Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card

Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card

Earn 1% cash back on your essential everyday purchases, without having to pay an annual fee with the Scotiabank Momentum No-Fee Visa credit card.

$0.00
Annual fee
Learn more
$85
Welcome bonus
5% cash back
$177
Annual rewards
Learn more
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Monthly Spending:
$

Pros & cons

Pros

  • 5% cash back for the first 3 months, up to $2,000 in spend.
  • Up to 1% cash back on purchases.
  • 0% on balance transfers for 6 months.
  • No annual fee.

Cons

  • Only earns 0.5% cash back on non-category purchases.
  • Limited insurance included.
  • Rewards only paid out once per year as a statement credit.

Your rewards

Getting your welcome bonus

Based on $2,000 in monthly spending, you can get up to 5% in your first 3 months on up to $2,000 in spending which translates to an estimated $85.

For all welcome bonus details click here.

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 Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card, here's how you earn rewards:

  • 1% cash back on gas , groceries , drugstores , and recurring payments
  • 0.5% cash back 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 Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card in particular, if you spend $2,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:

Statement credits $177

Calculating your annual rewards

$24,000 annual spending x 0.74% return on spending = $177 annual rewards

$177 annual rewards $0.00 annual fee = $177 net annual rewards

Details and eligibility

Estimated Credit Score
725 - 759
Personal Income
$12,000
Household Income
N/A
Canadian resident who has reached the provincial age of majority.
Annual Fee
$0.00
Extra Card Fee
$0
Card type
Credit
Purchase
19.99%
Cash Advance
22.99%
Balance Transfer
22.99%
Balance Transfer
0.00%
Transfer Term
6 months

Genius Rating

Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card's 3.2 Genius Rating is based on the weighted average of the following scores:

Rewards
1.6
Fees
4.3
Insurance
0.0
Interest
1.9
Perks
0.6
Approval
2.5
Acceptance
4.6
User Reviews
3.0

Methodology

All scores are produced by our math-based rating algorithm that takes into account over 126 credit card features.

Learn more about our rating methodology.

Our review

creditcardGenius Team
Fact Checked
Fact Checked
Accuracy is important to us so this article has gone through a thorough 3-stage review process and fact-checked by our team.

Want to earn cash back rewards for no annual fee? You may be interested in the Scotiabank Momentum No-Fee Visa.

It's about as basic a credit card as you'll get. Here's what it has to offer.

Earning cash back with the Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa

As a basic cash back credit card, which you'll get back in the form of cash.

Here's what you'll earn on your purchases:

  • 1% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstores, and recurring payments
  • 0.5% cash back on all other purchases

How does that translate into annual rewards? Based on a typical $2,000 monthly spend, you're looking at $177 in annual rewards, an overall average earn rate of 0.74%.

Nothing earth shattering, but nothing terrible either.

2 benefits to the Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa

On top of earning rewards on purchases, here are 2 other things to like about the Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa.

1. Intro balance transfer offer

Have some credit card debt? This card can help.

You'll get an introductory rate of 0% for the first 6 months, helping you save on credit card debt.

2. Welcome bonus offer

There's also a welcome bonus offer included. For the first 3 months, you'll earn 5% cash back, up to $2,000 in spend.

That's a total of $100 in cash back.

2 downsides to the Scotiabank Momentum No-Fee Visa

It's by no means a perfect credit card. Here are 2 things you'll want to consider before taking the plunge (and they're big ones).

1. Lacklustre rewards on purchases

You're only earning between 0.5% to 1% back on purchases. There are many other no annual fee credit cards out there that provide at least 1% back on all purchases, or have bonus categories that earn 2% or more, while still earning 0.5% on everything else.

So, while the rewards included with this credit card are ok, you can certainly be doing better in this department.

2. No insurance included

Many no annual fee credit cards include at least basic extended warranty and purchase protection coverages (and some provide even more).

But not here. This credit card doesn't include any insurance coverage at all.

Comparison to the Scotiabank Momentum Visa

Scotiabank offers other Momentum Visa cards, and the next one up in the family is the Scotia Momentum Visa Card.

Here's how these 2 cards compare.

Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Scotia Momentum Visa
Welcome Bonus 5% cash back for the first 3 months (terms) None
Earn Rates * 1% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstores, and recurring payments
* 0.5% cash back on all other purchases
* 2% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstores, and recurring payments
* 1% cash back on all other purchases
Insurance Coverage 0 types 2 types
Annual Fee $0 $39
Income Requirements * Personal: $12,000 * Personal: $12,000

There's really no comparison here. For a modest annual fee of $39, you're getting more rewards and basic insurance.

The biggest item, though, is the rewards. Based on a typical $2,000 monthly spend, here's what both cards earn for annual rewards:

  • No-Fee version – $177
  • Low-fee version – $354

That's double the annual rewards, for an extra $39 in fees – well worth it.

With that said, everyone's spending is different. But unless you're dead set against paying an annual fee, most people are going to be better off with the low-fee version.

And to earn even more rewards on purchases, there's also the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card, which earns up to 4% cash back on purchases, and has a total annual rewards of $498 based on $2,000 in monthly spend.

In short

Here we have a basic no annual fee credit card. But, it's far from perfect – there are better no annual fee credit cards out there.

Do you have, or have you had this credit card in the past? Leave a user review so others can see what you thought of it.

FAQ

What does the Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa offer for rewards?

The Scotiabank Momentum No-Fee Visa earns cash back on purchases at these rates:

  • 1% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstores, and recurring payments
  • 0.5% cash back on all other purchases

Does the Scotiabank Momentum No-Fee Visa have a balance transfer offer?

There is a balance transfer offer with the Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa. It has a low rate of 0% for the first 6 months.

What is the annual fee and income requirements of the Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa?

The Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa has no annual fee, and a personal income requirement of $12,000.

Key benefits

  • Special Offer: Earn 5% cash back on all purchases for the first 3 months (up to $2,000 in total purchases). Plus, get a 0% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for the first 6 months (22.99% after that; annual fee $0).
  • Earn 1% cash back on gas, groceries, drugstore purchases, and recurring bill payments.
  • Earn 0.5% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Earn 5% cash back in the first 3 months, up to $2,000 in spend.
  • Save up to 25% on car rentals at participating AVIS and Budget locations.
  • Get free supplementary cards.

User reviews

3.0 out of 5

Reviewed by 7 Canadians

5 stars
0%
4 stars
57%
3 stars
0%
2 stars
29%
1 stars
14%
Man With Credit Card 2 years ago
1

Got this one as my first credit card, no complaints since it is what it is, a credit card with no fees. I don't expect rewards from a card I don't pay for really unless it required an amazing score to get. This card is 4 stars, it does what it's supposed to do, and will help you build up your credit score from nothing to the 700's before you're even 20. I like this card.

BosSayBootz 3 years ago
1

Better than nothing sums it up. They do not disclose which businesses give you the cash back... just "eligible gas stations, grocery stores, drug stores purchases". As well the 'recurring payments" is signed up through Visa's site, and the link to it in the terms PDF is defunct... for which I'm now waiting to see if my Visa now shows up in my list of accounts to pay bills from in the Scotia banking site.

It's all a joke, designed to strip you of your $

Tom Green 6 years ago
1

Hated it ! Worst credit card I ever signed up for, steal your money! Major regret

7 years ago
1

Rarely us it, but have it for large articles.

8 years ago
1

It's a credit card.

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