Card finder
Find your first credit card
Tell us what you spend. We rank every card by what it pays you back, and commissions never change the order.
First, about you
You need to be 18 or 19 to get your own card, depending on your province.
Age
Province
Have you had a credit card before?
Some cards are made for people with no credit history yet.
Income this year
What do you spend in a month?
Start from an example, then tap + and −.
More options
Swipe for more cards. Tap See the math to flip a card.
Change something
Ranked only by what each card would pay you back. Some Apply links may earn SmartFin a commission, which never changes the order. How we rank cards.
Pay it off. Every month.
Set up autopay for the full balance. Rewards are worth nothing if you pay 20% interest.
Keep it under 30%
Try to keep your balance under 30% of your limit when the statement closes. On a $500 limit, that’s $150.
Costco only takes Mastercard
If you shop there, the finder picks a Mastercard for that spending. More first-card tips.
The cards
Every card we compare
Rates come from each issuer’s published terms. We re-check them regularly and show the date on every result.
| Card | Fee | Network | No credit history? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO CashBack Mastercard | $0 | Mastercard | Usually OK | 2026-10-01 |
| Scotiabank Scene+ Visa | $0 | Visa | Usually OK | 2026-10-01 |
| RBC ION Visa | $0 | Visa | Usually OK | 2026-10-01 |
| Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard | $0 | Mastercard | Usually needed | 2026-10-01 |
| CIBC Adapta Mastercard | $0 | Mastercard | Usually OK | 2026-10-01 |
| Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa | $0 | Visa | Usually needed | 2026-10-01 |
| PC Financial Mastercard | $0 | Mastercard | Usually needed | 2026-10-01 |
| American Express Cobalt | $191.88 | American Express | Usually needed | 2026-10-01 |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express | $120.00 | American Express | Usually needed | 2026-10-01 |
Read how we rank cards and how SmartFin makes money.
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