The strongest everyday earner in Canada for food spend. If you can work around Amex acceptance, the Cobalt out-earns nearly every premium card at a fraction of the fee.
Best for: People who spend heavily on groceries, restaurants, and delivery and want maximum transferable points per dollar.
Skip if: Your main grocery stores don't take Amex, or you want a simple card with no monthly-fee bookkeeping.
$191.88 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $714 · Amex Membership Rewards
The strongest all-around cash-back Mastercard in Canada by blended rate. The fee pays for itself quickly for grocery-heavy households.
Best for: Households with heavy grocery and recurring-bill spend who want the strongest blended cash-back rate available on a Mastercard.
Skip if: Your spend doesn't clear $12,000/year in groceries — the no-fee CashBack Mastercard captures most of the value for free.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $560 · Cash back
The best 'simple points' earner in Canada. Pairs a huge food multiplier with no-FX — a strong one-card answer for pragmatists.
Best for: Food-heavy spenders who want high guaranteed earn without learning transfer partners.
Skip if: You'd rather earn transferable points — the Cobalt's MR points are worth roughly double per point.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $620 · Scene+
A solid no-fee grocery earner. Straightforward and fee-free, with an upgrade path once spend outgrows the cap.
Best for: Free-card shoppers whose grocery bill is the biggest line item in the budget.
Skip if: Your grocery spend already exceeds $12,000/year — the World Elite version's higher cap and bill-payment rate pay for its fee.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $340 · Cash back
A genuinely good free card for its first year, then a merely average one. Worth opening for the promo; worth pairing with a stronger permanent earner after.
Best for: New-to-Simplii households who want a strong first-year rate on gas and groceries with zero fee.
Skip if: You're looking past year one — the CIBC Dividend's 4% is permanent, not a promo.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $420 · Cash back
An excellent free card for the right household, and an unremarkable 1% card for everyone else. Know your banners before applying.
Best for: Loblaws/Shoppers/No Frills shoppers who want a free World Elite card layered onto grocery spend they're already doing.
Skip if: You don't shop Loblaw banners — the earn rate collapses to 1% elsewhere.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $90 · PC Optimum
A capable no-fee entry into Scene+. Fine on its own, and a natural stepping stone toward the Passport once travel and lounge access matter.
Best for: Free-card users who want simple points on food and entertainment spend with an easy upgrade path to the Passport later.
Skip if: You want cash back with no redemption thinking at all — a flat cash-back card is simpler for the same $0 fee.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $130 · Scene+
A genuinely strong no-fee card for Canadian Tire loyalists — 4% at Triangle banners and 3% on groceries rival paid cash-back cards — but the income requirement and CT Money's redemption ceiling keep it a specialist's pick rather than an everyday-carry default.
Best for: Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, and Mark's shoppers with real grocery spend who clear the income threshold and want a free World Elite card.
Skip if: You don't shop Triangle-family banners regularly, or you don't clear the $80K/$150K income bar — the fee-free base Triangle Mastercard earns the same rates without the income gate.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $250 · CT Money
A capable low-fee card for existing National Bank clients. Cancel the bundled insurance once the bonus posts to keep it cheap.
Best for: National Bank clients who want a low-fee rewards card with a real grocery/dining bonus rate.
Skip if: You want transferable points — Amex Cobalt or other MR cards earn more per dollar with airline upside.
$70 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $390 · National Bank Rewards
A well-targeted student card: modest earn, but on exactly the categories a student budget hits, with a redemption a 19-year-old will actually use.
Best for: Students who go to the movies and want simple, immediately-usable points on food and entertainment spend.
Skip if: You'd rather build travel points — Scene+ doesn't transfer anywhere.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $80 · Scene+
A solid, unglamorous free cash-back card. The 2% grocery rate is its best feature; everything else is average.
Best for: Grocery-heavy households who want a simple, genuinely free cash-back card.
Skip if: You spend heavily outside groceries/gas/dining — a flat-rate card likely earns more overall.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $120 · Cash back
A fee-based upgrade over PC's free World Elite card, justified mainly by the PC Express Pass. Confirm current earn rates directly before applying.
Best for: Heavy Loblaw-banner households who use PC Express grocery delivery/pickup often enough to offset the fee.
Skip if: You don't use PC Express delivery — the no-fee PC World Elite Mastercard likely nets more value.
$120 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $150 · PC Optimum
The accessible on-ramp to Triangle Rewards. Upgrade to the World Elite tier the moment your income qualifies — same fee, better grocery rate.
Best for: Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, and Mark's shoppers who don't clear the World Elite tier's income requirement.
Skip if: You clear the $80K/$150K income bar — the World Elite version earns double on groceries for the same $0 fee.
No annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $150 · CT Money
A fine low-fee cash-back card, but the $30 fee is hard to justify against free alternatives earning similar rates.
Best for: National Bank clients who want simple, broad cash-back categories without tracking a complex rewards program.
Skip if: You want a genuinely free card — mycredit Mastercard or Tangerine Money-Back earn similar rates with no fee.
$30 annual fee · First-year net value ≈ $80 · Cash back
Frequently asked questions
What is the best credit cards for groceries and dining in canada?
Amex Cobalt Card leads this ranking with a Standard Score of 8.3/10. BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard is the closest runner-up. See the full comparison table above for how every card in this category scores.
How is this ranking put together?
Cards are ranked by the Standard Score — a weighted average of first-year value, ongoing value, redemption flexibility, perk usability, low friction, and strategic fit. The same fixed, published weights apply to every card on this site; see our methodology for the full breakdown.
Does compensation affect this order?
No. Scores are set before any monetization decision, and referral relationships (where they exist) are disclosed separately. A card that pays us nothing can outrank one that does.