Desjardins

Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated November 1, 2018)

ByMatt November 1, 2018September 20, 2023

It has been 6 months since my last update, so I think it was due. Since last time, I started a new ranking system where I just flat our ranked the credit card companies, rather than grouping them. Note that promotions are factored into the rankings, but because they are only temporary offers, more weight is put into their regular offers.

Below are my personal rankings of each company, along with a commentary and a list of some of my top credit card picks for each financial institution.

Priority Pass in Canada (updated September 10, 2018)

ByMatt September 10, 2018September 20, 2023

In light of the one-time fee increase (from $27 to $32 for American Express cardholders), I thought it was an appropriate time to update this post. Priority Pass continues to increase their inventory, including many more restaurants added to the portfolio. There is also over 1,200 lounges worldwide (up from 1,000 last time). Furthermore, several credit cards needed an update regarding their lounge access.

This post will list the Canadian credit cards that provide a free Priority Pass membership, along with lounge access specifics.

Credit Cards which offer Free Airport Lounge Access (updated May 28, 2018)

ByMatt May 28, 2018September 20, 2023

A few changes to the industry means that this post was due for an update from last time, namely,

Now unlimited access on National Bank World MasterCard (now the same as the World Elite version)
Addition of Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
Addition of Priority Pass access to the American Express Business Platinum Card

Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated May 1, 2018)

ByMatt May 1, 2018September 20, 2023

A few companies need to be added to this list, so I thought it was due for an update from 6 months ago. Most of the ranking changes occurred in the bottom half of the list. Furthermore, I also revamped the list to go with a pure ranking system instead of the previous grouping system. I think that it will run smoother now.

Below are my personal rankings of each company, along with a commentary and a list of some of my top credit card picks for each financial institution.

Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated December 1, 2017)

ByMatt December 1, 2017September 20, 2023

A few significant changes occurred in the credit card scene since the last update, so it is time for me to update the list.

Usually, I write more of a summary on what is happening with the company. However, this time around, I will write more about what I would like to see from each company.

Please share your thoughts on what improvements you would like to see to the credit card market in the comment section below!

Top United States Credit Cards Offered in Canada (updated November 28, 2017)

ByMatt November 28, 2017January 5, 2018

I may not update this list very frequently, but every now and then, there are some significant changes to the industry. Not to mix up with U.S. based credit cards, below is a list of Canadian credit cards that allow you to make purchases in U.S. currency (which essentially avoids foreign transaction fees), but you would need to pay off the balance with USD.

The first thought would be that it makes not sense to get this credit card if you do not have any US currency savings or USD income. I would recommend this credit card Canadians who have a USD income, but unable to apply for US based credit cards (which is the preferred method).

Desjardins

[REVIEW] Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege

ByMatt October 18, 2017October 18, 2017

Desjardins offers a very hidden credit card that you cannot easily apply for, but there are some information from the Desjardins website that you can gain access to.

Below are the highlights of the credit card:

$395 annual fee (or $295 if you’re a Desjardins member)
Minimum income (or Family income): $200,000

Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated May 1, 2017)

ByMatt May 1, 2017September 20, 2023

It has been exactly 6 months since the last time I updated this list. The reason is because there has been very little movement until the past two months, where there were quite a few changes in the credit card industry that warrants an update to the rankings. Last year was a strong year for credit cards, so I assumed that 2017 would be a slow down year anyway. Unfortunately, most of the changes so far to the industry have been negative. Companies that moved down the list is because of a negative change. The ones that moved up is due to the downfall of the other companies.

Ranking the Credit Card Portfolios of Each Canadian Financial Institutions (updated December 1, 2016)

ByMatt December 1, 2016September 20, 2023

A few changes to the credit card industry, as well as a new addition warrants an update to this list. Below is the explanation of each grouping:

Ranking the Business Credit Card Options (updated October 23, 2016)

ByMatt October 23, 2016October 22, 2016

I have been ranking the overall credit card portfolios of each financial institutions. However, I think it may be worthwhile to rank business credit card portfolios only. As I have been collecting my own batch of business credit cards, this will be helpful for me too.