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Compare Meridian credit cards
Earn travel rewards or cash back on your everyday purchases with this trusted Canadian credit union.
There are three main types of Meridian credit cards available to customers: travel, cashback and US currency. Here’s a guide to the best Meridian credit cards available in Canada. Visa is the only type of card on offer, so you might need to look elsewhere if you’re in the market for a MasterCard or American Express.
Best Meridian credit cards
cash back rewards
Meridian Visa Infinite Cash Back
N/A
Min. credit score
Min. credit score
$99
ongoing
Annual fee
Annual fee
Up to
%
Cash back
Cash back
n/a
Welcome offer
Welcome offer
The Visa Infinite Cash Back Card lets you earn 4% cashback on gas and groceries, 2% on pharmacies and utility bills and 1% on everything else In the world of credit cards, this is a high return, which is why this card outcompetes both of Meridian's lower fee = lower points options, including the Visa Cashback and Platinum Visa Cashback cards. You'll have to pay a relatively large fee after the first year to keep your card, but the good news is you should be able to pay it down quickly with the money you save. For example, you can pocket as much as $40 on every $1,000 you spend so, in theory, it should only take 2-3 months to pay off the fee at this rate. Then, you get to keep the rest of the savings for yourself.
- High return. You can earn up to $40 on every $1,000 in purchases
- Visa Infinite Benefits. Get access to special events and exclusive offers with Visa.
- Annual fee. You'll need to pay a $99 annual fee after your first year.
- Lower rate on some purchases. The return on non-essential items is capped at
- High minimum annual income. Your annual personal income will need to be at least $60,000 to qualify (or $100,000 household income).
| Annual Fee | $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter) |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 19.5% fixed |
| Cash Advance Rate | 21.99% |
| Balance transfer APR | N/A |
| Welcome offer | N/A |
| Rewards | Earn 4% cash back on gas and grocery purchases, 2% on pharmacy purchases and utility bill payments, and 1% on all other eligible purchases. |
Alternative:
Neo Financial Mastercard
600
Min. credit score
Min. credit score
$0
Annual fee
Annual fee
Up to
4%
Cash back
Cash back
Get $25.00
Welcome offer
Welcome offer
Get $25.00 when you apply for the Neo Financial Mastercard. Plus, get up to 15% cashback on your first purchase. Plus, you'll earn a solid cash back return on your everyday spending. Earn an average cash back of 5% at thousands of local and national Neo partners including most major gas and grocery stores, restaurants, gyms, coffee shops and more. Earn a guaranteed 0.5% cash back on all spend at non-partners. You can sign up for 3 different Neo credit card plans: Standard, Plus and Ultra. The card you choose will depend on how much cash back you want to earn and how much you're willing to pay for your monthly fee.
- Rewards. Average 5% cash back
- Choose between 3 card types. The Standard, Plus and Ultra.
- Annual fee. You'll have to pay a monthly fee if you opt for the Ultra or Plus cards
- No insurance. You won't get any additional perks like travel insurance, roadside assistance or purchase protection.
| Annual Fee | $0 |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 19.99% fixed |
| Cash Advance Rate | 22.99% - 28.99% |
| Balance transfer APR | N/A |
| Welcome offer | Get $25.00 when you apply for the Neo Financial Mastercard. Plus, get up to 15% cashback on your first purchase. |
| Rewards | Earn an average cash back of 5% at thousands of local and national Neo partners including most major gas and grocery stores, restaurants, gyms, coffee shops and more. Earn a guaranteed 0.5% cash back on all spend at non-partners. |
travel points
Meridian Visa Platinum Travel Rewards Card
N/A
Min. credit score
Min. credit score
$49
ongoing
Annual fee
Annual fee
Up to
x
Points
Points
Welcome offer
If you're planning your next trip overseas and you want to lock in discounts on flights, hotels and more, then the Meridian Visa Platinum could be the right card for you. Earn one point for every dollar you spend in Canada and two points for every dollar spent in foreign currencies when you sign up today. This card has a lower fee than the Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card with most of the same benefits. These include price protection, extended warranty coverage, mobile device insurance and fraud protection. Unlike many travel cards, the Visa Platinum doesn't offer emergency travel medical insurance. One of the main perks of this card is that you don't need a minimum income to qualify, but you also earn less points than you would with a Visa Infinite Card.
- 2x the points overseas. Earn double the points when you make purchases in a foreign currency
- Comprehensive benefits. Take advantage of purchase protection and mobile phone insurance, among other types of coverage.
- Reasonable annual fee. The fee for this card is $49 after your first year. That's around half of the fee for the Visa Infinite card.
- No minimum income. You won't need to earn a certain amount each year to qualify.
- Less points. If you opt for the Platinum card, you'll only earn one point per dollar spent, unless you're traveling or making purchases overseas
- No travel medical coverage. You'll need to arrange another form of travel insurance to protect yourself on short trips.
- Regional exclusions. This card isn't available to residents of Quebec.
| Annual Fee | $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($49 thereafter) |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 19.5% fixed |
| Cash Advance Rate | 21.99% |
| Balance transfer APR | N/A |
| Welcome offer | Earn 1 travel reward point for every $1 of net purchases or earn 2 travel reward points for every $1 of net purchases in foreign currencies. |
| Rewards | Earn 1 travel reward point for every $1 of net purchases and 2 points for every $1 of net purchases in foreign currencies. |
Alternative:
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
750
Min. credit score
Min. credit score
$150
ongoing
Annual fee
Annual fee
Up to
3x
Points
Points
40,000
Points welcome offer
Points welcome offer
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card offers a sizeable welcome bonus along with a high rewards point earn rate. Earn up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points and get the first year annual fee waived (that’s up to $1,300 in value in the first 12 months). Apply by April 30, 2023. Earn 30,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, earn an annual 10,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $40,000 in purchases annually. This card also comes with a full suite of travel insurance, and other travel related perks including a complimentary Priority Pass membership plus 6 free visits per year to over 1,000 airport lounges around the world.
- Rewards points. Earn 3 Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland and more, 2 Scene+ points points for every $1 spent on eligible grocery store, dining, entertainment and daily transit purchases, and earn 1 Scene+ point for every $1 spent elsewhere.
- Bonus. Earn up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points and get the first year annual fee waived (that’s up to $1,300 in value in the first 12 months). Apply by April 30, 2023.
- Travel insurance. Get up to $1,000,000 in Emergency Medical Insurance. Plus, get trip cancellation, trip interruption and travel accident insurance for free when you charge at least 75% of your trip costs to your card. Benefits also include coverage for flight delays, rental car collision loss/damage, hotel/motel burglaries and delayed or lost baggage.
- Car rental perks. Get up to 25% car rental discount + complimentary upgrades for Avis Preferred Plus members at participating Avis locations in Canada and the US. Plus get Rental Car Collision/Loss Damage Insurance coverage (up to $65,000).
- Travel perks. Receive complimentary membership in the Visa Airport Companion Program plus 6 free visits per year to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world.
- Annual fee. This card has an annual fee of $150.
- Minimum income requirement. You'll need a minimum income of at least $60,000, or combined household income of $100,000, to qualify for this card.
| Annual Fee | $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($150 thereafter) |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 20.99% fixed |
| Cash Advance Rate | 22.99% |
| Balance transfer APR | 22.99% fixed |
| Welcome offer | Earn up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points and get the first year annual fee waived (that’s up to $1,300 in value in the first 12 months). Apply by April 30, 2023. Earn 30,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, earn an annual 10,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $40,000 in purchases annually. |
| Rewards | Earn 3 Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland and more, 2 Scene+ points points for every $1 spent on eligible grocery store, dining, entertainment and daily transit purchases, and earn 1 Scene+ point for every $1 spent elsewhere. |
US Currency
Meridian Visa US Dollar Card
N/A
Min. credit score
Min. credit score
$65
ongoing
Annual fee
Annual fee
Up to
1x
Points
Points
Welcome offer
If you regularly do business in the US or make frequent purchases south of the border, the Meridian Visa US Dollar Card could save you a hefty sum in foreign exchange rates. This card eliminates transaction fees on purchases made in the United States and other countries that use the US dollar as their official currency. To put this into context: the bank typically charges around 2.5% in foreign exchange fees, which means you'll end up paying an extra $25 every time you spend $1,000. If you spend $3,000 per month on purchases in the US, then you could stand to save around $75 every month, or $900 annually, by shopping with this card. You'll need to fork over some cash for the $65 USD annual fee after your first year, but you'll also earn one reward point for every dollar spent. This means, in addition to saving money on foreign exchange rates, you'll earn points to put towards travel, cashback or other rewards.
- Save on US foreign exchange. You won't have to pay up to 2.5% on foreign exchange rates when you spend US dollars.
- Flexible points. You can redeem points at any time for cashback or merchandise.
- No restrictions. There are no restrictions on how many points you can earn, so you'll end up with one point per dollar, no matter what you purchase.
- No minimum income. You won't need to earn a certain amount each year to qualify.
- Less points. For other Meridian cards, you can earn 1 point per dollar on purchases
- Exclusive to the US. You'll still have to pay foreign currency conversion rates on purchases made worldwide.
- Additional card fees. You'll have to pay a fee for every additional card you want to add to your account.
- Regional exclusions. This card isn't available to residents of Quebec.
| Annual Fee | $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($65 thereafter) |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 19.5% fixed |
| Cash Advance Rate | 21.99% |
| Balance transfer APR | N/A |
| Welcome offer | |
| Rewards |
Alternative: CIBC AC Conversion Visa Prepaid Card
$0
Monthly Fee
Monthly Fee
$0
Transaction Cost
Transaction Cost
1% cash back
Rewards
Rewards
Load up to 10 different currencies on the CIBC AC Conversion Visa Prepaid Card including CAD, USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, JPY, HKD, TRY, CHF and MXN. Pay no annual fee for the card and earn 1% cash back on all purchases for a limited time. Keep in mind this is a prepaid card, so you'll have to load funds onto it in order to spend.
- Load up to 10 different currencies
- No annual fee
- Earn cashback
- No foreign transactions fees
- You won't incur any interest
- Doesn't help you build credit
- Must have the funds upfront to load the card
- Only get 1 free international ATM withdrawal per month
- You'll be charged every time you withdraw funds at a non-CIBC ATM in Canada
- You'll face currency conversion fees
- No basic or travel insurance
| Monthly Fee | $0 |
|---|---|
| Transaction Cost | $0 |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | 0% |
| Monthly Fee | $0 |
| Rewards | 1% cash back |
Meridian Credit Union rewards program
Meridian Credit Union offers returns in the form of cashback, travel points and general rewards.
How to redeem points
For cashback, you can just sign in to your online banking to see how much you’ve earned and request to apply amounts onto your next bank statement. To redeem points, you just need to sign on to your Meridian rewards account to check your balance and use your points.
How much is money worth?
It depends on which card you choose. For the cash back card, you can earn up to 4% on gas and groceries, and 1-2% on just about everything else. For the travel card, around 260,000 points will get you a flight from Ottawa to Paris, which means you’ll have to spend at least $130,000 on your card to qualify for a round trip. For the US currency card, the real value is the money you save on US foreign exchange rates up-front, but you’ll also earn one point per dollar on all other purchases.
Typical card benefits and features of a Meridian credit card
Meridian Credit Union offers a number of different cards, designed to meet a variety of needs. While the cards serve different purposes, they also have several common features.
- Contactless payments. Breeze through checkout faster with Visa payWave.
- Secure online purchases. Protect your credit card information by creating a SecureCode for online purchases.
- Fraud protection. Get instant notifications about suspicious activity with 24/7 fraud detection.
- Visa global services. Take advantage of 24/7 assistance to help with everything from ordering an emergency card replacement to receiving an emergency cash advance.
How to apply for a credit card with Meridian Credit Union
You can apply for a credit card with Meridian through its website. Before you apply, make sure you meet the minimum eligibility requirements and prepare some basic information.
Eligibility criteria
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You must be a Canadian citizen.
Required documents
- Full name and date of birth.
- Street address and phone number.
- Valid email address.
- Total annual income.
How does Meridian Credit Union keep my credit card information safe?
Meridian Credit Union provides enhanced protection for your card by asking for a SecureCode for online purchases. You’ll also be protected against fraud with Zero Liability protection, meaning only authorized transactions will be processed on your account.
Compare Meridian credit cards with other similar credit cards
Bottom line
Meridian Credit Union offers a variety of cashback, travel and currency conversion cards. The card that works best for you will depend on your unique set of circumstances, including whether you travel frequently, spend a lot of time/money in the US or want to get a higher return on gas and groceries. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, feel free to check out some of the cards on offer from other big Canadian banks.
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