The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite is a unique credit card in that it combines an easy-to-redeem points currency, a rare yet powerful no foreign transaction fee benefit, and complimentary airport lounge access. Needless to say, this card has a few unique angles that create a very strong value proposition in adding it to your wallet.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card to see if this card is worth adding to your wallet.
Overview
Welcome Bonus
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card currently has a welcome bonus in which new cardholders can earn up to 40,000 Scene+ Rewards points:
- Earn 30,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
- Earn 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $40,000 in the first year
- Plus: You can earn an additional $60 FlyerFunds Rebate on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card when you apply through Frugal Flyer Rebates!
This offer has an expiry date of July 1, 2024.
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card earns Scene+ Rewards points and offers cardholders benefits such as no foreign transaction fees and six complimentary airport lounge access passes annually.
Check out our Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card review for more details.
In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Foreign Transaction Credit Card.
40,000 Scene+
$1,000
$400+
$150 (FYF)
No
Jul 1, 2024
1,000 Scene+ Rewards points are worth $10 CAD, making this welcome offer of 40,000 Scene+ Rewards points worth $400 when redeemed towards grocery purchases or for travel. However, depending on their spending habits, many customers may only be able to earn the 30,000 Scene+ Rewards welcome bonus, worth $300.
The card does have a minimum personal income requirement of $60,000 or a minimum household income of $100,000. It also has a minimum credit limit of $5,000.
Earning Rates
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card earns Scene+ Rewards points for all purchases made on the card at the following rates:
- Earn 3 Scene+ points for every dollar spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.
- Earn 2 Scene+ Rewards points for every dollar spent on eligible grocery store, dining, entertainment, and daily transit purchases.
- Earn 1 Scene+ Reward point for every dollar spent on all other everyday eligible purchases.
Since each Scene+ Reward point is worth 1 cent, this works out to a 3% return on spend at the above specific retailers, a 2% return on spend at eligible grocery stores, dining, entertainment, and daily transit purchases, and a 1% return on spend on all other eligible everyday purchases.
Annual Fee
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card has an annual fee of $150. This is comparable to other Visa Infinite credit card products in Canada. However, there are often welcome offers on the card that include an annual fee waiver, so check the terms of the offer before you apply.
Customers who have a Scotiabank Preferred Package account or a Scotiabank Ultimate Package account can also receive a rebate on the annual fee; double-check the benefits of your account to understand how this benefit works.
Benefits
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card comes with a number of benefits including no foreign exchange fees on international transactions, six complimentary airport lounge passes, Avis Preferred Plus membership, and several insurance coverages.
No Foreign Exchange Fees on International Transactions
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card offers no foreign exchange fees on any transactions that are done in a currency other than Canadian dollars. This means that cardholders will save 2.5% on all foreign currency purchases compared to using a credit card that does not offer this benefit.
To better understand this benefit, it can be explained with simple math. If you were to make a purchase in a foreign currency, the majority of credit cards in Canada would tack on a 2.5% fee. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite does not tack on this fee, resulting in direct savings on any purchases in foreign currencies.
So if I made a $1,000 USD purchase, I would be charged a different total amount depending on the credit card I used for the purchase:
- $1,352 CAD on my Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card
- $1,352 CAD + $33.80 CAD (2.5% foreign transaction fee) on other credit cards
By using the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite credit card in the above example, I saved $33.80 CAD on my $1,000 USD purchase. This can add up quickly, especially when considering that oftentimes big travel expenses are paid for with credit cards in foreign currencies such as hotels, flights (including award flight redemption taxes and fees), and excursions.
If you are interested in a credit card that offers this benefit, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite is one of the best credit cards in Canada with no foreign transaction fees and it earned our award for this feature in 2024!
Six Complimentary Airport Lounge Passes
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite cardholders receive complimentary access to the Visa Airport Companion Program and six complimentary airport lounge passes to be used for themselves and their guests.
The lounges that these passes are eligible to be used are those that participate in the Dragonpass Lounge Program which includes over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. Needless to say, it should be easy to find a lounge to use your complimentary passes at on your next vacation.
Airport lounges are a great way to relax before your flight and offer complimentary food, and beverages (including alcoholic beverages), and are typically a quieter and comfier place than the rest of the terminal.
For those who don’t want to pay a high annual fee on a credit card that offers unlimited airport lounge access (such as the American Express Platinum card) or those who travel infrequently, six lounge passes should be a reasonable amount to cover at a minimum your next vacation. Cardholders will need to enroll here to take advantage of this benefit.
Avis® Preferred Plus Membership
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite cardholders receive complimentary Avis Preferred Plus membership which offers several perks for when customers rent their next vehicle from Avis. These include perks include:
- Complimentary upgrades (whenever available)
- Special Avis Preferred Plus number for reservations and customer service support
- Discounts in Canada and the United States ranging from 5% up to 25% off the lowest available discountable retail rates.
Insurance Coverage
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite credit card offers the following insurance coverages:
- Travel emergency medical insurance
- Trip cancellation and trip interruption
- Travel accident insurance
- Rental car collision loss and damage coverage
- Lost baggage insurance
- Baggage and flight delay insurance
- Hotel burglary insurance
- Purchase security
- Extended warranty protection
Ensure you read the insurance certificate to understand eligibility and how the insurance coverage is applied.
Redeeming Scene+ Rewards Points
Scene+ Rewards points can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including towards book any way travel, grocery & liquor purchases, Cineplex & The Rec Room purchases, a statement credit, and gift cards or merchandise.
Some of our favorite uses for Scene+ Rewards points include using them to cover taxes and fees on award flight redemptions or for other travel expenses, such as Disneyland tickets. Needless to say, whether you are redeeming your Scene+ Rewards points for travel or grocery purchases, you can be confident that you are getting the most out of the reward program with no additional work required.
Comparable Credit Cards
If you are looking for a comparable credit card that has a good earning rate and similar perks, only the Scotiabank Gold American Express card is worth considering.
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card has stronger earning rates across the board, making it a great card to quickly boost your Scene+ Rewards points balance.
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card earns Scene+ Rewards points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Scene+ points on grocery, restaurant, and entertainment purchases. This card charges no foreign exchange fees.
Check out our Scotiabank Gold American Express card review for more details.
40,000 Scene+
$7,500
$280+
$120
No
Jul 1, 2024
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card also offers no foreign transaction fees, making it one of the few cards in Canada that offers this excellent perk. If the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card isn’t the right fit for you, we would highly recommend considering the Scotiabank Gold American Express card as a very strong alternative.
Who is the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card Best For?
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite credit card is worth adding to your wallet if you are looking for a strong credit card with excellent utility in a variety of categories. While the earning rates on the card are reasonable, it really shines with its no foreign transaction fees and six complimentary airport lounge passes.
There are only a handful of cards that offer the no foreign transaction fees perk in Canada and there are a limited amount of credit cards that offer complimentary airport lounge access that isn’t tied to an outrageous annual fee or premium credit card. The fact that you can get all of these benefits for a $150 annual fee (and even often with a first year annual fee waived) is downright impressive.
Conclusion
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite is one of a kind in Canada and presents a unique value proposition for those individuals who are interested in a travel credit card but are not interested in shelling out hundreds of dollars in annual fees. If this sounds like you, consider adding this card to your wallet in advance of your next vacation to enjoy the benefits that come with it!
Josh Bandura
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