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Best for travel bugs seeking flexible rewards points and comprehensive insurance coverage.

If you often spend money overseas and want to earn rewards points with flexible redemption options, the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card may be a practical choice.

4.5

Learn more about how we evaluate cards.

Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card

Annual Fee

$399
Interest Rates

9.99%

9.99% on purchases and cash advances.
Rewards Rate

2x Points

Earn 2X Scene+™ points for every $1 you spend on all your eligible purchases.
Intro Offer

Up to 60,000 Points

To qualify for the 60,000 bonus Scene+ points: 1. Earn 50,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $3,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months. 2. Plus, for a limited time, you are eligible to earn a 10,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $10,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 14 months. Offer ends June 30, 2023.

Apply Now

Earn up to $2,100* in value in your first 14 months, including up to 60,000* bonus Scene+ points. Offer ends June 30, 2023.
You will not pay 2.5% foreign transaction fees on any foreign currency purchases, including online shopping and when travelling abroad. Only the exchange rate applies.
Earn 2X Scene+™ points for every $1 CAD you spend on all your eligible purchases.
Scene+ points can be redeemed for travel purchase, merchandise and other non-travel rewards such as gift cards and prepaid cards.
You must redeem a minimum of 5,000 points per travel-related rewards redemption, equivalent to $50 in travel savings. Points must be redeemed within 12 months of the purchase date.
$399 annual fee.
Redeem points for any flight, any time through Scene+ Travel, a full-service travel agency. Plus, take advantage of a best price guarantee on airfare.
Get a Hertz #1 Club Gold membership for special privileges and rental car benefits at over 8,500 locations in 147 countries.
Enjoy culinary events and experiences, entertainment, luxury fashion, tours, and more through American Express benefits, including American Express Invites, Platinum VIP offers and access to 24/7 premium concierge services for restaurant reservations, show tickets, and gift purchases.
Lounge access at over 600 VIP airport lounges around the world with a complimentary Priority Pass membership, which includes 10 free visits per year.
12 types of insurance provided, including 31-day travel medical benefits — up to $2 million in coverage — for you, your spouse and any dependent children under the age of 65. 10-day coverage available for those over the age of 65.
Preferred rates: 9.99% for purchases, 9.99% for cash advances.
To be eligible, you must have a Canadian credit file and be a Canadian resident of the age of majority in the province or territory where you live.
Terms and Conditions Apply. Click ‘Apply Now’ for complete details.

Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card pros and cons

Pros

Accelerated earn rate on some travel spending.
Low interest rates.
No foreign transaction fees.
Comprehensive insurance coverage.
Complimentary airport lounge passes.
Exclusive hotel, food and event experiences.

Cons

Steep annual fee.
No priority boarding or free checked bags, a common benefit of many rewards cards with travel perks.

Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card full review

The Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card is a low-interest rewards credit card that earns Scene+ points. Cardholders earn points for each eligible dollar spent, with accelerated rates on purchases made through the Scene+ Travel portal.

Benefits of the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card

This card earns Scene+ points and comes with several enticing travel benefits, like airport lounge passes, robust insurance coverage and no foreign transaction fees. Plus: its annual income requirements are lower than what’s typical for a rewards card of its calibre. Combine these perks with the card’s competitive 9.99% APR, and you’ve got a premium card with plenty to offer.

Drawbacks of the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card

The Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card card has a $399 annual fee and doesn’t offer travellers priority boarding or free checked bags — common perks for many travel rewards cards.

Is Scotiabank reliable and secure?

Scotiabank is one of Canada’s oldest and best-established banks. It is one of Canada’s Big Six Banks, offering personal and business banking services across Canada and internationally, with banking services in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America.

Scotiabank carries Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) insurance, which protects customer deposits of up to $100,000 if Scotiabank goes under.

Scotiabank customer satisfaction ratings

Scotiabank ranks 10th (and below industry average) in customer satisfaction with credit card issuers, according to J.D. Power’s 2022 Canada Credit Card Satisfaction Study, a survey of 6,478 cardholders in Canada. Card issuers were rated on their benefits and services, communication, card terms, customer support and rewards. The credit card issuers with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the survey were Tangerine Bank, Canadian Tire and American Express.

Scotiabank had a Trustpilot rating of 1.2 out of 5 possible stars based on around 600 customer reviews at the time of this writing.

Scotiabank had a 1.14 out of a possible 5 stars, according to more than 80 customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau website, at the time of this writing. Scotiabank is not accredited by the BBB itself.

Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card details and eligibility

Who qualifies for the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card?

You must be a Canadian resident and at least the age of majority for your province or territory to be eligible for the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card. You’ll also need to meet annual income requirements.

Approximate credit score needed for approval

Canadian credit card issuers rarely disclose required credit scores, which makes it hard to know your chances of approval when comparing credit cards. It also means any score suggestion we make would be our best guess — which may not be accurate and could result in card application rejections. We don’t want that.

Suggesting that you’d need a “good” or “excellent” score is also confusing, because the meaning of those terms can vary depending on the rating system card issuers use.

Instead, we’ll tell you what we do know: higher scores have better chances of approval — that’s true no matter what type of credit you’re applying for.

Want to learn more? Visit our “What Credit Score is Needed for a Credit Card?” page.

» MORE: How to Check Your Credit Score

Income requirements

A minimum annual income of $12,000 is required to qualify for the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card.

Who should get the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card?

The Scotiabank American Express Card offers its highest earn rate on travel purchases made through the Scene+ Travel portal. It also comes with comprehensive travel insurance and numerous travel-related perks, like airport lounge passes and no foreign transaction fees. Travel bugs that frequently spend overseas will be best positioned to take advantage of this card’s reward program and benefits.

How to know if the Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card is right for you

If you like to travel and want to earn rewards points with flexible redemption options, the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card may be a practical choice.

Total value of the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card

The Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card’s welcome offer includes up to 60,000 bonus Scene+ points when you become a Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card cardholder (offer expires June 30, 2023; terms and conditions apply). You can expect to get around 1 cent per Scene+ point, according to NerdWallet analysis, which means this welcome offer could be worth up to $600.

You don’t get the welcome offer just for signing up, though. You must spend at least $3,000 within the first three months of card membership to earn 50,000 Scene+ points. Then, you earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points when you spend at least $10,000 within the first 14 months of card membership (limited time offer, terms and conditions apply). All told, you need to spend $13,000 within the first 14 months of card ownership to unlock the full welcome offer.

Outside its welcome offer, the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card has additional benefits that deliver value. For example: the card comes with comprehensive travel insurance that could be worth thousands, should you ever need to put it to use. Scotiabank suggests the combination of its Scene+ bonus points combined with various card perks, like no foreign transaction fees and airport lounge passes, provide up to $2,187 in value for new cardholders, depending on how they use their card.

Is the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card worth it?

It depends on your financial situation. You want more value from your credit card than you pay to carry it. The Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card costs $399 annually, so you need to extract at least that much value from the card for it to be worthwhile. According to NerdWallet analysis, one Scene+ point can be worth around 1 cent. In a typical year, you’d need to earn at least 39,900 points to recoup the card’s annual fee of $399.

Something else to consider: this card’s lower interest rate can help offset the annual fee, especially if you’re working to pay down credit card debt or typically carry a balance on your card.

Point value breakdown

The value of Scotiabank Scene+ points may vary based on your chosen redemption method. Still, you can expect to get around 1 cent per point on travel, movies, dining, entertainment, banking, retail, pharmacy and grocery shopping.

How to apply for the Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card

You can complete the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card application from Scotiabank’s website:

Select the Apply Now button from the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card’s page on Scotiabank’s website.
Review the card’s terms and conditions and select ‘Agree’ to continue.
Enter your personal details, including your full name, date of birth, phone number and email address.
Create a PIN and password.
Verify your identity by signing into your account with your current financial institution.
Tell Scotiabank about your employment status and finances, including your annual personal income and monthly housing expenses.
Review the information you’ve submitted.
Submit your application.

How to maximize the benefits of the Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card

Get the most from a Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card with the following tips:

Use it to book travel experiences. Many of this card’s travel insurance policies require cardholders to charge at least 75% of travel costs to their Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card for coverage to apply.
Spend $3,000 within the first three months. Unlock this card’s welcome bonus of 50,000 Scene+ points by spending at least $3,000 in your first three months of card membership. Spend another $10,000 within the first 14 months of card membership to earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points.
Explore the Scene+ Travel portal. Maximize this card’s earn rates with hotel and car rental bookings through the Scene+ Travel portal.
Pay your credit card bill on time. Miss two payments within 12 months and Scotiabank will implement a much higher penalty APR that will stay in place for 12 billing periods.

Alternatives to the Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card

The low interest rates and premium travel perks of the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card come at a cost: a $399 annual fee. If you’d prefer a cheaper Scotiabank credit card, consider the Scotiabank American Express Card — it has no annual fee and earns three Scene+ points per $1 spent on grocery, dining and entertainment.

If you aren’t interested in Scene+ points, numerous reward program alternatives exist, including Aeroplan cards and Air Miles cards, among others.

Reasons you might want a different card

The Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card may not be suitable if:

You don’t travel often.
You don’t want a credit card with an annual fee.
You’d prefer to earn a different reward, like cash back.

Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card vs Scotiabank American Express Gold Card

Both of these Scotiabank credit cards earn Scene+ points, but fees, interest and earn rates vary.

	Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card	Scotiabank American Express Gold Card
Annual fee	$399	$120
Interest rates	9.99% on purchases and cash advances.	20.99% on purchases. 22.99% on cash advances.
Rewards rates	3 Scene+ points per $1 spent on hotel and car rental bookings through the Scene+ Travel portal. 2 Scene+ points per $1 spent on everyday purchases.	6 Scene+ points per $1 spent at eligible grocery stores. 5 Scene+ points per $1 spent on dining, food delivery, entertainment, and other eligible grocery stores. 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services, gas and daily transit options. 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other everyday purchases.

Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card facts

Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card
Card Type	Rewards credit card
Interest Rates
Regular/purchase APR	9.99%
Cash advance APR	9.99%
Penalty APR	19.99% if you miss two payments within 12 months. This penalty APR will stay in place for 12 billing periods.
Fees
Annual fee	$399
Balance transfer	$5 per transaction.
Cash advance	$5 to $7.50 per transaction.
Foreign transaction	$0
Reward Earn Rates
Signup Bonus or Welcome Offer	New cardholders can receive up to 50,000 Scene+ points by spending at least $3,000 in their first three months of card membership. Cardholders can earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points by spending at least $10,000 within the first 14 months of card membership (limited time offer, terms and conditions apply).
Rewards and benefits	Earn three Scene+ points for each $1 spent on hotel and car rental bookings through the Scene+ Travel portal. Earn 2 Scene+ points for each $1 spent on eligible everyday purchases.
Other perks
	Airport lounge access. Receive 10 complimentary airport lounge passes annually. Concierge services. Take advantage of 24/7 concierge support to book restaurant reservations, find event tickets and more.  Flexible redemption options. Redeem Scene+ points for travel experiences, merchandise, movie tickets, dining experiences, groceries and more. American Express Invites. Access exclusive theatre, music, dining, film and shopping experiences. Hertz Gold. Become a Hertz Gold Member and take advantage of quicker service and less paperwork at over 8,500 Hertz locations worldwide.
Insurance coverage
Travel Medical Insurance	Up to $2,000,000 for medical emergencies.
Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance	Up to $2,500 per person up to $10,000 per trip for costs that arise from a cancelled trip from a covered cause, such as a medical emergency. Up to $5,000 per person up to $25,000 per trip covers expenses that arise from having to cancel the remainder of a trip in progress from covered causes.
Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance	Up to $500,000 for injury and loss, including loss of life, that take place on common carriers, like planes, trains, buses and ferries.
Flight Delay Insurance	Up to $1,000 per person to cover the cost of meals and accommodations.
Delayed and Lost Baggage Insurance	Up to $1,000 per person per trip to cover the cost of emergency essentials, like toiletries and clothes.
Hotel and Motel Burglary Insurance	Up to $1,000 of coverage for personal items stolen from a hotel or motel room on a trip.
Extended warranty	Up to two additional years.
Purchase protection	90 days.
Mobile Device Protection	Up to $1,000 of mobile device protection in case of loss, theft, accidental damage or mechanical issues. Conditions apply.
Rental Car Theft and Damage	For up to 48 days. Some exceptions apply.

Rating Methodology

NerdWallet Canada rates credit cards according to overall consumer value and their suitability for specific kinds of consumers. Factors in our evaluation methodology include annual and other fees, rewards rates, the earning structure (for example, flat-rate rewards versus bonus categories), redemption options, bonus offers for new cardholders, introductory and ongoing APRs, and other noteworthy features such as airline or hotel perks or the ability to transfer points.

A minimum annual income of $12,000 is required to qualify for the Scotiabank Amex Platinum Card.

There is a $10,000 minimum credit limit for the Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card.

About the Author

Shannon Terrell

Shannon Terrell is a lead writer and spokesperson for NerdWallet, where she writes about a variety of personal finance topics. Previously, she was a writer, editor and video host for…

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