Visa credit cards are some of the most widely accepted credit cards in Canada and abroad. And given Visa’s vast selection of cards, it’s easy to find one that suits your needs. So, which should you choose? MoneySense’s guide to the best Visa credit cards in Canada will help you decide.
Best Visa credit cards in Canada
CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Card
Home Trust Secured Visa Card
MoneySense is an award-winning magazine, helping Canadians navigate money matters since 1999. Our editorial team of trained journalists works closely with leading personal finance experts in Canada. To help you find the best financial products, we compare the offerings from over 12 major institutions, including banks, credit unions and card issuers. Learn more about our advertising and trusted partners.
Compare popular Visa credit cards
Compare your options with the Visa cards available in Canada, using our interactive tool. You can filter credit cards based on rewards value, annual fees, income requirements and more. Use the tool below to compare credit card options, or keep scrolling for the top picks from the MoneySense editorial team.
MoneySense award winners
Check out the pros and cons of our top Visa picks across the cash back, travel, balance transfer and other categories.
MoneySense editors rank the best overall credit cards in Canada. From there, if the top card in Canada for a given category is a Visa, we may choose to include it on this page, depending on its features and how it compares to other cards. And if our top pick is a Mastercard or American Express card, then we look to the next-best card, and so on, until we find the best Visa credit card for each category on this list. Since each category is unique, we use different selection criteria each time to best suit cardholders. And, unlike many other websites, the links from affiliate partners have no bearing on these results. Read more about our selection process and about how MoneySense makes money.
Best cash back Visa credit card
At a glance: Take the sting out of inflation on essential items with this card: the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite. You get 4% cash back on gas, EV charging and groceries, and 2% back on daily transit (including rideshares and public transit), dining and recurring payments. It’s also one of the best cash back credit cards in Canada, and it comes with perks like emergency medical and rental car collision insurance.
CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
Annual fee: $120 (rebated first year)
- 4% cash back on eligible gas, EV charging and grocery purchases
- 2% on dining, daily transit and recurring payments
- 1% on everything else
Welcome offer: Earn 10% cash back (up to $300 in cash back on your first four statements), plus a first-year annual fee rebate. Offer not available to Quebec residents.
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances, 22.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000 |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
Pros
- High earning: This top cash back Visa offers impressive bonus rates across five major spending categories.
- Easy redemption: With many other Canadian credit cards, rewards are deposited into your account once per year. But with this card you can redeem your cash back whenever you want to, by simply using the CIBC app.
- Gas savings: Link your card to Journie Rewards to get discounts on gas at participating Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron stations.
- Insurance coverage: This card comes with travel, car rental and new mobile device insurance.
- Dining perks: Access to OpenTable priority bookings and VIP reservations.
Cons
- Limited travel insurance: Emergency medical insurance only covers the first 10 days of a trip, and there’s no lost and delayed baggage insurance.
- Earning cap: The bonus rate caps are stricter than those of some other Canadian credit cards. After reaching $20,000 in purchases within the bonus categories or $80,000 in total spending, additional purchases will only earn 1% cash back.
Best travel Visa credit card
At a glance: The BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite is an impressive travel rewards earner with 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 spent on all food or transit-related purchases. It comes with a $50 annual lifestyle credit, which you can spend however you wish. And when you sign up an additional user ($50 per card), you’ll get 10% more points on all purchases.
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite
Annual fee: $120 (waived first year)
- 5 points per $1 on dining, groceries, gas and transit
- 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
Welcome offer: Earn 70,000 points ($467 value).
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.99% on purchases, 23.99% on cash advances, 23.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000 |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
| Point value | 1 BMO Rewards point = $0.0067 when redeemed for travel. |
Pros
- High earning: Get 5 points per $1 on expenses including food and gas purchases, which are heavy spending categories for most Canadians.
- Lifestyle credit: This travel credit card comes with a $50 annual credit that you can use at your own discretion.
- Dining perks: Access to OpenTable priority bookings and VIP reservations.
Cons
- BMO Rewards point value: Know that 1 point is worth $0.0067 when redeemed for travel, which is on the low side for a premium card. It might be worth having another travel credit card in your wallet.
- Limited travel insurance coverage: This card doesn’t include flight delay and lost/delayed baggage insurance. The next credit card might pique your interest though.
Best low-interest Visa credit card
At a glance: The Flexi Visa from Desjardins credit union should be considered if you expect to carry a balance on your card. Its low standard interest rates—10.90% on purchases and 12.90% on cash advances—are the lowest in Canada for a no-fee credit card. Plus, it comes with some travel insurance, select rental car discounts and mobile device insurance.
Flexi Visa
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: Does not offer rewards.
Welcome offer: None at this time.
Card details
| Interest rates | 10.90% on purchases and 12.90% on cash advances |
| Income required | Not specified |
| Credit score | Not specified |
Pros
- Travel insurance: This low-interest credit card includes emergency medical, trip cancellation and baggage insurance.
- Mobile device insurance: Up to $1,000 in coverage when you charge a new phone to the card—a rarity among no-annual-fee credit cards in Canada.
- Car rental discount: Get up to 15% off the cost of renting a car when you book at Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar.
- Installment payment options: Need a small loan for a big purchase? Pay for purchases of $200 or more in installments at 120 select retailers and brands, including Amazon, Simons and Air Transat.
Cons
- Travel insurance coverage period: Coverage on this card is only valid for three days, so you’ll have to pay for coverage for longer trips.
Best balance transfer Visa credit card
At a glance: The CIBC Select Visa Card offers an attractive 13.99% interest rate, even on cash advances, and it has a 10-month balance transfer offer of 0% interest and a low 1% balance transfer fee. A handful of other perks, like common carrier accident insurance and discounts on gas, make it a great choice among balance transfer cards in Canada.
CIBC Select Visa
Annual fee: $29 (waived first year)
Balance transfer offer: Receive a 0% interest rate for up to 10 months on balance transfers and a two-year annual fee rebate.
Card details
| Interest rates | 13.99% on purchases, 13.99% on cash advances, 13.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | $15,000 per year |
| Credit score | 660 or higher |
Pros
- Low balance transfer fee: The 1% fee ($10 per $1,000 transferred) is the lowest on this list of best Visa credit cards. The transfer fee savings on large balances here can be worth the annual fee for some Canadians.
- Low interest rates: The regular APR of 13.99% on purchases, cash advances and balance transfers is much lower than industry standards of 19.99%. If you carry a balance, that difference could be huge.
- Travel accident insurance: With this card, you get up to $100,000 in common carrier accident insurance, covering injuries while travelling on planes, cruises or other common carriers—a rare benefit for low-interest cards.
- Gas savings: Link this Visa card with Journie Rewards to save up to $0.10 per litre at participating Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron gas stations.
Cons
- Balance transfer limit: When you transfer a balance, it cannot exceed 50% of your total approved credit limit, which may be restricting for Canadians looking to move a large balance.
Best secured Visa credit card
At a glance: What’s great about this Home Trust card is that you’re given a choice: If you’re willing to pay a modest annual fee of $59, you’ll save on interest with a 14.90% purchase interest rate. Or if you prefer no fee, you’ll be charged a higher interest rate of 19.99%. We like that this secured Visa card gives you the option to choose what works best for you for fees and interest.
Home Trust Secured Visa
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: Does not offer rewards.
Welcome offer: None at this time.
Card details
| Interest rates | 19.99% on purchases and 19.99% on cash advances |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | 300 or higher |
Pros
- Choice of two options: Pay an annual fee of $59 annual fee to save on interest with a 14.90% interest rate. Or, get the same card for no annual fee, but with a higher interest rate.
- Reports to both credit bureaus: Home Trust reports your activity to both TransUnion and Equifax, which helps you build your credit rating if you pay your bills on time.
Cons
- High minimum deposit: You’ll need to deposit $500 upfront. Some issuers only require a $50 deposit.
- Not available in Quebec: Residents of the province aren’t eligible for this secured Visa.
