• Annual Fee: $0
  • APR: 19.99% - 22.99%
  • Maximum Earn Rate: 2%
  • Minimum Personal Income Required: None
  • Recommended Credit Score: Over 670

minimum price:

$0 per year

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RBC Cash Back Mastercard Review: Pros and Cons [Reviewed in 2022]

How about some cashback on your groceries? Well, this isn’t out of reach with the RBC Mastercard Cash Back that we’re diligently reviewing for you today.

Take a look at our opinion on this unique card and discover its features, perks, fees, the application process, and eligibility.

RBC Cash Back Mastercard Review: Pros and Cons [Reviewed in 2022]

minimum price:

$0 per year

Visit Website
  • Annual Fee: $0
  • APR: 19.99% - 22.99%
  • Maximum Earn Rate: 2%
  • Minimum Personal Income Required: None
  • Recommended Credit Score: Over 670

Best For

Cashback

Strengths

  • No annual fees
  • No limit on cash back
  • Straightforward application and approval
  • Purchase security and extended warranty
  • Save on fuel at Petro-Canada
  • Up to 2% cash back on groceries

Weaknesses

  • No travel insurance in the basic package
  • No welcome bonus
  • $6,000 annual limit for the 2% reward rate

Overview

The Royal Bank of Canada (or RBC for short) is one of Canada’s biggest banks and among the largest in the world in market capitalization. The bank is one of the leading diversified financial service companies in North America.

The company started out as a regional bank in 1864 in Halifax. Today, it’s headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, boasts a mind-boggling 86,000 employees, and serves 17 million clients in Canada, the USA, and 27 other countries. One of the reasons RBC is such a popular bank in Canada is that clients can get up to 1.5% savings interest on their money.

RBC has also made a name for itself as a credit card issuer, with over 20 issued cards under its belt. Moreover, with the Cash Back Mastercard, RBC provides users with the opportunity to save and earn faster conveniently.

Main Features

Now, let’s get down the nitty-gritty. As you can probably already tell, this Mastercard takes rewards seriously. The card focuses mainly on cardholders receiving cashback or discounts from grocery stores, petrol stations, and other eligible purchases.

Grocery Store Rewards

As we’ve already mentioned, the RBC Credit Card offers cashback rewards of up to 2% on groceries. However, these bonuses are available to you until you spend a maximum of $6,000 per year. After that, your cashback is reduced to 1% on all grocery store purchases for the remainder of the year.

Incidentally, your Mastercard is accepted in numerous retailers like Loblaws, Atlantic Wholesalers, Sobeys, Foodland, IGA, No Frills, Superstore, Fortino’s and many others. What’s more, there is no limit on the amount of cash you can get back per calendar year, so go crazy!

Fuel Rewards

With the RBC Cash Back Mastercard, you can redeem rewards at gas stations, specifically Petro-Canada. Cardholders can save 3 cents off per litre of fuel when filling up a vehicle at Petro-Canada. You can do this by connecting your RBC credit card to your Petro-Points account, having the chance to earn 20% extra Petro-Points and RBC Rewards points.

Additionally, you can use the card on all Petro-Canada stations, regardless of your province or territory. This perk can be a significant advantage for anyone who fuels up often.

Other Purchases and Bill Payments

Since it’s a Mastercard, the RBC cashback is accepted in various stores and retailers. Apart from the grocery store rewards we talked about, the card gives up to 1% cashback on all other qualifying purchases and pre-authorized payments.

Unlike the grocery store rewards, here, we have no reduction in the percentage of cashback per calendar year, even after spending a larger sum. However, in your first six months of using the card, you’ll get a 0.5% cashback on these eligible purchases and bill payments, after which it grows to 1%.

Additional Perks and Benefits

The RBC Rewards Mastercard carries some generous perks for its cardholders, increasing its value even more. Although the card doesn’t offer a welcome bonus, it makes up for it with the numerous other benefits presented.

Free DoorDash Delivery

During the first three months of using the card, you’ll get a $0 delivery fee from DoorDash and a complementary DashPass subscription. To become eligible for this perk, you need to link your RBC cash back card to your DoorDash account.

In addition, you can enjoy unlimited deliveries with no fees on orders of more than $12 when you pay with your RBC card.

Purchase Security and Extended Warranty

When shopping with your RBC credit card, your purchases are automatically protected from loss or theft. This protection is relevant for the first 90 days following the purchase, after which it is no longer valid.

Furthermore, with the extended warranty protection, the card doubles the warranty of all eligible purchases for a maximum of one year.

Zero Liability Coverage

The zero liability coverage discharges the cardholder from any liability concerning fraudulent purchases made on the RBC Cash Back Mastercard. Therefore, you can trust that RBC has your back in the case of credit card theft.

Security Features

When shopping with your RBC card, you needn’t worry about a potential security breach. Luckily, the card comes with its unique built-in chip and PIN technology that ensures your account is thoroughly protected. Therefore, if you accidentally lose or misplace your credit card, you can open RBC’s mobile app and instantly lock the missing card.

Furthermore, all cash advances, withdrawals, or purchases will be automatically declined when you lock your card. However, you can still make payments to your credit card and use any accumulated Rewards points. Additionally, all your pre-authorized payments and transactions will remain active while your card is locked.

Optional Features

As we touched on previously, the basic package of the Mastercard Cash Back by RBC doesn’t include some valued services or insurances. However, many of these desired features are optional and can be added to your card for an affordable fee. Some of them are:

  • BalanceProtector Insurance, which makes sure your credit card balance doesn’t burden you or your family
  • Identity Theft & Credit Protection, which provides 24/7 monitoring of your information to protect your credit score and identity
  • RBC Road Assist, which provides 24/7 roadside assistance when you and your family are out and about
  • Travel Insurance, which can include components like Emergency Medical Insurance, Trip Cancellation Insurance, Flight Delay Insurance, Travel Accident Insurance, Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance, Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance, Trip Interruption Insurance, and more

Rates and Fees

Although this card doesn’t require an annual fee, there are some other fees you should be aware of, such as:

 

Annual Fee $0
Cash Advance APR 22.99%
Balance transfer APR 22.99%
Purchase APR 19.99%
Hidden Fees Foreign currency fee, balance transfer fee, cash advance fee, and over-limit fee

 

As you can see from the table above, the card’s rates and fees are generally acceptable. The RBC Cash Back Mastercard has a balance transfer APR of 22.99% and a purchase APR of 19.99%. However, you need to mind the many hidden costs you can encounter.

Interestingly, the RBC credit card cash advance APR is 22.99% everywhere in Canada except Quebec, where it sits at 21.99%.

Moreover, the RBC Cash Back Mastercard has a foreign transaction fee of 2.5%, a balance transfer fee of a maximum of 3%, a cash advance fee of $3.50 in Canada or $5 outside of Canada, and an over-limit fee of $29.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria state that there is no minimum personal or household income required to qualify for the RBC Cash Back Card. However, you will need a good credit score, preferably over 670, although RBC might accept clients with over 650.

Otherwise, the general approval requirements are:

  • You have to be a resident of Canada
  • You have to be the age of majority in your province or territory

Application Process and Delivery

You can apply for the Royal Bank Cash Back Mastercard online, by phone, or on-site at a local branch. Fortunately, the application process is rapid, taking just about 15 minutes of your time. Firstly, you’ll need to provide your personal information along with details about your expenses and employment.

Then, you’ll have the opportunity to add some extras to your credit card package, like balance protection or travel insurance. After that, you’ll receive a response in about 60 seconds, and you’ll just have to wait for your credit card to arrive in the mail. Once it does, you’ll need to activate it online or by phone and start collecting its rewards.

Lastly, to view or redeem the points on your RBC Cash Back Mastercard, log in to your RBC Online Banking account and click on the Credit Card tab. Your point balance is under RBC Rewards at the top of the page.

Want to Consider Other Options?

Don’t like what you see? Don’t worry, we’ve got a couple of different options for you. Let’s go over them together.

RBC Cash Back Mastercard vs MBNA Amazon Mastercard

If you’re still not sold on the RBC credit card, we’ve compared it to another card, the MBNA Amazon Mastercard. This card has similar benefits and might be just the one you need.

Just like our RBC Cash Back, the MBNA Amazon Mastercard doesn’t have an annual fee. What’s more, it has the same APR as the RBC card, with 22.99% on cash advances and balance transfers and 19.99% on purchases.

The MBNA Amazon card has the upper hand regarding welcome bonuses, with an offer of 5% back on purchases from Amazon.ca, grocery stores, and restaurants for the first $3,000 and first three months. Moreover, cardholders receive rewards of up to 2.5% on foreign transaction fees. Ultimately, the MBNA card is a force to be reckoned with on the credit card market.

RBC Cash Back Mastercard vs Capital One Savor Visa

Another similar card is the Capital One Savor Visa, which offers almost everything the RBC Cash Back card does and a bit more. The card has a welcome bonus of $300 if you spend $3,000 in three months.

However, unlike the RBC card, the Capital Visa has an annual fee of $95 and a recommended credit score of at least 700, so it’s a bit harder to qualify. Furthermore, its APR ranges from 15.99% to 23.99%, and it boasts relatively low-interest rates.

The Capital One Savor Visa allows cardholders to redeem 4% cashback when dining out and grocery shopping and 1% for other qualifying purchases. Also, if you’re keen on the finer things in life, the Visa comes with a fantastic concierge service, event access with discounts, travel insurance, and 24/7 travel assistance.

With all this said, if the exclusion of travel insurance in the RBC card’s basic package is a big deal for you, consider buying the Capital One Savor card that can give you those generous travel benefits.

Final Verdict

Hopefully, our RBC Cash Back Mastercard review helped you gain insight into the features this card offers.

The RBC cash back credit card is a terrific option for everyday spending. With its cashback rewards program on groceries and other purchases, cardholders can rest assured knowing this card’s got everything covered.

However, it might be best to look elsewhere if you’ve got a case of the travel bug, as this card, unfortunately, lacks travel perks.

FAQ

What rewards does the RBC cash back Mastercard offer?

The RBC cashback Mastercard offers 2% cashback on groceries and 1% cashback on all other eligible purchases.

Does the RBC Mastercard Cash Back Card come with travel insurance?

The RBC Mastercard Cash Back doesn’t include travel insurance in its basic package, but you can add it as an optional feature for an affordable fee.

ABOUT AUTHOR

With an early start in journalism and years of work as a technical translator, Marija felt it was natural to blend the two. Passionate about news and research, she enjoys sifting through the data, researching new currents and the constant changes in our technologically and financially driven lives, as well as presenting the stats and facts to the readers so you don’t have to dig deep on your own.