Desjardins Credit Cards: Which Card Suits You Best?

Desjardins currently has 8 different MasterCard credit cards and each of them has its own perks regarding travel, rewards, cashback, and insurance plans. Before we get into this review, let’s talk a little about their user-friendly website. If you go to Desjardins’ website and click on their credit card section, you’d find they have an extremely useful application that allows you to compare their nine cards with ease.

The site is easy to navigate and provides succinct and useful information on each card without all the technical jargon. Overall, the user experience on the website itself makes it easy for users to get quick details on each card’s strengths and how it would benefit them.

That said we did a little more digging to give you a more comprehensive idea on what each card brings’ to the table as well as the type of user who would benefit from it.

Types Of Desjardins Mastercards

Desjardins as a brand is well known in Canada and it is the country’s largest credit union. They have over 300 branches all over the country and even in smaller towns. 

The Desjardins credit cards are popular for their travel and mobile device insurance as well as the amazing Bonusdollars Rewards program, which can be used to redeem the following types of rewards:

• Train passes
• Flights tickets
• Public transportation tickets
• Car rentals
• Hotel stays, and
• Gift cards.

For this review, we will look at the different elements that each card is known for as well as how these cards score in each category. These are the 8 options Desjardins offers:

Desjardins Elegance Gold Visa

Desjardins Student Cash Back

Desjardins Odyssey World Elite

Desjardins Cash Back World Mastercard

Desjardins Odyssey Gold

Desjardins Cashback Visa/Mastercard

Desjardins Modulo Visa

Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege

To make these cards easier to compare, we’ve grouped them into four different categories:

1. Cashback credit cards
2. Low-interest credit cards
3. Travel rewards credit cards
4. No-annual fee credit cards

Here is a summary of the perks you get with each card:

Features and Benefits	Desjardins Elegance Gold Visa	Desjardins Student Cash Back	Desjardins Odyssey World Elite
Welcome Bonus Points	0	0	0
Earn Rate on Travel	Up to 1% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS	1% on your purchases	2% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS
Earn Rate on Food & Drink	Up to 1% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS	1% on your purchases	2% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS
Companion Tickets	0	0	0
Hotel Benefits	0	0	0
Concierge Service	0	0	1
Comprehensive Travel Insurance	$12,500	$5,002,500	$6,074,000
Foreign Transaction Fee	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%
Interest Rates (only if they’re different from 19.99% and 22.99%)	0	0	0
Annual Fee	$30	$0	$130

Features and Benefits	Desjardins Cash Back World Mastercard	Desjardins Odyssey Gold	Desjardins Cashback Visa/Mastercard
Welcome Bonus Points	0	0	0
Earn Rate on Travel	2% on your purchases	1% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS	1% on your purchases
Earn Rate on Food & Drink	2% on your purchases	1% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS	1% on your purchases
Companion Tickets	0	0	0
Hotel Benefits	0	0	0
Concierge Service	0	0	1
Comprehensive Travel Insurance	$5,002,500	$5,002,500	$5,003,000
Foreign Transaction Fee	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%
Interest Rates (only if they’re different from 19.99% and 22.99%)	0	0	0
Annual Fee	$50	$0	$0

Features and Benefits	Desjardins Desjardins Modulo Visa	Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege
Welcome Bonus Points	0	0
Earn Rate on Travel	1% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS	2% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS
Earn Rate on Food & Drink	1% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS	2% of your purchases in BONUSDOLLARS
Companion Tickets	0	0
Hotel Benefits	0	0
Concierge Service	0	1
Comprehensive Travel Insurance	$5,003,000	$6,010,000
Foreign Transaction Fee	2.5%	2.5%
Interest Rates (only if they’re different from 19.99% and 22.99%)	0	0
Annual Fee	$50	$0

Let’s explore each category so you know how to choose the best one for you:

#1 Desjardins Cashback Credit Cards

Desjardins offers four different cashback credit cards that will earn you cash as you spend:

• Cash Back Visa
• Cash Back Mastercard
• Cash Back World Mastercard
• Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege

To compare these credit cards side by side, we scored them in ten different categories. The scores, which you’ll find in the following table, are on a 0-10 points scale and are based on our deep analysis of the nitty-gritty details behind each feature and benefit.

	Cash Back Visa / Mastercard	Cash Back World Mastercard	Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege
Welcome Bonus	0	0	0
Rewards Program	10	10	10
Earn Rates	1	2	1
Travel Benefits	0	0	5
Annual Benefits vs. Annual Fee	0	0	0
Referral Program	0	0	0
Travel Insurance	8	8	10
Purchase Coverage	10	10	10
Foreign Transaction Fees	10	4	10
Customer Service & Online Experience	8	8	8
Total	44	32	48

If you are looking for a valuable cashback program, you will not be disappointed with the Cashback Visa/Mastercard as well as the Cashback World Mastercard. These cashback cards give you 1% on all kinds of purchases whether its gym memberships, household bills, groceries, gas, and magazine subscriptions. You can also make those purchases via contactless payments.

The Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege, on the other hand, offers 2% earn rates on all purchases. Along with the cashbacks, this card also comes with mobile device insurance and travel insurance for up to 3 days.

As a matter of fact, all of the cards from Desjardins come with mobile device insurance and travel insurance for a minimum of 3 days.

Who Are These Cards Suitable For

The Desjardins Cashback Visa/Mastercard is suitable for your average shopper- you can save more through purchases and be part of a program that makes cashback rewards easy. It pretty much earns you cashback in daily expenses including household bills so if you find yourself using a credit card to pay for things like this, then the Cashback Visa/Mastercard is ideal plus it does not have any annual fees.

However, if you want more value from your card apart from just cashback, then the Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege may be something you would be interested in. It has 2% on every $1 and a comprehensive travel insurance package. This would suit someone who is a big spender especially when they travel. This card comes with an annual fee of $395. 

If you want to explore other cashback cards, you can check out the Fido Mastercard that has an earn rate of 3%. Also, you can read our post on choosing the best cashback card in Canada.

#2 Low-Interest Desjardins Credit Cards

Desjardins offers two low-rate credit cards with different benefits:

• The Desjardins Modulo Visa
• The Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege

Here are these cards’ scores compared side by side, on the same scale as before:

	Modulo Visa	Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege
Welcome Bonus	0	0
Rewards Program	10	0
Earn Rates	1	1
Travel Benefits	0	5
Annual Benefits vs. Annual Fee	0	0
Referral Program	0	0
Travel Insurance	8	10
Purchase Coverage	10	10
Foreign Transaction Fees	4	10
Customer Service & Online Experience	8	8
Total	32	48

The Modulo Visa (10.9%), Classic Visa (12.9%), and the Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege (9.9%) offer a low-interest rate that can save you a significant amount of money. The Desjardins Modulo Visa has an interest rate of just 10.9%, half of what the other Desjardins credit cards have, and also half of what most Canadian credit cards generally offer, which is usually 20%. The Modulo Visa and Classic Visa also have a 1% rewards program in Bonusdollars whereas the Odyssey offers 2% on all eligible purchases. 

Who Are These Cards Suitable For

If you find yourself regularly carrying a balance on your credit cards, then you might want to switch to either of the cards mentioned above. These cards also have higher earn rates and combined with the low-interest features, make them unusually valuable. 

That said, the Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege card stands out thanks to its 2% of your purchases in Bonusdollars and low-interest rate. However, this card comes with a $395 annual fee.

#3 Desjardins Credit Cards For Travel Rewards

Desjardins offers four different cards that cater to different travellers:

• Elegance Gold Visa
• Odyssey World Elite Mastercard
• Visa Odyssey Gold
• Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege

Here are these cards’ scores compared side by side, on the same scale as before:

	Elegance Gold Visa	Odyssey World Elite Mastercard	Visa Odyssey Gold	Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege
Welcome Bonus	0	0	0	0
Rewards Program	10	10	10	0
Earn Rates	4	8	4	1
Travel Benefits	0	5	3	5
Annual Benefits vs. Annual Fee	4	0	0	0
Referral Program	0	0	0	0
Travel Insurance	3	10	10	10
Purchase Coverage	10	10	10	10
Foreign Transaction Fees	4	4	4	10
Customer Service & Online Experience	8	8	8	8
Total	38	41	35	48

The Desjardins comes with other cool benefits that other free travel insurance programs from premium travel credit cards do not offer. All these cards offer travel medical insurance coverage of up to $5,000,000, travel accident insurance of up to $1,000,000 and baggage insurance of $500. The Odyssey World Elite, Gold & Visa Infinite Privilege offer trip cancellation insurance between $2,500 to $3,000. 

The Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege is by far the best. It offers cardholders travel medical insurance coverage of up to $5,000,000, trip cancellation coverage of $2,500 per person, travel accident coverage up to $1,000,000, and unlimited trip interruption coverage. These figures are more than what some Canadian cards with higher annual fees offer.

The Odyssey World Elite Mastercard’s unique feature is its travel insurance program that covers 60  days per trip. You’d also be interested in this card if you are over 60 years old when you travel. If you 59 years old and below, you get coverage of up to 60 days. For travelers between 60 to 64 years old, coverage is for 31 days whereas, for travelers 65 to 75 days, you get 15 days of coverage. 

These cards also offer 2% earn rates on eligible purchases plus access to Desjardins Odyssey Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau Airport. This card also offers free identity theft assistance and free concierge services.

However, with great perks often come higher annual fees. The World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $130, Odyssey Gold Visa at $110,  and the Elegance Gold at $30. You’d find that for cards with high and robust travel insurance plans, the annual fees are moderate compared to some other cards on the market. 

Also, don’t forget that these cards also come with the mobile device insurance for smartphones and tablets, of up to $1,000, perks that other cards do not have. 

Who Are These Cards Suitable For

If you have been a fan of Desjardins, then their travel reward cards are a must-have for frequent flyers. These cards are perfect for those looking for a comprehensive travel insurance program that comes along with other rewards and perks.

The Odyssey World Elite Mastercard is also an ideal choice for travellers age 60 and above who are usually excluded from other coverage plans offered by credit cards. 

On the other hand, if you want to read on other travel rewards cards, TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite is worth looking into as an alternative to the Odyssey card. Additionally, you can also check out our post on how to choose the best travel credit card in Canada. However, in our opinion, the best card for travel available to Canadians today is the Amex Platinum. It comes with worldwide airport lounge access, a $200 annual travel credit, platinum hotel memberships, travel medical insurance, a sleek metal card and a welcome bonus of 25,000 MR points, which we value at $500-$750 on top of it all. Read our review to find out more.

#4 Desjardins Credit Cards With No Annual Fee

No-Annual Fee cards are a much-preferred element in cards. In the Desjardins line up, here are 3 cards with no annual fees:

• Student Cash Back Visa
• Visa Odyssey Gold
• Cash Back Visa 

Here are these cards’ scores compared side by side, on the same scale as before:

	Student Cash Back Visa	Visa Odyssey Gold	Cash Back Visa
Welcome Bonus	0	0	0
Rewards Program	10	10	0
Earn Rates	2	4	0
Travel Benefits	0	3	0
Annual Benefits vs. Annual Fee	0	0	0
Referral Program	0	0	0
Travel Insurance	8	10	8
Purchase Coverage	10	10	10
Foreign Transaction Fees	4	4	10
Customer Service & Online Experience	8	8	8
Total	35	35	44

With such comprehensive list cards, Desjardins would lose out on a large audience market share if they did not offer cards that had no-annual fees. The Student Cashback and Cashback Visa/Mastercard are great entry-level cards for those starting out and for those that have a decent credit score. There are no annual fees, no transaction fees and they also offer a flat 1% cashback rate in BonusDollars. These cards also come with the Mobile Device insurance especially handy for students whose lifeline is their smartphone. Travel insurance coverage is also available for the first 3 days of trips, making this card pretty comprehensive. 

However, the Odyssey Visa Gold does stand out among the cards on this list simply because of its earn rates and a slightly better travel insurance package.

Who Are These Cards Suitable For

Any of these cards are suitable for first-time cardholders like students.

Of course, students benefit from the Student Cashback Visa. However, first-time cardholders will also find the Cashback Visa/Mastercard options especially attractive if they are looking to start building their credit. 

The Odyssey Visa Gold would serve a mid-level executive travelling for work and business trips thanks to a more comprehensive travel insurance package and earn rates.

Final Thoughts

The Desjardins cards have a lot to offer depending on what you are looking for in a credit card. Alongside their excellent travel insurance plan, the mobile device plan is a value-added feature many other cards do not have. The value these cards bring justifies the annual fees they have. If you are looking for a basic entry card, you could choose the Student Cashback Visa and Cashback Visa/Mastercard cards.

After evaluating the eight different Desjardins’s credit cards, we firmly believe that the best option for most Canadians is the Odyssey World Elite Mastercard. It comes with extensive rewards, comprehensive insurance, and decent travel benefits, plus the annual fee is affordable.