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Why These 5 Cards?
I can’t tire of repeating this – every family and individual has unique requirements and aspirations. For some, the ideal credit card is the one that unlocks luxury travel experiences. For others, it’s the simple satisfaction of seeing cashback rewards ease the burden of yearly expenses. The reality is that no single “best” card works for everyone, and despite our best efforts, it is nearly impossible to curate a list of five cards that will suit everyone’s needs.
That said, the PMB community has always leaned heavily toward travel and points enthusiasts, so our selections reflect that readership while still considering the broader spectrum of preferences. Our approach has been to strike a balance featuring cards that deliver excellent value for travel, whether through direct flight rewards or flexible transferable currencies, while also highlighting options that can make everyday spending feel more rewarding.
Another layer of rationale is the timing. As usual, I’ve placed particular emphasis on cards running limited-time promotions. The focus is on a few attributes that almost everyone loves:
- High welcome bonuses that set you up with a solid points or cashback windfall right out of the gate.
- Rare welcome bonus on cards that typically don’t offer one.
- Annual fee waivers or rebates that reduce the upfront cost of trying a premium product.
Together, these criteria ensure the recommendations are not only relevant but also represent outsized value in the current market. Whether your goal is to fund aspirational premium-cabin travel, keep your options open with flexible currencies, or simply put cashback in your pocket, this shortlist is designed to get your attention—and, hopefully, help you make a smarter decision for your own financial and lifestyle goals.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege – Apply Now
There are two seasons to sign up now: TD just increased the welcome bonus to a juicy 100,000 Aeroplan points and the annual fee is going up by $100 soon. Sign up today to lock in new perks like priority airport security, 2 x $50 Air Canada wallet credits, and more at the current $599 fee.
This card comes with the following Air Canada benefits:
- Earn 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent up to 25,000 SQC a year
- Priority check-in, boarding, free checked bag
- Maple Leaf Lounge and Maple Leaf Café access
- Extra 12 months of eUpgrade validity
- Annual Worldwide Companion Pass after $25,000 in annual spending
The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege also includes 6 complimentary lounge passes through the Visa Airport Companion Program and has a stronger insurance package, particularly for delayed and lost/stolen baggage, compared to its Amex and CIBC counterparts.
New Hyatt perks: the new partnership between Hyatt and Aeroplan turns the premium co-branded Aeroplan cards into a pseudo-Hyatt co-branded card with a slew of benefits:
- Attempt the 90-day World of Hyatt status challenge, unlocking Globalist with 20 tier-qualifying nights
- Complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status
- 5 Hyatt tier-qualifying nights per calendar year
- Earn bonus World of Hyatt points on all Hyatt stays, in addition to underlying Hyatt points-earning and credit card earning
The above are just the premium co-branded cardholder benefits: Aeroplan Elite members can also now convert points between programs, exchange Aeroplan for Hyatt Free Night Awards, and more.
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite – Apply Now
The TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card is back to being the card to get. Just last week, the signup bonus went up: earn up to 160,000 TD Rewards points upon spending $7,500 within the first 180 days of opening the card.
There is also an annual fee rebate for the first year, a Birthday Bonus of up to 10,000 TD Rewards Points, a $100 annual TD Travel Credit (when booking through Expedia for TD), and up to 4 complimentary lounge visits via the Visa Airport Companion Program. Lounge access on this card is new as of April 2025 and makes an already great card even better.
The card’s strong insurance package complements its earning and redemption capabilities. You’ll earn an impressive 8 points for every dollar spent when booking travel through Expedia® For TD, and these points can be redeemed against any travel booked directly through Expedia For TD at a rate of 200 points = $1, aka 0.5 cents per point.
Even if you book travel directly with the provider, you can still redeem TD Rewards at a slightly lower rate of 225 points = $1, equivalent to 0.44 cents per point. It’s better than it sounds, though, as TD is quite generous in defining travel. You can even redeem at 0.44 CPP for things like gas, meals, and theatre tickets.
Tangerine Rewards World Elite Mastercard – Apply Now
The Tangerine Rewards World Elite Mastercard didn’t make a big splash when it came out — it’s a new product, but had no welcome bonus. This has changed and I’d actually call this one of the hottest offers of the month.
Right now, you can earn up to 60,000 Scene+ points for a $120 annual fee:
- 50,000 Scene+ points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
- 10,000 Scene+ points after spending $30,000 in the first 12 months
If you exclude the 10,000 Scene+ points with a rather high $30,000 spending requirement, earning 50,000 Scene+ points for spending $5,000 in 3 months is a great return.
Scene+ are the best fixed points currency on the market. You can book travel with any provider, site, or operator and then use the “Apply Points to Travel” option to cover costs within 12 months of the purchase date. This is our preferred card for Airbnb bookings or any airline and hotel bookings that don’t align with other co-branded cards.
Neo World Elite Mastercard – Apply Now
The Neo World Elite Mastercard is interesting. There are three variants: Gas & Grocery, Shop & Dine, and Everywhere. Each has different elevated categories, and you can switch between variants every 90 days. The annual fee is $149.
Most importantly, Neo is offering $100 cash back after spending $1,000 in 3 months and this is the first time Neo’s offered a welcome bonus since the revamped Neo World Elite Mastercard came out.
I do want to draw particular attention to the Shop & Dine variant. Neo offers 3% cash back on shopping & retail, which is a strong return in a category where few competitors offer elevated rewards. With this card, Neo also offers 5% cash back on food & drink purchases, which outranks all competitors in terms of pure cash back in your wallet.
And hey, if that’s not for you, you can try the Gas & Grocery or Everywhere variants. This card is for a very specific customer, but that person could be rewarded handsomely.
RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard – Apply Now
We rarely feature cash back cards on the “top 5” list, so you know the offer is good when we do. After quite a while, RBC has increased the welcome bonus on the RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard to 15% back on up to $2,000 in total purchases in the first 3 months.
As a welcome bonus, 15% is pretty dang good, and the offer just went up yesterday.
The card now earns an unlimited 3% cash back on groceries, dining and food delivery, gas and EV charging, transit and rideshare, streaming, and digital gaming. Unlimited means there are no category spending caps: whether you spend $5,000 or $50,000 on eligible purchases, you’ll continue earning 3% back. With a $120 annual fee, this is excellent.
Starting December 2, 2026, the redemption process also becomes much more flexible. Once you have at least $1, you’ll be able to redeem any amount as a statement credit through RBC Online Banking, the RBC app, or by phone. You won’t need to build up a larger minimum balance or wait for a fixed once-a-year payout.
I am sure every reader can recommend a unique set of the top 5 for the month. Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments below!
2 comments
Great analyses and thanks for the hard work and excellent writing as always, from RY.
May I observe?
The description of the bonuses for BMO eclipse VIP card are factually incorrect because “upon” means “when” in this context. The reader could be forgiven for understanding that if she gets this card and spends $6,500, that she can expect 80,000 BMO points to be posted to her account promptly “upon” achieving that spend. The language you’ve used fails to make clear that the cardmember has to wait until:
AFTER they’ve completed the dollar spend requirement AND
AFTER the entire spend opportunity has ended.
The first 80,000 points will be posted “up to 8 weeks AFTER” 110 days from account opening.
The next 40,000 points will be posted “up to 8 weeks after” 180 days from account opening.
The final 80,000 points will be posted “up to 8 weeks after” a FULL YEAR after the account was opened.
I suggest the following language in your reviews of cards with these punitive wait periods hidden in their fine print:
“80,000 BMO Rewards points after 110 days, if $6,000 or more spent within the first 110 days”
“40,000 BMO Rewards points after 180 days, if $30,000 or more spent within the first 180 days”
“80,000 BMO Rewards points after 365 days, if $75,000 or more spent within the first 365 days”
Straightforward banks like Amex, TD, CIBC and others have conditioned us to expect bonuses to post within a reasonable time after required activities have been completed. BMO, Neo and others do not behave this way. Any review should make these critical differences clear.
Would really like a Hilton card available for Canadians.