2025's Best Mastercard Credit Cards
Take advantage of great Mastercard credit card offers today.
CashSurge
CashSurge increases the value of credit cards by introducing an additional cash bonus. We'll pay you up to $150 every time you are approved for a CashSurge credit card.
Mastercard
Mastercard is a credit card processing network with its HQ located in New York, United States. Mastercard partners with financial institutions in Canada, allowing them to issue credit cards that are processed on the Mastercard network. Using a Mastercard credit card allows you to pay for your purchases in a convenient and smart way. See the best Mastercard credit cards available in Canada and find the perfect one for all your spending needs.
Mastercard credit cards are offered by a large number of Canadian financial institutions and can include a wide variety of options for you to choose from, including student credit cards and lucrative rewards credit cards.
Mastercard credit cards fall under the following categories:
- Standard Mastercard: Basic tier credit cards such as a student credit card or a no fee credit card.
- World Mastercard: Rewards credit cards such as a cash back credit card.
- World Elite Mastercard: Top tier rewards credit cards such as a travel rewards credit card with added travel perks such as insurance etc.
Using a Mastercard credit card allows you to access a large payment network, with tons of merchants who will happily accept your Mastercard. Similar to Visa, the Mastercard network is widespread around the globe. If you’re traveling with your Mastercard credit card, you can be rest assured that your card will be accepted at most retailers and vendors.
Best Credit Cards for 2025: Best Overall Mastercard
Mastercard credit cards are widely accepted by most retailers around the world, including Costco, making them a popular choice for many Canadians. Mastercard partners with many Canadian financial institutions, offering you a wide range of credit cards including cash back credit cards and travel credit cards. We’ve picked the top Mastercard credit cards in Canada using our Best of Finance methodology and ranked the ones that provide the highest first-year value.
Here are our picks.
| Top features | Annual fee | First-year value* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get great insurance perks such as car rental theft insurance and the trademark 'Birthday Bonus.' | $120 | $924 | |
| Great cash back rates and welcome bonus. Includes great travel perks such as travel insurance and airport lounge access. | $120 (waived in first year) | $745 | |
| One of the best cards out there for earning rewards on groceries and restaurants purchases. | $0 | $545 |
*The RATESDOTCA Best of Finance methodology assumes the cardholder spends an average of $2,000 a month on their card to determine the first-year value. The calculation includes all welcome bonuses and promotional offers at the time of publishing.
Winner: MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is our 2025 winner for the best Mastercard in Canada. It offers five points for every $1 spent on groceries, restaurants, streaming services, and utilities. Earn one point for every $1 spent on everything else. You also get great insurance perks, such as mobile device insurance and travel accident insurance.
According to our Best of Finance methodology, you can earn up to $924 during the first year of using this card.
Annual fee
Primary cardholder: $120
Additional cardholder: $50
Welcome bonus
Receive up to 30,000 MBNA Rewards bonus points:
- 20,000 bonus points ($200 in travel value or $165 cash back value) after you make $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
- 10,000 bonus points ($100 in travel value or $80 cash back value) once enrolled for paperless e-statements within the first 90 days of account opening.
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For residents of Quebec, please click here.
Offer expiry date: Ongoing offer
Rewards
Earn 5 points for every $1 spent on:
- Groceries
- Restaurants
- Memberships and digital media
- Household utilities
Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on:
- All other eligible purchases
Earning potential
How does this card stack up to other rewards credit cards? We crunched the numbers using our Best of Finance methodology to see how much an average Canadian could earn over a 12-month period.
Rewards earned over a 12-month period + Welcome Bonus = $744 + $300 = $1,044
Annual fee = $120
Total earned over a 12-month period (rewards minus annual fee) = $924
Benefits
- Annual Birthday Bonus Points‡ equal to 10% of the total number of Points earned in the 12 months before the month of your birthday (maximum 15,000 Points)
- Save with Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car
Insurance
- Mobile device insurance - $1,000
- Extended warranty - 1 year
- Purchase protection - 90 days
- Travel accident - $1,000,000
- Unexpected return home - $2,000
- Rental car insurance
- Rental car accident - $200,000
- Price protection - 60 days
Runners-up: Best Overall Mastercard
BMO CashBack® Wold Elite® Mastercard®
With the BMO CashBack® World Elite® Mastercard®, you can earn 5% cash back on groceries, 4% cash back on transit (which includes ride sharing, taxis, and public transportation), and 3% cash back when you fuel up at gas stations. The cash back rewards and welcome bonus can earn you up to $745 in your wallet according to our Best of Finance methodology.
Additional benefits include a complimentary roadside assistance program, discounts on select car rental, as well as travel and medical protection.
Annual fee
$120 (waived in first year)
Limited time offer/bonus
- Get up to 10% cash back in your first 3 months and the $120 annual fee waived in the first year.*
Offer expiry date: BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard applications must be received up to June 1, 2025, to receive the 10% cash back welcome bonus offer.
Rewards
With this card, you can earn the following:
- 5% cash back on groceries
- 4% cash back from transit
- 3% cash back when you spend on fuel
- 2% cash back from recurring bills charged to the card
- 1% cash back from all other eligible purchases
MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard®
The MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard® offers cardholders four points for every $1 spent on eligible grocery, restaurant, digital media, membership, and household utility purchases for the first 90 days, up to the $10,000 annual spend cap in each category. After, earn two points for every $1 spent in these categories until the $10,000 cap is met annually and one point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
This card also features $1,000,000 travel accident insurance, unexpected return home insurance and car rental accident insurance.
According to our Best of Finance methodology, the average Canadian could earn around $545 in rewards in the first year.
Annual fee
$0
Welcome bonus
Receive up to 30,000 MBNA Rewards bonus points:
- 20,000 bonus points ($200 in travel value or $165 cash back value) after you make $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
- 10,000 bonus points ($100 in travel value or $80 cash back value) once enrolled for paperless e-statements within the first 90 days of account opening
This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For residents of Quebec, please click here.
Offer expiry date: Ongoing offer
Rewards
Earn 5 points for every $1 spent on:
- Groceries
- Restaurants
- Memberships and digital media
- Household utilities
Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on:
- All other eligible purchases
Rates, product information and reward estimates are subject to change at any time and do not constitute financial advice. This post was not sponsored. RATESDOTCA may receive a referral fee from our partners or affiliate links featured on the site; however, our editorial choices are objective and free from bias. The opinions expressed in this article are purely those of RATESDOTCA; thus, the credit card issuers and partners are not responsible for any editorials or reviews that may appear. Please visit the associated brand’s website for complete and current terms and conditions on any product or service mentioned. The information in this article is accurate as of the date of this posting, January 31, 2025. Read our full disclaimer.
Masterpass and Mastercard Priceless Cities
Take advantage of great Mastercard services.
Masterpass
Masterpass is a digital payment service offered by Mastercard, which allows you to store all your Mastercard cards and shipping information in one digital wallet. When you use the Masterpass wallet, you can expect your online shopping experience to be fast and convenient, with all the information you need in one place. When you shop with Masterpass, your online transactions are protected by Mastercards security.
Priceless cities
Mastercard cardholders can enjoy great experiences through the Priceless Cities program. Priceless Cities helps you find unforgettable experiences in cities around the world such as, live shows, food experiences and much more. You can also access a wide variety of digital experiences such as art tours and culinary classes.
Mastercard security
Mastercard credit card holders have added security with transaction alerts and EVM chip technology. You also enjoy zero liability if you’re a victim of fraud. Any fraudulent transactions that are made in-store, over the telephone or online, are covered by the Zero Liability Mastercard policy. This makes paying with a Mastercard credit card safer than using cash.
Mastercard credit cards also have an additional SecureCode password that is required for online purchases, allowing you to safely do your online shopping.
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