The best grocery credit card in Canada depends on how much you spend on food, where you shop and whether you want cash back or points. This guide compares seven cards on their grocery earn rate, annual fee, yearly spending limits and whether they work at Costco. YieldMaple checked each issuer’s product page and legal terms on October 7, 2026. It is general education, not financial advice.
Best grocery credit cards in Canada at a glance
| Card | Annual fee | Grocery earn rate | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% | 4% stops after $20,000 a year of bonus spending; not at Costco |
| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite | $120 | 4% | Only 2% on gas; not at Costco |
| American Express Cobalt | $191.88 a year | 5 points per $1 | Stand-alone grocery stores only; monthly cap |
| PC Financial World Elite Mastercard | None | 30 points per $1 | Stores that sell President’s Choice products only |
| Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard | $0 | 2% if groceries is a chosen category | 0.5% outside your chosen categories |
| CIBC Dividend Visa | $0 | 2% | 1% on gas |
| CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa | $99 | 3% | Rarely beats the Visa Infinite or a no-fee card |
Sources: CIBC, Scotiabank, American Express, PC Financial and Tangerine product pages, checked October 7, 2026. Rates and fees change; the issuer’s page is the final word.
Which credit card pays the most on groceries in Canada?
The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite and Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite tie for the most cash back, at 4% on groceries, each for a $120 annual fee.
The two cards split on their other 4% category. CIBC lists 4% cash back on eligible gas, EV charging and groceries; 2% on eligible transportation, dining, recurring payments and CIBC by Expedia travel. Scotiabank lists 4% cash back on groceries and recurring payments; 2% on gas, EV charging, daily transit, rideshare and food delivery; 1% on everything else. A household with large gas bills earns more with CIBC, and one with large recurring bills (phone, internet, insurance, subscriptions) earns more with the Momentum.
The CIBC card’s annual fee is $120 (first year rebated under the current offer); $50 for each of up to 3 additional cards, and its current welcome offer is 10% cash back on net purchases up to $2,000 in the first 4 statements (up to $200), plus $50 for setting up one pre-authorized payment in the first 4 monthly statements, plus a first-year annual fee rebate. The Momentum’s current welcome offer is 15% cash back on the first $2,000 of purchases in the first 3 months, plus no annual fee in the first year, for accounts opened between July 2 and November 1, 2026. Both are Visa Infinite cards with income rules: CIBC asks for $60,000 individual or $100,000 household, and Scotiabank asks for personal income of $60,000 to $80,000 or more, household income of $100,000 to $150,000 or more, or $250,000 to $300,000 or more in assets under management.
An earlier version of this guide said the Momentum paid 4% on gas; Scotiabank’s current terms put gas at 2%.
Is a $120 grocery credit card worth it?
A $120 card paying 4% beats a no-fee 2% card once spending in the 4% categories passes $6,000 a year.
The worked example uses a hypothetical household spending $8,000 a year on groceries, all at stores that earn each card’s grocery rate. Your own numbers will differ, and the example leaves out welcome offers and every other category.
| Card | Rewards on the groceries | Annual fee | Net for the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC Financial World Elite (Loblaw-banner stores) | $240 in PC Optimum points | None | $240 |
| American Express Cobalt (stand-alone grocery stores) | $400 in points | $191.88 a year | $208.12 |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $320 | $120 | $200 |
| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite | $320 | $120 | $200 |
| Tangerine Money-Back (groceries chosen) | $160 | $0 | $160 |
| CIBC Dividend Visa | $160 | $0 | $160 |
In sentences: on groceries alone, the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite nets $200, only $40 more than the no-fee Tangerine Money-Back. The paid cards pull further ahead when gas (CIBC) or recurring bills (Scotiabank) also earn 4%; the best gas credit card in Canada guide adds gas to the same math. The PC Financial World Elite comes out on top in this example only because every dollar is spent at a store that sells President’s Choice products, and its points only spend in the PC Optimum program.
Is the Amex Cobalt better than a 4% cash back card for groceries?
At Amex’s own redemption rate the Cobalt returns 5 cents per dollar at stand-alone grocery stores, but it costs $191.88 a year a year.
American Express lists 5 points per $1 at eligible restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stand-alone grocery stores and food delivery in Canada, capped at $2,500 in combined net purchases a month, then 1 point per $1. Points redeem at 1,000 points = $10 toward eligible purchases or transfer to Aeroplan at 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 1,000 Aeroplan points, so flight redemptions can be worth more or less than a cent a point depending on the award. Two limits matter for groceries: the 5X rate is for stand-alone grocery stores, not every store that sells food, and fewer merchants accept Amex than Visa or Mastercard. The Amex Cobalt review covers the card’s other categories.
Which grocery credit card works at Costco?
Only Mastercard credit cards work in Costco Canada’s warehouses, so the Visa-based CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite and Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite can’t be used there.
Costco Canada accepts Mastercard as its only credit card network in-warehouse, a point Wealthsimple’s help centre makes about its own Visa card. The CIBC Costco Mastercard has a $0 annual fee and pays 3% cash back at restaurants and Costco gas; 2% at other gas stations, EV charging stations and Costco.ca; CIBC doesn’t list a bonus rate for in-warehouse grocery purchases. The Tangerine Money-Back is also a Mastercard, but whether a Costco purchase counts as a grocery purchase depends on how the card network classifies Costco, so check Tangerine’s category rules before counting on 2%. The Capital One Costco Mastercard no longer exists: Capital One’s support page says CIBC became the exclusive issuer of Costco credit cards in Canada on March 4, 2022. The review of the CIBC Costco Mastercard covers the card that replaced it.
Do grocery credit cards have spending caps?
Most paid grocery cards cap their bonus rate each year, while the no-fee Tangerine Money-Back has no cap — Tangerine calls the 2% cash back unlimited.
- CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite: the 4% and 2% rates apply to the first $20,000 a year of combined spending in the bonus categories, or the first $50,000 of total card spending if that comes first; after that everything earns 1% until the limits reset after the December statement. The $20,000 limit is shared by groceries, gas, EV charging, transit, restaurants and recurring payments, which caps the 4% at $800 of cash back a year.
- Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite: $25,000 a year in each of the 4% and 2% categories, then 1%.
- American Express Cobalt: the 5X rate covers $2,500 in combined net purchases a month, then 1 point per $1.
- Tangerine Money-Back: categories can change every 90 days, with no cap on the 2%.
The verdict
- CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite: fits households whose groceries, gas and EV charging together pass about $6,000 a year.
- Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite: fits households whose groceries and recurring bills are the big spending, rather than gas.
- PC Financial World Elite Mastercard: fits shoppers who buy most groceries at Loblaw-banner stores and redeem PC Optimum points, with no annual fee.
- American Express Cobalt: fits points collectors who also spend heavily at restaurants and can keep a second card for places that don’t take Amex.
- Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard: fits lighter spenders who want 2% on groceries with no fee and no cap, and a card that works at Costco.