The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card is the latest credit card to enter the Canadian market. Officially launched today (Although the details did get leaked a few weeks ago) this is the second Ultra Premium card to grace the suite of credit cards from Scotiabank.
For those of you who have asked after watching some of my past This Week in RWRDS episodes where I stated we will be getting a new Ultra Premium credit card and a new No FX Fee card (that isn’t Wealthsimple), this is the card I was referring to.
Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card details
Here are the details of the new card which will be also available in a Scotia Wealth Management version:
Metal Card:
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card will be a metal card like the majority of Ultra Premium cards now offered in the market.
Annual Fee:
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card has a $599 annual fee which is the standard fee for most Infinite Privilege Cards in Canada. Additional/supplementary cards: $199 each
Welcome bonus:
The initial welcome bonus on the card provides up to 80,000 Scene+ points.
The bonus is awarded as follows:
- Earn 30,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $3,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months.
- Earn an additional 30,000 bonus Scene+ points when you spend at least $20,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 6 months.
- Earn an additional 20,000 bonus Scene+ points when you make at least one eligible purchase that is posted to your new Account during the 14th month after the month the Account was opened.
Earn Rates:
The Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card will earn Scene+ points as follows:
- Earn 3X the Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible travel purchases globally
- Earn 2X the Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on eligible dining and entertainment globally
- Earn 1X the Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on all other eligible purchases.
It should be noted there are no monthly or annual caps on any of the accelerated earn rates.
You’ll see that the landing page for the card also states “earn an extra 3X the points on hotel bookings, car rentals, and things to do when you book through Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia” but it should be noted that’s the regular earn rate for all Scene+ members – it is not an accelerated earn rate for this card (learn more here)
With Scene+ points being worth 1 cent per point for travel redemptions or redemptions at Scene+ partners this card provides a 1% to 3% return on spending. It is definitely focusing on those making a lot of travel purchases with that accelerated earn rate being the big one on offer compared to the non-travel accelerated earn rates on the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card and Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinte Card.
Feature and benefits:
No FX Fees
The big benefit to this card is the same one seen on the other Premium and Ultra Premium cards from Scotia and that is No FX Fees. Purchase made in foreign currencies will not be charged an FX fee which the majority of cards in Canada do at 1.5% to 3%.
Annual Travel Credit
The card features a $250 annual travel credit to be used for travel bookings made via Scene+ Travel. It can be used for flights, hotels, car rentals, and travel packages anywhere in the world.
I like that this one can be used for flights as the only other annual travel credit offered on Canadian credit cards that can be used on flights is from The Platinum Card from American Express and this one is actually $50 higher!
Airport Lounge Access with annual free passes
Like all Visa Infinite Privilege cards in Canada this card offers free membership in the Visa Airport Companion program which provides access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world plus numerous discounts on dining and shopping at airports around the world.
Unlike the other VIP cards in Canada however, the Scotia VIP steps it up with 10 free lounge access passes versus the six seen on the other cards.
Visa Infinite Privilege benefits
The card also features all the standard Visa Infinite Privilege card benefits including the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection, Visa Infinite Dining Series and more
- GigSky Data Roaming Two (2) redemptions of a 1GB complimentary Gigsky plan per calendar year AND a 30% discount on all subsequent purchases Click here to learn more
- Visa Infinite Privilege Airport Benefits Receive exclusive perks at Toronto City Airport Terminal, Vancouver Airport, Ottawa Airport and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport
– Priority Security Lanes at International and Domestic checkpoints (Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal-Trudeau)
– Priority airport taxi and limo lane (Vancouver) – Access to dedicated premium parking spots (Vancouver, Ottawa)
– Up to 20% off parking (Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal-Trudeau) - Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection provides benefits like room upgrades, complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast, late checkout, and so much more at over 900 Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection properties around the world.
- Visa Infinite Dining Series – Each event includes multi-course meals, drink pairings and an interactive experience. You’ll get to taste dishes from some of the country’s top chefs and restaurants as they guide you through each course.
- Wine country benefit from wineries across Ontario and British Columbia including complimentary tastings and tours. You can also get access to online offers like complimentary shipping and savings on wine purchases.
- Get golf perks with Troon Rewards® through your Visa Infinite card and automatically receive Silver Status. You’ll save 10% on golf fees, merchandise, and lessons at over 150 courses around the world.
- Access to private movie events and at-home offers as part of the Visa Infinite Screening Series. In the fall, get special perks at the Toronto International Film Festival®.
- Visa Infinite Privilege cards include a Complimentary Concierge service that can offer help with anything like the perfect travel itinerary, restaurant recommendations, finding the perfect birthday gift, and more
- RSVP Rewards Diamond Status: Enroll in the Visa RSVP Rewards Benefit and automatically receive Diamond status delivering benefits at 60+ participating Sandman, Sandman Signature and Sutton Place Hotels from coast-to-coast in Canada and beyond.
Insurance Coverage
A quick look at the insurance provided shows all the major travel coverage including Emergency Medical (31 days to 64, 10 days for 65+, up to $5 million per person), Trip cancellation, Trip Interruption and the list goes on.
The emergency medical coverage for those over 65 should be noted, especially for those who are 76+ as this is only one of five cards in Canada to provide 10 days for that age group. For 65-75 there are cards there are a few cards that offer 15 days and then a handful at 10 days like this card offers.
Wrapping it up
Details of Canada’s newest Ultra Premium credit card are out now. The Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card becomes the second Ultra Premium card to offer No FX Fees after the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card.
With the best accelerated earn rate being for travel purchases you can tell Scotia are targeting heavy spenders in this category as the 3 points per dollar represents a 3% return on spending. There are only a couple of cards in market that have higher earn rates on travel which are not tied into or provide conversion options to frequent flyer programs. However, those couple of cards also have annual caps on their travel earn rates or limit which travel providers you earn more points on, whereas this card does not as it is unlimited – if it codes as travel you’ll earn the 3x points and it doesn’t matter how much you spend.
I am somewhat surprised they have not offered any accelerated earn rates for Scene+ partners. At the very least I would have thought even a 2x points earn rate at their own grocery stores likes Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Les Marchés Tradition, etc. would be something offered on this card.
Stay tuned to our site over the coming months for more in-depth coverage of this card including our popular RWRDS Canada review treatment where we are not afraid to tell you what’s good and not so good about it!
Click here to learn more about and to apply for the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
Images/screenshots via Scotiabank and Manulife