Scotiabank

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Top Credit Cards to Use on Road Trips (updated April 1, 2019)

See Also: Top Reasons to go on Road Trips

I usually try to update this post once a year, as we get into spring. Historically, I have updated this post in June, but it may be more useful to update it sooner. The Canadian credit card landscape has changed quite a bit over the past year, so this post was definitely due for an update.

For Canadians, road trips generally consist of cross country or cross boarder to the United States. Perhaps some people venture further into Mexico, but probably not much further south. So this post will focus on two portfolios to put together, for travel within Canada and for travel to the United States / Mexico.

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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for March 2019

For this month’s list, you’ll notice many promotions that ended in February that are off this list. There are times when promotions get extended, but other times not. This goes to show that if you do see a promotion that you like to go for it, and not necessarily risk waiting for a better offer. 

As March comes to an end, this was the first full month where we started a new trend of featuring a top credit card on our monthly lists. See the other two monthly lists on how we highlighted the featured card:

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Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers for March 2019

In my last top credit cards post, I started a new trend of mentioning featured cards in each list. I thought I’d keep it going. For this month, there are actually two cards that are tied.

Also keep in mind that we also have an going Top Cash Back Credit Cards page which consists of permanent and temporary offers, while this post focuses primarily on temporary offers.

Featured Cards
The Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back Card and Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card have virtually the same offers, features and benefits. The two key are the first year fee waived and 10% cash back on the first $2,000 in purchases. The main difference is that the Meridian card does not seem to have an end-date on its offer, but the cards is only available to Ontario residents. The Scotiabank card is more widely accepted.

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Credit Cards which offer Free Airport Lounge Access (updated March 9, 2019)

Due to the popularity of this post, I think it was due for an update. Along with several changes to the industry since the last time. The most significant addition is the CIBC Aventura cards. The most significant change is that BMO left Priority Pass in favour of MasterCard Airport Experiences.

Just to avoid confusion, this post refers to only cards that give at least 1 free lounge pass. It does not refer to cards that give you Priority Pass membership, but a fee to access the lounge.

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Top Credit Card Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonuses for March 2019

Quite a few promotions that were carrying over from 2018 came to an end last month. Some were extended and some were changed. This month is the beginning of many new 2019 offers. Several other 2018 promotions are coming to an end this month.

Featured Card
This is going to the be the first time that I give this idea a try. Every time I post a monthly top credit cards post, I will try to feature at least 1 credit card that I think is worth mentioning. There could be some months that I do not mention any cards. For this month, I would take a second look at the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card.

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Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers for February 2019

This is the first cash back list of the year. Just like our other two lists…

Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards
Top Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonus Offers
… most of the current offers are carried over from last year. Last year was probably the stronger cash back offers ever in Canada. As we begin the new year, I am a little torn. I like seeing the competition elevate in the credit card rewards industry. However, the more emphasis there is on cash back, the less there will be on miles and points.

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Top Credit Card Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonuses for February 2019

Many of the 2018 offers are about to expire at the end of this month, so there are not too many changes from last month’s list. I did however changed the format of how I list the credit cards.

Starting next month, we can expect to see some changes or extensions to current offers. Either way, below is the current list.

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Top Credit Cards to use at Restaurants (updated January 27, 2019)

As we approach Valentine’s Day, restaurants usually expect a little more business. There is still time to apply for the right card for that day. Below are the top picks.

I have classified the credit cards in different categories and ranked them by their annual fees.

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Best Current First Year Fee Waived Cards for January 2019

Let’s get the New Year going with the latest first year fee waived cards. Having the first year fee waived is valuable because it allows people to try out a credit card without worrying about the fee before deciding whether the fee is warranted. 

Just like the other two lists, most of the current offers are carried over from last year. 

Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers
Top Higher than Normal Sign Up Bonus Offers

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Top Cash Back Credit Card Offers for January 2019

This is the first cash back list of the new year, so expect that most of the offers are carried over from 2018.

I must say, 2018 was an amazing year for cash back credit cards. Can they top it this year?

Personally, I still rather collect miles and points. So my hope is that the competitive cash back market is going to put pressure on partnerships with airlines and hotels to up their game. That being said, I feel slightly pessimistic about this hope because it does seem like the industry is going to continue to shift towards more cash back. Here’s hoping that I am wrong!