No foreign transaction fees
Most Canadian credit cards add 2.5% on purchases made in a foreign currency. On $5,000 in international spending that is $125 in fees; on $10,000 per year it is $250. The Gold Amex eliminates this entirely, and unlike some no-FX cards, it also earns a meaningful rate on those international purchases rather than reverting to a flat 1x. That combination, high earn rate plus no FX surcharge, makes it effective for both domestic and international spending.
It is one of two Scotiabank cards that waive foreign transaction fees, the other being the Passport Visa Infinite. The key distinction here is network: the Gold Amex runs on American Express, which has lower merchant acceptance than Visa globally. For travel where Amex acceptance can be patchy, particularly in parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, and smaller towns, carrying a second no-fee Visa or Mastercard as backup is worth considering.
Earn rates
The Gold Amex earns at four tiers. Sobeys-owned grocery banners earn 6x Scene+. Dining out, food delivery, entertainment (movies and live events), and eligible grocery stores outside the Sobeys network earn 5x. Gas, daily transit (buses, subways, taxis, rideshare), and select streaming services earn 3x. Everything else earns 1x. The accelerated rates apply to the first $50,000 in qualifying purchases each calendar year; beyond that everything earns 1x.
| Spending category | Earn rate | Points per $100 spent |
|---|---|---|
| Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods | 6x Scene+ | 600 pts |
| Dining and food delivery | 5x Scene+ | 500 pts |
| Entertainment (movies, live events) | 5x Scene+ | 500 pts |
| Groceries (other stores) | 5x Scene+ | 500 pts |
| Gas stations | 3x Scene+ | 300 pts |
| Transit (bus, subway, taxi, rideshare) | 3x Scene+ | 300 pts |
| Select streaming services | 3x Scene+ | 300 pts |
| Everything else | 1x Scene+ | 100 pts |
Scene+ points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through the Scotia travel portal, or as a statement credit against a travel purchase charged to the card. The earn math is direct: 500 Scene+ on $100 of dining spend equals $5 toward your next trip.
What the earn math looks like
A cardholder spending $2,500 per month across typical categories:
| Category | Monthly spend | Rate | Monthly points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sobeys / IGA / Safeway | $400 | 6x | 2,400 pts |
| Dining and food delivery | $300 | 5x | 1,500 pts |
| Gas | $150 | 3x | 450 pts |
| Transit | $100 | 3x | 300 pts |
| All other spending | $1,550 | 1x | 1,550 pts |
| Total | $2,500 | 6,200 pts / mo |
74,400 Scene+ points per year at this spend mix. At 1 cent per point redeemed for travel, that is $744 in travel value against a $120 annual fee. The gap between the annual fee and the earned value is substantial, and that is before counting the FX fee savings on international purchases.
Scene+ points
Scene+ is Scotiabank’s flexible rewards program. Points redeem for travel through the Scotia travel portal, as a statement credit against a travel purchase on the card, for movies at Cineplex, for dining at participating restaurants, and for grocery purchases at Sobeys-owned stores. The travel redemption rate is 1 cent per point, with no blackout dates and no seat restrictions.
Scene+ does not transfer to airline loyalty programs. The Gold Amex is a strong accumulation engine for cardholders who want flexible travel redemptions. If accumulating Aeroplan miles for Air Canada redemptions is the priority, an Aeroplan-earning card is the more direct path. These are not mutually exclusive: some cardholders carry the Gold Amex for elevated earn on daily spending and a separate Aeroplan card for flight bookings.
Travel insurance on the Scotiabank Gold American Express
The Scotiabank Gold American Express scores 60 of 100 on the figures its certificate publishes, joint 31st of the 59 Canadian cards compared. Emergency medical is capped at $1,000,000 for trips up to 25 days. At 65 the longest covered trip falls from 25 days to 3.
| Emergency medical | $1,000,000 · age 0–64: 25 days; age 65+: 3 days · 180-day stability window |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | $1,500 per person · $10,000 per account |
| Trip interruption | $1,500 per person · $10,000 per account |
| Flight or trip delay | $500 per person · after 4 hours |
| Baggage delay | $1,000 per person · after 4 hours |
| Rental car collision or damage | Pays first · rentals to 48 days · vehicles to $65,000 |
You must charge 75% of the trip cost to the card for the coverage to apply. A booking made with points still qualifies, though Scene+ points cannot be used towards the purchase of a Mobile Device. You have 90 days from the incident to report a claim. Dependent children are covered to age 21.
Every figure from the certificate, with its own wording
| Emergency medical | limit: $1,000,000 (per Insured Person) age 0–64: 25 days; age 65+: 3 days pre existing stability days: 180 days (365 days where the person is 75 years of age or older; measured prior to the date the Trip was booked) |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | per person: $1,500 per account: $10,000 (per Trip for all Insured Persons on the same Trip) covered reasons: death of an Insured Person, a Travelling Companion, an Insured Person’s Immediate Family Member or a Travelling Companion’s Immediate Family Member occurring after the Trip is booked and within 31 days prior to the scheduled Trip departure date (first item of the Covered Causes for Cancellation enumeration; the remaining medical and non-medical causes are truncated at the 40-word cap) |
| Trip interruption | per person: $1,500 per account: $10,000 (per Trip for all Insured Persons on the same Trip) |
| Flight or trip delay | per person: $500 (covers expenses incurred within 48 hours from the scheduled departure time of the original flight) trigger hours: 4 hours |
| Baggage delay | per person: $1,000 (maximum benefit payable per Trip for all Insured Persons on the same Trip) trigger hours: 4 hours (Essential Items must be purchased no later than 96 hours after arrival at the Final Destination) |
| Lost, stolen or damaged baggage | per person: $1,000 (maximum benefit payable per Trip for all Insured Persons on the same Trip) |
| Travel accident | limit: $500,000 (principal sum per Insured Person; $50,000 for Dependent Children loss of life; $1,000,000 maximum for Loss resulting from any one occurrence) common carrier only: Yes covers 24h: No (in force while occupying a Common Carrier and while at a travel terminal immediately before or after the trip shown on the Ticket) |
| Hotel or motel burglary | $1,000 (per occurrence for all Insured Persons; within the territorial limits of Canada and the United States only) |
| Emergency travel assistance | offered: Yes (administered by Active Claims Management (2018) Inc., operating as Global Excel Management) hotline url: www.manulife.ca/scotia (online claims portal; the 24-hour assistance line is 1-800-263-0997) |
| Rental car collision or damage | is primary: Yes (the rental agency collision damage waiver or loss damage waiver must be declined) limit basis: actual cash value of the damaged or stolen vehicle as well as any valid and documented Loss of Use, reasonable and customary towing charges, and administration charges (sentence truncated at the 40-word cap; the clause continues "resulting from damage or theft occurring while the rental vehicle is rented in Your name") vehicle value cap: $65,000 (manufacturer’s suggested retail price excluding all taxes, at the time and place of loss) max rental days: 48 days (if the rental period exceeds 48 days no coverage is provided, even for the first 48 days) excluded classes: vans, other than minivans as described above, trucks, pick-up trucks or any vehicle that can be spontaneously reconfigured into a pick-up truck, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds or motorbikes, campers, trailers or recreational vehicles, vehicles not licensed for road use (enumeration truncated at the 40-word cap; the certificate also excludes mini-buses or buses, antique cars, hand-made vehicles, vehicles produced under 2,500 per year, vehicles over $65,000 MSRP, tax-free cars, and vehicles towing trailers) territory: This coverage is available on a 24-hour basis anywhere in the world, except where prohibited by law or where the coverage is in violation of the terms of the rental contract in the jurisdiction in which it was formed. |
| Purchase protection | days: 90 days (the full Purchase Price must be charged to the Account and/or paid with Scene+ points) |
| Extended warranty | years added: 1 year (doubles the original Manufacturer’s Warranty period up to this maximum) cap: $60,000 (aggregate maximum lifetime liability shared with Purchase Security) |
| Mobile device | limit: $1,000 (payable up to the depreciated value at date of loss, calculated at 2% depreciation for each completed month from the date of purchase) deductible: $100 (deductible scales with Purchase Price less taxes: $25 for $0 to $200, $50 for $200.01 to $400, $75 for $400.01 to $600, $100 for $600.01 or more) requires full charge: No (eligibility is met by charging the Purchase Price to the Account, or by funding through a Plan and charging all monthly wireless bill payments to the Account; Scene+ points cannot be used) eligible events: lost, stolen or suffers a mechanical breakdown or Accidental Damage |
Figures above are from the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card Certificate of Insurance, effective 2022-10-01, underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife) and First North American Insurance Company, under Group Policy BNS749 issued to The Bank of Nova Scotia. Checked against the certificate for 13 coverage types. Terms change without notice; verify with the issuer before relying on any figure.
American Express acceptance
American Express has narrower merchant acceptance than Visa or Mastercard, particularly outside North America and Western Europe. In Canada, acceptance at major retailers and restaurants is generally good. Abroad, particularly in Japan, Southeast Asia, Central America, and smaller towns throughout Europe, Amex can be declined at merchants that would take a Visa without issue.
For travellers who use the Gold Amex primarily for domestic spending and switch to a backup Visa or Mastercard while abroad, the acceptance gap is manageable. For travellers who want a single card that works everywhere internationally, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite runs on Visa and also carries no FX fees, though its earn rates on dining and groceries are lower.
Gold Amex vs. Passport Visa Infinite
| Feature | Gold Amex | Passport Visa Infinite |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $120 | $150 |
| Income requirement | None | $60,000 personal |
| Grocery earn (Sobeys banners) | 6x Scene+ | 3x Scene+ |
| Dining earn | 5x Scene+ | 2x Scene+ |
| No foreign transaction fee | Yes | Yes |
| Airport lounge passes | None | 6 per year (DragonPass) |
| Network | American Express | Visa |
The Gold Amex wins on earn rates and annual fee. The Passport Visa Infinite wins on lounge access and global acceptance. Some cardholders carry both: the Gold Amex for everyday spending in Canada and the Passport Visa Infinite (or a no-fee Visa) as the travel-ready backup card abroad.
Good fit if
- You spend heavily on groceries, dining, or entertainment and want earn rates well above what most Canadian cards offer in these categories.
- You travel internationally and want to avoid the 2.5% FX surcharge while still earning a meaningful rate on every foreign purchase.
- You want a strong everyday earner with a nominal $12,000 income floor and no premium annual fee.
If that describes you, apply for the Scotiabank Gold American Express. Not sure yet? Book a free conversation and we will walk through it together.
Less useful if
- You need reliable international card acceptance without carrying a backup: Amex is declined more frequently abroad than Visa or Mastercard, particularly outside major cities.
- You want airport lounge access included: the Gold Amex has no lounge benefit; the Passport Visa Infinite includes six DragonPass passes per year.
- You are accumulating Aeroplan miles for Air Canada redemptions: Scene+ does not transfer to Aeroplan, so a dedicated Aeroplan-earning card is the more direct route.