9 Reasons to Apply for the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card has go 1 of the much intriguing recognition cards successful the Canadian market. 

As its rewards program, Scene+, continues to look arsenic a stronger subordinate successful the loyalty landscape, the worth proposition and the ways to maximize this paper are greater than ever before.

With heightened class multipliers and a time-sensitive elevated invited bonus, let’s look astatine nine reasons the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card should beryllium successful your wallet.

1. Welcome Bonus of 40,000 Scene+ Points

By applying anterior to October 31, 2023, you’re eligible to person a full invited bonus of up to 40,000 Scene+ points. The process of earning the invited bonus involves 2 steps:

• Earn 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 (CAD) successful the archetypal 3 months
• Earn different 20,000 Scene+ points upon spending astatine slightest $7,500 (CAD) successful your archetypal year

In different words, you’ll lone request to walk an mean of $625 (CAD) per month to person the afloat invited bonus of 40,000 Scene+ points.

40,000 Scene+ points is equivalent to $400 (CAD) towards question expenses, and is 1 of the champion invited bonuses we’ve seen connected the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.

Even though the spending request of $7,500 (CAD) successful the archetypal twelvemonth mightiness look precocious astatine archetypal glance, determination are rather a fewer compelling reasons you’ll privation to enactment a batch of walk connected this card, arsenic we’ll sermon below. 

2. 5x Points connected Groceries & Dining + 6x Points astatine Sobeys

The Scotiabank Gold Amex offers a generous 5 points per dollar spent connected each purchases astatine Canadian market stores, arsenic good arsenic connected nutrient and eating purchases. However, the multiplier further increases to 6 points per dollar spent astatine each Empire-affiliated market stores.

Grocery stores that are eligible for the 6x earning complaint see Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, participating IGAs, Les Marchés Tradition, and Rachelle Béry.

Although these are each market stores, it’s not conscionable fruits and vegetables that volition gain 6x Scene+ points. In fact, anything bought astatine these stores should trigger the higher class bonus, too.

Since Scene+ points tin easy beryllium redeemed astatine 1 cent per constituent (cpp) against question purchases, this means that you’ll fundamentally person an fantabulous 6% backmost connected each purchases astatine eligible Empire-affiliated locations.

Earn 6x points astatine Empire-affiliated market stores

Indeed, a 6x multiplier is unprecedented connected the Canadian recognition paper scene. It adjacent nominally surpasses the laudable American Express Cobalt Card, which offers 5x MR points connected those aforesaid market and eating purchases.

The Amex Cobalt Card is inactive precise strong, but the Scotiabank Gold Amex whitethorn person a flimsy vantage for immoderate individuals with precocious yearly spends.

On 1 hand, the Cobalt Card earns Membership Rewards points, which tin past beryllium transferred to hose and edifice transportation partners. Unfortunately, the Scene+ programme doesn’t person this aforesaid option.

On the different hand, the Cobalt Card caps the 5x bonus astatine $2,500 (CAD) per period (as of August 15, 2023) oregon $30,000 (CAD) per year, portion the Scotiabank Gold Amex has a overmuch higher headdress of $50,000 (CAD) per year.

If transferring points to hose partners is your thing, but you’ve maxed retired the Cobalt Card’s monthly cap, past you’ll privation to further supercharge your earning astatine market stores with the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.

3. 5x Points connected Entertainment

In summation to the elevated class bonuses connected groceries, food, and dining, you’ll besides gain 5x Scene+ points connected prime amusement expenses with the Scotiabank Gold Amex Card.

Earn 5x Scene+ points astatine movie theatres with the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

Eligible amusement expenses for 5x Scene+ points see theatres, summons agencies, and, of course, movies.

This is an industry-leading multiplier among Canadian recognition cards. Other cards that people millennials, specified arsenic the Amex Cobalt Card and the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Card, exclude amusement from the 5x multiplier tier.

4. 3x Points connected Gas, Transit, and Streaming

Continuing with the class bonus dominance, the Scotiabank American Express Gold Card further offers 3x Scene+ points connected each gas, transit, and streaming expenses.

Eligible proscription expenses see gas, rideshare services, buses, taxis, subways, and thing other that has a Merchant Category Code of “transit”.

Earn 3x Scene+ points per dollar connected proscription with the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

Streaming services that suffice for the 3x multiplier see the accustomed suspects of Netflix and Spotify, arsenic good arsenic a wide scope of different streaming services.

3x points represents a beardown 3% instrumentality connected gas, transit, and streaming, though it isn’t needfully an industry-leading earning complaint successful immoderate of the 3 categories. Still, for an all-in-one solution towards galore of life’s communal expenses, the Scotiabank Gold Amex packs rather a punch. 

5. Double-Dip with Scene+

In summation to the aforementioned class multipliers, you’ll privation to contiguous your Scene+ rank paper whenever imaginable to further pad your balance. By doing so, you’ll gain Scene+ points with some your Scotiabank Gold American Express Card and with your Scene+ card.

For example, you tin gain up to 10 Scene+ points per dollar spent astatine Cineplex theatres: 5 Scene+ points per dollar spent with your Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, and 5 Scene+ points per dollar spent with your Scene+ rank card.

That’s fundamentally a 10% instrumentality connected spending, since you tin redeem Scene+ points astatine a complaint of 1 cent per constituent against question purchases.

Keep successful caput that Empire-affiliated market stores volition besides connection further Scene+ points done personalized offers and promotions. You tin find them online successful your Scene+ account, arsenic good arsenic circumstantial offers disposable in-store.

6. No Foreign Transaction Fees

Almost each Canadian recognition cards enforce a hefty 2.5% overseas transaction interest connected purchases made successful currencies different than the Canadian dollar. You won’t brushwood this currency drawback with the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.

In fact, Scotiabank is the lone slope retired of Canada’s Big 5 to connection recognition cards with no overseas transaction fees. If you often question extracurricular Canada, oregon if you marque galore purchases successful different currencies, this diagnostic tin adjacent immense savings.

However, there’s a caveat: overseas transactions connected the Scotiabank Gold Amex volition uniformly gain 1x Scene+ points, alternatively than 5x oregon 3x Scene+ points based connected the spending category.

That’s a origin that could number against this paper erstwhile comparing to, say, the Amex Cobalt Card, whose elevated multipliers (anecdotally) widen to overseas purchases arsenic well. 

7. Access to Amex Offers

Even though the Scotiabank Gold Amex Card is issued by Scotiabank, it’s inactive a portion of the American Express outgo network. Luckily, this means that cardholders person entree to the galore Amex Offers that often popular up.

While not each Amex Offers are ever available, galore of the astir fashionable ones are unfastened for manual registration, including caller promotions specified arsenic Marriott and Shangri-La.

To presumption and registry for Amex offers, conscionable caput to the dedicated landing leafage for Scotiabank-issued American Express cards. These offers are sometimes rather juicy, and tin surely adhd up implicit the people of a year.

Both superior and supplementary cardholders tin registry for Amex Offers, truthful beryllium definite to look astatine adding cards for anyone other successful your household to stack the Amex Offers.

8. Flexibility of Scene+ Points

Scene+ points are immoderate of the astir flexible question rewards points erstwhile compared to different Big 5 banks’ loyalty programs. You tin redeem them astatine 1cpp for immoderate travel expenses charged to your Scotiabank Gold Amex Card.

The astir charismatic facet of Scene+ points is the ease of redeeming points for question purchases.

After paying with your Scotiabank Gold Amex Card, you simply use your Scene+ points astatine 1cpp against question expenses erstwhile they’ve been posted to your account. Similar rewards programs necessitate you to redeem points done dedicated portals, which are often clunky and cumbersome.

Use Scene+ points to screen stays astatine autarkic hotels, specified arsenic the Black Rock Oceanfront Resort

If you don’t person capable Scene+ points to screen the full question disbursal close away, don’t fret, arsenic you tin inactive usage the points you gain successful the future. That’s due to the fact that you person up to 1 twelvemonth from the day of acquisition to redeem points for an eligible question expense.

The flexibility of Scene+ points makes the programme a large enactment for minimizing out-of-pocket expenses connected cruises, autarkic hotels, short-term rentals, oregon immoderate different question purchases that can’t beryllium different booked with points.

9. Strong Insurance Coverage

As you’d expect for a question recognition card, Scotiabank Gold American Express Card comes with a beardown suite of question insurance.

By charging expenses to your Scotiabank Gold Amex Card, you’ll beryllium eligible for the pursuing types of security coverage: 

• Emergency aesculapian insurance
• Trip cancellation/interruption
• Flight delays
• Delayed and mislaid baggage
• Travel accidents
• Rental car collision/damage
• Hotel/motel burglary
• Purchase security
• Extended warranty

While the supra inclusions are somewhat modular these days, the Scotiabank Gold Amex Card ups the ante by offering a generous 25 days of emergency aesculapian insurance for eligible persons nether the property of 65.

Most exigency aesculapian security offered connected akin recognition paper products is capped astatine 15 oregon 21 days. Having an other play of sum tin travel successful useful if you thin to question for much than 2 oregon 3 weeks astatine a time.

Travel security of up to $1,000,000 per idiosyncratic is disposable for cardholders, their spouse, and babelike children. As with each types of exigency aesculapian security connected question recognition cards, the security applies adjacent if the paper wasn’t utilized to publication immoderate information of the trip.

Other Scotiabank American Express Cards

While the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is surely the champion pound-for-pound American Express merchandise offered by Scotiabank, immoderate travellers whitethorn beryllium well-suited to different products successful the aforesaid family. 

Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card

With a higher yearly interest of $399 that isn’t waived for the archetypal year, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card comes with immoderate elevated benefits than what’s offered connected the Scotiabank Gold Amex.

The Scotiabank Platinum Amex offers a higher invited bonus of 60,000 Scene+ points. The bonus is structured arsenic 50,000 Scene+ points upon spending $3,000 successful the archetypal 3 months, and an further 10,000 points aft spending $10,000 successful the archetypal 14 months.

In addition, the Scotiabank Platinum Amex Card includes 10 complimentary lounge visits to Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges per year.

Enjoy 10 complimentary lounge visits with the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card

Regarding the spending class multipliers, the Scotiabank Platinum Amex Card has a 2x bonus for each categories. This is simply a higher earning complaint than the Scotiabank Gold Amex connected non-categorized mundane purchases, but is overmuch weaker compared to the Gold version’s 6x, 5x, and 3x multipliers. 

Scotiabank American Express Card

The Scotiabank American Express Card is simply a bully enactment if you person little monthly expenses and are looking for a no-fee card, but inactive privation entree to Amex Offers.

The existent invited bonus is 7,000 Scene+ points, structured arsenic 5,000 points upon spending $750 successful the archetypal 3 months, and different 2,000 points upon spending $5,000 successful the archetypal year.

You’ll inactive get a flimsy class spending boost of 2x Scene+ points connected groceries, dining, entertainment, gas, transit, and prime streaming services, arsenic good arsenic 3x Scene+ points astatine Sobeys-affiliated market stores.

Furthermore, you won’t person to interest astir immoderate yearly fees, making it a decent starter recognition paper for gathering recognition past portion loading up connected lucrative Amex Offers.

Conclusion

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is an fantabulous recognition paper with immoderate of the highest earning rates disposable successful Canada, which are adjacent stronger astatine Sobeys-affiliated market stores.

With a beardown existent invited bonus, nary overseas transaction fees, and competitory question insurance, it’s casual to spot wherefore this paper is simply a must-have among Canadian points collectors.  

As Scene+ continues to look arsenic a contender successful the Canadian loyalty landscape, you’ll decidedly privation to prime up this paper and commencement earning flexible Scene+ points earlier its existent invited bonus ends connected October 31, 2023.

The station 9 Reasons to Apply for the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card appeared archetypal connected Prince of Travel by Ricky Zhang.