Looking for the best Tangerine credit card for your lifestyle? Our guide below covers the different Tangerine cards available and their benefits and rewards. We also cover Tangerine credit card requirements, how to apply for a Tangerine card and go through the main Tangerine credit card categories you can select to earn higher cash back return rates.
If you're looking for a $0 annual fee credit card with unlimited cash back rewards and a competitive balance transfer offer, then the Tangerine World Mastercard could be right for you. Earn unlimited 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and unlimited 0.5% cash back on everything else. Conditions apply. Earn 10% cash back (up to $100) when you spend $1,000 in the first 2 months. Valid until April 30, 2024.
Annual fee. This card has a $0 annual fee.
Additional cardholders. Add up to 5 additional cardholders for $0.
Earn rewards. Earn unlimited 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and unlimited 0.5% cash back on everything else. Conditions apply.
Earn even more. You can unlock cashback offers while travelling outside of Canada and get rebates which you can apply to your statement with Mastercard Travel Rewards by using your card at select merchants.
Balance transfer. Get a 1.95% interest rate on balance transfers for the first six months. To take advantage of this offer, you must complete the Balance Transfer request within 30 days of account approval and activate your card within 45 days of approval. A 1% balance transfer fee will be charged on each transferred amount (the fee is waived by Tangerine if you're a resident of Quebec).
Travel perks. You'll get a Mastercard Travel Pass Provided by DragonPass. This complimentary membership gives you exclusive dining, retail and spa offers in over 650 airports worldwide, along with access to over 1,300 airport lounges at $32 USD per visit. Plus, never be without internet since your card gives you access to over 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world with Boingo Wi-Fi.
Rental car. Charge the full cost of a rental vehicle to your card, and get complimentary damage and theft protection for up to 31 consecutive days.
Apps and subscription access. As a cardholder, you'll have access to special benefits and offers from on-demand apps and subscription services.
Minimum income requirement. You need a minimum personal income of $60,000 or a combined household income of at least $100,000 to apply for this card.
Foreign transaction fee. You'll face a foreign transaction fee of 2.5% every time you use your card overseas or online with international retailers.
Limited travel benefits. Though this card offers some nice travel perks, it doesn't come with many of the travel benefits offered by more premium credit cards such as complimentary travel insurance, free flight and hotel upgrades and discounted car rentals.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
19.95%
Cash Advance Rate
19.95%
Balance transfer APR
1.95% intro for the first 6 months (then 19.95% )
Welcome offer
Earn 10% cash back (up to $100) when you spend $1,000 in the first 2 months. Valid until April 30, 2024.
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and unlimited 0.5% cash back on everything else. Conditions apply.
As a cash back credit card, the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card helps you earn cash rewards on your everyday purchases, with accelerated rewards where you spend the most. Earn 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and 0.5% cash back on everything else. Categories include groceries, gas, restaurants, hotels, recurring bill payments, drug store, home improvement and entertainment. Plus, get access to a 1.95% interest rate on a balance transfer for the first 6 months. Earn 10% cash back (up to $100) when you spend $1,000 in the first 2 months. Valid until April 30, 2024.
Earn rewards fast. Earn 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and 0.5% cash back on everything else.
Annual fee. This card comes with a $0 annual fee.
Balance transfer rate. Get a 1.95% interest rate on balance transfers for the first six months. To take advantage of this offer, you must complete the Balance Transfer request within 30 days of account approval and activate your card within 45 days of approval. A balance transfer fee equaling the greater of 3% or $5 will be charged on each transferred amount (fee is waived by Tangerine if you're a resident of Quebec).
Minimum income requirement. This card has a relatively low minimum income requirement of $12,000.
Low return on other purchases. Receive only 0.5 cash back on all other categories of spending.
Foreign transaction fee. You'll pay a foreign transaction fee of 2.5% on all overseas purchases.
Missed payment fee. You'll pay a 24.95% rate on missed payments.
Balance trasnfer fee. Pay a balance transfer fee of 1% of the total transferred amount or $5, whichever is greater.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
19.95%
Cash Advance Rate
19.95%
Balance transfer APR
1.95% intro for the first 6 months (then 19.95% )
Welcome offer
Earn 10% cash back (up to $100) when you spend $1,000 in the first 2 months. Valid until April 30, 2024.
Rewards
Earn 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and 0.5% cash back on everything else.
Tangerine credit card categories
The 10 Tangerine credit card categories people can choose from to earn a higher cash back return rate are:
Drug store
Eating Places
Entertainment
Furniture
Gas
Grocery
Home Improvement
Hotel & Motel
Public Transportation and Parking
Recurring Bill Payments
You’ll be able to choose your 2 or 3 high-earn categories when you activate your new Tangerine credit card. You can switch up your high-earn categories by first logging in to Tangerine’s online banking, going to your Tangerine Credit Card Account and clicking ‘Rewards’. Then click ‘Change Categories’ under the category icons to update your picks.
How to earn cash back using Tangerine credit card categories
Tangerine is the only bank in Canada that allows you to choose which categories you’d like to earn a higher cash back rate on. That means you can strategically choose to earn more on the categories you spend the most on. Let’s look at an example to see how earning cash back using various Tangerine credit card categories can work.
Let’s use the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card as an example: Earn 2% cash back in two Tangerine credit card categories of your choice (or three categories if you open a Tangerine Savings Account and directly deposit your cash back into the account), and 0.5% cash back on everything else.
Erin, an Ontario resident, is looking to optimize her spending. She applies for a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, and is able to access 3 high earn rate categories because she also has a Tangerine savings account. Erin realizes that she tends to spend the most money on groceries, recurring bill payments and gas. The table below shows an example of how much cash back Erin could earn per month:
Tangerine credit card category
Spent per month
Earn rate
Cash back earned in one year
Groceries
$400
2%
$8
Gas
$120
2%
$2.40
Recurring bill payments
$300
2%
$6
All other expenses
$300
0.5%
$1.50
In this example, Erin would get $17.90 in cash back directly deposited into her Tangerine savings account every month just by using her Tangerine credit card – which amounts to earning $214.80 in one year.
While you may be able to find higher cash back earn rates with other credit cards, it’s important to consider each card’s annual fee. In order to make the most out of any cash back program, you need to make sure you plan to spend enough money on your card to earn at least enough cash back to make up the card’s annual fee. One of the big perks of Tangerine credit cards is that they don’t charge annual fees.
Tangerine credit card benefits
Here we breakdown some of the key benefits you’ll get with a Tangerine credit card.
Unlimited money-back rewards
There’s no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn at the standard return rates with your Tangerine credit card. The cash back you earn is paid out monthly either to your card balance or redeemed into your savings account. You also don’t have to wait until you’ve accrued some minimum amount of cash back for it to be paid out – it will be paid monthly no matter how small the amount is.
Tangerine credit card extras
All Tangerine credit cards come with Purchase Assurance and Extended Warranty coverage. That means that most new, insured items bought on your Tangerine credit card will be automatically covered for loss, theft or damage for 90 days from the date of purchase. The warranty on any item bought with your card will also be doubled up to a maximum of one year.
Mobile Wallets
You can conveniently pay with your Tangerine credit card on your mobile device using any of the following wallet apps: Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
Free spending tracking and categorizing
Tangerine will automatically organize the expenses on your credit card so you can easily see at a glance how much your spending and in which categories. That can help you stay on top of your finances, have a better grasp of where exactly your money is going and be able to use that information to budget smarter.
Standard Mastercard benefits
Because Tangerine credit cards are all Mastercards, you’ll get access to several standard benefits including Mastercard Zero Liability and Mastercard Tap & Go for safety and ease of use. Mastercard is also accepted in over 210 countries around the world.
How to apply for a Tangerine credit card
If you’ve decided that you would like to apply for a Tangerine credit card, you can begin the application process by clicking the orange “apply now” button on the website. You will then be prompted to answer whether you are currently a Tangerine customer. If you are, then you will proceed to the application page. If you are not, you will be required to enter your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and employment information.
Before you begin your Tangerine credit card application, make sure that you meet the following Tangerine credit card requirements:
Age. You need to be the age of majority in the province or territory you reside in.
Residency. You need to be a permanent resident in Canada.
Credit history. You need to be clear of any bankruptcies over the past seven years.
Gross annual income. You need to meet the minimum gross annual income requirement for the card you’re applying for.
Tangerine credit card requirements
If you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can apply for your Tangerine credit card. During the application process, you may be required to provide the following information:
Personal information. You will need to provide your full name, address and contact information. You may need to verify your identity by providing a valid form of identification, such as your driver’s licence or your passport.
Employment information. You will need to provide your current, and possibly even previous, employment information.
Compare Tangerine cards with other credit cards
Tangerine cards FAQs
You can earn cash back on every $1 you spend on eligible purchases. The amount of cash back you'll earn will depend on the spending category.
There is no annual fee attached Tangerine credits.
You do not need to have any other Tangerine product to be eligible for a Tangerine credit card. However, you will need to sign up for a Tangerine account (not product) before you can apply for its credit card.
There is no limit on the Money-Back Rewards you can earn with either of these credit cards.
Yes, you can use your Tangerine credit card in a foreign country. However, you will incur a foreign currency conversion fee of 2.5% that will be added to the converted transaction amount.
Yes, you can get a cash advance with a Tangerine credit card, but you will incur a $3.50 fee if the transaction is completed in Canada and a $5.00 fee if it is completed outside of Canada using the Tangerine World Mastercard.
Chelsey Hurst is an associate editor at Finder. She loves empowering people to avoid financial pitfalls and make better decisions with their money. Chelsey has a Bachelor of Science from Redeemer University, a Master of Science from McMaster University, and has won multiple awards for research communication. In her spare time, Chelsey enjoys cooking and taking long walks in nature.
Learn about the rewards and perks of the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card.
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