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Working hard in the background...
Sara Skodak
AuthorThere are many MBNA credit cards just waiting to optimize your spending.
Whether you’re looking for competitive and flexible reward programs, travel benefits, low-interest perks or no annual fees, MBNA is stocked with a few solid options.
In this blog post, we’ll go through all the best credit cards issued by this institution, dividing them into insightful categories that highlight each card’s strong points.
Stick around to learn more.
Our choice for: Highest rewards on groceries & dining
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Welcome Bonus*
Up to 30,000 points ($300 value)††
Annual Fee*
$120
Interest Rates
19.99% / 24.99%
The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is one of the best reward credit cards in Canada, offering high rewards on frequently spent categories such as groceries and restaurant purchases. The annual birthday bonus, unique to this card, also provides a significant boost to your yearly earnings. Additionally, the card features a comprehensive list of benefits, including price protection—a rare and valuable perk not found with many other cards in Canada. These factors make this card one of the best to have in Canada.
Pros
Cons
Rewards*
Insurance*
Coverage*
Mobile Device Insurance
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Flight Delay
Travel Accident
Emergency Out of province Medical
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Baggage Delay
Benefits*
Details*
Annual Birthday Bonus
Car Rental Discount
Trip and legal Assistance
Concierge Services
Price Protection
Eligibility*
Credit Score
Annual Income
Our highest-rated MBNA credit card is the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard.
Why? Because, out of all the cards featured on this list, it truly is the elite choice.
Let’s explain why:
Firstly, with the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, cardholders earn competitive points on popular spend categories like restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership, and household utility purchases. To complement your spending even further, this card rewards you with tons of extra points for meeting a specific spending requirement in the first few months of account opening.
This impressive rewards program is paired with one of the best spreads of insurance policies you’ll see provided by an MBNA credit card. Complete with useful coverages like mobile device insurance, car rental damage and theft insurance, and travel accident insurance.
The perks don’t end there, there are plenty of boast-worthy benefits to choose from. Enjoy valuable add-ons like car rental discounts at Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car, trip and legal assistance, price protection, and most importantly, an annual birthday bonus that earns you a percentage of the points you earned 12 months prior to your birthday month.
To compensate for the card that’s considered to be one of the best reward credit cards in Canada, you will need to pay an annual fee, plus you'll need to meet certain income requirements to qualify.
As far as MBNA credit cards go, the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard is the most well-balanced card you’ll find – combining high-point potential on day-to-day expenses, respectable insurance, and some rare and sought-after benefits.
If you can’t commit to an annual fee, luckily, MBNA has multiple no-fee credit cards in its catalogue.
Let’s check those out now:
go to MBNA's website
Welcome Bonus*
Up to 10,000 bonus points†† + 4x points on restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership and household utility purchases††
Annual Fee*
$0
Interest Rates
19.99% / 24.99%
The MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus MasterCard is a solid no-annual-fee card choice with high returns on restaurant and grocery purchases, which are the most common spending categories for most people. Additionally, it offers one of the highest signup bonuses for a no-annual-fee card. However, there are two main considerations before choosing this card. If you are open to a card with an annual fee, many other cards offer better rewards. Furthermore, the points earned need to be used for travel to fully benefit from this card; otherwise, if you are not planning to use the points for travel, you are better off with a cashback or another type of card.
Pros
Cons
Rewards*
Insurance*
Coverage*
Mobile Device Insurance
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Benefits*
Details*
Annual Birthday Bonus
Car Rental Discount
Eligibility*
Credit Score
Annual Income
If you’re looking for something annual-fee-free that’s slightly similar to the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, opt for the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard.
Like the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard earns you points per dollar spent on restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership, and household utility purchases – although expect the point rate to be significantly lower than those offered by the “best overall” counterpart. You can also pocket extra points when you meet certain spend requirements in the first few months of membership.
Unlike the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, the insurance inclusions are limited, offering only mobile device insurance, purchase protection insurance, and extended warranty coverage.
There also aren’t as many benefits on this no-fee alternative – but you’ll still get that annual birthday bonus and car rental discounts at Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car.
With the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard, you also don’t have to worry about any income requirements – making the card even more accessible!
Overall, the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard is a great beginner-version of the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard, featuring similar reward categories at lower rates, a little bit of insurance, and a couple of similar benefits.
go to MBNA's website
I currently have or may soon have an Amazon Prime account
Welcome Bonus
Up to $150
Annual Fee
$0
Interest Rates
19.99% / 22.99%
If you are a Prime member and want to maximize your cashback on your Amazon purchases, then this card is the best option for that specific purchase category. However, for other purchases, many other cards offer better benefits and rewards.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Insurance
Coverage
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Benefits
Details
Car Rental Discount
Trip and legal Assistance
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Let’s move on from no-fee point contenders and step into cashback territory.
The Amazon.ca Rewards Mastercard is particularly beneficial for Amazon Prime members. As a member, you can receive solid cashback on Amazon.ca, Whole Foods, and foreign currency transactions. If you’re not a Prime member, you’ll still earn cashback rates on these spend categories, but they’ll be less impressive. For the first half of your first year as a cardholder, you’ll also earn extra cashback rates on Amazon.ca, Whole Foods Market Stores in Canada, grocery, and restaurant purchases– so start spending right away!
The coverage on this card is standard – offering purchase protection and extended warranty insurance.
For benefits, you’ll get a car rental discount off the base rate of rentals at Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car. You’ll also have trip and legal assistance – a way to receive emergency cash transfers, lost documents and ticket replacements, and legal help while abroad.
Ultimately, this card is best for applicants who are already Amazon Prime members – that way they can take advantage of top cashback rates on Amazon purchases and everyday spending. Additionally, if you time your membership right, you can use this card to earn significant cashback in the first few months of account activation (which is a great way to optimize big purchases through participating categories).
go to MBNA's website
Welcome Bonus*
Up to 5% cash back††
Annual Fee*
$0
Interest Rates
19.99% / 24.99%
The MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Mastercard is a solid no-fee card for those looking to earn rewards on everyday essentials like gas and groceries. However, with a cap on rewards and a low base earn rate on other purchases, it may not be the best fit for high spenders outside of these categories.
Pros
Cons
Rewards*
Insurance*
Coverage*
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Car Rental Accident
Car Rental Personal Effects
Travel Accident
Car Rental Personal Effects
Benefits*
Details*
Car Rental Discount
Trip and legal Assistance
Eligibility*
Credit Score
Annual Income
If you’re not an Amazon Prime member and don’t plan to be, you can always earn decent cashback on everyday categories with the MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Card.
With this card, collect decent cashback on eligible gas and grocery purchases. The only downside is that once you meet your monthly spend cap on these categories, your reward rate will drop to the base rate – which is below average. It's also important to note that when users opt for a statement credit from the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard, they can earn better "cash back" from their points than they would from the cashback rates of the MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Card, which is something to consider if you're looking at reward programs alone.
For a no-fee card, the MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Card comes with good insurance coverage – with notable inclusions like trip interruption insurance, car rental personal effects insurance, and car rental accident insurance.
You’ll also receive two solid benefits – car rental discounts at Avis and Budget locations, plus trip and legal assistance.
All in all, opting for the MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Card is a decent way to earn cashback on popular everyday categories, but even its points competitor, the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard can give you better "cash back" through its statement credit redemption category. With this piece of information in mind, the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard is best for overall rewards, but if you want better coverage alongside some cashback (particularly insurance categories that pertain to travel) then the MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Card is the way to go.
Travellers will be pleased to know that there’s one card in particular that can complement their trips – one that might be slightly familiar.
Our choice for: Highest rewards on groceries & dining
go to MBNA's website
Welcome Bonus*
Up to 30,000 points ($300 value)††
Annual Fee*
$120
Interest Rates
19.99% / 24.99%
The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is one of the best reward credit cards in Canada, offering high rewards on frequently spent categories such as groceries and restaurant purchases. The annual birthday bonus, unique to this card, also provides a significant boost to your yearly earnings. Additionally, the card features a comprehensive list of benefits, including price protection—a rare and valuable perk not found with many other cards in Canada. These factors make this card one of the best to have in Canada.
Pros
Cons
Rewards*
Insurance*
Coverage*
Mobile Device Insurance
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Flight Delay
Travel Accident
Emergency Out of province Medical
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Baggage Delay
Benefits*
Details*
Annual Birthday Bonus
Car Rental Discount
Trip and legal Assistance
Concierge Services
Price Protection
Eligibility*
Credit Score
Annual Income
The MBNA Reward World Elite Mastercard isn't just elite, it’s also your optimized MBNA ticket to see the world.
Once you earn points on your everyday spend categories like restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership and household utility purchases, you can go ahead and use those points towards your next eligible trip. As it turns out, these points are actually the most valuable when spent towards travel.
To keep you safe and secure on every adventure, the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard also comes with travel insurance categories like flight and baggage delay, travel accident, lost or stolen baggage, and emergency out of province medical insurance.
The card also has a few benefits that are travel-oriented as well – like car rental discounts for road trips, trip and legal assistance for mishaps, and concierge services for vacation planning and booking.
At the end of the day, the best MBNA credit credit card for getting away is the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard because of its travel-applicable points, travel-oriented coverage, and travel-supporting benefits.
Before we wrap things up, let’s bring back a no-fee credit card with another important perk – low-interest rates.
Our choice for: Balance transfer and interest savings
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Welcome Bonus
0% rate on balance transfers for 12 months (3% fee)†
Rewards Rate
0%
Annual Fee
$0
Interest Rates
12.99%* / 24.99%*
Even though this card offers no benefits or rewards, the amount you can save on interest is substantial, making it an excellent option for reducing your monthly payments.
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Benefits
Details
Car Rental Discount
Eligibility
Credit Score
Annual Income
Sure, the MBNA True Line Mastercard won’t earn you any fancy rewards, comprehensive coverage or added benefits – but it will support you best when you carry a balance.
Notably, this MBNA option has all-time-low interest rates on purchases. Balance transfer rates are decent most of the time, but they’re their lowest in the first year of membership, and by low we mean non-existent.
So, if you want low-interest rates on your purchases all the time, and no balance transfer rates for a full year – you’ll find that the best MBNA credit card for you has to be the MBNA True Line Mastercard.
Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card
BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard®∗
Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card
BMO VIPorter Mastercard®∗
Neo World Elite® Mastercard® Secured