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Current welcome offer on the American Express Platinum Card®: up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points.
American Express Canada and Scotiabank offer two cards for frequent travellers:
Welcome to our comparison of two titans of Canada’s high-end credit card sector: the prestigious American Express Platinum Card® and the brand-new Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card. Let’s see which one is the best.
The welcome bonus offered by each of these cards varies according to the promotions.
Here is how the current offer is structured:
With this exceptional welcome offer for the American Express Platinum Card®, you can earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points:
Based on our valuation of Membership Rewards points (1.7 cents per point), this welcome bonus is worth $2,890.
With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, you can earn up to 100,000 Scene+ points:
Based on our valuation of Scene+ points (1 cent per point), this welcome bonus is worth $1,000.
American Express Platinum Card® requires no minimum income.
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card requires at least $150,000 in annual income or $200,000 in family income.
The American Express Platinum Card® has an annual fee of $799.
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card has an annual fee of $599.
The American Express Platinum Card® and Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Cards offer different point accumulation options.
With the American Express Platinum Card®, you earn:
Each Membership Rewards point is valued at 1.7 cents. This value can be even higher if you transfer them to another loyalty program to make an advantageous redemption, such as for a business class flight ticket or an expensive hotel room.
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card earns:
Each Scene+ point has a maximum value of 1 cent.
Both cards are made for travellers.
However, their loyalty programs are completely different:
As a result, the way points are used is different.
With the American Express Platinum Card®, you can apply its Membership Rewards points to reimburse any travel purchase charged to the card (airline tickets, hotels, Airbnb, car rentals, etc.), where 1,000 points = $10 in reimbursement.
You can also use the American Express fixed rate chart for specific flights.
Scene+ points and travel:
You can apply them to travel purchases in two ways, thanks to the fixed redemption rate where 1,000 points = $10 credit:
With the American Express Platinum Card®, you can apply Membership Rewards points to everyday purchases charged to the card.
The usage rate is 1,000 points = $10.
A minimum of 1,000 points (minimum $10) must be applied.
You can redeem 1,000 Scene+ points for a $10 discount at the IGA/Sobeys checkout.
Points can also be used to purchase gift cards on the Scotiabank/Scène+ website, starting from 1,000 to 1,400 points for a $10 card.
Scene+ points can also be redeemed for:
With the American Express Platinum Card® you can transfer your points to other rewards programs:
You cannot transfer your Scene+ points to other programs.
Once your Scene+ points are in your Scene+ account, they are permanently linked to this program. You cannot transfer them or use them elsewhere.
With the American Express Platinum Card® you and a guest have unlimited free access to many airport lounges around the world:
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card provides 10 complimentary lounge visits per year, starting from the program enrollment date. The card is linked to the DragonPass / Visa Airport Companion networks.
Once all 10 accesses have been used, the cost is USD 32 per person for entering alounge.
Secondary cardholders also benefit from 10 free accesses per year. This can be very advantageous, especially since the additional card only costs $199 per year.
With the American Express Platinum Card®, you enjoy the following benefits:
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card offers you the following benefits:
Read all about it in our article on How to maximize the travel benefits of this card.
So? Which Card is the winner?
The American Express Platinum Card® is the best because it has:
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is a good compromise and stands out from the crowd:
Here are frequently asked questions in the milesopedia community about this card.
To maximize your Membership Rewards points accumulation, consult our complete guide to the American Express Membership Rewards program as well as our ranking of the best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.
Savings are this way:
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