Best cards at Air Canada

Good to know at Air Canada

Air Canada doesn't limit which card networks it accepts, so this ranking comes down to earn rates, not whether your card works at checkout. The Platinum Card from American Express leads at 5x on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, but it carries an $895 annual fee, and the 5x stops at $500,000 a year before dropping to 1x. The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card is next at 4x on travel, which includes airfare, with no annual fee.

The order is the same whether you book on the website or pay in person, so there's no channel to game. Four cards tie at 4x behind the leader: the no-fee Altitude Connect, the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card ($95 after a $0 first year), the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Visa Card ($95) and Chase Sapphire Reserve ($795). Only the business card's 4x has a cap — $150,000 a year, shared with other travel, gas and EV charging — so the rest are easier to count on for a large fare.

If none of those are in your wallet, the 3x tier is respectable. The Aeroplan Card ranks sixth: $195 a year for 3x on purchases made directly with Air Canada, which our valuations put near 3.9 cents per dollar. Below it, the AAA Travel Advantage Visa Signature Card pays 3% on travel with no annual fee, Wells Fargo Autograph Card earns 3x on Air Canada fares with no annual fee, and the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi pays 3% on airfare if you hold a paid Costco membership.

The math

Spend $250 a month at Air Canada and The Platinum Card from American Express returns about $150 a year at our valuations — a flat 2% card returns $60.