Visa is accepted at virtually every merchant in Canada, making it the safest network choice if you only want to carry one card. The best Visa cards for cashback are the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite (4% on groceries and recurring bills) and the Simplii Financial Visa (4% on dining, no fee). For travel, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite both offer strong earning and premium perks. If you want zero fees and zero complexity, the Home Trust Preferred Visa earns 1% on everything with no foreign transaction fee — a rare combination in a free card.
Best Visa Cards by Category
Best Overall Visa Cards
Card
Annual Fee
Earn Rate
Best Feature
Income Req.
Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite
$120
4% grocery/recurring, 2% gas/transit, 1% other
Highest cashback on groceries
$60,000
TD Cash Back Visa Infinite
$139
3% grocery/recurring, 1% other
Strong grocery and recurring bill cashback
$60,000
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite
$139
3 pts/$1 travel, 2 pts/$1 gas, 1 pt/$1 other
Flexible travel rewards
$60,000
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite
$139
1.5 pts/$1 (Aeroplan)
Air Canada loyalty integration
$60,000
Scotiabank Gold American Express
$120
5x travel, 3x dining/groceries, 1x other
Scene+ points, flexible
$60,000
Best No-Fee Visa Cards
Card
Annual Fee
Earn Rate
FX Fee
Best For
Home Trust Preferred Visa
$0
1% cashback
0%
No FX fees (travel)
Simplii Financial Visa
$0
4% restaurant, 1.5% grocery, 0.5% other
2.5%
Dining cashback
CIBC Dividend Visa
$0
0.5% cashback
2.5%
Basic everyday card
TD Cash Back Visa
$0
0.5% cashback
2.5%
Entry-level TD card
Scotiabank Value Visa
$29
0.5% cashback
2.5%
Low-fee with basic rewards
Best Visa Cards for Travel
Card
Annual Fee
Travel Earn
Lounge Access
FX Fee
Insurance
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite
$150
3 pts/$1 travel, 2 pts/$1 dining
6 Dragon Pass visits/yr
0%
Trip cancellation, medical
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite
$139
1.5 Aeroplan/$1
Maple Leaf Lounge (1/yr)
2.5%
Comprehensive travel
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege
$499
3 pts/$1 travel, 1.5 pts/$1 other
Priority Pass (unlimited)
0%
Full suite
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite
$139
3 pts/$1 travel, 1 pt/$1 other
—
2.5%
Extended medical
Home Trust Preferred Visa
$0
1% cashback
—
0%
None
Visa Card Tier Comparison
Visa has four tiers in Canada: Classic, Platinum, Infinite, and Infinite Privilege. The jump from Platinum to Infinite is where the real benefits start — Infinite cards include $1M–$2M in emergency medical coverage, comprehensive rental car insurance, and concierge service, but require $60,000 in personal income. Infinite Privilege goes further with lounge access, higher insurance limits, and trip coverage up to 31 days. If you don’t meet the $60,000 income requirement, the best no-fee Visa cards at the Platinum level still offer solid purchase protection and extended warranty.
Feature
Visa Classic
Visa Platinum
Visa Infinite
Visa Infinite Privilege
Income requirement
None
None
$60,000
$80,000+
Purchase protection
Basic
90 days
90 days
90 days
Extended warranty
—
1 year
1 year
1 year
Travel medical insurance
—
$500K (15 days)
$1M–$2M (21 days)
$2M+ (31 days)
Trip cancellation
—
$1,000
$1,500–$2,500
$5,000+
Car rental insurance
—
Basic
Comprehensive
Comprehensive
Concierge service
—
—
Yes
Premium
Airport lounge
—
—
Some cards
Priority Pass
Annual fee range
$0
$0–$79
$120–$170
$399–$599
Cashback Comparison: $30,000 Annual Spending
Card
Groceries ($8K)
Gas ($3K)
Dining ($3K)
Other ($16K)
Total
Net (After Fee)
Scotiabank Momentum Infinite
$320
$60
$30
$160
$570
$450
TD Cash Back Infinite
$240
$30
$30
$160
$460
$321
Simplii Visa (no fee)
$120
$15
$120
$80
$335
$335
Home Trust Preferred (no fee)
$80
$30
$30
$160
$300
$300
The Bottom Line
For cashback, the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite at $120/year delivers the highest return for families who spend on groceries. For travel, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite at $150 is the best-value Visa with no FX fees and lounge access. For no-fee simplicity, the Home Trust Preferred Visa or Simplii Financial Visa are both excellent. And if you also carry an Amex for food spending, any of these Visa cards makes a perfect backup for everywhere Amex isn’t accepted.