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MBNA and National Bank each offer a credit card that earns 5 points per dollar spent at grocery stores and restaurants:
These are two basic cards that we often recommend when someone wants to earn points quickly and easily.
So, we’ll break down the key differences between these credit cards based on:
Through Milesopedia, you can get up to 50,000 points with this exclusive welcome offer for the National Bank World Elite Mastercard:
By signing up for the MBNA World EliteMD Rewards Mastercard, you can earn these 20,000 points, within 90 days of account opening:
What’s more, the card offers a points bonus to celebrate the anniversary of the account opening. This bonus is equal to 10% of the total number of points accumulated in the account over the previous 12 months, up to a maximum of 15,000 points.
This offer is only available to residents of the province of Quebec.
With this welcome bonus, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard wins!
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard requires:
The MBNA World EliteMD rewards MastercardMD requires :
Both credit cards require the same level of annual income. However, if you have assets at National Bank, you may be able to qualify even if you don’t have/no longer have these income levels.
The National Bank World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $150.
The MBNA World EliteMD Rewards MastercardMD has an annual fee of $120.
And yes, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard is higher than its competitor.
However, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard has a particular advantage: it offers an eligible travel expense refund of up to $150 each year!
So, using this $150 reimbursment to its full potential, your credit card costs virtually $0 every year.
The MBNA World Elite Rewards Mastercard and National Bank World Elite Mastercard each offer similar levels of point accumulation.
With the National Bank World Elite Mastercard you can also earn up to 5 points per dollar:
For the Grocery and Restaurant category, you can earn 5 points for every dollar spent in the first $2,500 of monthly purchases (all categories combined) charged to the card. Starting at $2,501, points are accumulated at a rate of 2 points per dollar for the 5 X points category.
With the MBNA World EliteMD rewards MastercardMD, you can earn up to 5 points per dollar:
For the 5 X points category, you can earn 5 points per dollar in this category, charged to the card up to $50,000 in annual purchases (or an average of $4,166 per month). Starting at $50,001, accumulation is 1 point per dollar for the 5 X points category.
This one’s tough!
Depending on your needs and the majority of your expenses, you may choose one or the other. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard has an advantage with its gas expense category. This can be an important part of your expenses too.
Since groceries are a major budget item, getting 5 points per dollar on one of these 2 credit cards for this expense is excellent.
But if you spend a lot in its 5-points category, the MBNA World Elite Rewards MastercardMD is the better choice. And best of all, this card offers a higher spending limit ($50,000 per year).
Plus, MBNA pays 10% on all points accumulated. This means that 5 points per dollar is more like 5.5 points! So think about your lifestyle and calculate what’s worthwhile for you.
Don’t forget the possibility of buying gift cards at the grocery store to maximize your points: you earn 5 points (or 5.5) per dollar, even for Walmart, Amazon, Sports Experts, Canadian Tire gift cards, etc.
Both cards are part of different loyalty programs:
Thus, the ways of using the points are different.
With National Bank World Elite Mastercard, you cannot transfer your points to other programs. Here are a few ways to use your Reward Points:
MBNA points cannot be transferred to other rewards programs.
There are several options for using MBNA Rewards points:
Thanks to the great flexibility of the National Bank World® Mastercard®, points can be used in a variety of ways. Even to pay off the mortgage!
But in terms of the number of points required, the MBNA World EliteMD Rewards MastercardMD requires the least on certain rewards.
Each calendar year, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard cardholder has a $150 travel credit to reimburse certain travel expenses:
It also offers:
With the MBNA World Elite Rewards Mastercard, you can also enjoy the benefits of World Elite cardholders:
With its wide range of travel benefits, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard is unbeatable in this respect.
In general, National Bank World Elite Mastercard offers more generous additional coverage than the MBNA World Elite Rewards Mastercard.
What’s more, you only need to carry a portion of your travel purchases on the card to benefit from most of the insurance coverages.
Whereas, depending on the coverage, the MBNA World Elite Rewards MastercardMD requires that at least 75% or 100% of the travel or ticket cost be charged to the card. You’ll then need to carefully read all the fine print, as even small details can make a big difference.
So? Which card is the winner?
In our opinion, for everyday purchases, it’s the MBNA World Elite Rewards Mastercard. But if you travel a lot, and insurance is important to you, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard is the best choice.
The MBNA World EliteMD rewards MastercardMD is simple to understand and stands out on :
While the National Bank World Elite Mastercard stands out thanks to:
Here are frequently asked questions in the milesopedia community about this card.
To maximize your Membership Rewards earning, check our complete American Express Membership Rewards program guide and our best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards ranking, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.
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