Credit Cards

These are the best credit card intro offers in Canada for 2019

By: Barry Choi on September 6, 2019
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Whenever people apply for a new credit card, one of the first things they look for are the current intro offers. Some of these sign up bonuses can be worth more than $200, so it can be quite lucrative to go with the right ones.

Credit card providers make these promotions available because they want your business, and let’s be honest, it’s a great incentive for you to sign up. From increased cash back to a crazy amount of travel points, these are the best credit card intro offers on the market right now. 
 

Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card 

  • No annual fee
  • 4% cash back on up to 3 categories for the first three months
  • 2% cash back on up to 3 categories
  • 0.5% cash back on all other purchases 

If you’re looking for a cash back credit card with no annual fee, then the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card may be the perfect choice for you. If you sign up for the card by October 31, 2019, you’ll get 4% cash back on up to 3 categories for the first three months. You get to choose two categories for that increased earn rate right away and if you set up your cash back to be deposited into your Tangerine account, you’ll get a third category.

Once the promotional period ends, your selected categories will earn you 2% cash back while all other purchases will get you 0.5%. What makes this card unique is that the cash back earned will be deposited directly into your account or applied to your credit card statement monthly. There’s no need to wait for the once a year payout that some other cash back cards offer.
 

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card 

  • $120 annual fee (first year is free)
  • Earn up to 40,000 Aeroplan Miles as the intro offer
  • Earn 1.5 Aeroplan Miles for every $1 spent on grocery, gas, drugstore and aircanada.com purchases
  • Earn one Aeroplan Mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases

At first glance, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card has an incredible offer of up to 40,000 Aeroplan Miles when you sign up by December 1, 2019, but when you read the fine print, you realize it’s a multi-step process to get all your points. 15,000 Aeroplan Miles are awarded after your first purchase and an additional 5,000 Miles are given if you add an authorized user to your account. There is a fee of $50 for that secondary user, but the primary cardholder gets the annual fee of $120 rebated for the first year.

The additional 20,000 Miles is based on 2X the Aeroplan Miles earned on purchases in the first three months Since the regular earn rate is 1.5 Aeroplan Miles for every $1 spent on grocery, gas, drugstore and aircanada.com purchases, you would actually earn three Aeroplan points for these purchases in the first three months. That means you would need to spend $6,667 on those categories or $10,000 (two points per $1 spent for three months) on all other purchases to get the full bonus.
 

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card

  • $120 annual fee
  • Earn up to 20,000 Aventura points as the intro offer
  • $120 travel credit
  • Priority Pass Membership and four free annual lounge passes
  • Nexus application fee rebate
  • Earn two points per $1 spent through the CIBC Rewards Centre
  • Earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, and drugstores
  • Earn one point per $1 spent on all other purchases

The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card comes packed with travel benefits, so it’s a good idea to apply before the offer ends on October 31, 2019. You’ll be given 15,000 Aventura points after your first purchase and an additional 5,000 Aventura points after you spend $1,000 in the first four months of card membership. That’s a total of 20,000 points, which has a value of up to $400 when using the Aventura Airline Rewards Chart. 

Although there’s an annual fee of $120, you do get a travel credit of $120 for the first year which effectively makes this a first year free card. The Nexus rebate of $50 is handy, but not all travellers will take advantage of it. There’s also the free priority pass membership and 4 annual passes which are definitely worth it since it’ll allow you to relax before your flight.
 

WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

  • $119 annual fee
  • $250 WestJet Dollars after your first purchase
  • Annual companion voucher starting at $99
  • First checked bag free for the primary cardholder

What many people don’t realize is that the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard intro offer is not a limited-time deal. It’s been around for quite some time and it’s an incredible value even if you fly WestJet just once. You get $250 WestJet Dollars after your first purchase. When factoring in the $119 annual fee, you still come out ahead by $131.

Besides the free WestJet dollars, you get an annual companion voucher starting at $99. What that means is that if you’re flying within Canada or the continental U.S., you can use your voucher on a companion and they’ll pay just $99 plus taxes for their ticket. That could be a savings of $500+. In addition, the first checked bag is free for the primary cardholder and up to 8 guests on the same reservation. 
 

TD Cashback Visa Infinite Card

  • $120 annual fee (first year is free)
  • 10% cash back ($200 maximum) on all purchases for the first three months
  • 3% cash back on gas, grocery, and recurring bill payments
  • 1% cash back on all other purchases

If you have a big purchase coming up, the TD Cashback Visa Infinite Card could benefit you. When you sign up for the card by September 20, 2019, you’ll earn 10% cash back on all your purchases up to a spend of $2,000. That means you’ll get a total welcome bonus of up to $200. Once the promotional period ends, you’ll earn 3% cash back on gas, grocery, and recurring bill payments; and 1% on everything else.

The annual fee for this card is $120, but the first year is free. It’s also worth noting that this card gives you a Deluxe TD Auto Club Membership which provides you with emergency roadside assistance so there’s some good value here.