To the point
Here's our detailed comparison of the American Express® Green Card and Scotiabank American Express® Card, two no-fee cards designed for travel.
American Express Canada and Scotiabank offer two cards for frequent travelers:
They’re both no-annual-fee cards linked to American Express, and yet they’re not alike! Let’s see which one is the best.
Welcome bonus
The welcome bonus offered by each of these cards varies according to the promotions.
Here is how the current offer is structured:
With this welcome offer from this card , you can earn 10,000 Membership Rewards points:
- 10,000 points when you charge your card $1,000 in net purchases in the first 3 months following card approval.
Based on our Membership Rewards points valuation (1.7 cents per point), this welcome bonus corresponds to a value of170 $.
With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank American Express® Card, you can earn up to 5,000 Scene+ points:
- 2,500 Scene+ points after adding $250 to your Card in the first 3 months
- 2,500 additional Scene+ points by spending a total of $1,000 in the first 3 months
Based on our Scene+ points valuation (1 cent per point), this welcome bonus corresponds to a value of50 $.
Advantage: American Express® Green Card
The American Express® Green Card offer gives many more points and more value than its compatriot.
Minimum income
The American Express® Green Card requires no minimum income.
The Scotiabank American Express® Card requires a minimum annual income of $12,000.
Advantage: American Express® Green Card
Like the vast majority of American Express cards, the American Express® Green Card requires no minimum income.
It should be noted, however, that the Scotiabank American Express® Card is also very affordable, with its low annual income requirement.
If you’re looking for travel benefits, but don’t have a very high income, either of these cards may be right for you.
Annual fee
The American Express® Green Card has an annual fee of $0.
The Scotiabank American Express® Card has an annual fee of $0.
Advantage : Draw
It’s so simple! You won’t need to pay an annual fee for these two cards.
Earning points
The American Express® Green Card and Scotiabank American Express® Card offer different point accumulations.
With the American Express® Green Card, you earn:
- 1 point per dollar (value of 1.7 cents) on all ;
- 2 points per dollar (value of 3.4 cents) for purchases from Amex Travel Services online (accommodation and car rental).
The Scotiabank American Express® Card allows you to earn :
- 3 Scene+ points per dollar (i.e. 3 cents) for purchases at IGA, Rachelle Béry, Les Marchés Tradition, Voilà par IGA, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Thrifty Foods, FreshCo and Chalo! FreshCo;
- 2 Scene+ points (2 cents) per dollar spent at restaurants, dining, meal delivery, entertainment, grocery stores, gas and public transit ;
- 1 Scene+ point per dollar (1 cent) for the remainder.
Scotiabank American Express® Card
For everyday spending, the Scotiabank American Express® Card is the best and will give you more.
Redeeming points
Loyalty programs are completely different:
- American Express Membership Rewards points for the American Express® Green Card.
- Scene+ points for Scotiabank American Express® Card
As a result, the way points are used is different.
For travel
With the American Express® Green Card, you can apply its Membership Rewards points to reimburse any travel purchase charged to the card (airline tickets, hotels, Airbnb, car rentals, etc.), where 1,000 points = $10 in reimbursement.
You can also use the American Express fixed rate chart for specific flights.
The redeeming rate is 1,000 points = $20.
Scene+ points and travel:
You can apply them to travel purchases in two ways, thanks to the fixed redemption rate where 10,000 points = $100 credit:
- Redeem points directly when booking travel with Scene+ Travel, administered by Expedia.
- Make your own travel purchases as you wish and use your points to pay off the balance on your À la carte Travel card.
Advantage : Draw
The two ways of using points for travel are relatively similar for both cards.
For everyday shopping
With the American Express® Green Card, you can apply Membership Rewards points to everyday purchases charged to the card.
The redeeming rate is 1,000 points = $10.
You need to redeem a minimum of 1,000 points (i.e., a minimum of $10).
You can redeem 1,000 Scene+ points for a $10 discount at the IGA/Sobeys checkout.
Points can also be used to purchase gift cards on the Scotiabank/Scene+ website, from 1,000 to 1,400 points for a $10 discount.
Scene+ points can also be redeemed:
- 500 points for a $5 discount at selected restaurants (Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, etc.);
- 100 points for $1 off movie tickets at Cineplex ;
- 500 points for $5 off food and beverages at Cineplex, Rec Room and chips at Playdium ;
- At least 14,500 points for a $100 statement credit on any card expense.
Advantage: American Express® Green Card
With the American Express® Green Card, whether you want to use your points for travel or any other purchase, you’ll get the same value: 1,000 points = $10 less for you to pay.
This is not the case if you want to use Scene+ points for statement credit on anything, where using Scene+ points is not advantageous at all.
Transfers to other programs
With the American Express® Green Card, you can transfer your points to other rewards programs:
- Aeroplan
- Air France KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Delta Skymiles
- Asia Miles
- Etihad Guest
- Alitalia Millemiglia
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Hilton Honors
You cannot transfer Scene+ points to other programs.
When your Scene+ points are in your Scene+ account, you have no other way out: you can only use them in the Scene+ program.
Advantage: American Express® Green Card
American Express® Green Card Membership Rewards points are highly flexible and can be transferred elsewhere at great savings.
This flexibility is not available with the Scotiabank American Express® Card.
The Benefits
With the American Express® Green Card, you enjoy the following benefits:
- Card made from 99% recycled plastic;
- Points redeemable for gift cards, merchandise and purchases on Amazon.ca ;
- American Express instalment plan to pay for your purchases in monthly instalments.
The Scotiabank American Express® Card offers you the following benefits:
- Insurance for mobile devices ;
- Discounts of up to 25% at AVIS and Budget ;
- Earn 3 Scene+ points for every dollar spent on Scene+ Travel hotel and car rental reservations charged to your card.
Advantage : Draw
It really depends on your lifestyle! It’s up to you to decide which card wins this round.
Insurance
| Insurance |  |
 |
| Buyer’s Assurance® Protection Plan | 1 additional year | 1 additional year |
| Purchase Protection® Plan | Up to $1,000 90 days |
Up to $1,000 90 days |
| Mobile Device Insurance | – | Up to $1,000 |
Advantage: Scotiabank American Express® Card
Insurances are similar, but the Scotiabank American Express® Card has convenient mobile device insurance.
Bottom Line
So? Which Card is the winner?
In the short term, the American Express® Green Card will give you more points up front with its welcome offer.
Over the longer term, the Scotiabank American Express® Card will earn you more points.
The American Express® Green Card is the best for these reasons:
- Its welcome offer is even more attractive;
- No minimum annual income required;
- Its flexible points allow a multitude of possibilities;
- It has a wide range of airline and hotel partners for transferring points.
The Scotiabank American Express® Card is a good compromise and stands out on its own:
- Its insurance for mobile devices ;
- Faster points accumulation.
