This is the card I'd point to if you want Scotiabank's cash back setup without a fee. The 1% list is wider than most no-fee cards bother with: groceries, food delivery, drugstores, gas and EV charging, transit and rideshare, and recurring bills, all at one rate.
What it gives up is depth. Everything outside those categories earns 0.5%, the 1% stops after $15,000 a year, and there is no insurance at all, not even purchase protection. From what I can tell, it fits best as a simple everyday card for someone who doesn't spend enough to justify the annual fee on the Momentum Visa Infinite.
Welcome offer
Scotiabank is offering 5% cash back on all purchases for the first 3 months, on up to $2,000 in purchases, so up to $100 in total. The offer applies to accounts opened between July 2 and November 1, 2026, verified on the Scotiabank page on October 13, 2026. The regular cash back on those purchases is redeemable as usual; the bonus portion becomes available about 5 months after the account opens.
The offer also includes a 0.99% introductory rate on balance transfers for the first 9 months, with a 2% fee (minimum $5), after which the rate rises to 22.99%. Anyone who has held, or switched to, a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past 2 years is not eligible. The page's offer summary box still shows an older October 2025 to April 2026 window, so confirm the current terms on the issuer's page before applying.
The 5% is worth the most if you put about $667 a month on the card for the first three months, which reaches the $2,000 cap. Spending beyond that in the window earns only the regular 1% or 0.5%.
Fees & eligibility
The card has no annual fee, and additional cards for co-borrowers and supplementary cardholders are also $0. The minimum credit limit is $500, and the product page does not print a minimum income.
Purchases carry a 20.99% interest rate, and cash advances, balance transfers and cash-like transactions 22.99%; miss two minimum payments in a row and those rise to 25.99% and 27.99%. Scotiabank charges a 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee on this card. As with any rewards card, cash back at these rates only comes out ahead if you pay the balance in full every month.
Earning rewards
The card earns 1% cash back in a long list of everyday categories: grocery stores, food delivery and food subscription services, drugstores and pharmacies, gas stations and EV charging, transit, taxis and rideshare, and recurring bill payments such as utilities, phone plans, insurance and subscriptions. Everything else earns 0.5%.
All of the 1% categories share one $15,000 annual spend limit, counted from the statement period in which the account was opened. Once you reach it, every purchase earns 0.5% until the limit resets 12 months later.
Redeeming rewards
Cash back is worth $1 for $1 and can be redeemed any time once your balance reaches $25, through the Scotia app or online banking. You can take it as a statement credit or deposit it into an eligible Scotiabank account, with no limit on the amount.
Cash back does not expire while the account is open and in good standing. If the account closes, you have 90 days to redeem by phone. Only the primary cardholder or a co-borrower can redeem; supplementary cardholders cannot.
Perks & benefits
The perks are modest. Link the card and your Scene+ account to a Shell Go+ account and you can get up to 6 cents per litre in value at Shell: a 3-cent instant discount, the card's 1% cash back and Scene+ points. You also save up to 25% off base rates at participating Avis and Budget locations in Canada and the U.S., and Scotia SelectPay turns purchases of $100 or more into installment plans with no plan fee.
There is no lounge access, no travel credit and no foreign transaction fee waiver.
Insurance
The card has no built-in insurance. Scotiabank's page lists only optional, paid Scotia Credit Card Protection, which covers your balance or payments after events such as job loss or illness, and no certificate of insurance is linked from the product page or the card's welcome kit.
That means no purchase protection, no extended warranty, no rental car coverage and no travel coverage. If those matter, a card that includes them, or a separate policy, is the way to get them.
My take
I'd get this card if you want a no-fee card that pays 1% on most everyday bills without tracking categories; I'd skip it if you want insurance or more than 1%.
The appeal is the breadth of the 1% list. Groceries, delivery, pharmacies, gas, transit and recurring bills cover most of a household's routine spending, and one rate for all of them is easy to live with. The 5% welcome rate on $2,000 is a reasonable start, as long as you open the account by November 1, 2026.
I'd keep the ceiling in mind. One percent is the best rate on the card, it stops at $15,000 a year, and there is no insurance. If your groceries and bills add up to a few thousand dollars a month, I'd look at the Momentum Visa Infinite, which pays 4% on groceries and recurring bills, and weigh its $120 fee against the difference.
The good
- No annual fee
- 1% across a wide list of everyday categories
- Redeem cash back any time from $25
The catch
- No insurance of any kind
- 1% stops after $15,000 a year, and the base rate is 0.5%
- 2.5% foreign transaction fee