Is the Scotiabank American Express a student credit card?

The Scotiabank American Express card is not a student credit card. Scotiabank does offer a few student credit card options, though, including the Scotiabank Scene+ Card (for students), Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card (for students), and the Scotia Momentum Visa Card (for students). Even though the Scotiabank Amex isn’t a student card, it’s still a good option because it has no annual fee.

Is the Scotiabank American Express Card a travel card?

While not technically a travel card, the Scotiabank Amex does allow you to redeem points toward travel. However, it lacks some of the features often found with travel credit cards, including travel insurance, lounge access and no foreign exchange fees.

Can I use my Scotiabank American Express Card abroad?

Yes, you can use your Scotiabank American Express Card worldwide, wherever Amex is accepted. You’ll also be able to earn points on purchases while travelling. Keep in mind that you’ll have to pay foreign exchange fees with your Scotiabank Amex when spending outside of Canada.

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Scotiabank American Express® Card Review

Scotiabank American Express® Card review

Name: Justin da Rosa
Item: Scotiabank American Express Card
Rating: 3.5
Author: Justin da Rosa

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3.8

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Welcome Offer Ends Jul 1, 2025

Earn up to 5,000 bonus Scene+ points within your first 3 months (that’s up to $50 towards travel).

Learn more

3x Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshcoand more

2x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on restaurants, fast food, drinking establishments and other eligible grocery stores. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.

2x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible entertainment purchases. Includes movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.

2x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible gas and daily transit. Includes ride shares, buses, subway, taxis and more

2x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible select streaming services

1x Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other eligible everyday purchases

19.99% Purchase APR

22.99% Balance Transfer Rate

22.99% Cash Advance APR

$0 Annual Fee Additional cards are $0

2.5% Foreign Transaction Fee

Good Recommended Credit Score

3.8

Scotiabank American Express® Card review

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By Justin da Rosa

While we adhere to strict editorial guidelines, partners on this page may provide us earnings.

Quick overview

The Scotiabank American Express Card is a no-fee entry-level rewards card aimed at Canadians who want to earn Scene+ rewards without having to shell out extra cash for a yearly fee. For a $0 annual fee card, it offers an impressive rewards structure that rivals some of its costlier and more luxurious cards: Users can earn 3 points for every dollar spent at certain grocery stores (such as Foodland, Sobeys and FreshCo), and 2 points for every dollar spent on takeout, restaurants, good delivery, eligible entertainment, gas and ride sharing, and streaming services.

Who’s this card for?

This card is designed for someone new to the credit card game. Maybe they’re in their early twenties and have been building credit with their first credit card, usually a bare-bones offering from their bank. They’ve heard about credit card rewards and want to get in on the action without shelling out too much for a yearly fee. The welcome bonus may be one of the lowest around, but that’s not what this card is about: it’s for those curious and want to start earning points on the cheap.

Pros and cons

Pros

Earn 5,000 welcome bonus rewards points.
Earn up to three Scene+ points on everyday spending.
Earn points across five different categories, including food, travel, entertainment and streaming.
No annual fee.

Cons

The welcome bonus is lower compared to other rewards cards.
American Express isn’t accepted everywhere.
Limited insurance coverage.

Welcome bonus

up to 5,000 bonus Scene+ points within your first 3 months. Here's how:

+
To qualify for these offers make sure to open a new Scotiabank American Express credit card account (“Account”) by July 1, 2025.
To qualify for the 5,000 bonus Scene+ points offer:
1. Earn 2,500 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $250 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months.
2. You are eligible to earn a 2,500 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $1,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months.
Once you qualify, we’ll credit your account in 2 instalments:
1. 2,500 bonus Scene+ points will be credited to the applicable account approximately 8 weeks following the qualifying $250 in eligible purchases being posted to your Account within the first 3 months of Account opening.
2. An additional 2,500 bonus Scene+ points will be credited to the applicable Scene+ membership account approximately 8 weeks after the qualifying $1,000 in eligible purchases being posted to your Account within the first 3 months of Account opening.
Individuals who are currently or were previously primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past 2 years, including those that switch from an existing Scotiabank personal credit card, as well as employees of Scotiabank, are not eligible for this offer.
See terms and conditions below for full details.

How to earn Scene+ points on the Scotiabank American Express Card

Earn 3 Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland and more.
2x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on restaurants, fast food, drinking establishments and other eligible grocery stores, including food delivery subscriptions
2x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible entertainment purchases, from movies, theatres, and select streaming services
2 Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible gas and daily transit like rideshares and transit
1x Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other purchases

In addition to the card’s spending categories, the Scene+ program has made great strides recently with retailers, allowing users to earn additional points with various Scene+ partners. They include various restaurants and grocery stores, travel companies and pharmacies. Have a look at which ones are included and make a point of shopping there to earn extra rewards with your daily spending. Rakuten, a cash back app that allows users to earn cash back when they shop online, is another way to earn additional points. Scene+ members can earn up to 20% more points than non-users when using Rakuten.

How to redeem points

The process for redeeming Scene+ points is simple. You can redeem points online by logging into the Scene+ website and clicking the rewards tab.

You can also redeem Scene+ points in person at various retailers, including grocery stores, movie theatres, restaurants and pharmacies.

For restaurants, points can be redeemed in person, through drive-thru, or for take-out. Cineplex movie tickets can be redeemed online or in person. To redeem points for a statement credit, navigate to the Rewards tab, select "Points For Credit" and follow the outlined steps.

For travel redemption, access the dedicated Scene+ travel portal on the main Scene+ website. Click on "Rewards," select the travel option, and choose to redeem points for travel or apply them to a travel-related purchase made with a Scotiabank credit card.

There are two ways to redeem Scene+ points for travel:

Scene+ Travel Portal (powered by Expedia): Book flights, hotels, or rental cars through the portal at a redemption rate of 100 points per $1 reward.

If you don’t have enough points, you can pay for travel using a combination of points and another payment method.

Apply points to travel: Use a Scene+ Scotiabank credit or debit card to independently book eligible travel products like flights, car rentals, or hotels.

Key benefits

Earn up to 3 points per dollar spent
$0 annual fe
Mobile device insurance
Extended warranty protection and purchase security

Insurance coverage

New mobile device insurance: Coverage for up to $500 if your cell phone, smartphone, or tablet is lost, stolen, or broken.
Purchase security and extended warranty protection: Some items purchased with your card are covered for up to 90 days in the event of theft, loss, or damage plus additional warranty coverage.

The American Express Scotiabank card also offers optional insurance with its Scotia Credit Card Protection Program. There are two options to choose from, but they both come at a cost.

Basic protection:

Life benefit
Critical illness benefit
Hospitalization benefit

Comprehensive protection:

Life benefit
Critical illness benefit
Hospitalization benefit
Disability benefit
Job loss benefit
Strike or lockout benefit

Extra benefits

Use your card to book travel through Scene+ Travel, a full-service travel agency.
Get access to exclusive American Express experiences.
Save up to 25% on car rentals through AVIS and Budget.

What people have to say about this card

It appears the Scotiabank American Express Red card used to be a more feature-rich travel card, according to one user in this Reddit thread about the card, claiming it used to offer travel insurance.

Another Reddit user mentions having trouble qualifying for the card as a student in this Reddit thread entitled credit card application rejected by Scotiabank. “They said if I really wanted the card they would need a letter of enrollment from my university and would have to see my schedule,” the user claims. “Even then, they said I wouldn't get approved because American Express does not want to give students credit cards.”Another user replies that Amex does, in fact, issue cards to students as long as they have credit history. This suggests some students may have difficulty applying for the card and that it’s best to have a backup card in case their application is rejected.

How the card compares

Scotiabank Gold American Express®

4.8

up to 45K pts

Welcome offer

Very Good

Suggested credit score

Apply Now

Earn up to $950* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 45,000 bonus Scene+ points and first year annual fee waived.

Expires

Jan 3, 2025

Earn up to $950* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 45,000 bonus Scene+ points and first year annual fee waived.

Expires

Jan 3, 2025

Apply now

Pros

Lots of daily spend options to earn multiplied point bonuses
Swanky Amex perks like Front of the Line presale concert tickets
Save on foreign transaction fees when abroad
Fantastic insurance coverage, especially for travel

Cons

Relatively low-value welcome bonus
$120 annual fee that chews into your point value substantially
Scene points redeem poorly for travel

Eligibility

Very Good

Recommended Credit Score

Very Good

Scene+ points¹ on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco, Foodland and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend on dining, food delivery and other eligible grocery stores. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend in Canada eligible entertainment purposes. Includes movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options. Includes rideshares, buses, subway, taxis and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible select streaming services

Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other eligible everyday purchases

Scene+ points¹ on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco, Foodland and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend on dining, food delivery and other eligible grocery stores. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend in Canada eligible entertainment purposes. Includes movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options. Includes rideshares, buses, subway, taxis and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible select streaming services

Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other eligible everyday purchases

20.99%

Purchase APR

22.99%

Balance Transfer Rate

22.99%

Cash Advance APR

$120

Annual Fee $29 for each supplementary card

Foreign Transaction Fee

Purchase APR

20.99%

Balance Transfer Rate

22.99%

Cash Advance APR

22.99%

Annual Fee

$120

Foreign Transaction Fee

Pros

Lots of daily spend options to earn multiplied point bonuses
Swanky Amex perks like Front of the Line presale concert tickets
Save on foreign transaction fees when abroad
Fantastic insurance coverage, especially for travel

Cons

Relatively low-value welcome bonus
$120 annual fee that chews into your point value substantially
Scene points redeem poorly for travel