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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for April 2017

ByMatt

Another month, another Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards list. I divided the list into two types: permanent offers (i.e. no specified expiry date) and promotional offers (with an expiry date).

We also have two other types of monthly lists going on:

Please let us know in the comment section below if you would like to see other types of monthly lists as well!

Permanent Offers

These are credit cards that do not have an expiry date on their first year fee waived offer. Note that it also means that they can end the offer at any time without notice.

Rogers Bank Platinum MasterCard

  • $29 annual fee (waived the first year or waived so long as you have pre-authorized Rogers payments set up)
  • Earn $25 cash back sign up bonus
  • Earn 4% cash back on on foreign exchange purchases
  • Earn 1.75% cash back on all purchases
  • Apply cash back to purchases made in Rogers branded stores or monthly Rogers bill

Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa

  • $120 annual fee (first year fee waived)
  • No annual fee for supplementary cardholders
  • Earn 50,000 sign up bonus points after your first purchase the first 3 months)
  • Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at participating Marriott Rewards and SPG hotels
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on airline tickets, car rental agencies and restaurants
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Receive 15 nights credit towards Elite qualifying status every year
  • Receive 1 anniversary bonus free night stay at a Category 1-5 hotel every year (after the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees

American Express Gold Rewards Card

  • $150 annual fee (first year fee waived)
  • $50 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder (first one is free)
  • Earn 25,000 sign up Membership Rewards bonus points (after spending $1,500 in the first 3 months)
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on drug store, gas, grocery and travel purchases
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases

Current promotional offers

These offers change all the time, but there are some cards that are relatively consistent at offering first year fee waived promotions.

CIBC Aventura Visa Card

  • $39 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before June 30, 2017)
  • Earn 5,000 sign up bonus Aventura points (after the first purchase)
  • Earn 2 points on purchases made with the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre
  • Earn 1.5 point for every $1 spent at participating CIBC Bonus Rewards restaurants, hotels, inns, and spas
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 on all other purchases

Scotiabank American Express Card

  • $39 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before April 30, 2017)
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores, on dining and entertainment
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases

Scotia Momentum Visa Card

  • $39 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before July 31, 2017)
  • $15 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder
  • Earn 2% cash back for every $1 spent on gas, grocery and drug store purchases, as well as recurring bill payments
  • Earn 1% cash back for every $1 spent on all other purchases

Scotiabank GM Visa Infinite Card

  • $79 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before April 30, 2017)
  • Earn 5% cash back in GM Earnings on the first $10,000 spent annually on all purchases
  • Earn 2% cash back in GM Earnings on all purchases after the first $10,000
  • Cash back to be used for the purchase price or lease of a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac

CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card

  • $99 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before June 30, 2017)
  • $30 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder (maximum 3 cards)
  • Earn 4% cash back on all purchases (in the first 6 months, up to $5,000 in spending) (if you apply before June 30, 2017)
  • Earn 4% cash back on gas and grocery purchases
  • Earn 2% cash back on Tim Hortons and TELUS purchases
  • Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

  • $99 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before July 31, 2017)
  • $29 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder
  • Earn 25,000 sign up bonus after spending $750 in the first 3 month (if you apply before July 31, 2017)
  • Earn 4 points for every $1 you spent on gas, grocery, dining and entertainment purchases
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases

Laurentian Bank Visa Explorer

  • $110 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before July 31, 2017)
  • Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on pre-authorized debits (bill payments: telephone, cable TV, Internet, newspaper, etc.).
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on travel, transportation and foreign currency purchases
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases

CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card

  • $120 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply by July 31, 2017)
  • Earn 15,000 sign up bonus Aventura points (after the first purchase)
  • Earn 2 points on purchases made with the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre
  • Earn 1.5 point for every $1 spent on gas, groceries, drug stores and at select CIBC bonus rewards Establishments
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 on all other purchases

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card

  • $120 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply by July 31, 2017)
  • $50 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder (maximum of 3 cards)
  • Earn 15,000 sign up bonus Aventura points (after the first purchase)
  • Earn 15,000 points sign up bonus after first purchase
  • Earn 3 points spent at select CIBC bonus rewards Establishments
  • Earn 2 points on purchases made with the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre
  • Earn 1.5 point for every $1 spent on gas, groceries and drug stores
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 on all other purchases

RBC Visa Business Platinum Avion

  • $120 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before May 31, 2017; applications must be done in person or over the phone)
  • $50 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder
  • Earn 20,000 sign up bonus Avion points (after the first purchase)
  • Earn up to 5 points for every $1 spent on the RBC Rewards eMall
  • Earn 1 Avion point for every $1 spent on all purchases

As usual, please let me know if I missed anything.

12 Comments

  1. Hi Matthew, found your site recently and love it! Are any of your links affiliate offers/links … or general offers? The Marriott offer is awesome. No TD offers? Thanks, and enjoyed learning more about how you got started on your points quest 🙂

    Reply

  3. With Aeroplan or with RBC Avios, it’s clear where you stand, and if you redeem in a smart way, you can get a good value out of a flight

    But so far I am wary of Avion, Aventura, Scotia Bank points (aren’t they Scene points?), Laurentian Bank points, etc, because it’s no clear to me, if they have better redemptions then the 1.75% cash back you can get with Rogers card. And cash I can spend on whatever.

    What do you think, Matthew, is there value in these, or would a spend be better spent on a different card, which would give you a better value? Or, bluntly speaking, why should people (esp with Rogers account) not get a Rogers card or Amex Gold card that gives you MR points, and just use it for everyday necessities?

    Reply

    1. When you earned fixed rewards or cash back, you know exactly what you are getting so it sets the standard. For miles and points the value fluctuates based on how you redeem them. So if you redeem for more value, then go for it, otherwise, you can always turn to fixed rewards or cash back instead.

      Reply

      1. True enough, but that doesn’t answer my question: Are these fixed reward systems that provide better value than straight up cash-back 1.75% that Rogers card offers on all purchases?

        If the fixed rewards systems, out there, all the Avions and Aventuras, and other private point systems are offering to redeem, say, 55000 points for a set of kitchen knives, yet I know that I can get a comparable kit for 250$ in a local store, it starts to hardly sound like a good value.

        So are there any interesting fixed rewards systems out there, that you know about, or is the base rule of thumb is, that instead of fixed rewards systems you should pretty much always take any card that offers you a straight up cash back of more then 1%?

        if you go with Air Miles cash rewards, and you get Air Miles for 10$/mile and redeem at 95 miles/10 dollars, it adds up to slightly better then 1%, so even Air Miles are better then 1$/point, 1 point/1 cent fixed reward system.

        Reply

          1. Thank you.
            As a total aside, please pass on to Viola Ng, that she takes awesome photos (browsing Flickr feed)

  4. I saw this on RFD’s credit card section. Don’t know if it’s true or if it’s a mistake.
    Earn 30,000 Scotia Rewards bonus points, worth 300 in travel, with $750 in everyday purchases within the first three months. Plus, $99 first year annual fee waiver. For accounts opened by July 31, 2017.
    Earn travel rewards up to 4x faster

    Reply

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