Best Dining Credit Cards
| Card | Annual fee | Earn rate | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Cobalt | $191.88/year ($15.99/mo) | 5x food & drink (groceries, dining, food delivery, capped $2,500/mo combined), 3x streaming, 2x gas/transit/rideshare, 1x everything else | Dining, groceries and food delivery |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | $120/year | 6x Scene+ at Sobeys/Safeway/Freshco/Foodland, 5x dining/food delivery/other grocery/entertainment, 3x gas/transit/streaming, 1x everything else | Scotiabank clients |
| MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | $120/year | 5x points on restaurant/grocery/digital media/membership/household utility, 1x everything else (no gas or transit bonus) | A Mastercard with a restaurant category |
| Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card | $0 | 4% restaurant/bar/coffee shop (first $5,000/yr), 1.5% gas/groceries/drugstore/pre-authorized payments (first $15,000/yr), 0.5% everything else | No-fee dining |
| TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card | $139/year | 8x travel via Expedia For TD, 6x groceries/dining/public transit (first $25,000/yr each), 4x recurring bills/streaming/digital media (first $25,000/yr), 2x everything else | TD clients |
| Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card | $0 | 2% cash back in 2 categories you choose (3 with rewards paid into a Tangerine Savings Account), 0.5% on everything else | No fee, restaurants as a chosen category |
| Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard | $0 | 3% on U.S. dollar purchases; 2% on other purchases with a qualifying Rogers/Fido/Shaw/Comwave service (1.5% without); first $61,000/yr, then 1.5% | One card for everything |
The Amex Gold Rewards Card and CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite are sometimes listed as dining cards, but neither has a dining category: their bonus categories are gas, groceries, drugstores and travel, and dining earns the base rate. Other spending categories have their own roundups on our credit card reviews hub.
Whether food delivery earns a card’s dining rate depends on how the delivery app codes its charges and on the card’s category rules; the Cobalt names food delivery in its category, while for other cards the issuer’s terms decide. With a cap on the category, as on the Simplii card, spending above the cap earns the base rate.
Top Picks
Best Overall: Amex Cobalt
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $191.88 ($15.99/month) |
| Restaurants | 5x MR-S points |
| Food delivery | 5x (Uber Eats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes) |
| Groceries | 5x |
| Streaming | 3x |
| Everything else | 1x |
| Welcome offer | Monthly points offer; confirm the current offer at americanexpress.com/en-ca |
What earns 5x:
- Restaurants (dine-in and takeout)
- Fast food
- Bars and pubs
- Cafés and coffee shops
- Food delivery apps
- Grocery stores
Best for: Anyone who spends on food: it’s the single best food card in Canada.
Best Visa/MC: Scotiabank Gold American Express
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $120 |
| Dining | 5x Scene+ points |
| Groceries (Sobeys/Safeway/Freshco/Foodland) | 6x |
| Groceries (other stores) | 5x |
| Entertainment | 5x |
| Gas/transit | 3x |
| Everything else | 1x |
| Welcome bonus | Varies: confirm current offer at scotiabank.com |
Note: Despite the name, this card is issued on the Amex network. However, Scotiabank also offers a companion Visa/MC for non-Amex merchants.
Best No-Fee: Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Dining (chosen category) | 2% |
| Two other categories | 2% each |
| Other purchases | 0.5% |
| Income requirement | $12,000 personal |
Strategy: Choose restaurants as one of your two (or three, with a Tangerine Savings Account) 2% categories.
What Counts as “Dining”?
Usually Included ✅
| Merchant Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | The Keg, Milestones, local restaurants |
| Fast food | McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, Subway |
| Cafés & coffee shops | Starbucks, Second Cup |
| Bars & pubs | Craft breweries, wine bars |
| Pizza delivery | Pizza Pizza, Dominos |
May NOT Count ❌
| Merchant Type | Why |
|---|---|
| Food delivery apps | Only some cards (Amex Cobalt does, most don’t) |
| Food courts | May code as mall/retail |
| Restaurants inside hotels | May code as hotel |
| Catering | Often codes as specialty services |
| Bakeries | May code as retail, not restaurant |
Card Pairing Strategy for Foodies
| Purchase | Best Card | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | Amex Cobalt | 5% |
| Food delivery | Amex Cobalt | 5% |
| Groceries | Amex Cobalt / PC WE | 5% / 4.5% |
| Coffee shops | Amex Cobalt | 5% |
| Non-Amex restaurants | Tangerine or Rogers WE MC | 2% / 1.5% |
| Everything else | Rogers WE MC | 1.5% |
Maximizing Dining Rewards
- Always use your dining card: Keep it in the front of your wallet
- Pay the bill for the table: Have friends pay you back to earn more points
- Use delivery apps wisely: Only use Amex Cobalt for delivery (5x), other cards may only give 1x
- Stack with restaurant apps: Use loyalty apps (Tim Hortons, Starbucks) alongside your card
- Check merchant coding: Some restaurants have unexpected merchant codes
Amex Acceptance in Canada
| Concern | Reality |
|---|---|
| “Not accepted everywhere” | Most chain restaurants accept Amex |
| Coverage | ~85% of restaurants accept Amex in major cities |
| Strategy | Carry a backup Visa/MC (Tangerine or Rogers) |
| Food delivery | Uber Eats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes all accept Amex |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best credit card for restaurants in Canada? The Amex Cobalt Card earns 5× Membership Rewards on food and drink purchases, including restaurants and food delivery, a dining rate few cards match. For those who prefer Mastercard acceptance, the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard earns 5× on restaurant purchases. For cash back, the Scotiabank Gold Amex earns 5× Scene+ points on dining (6× is the rate for groceries at partner banners, not dining), equivalent to ~2.5–3% value depending on redemption.
Does the restaurant bonus apply to food delivery apps in Canada? Yes: most cards that earn bonus points on restaurants also include food delivery services (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Skip The Dishes, SkipTheDishes). Always confirm with the card issuer: some cards restrict the bonus to in-person restaurant charges by merchant category code (MCC 5812/5813), while others include delivery apps.
Are dining credit card rewards worth it in Canada? For people who regularly spend $200–$600+/month on dining and food delivery, a dedicated dining card can earn $150–$400/year in rewards above what a flat-rate card would earn. The key is ensuring you actually use the card consistently in those categories, and that the annual fee is justified by your spending level.
Related Resources
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between October 3, 2026 and October 6, 2026. How we check facts.
- americanexpress.com: Gold Rewards Card | Upgrade | American Express
- americanexpress.com: Cobalt Card Benefits | American Express CA
- rogersbank.com: Rogers red worldelite mastercard
- Scotiabank: Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card | Scotiabank Canada
- Scotiabank: How to Earn and Redeem Scene Points with Scotiabank Scene+ Rewards | Scotiabank Canada
- simplii.com: Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa Card | Simplii Financial
- Tangerine: Cash Back Credit Card: Bonus 10% Cash Back for 2 months* | Tangerine
- TD: TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite* Card | TD Canada Trust