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Side by Side Credit Cards Comparison
Which one is better?

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card
4.9
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE*

RBC ION Visa
3.8
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE*
Welcome Bonus
Welcome Bonus
Our Cash Offer
$150 Cash Rebate offer from FinlyWealth
Our Cash Offer
N/A
Rewards Breakdown
Rewards breakdown is not available for this card.
Rewards Breakdown
Rewards breakdown is not available for this card.
How to Earn Rewards
How to Earn Rewards
Insurance Included
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Baggage Delay
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance
Mobile Device Insurance
Hotel Burglary Insurance
Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)
Travel Medical Insurance (65 to 75)
Trip Cancellation
Trip Interruption
Flight Delay
Insurance Included
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Extra Benefits
Discount
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Concierge Services
American Express® Experiences
Extra Benefits
Discount
Gas Discount
Extra points
Extra points
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Balance Transfer:
22.99%
Interest Rates
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Balance Transfer:
22.99%
Annual Fee
$120
Annual Fee
$0
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$12,000
Min Household Income:
$12,000
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Loyalty Program
Loyalty Program
Point Redemption Options
Travel
Merchandise
Gift Cards
Statement Credits (Cash)
Entertainment
Groceries (Sobeys)
Restaurants
Point Redemption Options
Gift Cards
Merchandise
Travel
Statement Credits (Cash)
Most Optimal
Transfer to WestJet
Financial Products
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 is a decent no annual fee card, great for starting out and low-intermediate rewards. It offers great gas savings, especially for petro Canada gas customers, though insurance coverage is quite limited.
Pros
Pros
Cons
Cons
vs Scotiabank Value® Visa* Card
vs Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Privilege Card
vs Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card
vs Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card
vs Scotia Momentum® No-Fee Visa* Card
vs Scotia Momentum® Mastercard®* Credit Card
vs Scotiabank® Scene+ Visa Card
vs Scotiabank American Express® Card
vs Neo World Elite® Mastercard®
vs American Express Platinum Card®
vs SimplyCash® Card from American Express
vs American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
vs American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
vs Scotia Momentum® Visa* Card
vs CIBC Costco Mastercard
vs CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
vs BMO CashBack® World Elite® Mastercard®
vs MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®
vs American Express® Green Card
vs American Express Gold Rewards Card®
vs Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard
vs Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card
vs Rogers Red Mastercard
vs TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
vs American Express Cobalt® Card
Legal
* Savings and reward potential in first 12 months includes welcome offer value, first year point earn potential and foreign transaction fee savings as of November 4, 2025:
$450 in travel rewards (45,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Gold American Express Card clients who spend $2,000 within the first 3 months (to earn 25,000 points) and who spend $7,500 within the first 12 months (to earn an additional 20,000 points);
$58 in foreign transaction fee savings based on average annual foreign spend per account over the last 24 months (save the 2.5% foreign transaction fee markup typically charged by other card issuers);
$386 in first year point earn potential (38,500 Scene+ points) on everyday purchases based on average annual spend per account over the last 24 months with an average spend of 30% in 6X, 5X and 3X accelerator categories.
Potential First Year Value = up to $894 (rounded down to $850)
Actual offers, savings and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility for applicable offers. Conditions apply.
1Offer Description and Conditions: The 45,000 Bonus Scene+ Points and First Year Annual Fee Waiver (the “Offer”) applies only to new Scotiabank Gold American Express credit card accounts (“Accounts”) opened between January 2, 2026 and July 1, 2026 (regardless of the date you apply for the Account) and is subject to the conditions below.
45,000 Bonus Scene+ Point Offer Description and Conditions: To be eligible for 25,000 bonus Scene+ points (the “25,000 Point Bonus”), you must have at least $2,000 in eligible purchases posted to your new Account in the first 3 months of the Account open date. To be eligible for an additional 20,000 bonus Scene+ points (the “Additional 20,000 Point Bonus”), you must have at least $7,500 in eligible purchases posted to your new Account in the first year (12 months) of Account open date. Eligible purchases include purchases (less any refunds, returns or other similar credits) but do not include payments, cash advances (including balance transfers or cash-like transactions), interest, fees or other charges.
Point Bonus Fulfillment: The applicable point Bonus(es) will be credited to the Scene+ account within approximately 8 weeks after qualifying for a Bonus, provided the Account is open and in good standing. For Joint Accounts with a Primary Borrower and Co-borrower, the applicable point Bonus will be credited as follows: (i) the 25,000 Point Bonus and Additional 20,000 Point Bonus will be credited to the Scene+ account linked to the Account of the borrower that completed the last transaction to meet the qualifying amount of eligible purchases (i.e., $2,000 or $7,500) in the appropriate time frame (i.e., first 3 months or first 12 months). If a supplementary cardholder completes the last qualifying transaction to meet the qualifying amount of eligible purchases for the 25,000 Point Bonus or the Additional 20,000 Point Bonus, the applicable point Bonus will be credited to the Primary Borrower’s Scene+ account linked to the Account. Points can be transferred between Primary and Co-Borrower or Supplementary Cardholder’s Scene+ accounts by contacting Scene+. The Account is considered in good standing if it is not past due or over limit and the Cardholder(s) is not in breach of the Revolving Credit Agreement that applies to the Account. All other terms and conditions of the Program Terms continue to apply during the Offer period. Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended without notice at any time and cannot be combined with any other offers.
First Year Annual Fee Waiver Offer Description and Conditions: We will waive the annual fee for the primary card issued between October 31, 2025 and January 1, 2026 on the Account for the first year only.
Eligibility and Exclusions: Individuals who are currently or were previously primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past 2 years, including those that switch from an existing Scotiabank personal credit card, as well as employees of Scotiabank, are not eligible for the Offer. Subject to the above exclusions, Scotiabank small business credit cardholders are also eligible for the Offer.
Rates and Fees: The current annual fee is $120 for the primary card and $29 for each additional card (including those issued to co-borrowers and supplementary cardholders).
The current preferred annual interest rates for the Account are: 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances (including balance transfers and cash-like transactions).
All rates, fees, features and benefits are outlined in the Application Disclosure Statement and are subject to change.
Terms and conditions apply. 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.
® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).
^ This offer only applies to new applications for an RBC ION Visa credit card received between January 21, 2026 and May 6, 2026 (“Offer Period”) and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”), subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC ION Visa credit card account, as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card transferring to an RBC ION Visa credit card during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.
4,000 Avion points (“Welcome Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty (60) days after your application has been approved, provided that your RBC ION Visa credit card account (“Credit Card Account”) remains open and in good standing at the time the Welcome points are credited to your account, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive credit card account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status.
7,000 additional Avion points (“Bonus Points”) will be awarded to you if a total of $500 or more (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) are posted to your Credit Card Account within the first three (3) months from your Credit Card Account opening date (“Period”). The Bonus Points will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty (60) days after you reach $500 in Qualifying Transactions, provided your Credit Card Account is in good standing at the time the Bonus Points are credited to your account.
Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees, and credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Credit Card Account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions. The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.
If you close or change your RBC ION Visa credit card for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome Points and/or the Bonus Points have been credited to your account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank reserves the right to cancel, modify or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even after your application has been approved, including if we suspect that you may be manipulating or abusing it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by Royal Bank in its sole discretion. For complete terms and conditions that apply to the Avion Rewards Program, please visit www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800-769-2512.
† To get $75 worth of gift cards/certificates, you will need a total of 11,000 Avion points. Minimum redemption of 1,400 Avion points for most $10 gift cards/certificates. Some exceptions apply. Point redemption values may fluctuate. For general redemption terms, conditions and restrictions that apply to the Avion Rewards program, as well as for current point redemption values, please visit https://www.avionrewards.com/terms-and-conditions.html or call 1-800-769-2512.
2 You will earn 1.5 Avion points for every $1.00 in Grocery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchases you make on your RBC ION Visa credit card at merchants classified by Visa’s “Merchant Category Code” (MCC). Depending on how certain merchants are categorized by Visa’s “Merchant Category Code” (MCC) they may not qualify as an eligible MCC. Eligible MCCs are listed as:
(i) “Grocery Stores and Supermarkets” (MCC 5411) are “Grocery Purchases”;
(ii) “Service Stations (With or without Ancillary Services)” (MCC 5541), “Automated Fuel Dispensers” (MCC 5542), “Taxicabs and Limousines” (MCC 4121), “Local and Suburban Commuter Passenger Transportation, Including Ferries” (MCC 4111), Electric Vehicle Charging” (MCC 5552) are “Rides, Gas & Electric Vehicle Charging Purchases”. Non-commuter passenger railway purchases and non-commuter bus line purchases do not qualify as part of “Rides, Gas & Electric Vehicle Charging Purchases”;
(iii) “Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Music” (MCC 5815), “Digital Goods – Games” (MCC 5816), “Digital Goods – Applications (Excludes Games)” (MCC 5817), “Digital Goods – Large Digital Goods Merchants” (MCC 5818), “Cable, Satellite, and Other Pay Television/Radio/Streaming Services” (MCC 4899) are “Streaming, Digital Gaming & Subscriptions Purchases”. The “Digital Goods – Games” MCC does not include games of chance and gambling.
You will earn 1 Avion point for every $1.00 on all other purchases (including pre-authorized bill payments) you make on your RBC ION Visa credit card. Even though some merchants may sell Grocery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions merchandise, purchases made at these locations may not necessarily qualify as Eligible MCCs if the merchant is not classified as such by Visa. Also, you may make a purchase at a merchant that is not classified as an Eligible MCC but is located on the premises of a merchant that is classified as an Eligible MCC, in which case your purchase would not qualify as an Eligible MCC. We cannot guarantee that any merchant, operating in whole or in part as a Grocery, Rides, Gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions merchant is classified as an Eligible MCC and in no event will we be liable or responsible for any claims with respect to a Grocery, Rides, gas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Streaming, and Digital Gaming & Subscriptions purchase made at a merchant that is not classified as an Eligible MCC. Avion points are earned on net purchases only; they are not earned on cash advances (balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges or fees, and credits for returns and adjustments will reduce or cancel the points earned by the amounts originally charged.
Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions. The Website may engage in affiliate marketing, which is done by embedding tracking links into The Website. If you click on a link for an affiliate partnership, a cookie will be placed on your browser to track any sales for purposes of commissions.