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American Express Canada and Scotiabank offer two cards for frequent travellers:
Their names are very similar, and yet, they are not the same! These cards both give us great advantages, but their characteristics differ. 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 welcome offer from 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 corresponds to a value of $2,890.
With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card, you can earn up to 100,000 bonus Scene+ points:
Based on our valuation of Scene+ points (1 cent per point), this welcome bonus is worth approximately $1,000, as part of an offer that can reach $3,000 in savings and rewards over the first 14 months.
American Express Platinum Card® requires no minimum income.
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card requires a minimum annual income of $12,000.
The American Express Platinum Card® has an annual fee of $799.
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card has an annual fee of $399.
The American Express Platinum Card® and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card offer different point accumulations.
With the American Express Platinum Card®, you earn:
Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is very simple: you earn 2 points per dollar (2-cent value) spent on everything!
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.
The usage rate is 1,000 points = $20.
Scene+ points and travel:
You can apply them to travel purchases in two ways, thanks to the fixed redemption rate where 10,000 points = $100 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/Scene+ website, from 1,000 to 1,400 points for a $10 discount.
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.
When your Scene+ points are in your Scene+ account, you have no other way out: you can only use them in the Scene+ program.
With the American Express Platinum Card® you and a guest have unlimited free access to many airport lounges around the world:
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card gives you 10 complimentary airport lounge visits per year, from the date you join the program. The card is linked to the DragonPass and Plaza Premium networks.
Once all 10 accesses have been used, the cost is USD 32 per person for entering alounge.
Secondary cardholders enjoy 4 free visits per year.
With the American Express Platinum Card®, you enjoy the following benefits:
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card offers you the following benefits:
So? Which Card is the winner?
The Platinum Card® from American Express is the best because:
For all the details on the current welcome bonus, see our full American Express Platinum Card profile.
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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