Research
Canadian credit card statistics
A data study of the Canadian credit card market, computed from our daily-refreshed dataset of 131 cards across 17 issuers. As of June 2026.
As of June 2026, we track 131 Canadian credit cards from 17 issuers. 40% charge no annual fee, the median annual fee is $39 (average $102), and the average purchase APR is 20.41%. Only 5% of cards waive the foreign transaction fee. Across the market we track 37 distinct reward currencies. Every figure is computed from official issuer pages and refreshed daily.
131
Cards tracked
across 17 issuers
$39
Median annual fee
average $102
40%
Charge no annual fee
53 cards
20.41%
Average purchase APR
9.99%–22.49% range
5%
Waive the FX fee
only 7 cards
37
Reward currencies
points, miles & cash back
Annual fees, by band
Number of cards in each annual-fee range.
Cards by issuer
How many tracked cards each issuer offers.
Key findings
- 1
Canada's credit card market is split on fees: 40% of the 131 cards we track charge no annual fee, yet the median fee among all cards is just $39 while the average is $102, pulled up by a long tail of premium cards reaching $799.
- 2
The average purchase APR is 20.41%, ranging from 9.99% on low-interest cards to 22.49% at the high end. Carrying a balance is expensive across the board.
- 3
No-foreign-transaction-fee cards remain rare: just 7 of 131 cards (5%) waive the standard 2.5% surcharge, despite it being one of the most-requested features for travellers.
- 4
The richest current welcome offer is the The Platinum Card® from American Express, worth an estimated $2600 at our point valuations; the average valued welcome offer is about $804.
- 5
Reward complexity is real: we track 37 distinct reward currencies (airline, hotel, bank, store, and cash-back programs), which is a big reason comparing cards by headline earn rate is misleading.
Methodology & reuse
Figures are computed from our dataset of 131 active Canadian consumer credit cards across 17 issuers, refreshed daily from official issuer product and application pages. Annual fee, APR, and foreign transaction fee are taken directly from issuer disclosures. Welcome-offer values use our published mid-market point valuations and are estimates, not issuer-guaranteed. Averages exclude cards where a figure is not disclosed. You are welcome to cite or reproduce any statistic here with attribution and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Last updated 2026-06-20. Nothing here is financial advice.
Cited, never sponsored
Put the data to work.
See how the whole market ranks for the value you would actually get, every figure linked to the issuer.