Minimum Requirements for Applying for a Scotiabank Credit Card
- Beginner


When applying for a Scotiabank credit card, there are a number of important things to note, including:
Among this information, there are criteria that Scotiabank looks at to determine whether or not to approve your application:
Minimum personal income is the first criteria checked by Scotiabank. The threshold depends on the card:
We don’t often think about it, but it’s a criterion that can lead to your application being blocked! If the address you provide to Scotiabank in your application does not match the one listed in your TransUnion file, your application could simply be “conditionally declined.”
In fact, Scotiabank will wait for you to call and provide documentation or additional information. It will then be easy to specify if there is an error in the way the address is written, for example.
“Apt” instead of “Apartment” or 101-5001 instead of 5001 XXX Street, Apartment 101
Make sure to check how your address appears on your Transunion credit file.
You have been able to lock your credit file since 2023. If you have done so, please remember to unlock your file before applying.
To apply for a Scotiabank credit card, you must not have declared personal bankruptcy in the last 7 years.
You must have reached the age of majority in your province or territory of residence.
To get a Scotiabank credit card, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Despite all your precautions, it’s possible that at the end of your application, it may be rejected. But that doesn’t mean it’s definitively refused.
You can still call the Scotiabank Credit Card Centre at 1-800-387-6466 with your application number on hand. There, you can ask about the decision, provide additional details or offer additional documents. See also our article on “declined” to “approved” card applications.
When you receive your Scotiabank credit card, you’ll be able to earn Scene+ points to pay for groceries or travel, or cash back with a Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card.
The Scotiabank Credit Card Centre answers at 1-800-387-6466 in Canada and the U.S., or at 416-288-1440 from outside Canada and the U.S. For the Scotia Momentum Mastercard, call 1-866-286-4517 instead (English service) or 1-866-778-8103 (French service). Have your reference number on hand to speed up your call. You will find all these numbers on Scotiabank’s phone help page.
Yes, just one: the Scotia Momentum Mastercard Credit Card. It has no annual fee and gives you 1% cash back on eligible gas station, grocery store and drugstore purchases and recurring bill payments. Its rates are 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances. Every other Scotiabank credit card is a Visa or an American Express.
With these Scotiabank personal cards, you only pay the exchange rate on foreign currency purchases, without the 2.5% markup most issuers charge: the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card ($150 a year), the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card ($599), the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card ($120) and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card ($399).
The required income depends on the card. The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card ask for $12,000 in personal income a year. For a Visa Infinite card, such as the Passport or the Momentum, Scotiabank lists $60,000 to $80,000 in personal income, $100,000 to $150,000 in household income, or $250,000 to $300,000 in assets under management. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card requires $150,000 in personal income, $200,000 in household income or $400,000 in assets under management. Meeting these thresholds does not guarantee approval: your credit file counts too.
You can call the Scotiabank Credit Card Centre at 1-800-387-6466 with your reference number to understand the decision and add details. Be ready to explain any address mismatch, provide recent bank statements or clarify your employment situation. Also check the three points covered above: an address that does not match your TransUnion file, a locked credit file or a bankruptcy declared in the last 7 years. When the decline comes down to an administrative error, this call lets you fix it.
Yes. Scotiabank does not publish a maximum number of cards per customer, so you can combine cards that complement each other. For example, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card saves you foreign transaction fees abroad. The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card pays 4% cash back on groceries and recurring payments, on up to $25,000 of spending a year. The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card earns 5 Scene+ points per dollar on dining and entertainment. Each new application is still assessed on your income and the credit you already hold.
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