Pros & cons
Pros
- Up to 7,500 bonus points.
- Up to 3 points per $1 spent on purchases.
- 4 ways to redeem points for high value.
- No annual fee.
Cons
- Lower acceptance as an American Express.
- Limited insurance coverage.
Your rewards
Getting your welcome bonus
Based on $2,000 in monthly spending, you can get up to 7,500 Scene+ points which translates to an estimated $75.◊
For all welcome bonus details click here.
Welcome bonus offer ends Oct 31, 2025.
How you earn rewards
Each card earns rewards differently. Part of choosing your card is deciding what type of rewards you want to get. With Scotiabank American Express Card, here's how you earn rewards:
- 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more
- 2 Scene+ points per $1 spent on grocery , dining and entertainment , gas , daily transit , and select streaming services
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases
For all reward details click here.
How much your rewards are worth
The dollar value of your rewards depends on the specific rewards program ‒ and what you choose to redeem your points for. For Scotiabank American Express Card in particular, if you spend $2,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:
| Cineplex theatres | $348 | |
| Recipe Unlimtied Restaurants | $348 | |
| Any travel from Expedia Scene+ | $348 | |
| Sobeys stores | $348 | |
| Any travel (Scene+ credit and debit cardholders only) | $348 | |
| Statement credits | $278 | |
| Apple & Best Buy Merchandise | $268 | |
| Gift Cards | $258 |
| Redemption Option | Point Value | Total Value |
|---|---|---|
| Cineplex theatres | 1 cent | $10 |
| Recipe Unlimtied Restaurants | 1 cent | $10 |
| Any travel from Expedia Scene+ | 1 cent | $10 |
| Sobeys stores | 1 cent | $10 |
| Any travel (Scene+ credit and debit cardholders only) | 1 cent | $10 |
| Statement credits | 0.8 cents | $8 |
| Apple & Best Buy Merchandise | 0.77 cents | $8 |
| Gift Cards | 0.74 cents | $7 |
Calculating your annual rewards
$24,000 annual spending x 1.45% return on spending = $348 annual rewards
$348 annual rewards − $0.00 annual fee = $348 net annual rewards
Details and eligibility
- Estimated Credit Score
- 725 - 759
- Personal Income
- $12,000
- Household Income
- N/A
- Annual Fee
- $0.00
- Extra Card Fee
- $0
- Card type
- Credit
- Purchase
- 19.99%
- Cash Advance
- 22.99%
- Balance Transfer
- 22.99%
Insurance coverage
- Extended Warranty
- 1 year
- Purchase Protection
- 90 days
- Mobile Device
- $500
Please review your insurance certificate for details, exclusions and limitations of your coverage, terms and conditions apply.
Learn more about the value of credit card insurance coverage.
Genius Rating
Scotiabank American Express Card's 3.8 Genius Rating is based on the weighted average of the following scores:
Methodology
All scores are produced by our math-based rating algorithm that takes into account over 126 credit card features.
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Scotiabank American Express Card review
If you're looking to earn travel rewards for no annual fee, you've come to the right place. The Scotiabank American Express Card offers plenty of rewards and some nice perks at no extra cost to you.
Here's what this unique credit card has to offer.
Earning rewards with the Scotiabank American Express
The Scotiabank Amex card is part of the Scene+ rewards program. With it, you'll be earning plenty of points at these rates:
- 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more
- 2 Scene+ points per $1 spent on grocery, dining and entertainment, gas, daily transit, and select streaming services
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Those bonus categories cover a lot – your eating, commuting, and some entertainment.
Redeeming your Scene+ points
What about redeeming all those points? What are they worth?
Here's the rundown of your options:
Plenty of high value choices here. Many programs would just restrict you to travel to get the best value. But not here. There's travel, but also movie tickets, other Cineplex products, and even restaurants.
And there's a bonus one coming soon – free groceries. Thanks to Sobeys becoming an owner of Scene+, you'll be able to redeem your points for free food, all at a value of 1 cent per point to boot.
So what does it mean? You can get between 1% to 3% back on all your purchases, with an average return of 1.45%.
It's among the best for rewards you can get for a no annual fee credit card.
3 benefits to the Scotiabank American Express
There's much more to this card than just rewards. It's a well-rounded no annual fee card. Here's what else it has to offer.
1. Included insurance, including a very rare type
For a no fee card, it has decent insurance, with 3 types included (details are above).
There's a very notable type of insurance that it carries – mobile device coverage. It's becoming more common, but it's still rare to find on a no annual fee credit card.
2. American Express benefits
It's not issued by Amex, but it still comes with the standard Amex benefits of Amex Offers and Front Of The Line.
So if you want easy savings or early access to concert tickets, this card can help you.
3. Decent welcome bonus
The welcome bonus is pretty good for a no annual fee card. You'll earn 7,500 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months.
Those 7,500 points are worth up to $75.
2 downsides to the Scotiabank American Express
There are a couple of things you'll want to keep in mind.
1. Amex acceptance
It's certainly an issue for some, and it is true – Amex cards are accepted in fewer stores than others.
But it's not as bad as you think. You can view our full guide on Amex acceptance here.
2. No travel insurance
While it has decent purchase insurance, the card includes no travel insurance to speak of.
If you want some coverage if you travel, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Comparison to the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card
Scotiabank issues a whole family of Amex credit cards. Let's see how it stacks up to the next one up in the group – the
| Feature | Scotiabank American Express Card | Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 7,500 bonus points (terms) | 5,000 bonus points (terms) |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Rewards | * 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more * 2 Scene+ points per $1 spent on grocery, dining and entertainment, gas, daily transit, and select streaming services * 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases | * 2 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, Home Hardware, and Cineplex * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Insurance coverages | 3 types | 0 types |
| Special features | * Amex Offers * Amex Front Of The Line | None |
| Income requirements | * Personal: $12,000 | * Personal: $12,000 |
Which is the better card? Just looking at the numbers above, the Scotiabank American Express Card is pretty much superior in every way.
Except for acceptance. If getting an Amex card concerns you, you can turn to the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Card instead. You'll still earn plenty of rewards at Sobeys and Cineplex and get 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else.
Leave us a review
We certainly think it's a terrific no annual fee card, but what about you?
If you have this card, let us know what you think about it so others can see.
FAQ
What does the Scotiabank American Express offer for rewards?
The Scotiabank American Express offers Scene+ points on all purchases. You'll earn:
- 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more
- 2 Scene+ points per $1 spent on grocery, dining and entertainment, gas, daily transit, and select streaming services
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Does the Scotiabank American Express offer any special perks?
The Scotia Amex card has a few perks. You'll get standard Amex benefits such as Amex Offers, and you'll get 3 types of insurance, one of which is mobile device insurance.
What is the annual fee and income requirements of the Scotiabank American Express?
The Scotia Amex card has no annual fee and a personal income requirement of $12,000.
Key benefits
User reviews
Reviewed by 5 Canadians
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i no longer use it because it wasnt fit for an average canadian needs
t have it for the option to use Amex int eh unlikelyevent it would be advantageous. And, as some cards are dropping the free car rental insurance it is good to have this one as backup. But note, this card is TERRIBLE for foreign currency purchases. Purchases in other than USD are converted twice! First to USD and then to CAD. Also, Amex uses their own exchange rates
Just have it for the option to use Amex int eh unlikelyevent it would be advantageous. And, as some cards are dropping the free car rental insurance it is good to have this one as backup. But note, this card is TERRIBLE for foreign currency purchases. Purchases in other than USD are converted twice! First to USD and then to CAD. Also, Amex uses their own exchange rates (and the only foreign currrency you might use this card for is USD), naturally, but are they as good as those used by Visa and Mastercard? Dunno. But they don't promote this so it's unlikely.
Other perks are sketch at best. If the Scotia Travel Agency is anything like the TD Travel Agency, it's worse than useless. Nah, have always been hoping Amex would present a competitive alternative to the others. Still hasn't happened with this card.
Oh, and you don't presently get a sign-up bonus of 5,000 points; you must spend $500 in the 1st 3 months to get that. This card is going be collecting dust. No real resaon to use it if you have decent Visa and Mastercards
Card is only good for 3 emergency medical after age 65!
The card has some good insurances for a no annual fee card (including price protection!), although the rewards are a measly 1% on everything. AMEX is not as widely accepted, so it is also difficult to find merchants that actually accept the card. Rewards portal is OK, but anything other than travel will be at a lower redemption rate. Overall, I am not sure whether I should keep this card or not; there are definitely better cards out there!
