Top Credit Cards to use at Restaurants (updated December 3, 2015)

As we approach the Christmas holidays, I’m sure that there will be many of us who will be eating at restaurants more than usual with friends and family. If you are like me, you would collect cash on behalf of everyone and pay the entire bill with your credit card. That is what I have been doing the last few times I went out with a big group of friends, so my points have been accumulating nicely for restaurant purchases. So today, I will be updating the top credit cards to use at restaurants. I have classified the credit cards in different categories and listed them in ascending order of annual fees.

Cash Back Credit Cards

American Express SimplyCash Card

• No annual fee
• Earn 5% cash back on all gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants purchases (up to $250 cash back or a maximum of $5,000 in purchases) for the first 6 months
• Earn 1.25% cash back on all other purchases and thereafter

Tangerine Money-Back MasterCard

• No annual fee
• Earn 2% cash back on a select group of categories (including “eating places”)

American Express SimplyCash Preferred Card

• $79 annual fee
• Earn 5% cash back on purchases for the first 6 months (up to $400 cash back or $8,000 on purchases)
• Earn 1.5% cash back after your first 6 months (on the first $100,000 annual purchases)

Fixed Rewards Credit Cards

Capital One Platinum MasterCard

• No annual fee
• Exclusive to Costco members
• Earn 2x the cash back on the first 3 months
• Earn 6% cash back in the first 3 months on restaurant purchases (earn 3% thereafter)

MBNA Rewards World Elite MasterCard

• $89 annual fee
• Earn 2 points for every $1 on all purchases

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

• $99 annual fee
• $29 for additional cardholders
• Earn 4 points for every $1 you spent on dining

Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard 

• $150 annual fee
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on all purchases

BMO World Elite MasterCard

• $150 annual fee
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on all purchases

Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card

• $399 annual fee
• $99 for supplementary cardholders
• Earn 30,000 bonus points with your first card purchase
• Earn 4 points for every $1 you spent on dining

Co-branded Credit Cards

CIBC Aerogold Infinite Visa Card

• $120 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before December 30, 2015)
• Earn 15,000 sign up bonus points after the first purchase
• Earn 3 points for every $1 spent at participating CIBC Bonus Rewards restaurants

Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Card

• $120 annual fee (waived the first year)
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on restaurants