Since late 2021, members of the Milesopedia community have been reporting payment terminal changes in 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), in Quebec (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 our Milesopedia Facebook group members, Geneviève M., insisted that the management of her IGA grocery store let her use her new Milesopedia for her grocery store. American Express Cobalt^® Card for her grocery store. 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 negotiating a change of bank for the terminals (from Desjardins to TD).

They will soon be accepting AMEX through 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 checking with IGA, we have received confirmation of this change in payment terminals , which will take several months. These terminals will be able to accept American Express cards, provided that the IGA grocery 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 introduction of the Scene+ program in place of AIR MILES as the IGA/Sobeys loyalty card, it’s becoming urgent for IGA grocery stores to accept American Express cards. In fact, Scotiabank – one of the owners of the Scene+ program, along with the Empire Group (IGA/Sobeys, etc.) – issues 3 American Express credit cards. Scene+.

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

Your goal is to get Scene+ points? There are four great credit cards Scene+ for 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 Scotiabank American Express^® Card
• 3 points per dollar with the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport 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 attractive when compared to other credit cards available on the market for the grocery category.

And that’s on top of what you can get by showing your Scene+ membership card! That’s what we call doubling up with Scene+ promotions on selected items.

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

Your goal is to earn points Aeroplan ? There are two great credit cards to use at the grocery store:

• The American Express^® Gold Rewards Cardyou can earn 2 Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend at the grocery store.
• The American Express Cobalt^® Card you can earn the equivalent of 5 Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend at the grocery store.

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^® CardYou can earn the equivalent of 6 Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend at the grocery store. You’ll need to transfer your points to Marriott Bonvoy (5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points).
• The American Express^® Gold Rewards CardYou can earn 2.4 Marriott Bonvoy points for every dollar you spend at the grocery store. You’ll 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% cash back on all other card purchases
• 6 Marriott Bonvoy points

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

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

Would you rather get cash back? Here are the two best American Express credit cards in Canada that can earn you cash back on your grocery purchases:

• The American Express Cobalt^® Card card: 5% cash back on any other card purchase
• Visit SimplyCash^® Preferred Card from American Express : 4% cash back on all grocery 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 for its versatility, appealing to those who want 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 American Express^® Card Gold. You’ll earn 6 points per dollar on all your grocery purchases at IGA/Sobeys.

What’s more, you can buy gift cards in your favourite grocery store for other stores like SAQ, Amazon and Ikea to earn 5 or 6 points per dollar!

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