Not financial advice, just what’s been working for me.

If you’re using one card for everything, you’re probably missing out. I switched to a 3-card setup and now I’m basically getting ~3–5% back on most of my spending without doing anything crazy.

Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard

I use this for Costco, USD purchases, and anything random.

• 2% cashback on everything (if you have Rogers/Fido/Shaw)
• No annual fee

One thing I didn’t realize at first — if you redeem cashback against your Rogers/Fido bill, it gets boosted, so it’s closer to ~3%.

This is basically my fallback card.

Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite

I use this for bills and places that don’t take Amex (like No Frills).

• 4% cashback on groceries + recurring payments

The interesting part is rent — I use Chexy to pay rent. They charge ~1.75%, but since it counts as a recurring payment, you still get 4% back → so you’re still ahead.

For me it’s around ~$40/month back on rent, which I was getting nothing on before.

• $120 annual fee (usually first year free or waived with some accounts)

Amex Cobalt

This one is just for food — groceries, eating out, delivery.

• 5× points on food

Sometimes I’ll grab gift cards (Amazon, Netflix, etc.) from grocery stores, so those purchases also earn 5×.

It’s $15.99/month, but if you spend regularly on food, it covers itself pretty easily.

Main reason I like it is the Aeroplan transfer. Even without over-optimizing, the points add up fast.

One more thing — Also worth checking third-party sites before applying — sometimes they have extra cashback.
Usually in the ~$100–$150 range per card if you get approved.