Neo World Elite® Mastercard® vs Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card: Which one is better?
Neo World Elite® Mastercard®
4.6
Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card
4.9
Finly Rebate
Now $125 until Mar 31, 2025
Finly Rebate
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$623.18
First Year Bonus
$0
Annual Fee
$125
First Year Value
$498.18
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$644.5
Scene+
First Year Bonus
$400
Scene+
Annual Fee
$120
First Year Value
$924.5
$524.5 in years after
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Insurance Included
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$1,000
Baggage Delay
$1,000
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Car Rental Damage & Theft
Yes
Extended Warranty
1 year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$1,000
Emergency Out of province Medical
Up to $1,000,000
Trip Cancellation
$1,000
Trip Interruption
$1,000
Flight Delay
$500
Car Rental Accident
$100,000 for cardholder, up to $10,000 per Spouse or Dependent Child
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Car Rental Personal Effects
$1,000
Insurance Included*
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$500/person, $1000/trip
Baggage Delay
$500/person, $1,000/trip After 4 hours
Car Rental Damage & Theft
$65K up to 48 days
Extended Warranty
Up to 1 year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$1000/occurrence
Emergency Out of province Medical
$1M, Up to 25 days
Trip Cancellation
$1500/person, $10000/trip
Trip Interruption
$1500/person, $10,000/trip
Flight Delay
$500/person
Travel Accident
$500K/person, $1M/occurrence
Mobile Device Insurance
$1,000
Emergency Medical Over 65
$1M, Up to 3 days
Extra Benefits
Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass
Pass only - pay $32 USD per visit
Extra Benefits*
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Avoid the 2.5% foreign transaction fees incurred when spending in non $CAD
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Concierge Services
Discount
Discount on PriorityPass Membership
American Express® Experiences
Interest Rates
Purchase:
19.99% - 26.99% (or 19.99% - 23.99% in Newfoundland and Quebec)
Cash Advance:
22.99% - 28.99%
Interest Rates*
Purchase:
20.99%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Balance Transfer:
22.99%
Annual Fee
$125
Annual Fee*
$120
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$80,000
Min Household Income:
$150,000
Income Required*
Min Personal Income:
$12,000
Min Household Income:
$12,000
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Welcome Bonus*
Earn 20,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $2,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, for a limited time, you are eligible to earn a 20,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $7,500 in everyday eligible purchases in your first year.
Rewards Rate
- 5% cash back on grocery purchases up to $1,000 spending per month (6% cash back if you have $5k in a Neo everyday account, or 7% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to 1% cash back after hitting spend cap
- 4% cash back on recurring purchases up to $500 spending per month (4.5% cash back if you have $5k in a Neo everyday account, or 5% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to 1% cash back after hitting spend cap
- 3% cash back on gas purchases up to $1,000 spending per month (3.5% cash back if you have $5k in a Neo everyday account, or 4% cash back with $10k in a Neo everyday account) - drops to 1% cash back after hitting spend cap
- 1% cash back on all other purchases with no spending caps
- 5% average cash back at Neo Partners
Note: our reward calculations use the base cash back rates assuming you do not hold any money in a Neo everyday account to earn the higher tier (boosted) cash back rates, otherwise the reward estimates may be higher.
Rewards Rate*
- Earn 6x Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco, Foodland and more
- Earn 5x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on dining, food delivery and other eligible grocery stores. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.
- Earn 5x Scene+ points for every $1 you spend in Canada eligible entertainment purposes. Includes movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.
- Earn 3x Scene+ points for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options. Includes rideshares, buses, subway, taxis and more
- Earn 3x Scene+ points for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible select streaming services
- Plus earn 1 Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other eligible everyday purchases
- Earn additional benefits + up to 4x Scene+ points for every dollar you spend on hotel bookings, car rentals, and things to do with Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia
Loyalty Program
N/A
Loyalty Program*
Point Redemption Options
Not Applicable
Point Redemption Options*
Entertainment
1¢ / point
Travel
1¢ / point
Groceries (Sobeys)
1¢ / point
Restaurants
1¢ / point
Merchandise
0.76¢ / point
Gift Cards
0.74¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
0.7¢ / point
Is this card worth it?
This card offers one of the highest cash back rates in Canada for gas (up to 4%), grocery (up to 7%) and recurring purchases (up to 5%) which is pretty hard to beat. While the cash back rates are very high, you need to mind the spend caps set for each category to see if your earning potential is really that high compared to most other credit cards. However, for a typical person who's spending is generally below $12k per year in grocery, $6k per year in recurring bills and $12k per year in gas then you'll be doing pretty well, especially with the great insurance and benefit offers.
Is this card worth it?
The Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card is one of our favorite cards. It has a very solid rewards program, earning one of the highest rewards among all credit cards in Canada. In addition, it offers comprehensive travel benefits, including the rare and valuable no foreign transaction fee benefit, making it a great and balanced credit card in terms of both rewards and benefits. The first-year annual fee waiver is the cherry on top, providing even greater value to cardholders.
Pros
- Highest cash back rates in Canada for highest spending categories like Grocery (up to 7%), especially if you keep at least $5k in a Neo everyday account
- 12 different types of insurance coverage
- Airport lounge access with DragonPass with $32 USD per visit
- Additional cash back earning at over 10,000 Neo partners
Pros
- No foreign transaction fee saves you 2.5% on all non-CAD purchases.
- Rewards cover all high-spending categories, including food, groceries, entertainment, and gas.
- Comprehensive coverage of all travel insurance.
Cons
- High income requirements of $80,000 personal or $150,000 household
- Cash back spend caps can limit your rewards
- Having to keep at least $5k in an everyday account to boost your cash back tier
Cons
- The card network is American Express, which might not be widely accepted in some countries, making it a bit harder to use the no foreign transaction fee benefit.
- Having a lounge pass would have made this card even more perfect, but there is access to a discount code for lounge access pass purchases.
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