For many Canadians, the month of January is marked with an assortment of goal setting and New Year’s resolutions from fitness promises to personal finance makeovers. If leisure travel is on your ‘do more’ list it’s equally important to set a goal with a clear action plan. Travel reward credit card programs can help, but sifting through the more than 75 travel rewards credit card offerings can be a daunting task. Thankfully, Rewards Canada has taken the guesswork out of the equation with its 9th annual Travel Rewards Credit Card Ranking.
Credit cards are ranked in six major categories including: Travel Points (with annual fee), Travel Points (with no annual fee), Hybrid (flexible currency), Airline, Hotel and Best Overall Card. The credit cards are evaluated by key factors including cost, co-brand partnerships, rate-of-return, benefits and redemption options.
“Without exaggeration, 2016 was one of the most turbulent years in the Canadian Travel Rewards Program industry,” says Patrick Sojka, founder of RewardsCanada.ca. “The consumer blowback from how Air Miles managed their expiration policy was unprecedented. And while the company ultimately backed off, the experience left many Canadians questioning the value of loyalty programs.”
Regaining the trust of Canadian consumers is a top priority of each of this year’s winners. These program operators represent the best-of-the-best with travel rewards offers that are simple to understand, easy to acquire and offer a solid rate-of-return.
And The Winners Are:
- Best Overall Travel Reward Card: American Express Gold Rewards Card
- Travel Points (with annual fee): Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard
- Travel Points (with no annual fee): Scotiabank More Rewards Visa Credit Card
- Hybrid: American Express Gold Rewards Card
- Airline: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite
- Hotel: The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
“Once again, no card can top the American Express Gold Rewards Card as the best overall travel rewards option in Canada,” explains Sojka “It’s unmatched as a hybrid card – capable of earning points for virtually any type of travel while at the same time serving as a frequent flyer and frequent guest program card.”
The biggest changes this year came in the Travel Points Credit Card with no annual fee category. The card offers a huge return on day-to-day spending that rivals and beats not only its no fee card brethren but many premium cards that have annual fees.
The Top Travel Rewards Card feature, with complete rankings and background, can be found online at http://www.rewardscanada.ca/topcc2017
Fun fact: Did you know that Rewards Canada was one of if not the very first website in Canada to actually rank credit cards?