Rogers Red Cards Lose 1.5x Redemptions, Add 5% Cash Back

This week, there’s been a flurry of changes as banks update their credit card offerings. First, we saw Scotiabank remove rent and tax payments from the list of eligible categories for accelerated cash back earnings. Now, Rogers is introducing a new 5% cash back category while removing its fan-favourite 1.5x redemption value on eligible Rogers purchases. Let’s take a look at all the details.

Removal of 1.5x Rewards Redemption Value for Eligible Rogers Purchases

As of November 18, 2026, all cash back rewards retain a value of 1 cent each when redeemed toward all purchases, including Rogers purchases.

Currently, Rogers customers who earn 2% cash back get a 50% redemption bonus when redeeming toward eligible Rogers purchases, effectively turning that 2% earn rate into 3%. That’s incredibly lucrative for a no-annual-fee card.

Until November 18, get a 1.5x redemption bonus when you use your cash back on eligible Rogers services

I’m not surprised to see this benefit change over time, but even the updated 2% cash back rate on all purchases remains very competitive in the credit card landscape.

The earn rate can be a bit confusing: you earn 2% cash back on all non-USD purchases if you have at least 1 qualifying service with Rogers, Fido, Shaw, or Comwave. Otherwise, you earn either 1.5% or 1% cash back depending on whether you hold the Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard or either of the two Rogers Red or Rogers World Mastercards.

On all USD purchases, you earn 3% cash back with the Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard or 2% with the other two, which basically offsets the 2.5% foreign transaction fee.

If you weren’t a Rogers customer to begin with and didn’t redeem against your Rogers bill, this change doesn’t affect you.

Still The Best Card for Costco

For what it’s worth, even at 2% cash back, this is my favourite card to use at Costco. Keep in mind Costco only accepts Mastercard and does not code as grocery. If you’re not a Rogers customer, you earn only 1.5% cash back, so a potential workaround is to buy Costco Shop cards online with a Visa card.

Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard

Costco does accept both Visa and Mastercard online, so you could use, say, the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + to buy Costco Shop cards online and then buy in-store with the Shop Cards. It’s not worth the effort for Rogers customers, since it’s an extra step to earn the same 2% back, but it’s potentially worth it if not. Wealthsimple offers a flat 2% cash back on all purchases.

Up to 5% Cash Back on Eligible Rogers Purchases

To make up for removing the 50% redemption bonus, Rogers is introducing 5% cash back when using your Rogers card on eligible Rogers purchases. In other words, Rogers is shifting the extra rewards from the redemption side to the earning side. The only reason “up to” is in the title is because there are spending caps as of August 4 (more on this below).

This is very straightforward: if you spend $250 on your Rogers bill, you get $12.50 back. This goes into effect the same date the 50% redemption bonus is removed, on November 18, 2026.

New Annual Spending Caps for Accelerated Earnings

A few weeks ago, on August 4, Rogers introduced spending caps on high-earning categories. The Rogers Red World Legend Mastercard has no spending cap, while the Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard has a spending cap of $61,000.

The Rogers World Mastercard has a spending cap of $26,000 and the most basic Rogers Red Mastercard introduces a $16,000 spending cap.

The Rogers Red World Legend Mastercard has no spending cap, but does have a $495 annual fee

After the limit is reached, you’ll earn the base cash back rate of 1.5% on the World Elite and 1% on the other two cards. However, Rogers has an interesting upgrade mechanism where your eligibility for credit cards depends on either your income or your annual spending. When you reach the spending cap on your Rogers product, you’re eligible for the next-tier-up credit card. The idea is that you call Rogers to product switch to the next tier, then continue earning 2% cash back under its higher spending cap.

It’s not a bad concept, although I feel like the extra step will deter most customers, and that’s if they even know this feature exists in the first place.

Roam Like Home Days Replaced with Roaming Credit

Effective January 12, 2027, Rogers will replace the five complimentary Roam Like Home days with an annual $75 credit.

The upside is that the $75 credit doesn’t have to be used for Roam Like Home, since you can also use it toward Travel Passes. The downside is that Roam Like Home costs $16/day in the U.S. and $18/day in other countries, meaning five complimentary days were worth up to $80 or $90. The new $75 credit therefore represents a modest devaluation if you previously used all five days.

World Elite Insurance Changes

Changes to the insurance policy also take effect on November 18, with the maximum number of days permitted for each trip increasing from 10 to 15 days for ages 64 and younger under emergency medical insurance. For those 65 and older, the stability period for pre-existing conditions is dropping from one year to 150 days.

Those are decidedly positive changes, while the removal of trip cancellation, trip interruption, and trip delay coverage are decidedly negative. There are a few new exclusions to rental car collision/damage insurance related to renting in Jamaica, natural disasters, pollution, and other known events prior to renting the car.

You can visit rogersbank.com/legal for the full updated Certificate of Insurance with the “Effective November 18, 2026” edition already published.

The Winners and Losers

At first glance, the changes might look net neutral: redemptions on Rogers bills drop from an effective 3% to 2%, while earnings on Rogers bills increase from 2% to 5%. However, the math doesn’t work that way for most cardholders. Take a simple example of someone spending $4,000 a month and using an eligible Rogers service that costs $120 a month:

• Before November 18: $4,000 a month at 3% back is $120 back (redeeming towards a Rogers bill)
• After November 18: $120 at 5% back (spending with Rogers) is $6 back, while $3,880 (the rest of one month’s spending) at 2% back is $77.60 back, for a total of $83.60 back
• That’s $36.40 less per month, or $436.80 less over a year with the same spending

If your Rogers bill is enormous and significantly eclipses your spending on everything else, then you come out ahead. However, I suspect this won’t be the case for most people.

Most people won’t come out ahead with these changes

In the grand scheme of things, the Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard remains a great product considering the lack of an annual fee. If eligible, I’d sign up for this one over the other two since all have no annual fee, but this one has a higher spending cap and better insurance offering.

Takeaway

The Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard has been exceptionally rewarding for a no-annual-fee card, so perhaps it was inevitable that some of its most generous benefits wouldn’t last forever. The loss of the 1.5x redemption bonus is the biggest change, and the new 5% cash back on eligible Rogers purchases won’t fully make up for it for most cardholders.

Even so, the card remains highly competitive. Rogers customers can still earn 2% cash back on everyday purchases with no annual fee, making it particularly attractive for Costco and other spending that doesn’t fall into accelerated categories elsewhere. I wouldn’t rush to replace the card over these changes, but it won’t be quite the no-brainer it was before.