Head-to-Head: Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card vs. RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege†

In this Head-to-Head, we’re going to compare two top-tier travel cards: the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†.

In exploring these two premium cards, we’ll look at the lesser-appreciated Scotiabank Scene+ program and the valuable and flexible RBC Avion Rewards program to see how much of a factor these currencies play in determining a winner in this comparison.

Let’s take a look at what both these cards have on offer to see which one will come out on top.

Card Basics

1. Welcome Bonus

Top-tier credit cards often offer lucrative welcome bonuses to entice new cardholders, and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card and RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† are no exception.

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card comes with a welcome bonus that ranges from 30,000 to 80,000 Scene+ points, depending on the offer.

Comparatively, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† offers new cardholders a welcome bonus that’s historically fallen between 35,000 and 70,000 Avion points.

With the cards’ welcome bonuses being offered in two different currencies, let’s compare commonly seen welcome-bonus structures and amounts from each card to better assess which welcome bonus provides the best value.

Since it’s always a good idea to wait for a welcome bonus that’s on the higher end of the historical scale before applying for a new card, let’s work with the example of a welcome bonus of 80,000 Scene+ points for the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card.

This chunk of points would be worth around $800 based on our valuation of Scene+ points at 1 cent each (all figures in CAD).

A welcome bonus on the higher end for the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† is 70,000 Avion points, which are worth upwards of $1,400 based on our valuation of Avion points at 2 cents each.

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card will typically structure the welcome bonus in a way that lets you earn most of the points early on for meeting a very reasonable minimum spending requirement and then the remainder can be earned for keeping the card a second year. An example of this structure is as follows:

• Earn 60,000 Scene+ points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months (worth $600 alone, an effective 20% return on that initial $3,000 of spending)
• Earn an additional 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending $10,000 in the first 14 months of card membership

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† generally structures its welcome bonus similarly, often offering a stack of points on approval, followed by another stack once you’ve hit the spending requirement.

This card also tends to leave a final chunk of points to be earned when you keep the card into the second year.

For example, this earning structure may look like the following:

• Earn 35,000 Avion points upon approval
• Earn 20,000 Avion points after spending $5,000 in first six months of card membership
• Earn 15,000 Avion points after you pay your annual fee for the second year

Verdict: Both cards offer strong welcome bonuses with reasonable spending thresholds. The category goes to the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†, since Avion points carry significantly more value and far more redemption flexibility than Scene+ points.

2. Earning Rates

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card comes with a uniform earning rate of 2 Scene+ points per dollar spent for all purchases.^† Since Scene+ points are worth up to 1 cent each, this is essentially equivalent to a 2% return on all your purchases.

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† earns 1.25 Avion points per dollar spent across the board.^† Depending on how you choose to redeem your Avion points, this earning rate will likely get you a minimum 1.25% return and upwards of a 2.5% return using our valuation of 2 cents per Avion point.

Looking at a real-world example, let’s imagine that you spend $2,000 a month on each of these cards for one year.

With the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, this $2,000 spend should earn you a minimum of 4,000 Scene+ points each month, equalling at least 48,000 Scene+ points over the year. You could also potentially earn a bunch more if you’re spending a lot with partnered merchants like Sobey’s and Home Hardware.

These 48,000 Scene+ points can be redeemed for up to $480 worth of credit to offset travel purchases made on the card, or for groceries and other items at partnered merchants. This means, you could essentially get a free night or two in a hotel or a flight worth almost $500 just by choosing the right credit card and using it for your daily spending.

With the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†, the same $2,000 spend will earn you 2,500 Avion points per month for a total of 30,000 Avion points in a year.

These 30,000 Avion points have a value of around $600 and can be used for flights, travel, gift cards, and more. To access the best value for your Avion points, you can book flights in economy, business class, or first class with the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule, or transfer them to a partner airline program like Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 rate, where they can then be redeemed for free flights.

Verdict: We’re giving this category to the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† because even though the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card has a better earning rate, the value and flexibility of RBC Avion points are higher than Scene+ points, making the overall earn potential better.

3. Points Currency

As we mentioned, Scene+ points have a fixed value of 1 cent per point at most, and there’s no way to get outsized value from this currency. They’re still useful for offsetting travel costs that are otherwise difficult to book with points, such as cruises, boutique hotels, small/regional airlines, ultra-low-cost carriers, and more.

What makes Scene+ points really stand out in terms of utility when it comes to travel redemptions is that you don’t have to book your travel through a specific portal or with a particular agency.

Instead, with Scene+ points, you can book your travel directly with any vendor you like and then redeem your points to offset some or all of the cost when it shows up on your credit card statement. Not only that, but you have up to 12 months from the date of purchase to redeem your points in this manner.

Scene+ points can also be used to offset your expenses at partnered merchants, which include Empire Company grocery stores (like Sobey’s and FreshCo), Recipe Unlimited restaurants (like Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, and East Side Mario’s), Cineplex Entertainment, and Home Hardware.
Additionally, you can use your points for statement credits, gift cards, and more; though these options don’t provide as much value as the ones above.

On the other side of this Head-to-Head, RBC’s Avion Rewards represents one of Canada’s best loyalty currencies. It is one of only two flexible currency programs in Canada (the other being American Express’s Membership Rewards program).

The benefit of a flexible currency is that the points can be transferred to other loyalty programs which opens up more redemption opportunities (many of which can be quite lucrative).

The Avion points earned with your RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† can be transferred to four partnered airline loyalty programs. You can transfer your Avion points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 rate, and to WestJet Rewards at a rate of 1 Avion point = $0.01 in WestJet points.

You can also transfer your points to American Airlines AAdvantage at a rate of 10 Avion points = 7 AAdvantage miles.

It’s also worth noting that RBC regularly offers transfer bonus promotions from Avion Rewards to British Airways Executive Club, as well as occasional transfer bonuses to the other three programs. These transfer bonuses are usually for an additional 30% on top of the usual transfer rate.

By transferring points to partnered airline loyalty programs, you can access some incredible flights, such as a trip in Qatar Airways QSuites (by converting your points into British Airways Avios and then transferring them again into Qatar Airways Avios within the Avios ecosystem).

Another redemption option for your Avion points is to use them to book flights at a fixed rate through the RBC Air Travel Redemption Schedule (netting a value of up to 2–2.3 cents per point) and for a fixed-rate travel statement credit (at a rate of 1 cent per point) when you book through RBC’s in-house travel portal.

Most importantly, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† unlocks the Avion Elite tier, which lets you redeem points at a flat 2 cents per point against any business class or first class cash fare booked through the RBC Avion Rewards travel portal. There’s no award availability gatekeeping involved. If the seat is for sale in cash, your points work.

There are also a number of other ways to redeem Avion points, such as for gift cards, merchandise, and investments; however, these options don’t provide nearly the same value as transferring your points to another loyalty program or even as much value as using them towards travel through RBC’s in-house options.

Verdict: Although Scene+ points offer some solid redemption options and can be incredibly helpful in offsetting unique travel costs, we think that once again the flexibility and value available with RBC’s Avion points makes the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† the winner in this category.

4. Annual Fee

Both the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† have an annual fee of $399.

Verdict: This category is obviously a tie.

Perks & Benefits

1. Travel and Other Benefits

Given that both the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† are touted as premium travel credit cards, it’s no surprise that they each come with a variety of perks and benefits.

To begin, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card stands out as one of the few cards in the Canadian market to feature no foreign transaction fees, saving you the 2.5% fee on all your foreign currency expenses.^†

The card also gives you the opportunity to improve their airport experience by giving cardholders 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits for lounges around the world.^†

Additionally, as an American Express cardholder, you’ll also get to enjoy Amex Offers which let you save money and/or earn statement credits with select merchants.

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† also provides cardholders with airport lounge access, offering six complimentary visits through the Visa Airport Companion Program (DragonPass).

As a cardholder, you’ll also enjoy priority airport services (including fast-track security) at select airports in Canada (Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto Billy Bishop).

As a Visa Infinite Privilege card, you can also take advantage of the Visa Infinite Privilege Concierge^†, which can help you do things like book restaurant reservations, select gifts, or obtain event tickets right when they go on sale. Plus, you can also enjoy Visa Infinite Privilege^† perks for dining, wine tasting, golf, and hotel stays.

As the holder of an eligible RBC credit card, you save 3 cents per litre at Petro-Canada when using the card linked with your Petro-Points account^†, and with the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†, you get a 12-month complimentary DashPass subscription± which is a value of almost $120.^†

Most uniquely, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† offers the opportunity to get a buy-one-get-one-free lift pass at participating resorts through its Friday Friend Pass program. If you’re someone who enjoys winter sports, this can be an incredibly valuable perk, especially if you live near an eligible resort.

Verdict: This one’s a close one since both cards offer lounge visits and a handful of other more niche perks and benefits. In the end, we think the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card takes this category thanks to the fact that it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and it offers a whopping 10 complimentary airport lounge visits.

2. Insurance

All good travel credit cards should come with some decent insurance coverage to help with your peace of mind while you travel. Given this, it’s not at all surprising to learn that both cards in this Head-to-Head do indeed provide exemplary insurance provisions.

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card comes with strong insurance befitting a premium travel-focused card.

With this card, you’ll enjoy the following coverage:

• Emergency medical insurance of up to $2 million for you, your spouse, and dependent children for unexpected medical illness or injury when travelling out-of-province for up to 31 days (10 days for age 65 and up)^†
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance of up to $2,500 and $5,000 per person, respectively^†
• Flight delay insurance of up to $1,000 per person^†
• Delayed and lost baggage insurance of up to $1,000^†
• Rental car collision or damage insurance, for vehicles with a MSRP of up to $65,000^†
• Hotel burglary insurance of up to $1,000^†

Plus, with the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, you can also get extended warranty of up to two more years,^† purchase protection of 120 days against damage, loss, or theft for new items,^† and mobile device insurance of up to $1,000 if a new phone or tablet is lost, damaged, or stolen.^†

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† is RBC’s most premium travel rewards credit card, so naturally this card also offers some excellent insurance coverage.

With the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†, you get the following coverage:

• Emergency medical travel insurance^† (with no maximum coverage amount) for up to 31 days for travellers aged up to 65 years old, and up to seven days of coverage for travellers aged 65 and over^†
• Trip cancellation^† and trip interruption insurance^† of up to $2,500 and $5,000 per person, respectively^†
• Flight delay insurance^† of up to $1,000^†
• Delayed baggage insurance^† of up to $3,000, and lost or stolen baggage insurance^† of up to $2,500^†
• Rental car collision or damage insurance, for vehicles with a MSRP of up to $85,000^†

This card also offers cardholders the opportunity to enjoy an extended warranty^† of up to two additional years, purchase protection^† that insures you against damage or theft of an item for up to 120 days after your purchase, and mobile device insurance^† with two years of protection of up to $1,500.

Verdict: In this category, the two cards offer insurance coverage that’s remarkably similar. The coverage amounts that come with the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† are incrementally higher in some categories than those provided by the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, but the Scotiabank card offers a few more days of coverage for travellers aged 65 and older.

Honestly, this category is a toss-up. The winner entirely depends on which insurance features are most important to you.

Other Factors

1. Interest Rates

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† comes with a standard purchase interest rate of 20.99% (and a cash advance rate of 22.99%).^†

Comparatively, the interest rate on the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card (both for purchases and for cash advances) is only 9.99%!^†

While we recommend always paying your credit cards off in full every month, this is an incredibly good interest rate for a credit card of this calibre, and this can come in handy if you’re ever in a position where you need to carry a balance.^†

Verdict: The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is the winner by a mile in this category.

2. Ease of Approval

To apply for the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^†, you’ll need to have a personal or household income of at least $200,000, making it one of the highest income requirements you’ll find on a public-facing credit card.^†

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, comparatively, only requires a minimum personal income of $12,000, making it much easier to access for most people.^†

Verdict: The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is the obvious winner of this category with its much lower minimum income requirement.

3. Supplementary Cardholders

Both the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card and the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† charge $99 for each supplementary cardholder.

Verdict: We have ourselves another tie.

Conclusion

Both cards land at the same $399 annual fee, but they’re solving very different problems.

If you spend a lot abroad, want a low income threshold, or value Scene+ for offsetting cruises and other hard-to-redeem travel, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is the easier card to live with day-to-day.

For everyone else, the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege^† is the more rewarding card. The combination of 1:1 transfers to British Airways Avios and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, plus the Avion Elite 2 cents per point flat rate on business class and first class fares, gives you two distinct paths to outsized value, and you don’t need award availability for the second path to work.

If your household clears the $200,000 income bar, that’s the card I’d apply for first.

^† Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to each card issuer’s website for up to date offer terms and conditions.