7,500 Scene+ points 
$85 First-year value The Scotiabank American Express® Card is Scotiabank’s entry-level Scene+ rewards credit card on the American Express network.
This card is best-suited to casual travellers who are looking to avoid credit card annual fees, while earning points in important bonus categories to reduce travel expenses.
Bonuses & Fees
The Scotiabank American Express® Card is offering a welcome bonus of up to 7,500 Scene+ points for new applicants,† distributed as follows:
- 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†
The card has no annual fee for the primary or supplementary cardholders.
How Much Is This Offer Worth?
Here’s a breakdown of what the welcome bonus for the Scotiabank American Express® Card is worth. Keep in mind that this doesn’t take into consideration the potential value of other card benefits, which we’ll outline in detail below.
We value Scene+ points at 1 cent per point, and using that value, we’d peg a value of $75 on the welcome bonus alone.
Plus, assuming the card’s baseline earning rate of 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent, you’d earn an additional 1,000 Scene+ points for meeting the $1,000 total minimum spending requirement. We’d value these points at an additional $10.
Since this card has no annual fee, your net return upon meeting the minimum spending requirement is $85.
Of course, you can certainly squeeze more value out of the card by leveraging the category earning rates and the card’s other benefits; however, this is unique to each cardholder, and our valuation assumes a minimum amount of value rather than a maximum amount of value.
Earning Rewards
As part of a partnership with Empire grocery stores, you can earn 3 Scene+ points per dollar spent at Empire grocery stores such as Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, and more.†
In addition, you’ll earn 2 Scene+ points per dollar spent on dining, groceries, movies, gas, transit, and streaming services – equivalent to a flat 2% return.†
There is an earning rate of 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent on all other purchases.†
Keep in mind that accelerated earning rates are capped at $50,000 per calendar year and not per category. You’ll earn 1 Scene+ point per dollar spent thereafter.
For a no-fee card, these elevated earning rates are excellent, representing mostly all average daily spending categories and offering a 1–3% return on spending. This is definitely a card you want to consider as a daily driver if you’re just starting out.
If you’d like to estimate how much value you’ll earn each month, feel free to use our rewards calculator below.
If you’re interested in stronger returns from your spending, consider the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card, which comes with a stronger 5x earning rate on groceries, dining, and entertainment – all with a reasonable annual fee of $120.
Redeeming Rewards
Scene+ is one of the most flexible fixed-value points programs in Canada. Points have a value of 1 cent per point, and can be easily credited towards any travel expense up to 12 months after the date of purchase.
This is far superior to fixed-value points programs from Canada’s other major banks, as most of them force you to book your travel through their in-house travel agencies. With those programs, you’re effectively limited to using your points for flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacations at the rates set in the online travel agencies.
On the other hand, with Scene+ points, you can apply your points to things like vacation rentals, plane tickets, train tickets, hotel stays, award booking taxes and fees, and much more. Simply charge the travel expense to your credit card, and then redeem points to “offset” the charge.
The best part of this is that since you can book directly with travel vendors, you’ll get the full entitlement to earning elite benefits, and you’ll also be covered by the card’s insurance coverage (outlined below).
Perks & Benefits
Despite not being issued by American Express, this card still gets many of the perks of being on the American Express payment network.
You’ll be able to manually register for the potentially lucrative Amex Offers, use Amex Front of the Line for presale event tickets, and use American Express Invites for exclusive experiences.†
Be sure to keep an eye out on the Amex Offers website, and then manually register your card if you see anything that catches your eye.
Insurance Coverage
The insurance on the Scotiabank American Express® Card is for a no-fee product. Coverage includes:
- Mobile device insurance of up to $500 in the event a new phone or tablet is lost, damaged, or stolen.†
- Extended warranty of up to one more year and purchase protection of 90 days against damage, loss, or theft of new items.†