IGA/Sobeys Grocery Stores Accept AMEX Cards!

IGA at Quebec and American Express

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:

IGA Louise Ménard – Place Dupuis – Montreal
IGA Louise Ménard – Complexe Desjardins – Montreal
IGA Le Beaumont – Montreal
IGA Alimentation Hochelaga- Montreal
IGA Extra Lacoste Family – Montreal
IGA Kraft Côte-St-Luc – Montreal
IGA Marché Toppetta – Dorval
IGA Extra E.F.Y. Caron – Kirkland
IGA Louise Ménard – Saint-Lambert
IGA Marché de la Concorde – Laval
IGA Extra Marché Auteuil – Laval
IGA des Oiseaux – Laval
IGA Marché Denis – Duberger
IGA des Sources Henri-Bourassa – Quebec
IGA Convivio – Quebec
IGA Extra Plante Family – Gatineau
IGA 312 – Sainte Adèle
IGA Extra Famille Piche – Prévost
IGA Extra Daigle (Blainville Street East) – Sainte-Thérèse

IGA/Sobeys grocery stores accept American Express cards! - Iga

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. - Milesopedia community member

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!

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $7,500 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank^®* Platinum American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$399	Welcome offerAfter $10,000 in 6 months Up to 100,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $10,000 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$0	Welcome offerAfter $1,000 in 3 months Up to 10,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $1,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare

Earn rewards at IGA with American Express cards

This is great news for American Express credit card holders (or those who were reluctant to become one)!

With IGA joining the list of grocery stores and other everyday merchants that accept American Express, such as Métro, Super C and Couche-Tard, there’s no longer any reason not to earn rewards and cash back with these cards!

Here is a selection of the best American Express credit cards for grocery purchases and IGAs according to your needs:

Scene+
Aeroplan
Marriott Bonvoy
Flexible points
Travel Points
Cash Back

Scene+

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.

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $7,500 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank^® Scene+^™ Visa* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$0	Welcome offerAfter $1,000 in 3 months Up to 5,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $1,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$0	Welcome offerAfter $1,000 in 3 months Up to 10,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $1,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite +* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$150	Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $2,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare

Aeroplan

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.

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express Cobalt^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$191.88	Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months Up to 15,000 points Get 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months	Apply NowCompare
American Express^® Gold Rewards Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$250	Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months Up to 60,000 points After $12,000 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare

Marriott Bonvoy

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.

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express Cobalt^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$191.88	Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months Up to 15,000 points Get 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months	Apply NowCompare
American Express^® Gold Rewards Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$250	Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months Up to 60,000 points After $12,000 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months Up to 70,000 points After $3,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare

Flexible Points

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

Compare

American Express Cobalt^® Card

American Express Amex Membership Rewards

Annual fee: $191.88
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $255
Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months: Up to 15,000 points

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is a versatile American Express card, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

American Express Cobalt^® Card welcome offer

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer valued at $255.

Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.

You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.

You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:

15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

American Express Cobalt^® Card benefits

Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.

5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, and home food delivery. A spend cap applies.
3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
Front Of The Line^® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.

The 5X categories and where they apply

The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers three kinds of merchants:

Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
Home food delivery.
Convenience stores (Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven): not part of 5X, 1 point per dollar.

The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	1
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt^® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

Travel insurance

Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.

Rental car insurance

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

Purchase protection and extended warranty

Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.

American Express Cobalt^® Card fees

Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
Additional cards: $0.
Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
Minimum income required: none.

Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Annual fee

Primary card$191.88

Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

5xRestaurants
5xGroceries
3xStreaming
2xTransit
2xGas
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,675

2nd Year Value$799

Transfer partners

AeroplanAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
Etihad GuestAirline
Flying BlueAirline
Hilton HonorsHotel
Marriott BonvoyHotel

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $250,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionUp to $1,000 / 90 days

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

Travel

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.

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express Cobalt^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$191.88	Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months Up to 15,000 points Get 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $7,500 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
ExclusiveNational Bank World Elite^® Mastercard^® Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$150 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offer$150 annual fee rebated First Year Annual Fee RebateEnds Nov 4, 2026 $150 annual fee rebated	Apply NowCompare

Cash Back

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

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express Cobalt^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$191.88	Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months Up to 15,000 points Get 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months	Apply NowCompare
SimplyCash^® Preferred Card from American Express Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$119.88	Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months Up to $250 cash back After $2,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare

Bottom Line

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.

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express Cobalt^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$191.88	Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months Up to 15,000 points Get 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $7,500 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	1
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

IGA at Quebec and American Express

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:

IGA Louise Ménard – Place Dupuis – Montreal
IGA Louise Ménard – Complexe Desjardins – Montreal
IGA Le Beaumont – Montreal
IGA Alimentation Hochelaga- Montreal
IGA Extra Lacoste Family – Montreal
IGA Kraft Côte-St-Luc – Montreal
IGA Marché Toppetta – Dorval
IGA Extra E.F.Y. Caron – Kirkland
IGA Louise Ménard – Saint-Lambert
IGA Marché de la Concorde – Laval
IGA Extra Marché Auteuil – Laval
IGA des Oiseaux – Laval
IGA Marché Denis – Duberger
IGA des Sources Henri-Bourassa – Quebec
IGA Convivio – Quebec
IGA Extra Plante Family – Gatineau
IGA 312 – Sainte Adèle
IGA Extra Famille Piche – Prévost
IGA Extra Daigle (Blainville Street East) – Sainte-Thérèse

Geneviève M. - Milesopedia community member

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

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $7,500 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank^®* Platinum American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$399	Welcome offerAfter $10,000 in 6 months Up to 100,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $10,000 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$0	Welcome offerAfter $1,000 in 3 months Up to 10,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $1,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare