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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 Warranty3
Purchase Protection3
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 – Gas & Grocery
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 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.
7,000 welcome 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.
If you close or change your RBC ION Visa credit card for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome 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 $50 worth of gift cards/certificates, you will need a total of 7,000 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.
1 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.
2 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.
3 Coverage is underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada. All insurance is subject to terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Refer to the insurance certificate for complete details.
4 To participate in this offer, you must have an RBC debit card or a credit card which is issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”). RBC business clients will only be able to link up to two (2) RBC business credit cards and one (1) RBC business debit card to a Petro-Points card.
You must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking or the RBC Mobile app in order to link your RBC Card to your Petro-Points card. Card linking may take up to 2 business days to process before savings and bonus points can be applied to purchases. A linked RBC Card means an RBC Card linked to a Petro-Points Account. Your linked RBC Card acts as your Petro-Points card. You will automatically earn Petro-Points when you pay for qualifying purchases with your linked RBC Card at Petro-Canada locations and you do not need to swipe your Petro-Points card before you pay. You can redeem your Petro-Points at Petro-Canada using your linked RBC Card.
Each time you use your linked RBC Card to purchase any grade of gasoline, or diesel, at a Petro-Canada location, you will save three cents ($0.03) per litre at the time of the transaction.
Each time you use your linked RBC Card to pay for qualifying purchases at a Petro-Canada location, you will earn a bonus of twenty percent (20%) more Petro-Points than you normally earn, in accordance with the Petro-Points terms and conditions available at www.petro-canada.ca/en/personal/terms-conditions.
Only certain RBC cards earn Avion points on net purchases. Each time you pay for purchases at a Petro-Canada location using your linked RBC Card that earns Avion points on net purchases, you will earn a bonus of 20% more Avion points than you normally earn for every $1 in purchases. Further details on terms and conditions are available at www.petro-canada.ca/en/personal/terms-conditions#petropoints.
Petro-Points are not awarded on tobacco products, vaping products, gift cards, transit tickets and taxes on non-petroleum purchases.
5 To participate in this offer, you must have an eligible RBC Debit Card, Personal Credit Card or Business Credit Card which is issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”). RBC Business Owners will only be able to link up to two (2) Business Credit Cards and one RBC Debit Card to a Be Well Card.
Eligible RBC Debit Cards are debit cards tied to a personal banking or savings account or a business banking or savings account in good standing that is set up to pay for goods and services at a store or merchant that has point of sale or other designated debit card terminals that accept debit card payments.
You must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking or the RBC Mobile app in order to link your RBC Card to your Be Well Card. Card linking may take up to 2 business days to process before Be Well points can be applied to purchases. Each time you scan your Be Well Card and pay with your Linked RBC Card, you will earn 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Rexall Locations, in accordance with the Be Well Terms and Conditions available at https://www.letsbewell.ca/terms-conditions.
Be Well points are not awarded on taxes; tobacco products; products containing codeine; lottery tickets; alcohol; bottle deposits; gift cards; prepaid cards and wireless or long distance phone cards; event tickets; transit tickets and passes; post office transactions; stamps; passport photos; cash back; gifts with purchases; delivery charges; environmental levies; Home Health Care services/rentals and any other products or services that we may specify from time to time or where prohibited by law.
6 To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before November 16, 2028 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions-ca?language=en_US.
The DashPass monthly subscription fee will be waived (“Complimentary DashPass Subscription”) and you will receive either a 6 months or 12 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription based on the Eligible RBC Credit Card you use to subscribe to DashPass. DashPass subscriptions purchased through third parties, including third-party payment accounts, or online or mobile digital wallets (like Apple Pay and Google Pay) are not eligible for the Complimentary DashPass Subscription.
Eligible RBC Credit Cards: Your Eligible RBC Credit Card may only be used with one DoorDash account to receive a Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Once you have received a Complimentary DashPass Subscription you cannot use the same eligible RBC Credit Card to obtain a Complimentary DashPass Subscription with another DoorDash account. Eligible RBC Credit cardholders include primary cardholders, co-applicants, authorized users, primary business cardholders and secondary business cardholders on an Eligible RBC Credit Card account. View eligible RBC credit cards
You are only eligible for one 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription and one 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription during the Offer Period. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription commences on the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.
In order to validate your credit card as an Eligible RBC Credit Card, Royal Bank may need to administer a $0.50 charge to validate your card enrollment. This charge will be reversed in 3 to 5 days once your account has been validated. For full details on the Complimentatry DashPass Subscription visit: rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf
DoorDash not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for (i) services and products provided through DoorDash; (ii) DashPass, including the DashPass Benefits, the administration of DashPass and (iii) the DoorDash terms and conditions. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time. To learn more about DashPass, visit www.doordash.com/dashpass. For full DashPass for RBC Program Terms and Conditions, visit rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf
7 When you shop at Metro, Food Basics or Super C, and spend at least $60, you’ll get 1 additional Moi point for every 2 dollars you spend. When you shop at Brunet or Jean Coutu and spend at least $40 you’ll get 1 extra Moi point for every 2 dollars spent and when you shop at Premiere Moisson, and spend at least $20, you’ll get 1 extra Moi point for every 2 dollars spent.
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.