Overview of the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card
Earning categories
On bills, groceries
2%On gas, Public transit, taxis, and rideshares
1%On other purchases
Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card details
- Annual fee
- $120 (first year waived)
- Reward
- Earn 4% on bills, groceries, 2% on gas, Public transit, taxis, and rideshares, 1% on other purchases
- Average point value
- $1
- Purchase interest rate
- 20.99%
- Cash advance interest rate
- 22.99%
- Balance transfer interest rate
- 22.99%
- Minimum income
- $60K/yr
- Household income
- $100K/yr
- Recommended credit score
- 660+
- Network
- VISA
- Provider
- Scotiabank
- Card type
- Cash back
Detailed card summary
Benefits & features
- Earn 10% cash back on all purchases for the first 3 months (up to $2,000 in total purchases). Plus, no annual fee in the first year, including on supplementary cards.1 A welcome offer value of $350.†
- 4% on eligible recurring bill payments and grocery store purchases
- 2% on eligible gas station and daily transit purchases
- 1% cash back on all other eligible everyday purchases
- Complimentary Concierge Services 24/7
- Visa Infinite Dining Series
- Visa Infinite Music Series
- Wine Country Wonders
- Luxury Hotel Privileges
- Comprehensive Travel Insurance & New Mobile Device Insurance coverage
- Rates, fees and other information are effective as of Nov 1, 2020. Subject to change.
How to redeem
Credit to statement balance annually in November
How to get approved
Eligibility
- Minimum income $60K/yr
- Household income $100K/yr
- Recommended credit score 660+
- You are a permanent Canadian resident and have reached the age of majority in the province in which you live.
User reviews
Average user score for Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card
4.5 | 8 reviews
Stephane Therrien
Perfect
Devinder Banger
Exellent
Mickael Guillemineau
The card is really interesting for grocery shopping. The annual fee is reasonable for the benefits of the card.
Shelley Wellman
I dislike that it takes so long to show my purchases. My last credit card showed them under pending transactions within a few hours. This card takes days. I also checked off ebill but I’m still being sent paper bills and can’t figure out why.
Ilia Tchernov
Annual fee is a bit high but otherwise a great card, especially for food lovers and petrolheads.
Chong Liang
Good reward program.
Ratehub review
Mikael Castaldo
If you’re looking to get one of the best rewards credit cards in Canada and have ruled out the idea of a travel card – either because you don’t want to deal with points or don’t spend much on flights or hotels – the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite should be high on your list. It’s high on ours.
A perennial favourite, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite regularly takes the top spot on our annual rankings of the best cash back credit cards in Canada.
The card’s appeal comes down to its strong rewards on household spending (particularly groceries and bills), great insurance perks, and a lucrative welcome bonus that can add up to an extra $350 to your wallet in your first year.
Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite – quick review
The Pros
- After the first three months, you’ll get 4% cash back on groceries – easily making the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite one of the best credit cards for groceries in Canada.
- You’ll earn an unbeatable 4% on all your recurring payments charged to the card.
- The card offers 2% on almost all modes of daily transit – from gas and public transit to taxis and even rideshares like Uber.
- The welcome offer will earn you 10% cash back on all your everyday purchases for the first three months (or up to your initial $2,000 in purchases).
- The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite is one of just a handful of cards in Canada to provide mobile device insurance.
- It comes with a full range of travel insurance benefits including up to $1 million in travel medical emergency coverage, baggage lost/delay insurance, rental car insurance, and more.
- It comes with Visa Infinite benefits built-in – like access to concierge services.
The Cons
- You’ll need an income of at least $60,000 (or $100,000 as a household) to qualify.
- There are other cards that offer more rewards on gas.
- Cash back rewards can only be redeemed once a calendar year.
- It’ll cost an extra $50 per year to add an authorized user to your account.
Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite – detailed review
1. The welcome offer
Right off the bat, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite will earn you some serious rewards.
As a new cardholder, you’ll get 10% cash back on all your spending for the first three months or up to your initial $2,000 in purchases (whichever comes first).
The card’s $120 annual fee will also be waived for the first year. Plus, Scotia will even waive the $50 fee for one supplementary cardholder for the first year, which can help you save if you were planning on adding your partner or family member as an authorized user on your account.
Together, this card’s promotion can add up to a total of $350 in bonuses or $300 if you don’t plan on adding an authorized user.
The promotional offer above is available until February 28, 2021.
There are some terms to the welcome offer you’ll want to be aware of before hitting apply though. First, the welcome offer is only available to cardholders who are new to Scotiabank or haven’t opened an account with the bank within the past two years. Once you receive the card, you’ll also have to keep your account in good standing, or in other words, you must make at least the minimum payment every month to qualify for the offer.
2. Everyday cash back rewards
The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite offers some of the best rewards on your everyday spending with bonuses across four different categories.
- 4% cash back on your grocery and supermarket bills.
- 4% on recurring bills: payments that you set to automatically charge your card on a monthly basis and can include everything from cable, smartphone/data plans, streaming services, car or home insurance payments, and more.
- 2% on gas.
- 2% on daily transit: public transit, taxis, and rideshares like Uber.
- 1% on everything else.
No other cash back card offers higher returns on groceries or recurring bills, and considering those two categories count towards some of your largest household expenses, that can add up to some serious savings.
The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite is also one of just a few cash back cards to offer bonus rewards on transit purchases like taxis, public transit, and rideshares – upping the card’s appeal if you don’t commute behind the wheel of your own car.
One potential drawback of the card’s rewards is that its cash back on gas (2%) isn’t the most competitive. If you spend big at the pump, that could be a deal breaker and you might want to set your sights on another card like the TD CashBack Visa Infinite, which offers 3% on gas and even comes with a complimentary roadside assistance membership (though it does offer fewer rewards on groceries and bills).
Your cash back rewards on the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite are also only awarded once every twelve months in November, not monthly or at any time of the year like some other cash back cards.
3. Side perks
The Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite is one of only a dozen or so credit cards in Canada to offer complimentary mobile device insurance.
If you purchase a new device (or cover all of your cell phone bills) on your Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite, you’ll receive up to $1,000 in phone insurance that’ll kick in if your device is stolen or accidentally damaged. If you were to buy similar device insurance from a phone carrier, that could easily set you back $9 a month or $108 annually.
As a Visa Infinite cardholder, you’ll also get access to 24/7 concierge service, free room upgrades at eligible hotels, and the ability to attend unique dining events dotted across your city.
4. Travel insurance benefits
While the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite isn’t designed as a travel credit card, it still comes built-in with the full range of insurance benefits that’ll cover you while abroad including:
| Insurance | Coverage amount |
| Travel medical emergency | $1,000,000 for trips up to 15 days |
| Travel accident | Up to $500,000 |
| Trip cancellation / interruption | $1,500 per person (maximum of $10,000) |
| Flight delay | $500 per person (after 4 hours) |
| Delayed and lost baggage | Maximum of $500 per trip (after 6 hours) |
| Car rental insurance | $60,000 for up to 48 consecutive days |
For the card’s coverage to apply, you’ll generally need to cover up to 75% of the travel expense with the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite.
As far as travel insurance goes, the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite’s coverage is pretty standard for a premium annual fee credit card. Contrary to how that may sound, that’s a positive note since it means you’ll receive solid coverage for almost all medical and travel emergencies.
Perhaps the one drawback worth highlighting is your travel emergency insurance will last for trips up to 15 days (as opposed to 21 days like on some full-fledged travel credit cards). But that won’t be much of an issue if most of your trips are under two weeks. Not to mention, you always have the ability to top up your coverage to carry you over an extra few days for longer trips.
5. Interest, fees, and income requirements
As a premium rewards card, there are very few surprises around the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite’s fees and rates.
The annual interest rate on this credit card is around average at 20.99% on any unpaid balances you owe, and 22.99% on cash advances and balance transfers. Like with any rewards card, the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite is only really worth it as long as you pay off your balance in full. Otherwise you’ll owe interest which would undercut any rewards you earn.
- Also read: Best low interest credit cards in Canada
To qualify for this credit card, you’ll need to have a minimum annual income of $60,000 or a household income of $100,000.
The card does have a $120 annual fee, though it’s waived for the first year for new accounts opened by February 28, 2021. and is easily offset by its strong everyday rewards and perks.
Additionally, if you do choose to add another user, it’ll cost you an extra $50 per year. When considering some other premium cards charge anywhere from $0 to $29 to add an authorized user (including Scotia’s own Gold American Express Card and Passport Visa Infinite) this is a knock against the card. The silver lining is the fee for one authorized user is completely waived for the first year.
The bottom line
With some of the best cash back rewards on groceries, bills, and virtually every mode of daily transit – it’s easy to see how the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite ranks among the best rewards credit card in Canada. Although its rewards on gas aren’t the best out there, when considering the card as an overall package, it’s hard to beat.
Legal
- The 10% Cash Back and First Year Annual Fee Waiver Offer (the “Offer”) applies only to new Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* credit card accounts (“Accounts”) that are opened, and any supplementary Account cards issued, by February 28, 2021 and is subject to the below terms and conditions. All other terms and conditions of the Program Terms continue to apply during the Offer period. Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers.Eligibility and Exclusions: Individuals who are currently or were previously primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank retail credit card in the past 2 years, including those that switch from an existing Scotiabank retail credit card, as well as employees of Scotiabank, are not eligible for the Offer. Subject to the above exclusions, Scotiabank small business credit cardholders are eligible for the Offer
- 10% Cash Back Offer Description and Conditions: You will earn 10% cash back on the first $2,000 in eligible purchases you spend on your new Account within the first 3 months of the Account open date (the “Offer End Date”). Eligible purchases include purchases (less any refunds, returns or other similar credits) but do not include payments, cash advances (including balance transfers, Scotia® Credit Card Cheques or cash-like transactions), interest, fees or other charges. After the Offer End Date, you will earn regular cash back on eligible purchases at the regular cash back rate (the “Cash Back Program Rate”) described in the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Cash Back Program Terms and Conditions (the “Program Terms”). The 10% cash back rate for any category is made up of the sum of: (i) the regular Cash Back Program Rate (variable by categories as set out under the Program Terms); and (ii) a “Cash Back Bonus Rate”. Cash back earned under this Offer will be credited to your Account in 2 instalments so long as your Account is open and in good standing at time of payout of each:
1. Bonus Cash Back: The amount earned under the Cash Back Bonus Rate will be credited to your Account within 7 months from the Account open date; and
2. Regular Cash Back: The amount earned under your regular Cash Back Program Rate will be credited to your Account according to the regular cash back payment schedule as set out under the Program Terms.The Account is considered in good standing if it is not delinquent (past due) or over limit and the Cardholder(s) is not in breach of the Revolving Credit Agreement that applies to the Account.EXAMPLE: If the Regular Cash Back Program Rate for the Groceries and Recurring Payments category is 4% then the Cash Back Bonus Rate will be 6% for that category so that you will earn a total of 10% on the amount of all eligible everyday purchases in that category until the Offer End Date. If you make $2,000 in eligible everyday purchases in the Groceries and Recurring Payments category, your cash back earnings will be credited to your Account as follows:
(1) the Cash Back Bonus earnings of $120 (6% x $2,000) will be credited to your Account within 7 months from the Account open date, and (2) the Regular Cash Back earnings of $80 (4% x $2,000) will be credited to your Account as per the regular cash back payment schedule (i.e., November).Annual Fee Waiver Offer Description and Conditions: We will waive the initial annual fee for the primary card and each additional supplementary card on the Account for the first year only.Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers. - Eligibility and Exclusions: Individuals who are currently or were previously primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank retail credit card in the past 2 years, including those that switch from an existing Scotiabank retail credit card, as well as employees of Scotiabank, are not eligible for the Offer. Subject to the above exclusions, Scotiabank small business credit cardholders are eligible for the Offer.
- Rates and Fees: The current annual fee is $120 for the primary card and $50 for each additional supplementary card. The current preferred annual interest rates for the Account are: 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances (including balance transfers, Scotia® Credit Card Cheques and cash-like transactions). All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change.†Based on a first year annual fee waiver of $120 for the primary card, $50 for one supplementary card, and a potential bonus cash back earning of at least $180 during the Offer period assuming a minimum spend of $2,000 at the lowest possible cash back earn rate under the Program of 1% (i.e., Cash Back Bonus Rate of 9% x $2,000). Actual value will vary based on number of supplementary cards issued for the Account and individual category spend in the first 3 months. See full Offer terms and conditions above.
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