Best Credit Cards for Newcomers to Canada (2026)

We rank 10 no-annual-fee cards whose listed personal income is $15,000 or less, or is not listed. Ranked by the same published score as How we rank — not a hand-typed “newcomer” score.

Net annual value is estimated rewards on the published spend profile minus the listed annual fee. Welcome bonuses are scored separately.

CIBC Costco Business Mastercard and CIBC Costco Mastercard require a Costco membership in our data. That is not a newcomer program.

We only repeat newcomer-specific eligibility when it is on an issuer page. Approval is still a credit decision.

Simplii Financial New to Canada Banking Program (simplii.com new-to-Canada page, verified 2026-10-26): names the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa. It states you can apply and get a credit limit up to $10,000 with no Canadian credit history needed. The Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa product page lists $15,000 minimum annual household income, no annual fee, and regular eligibility as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (excluding Quebec), age of majority, and no bankruptcy in the last 7 years. Simplii products are not available in Quebec.

RBC Credit Cards for Newcomers (rbcroyalbank.com new-to-Canada credit cards, verified 2026-10-26): newcomers can get an RBC credit card with a credit limit up to $15,000 even with no Canadian credit history. The page names the RBC Cash Back Mastercard (no annual fee in our data) and the RBC ION+ Visa ($48 annual fee in our data; a listed perk is a student fee rebate). It also names an Avion Visa Platinum card that is not in our data — we do not review it here.

Scotiabank StartRight (startright.scotiabank.com, verified 2026-10-26): available to permanent residents in Canada 0–5 years, foreign workers, and international students. A Canadian credit history is not required for a credit card under StartRight. The credit limit under the program is up to $15,000, subject to change. You must be a resident of Canada and the age of majority. Approval and limit depend on Scotiabank’s credit criteria, including verifiable income and credit history if available. Foreign workers applying for a credit card need a letter from a Canadian employer confirming annual income. The StartRight offer page names the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card ($150 annual fee, listed income $60,000 personal, or $100,000 household in our data). That income figure is the Passport product listing, not a StartRight waiver.

BMO, TD, and CIBC publish newcomer credit-card pages. BMO states an unsecured card with a limit of up to $5,000 with no credit history, and a secured card if you do not qualify. TD states a permanent resident may be eligible for a credit limit of up to $15,000 even with no credit history. CIBC states you do not need a security deposit or credit history, and you may be eligible for up to a $15,000 limit on a first CIBC credit card. Those BMO and TD pages name products that are not in our data. CIBC’s newcomer page names several cards we do not list (including Dividend Platinum, a non-student Adapta, a non-student Dividend Visa, and Aventura Gold). We do not treat those as cards on this site.

Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card (3.0/5, $0 annual fee, Mastercard). Listed income $12,000 on the product page (“gross annual income of $12,000 or more”). The same page says you must be at least the age of majority and a Canadian resident with no bankruptcy in the past 7 years. Tangerine’s “Who can get a Tangerine Credit Card?” page says you need to be a permanent resident of Canada. Neither page states that a Canadian credit history is not required. We do not invent a newcomer waiver.

• 2% cash back on 2 categories of your choice (3 with Tangerine Savings) (Unlimited)
• 0.5% cash back on All other purchases (Unlimited)

Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa (3.1/5, $0 annual fee, Visa). Listed income $15,000. Regular product-page eligibility is citizen or permanent resident, excluding Quebec. The separate New to Canada page is what states no Canadian credit history and a limit up to $10,000.

• 4% cash back on Restaurants, bars, coffee shops (Up to $5,000/year spend)
• 1.5% cash back on Gas, groceries, drugstores, pre-authorized payments (Up to $15,000/year spend)
• 0.5% cash back on All other purchases (Unlimited)

Run a custom grocery, dining, and bills mix on the spending calculator. Rankings here use the published score.

StartRight names the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card. In our data it lists a $150 annual fee, $60,000 personal, or $100,000 household income, a 0% FX fee, and score 3.4/5.

That is a premium travel card. We do not treat StartRight naming it as a waiver of the listed $60,000 personal income. If you do not meet that income listing, use the no-fee table above — including Scotiabank’s Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card, which has no listed personal income in our data and is not named on the StartRight offer page.

See Best no foreign transaction fee cards for the 0% FX ranking that includes Passport.

Pick the SimplyCash Card from American Express if: Score 3.4/5, American Express, $0 annual fee, listed income Not listed. Excellent no-fee cash back card with 1.25% on everything and 2% on gas and groceries.

Pick the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa if: Score 3.1/5, Visa, $0 annual fee, listed income $15,000. No-fee card with excellent 4% cash back on dining and 1.5% on everyday essentials.

Pick the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card if: Score 3.0/5, Mastercard, $0 annual fee, listed income $12,000. Flexible no-fee card where you choose your own 2% cash back categories.

Pick the CIBC Adapta Mastercard for Students if: Score 2.8/5, Mastercard, $0 annual fee, listed income No minimum listed. Student card that automatically rewards your top 3 spending categories each month with bonus points, plus useful perks like roadside assistance.

Pick the CIBC Dividend Visa Card for Students if: Score 2.7/5, Visa, $0 annual fee, listed income No minimum listed. Straightforward student cash back card with 2% on groceries and free SPC+ membership for discounts at popular retailers.

Pick the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard if: Score 2.6/5, Mastercard, $0 annual fee, listed income Not listed. No-fee rewards card with 2X on everyday spending categories and birthday bonus.

If an official newcomer program names a card we cover: Simplii’s New to Canada page names the Cash Back Visa (no Canadian credit history, limit up to $10,000). RBC’s newcomer page names the Cash Back Mastercard and ION+. Scotiabank StartRight names Passport Visa Infinite+ and does not require a Canadian credit history.

If you are a student: 5 no-fee cards in this ranking also have the student category (Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa, Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, CIBC Adapta Mastercard for Students, CIBC Dividend Visa Card for Students, and Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card). See Best student cards. CIBC’s newcomer page says international students can apply for student banking together with a credit card; it does not name the Adapta-for-students or Dividend-for-students products in our data as the newcomer SKUs, so we do not claim they are.

Skip cards we do not cover. TD’s newcomer page features a Cash Back Visa and an Aeroplan Visa Platinum that are not in our data. BMO’s newcomer page features a CashBack Mastercard that is not the World Elite card we list ($80,000 listed income). RBC Avion Visa Platinum is not in our data.

This is not credit advice. Issuers can decline an application. Confirm eligibility on the issuer page before you apply.