Scotiabank has just introduced a new elevated offer on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, which includes a first-year annual fee waiver. If you’re looking for a great travel card with no foreign transaction fees, you’ll want to take note.
As a reminder, Scotiabank is also offering attractive bonuses on its suite of Scene+ credit cards, including the excellent Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.
Be sure to check out the below offers to see which card best suits your needs, and then take note of the expiry date, as it differs for each card.
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card: Up to 40,000 Scene+ Points
There’s a new offer on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, and it’s amongst the best we’ve seen in the past few years.
New applicants are eligible to earn a welcome bonus of up to 40,000 Scene+ points, structured as follows:
- Earn 30,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 (all figures in CAD) in the first three months
- Earn 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $40,000 each year
As has been the case in previous offers, you get the lion’s share of the welcome bonus upon completing a reasonable $1,000 minimum spend in three months. 30,000 Scene+ points is worth $300 when redeemed for travel, which is a solid return.
However, the second dose of 10,000 Scene+ points comes after spending $40,000 each year, which is a very onerous minimum spending requirement, at an average of $3,333 per month, for a relatively small reward. 10,000 Scene+ points is worth $100 at most, and your efforts are likely better spent elsewhere for a more robust return on your spending.
Fortunately, the card’s $150 annual fee is waived in the first year with the current offer, which is great to see again.
Aside from the welcome bonus, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card’s earning rates for daily spending are as follows:
- 3 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, FreshCo, and more
- 2 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible transit, groceries, dining, and entertainment purchases
- 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
While the earning rates for this card aren’t quite as generous as those on the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, you’ll still get a decent return on spending for many common expenses.
Plus, one of the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card’s other strengths is that it comes with no foreign transaction fees, and as a Visa Infinite product, you’ll enjoy wide acceptance worldwide.
This card also comes with six complimentary lounge visits per year through the Visa Airport Companion Program, which is a nice feature geared towards travellers.
To be eligible for this card, you’ll need to meet the minimum income requirement of $60,000 in personal or $100,000 in household income to apply.
This offer is available through July 1, 2024, which still leaves plenty of time to add it to your wallet for your spring and summer travels.
1x 2x Scene+ points on groceries, dining, entertainment, and transit
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card: Up to 40,000 Scene+ Points
As a reminder, the current welcome bonus on the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card offers up to 40,000 Scene+ points for new applicants, broken down as follows:
- Earn 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending $7,500 in the first year
Scotiabank typically has very achievable spending requirements, and this offer is no exception: only $1,000 in three months to unlock the first half of the bonus.
And if you spend a lot on the card’s bonus categories, it’s well worth working towards the second spending threshold, especially since it’s spread out over the course of the first year.
The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card earns 5 points per dollar spent on groceries, with a boost to 6 points per dollar spent at Empire grocery stores.
For example, if you were to spend $7,500 on eligible purchases at grocery stores in the first year, you’d earn at least 45,000 Scene+ points on eligible everyday spending, which comes in addition to the full 40,000 points with the welcome offer!
That would bring your grand total to up to 85,000 Scene+ points in year one, or a value of $850, which is incredible for a card with a fixed-value points currency.
In case you spend in other categories, you might earn a bit less, but the rewards can still be quite plentiful. The full breakdown of the earning rates for the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card are as follows:
- 6 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Empire grocery stores, which include popular brands like Sobeys and Safeway
- 5 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at other grocery stores, dining (including restaurants, bars, cafés, and food delivery), and entertainment tickets
- 3 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible gas, transit, and streaming service purchases
- 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
One of the best features of the card is that it doesn’t levy foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside of Canada, which is always a nice touch on a lifestyle card marketed to travellers. Unfortunately, the category earning rates don’t apply to foreign transactions, and you’ll earn a flat rate of 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent outside of the country.
And although the card isn’t issued by American Express (instead it runs on the Amex payment network), it’s still eligible for Amex Offers for cardholders, so you can take advantage of deals as they become available.
The card comes with an annual fee of $120, which isn’t rebated or waived with the current offer. You’ll also need to have a minimum personal income of at least $12,000 to apply, which is quite low for a card with so much swagger.
This offer is available through July 1, 2024, so you’ve got plenty of time to act if the card works in your overall strategy.
- Earn 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending $7,500 in the first year
- Earn 6x Scene+ points at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, FreshCo, and more
- Plus, earn
1x5x Scene+ points on groceries, dining, and entertainment - Also, earn
1x3x Scene+ points on gas, transit, and select streaming services - Redeem points for statement credit for any travel expense
- No foreign transaction fees
- Enjoy the exclusive benefits of being an American Express cardholder
- Annual fee: $120
Scotiabank American Express Card: Up to 7,000 Scene+ Points
The Scotiabank American Express Card currently offers a modest welcome bonus of up to 7,000 Scene+ points for new applicants, distributed as follows:
- Earn 5,000 Scene+ points upon spending $750 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 2,000 Scene+ points upon spending $5,000 in the first year
This is Scotiabank’s no-fee Amex product, so its lower welcome bonuses are also commensurate with the ongoing annual fee of $0.
The second chunk of 2,000 Scene+ points for spending $5,000 doesn’t necessarily present the strongest value proposition.
However, there’s still a very compelling reason to get this card: easy access to Amex Offers via no-fee primary and supplementary cards.
While Amex-issued Amex cards can’t be manually registered for Amex Offers beyond the cards that are targeted, Scotiabank-issued Amex cards can be.
Therefore, the Scotiabank American Express Card can be particularly valuable for registering for Amex Offers, such as Spend $750, Get $150 on United flights, Spend $500, Get $100 on Marriott hotels, or Shop Small.
On the earning side, the Scotiabank American Express Card offers the following earning rates:
- 3 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Empire-affiliated grocery stores
- 2 Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible dining, entertainment, gas, transit, and select streaming service purchases, and at non-Empire grocery stores
- 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
This card is right for you if you’re building your credit file or sticking to a tight budget in terms of annual fees. There’s no minimum income requirement to apply.
If you don’t currently have this card and want to get it, be sure to apply before February 29, 2024, to capture the welcome bonus in its current form.
- Earn 2,500 Scene+ points upon spending $250 in the first three months†
- Earn an additional 5,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 in the first three months†
- Also, earn 3x Scene+ points on Empire grocery stores such as Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, and FreshCo
- Plus, earn 2x Scene+ points on dining, groceries, gas, transit, and streaming purchases
- Enjoy the exclusive benefits of being an American Express cardholder
- Annual fee: $0
Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card: Up to 60,000 Scene+ Points
As a reminder, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card is offering a welcome bonus of up to 60,000 Scene+ points for new applicants, divided as follows:
- Earn 50,000 Scene+ points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $10,000 in the first 14 months
The card has an annual fee of $399 for the primary cardholder.
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card traditionally hasn’t been as competitive as other cards with similar annual fees, and especially when compared to American Express’s very own premium travel credit cards.
However, a welcome bonus of up to 60,000 Scene+ points makes it worthwhile to consider, in spite of the $399 upfront annual fee, as you’ll still be coming out ahead in the first year.
There’s also a Priority Pass membership with 10 lounge visits thrown in, and the Scotiabank Platinum Amex also gives you access to Plaza Premium lounges too.
Fortunately, the Scotiabank Platinum Amex also doesn’t levy foreign transaction fees, making it superior to Amex’s very own Platinum cards in that sense.
Meanwhile, the earning rates on this card are more simplified than the Gold version, as the Scotiabank Platinum Amex earns a flat 2 Scene+ points per dollar spent on all purchases.
Even as a premium card, you’ll only need a minimum annual personal income of $12,000 to be eligible to apply.
This offer is available until October 31, 2024, so there’s plenty of time to pick up this card, boost your Scene+ balance, and add another slot for your Amex Offers.
- Earn 50,000 Scene+ points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $10,000 in the first 14 months
- Plus, earn 2x Scene+ points on all purchases
- Priority Pass membership with 10 free lounge visits per year
- Enjoy the exclusive benefits of being an American Express cardholder
- Annual fee: $399
Conclusion
Scotiabank often has some great deals on its suite of cards that earn Scene+ points, and the current round is no exception.
Right now, there’s a very competitive welcome offer on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card and the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. As Canada’s top no foreign transaction fee cards, there’s plenty of reasons to have them in your wallet.
The welcome bonuses on the Scotiabank American Express Card and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card aren’t quite as strong; however, there’s still value to be found in having the cards on your roster.
Now is a great time to get started with Scotiabank if you haven’t already, whether it’s for the flexibility of Scene+ points, saving on foreign transaction fees, the strong grocery earning rates on the Scotia Gold Amex, or the scalability of additional Amex Offers by registering manually.
Be sure to check out the expiry date for each offer, as it differs between products.
On ScotiaBank website of the card… it says “Individuals who are currently or were previously primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past 2 years, including those that switch from an existing Scotiabank personal credit card, as well as employees of Scotiabank, are not eligible for this offer.”
Has anyone found out to be true ? If I already have the visa momentum can I get the welcome bonus on their gold amex ?
From many users from the past, it seems that this T&C is loosely enforced. So if you havent had the same card for 2 years, you should be good to go. It’s alright to have another card currently. But of course, the bank can always decide when to enforce the T&C if they need to get something “fixed”.
Change your title of the total points earned. It is misleading as not everyone will spend the entire required amount on groceries.
The title refers to the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card, which has a bonus of 60,000 Scene+ points upon spending $10,000 in 14 months, irrespective of spend category.
All good. Thank You for the clarification.
Has anyone found a way of downloading the statement data from the Scotiabank Gold Amex to Quicken etc? They told me I could do it by hand!