How these scores work
Every fit score is computed from this site’s card data by a fixed, published formula: four weighted components (earn in the category, welcome bonus, annual fee, ease of qualifying) add up to 100. On this page the earn yardstick is its grocery earn at Sobeys-family stores, the category Scene+ is built around; a travel-first card like the Passport Visa Infinite Privilege scores low on earn here by design and its card score column shows what it does elsewhere. Point values are the typical redemption values from our reward values reference, the same ones every other score on the site uses. Click any score to open its breakdown. The card score column beside it is a different number: how the card stands against every card of its type across seven components, from the full rankings. The two are expected to disagree, because one measures a job and the other measures the whole card. How both scores are built.
Best for everyday earning (American Express)
The highest Scene+ earn rates on the market, with no foreign transaction fee. The trade-off is American Express acceptance, which is narrower than Visa.
| # | Card | Fit score | Card score | Annual fee | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotiabank Gold American Express Apply →$12K income |
83mathEarn+45 / 45 6x partner grocery × 1¢ = 6% effectiveWelcome+8.3 / 20 50,000 pts ≈ $500Fee+16 / 20 $120 annual feeAccess+13.5 / 15 $12K personal incomeScore83 / 100 |
56.73rd of 24 mid-tier | $120 | 6x at Sobeys-family grocery, 5x on dining and entertainment, no FX fee, $12,000 income floor. The top Scene+ earner. |
| 2 | Scotiabank Platinum American Express Apply →$12K income |
52mathEarn+15 / 45 2x everything else × 1¢ = 2% effectiveWelcome+16.7 / 20 100,000 pts ≈ $1,000Fee+6.7 / 20 $399 annual feeAccess+13.5 / 15 $12K personal incomeScore52 / 100 |
82.41st of 9 premium | $399 | A flat 2x on everything with no categories to track, ten lounge visits, and concierge. Simplicity and perks over raw earn. |
Best for travel and wide acceptance (Visa)
Visa-everywhere acceptance, no foreign transaction fee, and airport lounge access. Lower earn rates than the Amex cards, but accepted where Amex is not.
| # | Card | Fit score | Card score | Annual fee | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Apply →$60K income |
54mathEarn+22.5 / 45 3x partner grocery × 1¢ = 3% effectiveWelcome+5.8 / 20 35,000 pts ≈ $350Fee+15 / 20 $150 annual feeAccess+10.5 / 15 $60K personal incomeScore54 / 100 |
53.25th of 24 mid-tier | $150 | 3x at Sobeys banners, 2x on groceries and dining, no FX fee, six lounge passes, and Visa-everywhere acceptance. |
| 2 | Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Apply →$150K income |
33mathEarn+15 / 45 2x dining × 1¢ = 2% effectiveWelcome+13.3 / 20 80,000 pts ≈ $800Fee+0 / 20 $599 annual feeAccess+4.5 / 15 $150K personal incomeScore33 / 100 |
78.83rd of 9 premium | $599 | Built around a $250 travel credit and ten lounge visits, not earn. Groceries drop to 1x. For high spenders who value the credits. |
Best for business
A Scene+ business card with no personal income requirement. The headline is no foreign transaction fee on cross-border supplier and travel spend.
| # | Card | Fit score | Card score | Annual fee | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Business Card Apply →No income gate |
46mathEarn+11.3 / 45 1.5x everything else × 1¢ = 1.5% effectiveWelcome+6.7 / 20 40,000 pts ≈ $400Fee+13.4 / 20 $199 annual feeAccess+15 / 15 No income requirementScore46 / 100 |
73.41st of 11 business travel | $199 | No FX fee on foreign supplier and travel spend, 2x on business categories, and Scene+ on every purchase. Built for cross-border businesses. |
Amex or Visa for Scene+?
The decision inside the Scene+ family is mostly Amex versus Visa. The Scotiabank Gold American Express earns far more than any Visa in the lineup, 6x at Sobeys-family grocery and 5x on dining, but American Express is accepted at fewer Canadian merchants. The Passport Visa Infinite earns half the grocery rate, 3x, but works everywhere a Visa is taken and adds six airport lounge passes. Many people who want to maximize Scene+ carry the Gold for its bonus categories and keep a Visa for the places that decline Amex.
The two premium cards play narrower roles. The Platinum Amex trades bonus categories for a flat 2x and a premium travel package. The Passport Visa Infinite Privilege is built almost entirely around its $250 travel credit and ten lounge visits, which is why it scores low on earn here. Neither is a points-maximizing card; both are bought for their perks.
Every Scene+ card here waives the foreign transaction fee
This is the quiet strength of the whole family. Most Canadian cards add 2.5% to purchases in a foreign currency. None of these five do. Whichever tier you choose, the Scene+ card in your wallet is also one of the better cards to travel with, saving roughly $25 on every $1,000 of foreign spending.
Scene+ Passport vs. the Amex Cobalt
How the no-FX Passport stacks up against the food-focused Amex Cobalt, the other card people weigh against it.
Common questions
What is the best Scene+ credit card in Canada?
For most people the Scotiabank Gold American Express is the best Scene+ card. It earns 6x Scene+ at Sobeys-family grocery, 5x on dining and entertainment, and 3x on gas, transit, and streaming, charges no foreign transaction fee, and has only a nominal $12,000 income floor, all for $120. The catch is American Express acceptance, which is patchier than Visa. If you want a card accepted everywhere with airport lounge passes, the Passport Visa Infinite is the better pick at $150.
Which Scene+ card earns the most points?
The Gold American Express, with 6x Scene+ at Sobeys-family grocery and 5x on dining and entertainment. No other Scene+ card matches those multiples. The Passport Visa Infinite earns 3x at the same grocery stores, and the Platinum Amex earns a flat 2x. The Passport Visa Infinite Privilege is built around travel credits and lounge access rather than earn, so it earns the least on groceries.
Do Scene+ credit cards charge foreign transaction fees?
No. Every Scotiabank Scene+ card in this guide, the Gold Amex, Platinum Amex, and all three Passport Visa Infinite cards, charges no foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency. That is unusual: most Canadian cards add 2.5%. It makes the Scene+ family one of the strongest for travel and foreign spending regardless of tier.
How are the fit scores calculated?
Each fit score is computed from this site’s card data by a fixed formula: four weighted components add to 100 (the card’s earn rate in the category being ranked, its welcome bonus value, its annual fee, and how easy it is to qualify for), with points converted at the typical redemption values on our reward values page. Every table also shows the card’s class-relative card score, which measures the whole card rather than one job. Both methods are on the methodology page.