Best Scene+ Credit Card in Canada (2026) — Every Scotiabank Scene+ Card, Scored

Q: Which Scene+ card earns the most points?

The Scotiabank Gold American Express earns the most on everyday spending, with 6x Scene+ at Sobeys-family grocery and 5x on dining, entertainment, and streaming. 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 on everything. The Passport Visa Infinite Privilege is built around travel credits and lounge access rather than earn, so it earns the least on groceries.

Q: 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 grocery earn rate at Sobeys-family stores converted to an effective return using a Scene+ value of 1 cent per point (45 points), welcome bonus value (20), annual fee (20), and ease of qualifying (15). Click any score to see the full breakdown. Scores are comparable within a tier, not across tiers.

How these scores work

Every fit score is computed from this site's card data by a fixed formula, so it can be reproduced. Four weighted components add up to 100: the card's grocery earn rate at Sobeys-family stores (45), its welcome bonus value (20), its annual fee (20), and how easy it is to qualify for (15). Because all of these cards earn the same currency, earn is converted to an effective return using a single Scene+ value of 1¢ per point, the rate the program redeems at for travel and groceries. Grocery at Sobeys-family stores is the yardstick because it is the category Scene+ is built around. One consequence: a travel-first card like the Passport Visa Infinite Privilege, which does not bonus groceries, scores low on earn by design. Its value is in credits and lounge access, covered in its row. Click any score to open its full breakdown. Scores compare cards within a tier, not across them. For how the currency itself works, see the Scene+ program guide.

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	Annual fee	Why it ranks here
1	Scotiabank Gold American ExpressNo income gate	86math Earn+45 / 45 6x sobeys × 1¢ = 6% effective Welcome+10 / 20 Variable or unpublished offer, scored neutral Fee+16 / 20 $120 annual fee Access+15 / 15 No income requirement Score86 / 100	$120	6x at Sobeys-family grocery, 5x on dining, entertainment, and streaming, no FX fee, no income test. The top Scene+ earner.
2	Scotiabank Platinum American ExpressNo income stated	47math Earn+15 / 45 2x all × 1¢ = 2% effective Welcome+10 / 20 Variable or unpublished offer, scored neutral Fee+6.7 / 20 $399 annual fee Access+15 / 15 No income requirement stated Score47 / 100	$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	Annual fee	Why it ranks here
1	Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite$60K income	58math Earn+22.5 / 45 3x sobeys × 1¢ = 3% effective Welcome+10 / 20 Variable or unpublished offer, scored neutral Fee+15 / 20 $150 annual fee Access+10.5 / 15 $60K personal income Score58 / 100	$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$200K income	20math Earn+7.5 / 45 1x groceries × 1¢ = 1% effective (3x travel, 2x dining not counted) Welcome+10 / 20 Variable or unpublished offer, scored neutral Fee+0 / 20 $599 annual fee Access+2.3 / 15 $200K personal income Score20 / 100	$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	Annual fee	Why it ranks here
1	Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite BusinessNo personal income gate	54math Earn+15 / 45 2x groceries × 1¢ = 2% effective Welcome+10 / 20 Variable or unpublished offer, scored neutral Fee+14 / 20 $179 annual fee Access+15 / 15 No personal income requirement Score54 / 100	$179	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.

Read the comparison →

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, entertainment, and streaming, and 3x on gas and transit, charges no foreign transaction fee, and has no income requirement, 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, entertainment, and streaming. 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 score is computed from this site's card data by a fixed formula. Four weighted components add to 100: the card's grocery earn rate at Sobeys-family stores converted to an effective return using a Scene+ value of 1¢ per point (45), welcome bonus value (20), annual fee (20), and ease of qualifying (15). Click any score in the tables to see the full breakdown. Scores are comparable within a tier, not across tiers.