Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

I carry the regular Passport Visa Infinite, so the question I ask of this card is simple: what does an extra $449 a year buy? The answer is comfort rather than earning power. You get 10 lounge visits per cardholder instead of 6, a $250 credit toward a Scene+ Travel booking, $5 million in emergency medical, and a longer list of Visa Infinite Privilege extras, while keeping the no-foreign-fee benefit that makes the Passport line worth carrying.

What it doesn't change is the currency. Scene+ is worth 1 cent per point (cpp) on travel with no airline partners, so 3x on travel is a 3% return and that's the ceiling for most spending. I'd only pay $599 if the lounge visits and insurance replace things you would otherwise buy.

Welcome offer

Scotiabank is offering up to 80,000 bonus Scene+ points on the Passport Visa Infinite Privilege for accounts opened between May 1 and November 1, 2026, verified on Scotiabank's page on October 13, 2026. At Scotiabank's own redemption rate of 20,000 points for $200 off travel, the full bonus is worth $800 in travel.

The points come in three steps. $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months earns 30,000, reaching $20,000 in the first 6 months adds another 30,000, and one purchase posted in the 14th month after opening adds the last 20,000. The exclusion is broad: anyone who held a Scotiabank personal credit card, as a primary or secondary cardholder, in the past 2 years is not eligible, and neither is anyone switching from an existing Scotiabank card.

Fees & eligibility

The card costs $599 a year with no first-year waiver, and each additional card is $199. Two things bring the net cost down: the $250 annual travel credit, if you make one Scene+ Travel booking of $250 or more each account year, and an annual fee rebate of up to $150 when you also hold a Scotiabank Ultimate Package chequing account. Used together, the effective fee falls to $199.

Eligibility is a personal income of $150,000, a household income of $200,000, or $400,000 in assets under management, and the minimum credit limit is $10,000. The purchase rate is 20.99% and cash advances, including balance transfers, are 22.99%. There is no foreign transaction fee, so purchases in other currencies get the exchange rate without the usual 2.5% markup.

Earning rewards

The best rate goes to travel: 3 Scene+ points per dollar on airlines, hotels, car rentals, travel agencies, cruises, rail, buses, local transit and taxis. Hotels and car rentals booked through Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia earn another 3 points on top, for up to 6x.

Dining and entertainment earn 2 points per dollar, covering restaurants, bars, fast food, movie theatres, live events and attractions. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar. Unlike the cheaper Passport Visa Infinite+, there is no grocery bonus here, so a household whose biggest bill is groceries will earn less on this card than on its sibling.

Redeeming rewards

Scene+ is a fixed-value program: 20,000 points take $200 off travel, which is 1 cpp. The most flexible way to use them is Apply Points to Travel: book with any airline, hotel or travel site using the card, then redeem points against the charge any time within 12 months of the purchase.

You can also book directly through Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia, which is where the extra 3x on hotels and car rentals is earned. Outside travel, points cover groceries (10,000 points for $100 off at eligible grocery stores), Cineplex tickets and Home Hardware purchases, while account credits return less (3,000 points for a $20 credit). There are no airline or hotel transfer partners, so 1 cpp is the ceiling.

Perks & benefits

The headline perk is 10 complimentary lounge visits per cardholder every year through the Visa Airport Companion Program, run by DragonPass, compared with 6 on the Passport Visa Infinite+. Each cardholder enrols separately, visits can be used for guests travelling with you, and extra visits cost $32 USD per person. Add the $250 annual travel credit, applied to the first Scene+ Travel booking of $250 or more in each account year, and no foreign transaction fees.

The Visa Infinite Privilege layer adds priority security and taxi lanes and parking perks at select Canadian airports, upgrades and breakfast at 200+ Relais & Châteaux properties, the Luxury Hotel Collection, a complimentary Avis President's Club membership, Diamond status in Sandman's RSVP Rewards, two free GigSky data plans a year and 24/7 concierge. The travel credit only works through Scene+ Travel, so it rewards booking there rather than direct.

Insurance

Insurance is a strength. Emergency medical covers up to $5 million per person for the first 31 days of a trip if you are 64 or under (10 days at 65 and older). Trip cancellation pays up to $2,500 per person ($10,000 per trip) and trip interruption up to $5,000 per person, including trips paid with Scene+ points.

Baggage cover is generous: up to $1,000 per person for delayed bags and $2,500 per person for lost, stolen or damaged bags. Flight delay pays up to $1,000 per person after 4 hours, rental cars are covered up to $85,000 MSRP for 48 days, and purchase security runs a long 180 days, with extended warranty of up to 2 extra years and mobile device insurance up to $1,000. The pre-existing condition rule needs 90 days of stability (180 days at 75 and older).

My take

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