Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card review

How the Passport Privilege earns Scene+ points

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card earns 6 Scene+ points per dollar on travel booked through the Scene+ travel portal, 2 points per dollar on dining and entertainment, and 1 point on everything else. The top rate only applies when you book through the portal, so it pays to compare prices there before booking elsewhere.

As an example, someone spending $400 a month on dining and entertainment and $2,000 on everything else would earn 2,800 points a month, or 33,600 a year. Booking $4,000 of travel a year through the portal would add 24,000 points, for 57,600 in total.

The welcome offer

New cardholders can earn up to 80,000 bonus Scene+ points within their first 14 months. The “up to” wording means the full amount depends on meeting conditions that aren’t detailed here, so check the spending required and the timeline on the Scotiabank website.

For scale, 80,000 points is more than the example cardholder above would earn in a year of regular spending and portal bookings combined.

No FX fees and lounge access

The Passport Privilege charges no foreign transaction fees, while most cards charge 2.5%. On $1,000 of spending abroad, that saves about $25, and a $5,000 trip saves about $125. Those purchases abroad still earn points too: 2 per dollar on dining and entertainment, and 1 on everything else. Covering the full $599 fee through FX savings alone would take about $23,960 of foreign currency spending a year, so the fee has to be earned back through a combination of perks rather than one.

The card also includes airport lounge access, which adds comfort to frequent trips. Check the lounge network and how many visits are included with Scotiabank before you plan around them.

Fees, interest and the fine print

The annual fee is $599, or about $49.92 a month, one of the higher fees among the cards we list. Purchases are charged 20.99% interest and cash advances 22.99%.

Paying your full statement balance by the due date avoids purchase interest. That’s particularly important on a travel card, where large bookings can push a balance up quickly.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

The Passport Privilege suits people who travel abroad several times a year, spend heavily in foreign currencies, use airport lounges and are comfortable booking through the Scene+ travel portal to earn the top rate.

It’s a weak choice as an everyday card, because groceries, gas and most other spending earn just 1 point per dollar. If you travel once a year, a lower-fee card without FX fees would cover the same trip for far less.

How it compares

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite + Card also has no foreign transaction fee and earns Scene+ points, at a much lower $150 a year. It earns 3 points per dollar at Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland and participating Co-ops, three times what the Privilege earns at those grocers. For many travellers, it covers the FX savings for $449 less.

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card sits in between at $399 a year, with no foreign transaction fee, 4 points per dollar on Scene+ Travel and a welcome offer of up to 100,000 Scene+ points. American Express acceptance is narrower than Visa’s, especially abroad.

Before you apply

This card is aimed at applicants with excellent credit: a score of 760 or higher gives you the best chance, and the card’s listing notes a personal income requirement of $150,000. Scotiabank makes the final decision based on your full credit profile. Confirm the current offer, fee and benefits on the Scotiabank website before you apply.