Best High-Earning Credit Cards in Canada for Groceries, Dining, and Food Delivery

For many Canadian households, groceries, restaurants, coffee runs, and food delivery are some of the easiest categories to optimize. A card with a strong food earn rate can beat a flat-rate card quickly, especially if you also check the current application or signup offers before applying.

Below are three high-earning cards worth comparing. Use Canada Cashback Monitor to check the current card-offer pages before you apply, because signup rebates and partner offers can change.

Quick comparison

| Card | Strongest everyday categories | Best fit |

|---|---|---|

| American Express Cobalt Card | 5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada; 3X streaming; 2X gas, transit, and rideshare | People who spend heavily on restaurants, food delivery, and flexible points |

| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | 6X Scene+ points at participating grocery banners; 5X dining, food delivery, entertainment, and other eligible grocery; 3X gas, transit, and streaming | Shoppers who like Scene+ and spend at Sobeys-family grocery banners |

| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card | 4% cash back on groceries and recurring payments; 2% gas, EV charging, daily transit, rideshare, and food delivery | People who prefer simple cash back and have recurring bills |

American Express Cobalt Card: strong food and flexible points

The American Express Cobalt Card is one of the most talked-about Canadian rewards cards because its strongest category lines up with everyday spending. American Express lists 5X Membership Rewards points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada, such as eligible restaurants and food delivery. It also lists 3X on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada and 2X on eligible gas, transit, and rideshare purchases in Canada.

That makes Cobalt especially interesting for people who regularly order food delivery, eat out, buy coffee, or want flexible Membership Rewards points. Points can be used for statement credits or travel-related redemptions, and American Express lists a baseline redemption option where 1,000 points can equal $10 toward eligible purchases.

Before applying, check the current American Express Cobalt Card offers on Canada Cashback Monitor. At the time this post was drafted, the CCM card page showed a Great Canadian Rebates offer for the card, but offers can change.

Scotiabank Gold American Express: big grocery and food categories

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is another high-earning food card, especially if you shop at participating grocery banners. Scotiabank lists 6X Scene+ points at participating grocery stores such as Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland, IGA, Voilà, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry, Co-Op, and participating stores.

Scotiabank also lists 5X Scene+ points on dining, food delivery, food subscriptions, other eligible grocery stores, and eligible entertainment purchases. Gas, transit, rideshare, buses, taxis, subways, and streaming are listed at 3X.

This card can be a strong fit if you like Scene+ redemptions and spend heavily in the card's bonus categories. It also has a notable travel angle because Scotiabank advertises no foreign transaction fees on foreign-currency purchases, with only the exchange rate applying.

Check current application offers here: Scotiabank Gold American Express Card on Canada Cashback Monitor.

Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite: simple cash back for groceries and bills

The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card is the most straightforward card in this comparison because it earns cash back instead of points. Scotiabank lists 4% cash back on eligible groceries and recurring bill payments, up to the annual accelerated-category spending limit, and 2% on gas, EV charging, daily transit, rideshare, and food delivery.

That combination is useful because recurring payments can be a large monthly category. Phone bills, insurance, subscriptions, memberships, and other recurring charges may qualify if the merchant processes them as eligible recurring payments.

This card is worth considering if you want a simple cash-back structure instead of learning a points program. Check the current offer page before applying: Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card on Canada Cashback Monitor.

Which card should you choose?

Choose the card based on where your money actually goes:

Pick Cobalt if your biggest spend is restaurants, food delivery, and flexible points.
Pick Scotiabank Gold Amex if you shop at participating grocery banners and like Scene+.
Pick Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite if you want cash back and have meaningful grocery plus recurring-bill spend.

Also consider acceptance. American Express can be very rewarding, but not every merchant accepts Amex. A Visa card may be easier to use broadly, while an Amex can be excellent at merchants that accept it.

Use Canada Cashback Monitor before applying

The card's earn rate is only one part of the decision. Signup rebates and application-channel offers can also matter. Before applying, compare current offers through:

Sources checked

American Express Cobalt official card page: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-ca/credit-cards/cobalt-card/
Scotiabank Gold American Express official card page: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/american-express/gold-card.html
Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite official card page: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/visa/momentum-infinite-card.html

Rates, fees, welcome offers, eligibility rules, and merchant category coding can change. Always verify the current issuer terms and current Canada Cashback Monitor offer page before applying.

Best High-Earning Credit Cards in Canada for Groceries, Dining, and Food Delivery