Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

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American Express® Aeroplan®* Card

American Express® Aeroplan®* Card

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Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card vs American Express® Aeroplan®* Card: Which one is better?


Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

4.9


RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE*

300
Poor
560
Fair
660
Good
725
Very Good
760
Excellent

American Express® Aeroplan®* Card

American Express® Aeroplan®* Card

3.4


RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE*

300
Poor
560
Fair
660
Good
725
Very Good
760
Excellent

Rewards Breakdown

Annual Rewards

$644.5

Scene+


First Year Bonus

$450

Scene+


Annual Fee

$120


First Year Value

$1,094.5

$524.5 in years after

Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.

Rewards Breakdown

Annual Rewards

$517

Air Canada Aeroplan®


First Year Bonus

$630

Air Canada Aeroplan®


Annual Fee

$120


First Year Value

$1,027

$397 in years after

Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.

Insurance Included*

  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500/person, $1,000/trip After 4 hours
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    $65K up to 48 days
  • heart lock

    Travel Accident

    $500K/person, $1M/occurrence
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    Up to 1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $1000/occurrence
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500/person

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $500/person, $1000/trip
  • mobile device insurance

    Mobile Device Insurance

    $1,000
  • travel accident medical

    Emergency Out of province Medical

    $1M, Up to 25 days
  • travel accident medical

    Emergency Medical Over 65

    $1M, Up to 3 days
  • cancel airplane

    Trip Cancellation

    $1500/person, $10000/trip
  • pause

    Trip Interruption

    $1500/person, $10,000/trip

Insurance Included*

  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500 (Aggregated with Flight Delay)
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    $85K, up to 48 days
  • heart lock

    Travel Accident

    $500,000
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days, $1,000 per occurrence
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $500
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500 (Aggregated with Baggage Delay)

Extra Benefits*

  • exchange money

    No Foreign Transaction Fees

    Avoid the 2.5% foreign transaction fees incurred when spending in non $CAD
  • concierge

    Concierge Services

  • discount

    Discount

    Discount on PriorityPass Membership
  • Amex logo

    American Express® Experiences

Extra Benefits*

  • star fall

    Status lift

    Reach Aeroplan Elite™ Status sooner by earning Status Qualifying Miles and Status Qualifying Segments with purchases made on your account
  • luggage

    Free first checked bag

    Enjoy your first checked bag free (up to 23kg/50lb) for up to 9 people travelling on the same reservation on Air Canada®* flights
  • reward cup

    Extra points

    Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands
  • bed furniture

    Free Extra Night at Hotels

    Receive an extra night free for every 3 hotel nights redeemed with Aeroplan points
  • Amex logo

    Amex Experiences™

    Amex Experiences™: From music and movies, to specially curated dining and online shopping opportunities, stay connected with all that we have to offer from the comfort of your own home

Interest Rates*

Purchase:

20.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Balance Transfer:

22.99%

Interest Rates*

Purchase:

30% Annual2

Cash Advance:

30% Annual2

Annual Fee*

$120

$0

First Year Waived

Annual Fee*

$120

Income Required*

Min Personal Income:

$12,000

Min Household Income:

$12,000

Income Required*

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

Welcome Bonus*

Earn 25,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $1,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, for a limited time, you are eligible to earn a 20,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $7,500 in everyday eligible purchases in your first year.

Welcome Bonus*

Earn 30,000 Aeroplan® points after spending $3,000 in purchases on your Card within the first 3 months. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 Aeroplan® points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in month 13.

Rewards Rate*

  • 6 Points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland & Participating Co-ops
  • 5 Points per $1 spent on eligible dining, other grocery stores, entertainment purchases including movies, theatre, and ticket agencies
  • 3 Points per $1 spent on rides which includes rideshare, buses, taxis, subways and more
  • 3 Points per $1 spent on eligible streaming service payments (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Crave and more)
  • 1 Point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases

Rewards Rate*

  • 2x Aeroplan® points on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada®* and Air Canada vacations®*
  • 1.5x Aeroplan® points on eligible Dining and Food Delivery purchases in Canada
  • 1x Aeroplan® point on everything else

Loyalty Program*

Loyalty Program*

Point Redemption Options*

  • travel - plane

    Travel

    1¢ / point
  • online shop

    Merchandise

    0.76¢ / point
  • gift card

    Gift Cards

    0.74¢ / point

  • entertainment popcorn

    Entertainment

    1¢ / point
  • groceries

    Groceries (Sobeys)

    1¢ / point
  • food location

    Restaurants

    1¢ / point
  • cash coins

    Statement Credits (Cash)

    0.7¢ / point

Point Redemption Options*

  • travel - plane

    Travel

    0.825¢ / point
  • online shop

    Merchandise

    0.75¢ / point
  • gift card

    Gift Cards

    0.72¢ / point

  • Most Optimal

    flight plane

    Aeroplan® Flights

    2.1¢ / point
  • car rental

    Car Rentals

    0.9¢ / point

Is this card worth it?

The Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card is one of our favorite cards. It has a very solid rewards program, earning one of the highest rewards among all credit cards in Canada. In addition, it offers comprehensive travel benefits, including the rare and valuable no foreign transaction fee benefit, making it a great and balanced credit card in terms of both rewards and benefits. The first-year annual fee waiver is the cherry on top, providing even greater value to cardholders.

Is this card worth it?

This card comes with the free checked bag benefit, which can save hundreds on a single trip for you and your family, more than making up for the annual fee of the card. In addition, the card helps you reach the next Aeroplan Status faster with spending on the card. However, if you don't have a specific use for these two benefits, there are many better cards in terms of benefits and rewards.

Pros

  • No foreign transaction fee saves you 2.5% on all non-CAD purchases.
  • Rewards cover all high-spending categories, including food, groceries, entertainment, and gas.
  • Comprehensive coverage of all travel insurance.

Pros

  • Free checked bag benefit: Every checked bag might cost you $60 - $100 per person on a round trip. The amount you can save in a year if you travel a few times or travel with a few companions can easily be much higher than the annual fee of the card.
    If you are interested in a higher Aeroplan Status, the card helps you get there faster.

Cons

  • The card network is American Express, which might not be widely accepted in some countries, making it a bit harder to use the no foreign transaction fee benefit.
  • Having a lounge pass would have made this card even more perfect, but there is access to a discount code for lounge access pass purchases.

Cons

  • The main reward category is only for Air Canada purchases. Unless you are a frequent Air Canada traveler, this reward category is not useful to most people.
  • The only other rewards category offered is for food, and it doesn't offer that high of a reward rate either.
  • In terms of insurance benefits, the types and coverage amounts provided are lower compared to other cards with a similar annual fee.

Legal


*See Card Provider's website and Card Application for complete card details, terms and current offers. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy of information. Check here for full details and current product information.
*American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment. Check here for full details and current product information.
2 As a Charge Card, the balance must always be paid in full each month. 30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full. Payments must be received and processed by the date of the next monthly statement to avoid interest charges.

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