Not every good card is a travel card. The Momentum is the one I point people to when they say, plainly, "I don't want points, I want money back, and I don't want to think about it." It earns 4% on the two categories most households spend the most on: groceries and recurring bills, and hands you cash, the only reward that's worth exactly what it says it is.
It won't get you into a lounge and it won't fly you anywhere on points, because it doesn't earn any. What it does is quietly out-earn a lot of flashier travel cards for an ordinary family budget, then let you redeem the proceeds whenever you want. As of the 2026 "Visa Infinite+" refresh it also picked up a GigSky international-data perk, a small nod to travel on an otherwise stay-at-home card.
Welcome offer
The welcome offer is refreshingly simple for a cash-back card: 10% cash back on every purchase for the first three months, on up to $2,000 in spend, about $200 back, plus the first-year annual fee waived. No category gymnastics, no minimum-spend cliff to clear in one shot. The offer also adds a 0% introductory rate on balance transfers for 12 months (2% fee per transfer, then 22.99%).
Two honest caveats. The bonus portion is held and only becomes redeemable about five months after you open the account, so it's not instant. And you're not eligible if you've held a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past two years. This is a new-customer offer. It runs for accounts opened between November 2, 2026 and April 30, 2027.
Front-load the first three months. At 10% back on up to $2,000, the smart play is to route a big planned purchase (appliances, a flight, an insurance renewal) through the card early to max the $200 before the window closes.
Fees & eligibility
The Momentum runs $120 a year, currently waived for the first year under the welcome offer, with additional cards at $50 (also waived year one). As a Visa Infinite product it asks for a personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000.
Cash back only works if you clear the balance. At 20.99% on purchases (22.99% on cash advances), carrying a balance erases your 4% many times over. Earn the cash back, pay in full, and ignore the interest rate entirely.
Earning rewards
The earn structure is flat and category-based, no rotating calendars, just two accelerators that cover where most of a household budget actually goes:
Redeeming rewards
Redemption is the easiest part of owning this card. As of 2026's Cash Back Anytime change, you no longer wait for a once-a-year November payout. Once your balance hits a $25 minimum you can cash out whenever you like, straight from the app.
Perks & benefits
Let's be honest about what this card is not: there's no airport lounge access and no travel-rewards program. The perks are the standard Visa Infinite kit plus a few useful extras: up to 7¢/L in value at Shell, Avis and Budget discounts, and a complimentary chunk of international data each year.
Insurance
For a $120 cash-back card the insurance package is more than respectable, enough to cover a short trip without a standalone policy, and it includes mobile-device coverage most cash-back cards skip.
My take
If you spend more on groceries than on flights, this is the boring card that quietly out-earns the travel ones.
I don't carry the Momentum myself (I'm too deep in points), but it's the card I recommend most often to people who aren't. The 4% on groceries and bills is top of the market, the redemption is now instant, and cash is the one currency that never devalues. The limits are exactly what you'd expect: the accelerators cap at $25,000 each, there's no lounge access, and the 2.5% foreign-transaction fee means it stays home when you travel. As an everyday workhorse, or as the "spouse card" paired with a travel card on the household's grocery spend, it's hard to beat.
The good
- 4% on groceries & recurring bills
- Cash back, nothing to learn
- First year free right now
The catch
- $25,000 caps on the accelerators
- No lounge access or travel program
- 2.5% foreign transaction fee