Best Credit Cards for Restaurants and Dining in Canada (2026): The Shortlist

The best credit card for restaurants in Canada for most people is the American Express Cobalt: 5 points per $1 at restaurants, cafés, bars and on food delivery, on up to $2,500 a month. If you want a Visa that works everywhere, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite also pays 5x on dining. With no annual fee, the Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa pays 4% at restaurants. Here are our picks, checked against each issuer’s own page.

Key takeaways

• 5x is the top dining rate in Canada. The Amex Cobalt, Scotiabank Gold Amex and BMO eclipse Visa Infinite all pay 5 points per $1 at restaurants.
• Caps matter. The Cobalt caps 5x at $2,500 a month shared with groceries. The BMO eclipse caps dining at $6,000 a year. The Scotiabank Gold Amex covers $50,000 a year across all its bonus categories.
• Amex isn’t taken everywhere. If your favourite spots only take Visa or Mastercard, the BMO eclipse or Simplii card is the safer choice.
• No fee? Simplii pays 4%. That’s the highest no-fee restaurant rate we found, on up to $5,000 a year.

How we picked these cards

We compared how much each card earns at restaurants and on food delivery, the yearly cap on that rate, the annual fee and how widely the card is accepted. Every rate and fee comes from the issuer’s own card page or terms. We don’t value points the same way across programs, so we show what each card earns and let you decide. See how we rate cards.

The best credit cards for dining in Canada

1. American Express Cobalt, best overall for dining and delivery

The Cobalt pays 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants, quick service restaurants, coffee shops and bars in Canada, plus stand-alone grocery stores and food and grocery delivery. Those categories share one cap of $2,500 in purchases a month, then earn 1 point per $1. It also earns 3x on streaming and 2x on gas, transit and ride share.

Best suited for: People who eat out or order in a lot and spend under $2,500 a month on food in total.

Details: American Express Cobalt (official page)

2. BMO eclipse Visa Infinite, best Visa for dining

The eclipse pays 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 on dining, takeout and food delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash in Canada. Unlike the Amex cards, it’s a Visa, so almost every restaurant takes it. The 5x rate on dining applies to the first $6,000 a year (January to December), then drops to 1 point per $1. It also pays 5x on groceries (first $6,000), gas and transit (first $20,000 each).

Best suited for: Diners who want 5x at places that don’t take Amex.

Details: BMO eclipse Visa Infinite (official page)

3. Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa, best no-fee dining card

Simplii pays 4% cash back on eligible restaurant, bar and coffee shop purchases, on up to $5,000 a year (about $400 a month). After that it drops to 0.5%. It also pays 1.5% on gas, groceries, drugstores and pre-authorized payments. Simplii is part of CIBC.

Best suited for: Anyone who wants straightforward cash back on eating out with no fee. Read our Simplii credit card review.

Details: Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa (official page)

4. Scotiabank Gold American Express, best for eating out abroad

The Scotiabank Gold Amex pays 5 Scene+ points per $1 on dining and food delivery in Canada, and has no foreign transaction fee, so meals abroad don’t cost an extra 2.5%. Its 5x and 6x rates apply to the first $50,000 a year across all bonus categories combined, the highest cap here. It also pays 6x at Sobeys-family grocery stores and 5x on entertainment.

Best suited for: Big spenders and people who travel, since spending abroad has no foreign fee. It’s also on our best travel cards list.

Details: Scotiabank Gold American Express (official page)

5. Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, flexible no-fee option

Tangerine lets you pick 2 or 3 categories that earn 2% cash back, with no cap. Choose Restaurants (restaurants, bars and fast food) as one of them. You get a third 2% category if your cash back goes into a Tangerine Savings Account. Everything else earns 0.5%.

Best suited for: People who spend above Simplii’s $5,000 cap, or want 2% in groceries and gas too. Read our Tangerine credit card review.

Details: Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card (official page)

Also worth a look

• Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+: 2% cash back on food delivery, but only 1% at restaurants. Better for groceries and bills (4%). $120, first year waived with the current offer. Official page

Side-by-side comparison

Our five picks compared on the things that matter for dining.

What you earn on $400 a month of dining

Here’s what each card earns in a year on $400 a month ($4,800 a year) at restaurants and on delivery, before any annual fee. Points programs are valued differently, so we show points rather than guessing a dollar value.

Scene+ points are worth 1¢ each when you redeem them for purchases, so 24,000 Scene+ points is about $240. If you’d rather not track points, Simplii’s $192 with no fee is hard to beat. Remember the Cobalt’s $2,500 monthly cap is shared with groceries, so heavy grocery spending can use it up. Compare any two cards with our cash back calculator.

Amex, Visa or Mastercard for restaurants?

Two of the three 5x cards here are American Express. Many Canadian restaurants take Amex, but some smaller places don’t. If a restaurant won’t take your Amex, you earn nothing on that meal. A simple fix is to pair an Amex with a no-fee Visa or Mastercard, such as the Simplii or Tangerine card. See which stores accept Amex in Canada.

How food delivery and restaurants are coded

Card companies decide what counts as dining using the merchant category code the business chooses. Restaurants, fast food, bars and coffee shops are usually coded as dining. Delivery apps can vary:

• The Amex Cobalt counts delivery of food and groceries in Canada as a primary business at 5x.
• The BMO eclipse names Uber Eats and DoorDash as 5x takeout and delivery.
• The Scotiabank Gold Amex includes food delivery and food subscriptions at 5x.
• Food bought inside a grocery store, hotel or stadium usually codes as that business, not as a restaurant.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best credit card for restaurants in Canada?

For most people, the American Express Cobalt: 5 points per $1 at restaurants, coffee shops, bars and on food delivery in Canada, on up to $2,500 a month combined with groceries. It costs $15.99 a month.

What is the best no-fee credit card for dining?

The Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa pays 4% cash back at restaurants, bars and coffee shops on up to $5,000 a year, with no annual fee.

Which Visa card is best for restaurants?

The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite pays 5 points per $1 on dining, takeout and food delivery on the first $6,000 a year. The $120 annual fee is waived in the first year.

Does food delivery count as dining on credit cards?

Often, yes. The Amex Cobalt, BMO eclipse Visa Infinite and Scotiabank Gold Amex all include food delivery in their 5x categories. Check each card’s terms for which apps count.

Do dining rewards work outside Canada?

Usually not. The Cobalt, BMO eclipse and Scotiabank Gold Amex pay their 5x dining rate on purchases in Canada. The Scotiabank Gold Amex at least charges no foreign transaction fee abroad.

What is the cap on the Amex Cobalt 5x?

$2,500 in purchases a month, shared across restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stand-alone grocery stores and food delivery. After that you earn 1 point per $1 until the next month.

Find the right card for your spending

If you also spend a lot on groceries, see our best grocery credit cards. For no fee options across categories, see best no-fee credit cards, or browse all credit card reviews.

Related reading

• Best grocery credit cards: the shortlist
• Best travel credit cards: no foreign fee picks
• Simplii credit card review: 4% at restaurants, no fee
• Which stores accept Amex in Canada: before you pick an Amex
• Cash back calculator: compare any two cards
• Scene+ points value: what your points are worth, with a calculator
• CIBC Costco Mastercard review: 3% at restaurants and Costco gas, no fee
• Best rewards credit cards: the best cards for every category
• Scotia Momentum rent and tax change: rent and tax now earn 1%

How we checked: Earn rates, caps, fees, interest rates, income requirements and welcome offers come from each issuer’s own card page: American Express for the Cobalt (including its footnoted earn terms), BMO for the eclipse Visa Infinite and its card terms, Simplii Financial, Scotiabank for the Gold American Express and Momentum cards, and Tangerine. The Scene+ value of 1¢ per point is for purchase redemptions. Welcome offers change often, so check the issuer’s page before you apply. This list is general information, not financial advice. Sources: American Express Cobalt; BMO eclipse Visa Infinite; BMO card terms; Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa; Scotiabank Gold American Express; Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card; Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+. Last checked October 2026.