Since late 2021, Milesopedia community members have been reporting payment terminal changes at their IGA grocery stores. And with these changes comes the big news: you can now use an American Express credit cardat many IGA stores.

This is already the case in Sherbrooke (IGA Marche-Forgues), Boisbriand (IGA du Faubourg) and Quebec City (IGA des Sources Cap Rouge).

And here is a selection of IGA grocery stores found on the map of businesses accepting American Express:

And one of the Milesopedia community members, Genevieve M. insisted to the administration of her IGA grocery store to use her new American Express Cobalt^® Card for her grocery purchases. She wants to earn 5 points per dollar (equivalent to 5% back) and the current exceptional welcome bonus points.

The manager told me that at the provincial level, they were in negotiations and that they were going to change the bank for the terminals (from Desjardins to TD).

They should be accepting AMEX soon throughout Quebec. My store manager told me that if it wasn’t done in a few weeks, he was going to have a terminal installed at the courtesy department so I could pay with my American Express card.

Geneviève M. - membre de la communauté Milesopedia

After enquiry with IGA, we have been confirmed that the change of payment terminals will take several months. These terminals will be able to accept American Express cards provided that the IGA store owner activates this feature.

This means that each owner retains control over whether or not American Express cards are accepted at their store. Except that with the implementation of the Scene+ program instead of AIR MILES as the IGA/Sobeys loyalty card, it is becoming urgent for IGA grocery stores to accept American Express cards. Scotiabank – one of the owners of the Scene+ program along with the Empire Group (IGA/Sobeys, etc.) – issues three American Express Scene+ credit cards.

Are you an IGA customer and an American Express cardholder? Ask your IGA manager to activate this feature!

Is your goal to earn Scene+ points? There are four great Scene+ credit cards to use at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op:

• 6 points per dollar with the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card
• 3 points per dollar with the Scotiabank American Express Card
• 3 points per dollar with the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card
• 2 points per dollar with the Scotiabank^® Scene+™ Visa* Card

This means you can get a 2-6% return on grocery purchases if you go to these stores. This is very interesting when compared to other credit cards available on the market for the grocery category.

And this is in addition to what you can get by showing your Scene+ membership card! That’s what we call double dipping with Scene+ promotions available on select items.

And remember, you can use your Scene+ points for groceries at a value of 1,000 Scene+ points = $10.

Do you prefer earning Aeroplan points? There are two great credit cards to use at the grocery store:

• American Express^® Gold Rewards Card: you can earn 2 Aeroplan points for every $1 in grocery store purchases
• The American Express Cobalt^® Card: you can earn the equivalent of 2 Aeroplan points for every $1 in grocery store purchases. You will need to transfer your points to Marriott Bonvoy (5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points) and then to Aeroplan (6 Marriott Bonvoy points = 2 Aeroplan points)

Is your goal to earn Marriott Bonvoy points to get free hotel nights? There are three great credit cards to use at the grocery store:

• The American Express Cobalt^® Card: you can earn the equivalent of 6 Aeroplan points for every $1 in grocery store purchases. You will need to transfer your points to Marriott Bonvoy ( 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points)
• The American Express^® Gold Rewards Card: you can earn 2.4 Marriott Bonvoy points for every $1 in grocery store purchases. You will need to transfer your points to Marriott Bonvoy ( 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points)
• Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card: you can earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar at the grocery store. Don’t hesitate to use it to unlock the exceptional welcome bonus offered right now.

You don’t have any particular goals in mind and want to have as much flexibility as possible? That’s why there are flexible points like American Express Membership Rewards. These points can be used for:

• Travel
• Cash back
• Transfers to other programs such as Marriott Bonvoy
• Products or gift cards

The best credit card with flexible points in Canada is the American Express Cobalt^® Card. With this Card, you can earn 5 points per dollar on grocery purchases. This represents for example:

• 5% back for travel purchases charged to the card (Airbnb, Hotels, flights, etc)
• 3.5% cashback on any other purchase charged to the Card
• 6 Marriott Bonvoy points

Is your goal to travel with your points ? There are three great credit cards to use at the grocery store:

• The Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card: You can earn 6 points per dollar spent at IGA/Sobeys (or 5 points per dollar at other grocery stores), which is the equivalent of 5-6% on your travel purchases
• The American Express Cobalt^® Card : you can earn 5 points per dollar of grocery store purchases or the equivalent of 5% for your travel purchases
• The National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard^®: You can earn 5 points per dollar spent on groceries, which is equivalent to approximately 5% on travel purchases

Would you rather get cash back? Here are the two best American Express credit cards in Canada offering cash back on groceries:

• The American Express Cobalt^® Card: 5% cash back on any other purchase charged to the card.
• The SimplyCash^® Preferred Card from American Express: 4% cash back on all grocery store purchases.

This is great news for all IGA customers who will now be able to use their American Express card. As you’ve seen, American Express has cards to suit every taste.

But one stands out because of its versatility, which can appeal to those who would like travel points, Marriott Bonvoy points, cash back or even Aeroplan points: the American Express Cobalt^® Card. So it’s the number 1 choice for groceries!

A little less flexible, but offering even more points at IGA, you could opt for the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card. You’ll earn 6 points per dollar on all your grocery purchases at IGA/Sobeys.

You can also buy gift cards in your favourite grocery store for other stores like SAQ, Amazon, and Ikea to get 5 to 6 points per dollar!

Can’t decide between these two cards? Check out this comparison article.