Learn how cashback rewards work, plus use these five super-smart strategies to maximize your credit card money-back rewards.
Sponsored by Tangerine. Unlock credit card rewards with Tangerine credit cards. Earn unlimited Money-Back Rewards with either the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card or the Tangerine World Mastercard. T&Cs apply.
Sponsored by Tangerine. Unlock credit card rewards with Tangerine credit cards. Earn unlimited Money-Back Rewards with either the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card or the Tangerine World Mastercard. T&Cs apply.
If you’re shopping around for a cashback credit card, the first thing to do is to consider your spending habits. Think about the categories where you regularly make purchases with your credit card, and then look for a money-back card that lets you accumulate maximum rewards across those categories.
Next, look for a card that offers unlimited cashback and no annual fee, as this will allow you to avoid paying a fee to maximize cashback rewards.
Finally, keep an eye out for any welcome bonuses or other special offers for new customers that can add an extra boost to your cashback earnings.
For instance, if you plan to spend a bit over the summer months, check out the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card that currently offers 10% cash back on up to $1,000 for the first two months of spending. Even after this promo ends, you get an easy 2% on your three chosen spending categories and 0.5% on all other purchases. There’s no limit to the amount of cashback you can earn and no annual fee to eat into your savings. For more information, check out Finder’s full review on this cashback, no annual fee credit card.
Remember, a good credit card rewards program will give you plenty of opportunities to earn perks while helping you stretch your budget. But to get the most out of these rewards, it’s best to learn a few smart strategies.
5 smart ways to use cashback credit card rewards
While it’s great to get rewarded for paying bills and buying groceries, it’s even better to maximize credit card rewards by getting this money to work for you. To help, here are five smart strategies for using your cashback rewards.
Tip #1: Start (or grow) an emergency fund
One of the smartest strategies for using cashback rewards is to use the funds to start — or grow — an emergency fund.
According to the Finder: Impact of Inflation report, the biggest reason Canadians take on debt is to cover living expenses pre- and post-job loss (36% and 19%, respectively).
Use your credit card rewards to start and build your emergency fund to avoid the need to take on expensive debt.
Tip #2: Pay off high-interest-rate debt
The less you owe, the less interest you pay and the more choice you have on where to spend your money. To help, use your cashback rewards to make extra payments against high-interest debt.
Making extra payments lowers your total debt and the total amount of interest you pay. Do this often, and you can knock down or even eliminate high-interest debt and reclaim some of your hard-earned spending money.
Tip #3: Use it as a travel fund
When trying to prioritize and make responsible spending decisions, we can neglect the need for milestone rewards — breaks in the day-to-day to remind ourselves why we work hard and spend wisely. To help, consider using your credit card rewards as your travel fund. Putting aside cashback rewards earned on your day-to-day spending helps build up a travel fund that can help pay for flights, travel insurance or even accommodation.
For instance, spend $2,500 each month in your three chosen spending categories using your Tangerine World Credit Card and after a year you would have $600 in cashback rewards to use towards future travel plans.(1) Better still, pair this strategy with a credit card that offers travel rewards, and you’re that much closer to an annual vacation with a few more money-saving perks!
For instance, the Tangerine World Credit Card not only offers 2% cashback in up to three spending categories, along with 0.5 Money-Back Rewards on everyday spending, but the card also comes with additional travel perks and rewards offered through Mastercard Travel Pass.(2) For instance, get special cashback offers at a wide range of partner merchants through Mastercard Travel Rewards. The Tangerine World Credit Card also gets you access to more than 650 airport lounges worldwide through DragonPass. Plus, you can stay in touch while on the go through access to more than one million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world using Boingo Wi-Fi. Get up-to-date travel offers, along with relevant terms and conditions, through Mastercard Travel Pass.(3)
The holiday season is typically considered a joyful time of year, but for more and more Canadians, holidays are stressful and expensive.
Last year, more than a third of Canadians (35%) took on debt to pay for holiday expenses, according to the Finder: Cash for Christmas report. To offset these seasonal costs, consider using your credit card rewards. By using the extra cash earned throughout the year on everyday spending, you can alleviate holiday spending stress.
Combine this strategy with a money-back card that allows you to pick the spending categories where you earn most and you can also maximize cashback rewards throughout the year and during the holidays, as well.
For instance, using the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, you can choose your 2% Money-Back categories to suit your spending. This means you can earn more in categories where you spend the most, such as groceries, gas stations and recurring bill payments. As you get closer to the holiday season, you can change your 2% categories for other options, such as restaurants and electronics, where you know you’ll spend more during the holiday season.
[Sponsored] Get 10% Money-Back rewards in the first two months when you open a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card or a Tangerine World Mastercard. Sign-up today to take advantage of this offer.
Sponsored: Get 10% Money-Back rewards in the first two months when you open a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card or a Tangerine World Mastercard. Sign-up today to take advantage of this offer.
Tip #5: Save for your future
If you don’t carry debt and you don’t struggle to save, one of the best ways to use your cashback earnings is to save these earnings.
By applying your credit card rewards to your savings, you are helping to leverage the power of compound interest. For instance, keep the $500 earned in cashback rewards in a high-interest account, such as the Tangerine Savings Account, and earn 6% in the first five months and 0.3% thereafter. Do this every year for five years, and the total value of your savings will grow to well over $2,500.
Bottom line
If you can stay disciplined and only use your card for essential purchases, a cashback credit card makes it easy to save money on your regular spending. There are dozens of options to choose from, so compare a range of rewards credit cards in Canada to find a competitive cashback rate, no or low annual fees, and a card that rewards you for the type of spending you normally do.
Balance Transfers are treated as Cash Advances and interest applies from the transaction date that appears on your monthly statement to the date you repay the balance in full. There is no interest-free grace period on Cash Advances or Balance Transfers.
Annual Interest Rates: The annual interest rate on Purchases and Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers) is 20.95%. Rates are subject to change. If you don’t make 2 consecutive monthly Minimum Payments, or at any time thereafter, an interest rate of 24.95% will apply to your Account on Purchases and Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers).
Other Fees and Rates: These fees are charged on the day the transaction occurs (unless otherwise indicated): Cash Advance: $3.50 within Canada, $5 outside of Canada; Balance Transfer: 3% or minimum of $5 (unless reduced or waived) of the amount transferred when it is posted to your Account. Dishonoured Payment: $25; Rush Card: $25; Over-Limit: $25 (maximum one Over-Limit charge per monthly statement period); Past Statement Reprint: $5 per past statement. There is no charge for a reprint of your current monthly statement. Foreign Currency Conversion: When the converted transaction amount gets posted to your Account, we’ll add a foreign currency conversion fee of 2.5% to the converted transaction amount.
See your Information Box in the application for full details. Rates and fees are subject to change.
1 Rewards Promotional Offer: The Tangerine 10% Limited-time Promotional Offer (the “Offer”) is only available to new Tangerine Credit Card Account holders who (i) apply for a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card (the “Account”) by January 31, 2024, (ii) activate their Account within 45 days of approval, and (iii) have up to a maximum of $1,000 in total Net Purchases posted to their Account within the 60-day period beginning on the date the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is activated. “Net Purchases” include purchases charged to the Account (less any refunds, returns or other similar credits) but do not include payments, Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers and Cash-Like Transactions), interest, fees, insurance premiums, adjustments or other charges. The Offer Bonus of 10% (up to $100) will be credited to the Primary Cardholder’s Account within 1–2 statement cycles after the 60-day promotional period provided the Account is open and in Good Standing at time of payout. Limit of one Offer per eligible Client. This Offer is non-transferable. Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended at any time. All other Account terms, including the Tangerine Money-Back Rewards program terms, remain unchanged and continue to apply. See the Tangerine Credit Card Cardholder Agreement for more details, including definitions of any capitalized terms.
Balance Transfer Promotional Offer at 1.95% for 6 months (1% Balance Transfer Fee) A Promotional Interest Rate of 1.95% will apply immediately to any and all Balance Transfers made within 30 days of the Account opening, and will remain in effect for 6 Statement Periods from the date the last such Balance Transfer was posted to the Account (the “Promotional Rate Period”). If you still have an amount owing from your Balance Transfer when the Promotional Rate Period ends, the Cash Advance interest rate (currently 20.95%) will apply to that balance. A 1% Balance Transfer Fee will be charged on each Balance Transfer amount and will be immediately charged to your Credit Card. This Balance Transfer Fee is waived by Tangerine if you are a resident of the province of Quebec at the time you accept this offer. To take advantage of this Promotional Offer, you must complete the Balance Transfer request within 30 days of Account approval. You must also activate your Card within 45 days of Account approval for the requested Balance Transfer to be processed, or the Balance Transfer will be automatically cancelled. Note that if your Balance Transfer amount(s) equal your available credit, then the Balance Transfer Fee will put your Account over your credit limit and may be rejected in whole or in part. Balance Transfers are treated as Cash Advances on your Card and do not have an interest-free grace period. Interest applies from the transaction date that appears on your statement for that Balance Transfer to the date you repay the Balance Transfer in full. It may take a few business days to complete the Balance Transfer request. You should continue to make payments to the other financial institution until the Balance Transfer appears on your statement. You must continue to make the Minimum Payments on your Account, regardless of whether the Balance Transfer has been processed to your Account. Interest does not accrue on the Balance Transfer Fee; however, it is included in the Minimum Payment amount on your monthly statement. You must continue to make all of your monthly Minimum Payments by the Payment Due Dates shown on your monthly statements. If you don’t make your Minimum Payment by the payment due date as shown on 2 consecutive statements, your interest rate will increase to your higher standard rate that applies to the Account (currently 24.95%). If you pay more than your Minimum Payment on your statement, we’ll apply the excess amount of the payment to your balance proportionately based on the interest rate(s) applicable to each group of charges billed on your Account. Please see the Credit Card Cardholder Agreement for more information on how we apply payments to your Account.
We don’t charge interest on new Purchases that appear on your statement for the first time if we receive full payment of the Balance on your statement (including payment of any Balance Transfers included in that Balance) by the Payment Due Date on your statement. Balance Transfers may not be used to transfer money to or from another Tangerine Account. See the Information Box at tangerine.ca/creditcardlegal for full details.
Cash Advances (including Balance Transfers) do not earn Tangerine Money-Back Rewards. See the terms and conditions of the Tangerine Money-Back Rewards Program at Tangerine.ca/CreditCardLegal for full details on other items that do not earn Tangerine Money-Back Rewards.
2 Insurance coverage is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (ABIC). ABIC, its subsidiaries, and affiliates carry on business in Canada under the name of Assurant®. ®Assurant is a registered trademark of Assurant, Inc. Coverage is subject to eligibility, limitations and exclusions. For details of the coverage, including definitions and benefits, refer to the Certificate of Insurance provided with the card.
3 Offers vary by location. More details are available at Mastercard® Travel Pass or the Mastercard app. For full terms and conditions of use, go to mastercardtravelpass.dragonpass.com/terms-of-use. The Mastercard Airport Experiences offers are made available to you through Mastercard. Tangerine Bank is not responsible for the Mastercard Airport Experiences or any offers made available under those offers. Fees for this benefit are subject to change by Mastercard.
Any of these offers may be changed or cancelled at any time without notice. Rates and fees are subject to change.
Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
Tangerine is a registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence.
Forward Banking is a registered trademark of Tangerine Bank.
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Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Finder receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. Finder compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
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Sponsored by Tangerine. Unlock credit card rewards with Tangerine credit cards. Earn unlimited Money-Back Rewards with either the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card or the Tangerine World Mastercard. T&Cs apply.