Best Travel Cards of 2026 — figures checked against each issuer’s own page between August 15 and September 14, 2026, and ranked with the MoneyMint Score. Welcome offers, fees and eligibility requirements change often, so treat every figure below as a snapshot and confirm the current offer directly with the issuer before applying.
Travel credit cards in Canada come in two broad flavours: airline cards that earn one program’s miles (mostly Aeroplan), and flexible-points cards whose points can be spent on any flight or hotel. The right one depends on how you fly, how often you leave the country, and whether you’ll actually use perks like lounge access. This guide covers the best travel cards of 2026 by what you’re looking for: overall value, flexible points, lounge access, spending abroad, a big welcome bonus, and hotel loyalty.
Every card below links to our full review. Point values use MoneyMint’s own valuations (Aeroplan 2.0¢, Avion 1.6¢, Aventura 1.2¢, Scene+ 1.0¢, Marriott Bonvoy 0.9¢, BMO Rewards 0.67¢ and TD Rewards 0.5¢ per point).
Short answer: By MoneyMint’s ratings the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card is the best travel credit card in Canada (4.6/5): 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on gas, groceries and Air Canada, a free first checked bag, and a welcome offer worth about $1,000 with the $139 fee waived in year one; the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite (4.4/5) is its near-identical twin. The RBC Avion Visa Infinite is the pick if you don’t want to be tied to Air Canada, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve gives the most lounge access, and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ is the one to carry abroad because it charges no foreign transaction fee.Key points from this guide · figures checked September 14, 2026
Best Travel Cards of 2026: The Quick Comparison
| Card | Best For | Annual Fee | Welcome Offer (our valuation) | Min. Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite | Best overall / Air Canada flyers | $139 (waived yr 1) | Up to 50,000 points (~$1,000) | $60,000 / $100,000 household |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite | Flexible points, any airline | $120 | Up to 70,000 points (~$1,120) | $60,000 / $100,000 household |
| Amex Aeroplan Reserve | Lounge access / premium Air Canada | $599 | Up to 85,000 points (~$1,700) | None stated |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ | No foreign transaction fee | $150 | 25,000 Scene+ points (~$250) | $60,000 / $100,000 household |
| CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite | Flexible flight redemptions | $139 (rebated yr 1) | Up to 60,000 points (~$720) | $60,000 / $100,000 household |
| TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite | Big points bonus, Expedia bookings | $139 (rebated yr 1) | Up to 160,000 points (~$800) | $60,000 / $100,000 household |
| BMO Ascend World Elite | Lounge visits on a mid-tier fee | $150 (waived yr 1) | Up to 115,000 points (~$770) + $200 NEXUS credit | $80,000 / $150,000 household |
| Marriott Bonvoy Amex | Hotel loyalty | $120 | Up to 70,000 points (~$630) | None stated |
In simple terms: if you fly Air Canada, start with the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite (or its TD twin); if you don’t want to commit to one airline, start with the RBC Avion; if you spend a lot outside Canada, the Scotiabank Passport’s missing 2.5% foreign transaction fee can be worth more than a bigger bonus. The live best travel credit cards ranking has every card’s current score.
Best Overall Travel Card: CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
Our top-rated travel card (4.7/5) earns 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on gas, EV charging, groceries and direct Air Canada purchases (on up to $80,000 of combined annual spend) and 1 point elsewhere. The perk that separates it from most mid-tier cards is a free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same Air Canada reservation, which can be worth more than the fee on its own for a family that flies twice a year. The welcome offer is up to 50,000 Aeroplan points — 10,000 on your first purchase, 15,000 after $6,000 in spending in the first six statement periods and 25,000 more on your first anniversary after $12,000 in the first year — worth about $1,000 at 2.0¢ per point, and the $139 annual fee is waived in year one.
CIBC or TD? The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite (4.4/5) is near-identical: the same earn rates and checked-bag perk, and up to 50,000 points with the fee rebated in year one, with a slightly lower first spend threshold ($3,000 in 90 days for the second tier). Pick whichever bank you already use. Either way, the full bonus takes a year and $12,000 of spending to collect, and Aeroplan points are only worth their 2.0¢ if you redeem for flights. Read the full CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite review.
Best for Flexible Points: RBC Avion Visa Infinite
If you’d rather not be tied to Air Canada, the Avion is the strongest general travel card: 1.25 Avion points per $1 on travel and 1 point on everything else, with points redeemable against flights on any airline through RBC’s Air Travel Redemption Schedule or transferred to partner airline programs. The welcome offer is up to 70,000 points — 35,000 on approval, 20,000 after $5,000 in spending in the first six months and a 15,000-point anniversary bonus — worth about $1,120 at our 1.6¢ valuation, for a $120 annual fee that is not waived.
Best for: travellers who want one points balance that works on any airline, and who don’t spend enough in bonus categories to make an earn-rate card pay. Read the full RBC Avion Visa Infinite review.
Best for Lounge Access: American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
The Aeroplan Reserve gives the most lounge access of any Canadian card: complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge access plus a Priority Pass membership, along with priority boarding and a free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on Air Canada. It earns 3 Aeroplan points per $1 on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations, 2 on dining and food delivery and 1.25 elsewhere, and the welcome offer is up to 85,000 Aeroplan points, about $1,700 at our valuation.
Watch out for: the $599 annual fee is not waived and only pays off if you fly Air Canada regularly. The Amex Platinum ($799) offers broader lounge networks, travel credits and hotel status with a welcome offer of up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points, but from January 1, 2027 its Priority Pass and Plaza Premium visits drop to six each per year unless you spend $20,000 annually. Our guide to what lounge access actually gets you compares every option. Read the full Amex Aeroplan Reserve review.
Best for Spending Abroad: Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card
Most Canadian cards add about 2.5% to every purchase in a foreign currency. The Passport Visa Infinite+ charges no foreign transaction fee, which on $10,000 of spending abroad saves about $250 a year before any points. It earns 3 Scene+ points per $1 at Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland and other named grocers, 2 on other groceries, dining, entertainment and transit, and 1 elsewhere, and it includes six airport lounge visits a year through Visa Airport Companion (DragonPass). The current welcome offer is 25,000 Scene+ points after $2,000 in spending in the first three months (accounts opened August 4 to November 1, 2026), worth about $250, plus an annual 10,000-point bonus if you spend $40,000 in a card year.
Best for: anyone who travels internationally more than once or twice a year, or shops on foreign websites regularly. The $150 fee is higher than the Aeroplan and Avion cards and the bonus is smaller, so it’s a poor pick if you rarely leave Canada. Read the full Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ review.
Best for Flexible Flight Redemptions: CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card
Aventura points redeem against CIBC’s Airline Rewards Chart on any airline, and the card earns 1.5 points per $1 at grocery stores, gas stations, EV charging stations and drugstores (on up to $80,000 of combined annual spend) and 1 point elsewhere. The welcome offer is up to 60,000 Aventura points — 15,000 on your first purchase, 30,000 after $3,000 in spending in the first four statement periods and 15,000 more after $5,000 in the same window — worth about $720 at our 1.2¢ valuation, and the $139 annual fee is rebated in year one.
Watch out for: CIBC advertises the offer as “up to $1,900 in value,” which assumes best-case flight redemptions; our valuation is deliberately more conservative. Read the full CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite review.
Best for a Big Points Bonus: TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
This card has the largest headline bonus on the list — up to 160,000 TD Rewards points, 20,000 on your first purchase and 140,000 after $7,500 in spending in the first 180 days — but TD Rewards points are worth 0.5¢ each when redeemed for travel through Expedia For TD, so the offer is worth about $800 at our valuation (TD states $1,400). It earns 8 points per $1 on travel booked through Expedia For TD, 6 on groceries, dining and transit, 4 on recurring bills and streaming, and 2 elsewhere, and the $139 fee is rebated in the first year.
Best for: people who book flights and hotels through Expedia anyway and want a simple, high earn rate on everyday spending. Read the full TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite review.
Best for Lounge Visits on a Mid-Tier Fee: BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard
The Ascend World Elite includes four complimentary lounge visits a year through Mastercard Travel Pass by DragonPass, up to $5,000,000 in travel medical insurance, and earns 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 on travel and 3 on dining, entertainment and recurring bills. The welcome offer is up to 115,000 BMO Rewards points in three tiers (worth about $770 at 0.67¢ per point) plus up to a $200 NEXUS statement credit, and the $150 fee is waived in year one.
Watch out for: it requires $80,000 individual or $150,000 household income, the highest bar on this list, and BMO Rewards points are worth less per point than Aeroplan or Avion. Read the full BMO Ascend World Elite review.
Best for Hotel Loyalty: Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex earns 5 Bonvoy points per $1 at participating Marriott hotels and 2 points everywhere else, uncapped, for a $120 annual fee, and includes an annual free-night award that can be worth more than the fee on its own for regular Marriott guests. The welcome offer is up to 70,000 Bonvoy points (60,000 after $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus 10,000 after $500 in month 13), about $630 at our 0.9¢ valuation.
Best for: travellers who already stay at Marriott, Westin, Sheraton or other Bonvoy-family hotels. Bonvoy points are worth less per point than airline currencies, so it’s a poor fit if you’d mostly redeem for flights. Read the full Marriott Bonvoy Amex review.
Best Travel Cards of 2026: How to Pick the Right One
- Do you fly one airline consistently, or do you want flexibility? Aeroplan cards pay off if Air Canada is your default; Avion, Aventura and TD Rewards points work on any airline.
- How much do you actually spend outside Canada? A 2.5% foreign transaction fee on $10,000 a year is $250 — often more than the difference between two welcome bonuses. That’s the Passport’s whole case.
- Will you use the premium perks, or just the points? Lounge access and checked bags are only worth paying $599 for if you fly often enough to use them.
- Can you realistically hit the minimum spend? Several of these bonuses need $6,000 to $12,000 of spending in a fixed window; a bonus you can’t collect is worth nothing.
Quick Tip: the Credit Card Finder ranks every card we review against your own spending and priorities, and the welcome offers tracker shows every current offer with its end date.
Key Takeaways
- The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite is our highest-rated travel card (4.7/5): a $1,000 welcome offer, the fee waived in year one, and a free first checked bag on Air Canada — with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite (4.4/5) a near-identical alternative.
- The RBC Avion Visa Infinite is the best flexible-points card if you don’t want to commit to one airline, with an offer worth about $1,120 for a $120 fee.
- The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ is the only card here with no foreign transaction fee, which matters more than a bigger bonus for frequent international spenders.
- Premium cards with the biggest bonuses and perks (Amex Aeroplan Reserve, Amex Platinum) carry $599 to $799 fees — make sure you’ll actually use what you’re paying for.
- Judge bonuses by our cents-per-point valuation, not the issuer’s “up to” figure: 160,000 TD Rewards points are worth less than 50,000 Aeroplan points.
The Bottom Line: the best travel card of 2026 for you is the one whose points you’ll actually redeem well, on an airline you’ll actually fly, with perks you’ll actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Travel Cards of 2026
Which travel credit card has the best welcome bonus in Canada right now? As of September 2026, the most valuable welcome offer on any Canadian personal card is the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege at about $2,000 by MoneyMint’s valuation, but it carries a $599 fee and a $150,000 income requirement. Among the cards in this guide, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve’s 85,000 points (about $1,700) is the largest, and the RBC Avion Visa Infinite’s 70,000 points (about $1,120) is the largest on a card with a fee under $150.
Should I get an airline-specific card or a flexible travel card? If Air Canada is your default airline, an Aeroplan card such as the CIBC or TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite earns a more valuable currency and adds perks like a free checked bag. If you book whichever airline is cheapest, a flexible card such as the RBC Avion Visa Infinite or CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite lets you redeem on any carrier.
Is it worth paying a $599 annual fee for a premium travel card? Only if you’ll use the perks. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve’s Maple Leaf Lounge access, Priority Pass membership and free checked bags can easily exceed $599 in value for someone who flies Air Canada monthly, but they’re worth little to an occasional flyer, who would do better with the CIBC or TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite at $139.
Do travel credit cards include travel insurance? Most Visa Infinite and World Elite travel cards include travel medical, trip cancellation and rental car insurance, but the limits and trip-length caps vary widely and often exclude cardholders over 65 or shorten their coverage. Check the certificate of insurance for the specific card before relying on it.
Want to keep learning? See our guide to which points program is actually worth it and our points value calculator.
This article is for general educational purposes and isn’t financial advice. Credit card welcome offers, fees, and eligibility requirements change frequently — always confirm current details directly with the issuer before applying. MoneyMint may earn a commission if you apply through some links on this site; that does not affect how cards are rated or ranked.