Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Households that already shop at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland, or other eligible Scene+ grocery banners often enough for 6x to move the needle.
- People who eat out, order delivery, and go to movies, and can stack the 5x bucket on the same Amex.
- Scotiabank customers who can attach an eligible bank account so the annual fee is waived, as the current fee detail describes.
- Travellers who want no foreign-transaction fees on an Amex they will also use at home, and who will carry a Visa or Mastercard for the merchants that still refuse American Express.
Skip it if you…
- Shoppers whose grocer is Loblaws, Metro, Walmart, or Costco. 6x at Sobeys-family stores does nothing at those tills.
- Anyone who held a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past two years and is only applying for the bonus. The current eligibility text excludes current and former primary or secondary cardholders, product-changers, and Scotiabank employees.
- People who need lounge passes as the reason to pay a fee. That is Passport Visa Infinite, not Gold Amex.
- Anyone who might carry a balance. Scene+ is not a cheap line of credit.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 6x Scene+ at eligible Sobeys-family grocery stores is one of the strongest supermarket earn rates in Canada if that is already your banner.
- 5x on dining, food delivery, food subscriptions, entertainment, and grocery stores outside the 6x list covers a lot of a weekend without needing a second dining card.
- 3x on gas, daily transit (rideshares, buses, taxis), and select streaming services is a real commuting category, not just a footnote.
- No foreign-transaction fees, with the current features citing a 2.5% saving versus typical FX markups, makes this a travel-adjacent Amex even without lounge passes.
- The annual fee can be waived with an eligible Scotiabank account, which changes the math from “is 6x worth $120?” to “is 6x worth a chequing relationship?”
- Scotiabank lists built-in travel and purchase insurance: travel emergency medical up to $1 million (up to 25 days under age 65, 3 days at 65 and older), trip cancellation and interruption, flight delay, delayed and lost luggage, rental car collision/loss damage, hotel/motel burglary, mobile device coverage up to $1,000, and purchase security with extended warranty.
Cons
- It is still American Express. Canadian grocers in the Sobeys family generally take it; plenty of other merchants do not. You need a backup card.
- The welcome bonus currently requires two spend hurdles, and the two-year Scotiabank-card exclusion is among the strictest of the cards we track.
- Additional cards currently carry their own annual fee.
- The accelerated 6x, 5x, and 3x rates apply to the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year, and only to purchases in Canadian dollars. Foreign-currency purchases earn 1x.
- Income listed in eligibility is unusually low for this earn mix, but approval is still a credit decision. Do not treat the minimum as a guarantee.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $120
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $950
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $830
This is a simple comparison of the estimated welcome-bonus value against the annual fee. It ignores rewards on spending, credits you have to remember to use, and interest if you carry a balance. Offers change — verify with the issuer.
Look at the fee table and the detail line together. The issuer shows an annual fee that is waived with an eligible bank account.
If you already have (or will open) that account, year-two cost can be $0 and the card is mostly “does 6x grocery plus 5x dining beat the hassle of Amex acceptance?” If you will not hold the qualifying account, treat this like any other mid-fee rewards card: bonus categories minus the fee, versus a no-fee Mastercard.
The first-year snapshot on this page compares estimated welcome-bonus value with the headline fee; it does not assume the waiver. Additional cards are extra and are not described as waived.
Offers change. Pay in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: Scene+ Points
You earn Scene+ points, not Membership Rewards and not cash back. Scotiabank currently lists 6x at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland, IGA, and other participating Sobeys-family grocers; 5x at other eligible grocery stores and on dining, food delivery, food subscriptions, and entertainment (movies, theatre, ticket agencies); 3x on gas, daily transit (rideshares, buses, taxis), and select streaming services; and 1x on everything else.
The accelerated rates apply to the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1x. Those multipliers only apply when the merchant category matches.
A grocery banner outside the eligible list, a restaurant inside a hotel, or a streaming service billed through a platform that codes as general retail can land in 1x. Scene+ redeems at Scene partners, groceries in the Empire family, dining, entertainment, and Scene+ Travel.
If you do not use those partners, 6x is just a big number. No foreign-transaction fees apply to foreign-currency purchases on this card, but those purchases earn 1x — still carry a Visa or Mastercard where Amex is not taken.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Earn up to $950 in welcome offers, first year rewards and savings value, including up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points. Open your account by November 1, 2026.
The current offer, for accounts opened July 2 to November 1, 2026, is up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points in two spend gates: 30,000 points after $2,000 in everyday purchases in the first 3 months, then 20,000 more after $7,500 in the first year. Scotiabank wraps that into an “up to $950” first-year value estimate.
You need both to match the “up to” point total and the estimated value wrap (which also mentions first-year rewards and savings). Eligibility is strict: current or former primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past two years, people who switch from an existing Scotiabank personal card, and Scotiabank employees are not eligible.
That catches almost everyone who already has a Scotia Momentum or Passport card. Read the live application.
Do not open Gold Amex as a product-change and expect the bonus.
Welcome bonus eligibility: 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 this offer.
FAQ
Is the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when you shop eligible Sobeys-family stores, will use 5x dining, and either get the fee waived or spend enough for 6x to clear the fee. It is not worth it if your grocer is outside that family, you cannot get Amex accepted, or you held a Scotia card in the last two years and only wanted the bonus.
Can the annual fee be waived?
Scotiabank currently says the ongoing annual fee is waived with an Ultimate Package chequing account, and the first-year fee is waived with a Preferred Package. That is a Scotiabank package rule, not a universal $0 card. Confirm which accounts qualify on Scotiabank’s page, and budget for the headline fee if you will not hold one.
Gold American Express vs American Express Cobalt?
Cobalt pays 5x Membership Rewards on dining and is a monthly-fee Amex. Gold Amex pays 6x Scene+ at eligible grocers and 5x dining, with no FX fees. Choose Cobalt if restaurants are the whole wallet and you want Membership Rewards. Choose Gold Amex if Sobeys-family grocery and Scene+ partners are already your life.
Gold American Express vs Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite?
Passport is the no-FX Visa with lounge passes. Gold Amex is the no-FX Scene+ grocery and dining card. Some Scotiabank customers hold both; that only works if the combined fees (after any waivers) are covered by spend you would make anyway. Passport wins at the airport; Gold Amex wins at FreshCo.
Does this card work at Costco or Loblaws?
Costco Canada is Mastercard-only, so this American Express card will not work there. Loblaws-family banners are not the 6x grocery list in the card’s features. Use a Mastercard for Costco and a grocery cash-back card if those are your stores.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- American Express Cobalt Card review · American Express · $191.88 annual fee
- Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card review · Scotiabank · $150 annual fee
- Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card review · Tangerine · $0 annual fee
