The Scotiabank American Express Card is a good choice for travellers looking for a no-fee travel credit card. With the Scotiabank American Express Card, you can earn Scene+ points on most purchases, with rates as high as 3 points per $1 spent at grocery stores and restaurants.
The Scotiabank American Express Scene+ points can be redeemed for rewards or travel benefits like car rentals, flights, and hotel stays. If you're a frequent traveller looking for an affordable travel credit card with optional insurance benefits, the Scotiabank American Express credit card is for you.
As a no-fee card, the Scotiabank American Express Card doesn't offer many of the perks of the best cards in Canada. Many of those perks, like the higher returns on your purchases with the Cobalt card, or travel insurance and lounge access and others with the Amex Platinum, will make paying even high fees a more sensible option, provided you're a big spender.
What Is The Scotiabank American Express Card?
The Scotiabank American Express Card is a solid travel credit card without an annual fee. It offers competitive earning rates, insurance coverage, and more. Frequent flyers and travellers can take advantage to earn and redeem rewards through their purchases, making this one of the best Scotiabank credit cards currently available.
The issuer of the Scotiabank American Express Card is the Bank of Nova Scotia, widely known as the Scotiabank, one of Canada's Big Five Banks and a leading financial service provider. It was founded on March 30, 1832, offering various products such as wealth management, commercial and personal banking, and more. The multinational bank has served over 25 million clients worldwide.
Meanwhile, American Express is a company that offers payment card services founded in the US in 1850. Scotiabank and American Express expanded their services through an exclusive agreement allowing Scotiabank to issue American Express credit cards, including personal, business and even student cards. One of these personal cards is the Scotiabank American Express Card.
Scotiabank American Express Card Features
#1 No Annual Fee
One of the most attractive features of the Scotiabank American Express Card is that it charges no annual fee for its primary and supplementary cards. It’s a great advantage to cardholders since it can lessen their expenses or payments using this card and keep it as a backup if an unexpected trip comes along. Several travel credit cards with similar offers have expensive annual fees, which is a considerable drawback.
#2 Earn Up To 3 Points From Eligible Purchases
Travellers often spend on essential purchases such as food, cars, and more. While spending, the Scotiabank American Express Card offers points back to each eligible purchase. Scotiabank's rewards program is Scene+, meaning the points earned are called Scene+ points. Here are the points you can get from this card:
- 3 Scene+ points for every $1 spent on Safeway, Sobeys, Foodland, and more eligible food merchants.
- 2 Scene+ points for every $1 spent on fast food, drinking establishments, restaurants, qualifying grocery stores, and more.
- 2 Scene+ points for every $1 spent on qualifying entertainment purchases.
- 2 Scene+ points for every $1 spent on qualifying daily transit, gas, and more.
- 2 Scene+ points for every $1 spent on eligible streaming services.
- 1 Scene+ point for every $1 spent on other eligible daily purchases.
With a redemption value of $1 for every 100 Scene+ points, the most you can earn with this card is 3% on certain purchases. This is where credit cards with annual fees usually perform much better and make more sense, like the Amex Gold, which can earn 2X MR points per $1, equal to 4 cents or a return of 4% on food, drink, travel and transit. Throughout the year, that extra 1% can cover the difference between paying no fee and paying a fee of $250 minus the annual $100 hotel credit the card includes.
The same can be said about the Marriott Bonvoy card, which costs even less and includes an annual free night award to help cover the fee.
#3 Redeem Various Rewards And Get Travel Discounts
The Scene+ rewards program by Scotiabank allows cardholders to redeem the earned Scene+ points in various ways. If you have already collected the required points, you can get grocery, travel, shopping, gift cards, and entertainment rewards. Here are the highlighted travel rewards you can get from the Scotiabank American Express Card:
- Access flexible travel arrangements using your Scene+ points at any travel provider.
- 3 Scene+ points spent on car rentals and hotels using Scene+ Travel, you can redeem the earned points for car rentals, hotels, and flights.
#4 Up To 12,000 Welcome Bonus Scene+ Points
New cardholders of the Scotiabank American Express Card are entitled to earn up to 12,000 bonus Scene+ points in the first year of card membership. The total points are equivalent to a $120 travel value.
#5 Get Up To 35% Discount On Avis And Budget Car Rentals
The Scotiabank American Express Card holders are entitled to car rental discounts from Avis and Budget. Terms and conditions apply. Here are the following discounts you can get:
- Up to 30% discount from Avis if you make reservations with Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number C23100
- Up to 35% discount for Budget PAY NOW rates using the Budget Customer Discount (BCD) number A363306
#6 Choose Your Insurance Bundles
Scotiabank offers essential insurance protection for Scotiabank American Express Card holders. The following are the highlighted insurance coverages you can get using this card:
- New Mobile Device Insurance offers up to $500 coverage if the qualifying device is stolen, lost, experiences mechanical failure, or accidental damage
- Purchase Security provides 90 days of coverage from the purchase date
- Extended Warranty Protection doubles the manufacturer’s warranty of the qualifying purchase
You are also offered two optional insurance protection categories, Basic Protection and Comprehensive Protection. Terms and conditions apply. Here are the optional insurance coverages:
| Basic Protection | Comprehensive Protection |
| Hospitalization Benefit | Critical Illness Benefit |
| Life Benefit | Life Benefit |
| Critical Illness Benefit | Hospitalization Benefit |
| Job Loss Benefit | |
| Strike or Lockout Benefit | |
| Disability Benefit |
- Life Benefit offers up to $50,000 to pay your account balance if you pass away
- Critical Illness Benefit provides up to $50,000 to pay your account balance if you have an acute illness
- Hospitalization Benefit provides up to $50,000 if you are hospitalized because of unforeseen sickness or accidental physical injuries
- Strike or Lockout would offer up to $10,000 per month for five months for your account balance if you got suspended from work without ending it during a labour dispute
- Job Loss Benefit offers up to $10,000 per month for five months for your account balance if you have undergone involuntary job loss
- Disability provides up to $10,000 per month for five months for your account balance if you can’t work due to a nervous disorder, mental illness, sickness, and injury.
#7 Access To American Express Invites Program
The Scotiabank American Express Card provides access to American Express Invites, which offers exclusive access to theatres, dining, filming, music, fashion, and shopping experiences. Conditions apply.
Scotiabank American Express Card Pros And Cons
Pros
- No annual fees
- Earn up to 12,000 Scene+ welcome bonus points in the first year of card membership
- Earn up to 3 Scene+ points from eligible travel purchases
- Redeem various rewards
- Get up to 35% discounts from Avis and Budget car rentals
- Contactless payment using Apple Pay
- Purchase Protection Insurance
Cons
- No travel insurance coverage
- Not widely accepted
Scotiabank American Express Card Pricing
The Scotiabank American Express Card is one of the outstanding no-annual-fee cards offered by Scotiabank. It only has transaction and service fees to pay. The following are some of the fees you must consider:
| Fees | Cost/Rate |
| Primary Card | $0/year |
| Supplementary Card | $0/each per year |
| Interest Rate | 19.99% on purchases |
| 22.99% on cash advances, balance transfers, Scotia Credit Card Cheques, and cash-like transactions | |
| Minimum Credit Limit | $1,000 |
| Dishonoured Payment | $48 |
| Non-sufficient Funds | $48 |
| Overlimit | $29 |
| Balance Transfer | $5 |
| Cash Advance counter fee (any financial institutions in Canada) | $5 |
| Cash Advance counter fee (any financial institutions outside Canada) | $7 |
| Cash Advance fee (including cash-like transactions) | $5 |
In Summary
The Scotiabank American Express Card is a good choice for travellers looking for credit cards without an annual fee. It offers many ways to earn points and redeem rewards for eligible purchases. However, its comprehensive insurance protection requires you to pay, which may be inconvenient.
Scotiabank American Express Card FAQs
How much does the Scotiabank American Express Card cost?
The Scotiabank American Express Card has no annual fee for the primary and supplementary cards. Additionally, it has service and transaction fees.
Is the Scotiabank American Express Card worth it?
Yes, the Scotiabank American Express Card is worth it. It has no annual fee and offers up to 12,000 welcome bonus points to new cardholders. You can earn points in various ways for up to 3 points for eligible purchases.
Is the Scotiabank American Express Card Safe?
Yes, the Scotiabank American Express Card is safe. It is equipped with solid security protection by one of the most reputable Canadian leading banks, Scotiabank.
Is the Scotiabank American Express Card legit?
Yes, the Scotiabank American Express Card is legit. Thousands of people use it, and it is one of Scotiabank's excellent travel credit cards.
What are the disadvantages of having an American Express card?
The major disadvantage of having an American Express Card is some merchants or small businesses do not widely accept it. It is similar to Mastercard and Visa but runs independently and has a network. As such, companies need to pay for the process when their credit card is used.
Which is the hardest American Express card to get?
The hardest American Express Card to get is the Centurion Card, widely known as the “Black Card.” Only individuals with an invitation can qualify to apply for the card. It also requires a high income and high annual purchase amount.
