With the withdrawal of AIR MILES from IGA grocery stores as of March 23, 2023, opportunities to collect miles have diminished. The Scene+ program has been launched on March 24.
Is it time for a change of focus and program? While we’re at it, would it be better to switch credit cards?
For a clearer picture, let’s compare the best Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
With the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you can earn Scene+ points, while with the BMO AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®*, you earn AIR MILES Reward Miles.
We will base our analysis on the major differences between these credit cards regarding :
The welcome bonus offered by each of these credit cards varies according to promotions. However, there are some important differences between the two!
With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you can earn up to 35,000 Scene+ points:
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* offers 3,000 bonus AIR MILES miles with at least $3,000 in card purchases within the first three months. You can earn an additional 1,500 AIR MILES by spending at least $700 at warehouse clubs or liquor retailers during the same period.
This is worth $470 off a purchase using AIR MILES Silver miles at Shell.
Moreover, the annual fee is waived for the first year (a $120 value).
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard has a more generous welcome offer than its competitor.
However, to earn a bonus faster, the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card has an advantage, as only $1,000 in purchases are required to earn 25,000 Scene+ points.
The BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard and Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card each offer different levels of point accumulation.
With the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 3 Scene+ points per dollar (i.e. 3%) on purchases at:
With the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard, you can earn 3 miles per $12 at AIR MILES partners such as:
This has a value of 2.6%.
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card stands out for its value received with purchases at Empire Group grocery stores (IGA, Sobeys, Foodland, etc.).
Then, in other purchase categories, the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard and Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card offer other accumulation rates.
With the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 1 or 2 points per dollar on these purchases:
With the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®MasterCard*, you can earn :
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card will offer you just a little more than its competitor. But its categories are also more varied than just “grocery”.
However, if you are a Costco customer, you should know that you can use the BMO Mastercard credit card at the warehouse since it is a Mastercard credit card. Since the Scotia card is a Visa, it is not accepted at Costco cashiers.
Check out the best Costco credit card offers.
Both cards are point cards that can be used in many ways.
With the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, you can apply your points to travel purchases in two ways:
The redemption rate is fixed for travel expenses, with 10,000 points = $100 credit.
With the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®*, you can book travel using your accumulated Dream Miles.
The rate of use is very variable and to redeem them, you must go through theAIR MILES platform, in the Travel section. To be worth it, a mile redeemed must equal 10.5 cents (or $10 off for 95 miles).
Dream miles are also used to pay for :
When it comes tousing points for travel purchases, the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card is simpler than the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®*MasterCard. The exchange rate is fixed and easy to remember.
Redeeming AIR MILES points is fine, but the value depends on the travel product. For example, the value is very poor for a plane ticket to Europe. At the opposite, AIR MILES can make substantial savings on a car rental, which is one of the best uses of Dream Miles when traveling.
The BMO® AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard and Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card allow you to use points for other rewards: everyday purchases, gift cards or merchandise.
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card lets you apply points to everyday purchases.
You can redeem 1,000 Scene+ points for a $10 discount at the IGA/Sobeys checkout.
Points are also used to purchase gift cards, starting at 1,000 to 1,400 points for a $10 discount.
Scene+ points can also be redeemed:
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* can also be redeemed for gift cards and merchandise.
For example, 95 Silver Miles can be used to deduct $10 of the bill for gas at Shell. Or, this gives us a Via Rail or Starbucks gift card.
Although we don’t encourage redeeming them in this way because of their low value, Dream Miles can be redeemed for items ranging from movie tickets to a computer.
For now, it is difficult to redeem points for everyday purchases and essentials with these two cards.
AIR MILES partners have become few and far between in recent years. Then, apart from IGA grocery stores, Scene+ points are used in stores that don’t exist in Quebec (Swiss Chalet, Rec Room, Montana’s, Playdium).
Better to use the points for travel!
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card has an annual fee of $150.
And if you have a Scotiabank Ultimate Package, you’ll get your annual fee waived at any time. Find out more here.
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* has a $120 annual fee.
However, with this limited-time welcome offer, the first year is free!
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* has a lower annual fee.
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card requires :
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* requires :
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card is more accessible than the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard.
Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card offers a range of insurance options. The certificate of insurance can be found here:
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard offers a variety of insurance coverages, and its certificate of insurance can be found here:
Up to $2,500 (cancellation)
Up to $2,000 (interruption)
Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card insurances are slightly superior to its competitor. In fact, the amounts are equal to or greater than each other. Please note thatat least 75% of the cost of the trip or tickets must be charged to this card in order for certain insurances to be applicable.
Whereas for the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard, the cardholder is eligible for insurance, if purchased in part with AIR MILES Reward Miles.
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card offers a range of benefits:
In addition, the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* offers a range of benefits:
Other benefits include travel. Depending on the needs of the traveler, his heart will swing between the two cards.
However, avoiding the 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee and access to VIP lounges does provide some benefit.
For an AIR MILES Collector redeeming miles to book airfare, the 25% discount makes sense.
So? Which card wins this duel?
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card!
It stands out for:
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* stands out from the crowd:
Anyway, these are two cards that we recommend in many of our rankings:
Savings are here:
