These are the best credit card intro offers in 2017

The holiday shopping season is about to begin.

And with all that spending you’re about to do, you’ll want a credit card that gives you the most rewards back. Are you getting the best cash-back rate? (If it’s less than 1%, the answer is no.) Or maybe you like travelling, in which case, you’ll want a card that can net you a free flight just for buying all the presents you were going to get anyway.

We’ve saved you some time this holiday season by crunching the numbers for the cards that have the best intro offers right now. These are cards that for a period of time, will offer you an accelerated rewards rate so you get the most out of your spending.

This is not a list of cards with the best signup bonus, or cards that will get you the most rewards if you decide to keep it. This is strictly a list to arm you with a card that will allow you to get the most money back on what you spend.

When we set out to rank these cards, the only metric we considered was the amount of cold hard cash you can expect to earn based on their special rewards rate. We’ve broken it down by a spending benchmark of $1,500 and $3,000 — but also included the max you can get back based on the card’s intro spending limit.

All these cards have no fees, or their fees are waived for signing up.

5. BMO CashBack Mastercard [Apply]

The lowdown

This card promises 4% cashback on every dollar spent for the first four months, or up to $3,125 of spending. You earn 1% on all purchases thereafter. The BMO CashBack Mastercard has an interest rate of 19.99% and no annual fee. This offer is available until Oct. 31, 2018

How it stacks up

Some cash back credit cards have spending categories, which enable you to earn extra points on select purchases. Not so with the BMO CashBack Mastercard — you earn the same amount on all purchases. This is useful during the course of the introductory offer. But after that expires, the prospect of earning a paltry 1% on all purchases takes the shine off this card a bit.

The bottom line

Annual fee: No
Max return on $1,500 of spending: $60
Max return on $3,000 of spending: $120
Max return during introductory period (on $3,125 spend): $125

4. Scotiabank GM Visa Card [Apply]

The lowdown

This cashback card advertises an earn rate of 5% on all purchases on the first $5,000 spent. After that, the earn rate drops to 2% on everything you buy with the card. There’s no annual fee, no minimum income requirement and the introductory offer is ongoing — there’s no cutoff date.

How it stacks up

For a cashback card with such robust earning potential, the Scotiabank GM Visa Card is also surprisingly accessible. Most people with good credit can expect to get approved for this card.

Another unique feature is the GM Earnings program: every dollar spent is equivalent to $1 off the purchase price or lease of a new GM car. Basically, instead of merely having your cash back applied to your account, you can put the money towards a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac.

There are no earning caps or redemption limits and your cash never expires. After a few years, you could easily have saved up a few thousand dollars to put towards a new car. So, why isn’t this car higher up? Well, you can only spend those points toward the purchase of a GM vehicle. So while this gives you a lot of rewards back, those rewards are restricted.

The bottom line

Annual fee: No
Max return on $1,500 of spending: $75
Max return on $3,000 of spending: $150
Max return during introductory period (on $5,000 spend): $250

3. Scotia Momentum Infinite Visa [Apply]

The lowdown

This card earns you 5% cash back on everyday purchases for the first three months, or until you spend $3,000 — whichever happens first. You must have an income of at least $60,000 to qualify, which knocks it down a peg. There’s an annual fee of $99, which is waived in the first year. This offer is available until Feb. 28, 2018.

How it stacks up

At 5% cash back during the introductory period, the card has a better than average earn rate — but it’s bested by the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite, which offers 6% back.

The genius of the Scotia Momentum Infinite Visa is that if you’re looking for a card that has more than just a good earn rate for holiday shopping, this one is worth keeping in your wallet. After the introductory period, you earn 4% on gas station and grocery store purchases, 2% on eligible drug store purchases and recurring bill payments, and 1% on all other eligible everyday purchases. There’s an annual spend limit of $25,000.

You can earn some serious cash back with this card, even with a moderate monthly balance.

The bottom line

Annual fee: $99 (Waived in first year)
Max return on $1,500 of spending: $75
Max return on $3,000 of spending: $150
Max return during introductory period (on $3,000 spend): $150

2. TD Cash Back Visa Infinite [Apply]

The lowdown

The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite offers 6% cashback for first three months, or up until you spend $3,500 on the card, whichever scenario happens first. Then, the earn rate drops to 1% cashback. The card carries an annual fee of $120 but you’ll get a rebate for it the first year. You’ll need an income of at least $60,000 a year to qualify. The introductory offer is available until Feb. 28, 2018.

How it stacks up

Few cards in the market offer 6% cashback and TD Canada hyped up the card’s earn rate when it debuted this summer.

It’s a bit tougher to qualify for this card, but if you are approved, you stand to earn a tidy amount of cash. What prevents this card from placing first is its steeper income requirement, and the fact that it has a very short window for you to spend your money. That money is also capped at $3,500.

The bottom line

Annual fee: $120 (Waived first year)
Max return on $1,500 of spending: $90
Max return on $3,000 of spending: $180
Max return during introductory period (on $3,500 spend): $210

1. Amex SimplyCash [Apply]

The lowdown

With the Amex SimplyCash, you can earn 5% cash back on eligible purchases for the first six months or on the first $5,000 spent on the card, whichever comes first. (In dollar amounts, that translates to $250 in cash). After that, you earn 1.25% on all purchases. This offer is available until Dec. 3, 2017.

How it stacks up

In terms of its cash-back earn rate, the SimplyCash card is one of the highest paying credit cards on the market, second only to the TD Cash Back Infinite Visa, which pays 6%. And at six months, SimplyCash’s introductory offer gives you the most runway. And since there’s no minimum income requirement, people with good credit shouldn’t worry about getting approved. 

There is one downside to the earn rate: it doesn’t apply to any purchases made at superstores, wholesale clubs, alcohol retailers, bakeries, butcher shops, fish markets and — surprisingly — specialty health food stores. The good news is that you can easily skip those categories if you're doing holiday shopping, so we put this card at the front of the list.

The bottom line

Annual fee: No
Max return on $1,500 of spending: $75
Max return on $3,000 of spending: $150
Max return during introductory period (on $5,000 spend): $250