If you’re one of the many Canadians looking for a bank that will cover all of your chequing and savings account needs while also offering you an array of credit card options, it can feel like you’ll never find the right one. Because each bank offers different services and rates on their credit cards, it can be hard to compare them all.
But, that’s where we come in. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about The National Bank of Canada (Banque Nationale du Canada) and their credit card offerings in our National Bank Credit Cards review.
In This Article:
This section of our National Bank Credit Cards review is more important than you may realize. Yes, we’ll be primarily discussing the credit cards that the National Bank of Canada offers, but understanding the bank and its reputation will help you determine if this is the right bank for you just as much as learning about interest rates and fees will.
The National Bank of Canada is one of the “Big Six” banks in Canada, which means it’s one of the largest corporate banks in the country. In fact, it’s the sixth largest after BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD Bank.
It was founded way back in 1859 by two French-speaking businessmen who called it Banque Nationale. At that time, banking through their bank was limited to Quebec under Quebec provincial legislation. The bank grew rapidly and eventually merged with the Provincial Bank of Canada, before changing its name to the National Bank of Canada in 1979 after merging the two banks.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the National Bank of Canada is one of the biggest banks in all of Canada. Today they have over 420 branches spread around the country, and more than 940 ATMs. Over 2.4 million people are glad to call themselves customers of the National Bank of Canada.
And NBC has joined a network of other banks, partnerships and subsidiaries that conduct business in other countries, which means that the National Bank of Canada’s business is no longer limited to Canadian residents.
The National Bank of Canada is a large commercial bank that is regulated by federal agencies in Canada according to the Bank Act. They’re also a member of the CDIC (Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation). This means that the deposits of National Bank customers are insured for up to $100,000 per account.
It’s not hard to get in touch with someone from the National Bank. In fact, there are at least four different ways to talk to someone. You can walk into one of their 420 physical locations, call them by phone, use their website or mobile app to email them using a form, or send them mail.
Here’s the contact information they list on their website:
Phone: 1-888-835-6281
Mail: National Bank Tower
800, Saint-Jacques Street West
Montreal, Quebec
Canada
The National Bank of Canada actually offers so many different types of credit cards that we decided to split them up into “Personal” and “Business” sections in our National Bank credit cards review. Here’s a look at the personal credit cards that NBC offers:
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This is one of the credit cards we wanted to point out first in our National Bank credit cards review because of all of its unique benefits for travellers. Because it comes with insurance, you won’t have to worry about things like medical or hospital bills, trip cancellation or interruption, flight delays, baggage issues or rental car problems because it’s all covered.
You get up to 2 reward points for any purchase made with the World Elite card, and you can use the points on gift cards, travel rebates and branded articles. You also get unlimited access to the National Bank World Mastercard Lounge in Montreal-Trudeau along with one guest.
An additional travel benefit you get with this card is a $250 refund on your travel expenses like airport parking, plane seat selection fees, or baggage fees.
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Here are some of the other travel card rewards we discovered while doing research for our National Bank credit cards review:
While we were doing research for our National Bank credit cards review, we found that there are bonus rewards with the World Elite Mastercard, as well. The credit card payments made the first year will be refunded to the original owner of the card. You also get 20,000 reward points if you make $3,000 in purchases during the first 3 months of owning the card.
Here are the rates and fees you’ll get with the World Elite card:
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This is another excellent cash back card for those looking for a cash back rewards card. Here’s the rundown on the Echo Cashback Mastercard:
We found while conducting research for our National Bank credit cards review that this card can earn you 1.5% cash back on most online purchases, as well as gas or grocery store purchases. You get unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases, as well.
You can use your cash back as soon as you’ve accumulated at least $10 worth, and you can access your cash back from tablets and other mobile devices while you’re on the go. And you get insurance protection for purchases made with the card to protect them against theft and damage, and some purchases made with your card qualify for an extended warranty, as well.
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This is a good card for those looking for a low-interest credit card. Here’s everything we found out about the Syncro card while we were writing out National Bank credit cards review:
We also found that they provide purchase protection in case something you buy gets damaged or stolen. The National Bank also advertises that they are awarded the #1 rank from Forrester CX Index1 for credit card customer service.
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This is the card we found while writing our National Bank credit cards review that is best for students, or anyone looking for a credit card with no annual fees and cash back. Here are some of the fees and features you can expect with the mycredit card:
We found several other perks included with the mycredit card while we were doing research for our National Bank credit cards review. You’ll earn 1% on every restaurant transaction, as well as for each recurring automatic transfer and 0.5% on other eligible purchases.
You also get protection for new mobile devices that you purchase with your card, or any phone whose subscription is paid making automatic transfers with your card. This protection includes theft and damage and lists for up to 2 years.
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The Platinum Mastercard is the third travel/rewards card to make an appearance on our National Bank credit cards review (and we promise it’s the last travel/rewards card on the personal cards list!). Here’s a look at the Platinum Mastercard from NBC:
In addition to these rates, you also get the National Bank’s travel insurance, which covers many frequently experienced travel problems such as trip interruption or cancellation, flight delays or baggage issues. And you’ll get one point per purchase made with your card on all purchases.
There’s also a concierge service with tons of travel assistance features that’s accessible 24/7. And you can get an extended warranty and purchase protection insurance on items you buy with your card, which protects items in the event of damage or theft.
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This is the second travel/rewards card to appear on our National Bank credit cards review, but you’ll see that it’s different from the World Elite card. Here’s a rundown of the World Mastercard by NBC:
Some of the other perks we found while researching the World Mastercard included earning 2 points for all purchases you make with the card with no restrictions, and “savvy traveler” fee rebates. These rebates are given on things like airport parking, check-in fees and seat selection, and you get rebates up to $250 per year.
You can trade your reward points in without restrictions to get things like gift cards, travel rebates and branded articles. One of the best features is the travel protection insurance.
It covers things such as medical and hospital costs incurred while travelling, trip interruption or cancellation, flight delays, baggage issues, and rental car problems. There’s even a concierge service with a slew of features that you can access any time.
And, like the World Elite card, you get access to the National Bank World Mastercard Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau along with one guest.
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While we were learning about NBC’s cards for our National Bank credit cards review, we found that the Allure card is best for those who want to make an impact and help a good cause while earning cash back on their purchases. Here are the fees and features of the Allure Mastercard:
This card is associated with the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation, and allows you to make contributions to their cause. You also earn 1 point for every $2 you spend. And you’ll receive an amazing $10 cash back for every 1,000 points you earn, which is a major draw for the card.
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The MC1 is another card that’s a good option for students or anyone who wants to avoid annual fees, which makes the second of this type to appear on our National Bank credit cards review. Here are the fees and features of the MC1 card:
Everything we read while writing our National Bank credit cards review markets the MC1 as a simple and efficient payment solution for students and people who don’t want to pay annual fees. You can use the card to gain access to your funds on the go, no matter where in the world you are. You can also set your credit limit to $500 to control your spending, which is helpful.
And you get the Mastercard Zero Liability program, which will protect you against any unauthorized purchases. And with the National Bank’s insurance program, every purchase you make with your MC1 card is insured, which is an amazing perk that you don’t see on just any card.
This is a unique card and a great option for anyone who is a member of CAA, or the Canadian Automobile Association, which is why we chose to include it in our National Bank credit cards review. You can earn 2% cash back on all of your purchases, which is converted to CAA Dollars that you can use for CAA purchases.
There’s no annual fee on the card, which will be appealing for many CAA customers reading our National Bank credit cards review. It has an annual interest rate on purchases of 20.99% and 22.99% on balance transfers and cash advances.
This section of our National Bank credit cards review covers strictly business cards, so no personal credit cards will grace this list. Here’s a look at their business credit cards:
Of course, as its name suggests, this is a business card that the National Bank provides. Here’s a look at its fees and features:
There’s no annual fee on this card, and there’s a minimum credit limit of $1,000. There’s also an annual turnover of more than $1,000,000.
This is a card for anyone who wants to enjoy the low interest rate of a line of credit, and it’s one of the more unique cards on our National Bank credit cards review. If you link your card to your current account then you get overdraft protection, which is a nice feature. And you can issue cheques to make payments for your company.
You can apply for pre-authorized debit to allow your National Bank, as well as other payments to be automatically withdrawn from your account so that you don’t miss payments and have to pay late fees. And there are no fees if you want to get an additional card. Here’s a look at some of the other fees and features we found on the Mastercard Business Line while writing our National Bank credit cards review:
The Mastercard Platinum Business Card is a good idea for anyone who wants a business card with lots of rewards. We found that this card has several features and promotions.
On top of that, they offer 20,000 points when you sign up for a card, after you spend $5,000 using the card during the first 3 months. You also get 1.5 rewards points for every dollar you spend with the card. You can set a monthly spending limit on your card.
And you get the same travel insurance that you would with some of the travel cards listed previously in our National Bank credit cards review, which means you’ll be covered on things like delayed flights, lost luggage and rental cars.
This one is actually interesting. We listed it as a card (singular), but you have the option to get multiple different cards (plural) to meet the needs of your corporation. Here’s a look at the various card types that Mastercard corporate offers:
Purchasing Card: This is for order processing and supplier transactions.
Department Card (Physical): This is a physical card that is designed so that members of a department can use it rather than their personal cards, and they won’t be dependent on a manager to use it. This is one of the more interesting features that we wanted to point out in our National Bank credit cards review.
Department Card (Virtual): This card is for online purchases, and to cover recurring payments and doesn’t require team members to access a physical card. There are no other cards that the National Bank that provide this sort of service, so we wanted to point it out in our National Bank credit cards review.
Travel Card: Of course, this card covers travel-related expenditures.
Vehicle Card: This card covers expenses related to company vehicles.
Virtual Card: Like the Purchasing Card, the Virtual Card covers the virtual needs of your entire company. It provides you with a unique card number for each transaction to make managing your accounts payable transactions easy.
Here are some of the rates for the Mastercard Corporate Card that we found while writing our National Bank credit cards review:
You can also access generated reports that analyze the spending habits of your company as well as make recommendations. Using the Mastercard Corporate Card can reduce the purchase processing fees of your company, which is a major bonus to any business. And you can integrate the Corporate Card with accountant or travel expense software, which is convenient.
Here are a few of the parameters and controls of the cards that you can set:
We found during our National Bank credit cards review that there have been some new features added to the Mastercard Corporate Card, as well, so we thought we’d give you a look at some of the newer accounts payable analysis features that have only been around since 2019:
One thing that many people reading our National Bank credit cards review want to know is whether they have good customer service. This is a natural question, considering credit cards are an important financial aspect of many peoples’ lives, whether they’re for personal or business purposes.
So, in an effort to provide you with an unbiased National Bank credit cards review, we’ll tell you what we’ve found regarding their customer service.
Honestly, of all of their services, this is one of the services that it appears the National bank could stand to improve. Online reviews about their customer services are definitely disappointing, complaining of long wait times and agents that are less than helpful.
The National Bank of Canada offers a slew of credit cards, and they’re sure to offer a card to meet your needs. There are some drawbacks to their cards and their customer service, but overall when we researched the National Bank for this National Bank credit cards review, we found that their products outweigh most of the online customer complaints.
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National Bank offers a wide range of credit cards for all types of customers. The personal cards they offer are:
The best National Bank credit card depends on your situation. The best National Bank credit card for cashback is the ECHO Cashback Mastercard. The best National Bank credit card for students is the MC1 Mastercard.
National Bank credit cards are for anyone who is 18 years or older who wants to spend money easier while earning rewards. National Bank has credit cards for all levels of credit and income, from students to working professionals to businesses.
The National Bank of Canada is one of the “Big Six” banks in Canada, which means it’s one of the largest corporate banks in the country. In fact, it’s the sixth largest after BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD Bank.
The National Bank of Canada is a large commercial bank that is regulated by federal agencies in Canada according to the Bank Act. They’re also a member of the CDIC (Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation). This means that the deposits of National Bank customers are insured for up to $100,000 per account.
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