels of rewards, perks, and insurance. The one thing that you have to do to get the secured version instead of the regular one is provide a security deposit. This deposit then becomes your credit limit.

But Neo keeps the minimum deposits low: $50 for both the Neo Secured Mastercard and Neo Secured World Mastercard and $200 for the Neo Secured World Elite Mastercard.

There's only one change with the Neo Secured Mastercard and Neo Secured World Mastercard – they do have a monthly fee of $7.99. However, it can be waived by maintaining deposits of $5,000 or more in Neo accounts.

The summary on Neo's secured credit cards

Here are the basic features of all 3 cards side-by-side.

Neo Secured MastercardNeo Secured World MastercardNeo Secured World Elite Mastercard
Earn Rates* Average of 5% cash back at partner retailers
* 1% cash back on gas and EV charging, up to $500 spent monthly
* 1% cash back on groceries, up to $500 spent monthly
* Average of 5% cash back at partner retailers
* 2% cash back on groceries, up to $1,000 spent monthly
* 2% cash back on recurring bills, up to $500 spent monthly
* 2% cash back on gas and EV charging, up to $1,000 spent monthly
* 0.5% cash back everywhere else
* Average of 5% cash back at partner retailers
* 1% cash back on gas and EV charging, up to $500 spent monthly
* 1% cash back on groceries, up to $500 spent monthly
Annual Fee95.8895.8895.88
Insurance Included0 types2 types0 types
PerksNoneWorld Mastercard benefitsWorld Elite Mastercard benefits
Income RequirementsNone$50k personal/$80k household$80k personal/$150k household
Learn MoreLearn MoreLearn MoreLearn More

Other secured credit cards

Truth be told, there aren't many options for secured credit cards in Canada. In fact, Neo is the only issuer currently offering rewards on secured cards.

Here’s what other secured cards have to offer:

Secured Tims MastercardHome Trust Secured Visa CardCapital One Guaranteed Secured Mastercard
Earn Rates* 2 points per $1 spent at Tim Hortons
* 2 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, EV charging, transit, taxis, rideshares
* 1 point per $4 spent everywhere else
* None
* None
Annual Fee000
Insurance Included2 types0 types6 types
PerksNoneLower 2% foreign exchange feeNone
Income RequirementsNoneNoneNone
Learn MoreLearn MoreLearn MoreLearn More

Note that the Secured Tims Mastercard – which is a pared-down version of the regular Tims card – is the only card with rewards. That’s because this card is offered in partnership with Neo.

However, if you’re looking for a no-fee option, you can consider the Home Trust Secured Visa Card and the Capital One Guaranteed Secured Mastercard.

Overall, there’s not much of a competition between these cards and what Neo offers. Though they have annual fees, Neo's cards are vastly superior in terms of rewards, perks, and insurance.

The Neo World Elite Mastercard is a top cash back card in Canada

It wasn't just Neo's secured cards that took home some awards: The Neo World Elite Mastercard took home a trio as well:

  • 1st place in the challenger bank category
  • 2nd best cash back credit card (by the tightest of margins)
  • 3rd best flexible card

A big reason why is the rewards it offers.

  • Average of 5% cash back at partner retailers
  • 5% cash back on groceries, up to $1,000 spent monthly
  • 4% cash back on recurring bills, up to $500 spent monthly
  • 3% cash back on gas and EV charging, up to $1,000 spent monthly
  • 1% cash back everywhere else

These are among the best for a cash back card. And you can redeem your cash back on demand when you like.

Toss in 12 types of insurance and a reasonable $125 annual fee, and Neo has a clear winner on their hands.

4.7 Genius Rating
5.0 (2) User reviews
award seal ×3 Award winner
Annual fee
$125.00
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$0
Learn more
Annual rewards
$918
Learn more
Neo World Elite Mastercard®
4.7 Genius Rating
5.0 (2) User reviews
award seal 3x Award winner
Annual fee
$125.00
Learn more
Welcome bonus
$0
Learn more
Annual rewards
$918
Learn more
Credit estimate:
 (560 - 659)
Instant approval: Yes

More credit card awards

We’ve done the math on the top credit cards for students, businesses, travel rewards, insurance, perks, and more. Discover Canada’s best credit cards for 2026.

creditcardGenius is the only tool that compares 126+ features of 227 Canadian credit cards using math-based ratings and rankings that respond to your needs, instantly. Take our quiz and see which of Canada's 227 cards is for you.

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Editorial Disclaimer: The content here reflects the author's opinion alone. No bank, credit card issuer, rewards program, or other entity has reviewed, approved, or endorsed this content. For complete and updated product information please visit the product issuer's website. Our credit card scores and rankings are based on our Rating Methodology that takes into account 126+ features for each of 227 Canadian credit cards.

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