The Tangerine World Mastercard – A Superb No Fee Cash Back Credit Card

creditcardGenius Team
updated on Jun 30, 2022
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If you were looking for some of Canada’s best cash back cards, one of the ones you’d find on anyone’s list would be the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card. Also on the list is its slightly cooler brother, the Tangerine World Mastercard®.

What’s the difference between the 2 cards? In terms of rewards, do the Tangerine Mastercard categories differ between them? Are there any catches like income requirements or hidden fees that are exclusive to the Tangerine World Mastercard?

We’ve got all the juicy details on why these cards would a-peel to anyone looking for a sweet deal below (no more puns, I promise!).

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Tangerine World Mastercard categories provide rewards that are a perfect fit

If you knew about the Tangerine Mastercard you may already be familiar with the fact that there are 10 Tangerine Mastercard categories that provide some of the most flexible cash back rewards options ever.

Out of the 10 Tangerine reward categories, you can choose 2 of them and earn 4x the cash back that you would normally receive, at a cool 2% rate.

An added bonus? You can get a 3rd rewards category if you deposit your rewards into a Tangerine Savings Account.

The amount of selection and customization you get with a Tangerine card can make this credit card fit anyone’s lifestyle better than Cinderella’s glass slipper. Here are the 10 categories – we know you’re excited to find out what’s included:

Tangerine Mastercard categories

Outside of these categories, you’ll earn 0.5% cash back.

The Tangerine World Mastercard categories extend far beyond the generic rewards categories we’re used to. The furniture, parking & transit, and home improvement stand out in the sea of the boring restaurant and gas station perks most cash back cards provide.

Again, even if you have Cinderella feet, you’re sure to find the rewards category combo that will fit your life like a glove.

Both cards are also running a welcome bonus for a limited time. Earn an extra 10% cash back for the first 2 months, up to $1,000 spent.

Free $125 in GeniusCash

When you apply for the Tangerine World Mastercard using the creditcardGenius offers page, you'll receive $125 in GeniusCash once you get approved.

It's a nice extra bonus that complements your card's cash-earning capabilities nicely.

All you have to do is go to our offers page, select the credit card you're interested in (yes, the Tangerine World Mastercard counts!), and apply through our link. If you're approved, you'll get your GeniusCash either through PayPal or an Interac e-Transfer within 12 weeks.

Tangerine World Mastercard annual fee and income requirements

There’s no difference here either, both cards have no annual fee. Sweet.

That being said, the Tangerine World Mastercard does have higher income requirements of either $60,000 personal or $100,000 household to qualify. Compared to the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card with a personal income requirement of just $12,000.

Depending on your income, this could be a huge or small difference.

Tangerine World Mastercard benefits and feature upgrades

This is where things start to differ slightly with these cards.

Here are the extra features the Tangerine World Mastercard® offers over its counterpart.

Purchase and travel insurance

Both cards offer basic purchase protection (90 days) and extended warranty.

However, the Tangerine World Mastercard also offers mobile device insurance and car rental theft and damage coverage to top it off.

Decent insurance coverage is rare on a no fee card, and mobile device insurance is rare in Canada. Period.

Here are the full details on the insurance coverages:

Tangerine World Mastercard®

Extended Warranty1 year
Purchase Protection90 days
Mobile Device$1,000
Rental Car Theft & DamageYes

Please review your insurance certificate for details, exclusions and limitations of your coverage.

Airport lounge access

For some airport lounge access to relax before a flight, the Tangerine World Mastercard offers access to Mastercard Airport Experience lounges.

But keep in mind there are no free passes included, so each visit will cost you US$32.

World Mastercard experience

The last extra benefits the Tangerine World Mastercard provides are World Mastercard benefits.

You’ll be able to:

  • access Mastercard Priceless cities, and
  • Mastercard World Experiences.

What are Mastercard Priceless cities? It’s a program that will allow you to choose from a wide variety of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, in cities all around the world.

Mastercard World Experiences will give you preferred access to all kinds of valuable offers and complimentary upgrades.

You can learn more about what they offer here.

How the Tangerine World Mastercard compares to other no annual fee cash back credit cards

So, how does it compare to some other top no annual fee cash back credit cards?

We’ll compare it to the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa* Card and the Brim Mastercard.

Tangerine World Mastercard Simplii Financial Visa Brim Mastercard
Earn Rates * 2% cash back on purchases in up to 3 Money-Back Categories
* 0.5% cash back on all other purchases
* 4% cash back on restaurants, up to $5,000 spend per year
* 1.5% cash back on groceries, gas, drugstores, and pre-authorized payments, up to $15,000 per year
* 0.5% cash back on all other purchases
* 0.5% cash back on all purchases
Average Earn Rate 1.14% 1.24% 0.83%
Insurance Included 4 types included 2 types included 4 types included
Perks Included * Membership in Mastercard Airport Experiences (no free passes)
* World Mastercard benefits
* None * No foreign exchange fees
* Bonus rewards at 250+ partner retailers
Income Requirements $60K personal or $100K household $15K personal $60K personal or 100K household
Annual Fee $0 $0 $0

The rewards level is quite similar among these cards, however, the Tangerine World Mastercard isn’t as good as the other 2, at least based on our default $2,000 monthly spend.

However, it does have extra perks that aren’t common with other no annual fee cards – an airport lounge membership and World Mastercard benefits.

It’s a pretty sweet package, assuming you meet the standard World Mastercard income requirements of either $60,000 personal and $100,000 household.

Can’t decide which is best? These cards make terrific complements for each other. One has a high rate on all purchases, one has several categories that offer bonus rewards, and the other lets you choose which categories to earn bonus rewards in.

And since none of them have an annual fee, there’s no cost to keeping all of them in your wallet.

Is the Tangerine World Mastercard a worthy upgrade?

This card is a nice little upgrade over the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, but there’s no difference in these 2 key areas – the Tangerine Mastercard categories for rewards and annual fees.

That said, you will need to meet its higher income requirements to take advantage of the Tangerine World Mastercard benefits.

But if you don’t? Don’t worry, you’re not missing out on too much.

Your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

FAQ

What is the annual fee of the Tangerine World Mastercard?

The Tangerine World Mastercard has no annual fee. It’s one of the rare World Mastercards in Canada that doesn’t have one.

For rewards, what are the Tangerine Mastercard categories I can take advantage of with the Tangerine World Mastercard?

The 10 rewards categories available for both the Tangerine World Mastercard and the Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard are:

  • grocery,
  • furniture,
  • restaurants,
  • hotel-motel,
  • gas,
  • recurring bill payments,
  • drug stores,
  • home improvement,
  • entertainment, and
  • public transportation and parking.

You get 2% cash back on 2 of these categories (3 if you deposit your rewards into your Tangerine Savings Account).

What are the income requirements of the Tangerine World Mastercard?

The Tangerine World Mastercard has standard World Mastercard income requirements of either $60,000 personal or $100,000 household. The standard Tangerine Mastercard only has a personal income requirement of $12,000.

What differences are there between the Tangerine World and Money-Back Mastercards?

The only differences between the 2 Tangerine Mastercards are the income requirements and benefits. The income requirements are much higher for the World Mastercard, but it also includes extras like airport lounge access, rental car insurance, mobile device insurance, and World Mastercard benefits.

How can I access my Tangerine login?

To access your Tangerine login, simply head to tangerine.ca, and click “Log Me In” on the top right of the page. From there, you’ll get access to any account you have with Tangerine.

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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 229 Canadian credit cards.

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Lizzie
Lizzie
December 4, 2019
Agreed. I had the basic one and recently ungraded from an add Tangerine sent me. It's a nice upgrade with no extra cost but not a game changer.
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