Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

Apply Now
MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®

MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®

Apply Now

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card vs MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®: Which one is better?


Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card

4.9


RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE

300
Poor
560
Fair
660
Good
725
Very Good
760
Excellent

MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®

MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard®

4.7


RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE

300
Poor
560
Fair
660
Good
725
Very Good
760
Excellent

Finly Rebate

Now $150 until Nov 30, 2024

Finly Rebate

N/A

Rewards Breakdown

Annual Rewards

$644.5

Scene+


First Year Bonus

$450

Scene+


Annual Fee

$120


First Year Value

$1,094.5

$524.5 in years after

Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.

Rewards Breakdown

Annual Rewards

$597.84

MBNA Rewards


First Year Bonus

$300

MBNA Rewards


Annual Fee

$120


First Year Value

$777.84

$477.84 in years after

Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.

Insurance Included

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $500/person, $1000/trip
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500/person, $1,000/trip After 4 hours
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    $65K up to 48 days
  • heart lock

    Travel Accident

    $500K/person, $1M/occurrence
  • mobile device insurance

    Mobile Device Insurance

    $1,000
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    Up to 1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days
  • travel accident medical

    Emergency Out of province Medical

    $1M, Up to 25 days
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500/person

  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $1000/occurrence
  • travel accident medical

    Emergency Medical Over 65

    $1M, Up to 3 days
  • cancel airplane

    Trip Cancellation

    $1500/person, $10000/trip
  • pause

    Trip Interruption

    $1500/person, $10,000/trip

Insurance Included

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $1000/person
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $1000/person
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    31 days
  • heart lock

    Travel Accident

    $1,000,000
  • mobile device insurance

    Mobile Device Insurance

    $1000
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    Up to a year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    Up to 90 days
  • travel accident medical

    Emergency Out of province Medical

    $2M for 21 days
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500/person after 4 hours

Extra Benefits

  • concierge

    Concierge Services


  • exchange money

    No Foreign Transaction Fees

    Avoid the 2.5% foreign transaction fees incurred when spending in non $CAD
  • discount

    Discount

    Discount on PriorityPass Membership
  • Amex logo

    American Express® Experiences

Extra Benefits

  • concierge

    Concierge Services


  • price protection

    Price Protection

    $500/item, $1000/account per year
  • car rental

    Car Rental Discount

    10% off base rate of Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car in Canada and US and 5% internationally
  • gavel

    Trip and legal Assistance

  • birthday cake

    Annual Birthday Bonus

    10% of the Points earned the 12 months prior to the primary cardholder's birthday month (up to a max 15,000 bonus points per year)

Interest Rates

Purchase:

20.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Balance Transfer:

22.99%

Interest Rates

Purchase:

19.99%

Cash Advance:

24.99%

Annual Fee

$120

$0

First Year Waived

Annual Fee

$120

Income Required

Min Personal Income:

$12,000

Min Household Income:

$12,000

Income Required

Min Personal Income:

$80,000

Min Household Income:

$150,000

Welcome Bonus

Earn 25,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $1,000 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.

Welcome Bonus

10,000 points for going Paperless. 20,000 points after spending $2,000 after 90 days of account opening

Rewards Rate

  • 6 Points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland & Participating Co-ops
  • 5 Points per $1 spent on eligible dining, other grocery stores, entertainment purchases including movies, theatre, and ticket agencies
  • 3 Points per $1 spent on rides which includes rideshare, buses, taxis, subways and more
  • 3 Points per $1 spent on eligible streaming service payments (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Crave and more)
  • 1 Point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases

Rewards Rate

  • 5 points on restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership, and household utility purchases (maximum $50,000 spend annually per category)
  • 1 point for everything else

Loyalty Program

Loyalty Program

Point Redemption Options

  • travel - plane

    Travel

    1¢ / point
  • online shop

    Merchandise

    0.76¢ / point
  • gift card

    Gift Cards

    0.74¢ / point

  • entertainment popcorn

    Entertainment

    1¢ / point
  • groceries

    Groceries (Sobeys)

    1¢ / point
  • food location

    Restaurants

    1¢ / point
  • cash coins

    Statement Credits (Cash)

    0.7¢ / point

Point Redemption Options

  • Most Optimal

    travel - plane

    Travel

    1¢ / point
  • gift card

    Gift Cards

    0.85¢ / point
  • online shop

    Merchandise

    0.8¢ / point

  • cash coins

    Statement Credits (Cash) - World Elite

    0.83¢ / point
  • cash coins

    Statement Credits (Cash) - Platinum

    0.5¢ / point

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.

Is this card worth it?

The MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® is one of the best reward credit cards in Canada, offering high rewards on frequently spent categories such as groceries and restaurant purchases. The annual birthday bonus, unique to this card, also provides a significant boost to your yearly earnings. Additionally, the card features a comprehensive list of benefits, including price protection—a rare and valuable perk not found with many other cards in Canada. These factors make this card one of the best to have in Canada.

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.

Pros

  • Both restaurants and groceries, two of the most commonly spent categories, earn decent rewards.
  • Great annual birthday bonus with up to $150 in value.
  • A solid list of travel insurance and benefits.
  • Price protection, a rare feature not offered by many other cards.
  • Good value for many of the card's redemption options.

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.

Cons

  • Trip cancellation and interruption insurance, two great benefits are missing from this card.
  • Not the best card for gas purchases.

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