# What is the best rewards card for me given my spending habits ?



## Putitonthecard (Apr 14, 2014)

Hello Everyone,

I have had the TD first class infinite card and the TD Gold Elite card for over 4 years now. Never had so much as a late payment. I have decided to look and see if there are better cards for me.

Here are my monthly spending habits :

Groceries : $1,000
Gas : $ 500 – 900
Bills : $500
Everything else : $ 200

Probably less than 3,000 per month.

I am willing to consider any card regardless of issuing bank , interest rate, or even annual fee if it seems worth it. I am even open to a charge card because I never carry a balance more than a few weeks.

Please chime in and tell me what you would get if you were in my shoes . 

Thank you ,
Samantha


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## liquidfinance (Jan 28, 2011)

RBC cash Back Mastercard. 2% back on groceries. 

Amazon Rewards Visa Card. 1% cashback anywhere with the added bonus of commission free forex when travelling 

RBC Credits I believe each January and the Amazon Visa will apply a $20 credit to you balance every $2000


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## Soon Forget (Mar 25, 2014)

We have Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite.

4% back on Gas and Groceries
2% on Drug store and Recurring bill payments
1% on everything else

$99 annual fee, $30 for additional cardholders. Looks like right now they have a promo to waive the first annual fee for new clients.


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## smrtalec (Dec 16, 2010)

MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus
5% on gas/groceries first 6 months
2% on gas/groceries after 6 months
1% on others

No fee, no spending limits. You have to accumulate $50 before getting a cheque in the mail.

Capital One Aspire Cash Platinum
1.2% on anything

No fee, no spending limits. You can redeem any time.


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

smrtalec said:


> MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus
> 5% on gas/groceries first 6 months
> 2% on gas/groceries after 6 months
> 1% on others
> ...


Some clarification on this... there _are_ spending limits. This is from MBNA, the bolding is mine.



> For the* first 6 months* you will get *5% cash back* rewards on all your eligible gas and groceries purchases made *up to $400 per billing cycle* and *1% cash back* rewards on rest of your purchases made *up to $1250 per billing cycle*.
> 
> *After 6 months* you will get *2% cash back* rewards on all of your eligible gas and grocery purchases made *up to $400 per billing cycle* and *1% cash back* rewards on rest of your purchases made *up to $1250 per billing cycle*.


So theoretically the best you can do is spend minimum $400 on gas/groceries, and $1,650 in total, on one bill. Any spending beyond that does not get you cash back.

There is a "Smart Cash World card" upgrade which, according to milliondollarjourney, removes the $1250 limit on all spending but not the $400 limit on gas/grocery bonus. You need a certain amount of income to get it, $60,000 personal or $100,000 household, I believe, and have to request the upgrade.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

smrtalec said:


> MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus
> No fee, no spending limits. You have to accumulate $50 before getting a cheque in the mail.


Is the Platinum plus now the current card with no spending limit?

I have the regular MBNA smart cash with a limit that I think was reduced in 2012 with the TD buyout. And the Smart Cash World at the time was the no limit card, IIRC.

It seems the regular and World cards don't exist now and the Platinum Plus one is the only no-fee cashback card through MBNA.

According to this site the 2% cashback has a limit of 600/month on gas and groceries, and unlimited 1% afterwards.

I _think_ the standard MBNA smart cash offered in 2011, the one with 3% cash back that was reduced to 2%, has a $400/month G&G limit and a $1200 1% limit. 

Can anyone else verify if that is correct? Trying to decide whether to order the new Platinum Plus card or not.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I would just mention a word of caution regarding these cards. Retailers in the past few years have been lobbying hard to be allowed to directly pass on the costs of these cashback and other premium cards to consumers. I know their prices are currently inflated to account for this right now, but from what I've read it could eventually happen where retailers start refusing certain types of plastic based on the punitive merchant fees charged to them. Or they will add a % add-on fee to make the customer pay for the use of those cards. Might want to google for updates on this before spending too much time hunting around.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

^ Leading the charge against these premium cards and their fees was ex Competition Bureau Commissioner Melanie Aitken.
She took the CC industry head on regarding this issue....until she unexpectedly quit in 2012.

At the time of her resignation, she was also going after the telecom sector aggressively regarding their collusion around fees.
One wonders whether her departure had anything to do with either of these matters...or she simply wanted to take up a more lucrative job in the private sector.

But with her gone, I am not sure if there is anyone left to pursue this matter aggressively.


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

peterk, in case you missed it, see my post above.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

On a less glamorous rewards note, consider CTC MasterCard. Yes, Canadian Tire.
Gas up at their pumps (you go through a fair clip of fuel per month) to earn CTC money that automatically accrues on your M/C to spend at their stores.

Any other charges to the card accrue at about 1% in CTC money- I really don't track it carefully. 

Purchases in the store made on points actually earns CTC money on the card, I am pretty sure.

I get a flyer for their store every week in the flyers that rain on my house regularly. 

I search out consumables we use regularly that are on sale there, and stock up, so we don't run short until the next time they go on sale.

My usual hit list includes at least :
automatic dishwasher detergent, dishwashing liquid, wetting agent, laundry detergent, dryer anti-cling sheets, household cleaning products, garbage bags, yard waste bags, toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels, dish cloths, light bulbs, oodles of Christmas stuff when it goes on clearance for use the following year, grass seed, garden seeds and seedings, camp stove fuel at times of the year.. 

The list goes on- you get the idea. 

Look past the tons of modestly cheaply made 'durable' goods they flog in the flyer, and buy a more durable product elsewhere if you want.

But for consumables, paid for in CTC money, bought while on sale, I have yet to find a cheaper way to run the household for acquiring this stuff we use on a more of less daily basis. 

Purchases in the store made on points actually earns CTC money on the card, I am pretty sure.
Plus if you car needs a consumable - battery, etc, these things can be had on sale, and paid for using points on the card.


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## smrtalec (Dec 16, 2010)

Barwelle said:


> Some clarification on this... there _are_ spending limits. This is from MBNA, the bolding is mine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. I forgot there were two versions. MBNA upgraded me to the World version awhile back, and there's no limits. They sent me a letter saying I was eligible to upgrade and I just did it over the phone. I believe the "6 months" count reset when I got the World version.


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

smrtalec said:


> MBNA upgraded me to the World version awhile back, and there's no limits.


Can you confirm this by checking the paperwork or something... anything I've read indicates that the $400 limit on the 2%/5% bonus remains, only the other limit is removed.

I tried to ask the livechat guy with MBNA but apparently he didn't have authorization to confirm that.


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## BC Eddie (Feb 2, 2014)

Barwelle

I have the MBNA Smart Cash World credit card. My most recent paperwork from them (around Feb/March of this year) shows the $400 cap on gas/groceries per calendar month. I see no other limit.


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## smrtalec (Dec 16, 2010)

Crap. You are right again *Barwelle*. I just don't buy enough gas/groceries to notice the limit. But no limits on the 1% with World.


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## Homerhomer (Oct 18, 2010)

Ponderling said:


> On a less glamorous rewards note, consider CTC MasterCard. Yes, Canadian Tire.
> .


The best part of Canadian Tire Master Card is that you can use it to pay for your utilities, tuition fees, property taxes and so on and get points for it ;-) I am paying all my bills using it, one percent bonus is better than nothing ;-)

As for general issue of the cost, if I am to pay the same amount using cash or credit cards with points than I will pay with CC, if not I have no problem paying cash or debit for some businesses that add the surcharge.


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## Woz (Sep 5, 2013)

+1 for the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite.

4% on gas and groceries up to $25k per year, 2% on recurring bills, 1% on the rest. Annual fee is $99 / year, waived for the first year.

Whichever card you do choose, be sure to do a quick google for any referral deals. For a lot of credit cards you can get a free gift card by using a referral link. Amazon.ca will give you a $75 gift card if you apply for the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite through their site.


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## Echo (Apr 1, 2011)

If you spend close to $2,000 per month on groceries and gas then you need to drop what you're doing and sign up for the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite right now. Listen to the sound advice from Woz above me.


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## Kursor (Mar 7, 2014)

Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite:
Groceries : $1,000 4%
Gas : $ 500 – 900 4%
Bills : $500 (Reoccurring Payments 2%)
Other : Buy gift cards for other retailers at gas/grocery store 4%

Any CTFS MasterCard:
Bills : $500 (Bills that don't accept Credit cards: Property Tax, utilities, etc)

Optional - Amazon Chase Visa:
Foreign or USD transactions


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## WillyA (Apr 14, 2011)

Homerhomer said:


> The best part of Canadian Tire Master Card is that you can use it to pay for your utilities, tuition fees, property taxes and so on and get points for it ;-) I am paying all my bills using it, one percent bonus is better than nothing ;-)
> 
> As for general issue of the cost, if I am to pay the same amount using cash or credit cards with points than I will pay with CC, if not I have no problem paying cash or debit for some businesses that add the surcharge.


There is a big thread on this card on one of the other forums, they have removed a lot of payees in the last few months but its still unique compared to most other cards


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## alingva (Aug 17, 2013)

Putitonthecard said:


> Gas : $ 500 – 900


What do you drive????????????????????


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

Just upgraded from MBNA smartcash Platinum Plus to Smartcash World. Can confirm that the 5% gas and groceries cashback resets for the first 6 months of the new World card.


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