The “Big Five” Canadian banks offer credit cards and include Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank (TD Canada Trust), Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Did you know that there are many other options?
Latest News
Will you wear your credit card on your wrist? Royal bank is betting on it. + MORE Nov 9th
TORONTO – You’ve heard of paying retailers with the tap of a smartphone, but Royal Bank thinks shoppers are ready to take another big step: wearing payment options on their wrist.
The bank has paired with Toronto-based technology developer Bionym to test a wristband called Nymi (pronounc.... More »
A look at how you can extract enormous value out of the best ever welcome bonuses on American Express Aeroplan cards + MORE Jul 14th
Back in June American Express and Aeroplan revealed the best ever welcome bonuses on their co-brand cards. With offers ranging from 75,000 to 150,000 points these unprecedented new bonuses scream huge value thanks to the Aeroplan program being able to provide outsized value on award flight redemptio.... More »
November 19 Update: Our Guide to Business Class Lounge Access has been updated, up to 10x miles for online shopping from Aeroplan & AIR MILES + MORE Nov 19th
We finally got around to updating our Guide to Business Class Lounge Access. It has more credit cards listed, pricing updates for single entries and annual memberships. Read the updated Guide here! We have also updated our Holiday Shopping piece with the latest online shopping bonuses from Aeroplan.... More »
Banks tighten standards for card applicants, says Federal Reserve Aug 7th
Banks made it harder to get a credit card in the second quarter of 2018, according to the Federal Reserve's survey of bank loan officers, with subprime borrowers facing tighter approval standards..... More »
Get your movie fix and earn or redeem SCENE points with Cineplex's Online store Apr 4th
Do you need some more movie time at home now that you have pretty much watched every movie and show possible on Netflix and Prime Video? Or want to watch some new releases but not pay the rental fees associated with most Video on Demand services? Then don't forget about Cineplex's online store. The .... More »
Jan 2 Update: Rewards Canada page updates, up to 3x Aeroplan Miles for Delta Hotel stays, Marriott Rewards new member bonus
– RewardsCanada.ca
We’re back! After almost two weeks off Rewards Canada is back to work! We hope that you all had amazing holidays and a great New Year! This is first update of 2014 and of course the big news is from Aeroplan which you can find in two separate posts from earlier today:Aeroplan Changes went into effect yesterday (January 1)TD Canada Trust Aeroplan Cards officially releasedThere is other news and of course bonuses to share so don’t stop reading the daily update just yet! News, Tips & Tricks Once again in lieu of sending Christmas Gift Baskets to some of our clients Rewards Canada made a $500 donation to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.Over the break we updated the Rewards Canada guide to which airlines and hotels you can earn miles/points with credit cards here in Canada. The chart was not updated for quite some time which meant some cards were not included and others changed so this is all caught up now. Also we standardized the way the points earning is listed on the chart, now you can see what you will earn based on $1 in spending or conversion of 1 point…OTTAWA – It’s not just the temperatures that are freezing on this first day of 2014.
The federal government says it’s freezing Employment Insurance premiums, and generally keeping taxes low.
But the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says the EI “rate freeze” will actually mean that premiums will go up slightly for some.
In its annual New Year’s Tax Changes report, the federation calculates that maximum employee EI rates will go up by $23 in 2014 to $914.
It says maximum EI premiums paid by employers will also rise by $31 to $1,279.
Overall, EI premium rates will remain at 2013 levels, at $1.88 per $100 of insurable earnings.
The federation adds that Canada Pension Plan premiums will be hiked by $140 for workers earning at least $52,500 per year.
But there will be bigger tax breaks for people who donate to charities for the first time.
They will receive a credit of 40 per cent of the first $200 they donate, rather than the normal 15 per cent credit.
The tax credit for donations over $200 is also rising, to 54 per cent for first time donors, rather than the previous 29 per cent…
The federal government says it’s freezing Employment Insurance premiums, and generally keeping taxes low.
But the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says the EI “rate freeze” will actually mean that premiums will go up slightly for some.
In its annual New Year’s Tax Changes report, the federation calculates that maximum employee EI rates will go up by $23 in 2014 to $914.
It says maximum EI premiums paid by employers will also rise by $31 to $1,279.
Overall, EI premium rates will remain at 2013 levels, at $1.88 per $100 of insurable earnings.
The federation adds that Canada Pension Plan premiums will be hiked by $140 for workers earning at least $52,500 per year.
But there will be bigger tax breaks for people who donate to charities for the first time.
They will receive a credit of 40 per cent of the first $200 they donate, rather than the normal 15 per cent credit.
The tax credit for donations over $200 is also rising, to 54 per cent for first time donors, rather than the previous 29 per cent…
Aeroplan Changes went into effect yesterday (January 1)
– RewardsCanada.ca
Rewards Canada was one of the first third party outlets to break the Aeroplan news back in June about the credit card changes, award chart changes, the Distinction program and more. All of these changes came into effect yesterday (January 1st) and taking note from our expanded thoughts post in July here once again are the changes that are taking place:7 Year Expiry RuleFirstly, the 7 year expiry rule is over and done with. A good move in my opinion. A couple of other programs have already done this, Delta SkyMile and more recently JetBlue TrueBlue. However with Aeroplan they still have the inactivity rule in place which means if you don’t use your Aeroplan account at least once every 12 months (either earn or burn) you will lose your miles. Now if you read any other frequent flyer blogs or forums the removal of the 7 year rule is not a big deal. True for frequent flyers or big time credit card spenders it’s not, they earn enough miles quickly to redeem well within 7 years. But for the average Canadian Aeroplan member who is neither a frequent flyer or big time crest spender this is great news…National retail group appeals $5.7 billion settlement in swipe-fee price-fixing lawsuit
– canadianbusiness.com
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The National Retail Federation is appealing a multi-billion-dollar settlement over credit card swipe fees, saying the deal won’t stop fees from soaring in the future.
Last month, a federal judge approved the settlement between retailers and card giants Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. Retailers had accused the card companies of conspiring to fix transaction fees charged to stores for handling credit card payments.
The settlement was originally valued at $7.25 billion but shrank to about $5.7 billion because some retailers opted out, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
On Thursday, the retail federation filed an appeal with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asking it to overturn a lower court’s approval of the settlement.
The group said that the settlement was flawed and wouldn’t stop fees from rising.
“Instead of lowering fees, the card industry’s settlement proposes that merchants pass them along to consumers in the form of surcharges,” the retail group’s general counsel, Mallory Duncan, said in a statement…
Last month, a federal judge approved the settlement between retailers and card giants Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. Retailers had accused the card companies of conspiring to fix transaction fees charged to stores for handling credit card payments.
The settlement was originally valued at $7.25 billion but shrank to about $5.7 billion because some retailers opted out, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
On Thursday, the retail federation filed an appeal with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asking it to overturn a lower court’s approval of the settlement.
The group said that the settlement was flawed and wouldn’t stop fees from rising.
“Instead of lowering fees, the card industry’s settlement proposes that merchants pass them along to consumers in the form of surcharges,” the retail group’s general counsel, Mallory Duncan, said in a statement…
The Best Cash Back Credit Cards of 2014
– canadianfinanceblog.com
Who doesn’t like free cash? If you are looking for a way to get a little extra back at the end of each month, a good cash back card is right for you. Most cash back cards offer you a percentage of your purchases as a reward. Cash back credit cards can help you make the most of your every day purchases.Look for a cash back card that is likely to provide you with maximum rewards in the spending categories you use most. These credit cards are most effective when you use them to make every day purchases, and then pay off the balance each month.
Scotiabank Momentum VISA Infinite Card - The Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite card is designed to reward you for your every day purchases and is the card I use for all my regular purchases and bill payments. You receive a full 4% cash back on gas station and grocery store purchases. Additionally, you receive 2% cash back on your recurring payments and on drug store purchases. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. There is a 21-day grace period before interest starts accruing…
