Best Scotiabank Credit Cards in Canada for 2023

For an annual fee of $139, card holders obtain an array of travel benefits including point travel redemption, travel insurance and airport lounge access. Scotiabank boasts about this credit card because it is the only major bank in Canada that offers a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

• Amazing Welcome Offer. When you spend $1,000 on the credit card within the first three months of ownership, you’ll earn 40,000 bonus points (worth about $400).
• Bonus Earning Offers. If you spend $40,000 in a year with this credit card, you’ll earn an additional 10,000 points (worth about $100).
• Scotia Rewards Earnings. Earn 2 Scotia points for every dollar you spend on groceries, dining, entertainment and daily transit. Earn 1 Scotia point for every dollar spent on other purchases.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. While the exchange rate of your foreign purchases will still apply, you’ll save money on foreign transaction fees which would typically be 2.5%.
• Airport Lounge Access. A complimentary Priority Pass membership is provided with this credit card along with six free lounge visits per year.

The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite*Card offers 2 points for every $1 spent on grocery store, dining, entertainment, and transit purchases, and 1 point per $1 on everything else. That’s hardly best-in-class, so why does the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card tie for best Scotiabank travel credit card?

Two reasons: a very lucrative bonus point offer and no foreign transaction fees.

Let’s start with the bonus points. You earn 40,000 welcome points when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months. That’s worth up to $400, is easy to obtain, and is a solid reason to try this card for a year.

But wait, there’s more. Every year you charge $40,000 to your Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you’ll get 10,000 bonus points. If you can hit the $40,000 minimum each year, the 10,000 bonus points will nearly cancel out the $139 annual fee.

If that wasn’t enough, the Scotiabank Passport® Visa*doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees. It comes with a suite of travel insurance benefits, Visa Infinite benefits, and includes six free airport lounge passes.

With a generous rewards rate of up to 6 points per dollar on gas, groceries, restaurants and entertainment, the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card will help make your travel plans a reality. Plus, with a flexible points program, you can book you flights on your own schedule.

• Generous sign-up bonus -The Scotiabank Gold American Express® offers a way for new cardholders to quickly stockpile points. It lets you earn up to 45,000 bonus Scene+™ points in your first year (that’s up to $450 towards travel)   
• Flexible redemption options - With the Scotia Rewards Program, you can book your travel with any airline or hotel through its full-service travel agency. You can use your points to cover the whole cost of the trip, including taxes and fees, or combine your points and a charge to your card. Points can also be used to book hotels and rental cars.
• Travel convenience - Added features such as rental car discounts and hotel room upgrades are designed to make travel as convenient and comfortable as possible.
• Additional protection - This Amex credit card provides has one of the most comprehensive travel protection benefits with insurance against flight delays and lost baggage even insurance against burglaries.

With a generous rewards rate of up to 6 points per dollar on gas, groceries, restaurants and entertainment, the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card will help make your travel plans a reality. Plus, with a flexible points program, you can book you flights on your own schedule.Excellent credit card with 7 types of travel coverage and great reward earn rates.

• Generous sign-up bonus -The Scotiabank Gold American Express offers a way for new cardholders to quickly stockpile points. It lets you earn 45,000 bonus Scene+™ points in your first year. 
• Flexible redemption options - With the Scotia Rewards Program, you can book your travel with any airline or hotel through its full-service travel agency. You can use your points to cover the whole cost of the trip, including taxes and fees, or combine your points and a charge to your card. Points can also be used to book hotels and rental cars.
• Travel convenience - Added features such as rental car discounts and hotel room upgrades are designed to make travel as convenient and comfortable as possible.
• Additional protection - This Amex credit card provides has one of the most comprehensive travel protection benefits with insurance against flight delays and lost baggage even insurance against burglaries.

The ScotiaGold Passport® Visa* Card is a travel credit card that costs $110 a year. With this card, you get 1x reward points on each and every purchase you make, and 5% cashback on the travel purchases you make using the Scotia Rewards travel service.

This card is excellent for frequent travellers, as it helps them book and redeem the best travel options and gain comprehensive travel insurance. With this card in your pocket, you'll gain the peace of mind that you are protected from any incident or accident.

With the Gold Passport card, you gain extended warranty & security on any purchases you make. All you have to do is to use this card when making a purchase. You also get travel insurance, car rental savings, rental car coverage, delayed or lost baggage insurance, hotel burglary insurance, and travel accident insurance.

In addition to the 5 types of coverage you can get with this card, you'll also be able to shop for additional coverage and extended warranty protection. To top it all, you can request two free supplementary cards that you can give to your family members.

Aside from its high return rates, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express provides an impressive list of purchase and travel insurance benefits that justifies the annual fee. The best credit card for insurance coverage in Canada, it provides peace of mind and comprehensive protection on the road and the longest extended warranty and purchase protection.

• Generous rewards -The Scotiabank Platinum Amex Card has one of the highest rates for a travel credit card. It offers an unmatched 4X points for groceries, gas, restaurants and entertainment purchases and 1x point anywhere else. Points can be used for travel, merchandise and gift cards.
• Travel benefits -Credit cards with annual fee have to justify the cost with lots of benefits. The Scotiabank Platinum Amex gives access to a full-service travel agency with a best price guarantee, Front Line tickets to the hottest events, 24/7 concierge, and 14 free visits to priority pass lounges per year.
• Complete travel insurance coverage -This credit card gives the best travel medical and purchase protection and the longest extended warranty (2 years) among other credit cards.

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is definitely not your average Scotiabank card. This card has a high annual fee. However, the rewards are simply exceptional.

First of all, this card gives you 4 points of Scotia rewards for every $1 you spend on dining, entertainment, groceries and gas. Second, it offers you some exquisite travel privileges. Third, you get 30,000 points the moment you make your first purchase.

This card costs $399, with the supplementary cards each costing $99. The interest rate for this card is the regular one, with 19.99% for purchases and 22.99% for cash advances.

In terms of features, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card offers you the following:

- Premium concierge services

- Priority pass when travelling and access to 600+ VIP lounges all across the globe

- Leverage the American Express Invites program to be the first one to discover unique events and experiences happening in your city

- Use your VIP pass to gain priority entrance at worldwide events

- Use the Scotia rewards advantage to enjoy new offers

- Capitalize on the Hertz club membership for improved services

Aside from its high return rates, the Scotiabank®* Platinum American Express® Card provides an impressive list of purchase and travel insurance benefits that justifies the annual fee. The best credit card for insurance coverage in Canada, it provides peace of mind and comprehensive protection on the road and the longest extended warranty and purchase protection.

Pay fewer fees when it comes to foreign transaction and purchases made across the border with a US dollar credit card. And when it comes to these specialty credit cards, the Scotiabank US Dollar VISA stands out with no U.S. dollar conversion fees on top of purchase security, extended warranty and a 25% discount at participating Avis locations.

• Low annual fee – While you have to pay a small amount of annual fee, the fee is significantly lower than other credit cards and is worth it if you usually make purchases in USD.
• Pay in U.S. dollars – Save more on offline and online purchases. Aside from saving money from fluctuating currency conversion, you don’t have to pay the 2.5% foreign transaction fee that other credit cards charge.
• Faster online checkout – Easy checkout and online purchases with Visa Checkout. This credit card is also eligible for Apple Pay and Android Pay.
• Purchase protection – Purchases made with the credit card are eligible for an extended warranty of 1 year and purchase protection for 90 days.

For people who love to eat and drive, the Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite Card is the best rewards credit card with a fee. It provides an unrivaled 4% cash back on food and gas along with 2% on recurring payments and drugstore purchases, and 1% on the rest. On top of that, this card also comes with comprehensive insurance benefits and concierge benefits.

• Welcome bonus:Earn 10% cash back on all purchases for the first 3 months (up to $2,000 in total purchases). No annual fee in the first year, including on supplementary cards.
• No-nonsense rewards Rewards are clear, transparent, easy to earn and easy to redeem. Cash back rewards are paid out annually either as a deposit to eligible chequing or savings account or credited to your credit card statement.
• Enhanced insurance package The improved insurance package is comparable with other more premium cards. It provides comprehensive coverage on travel, including rental car collision loss or damage as well as purchase security and extended warranty protection.
• Additional Perks. Obtain exclusive offers from Scotiabank including concierge service, competitive hotel rates and upgrades, and access to dining and wine country programs.
• Annual Fee. Gain access to all of the above perks at the cost of $120 after the first year.

The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite card was the winner of the MoneySense best cashback card with a fee in 2020 - and for good reasons! Card holders earn cash back on all purchases at varying rates. There are also other perks of card ownership including access to exclusive Scotiabank events and offers, plus ample insurance coverage.

• Special Welcome Offer. Earn 10% cash back on all purchases for the first 3 months (up to $2,000 in total purchases). No annual fee in the first year, including on supplementary cards.
• Tiered Cash Back Rates. Earn 4% cash back for every dollar spent on groceries and recurring bill payments. Earn 2% cash back for every dollar spent on gas and daily transit. Finally, earn 1% cash back for every dollar spent elsewhere.
• Additional Perks. Obtain exclusive offers from Scotiabank including concierge service, competitive hotel rates and upgrades, and access to dining and wine country programs.
• Insurance Coverage. Ample coverage comes with this credit card, such as new mobile device, trip cancellation, trip interruption, purchase protection insurance and much more.
• Annual Fee. Gain access to all of the above perks at the cost of $120 after the first year.

Students who are serious in building their credit history may find the L'earn Visa Card to their liking. It has no annual fee, gives 1% cash back and has easy-approval requirements. While this student credit card has no bells and whistles in terms of rewards, the straightforward cash back structure offers enough rebates for you to save cash when you shop and delivers the advantages of a credit card minus the high-income requirement.

Why We Like It:

• No annual fee - Get started in building your credit history at no cost.
• Increased cash back rewards with each spend ? The tiered cash back structure lets you earn more rebates with more spending. Cash is automatically applied to your next upcoming bill and there is no limit to the amount of cash back you earn.
• Faster payment - Perfect for on-the-go shopping, this credit card delivers Visa payWave convenience. Simply wave your card or use the app on the counter to pay for your purchase. This credit card is also compatible with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and My Mobile Wallet.
• Car rental savings -Similar to the Scotia Value Visa, this credit card gives 20% discount on Avis rental cars.

7.99% introductory interest rate on purchases for the first 6 months

Although it comes with no bells and whistles, the Scotia Momentum MasterCard Credit Card has an attractive low balance transfer promotion that may be appealing for people looking to pay off their debt. This no-fee cashback credit card also has solid features enough to make it ideal for people who want to build their credit.

Why We Like It:

• $0 annual fee Because it is a no-fee credit card, it makes the perfect starter card, or a secondary card for existing Visa or Amex cardholders who wish to shop on stores where only a MasterCard is accepted such as Costco.
• Cashback on four key areas Not many no-free credit cards offer no-limit cashback rewards on gas, groceries, drugstore and recurring bills.
• Peace of mind Even though this MasterCard lacks travel insurance and purchase protection, it makes up for it by giving 0% liability on all unauthorized credit card payments.

The Scotia Momentum® Mastercard® * Credit Card is a standard card that gives you a 19.99% interest rate on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances. It comes with no annual fee and gives you back 1% on all purchases.

However, what sets this product apart from the market is the 7.99% introductory interest rate for 6 months. 

This card, despite being without any cost, gives you some great perks and benefits. Here are some of them below:

- Gain access to handpicked Mastercard experiences in Canada

- Get a free supplementary card for your spouse, friend or family members

- Enjoy 24-hour access to the Mastercard Global Services

- Be able to purchase from Costco wholesale

- Save up to 25% on car rentals

- Zero liability protection: you'll not be held responsible for unauthorized purchases made with your card

- Get optional protection in the event of hospitalization, disability, loss of employment or death

0% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for the first 6 months 

The Scotia Value Visa is aimed at individuals looking for a good balance transfer credit that offers decent privileges and a lower interest rate beyond the introductory promo period. Although it comes with a minimal fee, customers who cannot pay their balance in full can take advantage of the low post-promotional rate of 12.99%. Plus, if you regularly rent cars from Avis, then you might get the best value out of this card.

Why We Like It:

• Save on car rentals -Save up to 25% when you use the Scotia Value Visa to book your rental cars with AVIS and other budget rental car locations in Canada.
• Optional insurance coverage - For a small fee, depending on the remaining balance on your credit card, you can receive financial protection from a range of life events such as job loss, disability, critical illness, and loss of life.
• Faster checkout -The payWave feature helps you save time by allowing you to simply wave the card or use the app on your mobile phone to pay for small purchases.
• Free supplement card - Get an additional supplementary cardholder at no extra charge.

Coming with an annual fee of $29 and a very good interest rate of 12.99% for both purchases and cash advances, the Scotiabank Value® Visa* Card is one of the best credit cards you can find on the market if you're keen on paying a low interest.

This card from Scotiabank comes with an amazing introductory offer of 0% for cash advances. Basically, during the first 6 months, you can consolidate your debt and save hundreds of dollars on interest.

The only requirement to access this card is a minimum income of $12,000 a year, which is quite low. Most Canadians can get this card with ease. Once you get it, you'll be able to capitalize on certain perks.

First, you can pay an interest rate on cash advances of just 0% for the first 6 months. This means the rest of the year. This is one of the most attractive offers you can get this year. Second, you can get a free supplementary card for one of your family members or close friends.

Lastly, this card allows you to save 25% on car rentals, get optional protection and pay quickly at the checkout using the Visa app.