With the withdrawal of AIR MILES from IGA grocery stores as of March 23, 2023, opportunities to collect AIR MILES miles have changed. The Scene+ program was launched on March 24, 2023.
Have you changed your habits since then? Are you thinking of changing your rewards 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 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 the 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 40,000 Scene+ points:
The BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard offers 3,000 bonus AIR MILES miles with at least $3,000 in card purchases in the first three months.
This is worth $315 off a purchase using AIR MILES Cash Miles at Shell.
What’s more, the annual fee is refunded for the first year (a value of $120).
The BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard has a more generous welcome offer than its competitor. What’s more, the annual fee is refunded in the first year.
However, to get a bonus faster, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card has an advantage because only $2,000 in purchases are required to get 30,000 Scene+ points. Unfortunately, you’ll need to make an additional $38,000 in purchases to get the second part of the offer.
The BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard and the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport 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 Visa Infinite Passport 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 will offer you just a little more than its competitor. But its categories are also more varied than just the “grocery” category.
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 Scotia’s is a Visa, it is not accepted at Costco checkouts (but there is a way around this problem. Read our article on How to use a Visa on the Costco.ca website).
Check out the best Costco credit card offers.
Both cards are point cards that can be used in many ways.
With the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport 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 highly variable, and to redeem them, you absolutely must use the AIR 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 to using points for travel purchases, the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport Card is simpler than the BMO AIR MILES® World Elite®*MasterCard®*. The redemption 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 the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport Card both allow you to use points for other rewards: everyday purchases, gift cards or merchandise.
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card lets you apply your points to everyday purchases.
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, 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 used to redeem for gift cards and merchandise.
For example, 95 Cash Miles can be used to deduct $10 of the bill for gas at Shell. Or this gives us an electronic gift card for Walmart, Home Depot, Air Canada, Starbucks, etc.
Although we don’t encourage redemption in this way due to 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, with the exception of IGA grocery stores, Scene+ points serves in shops that are either non-existent or not widely available at Quebec (Swiss Chalet, Rec Room, Montana’s, Playdium).
Better to use the points for travel!
The Scotia 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 Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card requires:
The BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®* requires :
In terms of required income, the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport is more affordable than the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard.
The Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card offers various insurances. 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’s insurance coverage is slightly superior to that of its competitor. In fact, the amounts are equal to or greater than the other. Please note that at least 75% of the cost of the trip or tickets must be charged to this card for certain insurances to apply.
Whereas for the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard, the cardholder is eligible for insurance, if purchased in part with AIR MILES miles.
The Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport offers a number of advantages:
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 charge and access to VIP lounges do provide some benefit.
For AIR MILES Collectors who redeem their miles to book airline tickets, the 25% annual discount is a welcome benefit.
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:
