Best credit cards for recent grad students in Canada

For those without debt, upgrading to a new credit card can offer better rewards. Check out the best credit cards for new graduates and students.

While we adhere to strict editorial guidelines, partners on this page may provide us earnings.

The top graduate credit cards come with lower rates, higher credit limits and rewards to supercharge your future plans.

Congratulations, today is your day. You're off to great places. You're off and away. Dr. Seuss had a way with words, and in 2020, his estate earned $33 million before taxes1, so maybe he was good with money, too. 

Finding a great student card doesn't have to be tricky. Check out some of or top picks for best student credit card (and once you graduate, check out our Best Credit Cards Canada list).

Top 3 new grad credit cards

CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card

Apply Now

Get a first-year annual fee rebate for you and up to three Authorized Users† and earn 10% cash back for the first 4 statements on net purchases of up to $2,000†.

$120 Annual Fee

Good Recommended Credit Score

$60,000 Required Annual Personal Income

American Express Cobalt® Card

Apply Now

Earn up to 15,000 Welcome Bonus Membership Rewards® points* – that’s up to $150 in value.

$155.88 Annual Fee

Fair Recommended Credit Score

$0 Required Annual Personal Income

Scotiabank Momentum® Visa* Card

Apply Now

Get a 2.99% introductory interest rate on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 months.

$39 Annual Fee

Fair Recommended Credit Score

  • Why you can trust Money.ca's best recent graduate credit cards in Canada list

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    Money.ca rates all credit cards on a numeric scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest rating, respectively. Money.ca’s proprietary scoring formulas break down the confusing language, complex points, rewards and earn rates to give you the real data that caters to your needs first, not ours.

    Our partnerships have no impact on our ratings, which are solely determined by the merits of each card. To learn more about how we researched and ranked these cards, read our full credit card review methodology.

Why recent grads should consider a new credit card

For new graduates, recent graduates or even if you're heading to post-grad, 51% of Canadian students with Bachelor's degrees, according to Statistics Canada, are in debt. Of those surveyed, 48% of students owe over $25,000, with the average debt at graduation being $30,600 from government and non-government sources2 (like credit cards).

Fortunately, 46% of graduates had non-government debt paid off at the time of the interview (I assume for their first job after graduation). 

But how?

One effective strategy to manage high interest debt is to consider a balance transfer credit card. This type of card allows you to transfer your existing debt to it, often at a low interest rate, sometimes even 0% for 6-12 months, depending on the card you choose. This can help you save on interest and pay off your debt faster.

Then, there are those of you who aren't in debt, have landed a prestigious job, are looking to climb the ladder of financial stability and enjoy the perks that come with it.

You are no longer beholden to your University credit card, which may not be rewarding your new-grad level of creditworthiness.

For that, we've assembled a list of the best credit cards for grad students and new grads.

Best for Cash back

Best credit card for new grads: Cash back

10% back†

Welcome Bonus

$758

First Year Value

$558

Annual Value

Welcome Bonus: Earn 10% cash back for the first 4 statements on net purchases of up to $2,000†.

Learn More Apply Now On CIBC's Secure Site

If you were using Money.ca’s pick for best student credit card, the BMO Cash Back for students, you may get automatically updated to the non-student version, essentially the same credit card. Unfortunately, you can’t capitalize on its promotional balance transfer offer, nor can you simply transfer the balance to the “adult” version of the card. 

So, switching to the best cash back credit card in Canada, the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite has a $120 annual fee. 

To qualify, you’ll need to make at least $60,000 and have a “Good” credit score of at least 660. 

Read more: Best credit cards for good credit scores

With the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite, the cap on your grocery spending is $20,000, meaning you’ll continue to earn cash back far more than BMO’s limit per statement cycle period. 

Like BMO, you can redeem your cash back any time, so long as you have a minimum of $25 available. BMO allows you to deposit money into your BMO InvestorLine account or your BMO Chequing and Savings account, whereas CIBC issues a statement credit. With CIBC, you can also request cashback be paid out only once a year (as an adult with two kids, I’ll say post-Christmas may be ideal, but you do you).

Is it worth the $120 annual fee? Let’s do some cash back credit card math.

Dollar values (for estimation purposes only) BMO Student Cash Back Mastercard CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card
Annual fee $0 $120
Annual grocery spend: $6,000 At 3%: $180 At 4%: $240
Recurring bills, streaming services, subscriptions and utilities: $1,200 At 1%: $12 At 2%: $24
Gas or EV charging spend: $2,400 At 0.5%: $12 At Earn 4% cash back on eligible gas, EV charging, and grocery purchases†%: $48
Transportation (e.g. rideshare, transit): $1,000 At 0.5%: $5 At 2%: $20
Dining (eats & drinks): $1,800 At 0.5%: $9 At 2%: $36
All other purchases: $12,000 At 0.5%: $60 At 1%: $120
Total cash back earned $278 $488
Less annual fee $0 $120
Is it worth it? $278 $368
  • †Terms and Conditions Apply. This offer is not available for the residents of Quebec.
  • The information for the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card has been collected independently by Money.ca. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Other cash back credit cards for recent grads we love

BMO CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®*

Apply Now

$120 Annual Fee

Excellent Recommended Credit Score

$80,000 Required Annual Personal Income

Scotiabank Momentum® Visa Infinite*

Apply Now

$120 Annual Fee

Excellent Recommended Credit Score

$60,000 Required Annual Personal Income

CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card

Apply Now

$120 Annual Fee

Good Recommended Credit Score

$60,000 Required Annual Personal Income

Best for Travel

Best credit card for new grads: Travel

up to 15k pts

Welcome Bonus

$679.02

First Year Value

$529.02

Annual Value

Welcome Bonus: Earn up to 15,000 Membership Rewards® points* by earning 1,250 Membership Rewards® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 on your Card in your first year as a new Cardmember. This could add up to 15,000 points in a year.*

Learn More Apply Now On American Express' Secure Site

The tricky thing with the Cobalt is that people assume Amex isn’t accepted everywhere. However, that narrative changed after Amex launched its “Shop small” campaign to support small businesses. 

Read more: Where is Amex accepted in Canada

Beyond being the winner of the best credit card in Canada for 2024, the Cobalt is loved for its high earning rate on food and drinks in Canada, including groceries and food delivery. You’ll also earn better than average rates on subscriptions (e.g., Netflix, Spotify), rideshares, transit and gas. It’s sure to fit your new grad lifestyle. 

And all those reward points can be redeemed for great rewards. 

American Express Membership Rewards points transfer 1:1 with Aeroplan, British Airways, and Hilton. You can also transfer them to Marriott Bonvoy, Asia Miles and Air France. As well, you can book directly with Amex travel online. 

A colleague at work uses her points to redeem for statement credits whenever she wants a coffee but doesn’t feel right about spending the money that day. 

While its annual fee is higher, it is divided into monthly payments, making it much more digestible. If you love this card but don’t have the income qualifications, don’t worry—with Amex, there are no income requirements. 

  • Contact American Express for the most up-to-date referral bonus figures.

    American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Best for 22-year-olds

Best credit card for 22-year-olds

2.99% intro rate

Welcome Bonus

$303

First Year Value

$0

Annual Value

Welcome Bonus: 2.99% introductory interest rate on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 months

Learn More Apply Now On Scotiabank's Secure Site

A cash-back card that gives you a decent rewards rate on everyday purchases like gas, groceries, drugstores and recurring bills and a low annual fee of $39 is a sweet credit card now that you’ve graduated. The bonus is they also have a balance transfer offer, which is another nice perk: for the first 6 months

  •  Conditions Apply. Visit here for the Scotiabank Momentum® Visa* Card to learn more. *See Card Provider's website and Card Application for complete card details, terms and current offers. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy of information. 

Best for budget-savvy

Best credit card for grad students who want to be smarter about money

$108

First Year Value

$0

Annual Value

If you're looking for the best credit card post-graduation but still don't have the income qualifier most premium credit cards want to see, we figure the smart choice is the EQ Bank card. 

It's a prepaid Mastercard, so you're not building credit, but the card has no fees and earns 0.5% cash back on all purchases. They'll reimburse you for any ATM withdrawals you make with the card. 

While you must switch banks, EQ Bank is incredible for its customer service and high interest rates. You'll earn 2.5% cash back on your balance and an additional 1.5% if you direct deposit your pay. 

Read more: Best robo advisors in Canada

Best for debt

Best credit card for grad students who want to pay off their student credit card debt

0% intro rate

Welcome Bonus

$0

First Year Value

$0

Annual Value

Welcome Bonus: Get 0% APR for 12 months on transfers

Learn More Apply Now On MBNA Credit Cards' Secure Site

Get a 0% promotional annual interest rate (“AIR”)† for 12 months on balance transfers✪ completed within 90 days of account opening, with a 3% transfer fee. You can’t beat that balance transfer offer and especially not with a card with a $0 annual fee. While you’ll have to pay a balance transfer fee of 3% of the balance transferred, it’s small relative to the amount you’ll save if you can’t seem to get ahead of your student debt. 

Let’s say you owe $4,000. You’ll pay $120 to transfer your existing balance to MBNA and then pay $333.33 per month for the next 12 months, and your balance will be gone. Say hello to being debt-free (at least for your credit card). 

  • †, ✪, Terms and Conditions apply.

    This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For residents of Quebec, please click here.

    Sponsored advertising. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and TD is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete information on this MBNA credit card, please click on the “Apply Now” button.

    The Toronto-Dominion Bank is the issuer of this credit card. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. ®MBNA and other-trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Scotiabank Value® Visa* Card

Apply Now

$29 Annual Fee

Fair Recommended Credit Score

$12,000 Required Annual Personal Income

CIBC Select Visa* Card

Apply Now

$29 Annual Fee

Good Recommended Credit Score

MBNA True Line® Mastercard®

Apply Now

$0 Annual Fee

Good Recommended Credit Score

Best for no credit

Best credit card for recent college graduates with no credit

$153

First Year Value

$0

Annual Value

Learn More Apply Now On Neo's Secure Site

A secured card helps you build credit. The Secured Neo Mastercard earns cash back on gas and groceries, streaming ridesharing and food delivery services. In its app, Neo educates you about money and help you manage your money, too.  

Neo Secured credit card is issued by Neo Financial™ pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated.

Conclusion

Conclusion

It’s time to dump your university credit card and step up into the rewards game. Make your friends jealous, whether you’re jet-setting around the world, earning points at restaurants, or paying off your student debt faster. 

FAQs

FAQs

  • How many credit cards should I have in my 20s?

    +

    Having one or two credit cards in your 20s is ideal. These cards help you build a credit history while keeping spending manageable. Using them responsibly, such as paying off the monthly balance, demonstrates good financial habits and avoids debt.

  • How do I pay off $20,000 in credit card debt?

    +

    To tackle $20,000 in credit card debt, create a budget and cut unnecessary expenses. Consider using the "avalanche" method, paying off the highest-interest card first, or the "snowball" method, focusing on the smallest balance. You could also consolidate the debt onto a balance transfer credit card or negotiate with creditors for lower interest rates or payment plans.

  • Sources:

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    1. https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/what-is-dr-seuss-net-worth

    2. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3710003601&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=3.3&cubeTimeFrame.startYear=2000&cubeTimeFrame.endYear=2020&referencePeriods=20000101%2C20200101

Tyler Wade Personal finance content strategist & writer

Tyler Wade has worked in personal finance for over 5 years writing for brands like Ratehub, Forbes, KOHO, and now Money.ca.

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†Terms and Conditions apply.