Scotiabank Credit score Card Presents: As much as 60,000 Scene+ Factors

Scotiabank has just extended the round of offers on its suite of credit cards that earn Scene+ points. Some offers have been extended by a full year, while others expire at various points throughout 2024.

As a reminder, two of the cards, the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, are frontrunners as Canada’s best no foreign transaction fee travel credit cards.

Be sure to check out the below offers to see which card best suits your needs, and then take note of the offer’s expiry date, as it differs for each card.

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card: Up to 40,000 Scene+ Points

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 (all figures in CAD) 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 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 has been extended through to available until July 1, 2024, so you’ve got plenty of time to act if the card works in your overall strategy.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card: Up to 35,000 Scene+ Points

The offer on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card has also been extended. 

New applicants are eligible to earn a welcome bonus of up to 35,000 Scene+ points, structured as follows:

• Earn 25,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 in the first three months
• Earn 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $40,000 in the first year

As we see with the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, the first swath of Scene+ points is unlocked upon spending a reasonable $1,000 in the first three months. 

However, the second batch of 10,000 Scene+ points comes after spending $40,000 in the first year, which is a very substantial minimum spending requirement, at an average of $3,333 per month. 

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.

However, 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. 

The card comes with an annual fee of $150, which isn’t rebated as part of the current offer. You’ll need to meet the minimum income requirement of $60,000 in personal or $100,000 in household income to apply.

This offer has been extended to January 3, 2024, which still leaves a couple of months to consider if it might work out for you.

Scotiabank American Express Card: Up to 7,000 Scene+ Points

The Scotiabank American Express Card has extended its previous offer, which comes with 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.

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 apply for, 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 you have another year to pick up this card, boost your Scene+ balance, and add another slot for your Amex Offers.

Conclusion

Scotiabank often has some great deals on its suite of cards that earn Scene+ points, and the bank has extended offers across the board.

Currently, there’s a very competitive welcome offer on the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. 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 in your roster.

If you’re looking for a Visa Infinite product with no foreign transaction fees, be sure to take a look at the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, as it’s one of the strongest in Canada.

Be sure to check out the expiry date for each offer, as it differs between products.

Now is a great time to get started with Scotiabank if you haven’t already, whether it’s for the flexibility of Scene+ points, the strong grocery earning rates on the Scotia Gold Amex, or the scalability of additional Amex Offers by registering manually.