Best credit cards for restaurants in Canada 2024

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The American Express Cobalt^® Card is an excellent all-around rewards credit card that benefits Canadians with a penchant for spending money on food regularly. In addition to earning 5X points for every $1 every time you swipe in an eligible restaurant, you also get the same number of points when you spend at eligible grocery stores, bars, cafes, and on food delivery (applicable only to purchases made in Canada).

When it comes time to trade in your rewards, Amex points are worth $0.01 each when redeemed against any eligible purchase you’ve made with the card, including restaurant bills. The annual fee is a high-ish, $155.88 (12.99/month), but you can make up for that with the introductory offer.

Welcome offer:

If you spend frequently on restaurants and travel or shop internationally, then the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® is an excellent choice. You can earn 5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD you spend when dining at restaurants, fast food joints, or eligible bars. You’ll also earn the same rate on food delivery services, food subscriptions such as Hello Fresh and groceries. If you want to splurge on both dinner and a movie, Scotiabank also gives you 3X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD on eligible entertainment purchases, including movie and theatre tickets. You’ll also earn 6X Scene+ points for each $1 CAD charged to your account on all eligible purchases at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA and a bunch more eligible grocers.¹

Scene+ points are worth up to $0.01 each, depending on what you’re redeeming them on. When you’ve earned enough you can redeem them for things like air travel, purchases of merchandise at eligible retailers, gift cards, or credits to your statement balance.

Besides offering points, this credit card also waives foreign transaction fees on international purchases. Foreign transaction fees usually add 2.5% to every international transaction, so waiving this fee can add up to significant savings if you make international transactions regularly. International dining bills unfortunately will not earn at at the 3 points per $1 rate—they’ll earn at 1 point per $1 instead. But the foreign transaction fee waiver nonetheless makes this one of the best dining cards for those who travel abroad frequently.

Additional perks: Travel insurance, car rental insurance, purchase security, discounted Priority Pass membership, 25% off at AVIS and Budget car rentals, etc.

Offering a hefty 5 BMO Rewards points for every $1 spent on dining out or ordering in, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* has an excellent rewards scheme. Additionally, you’ll also get the same rate at bars, grocery stores, drugstores, and on gas and transit (applicable only to purchases in Canada). Another unique perk via Visa Infinite is the dining experiences you’ll have access to as an extra reward, such as multi-course meals with wine pairings delivered to your home or spending an evening with chefs.

One hundred and fifty BMO Rewards points can be redeemed for $1 in travel or investments into BMO accounts, which works out to a rate of $0.0067 per point. Points can also be redeemed as a statement credit or for merchandise, though the points will be worth less for those redemptions.

Get a $50 annual lifestyle credit to spend however you want*, mobile device insurance, and you can boost your earn rate by 10% when you add a secondary cardholder to your account. If you want to add even more lucrative rewards like priority airport lounge and security passes, luxury hotel access and more, and are willing to pay a higher fee, check out the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* credit card.

Additional perks: $50 annual lifestyle credit, supplementary cards boost earn rate, mobile device insurance, travel insurance, access to Visa Infinite exclusive dining invites

*Terms and conditions apply

If you are looking for a credit card that will allow you to earn on dining out without having to pay a hefty annual fee, then look no further than the Tangerine Money-Back Card. It’s free of charge and still has a decent earn rate for restaurants. The way this credit card works is that you, the cardholder, get to choose two or three spending categories in which you’ll earn 2% back. Once you have selected restaurants as one of your money back categories, you will earn2% on every $1 spent on dining with no limits—a huge advantage over many other credit cards. Another reason why we love the Tangerine Money-Back Card is that you will see those money back rewards in your account every month, you don’t need to wait a year to see your rewards.

^{*Terms and Conditions apply}

Earn rate: 1.5% cash back on groceries, eating & drinking, and transportation

Additional perks: No foreign exchange fees and one free international ATM withdraw per month

Annual fee: $108 or $9 per month

If you’ve had trouble managing your credit in the past, you may want to stay away from credit cards altogether. In this case, a prepaid card like the KOHO Extra credit card is a good choice that still allows you to earn cash back on restaurant spending. You’ll get 1.5% cash back when using KOHO Extra at restaurants, cafes, bars, on food delivery, and at both small or larger chain grocery stores. The 1.5% cash back also applies to transportation, including ride shares like Uber or Lyft.

It’s also important to keep in mind that KOHO Extra requires you to deposit money before you spend it, so there is no way to overspend.

With the Platinum Card® from American Express you earn 2X points on dining and food delivery purchases in Canada.

And The Platinum Card®’s premium dining benefits don’t stop at its earn rate. Platinum and Centurion cardholders have exclusive access to the Global Dining Collection, which offers reservations for international eateries at the vanguard of haute cuisine, and intimate dining events with the world’s most respected gourmet chefs. Also you can enjoy the .

Additional perks: Curated dining experiences; enjoy complimentary benefits that offer an average value of $600 USD at over 1,500 extraordinary properties worldwide when you book Fine Hotels + Resorts; Toronto Pearson airport benefits; Platinum Concierge service; comprehensive travel insurance; free access to airport lounges;

Yes! Although many of the credit cards listed above allow you to earn rewards points that can be redeemed for travel and merchandise, KOHO Extra lets you earn 1.5% cash back on all restaurant spending.

No. While most rewards credit cards require you to pay an annual fee, the Tangerine Money-Back Card does not have a yearly fee. The rewards you can earn with this credit card are slightly lower than the fee-based cards, so it’s essential to consider your spending habits when deciding which credit card is best for you.

Most credit cards use merchant category codes to classify your spending into rewards categories. You can check your vendor’s merchant category code online in advance of your purchase, but this process can be onerous. A quicker method to keep track of which establishments qualify for rewards is to monitor your credit card statement, which will show the purchases that qualify for rewards or cashback.