The Two Everyday Spending Cards You Should Have in Your Wallet

August 26, 2026

If you saw my very first blog post, it was about my favourite everyday card: the American Express Cobalt. Nothing has changed, I still love this card, but I feel there is a second credit card that is important and doesn’t get talked about enough. Let’s get right to it. The two everyday spending cards I think every Canadian should have are:

1. American Express Cobalt – annual fee of $15.99 per month ($191.88 annually)
   1. Earns 5X on grocery, dining, and food delivery
   1. Earns 3X on streaming and subscriptions
   1. Earns 2X on gas, transit, and rideshare
   1. Earns 1X on everything else
2. RBC ION+ – annual fee of $48
   1. Earns 3X on groceries, dining, gas, food delivery, rideshare, streaming, and more
   1. Earns 1X on everything else

I see so many people talk about the Cobalt, and I agree, it’s amazing. However, sometimes we can’t use American Express, so I think it’s important to have a high points earning Visa card, which is exactly what the RBC ION+ is. Another issue that isn’t talked about enough is that, if you live in Western Canada, you probably fly WestJet more often than Air Canada. To keep things simple, just remember that American Express is a direct transfer partner of Air Canada, while RBC Avion is a direct transfer partner of WestJet.

You can use American Express Membership Rewards to book WestJet flights, but you’ll need to book through partner airlines such as KLM/Air France or Delta, which are American Express transfer partners. These partner airlines can offer some of the best deals you’ll find, but they don’t guarantee that every flight will be available. If you want to read more about booking WestJet flights through partner airlines, I’ll leave the link below:

Since RBC Avion Rewards can be transferred directly to WestJet, you have a few booking options. You could use the Avion Flight Redemption Schedule, which offers a fixed points rate and typically provides the best value. You could also transfer your points to WestJet at a 1:1 ratio and book a Member Exclusive Fare or transfer them to WestJet and redeem 100 WestJet points for $1 off your flight, although you’ll need a lot of points for this option.

Since you may not know where your future vacations will take you, I feel it’s important to have a stockpile of both RBC Avion Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. And remember, your points can also be used for hotels through travel portals or by transferring American Express Membership Rewards to Marriott or Hilton.

I hope this helps you maximize the points you earn on your everyday spending. Happy travelling!

—Alexis