American Express Credit Cards in Canada: 2025 Guide

American Express credit cards deliver some of the most competitive earn rates and attractive travel perks available to Canadian cardholders. Below we highlight top Amex and Amex-affiliated cards for cash back, travel rewards, no annual fee and more, summarizing fees, welcome offers and what makes each option stand out.

Best American Express credit cards in Canada

Why trust this guide

Our editorial approach compares major card features—earn rates, welcome bonuses, travel perks, fees and acceptance—so you can quickly see which American Express options best match your spending habits and travel plans. We assess cards across common categories (cash back, travel, no-fee, low-interest) and select the top Amex or Amex-partnered option for each.

Compare popular American Express credit cards

Use the card summaries below to compare fees, rewards and welcome offers. Consider your own spending mix—gas, groceries, dining and travel—when choosing a card, since that’s where reward rates matter most.

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Below are our top American Express picks by category, with pros and cons and a quick snapshot of card details to help you decide.

Best cash back American Express credit card

At a glance: The American Express SimplyCash Preferred stands out as a top cash-back card in Canada. It offers 4% cash back on gas and groceries and 2% on all other purchases, with no specified minimum income to apply.

Amex SimplyCash Preferred

Annual fee: $119.88 ($119 for Quebec residents)

Rewards: 4% on eligible gas and grocery purchases; 2% on everything else.

Welcome offer: 10% cash back on purchases for the first three months (up to $2,000) plus a $50 credit in month 13—combined potential value up to $250.

Card details

Interest rates	21.99% on purchases and cash advances; variable penalty APRs may apply
Income required	None specified
Credit score	Around 725 or higher recommended

Pros and cons

• Pros: Strong earn rates on gas and groceries, no income requirement, Amex-specific perks and free supplementary cards.
• Cons: Amex acceptance is somewhat more limited than Visa/Mastercard in some stores; cash back is issued annually as a statement credit.

Gold: Best American Express travel credit card

At a glance: The Scotiabank Gold American Express combines high earn rates in everyday categories with a comprehensive insurance suite and travel-friendly perks like no foreign transaction fees, which makes it a strong choice for frequent travellers.

Scotiabank Gold American Express

Annual fee: $120

Rewards: Up to 6 Scene+ points per $1 at partner grocers; high rates on dining, entertainment and groceries; 1 point per $1 on other purchases. No foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad.

Welcome offer: Large Scene+ bonus combining upfront and first-year bonuses (offer periods vary).

Card details

Interest rates	21.99% purchases, 22.99% cash advances, 22.99% balance transfers
Income required	$12,000 per year
Credit score	About 725 or higher recommended
Point value	Scene+ points typically redeem at about $0.01 per point for travel and partner redemptions

Pros and cons

• Pros: Simple travel redemptions through Scene+ Travel, redeem retroactively for travel purchases up to 12 months, and no foreign transaction fees.
• Cons: Points have a fixed redemption value and cannot be transferred to most airline programs; lounge access is not included.

Silver: Best American Express travel credit card (alternate)

At a glance: The American Express Cobalt Card is known for high earn rates on food and dining and competitive rewards on travel-related categories, making it an excellent choice for frequent spenders in those areas.

American Express Cobalt

Annual fee: $15.99/month (about $191.88 annually)

Rewards: 5 points per $1 on dining and groceries, 3 points per $1 on streaming, 2 points per $1 on transit and gas, 1 point per $1 on everything else.

Welcome offer: Points awarded monthly based on meeting a monthly spending target, up to a stated maximum.

Card details

Interest rates	21.99% on purchases and cash advances; variable penalty APRs may apply
Income required	None specified
Credit score	Around 725 or higher recommended
Point value	Membership Rewards points typically range from $0.01 to $0.02 per point depending on redemption route

Pros and cons

• Pros: Excellent earn rates on dining and groceries, flexible redemption options including transfers to airline partners and fixed/flexible travel redemptions.
• Cons: Moderate annual fee; some category caps may apply to promotional bonus earnings.

Best no-fee American Express credit card

At a glance: The American Express Green Card is a solid no-fee option that earns Membership Rewards points usable for travel, statement credits, gift cards or transfers to partner programs.

American Express Green Card

Annual fee: $0

Rewards: 1 point per $1 on all purchases; an extra point per $1 on hotel or car bookings made through americanexpress.ca.

Welcome offer: 10,000 Membership Rewards points after $1,000 in purchases in the first three months (approx. $100 value).

Card details

Interest rates	21.99% on purchases and cash advances; variable penalty APRs may apply
Income required	None specified
Credit score	About 725 or higher recommended
Point value	Membership Rewards points typically worth about $0.01 each via flexible travel redemptions; higher values possible through transfers

Pros and cons

• Pros: Flexible redemption options and the ability to transfer points to hotel and airline partners; accessible with no annual fee.
• Cons: Limited insurance and travel protections compared with premium cards.

About American Express Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards is one of Canada’s more flexible rewards programs. Point value depends heavily on how you redeem — travel, transfers to partner programs, statement credits, gift cards or merchandise.

Travel redemptions

Travel redemptions are often the best way to get higher per-point value. There are multiple options:

Flexible Travel

Flexible Travel redemptions value points at roughly $0.01 each toward flights, hotels, car rentals and packages, redeemable in straightforward increments.

Fixed Travel

Fixed Travel redemptions use a reward chart for round-trip flights out of Canada. Under the Fixed program you may redeem points for flight base fares according to regional charts, which can raise point value significantly for well-chosen itineraries.

Transfer options

One of the program’s strengths is transferring Membership Rewards to airline and hotel partners. Transfer ratios vary by partner. When optimized—especially for premium cabin flights—transfers can push the effective value per point well above the baseline travel redemption rate.

Statement credits, gift cards and merchandise

Points can also be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards or merchandise. These options typically yield lower value per point than travel redemptions; for example, statement credit redemptions often value points at under $0.01 each.

Amex acceptance in Canada: what to expect

American Express is accepted widely across Canada—at many department stores, national retailers, restaurants and online merchants—but it isn’t universally accepted. Major exceptions include some warehouse clubs and certain banners. To avoid inconvenience, carry a secondary Visa or Mastercard for merchants that don’t accept Amex.

More on Canada’s best credit cards

• The best rewards cards in Canada
• The best credit cards for gas
• The best credit cards for grocery purchases
• The best cash back credit cards