Head-to-Head: Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + vs. Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +


Credit card rewards are a fantastic way to get a little something back every time you make a purchase, whether you’re shopping for groceries or booking a hotel for a trip abroad.
Additionally, many cards offer a valuable range of perks and benefits that can improve your travel experiences, keep your purchases safe, and save you even more money.
Two travel cards, two very different philosophies. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card rewards you with Scene+ points, 6 airport lounge passes, and a solid welcome bonus. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card keeps it dead simple: 2% cash back on everything, no foreign transaction fees, no tracking required. Both skip FX fees, which alone puts them ahead of most cards in Canada. The question is which one actually fits how you spend.
In this head-to-head, we’ll look at how these two cards, earning different styles of rewards, compare to one another across the following 6 categories:
To begin our comparison, we’ll look at the welcome bonus offered by each of these credit cards since these are often a way to jumpstart your rewards account balance.

In terms of welcome offers, the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card has an exclusive welcome offer.
With this offer, new cardholders earn an extra 3% cash back (5% total) on the first $10,000 in purchases during the 30 days after approval, for up to $500 cash back. The card must stay open for 180 days after the boosted period. Also note that the Wealthsimple card is fairly recent and only available in limited quantities: even if you meet the requirements, you might not get it.

On the other side of this comparison, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card typically provides a strong welcome offer to new cardholders.
The current offer applies to accounts opened between August 4 and November 1, 2026, and gives up to 35,000 bonus Scene+ points, broken down as follows:
For this first category, we’re crowning the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card as the winner since it offers new cardholders the chance to earn up to 35,000 Scene+ points, which are worth upwards of $350 when redeemed for travel, groceries, and more.
Comparatively, the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card earns up to $500 cash back (5% on $10,000 in purchases in 30 days) with its exclusive welcome offer. To see how the Passport stacks up against another major travel rival, check out our head-to-head comparison between the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card.

The minimum income requirements for the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card are as follows:

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card has the following minimum income requirements:
On minimum income, Scotiabank casts a wider net. It asks for $60,000 in personal income or $100,000 for the household, versus $80,000 and $150,000 at Wealthsimple. That $20,000 gap in personal income shuts out some applicants who would otherwise qualify for a Visa Infinite card. Scotiabank also accepts applicants with $250,000 in assets under management, while Wealthsimple offers no asset-based path for this card: the income requirement is the only way in.

The annual fee for the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card comes to $240/year. Wealthsimple charges $20 per month to cardholders with less than $100,000 in individual assets. Quebec clients are billed annually instead of monthly. Additional cards are free.
Notably, this fee can be waived if you have assets of at least $100,000 with Wealthsimple or have at least $4,000 in qualifying direct deposits going into your Wealthsimple Chequing Account each month.

The annual fee for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card is $150, and how much you actually pay depends on your Scotiabank chequing account: the Ultimate Package chequing account or the Essential Package chequing account.
The Ultimate Package permanently waives the annual fee through a rebate of up to $150. The Essential Package doesn’t waive it: it gives a $40 rebate, starting on the first anniversary date after June 22, 2026, provided you made at least $15,000 in eligible purchases on the card over the previous 12 statement periods. The first additional card is free; the others cost $50 per year.
We think that the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card is the winner of this category since it comes with a lower annual fee of $150 (versus the $240 fee requested by the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card), and an Ultimate Package is enough to waive it completely, whereas Wealthsimple requires $100,000 in assets or $4,000 in monthly direct deposits.
That said, if you meet the requirements to have the annual fee waived on the Wealthsimple card, then this category would certainly be a tie.
The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card earn two different reward types: cash back and Scene+ points.
Depending on your preferences for rewards, each of these options has a lot of potential value, so let’s take a look at each program to see what we can expect from spending with these cards.

With the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card, you earn a base rate of 2% cash back on all your purchases.
Additionally, Wealthsimple has partnered with a rotating lineup of merchants to offer boosted cash back on top of that base rate.
The boost amount varies by partner and is shown in the app when you activate an offer. Current partners include:
Plus, accessing your earned cash back is easy since it’s automatically deposited into your Wealthsimple Chequing Account every month.

For those with the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you can earn up to 4 Scene+ points per $1 spent:
| Category | Points |
|---|---|
| Flights, hotels and car rentals booked through Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia | 4 |
| Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, participating IGA, and more | 3 |
| Dining out and eligible entertainment and transit purchases | 2 |
| Everything else | 1 |
Given that Scene+ points can be redeemed for 1 cent each, these earning rates represent a 4%, 3%, 2%, and 1% return, respectively.
For the earning category, we think that both cards are pretty well matched.
With the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card earning cash back and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card earning Scene+ points, we can compare the value of their earning rates to see how they stack up.
Since Scene+ points are generally worth 1 cent each, the earning rates with the Scotiabank card are worth upwards of 4%, 3%, 2%, and 1%. Comparing this to the 2% base earning rate of the Wealthsimple card, plus its potential for cash back rates as high as 10%, the Scotia card pulls ahead for dedicated Sobeys shoppers and travellers who consistently book through Scene+ Travel. For everyone else, Wealthsimple’s earning rate is simply higher on most of what they actually buy.
As we mentioned in the earlier sections, the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card each have different reward types, with one earning cash back and the other earning Scene+ points.
Given this, there’s certain to be a difference in how cardholders can access and enjoy their accumulated rewards, so let’s see how this plays out.

Redeeming the cash back earned with your Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card is incredibly easy since you actually don’t have to do anything at all.
As part of having the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card, you’re required to also sign up for a Wealthsimple Chequing Account, and you have full control over when and how you redeem your cash back. You can transfer it at any time to any of your Wealthsimple accounts, for maximum flexibility.

Redeeming with the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card is a bit more complicated, but for this effort, you get to enjoy several different redemption options.
Once you’ve accumulated some Scene+ points, you can redeem them in the following ways:
With the redemption category, it’s a bit difficult to choose a winner since a lot of it comes down to personal preference.
On the one hand, cash back is wonderfully straightforward (I mean, who doesn’t like a cash bonus to lower their expenses each month?), but on the other hand, Scene+ lets you pick and choose and change where you redeem, and it lets you save up for bigger redemptions and enjoy travel without ever exchanging actual money.
As noted above, Scene+ points can typically be redeemed for 1 cent each, giving the Scotiabank card the higher, consistent earning rate. That said, Wealthsimple’s earning rate of 2% is comparable to the Scotiabank card’s rate on everything except for eligible groceries and travel expenses.
Additionally, Wealthsimple's boosted cash back at select merchants is a compelling extra, and the lineup of eligible merchants rotates over time, so it's worth checking the app regularly.
All this is to say that we’re calling this category a draw since both cards offer similar redemption value, and the best card is ultimately whichever one earns the rewards you prefer to redeem.

The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card offers cardholders the following perks:

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you can enjoy the following perks:
In terms of perks and benefits, we find that both of these cards are excellent and also very similar.
With both the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, we’re especially fond of the no-FX-fees feature since this is quite rare with Canadian cards, and it can save you a nice chunk of money when travelling.
However, we think the Scotiabank card comes out just ahead in this category thanks to its additional offer of 6 complimentary airport lounge passes. Not only are these wonderful to have when travelling, but they also represent considerable value and are fairly rare for a Visa Infinite card.
Now that we’ve made it through all 6 of our comparison categories, it’s time to sort out which card is the ultimate winner: the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card or the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card.
We love that both cards offer no FX fees, travel insurance, and other similar perks. But, from a competition standpoint and for most Canadians, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card is the stronger pick. The welcome bonus alone can be worth $350, the annual fee is $90 lower, and 6 complimentary airport lounge passes add tangible travel value. If you already spend heavily at Sobeys-banner grocers, the 3x earn rate seals the deal.
On the other side of the battle, we're fans of Wealthsimple's no-fuss rewards system, letting you earn 2% across the board, plus boosted cash back at rotating partner merchants. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card earns its place for
Since both the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card are valuable cards with similar features and earn rates, you just need to decide if you prefer cash back or Scene+ points, and you’re ready to start earning!
It depends on the rewards you prefer. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card wins on welcome bonus, annual fee, and airport lounge access. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card is the stronger pick if you want simple, automatic cash back at a flat 2% rate with no tracking required.
No. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card charges no foreign transaction fees, making it a solid option for Canadians who travel or shop in foreign currencies.
No. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card waives the standard 2.5% foreign transaction fee, which is one of its standout perks for travellers.
Yes on both cards. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card waives its $240 annual fee if you hold $100,000 in assets with Wealthsimple or make $4,000/month in qualifying direct deposits. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card waives it with an Ultimate Package chequing account, which gives a permanent rebate of up to $150. The Essential Package only gives a $40 rebate, conditional on $15,000 in eligible purchases in the year.
No, they differ. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card requires a personal income of $60,000, a household income of $100,000, or $250,000 in assets under management. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card requires a personal income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000, plus an active Wealthsimple Chequing Account.
Scene+ points are generally worth 1 cent each. With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn up to 4 points per $1 on travel booked through Scene+ Travel, 3 points at Sobeys-affiliated grocers, 2 points on dining, transit, and entertainment, and 1 point everywhere else. Points redeem for travel, groceries, dining, gift cards, or statement credits.
Yes. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card includes 6 complimentary airport lounge passes per year through DragonPass and the Visa Airport Companion program, a perk the Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card does not offer.
Not yet. The Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Card is a newer product available in limited quantities: even if you meet the eligibility requirements, you might not get it. An exclusive welcome offer is available: up to $500 cash back on $10,000 in purchases in the first 30 days.
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