Best Canadian Travel Credit Cards for 2026

There is no single best Canadian travel card. There is a best card for the way you travel: Air Canada most of the time, any airline on points, or abroad a lot with purchases in other currencies. This list is sorted that way. Fees and earn rates below are as of October 2026 and come from Churn's card data; the embeds show the current welcome offers.

If you fly Air Canada: an Aeroplan Visa Infinite

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite and the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite are close to the same card. Both cost C$139 a year, both earn 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar on gas, EV charging, groceries and Air Canada purchases, on up to C$80,000 of those purchases a year, and 1 point elsewhere, and both ask for C$60,000 of personal or C$100,000 of household income. Both include a free first checked bag when your trip starts on an Air Canada flight, which is where most of the fee comes back for anyone who checks a bag.

Because they are two banks' cards, you can hold both bonuses over time. Each bank has its own waiting rule; our Canadian rules by issuer covers them.

If you fly Air Canada a lot: the Amex Aeroplan Reserve

At C$599 a year the Aeroplan Reserve is for people who fly often enough to use what it adds: Maple Leaf Lounge access, an annual worldwide companion pass (it has its own conditions, so read them) and priority airport services. It earns 3 points per dollar on Air Canada, 2 on dining and food delivery in Canada and at Hyatt, and 1.25 on everything else.

If you want points that go to more than one airline: Amex

Amex Membership Rewards points earned in Canada can move to Aeroplan and to other partners, so you are not tied to one program. Two cards cover most people:

• Cobalt (C$15.99 a month, C$191.88 a year): 5 points per dollar on restaurants and food delivery in Canada, 3 on streaming, 2 on gas and transit. It is an everyday card more than a travel card, and it charges 2.5% on purchases in other currencies.
• The Platinum Card (C$799): 2 points per dollar on travel and on dining and food delivery in Canada, 3 on hotels and car rentals booked through Amex Travel, and the lounge and hotel benefits that carry the fee.

Churn values Canadian Membership Rewards at 1.3 cents and Aeroplan at 1.5 cents a point. The transfers page lists the Canadian partners and ratios.

If you spend abroad: Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite

Most Canadian cards add about 2.5% to every purchase in another currency. The Passport Visa Infinite (C$150 a year) charges no foreign transaction fee, which on C$5,000 of spending abroad saves about C$125. It earns Scene+ points: 2 per dollar on dining, groceries, entertainment and transit, 3 at Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland and participating IGA stores, and 1 elsewhere, and it includes Visa's airport lounge program. Income requirement: C$60,000 personal or C$100,000 household.

Scene+ points redeem against travel at a fixed value; Churn values them at 1 cent. Pair the Passport with an Aeroplan or Amex card at home and use it only abroad if you want the higher earn on everyday spending.

If you want bank points: RBC Avion or CIBC Aventura

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite (C$120) earns 1.25 points per dollar on travel and 1 elsewhere. Avion points transfer to a short list of airline partners; Aeroplan is not one of them. The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite (C$139) earns 2 points per dollar on travel booked through CIBC's rewards centre and 1.5 on gas, EV charging, groceries and drugstores. Churn values Avion at 1.2 cents and Aventura at 1 cent.

How to choose

1. Mostly Air Canada, a few trips a year: a TD or CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite.
2. Air Canada many times a year: the Aeroplan Reserve.
3. Big restaurant and grocery spending, any airline: the Cobalt, with Aeroplan as one of its partners.
4. Long trips abroad: the Passport Visa Infinite for spending in other currencies.

For the cards without a travel focus, see the best Canadian cards of 2026 and our Aeroplan sweet spots. Every card here has a page in Churn's card catalog with its current offer.