Guides & rewards news
Plain-English guides to help you earn more, pay less interest, and pick the right card for your wallet.
5 Best No Annual Fee Travel Credit Cards in Canada (2026)
You don't need to pay an annual fee to travel smarter. These are the 5 best no-fee travel credit cards in Canada — for skipping foreign transaction fees, collecting Aeroplan, and earning flexible points for free.
Nicole Reynolds · June 7, 2026 · 3 min read
5 Best Credit Cards for Groceries in Canada (2026)
Groceries are most families' biggest card-able expense. Here are the 5 best credit cards for groceries in Canada — from category-leading points earners to 4% cash back — and how to pick the right one.
June 7, 2026 · 4 min read
5 Best Credit Cards for Gas in Canada (2026)
Fuel is expensive — your card should pay you back for it. Here are the 5 best credit cards for gas in Canada, from 4% cash back at the pump to a no-fee pick for Costco members, plus how to avoid the common gas-station traps.
June 7, 2026 · 3 min read
Best Credit Cards for Travel Points in Canada (2026)
The best Canadian credit cards for earning flexible, transferable travel points — and how to turn everyday grocery and dining spending into flights.
June 4, 2026 · 2 min read
The Best Travel Credit Cards in Canada for 2026
Our top travel cards for Canadians — from no-FX everyday earners to Aeroplan powerhouses — and how to choose between points, miles and flexibility.
May 28, 2026 · 2 min read
RESP Contribution Limit (2026): The Grant Runs Out Before the Room
You can contribute $50,000, but the grant stops at $36,000 — the last $14,000 is matched by nothing. Plus the age-10 deadline after which some of the $7,200 is lost for good.
October 10, 2026 · 7 min read
Avion Rewards Guide (2026): Two Programmes, One Name
Avion runs two redemption systems under one name — a flat cent a point, and a fixed flight schedule worth up to 2.33 cents. The schedule is card-gated, and on a cheap fare it costs you more points than the flat rate.
October 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Review (2026): Where the 4% Cash Back Stops
The 4% on groceries and bills stops at $25,000 of spending, and past it you earn 1%. Below about $6,000 a year the $120 fee is unrecoverable. The useful band is narrower than any review admits.
October 8, 2026 · 8 min read
TD Rewards Points Value (2026): Every Redemption Rate Compared
TD's terms commit to exactly one rate: 200 points for $1 through Expedia For TD. Every other route is 'we may let you redeem', with no rate named anywhere. That is the finding.
October 7, 2026 · 7 min read
Wealthsimple Credit Card Review (2026): What Changed on April 28 and Which Tier You Have
Approved before 28 April 2026? You hold a different card from the one Wealthsimple sells today — the company says so itself. The two cohorts, the tier gates, and why "no annual fee" means $20 a month unless you move $100,000.
October 6, 2026 · 11 min read
Employment Insurance in Canada (2026): Your Region Sets the Amount
EI pays 55% — but only on the first $68,900 of earnings. Above that everyone gets the same $729 a week, so the real replacement rate falls below 20% for high earners. And your region decides the weeks.
October 6, 2026 · 6 min read
Aeroplan Points Guide (2026): What They're Really Worth
Aeroplan points have a hard floor of one cent — 1,000 buys a $10 LCBO gift card. That makes every flight redemption one question: does it beat a cent a point? Here is the test, and the arithmetic.
October 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Rogers World Elite Mastercard Review (2026): The Real USD Rate
It is not a no-foreign-transaction-fee card. Rogers charges 2.5% and pays 3% back on US spending, so your real position is half a percent — and from 18 November 2026 a plain no-FX card returns double that.
October 4, 2026 · 11 min read
Canada Child Benefit (2026): Why Your Payment Hasn't Changed Yet
Your July 2026 to June 2027 payments are set by your 2025 income, and nothing you earn this year will change them. The amounts, the clawback rates, and the eighteen-month lag in the CRA's own words.
October 4, 2026 · 7 min read
PC Optimum Points Value (2026): The Two Exchange Rates
A PC Optimum point is worth a tenth of a cent, so every multiplier divides by ten to become a percentage. 20x is 2%. 30x is 3%. The number is large because the unit is small.
October 3, 2026 · 8 min read
CIBC Costco Mastercard Review (2026): The Real Cost of Costco's Only Card
Costco's own credit card pays 1% at Costco — its lowest rate — and returns it once a year as a gift certificate you can only spend there. The 3% is for restaurants. Here is what the card actually costs once the membership is counted.
October 2, 2026 · 9 min read
Capital Gains Tax Canada (2026): The Rate Didn't Change
The inclusion rate is still one-half — the increase to two-thirds was deferred, then cancelled. What you actually pay, why a large gain stacks through brackets, and what the exemption is worth.
October 1, 2026 · 7 min read
Scene+ Points Guide (2026): What They're Worth by Redemption
Every Scene+ route pays exactly one cent a point — except the statement credit, which pays 150 points per dollar. Scene+ publishes both numbers and never puts them side by side. On 10,000 points the gap is $33.33.
September 30, 2026 · 8 min read
Canadian Tire Triangle Mastercard Review (2026): What Is Canadian Tire Money Actually Worth?
The Triangle card pays 4% at Canadian Tire — in a currency you can only spend at Canadian Tire. Once you count the 0.5% it pays everywhere else, you need about $10,300 a year in those stores before it beats a flat 2% cash back card.
September 29, 2026 · 10 min read
Income Tax Brackets Canada (2026): Your Bracket Isn't Your Rate
Being in the 26% bracket does not mean paying 26%. On $120,000 the real federal rate is about 15.4%. The 2026 brackets, the arithmetic, and the quiet cost of the rate cut to every credit you claim.
September 28, 2026 · 7 min read
Credit Card Interest (2026): The Day It Starts
Paying $999 of a $1,000 statement is not 99% as good as paying in full — you lose the grace period entirely and interest is charged back to each purchase date. The mechanics, from FCAC's own figures.
September 27, 2026 · 8 min read
Free Credit Report Canada (2026): The Report Isn't the Score
Both bureaus must give you your file free, four ways. But your free score is only available from TransUnion if you live in Quebec or Ontario — and the errors that cost you money live in the report, not the number.
September 24, 2026 · 11 min read
CPP and OAS Payments (2026): Why You Won't Get the Maximum
The maximum CPP at 65 is $1,507.65 a month. The average actually paid is $877.01. Both come from the same Service Canada page — and the gap is what your own savings have to cover.
September 22, 2026 · 7 min read
Transit Number vs Branch Number (2026): Canada's Two Formats
Your branch number and transit number are the same thing. But Canada has two routing formats holding the same digits in opposite orders — which is why payroll deposits get rejected. Both formats, side by side.
September 19, 2026 · 10 min read
GST/HST Credit (2026): It Now Has a Different Name
The CRA renamed it the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit as of July 2026 — its own page now reads "No longer available." The last old-name payment was April 2, 2026. Almost no other page has noticed.
September 17, 2026 · 7 min read
What Is a Cash Advance? (2026): It Isn't Just the ATM
Money orders, wire transfers and casino chips are treated like cash advances too. No grace period, interest from day one — and your minimum payment goes to the cheapest part of your balance first.
September 15, 2026 · 10 min read
How to Improve Your Credit Score in Canada (2026): When It Shows
Everyone publishes the same list of actions and nobody publishes the clock. Here's the lag on each one — including why paying off a collection doesn't remove it from your file.
September 12, 2026 · 10 min read
Equifax vs TransUnion Canada (2026): One Inquiry, Two Clocks
Equifax Canada drops a hard inquiry after three years. TransUnion Canada keeps it for six. We built the retention comparison from both bureaus' own published rules — nobody else publishes it.
September 9, 2026 · 12 min read
Void Cheque (2026): Why You Probably Don't Need One
The government's own direct deposit form says you can attach a void cheque or just type your account details. Here's who genuinely needs one, what everyone else accepts instead, and why you should never sign it.
September 6, 2026 · 10 min read
What Is a Credit Utilization Ratio? (2026): The Date Decides
Your utilization is the balance your lender reports, not the one you carry. Pay in full every month and you can still report 80% — because the snapshot is taken when your statement closes, not when you pay.
September 3, 2026 · 10 min read
Notice of Assessment (2026): The Date Matters More Than the Refund
Most people read it for the refund and file it. The date on it starts your 90-day window to dispute the assessment — and if you're on CRA online mail, it never arrives by post at all.
September 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Amex Cobalt Review (2026): What the Fee Increase Did to the Math
The Cobalt now costs $191.88 a year and Amex no longer lists groceries in its 5x tier. We ran the break-even: you need about $533 a month on restaurants and delivery before it beats a free 2% cash back card.
August 28, 2026 · 7 min read
RRSP Contribution Limit and Deadline (2026): It Isn't March 1
The deadline is the 60th day after year end, not a fixed date — the CRA's 2025 window runs to March 2, 2026. And if you turn 71 this year there's no March grace period at all.
August 26, 2026 · 8 min read
BMO Blue Rewards: The 10x Partner Cap Is Reportedly Annual Now
BMO has reportedly moved the Blue Rewards partner cap from monthly to annual — a real gain for lumpy spending. BMO's own benefits guide still shows the monthly cap, so we have not stated the new figures as verified.
August 22, 2026 · 5 min read
Rogers Red Mastercard Changes: 5% on Rogers Bills, 1.5x Bonus Gone
Rogers is raising the rate on Rogers purchases to 5% and removing the 1.5x redemption bonus. We ran the numbers: most cardholders lose money unless Rogers is more than a third of their spending.
August 22, 2026 · 7 min read
Does the Walmart Rewards Mastercard Beat a Cash Back Card?
The Walmart Rewards Mastercard pays 3% at Walmart and 1% everywhere else. We ran the break-even maths: Walmart has to be about half your card spending before it beats a flat 2% cash back card.
August 21, 2026 · 9 min read
TFSA Contribution Limit 2026: Don't Trust the CRA's Number
The 2026 limit is $7,000 — but the CRA tells you on its own page not to use the contribution room it shows you, because it updates once a year in the spring. Here's how to reconcile your real number.
August 19, 2026 · 8 min read
Apple Pay and Google Pay in Canada (2026): What Actually Changes
A wallet isn't a payment method, it's a layer over the card you already have. What changes in Canada: Interac Debit support, contactless limits your bank sets, and the adult-fare trap on transit.
August 13, 2026 · 8 min read
Can You Deposit Cash at an ATM in Canada? (2026): Not Every Machine
The question isn't whether you can, it's which machine. Five classes of ATM, only some take deposits — and depositing a cheque at the machine instead of the counter costs you a day at both ends.
August 6, 2026 · 8 min read
How to Fill Out a Cheque in Canada (2026): What the Rules Say
Write $150 in the box and five hundred dollars on the line and the law says five hundred. Section 27(2) of the Bills of Exchange Act, plus the post-dating deadline nobody publishes.
July 30, 2026 · 8 min read
What Is a Prepaid Card? (2026): Four Words Canadians Get Wrong
"Prepaid credit card" is a contradiction — there's no credit in it, and it builds no credit file. Plus the failure nobody warns you about: holds that freeze your balance at hotels and gas pumps.
July 23, 2026 · 9 min read
Direct Deposit in Canada (2026): Four Setups, Four Timelines
Your employer, the CRA, the Receiver General and any private payer each hold a separate copy of your banking details, and none of them tell each other. Which is why changing banks breaks things one at a time.
July 16, 2026 · 9 min read
What Is a Good Credit Score in Canada? (2026): Equifax's Number
Equifax Canada publishes bands. TransUnion Canada publishes none and says the lender decides. Every tidy five-colour chart you've seen is one company's cutoffs, reprinted without saying so.
July 9, 2026 · 8 min read
How to Build Credit From Scratch in Canada (2026): What Reports
A credit file records whether you repay borrowed money — not whether you pay your bills. Here's the inventory of what you already pay, and how little of it reaches a bureau.
July 2, 2026 · 10 min read
Best Aeroplan Credit Cards in Canada (2026)
Which Aeroplan credit card earns the most for Air Canada flyers — plus how to top up your balance with transferable points.
June 5, 2026 · 1 min read
Charge Card vs Credit Card: What's the Difference?
Charge cards and credit cards look alike but work differently. Here's how they compare on balances, limits, interest and credit building.
June 3, 2026 · 1 min read
How to Build Credit in Canada: A Beginner's Guide
A simple, step-by-step guide to building or rebuilding your credit score in Canada — including the best cards to start with.
June 2, 2026 · 2 min read
Cash Back vs Points: Which Credit Card Rewards Are Better?
Cash back is simple and never loses value; points can be worth more if you redeem them well. Here's how to decide which rewards type is right for you.
May 21, 2026 · 2 min read
How Credit Card Interest Works in Canada (and How to Pay $0)
Understand grace periods, how interest is calculated, and the simple habit that lets you pay zero interest forever — no matter your card's rate.
May 12, 2026 · 1 min read