Quick overview of the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard®
The Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® offers an attractive mix of unlimited cash back and no annual fee for card membership. The card offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases, with that rate rising to an impressive 3% back with Canadian Tire companies such as Mark’s, Atmosphere, Party City, Sport Chek and more.
Who can benefit from the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard®?
If you want a straightforward, cash back card but don’t care about gas discounts, this card may be the Canadian Tire credit card option for you.
While the unlimited 1.5% back is great, the 3% back on purchases with Canadian Tire companies is exceptional thanks to the wide selection of brands from which to choose. From sporting goods to outdoor gear, tools to tires, pets to porches, Canadian Tire has something for everyone.
Pros and cons
Pros
-
No annual fee
-
Up to 3% cash back with no caps
-
Special in-store promotional financing options
Cons
-
Limited insurance coverage
-
No welcome bonus for new accounts
-
No gas discounts like other Canadian Tire credit cards
Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® welcome bonus
This card does not currently offer a welcome bonus for new accounts.
Related article: The best Canadian credit card welcome bonuses
How to earn rewards with the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard®
The Cash Advantage® Mastercard® from Canadian Tire Bank offers cash back rewards in two tiers:
Tier 1: 3% cash back on Canadian Tire family brands
Earn an unlimited 3% cash back on purchases made at any of the brands that are part of the Canadian Tire family of companies. Participating retailers include Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Mark’s, L’Équipeur, Atmosphere, Party City, Pro Hockey Life, Sports Rousseau, Hockey Experts, L’Entrepôt du Hockey and participating Sports Experts stores.
Not all items sold at these stores will qualify for the 3% cash back. However, most of your purchases with Canadian Tire will still earn rewards. Gas, ATM withdrawals and some other services or products may not qualify for the 3% cash back.
Tier 2: 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
Earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases made with the card. This category has no restrictions. Simply use the card to make a purchase and receive 1.5% cash back. It's that simple!
How to redeem cash back
Cash back is automatically applied to your account every year, and there is no limit on the amount of cash back you can receive.
Key benefits of the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard®
- Unlimited cash back: The chief benefit of the Cash Advantage® Mastercard® from Canadian Tire Bank is the ability to earn unlimited cash back on every purchase. That perk is further accelerated by adding bonus cash back for purchases made with the 10+ brands that make up the Canadian Tire family, including Mark’s, Sport Chek, Apostrophe and more.
- $0 annual fee: The addition of no annual fee is another wonderful benefit. The lack of a fee means there is no cost you’ll need to offset before the credit card starts paying for itself. And with an annual rewards potential of over $200 for average users, that no annual fee is just icing on the cake.
- Promotional financing: Canadian Tire provides the option of promotional financing on select purchases. This benefit offers 0% interest for 24 months on eligible Canadian Tire purchases of $150 or more.
Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® insurance coverage
Canadian Tire Bank credit cards are solid regarding rewards, but weak regarding insurance coverage. The Cash Advantage® Mastercard® is no exception and provides only the essentials, namely:
- Extended warranty: 1 year
- Purchase protection: 90 days
There is no rental car collision or damage protection, no travel accident insurance or any mobile phone protection should you drop or lose it. Instead, the card prioritizes rewards, promotional financing and no hidden fees.
Extra benefits of the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard®
An additional benefit that Canadian Tire Bank offers to cardholders is the option of 0% promotional financing. Cardholders can choose no-fee, no-interest financing for 24 months on purchases of $150 or more at participating Canadian Tire partner brands.
Here's an example of the potential equal monthly payments for different purchase amounts:
- $150 purchase: $6.25 monthly payment
- $250 purchase: $10.42 monthly payment
- $350 purchase: $14.59 monthly payment
- $450 purchase: $18.75 monthly payment
Other features of the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® include:
- Chip and pin technology for an additional layer of security
- Mobile wallet compatibility
- Access to the Canadian Tire Triangle Rewards mobile app
How does the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® compare?
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
4.0
Good
Suggested credit scoreto receive the latest news, tips and offers by email
Pros
-
No annual fee
-
Choose the spending categories where you want to earn the most cash back
-
Unlimited cash back—no maximum spending limit for any purchase category
-
Cash back is paid out monthly rather than annually
-
Periodically includes a special welcome offer where you can get extra cash back
-
1.95% interest on balance transfers for the first 6 months (1% transfer fee applies)*
Cons
-
Regular cash back rates are still lower than what you can get from a card with an annual fee
-
Limited extra perks or benefits beyond the cash back and balance transfer promotion
-
Generally not a good fit for shopping at warehouse clubs or wholesale grocers like Costco or Walmart
-
Tangerine does not have any physical bank branches
Eligibility
Good
Recommended Credit Score
$12,000
Required Annual Personal Income
Recommended Credit Score
Good
Required Annual Personal Income
$12,000
2%
Earn 2% cash back on 2 categories of your choice (e.g. groceries, recurring bills, gas, drug stores, etc.)
3
Get a Tangerine Savings account and add a 3rd 2% cash back category.
0.5%
Earn 0.50% on all your other everyday purchases.
Earn 2% cash back on 2 categories of your choice (e.g. groceries, recurring bills, gas, drug stores, etc.)
2%
Get a Tangerine Savings account and add a 3rd 2% cash back category.
3
Earn 0.50% on all your other everyday purchases.
0.5%
19.95% - 24.95%
Variable APR
1.95%
Balance Transfer Rate 19.95%
19.95%
Cash Advance APR $3.50 within Canada, $5.00 outside Canada
$0
Annual Fee $0 for additional cardholders
2.5%
Foreign Transaction Fee
Variable APR
19.95% - 24.95%
Balance Transfer Rate
1.95%
Cash Advance APR
19.95%
Annual Fee
$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.5%
Pros
-
No annual fee
-
Choose the spending categories where you want to earn the most cash back
-
Unlimited cash back—no maximum spending limit for any purchase category
-
Cash back is paid out monthly rather than annually
-
Periodically includes a special welcome offer where you can get extra cash back
-
1.95% interest on balance transfers for the first 6 months (1% transfer fee applies)*
Cons
-
Regular cash back rates are still lower than what you can get from a card with an annual fee
-
Limited extra perks or benefits beyond the cash back and balance transfer promotion
-
Generally not a good fit for shopping at warehouse clubs or wholesale grocers like Costco or Walmart
-
Tangerine does not have any physical bank branches
Eligibility
Good
Recommended Credit Score
$12,000
Required Annual Personal Income
Recommended Credit Score
Good
Required Annual Personal Income
$12,000
2%
Earn 2% cash back on 2 categories of your choice (e.g. groceries, recurring bills, gas, drug stores, etc.)
3
Get a Tangerine Savings account and add a 3rd 2% cash back category.
0.5%
Earn 0.50% on all your other everyday purchases.
Earn 2% cash back on 2 categories of your choice (e.g. groceries, recurring bills, gas, drug stores, etc.)
2%
Get a Tangerine Savings account and add a 3rd 2% cash back category.
3
Earn 0.50% on all your other everyday purchases.
0.5%
19.95% - 24.95%
Variable APR
1.95%
Balance Transfer Rate 19.95%
19.95%
Cash Advance APR $3.50 within Canada, $5.00 outside Canada
$0
Annual Fee $0 for additional cardholders
2.5%
Foreign Transaction Fee
Variable APR
19.95% - 24.95%
Balance Transfer Rate
1.95%
Cash Advance APR
19.95%
Annual Fee
$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.5%
The Tangerine Money Back Credit Card makes earning cash back a breeze. Cardholders earn unlimited 2% back on two categories of their choosing, with the ability to change categories monthly. Here are the eligible categories: gas, groceries, hotels, entertainment, furnishings, hotels, home improvement, restaurants, recurring bill payments or public transit and parking. In terms of insurance, both cards offer similar protections: purchase protection and extended warranty coverage (and nothing else).
RBC Cash Back Mastercard
3.2
Good
Suggested credit scoreto receive the latest news, tips and offers by email
Pros
-
No annual fee, no fee for additional cardholders
-
Up to 2% cash back on groceries², up to 1% cash back on everything else²
-
No limit on cash back earned¹
-
Save money on gas at Petro-Canada⁵
-
Easy approval requirements
Cons
-
Cash back rewards on groceries drop to 1% after you accumulate $6,000 in grocery charges
-
No travel insurance or other perks
-
No welcome bonus
-
0.5% applies to the cash back on everything else up to $6,000 but what is impressive is that for all non-grocery spend the cash back rate actually goes up from the 0.5% to 1% on spend over $6,000, rewarding as your spend more instead of diminishing
-
No travel insurance or other perks
-
No welcome bonus
Eligibility
Good
Recommended Credit Score
Recommended Credit Score
Good
2%
Up to 2% unlimited cash back on groceries
1%
Up to 1% unlimited cash back on everything else
$0.03
Link your card and instantly save 3¢/L on fuel and 20% more Petro-Points at Petro Canada
50
Get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall
Up to 2% unlimited cash back on groceries
2%
Up to 1% unlimited cash back on everything else
1%
Link your card and instantly save 3¢/L on fuel and 20% more Petro-Points at Petro Canada
$0.03
Get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall
50
20.99%
Purchase APR
22.99%
Balance Transfer Rate 21.99% if you reside in Quebec
22.99%
Cash Advance APR 21.99% if you reside in Quebec
$0
Annual Fee No annual fee
2.5%
Foreign Transaction Fee 2.5% of the transaction in CDN
Purchase APR
20.99%
Balance Transfer Rate
22.99%
Cash Advance APR
22.99%
Annual Fee
$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.5%
Pros
-
No annual fee, no fee for additional cardholders
-
Up to 2% cash back on groceries², up to 1% cash back on everything else²
-
No limit on cash back earned¹
-
Save money on gas at Petro-Canada⁵
-
Easy approval requirements
Cons
-
Cash back rewards on groceries drop to 1% after you accumulate $6,000 in grocery charges
-
No travel insurance or other perks
-
No welcome bonus
-
0.5% applies to the cash back on everything else up to $6,000 but what is impressive is that for all non-grocery spend the cash back rate actually goes up from the 0.5% to 1% on spend over $6,000, rewarding as your spend more instead of diminishing
-
No travel insurance or other perks
-
No welcome bonus
Eligibility
Good
Recommended Credit Score
Recommended Credit Score
Good
2%
Up to 2% unlimited cash back on groceries
1%
Up to 1% unlimited cash back on everything else
$0.03
Link your card and instantly save 3¢/L on fuel and 20% more Petro-Points at Petro Canada
50
Get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall
Up to 2% unlimited cash back on groceries
2%
Up to 1% unlimited cash back on everything else
1%
Link your card and instantly save 3¢/L on fuel and 20% more Petro-Points at Petro Canada
$0.03
Get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall
50
20.99%
Purchase APR
22.99%
Balance Transfer Rate 21.99% if you reside in Quebec
22.99%
Cash Advance APR 21.99% if you reside in Quebec
$0
Annual Fee No annual fee
2.5%
Foreign Transaction Fee 2.5% of the transaction in CDN
Purchase APR
20.99%
Balance Transfer Rate
22.99%
Cash Advance APR
22.99%
Annual Fee
$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.5%
The RBC Cash Back Mastercard is another unlimited cash back worth considering. Cardholders earn unlimited 2% back on groceries through eligible supermarkets (including Atlantic Wholesalers, Foodland, Fortino’s, IGA, Loblaw’s, No Frills, Sobeys, Superstore and more) plus 1% back on all other purchases.
The 1% base rate is obviously lower than the 1.5% back with the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage Card, but the RBC card’s impressive 2% back on groceries is tempting. The RBC Cash Back credit card also provides 3 cents per litre savings on fuel at Petro-Canada, additional points through Rexall Be Well (when registering the card) and much more comprehensive insurance protections than found with the Cash Advantage® from Canadian Tire.
Is the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® worth it?
If you're looking for a credit card that offers great rewards and benefits, the Canadian Tire Cash Advantage® Mastercard® is worth considering. You can earn unlimited cash back on all purchases whether you're shopping at Canadian Tire or anywhere else. The card has additional perks, such as no annual fee and exclusive financing at Canadian Tire stores.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants must be Canadian residents of the age of majority in their province. There are no income requirements for applying, although you'll need a good credit score.
FAQs
Cory Santos is a finance writer, editor and credit card expert with nearly a decade of experience in personal finance. Cory joined Wise Publishing from BestCards, with bylines in numerous print and digital publications across North America, including the Miami Herald, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Debt.ca, AOL, MSN and Medium as well as financial podcasts like KOFE Talk.
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