Overview of the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card

Launched in early 2018, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite entered the fray as the only credit card from the country’s big banks to completely waive its foreign transaction fees (and made headlines for doing so). But its appeal doesn’t stop there.

One of the best travel credit cards in Canada, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite is packed with other perks frequent travellers care about like airport lounge access, a strong sign-up bonus, and flexible points that can be redeemed flexibly for flights on virtually any airline.

For everything you need to know about this card, read our full breakdown below.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite – quick review

The Pros

• It’s one of the few cards in Canada to completely waive its foreign transaction fees. Aside from Scotia, none of Canada’s other big five banks issue cards that’ll save you on fees when spending in an international currency.
• You’ll receive a complimentary Priority Pass membership with six free annual passes to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide
• You’ll earn double the points for every dollar spent on groceries, dining, entertainment, and daily transit (including taxis and Ubers).
• The Scotia Rewards program is easy to understand (1 point = 1% off your travel purchase) and flexible (redeem points for flights on any airline).
• With Scotia’s Apply Points to Travel option, you can use points to save on travel booked directly with an airline or hotel provider. You won’t be restricted to using the bank’s in-house travel agency when redeeming points.
• The card comes with several types of insurance, including travel emergency medical coverage, trip cancellation/interruption, flight delay, lost baggage, and more. 
• You can add a supplementary cardholder at no extra cost (most other premium cards charge an extra $39-$50).

The Cons

• The Passport Visa Infinite has an annual fee of $139, which is slightly above the average $120 annual fee found on many comparable travel rewards cards. 
• You can earn more points on your everyday spending on a handful of other rewards cards, like the Scotiabank Gold American Express.
• It has an income requirement of $60,000 (or $100,000 as a household), which means it might be out of reach for some.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite – detailed breakdown

No foreign transaction fees

One of the greatest perks of this card – and arguably what it’s most known for – is that it comes with no foreign transaction fees. 

You might not realize it, but almost every credit card charges an additional 2.5% foreign transaction fee on top of the exchange rate whenever you make a purchase in a non-Canadian currency — like when swiping your card while abroad or shopping online in US dollars.

If you’re a frequent traveller or typically spend a lot in foreign currencies, that can add up. For instance, if you budget $1,000 for food and transit during your one week vacation in London, this fee would typically cost you an extra $25 just for the convenience of using a credit card.

By saving you the cost of foreign transaction fees, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite makes sticking with a credit card while travelling more compelling. That means you can avoid carrying huge wads of foreign cash or relying heavily on currency exchange offices (which tack on their own costly fees, especially in tourist hot spots). 

Using a credit card abroad also means you get the added security of pin and purchase protection while also earning rewards on your spending. In the case of the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite, you’ll earn Scotia Rewards points on all your international purchases along with saving on foreign transaction fees.

Airport lounge benefits

The other major perk of the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite is its complimentary membership to Priority Pass, which opens up the door to a network of over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite’s lounge access benefits stand out for two reasons.

First, whereas most credit cards with lounge access only provide two to four free annual lounge passes, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite offers six.

Second, if you were to purchase the equivalent membership directly from Priority Pass, it would set you back $291 USD every year – which on its own is over double the card’s annual fee. 

Rewards on everyday spending

The Passport Visa Infinite earns 2 Scotia points for every dollar spent on groceries, dining, entertainment, and transit (including taxis, subway, buses, and rideshares including Uber).

On all other purchases, the card nets 1 Scotia point per dollar. 

When redeemed for travel, 1 Scotia point equals $0.01, so in a way, this card acts like a cash back card for your travel purchases (with its 2 and 1 point per dollar earn rates working out to the equivalent of a 2% and 1% return respectively).

It’s worth noting that the card does have a slightly lower everyday earn rate than some comparable rewards credit cards, like the Scotiabank Gold American Express. But the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite is a well-rounded card that offers a ton of added value with side perks that are tailored to travellers like its no foreign transaction fees and lounge access benefits.

Redeeming Scotia Rewards (and points values)

Scotia Points are extremely flexible and can be redeemed for travel rewards in two ways:

1. The Scotia Rewards Travel Service, the banks in-house travel service and search engine that lets you intuitively browse different travel options;
2. By Applying Points to Travel, which gives you the flexibility to purchase a flight ticket or hotel stay directly from an airline or travel provider of your choice, and use points to offset the cost at a later date. You can redeem points retroactively up to 12 months after the purchase date, and you’ll receive a credit on your statement equal to your points’ value.

The latter is a great feature and means you’re not locked into using the bank’s in-house travel agency and can instead compare flight prices online and book travel plans completely on your agenda.

As mentioned earlier, the value of 1 Scotia Reward point is worth a consistent $0.01 when redeemed travel. That makes it easier to determine the value of a point compared to most other travel rewards programs since points values are constant and don’t fluctuate according to a rewards chart. Keep in mind though, you must redeem points in a minimum of 5,000 increments ($50 value). 

When redeeming points for anything non-travel related (like gift cards or merchandise), you’ll get less than $0.01 per point in value – so it’s best to stick to using your points for travel-related redemptions. If you’re not much of a traveller and want to use your rewards to save on your everyday spending, consider checking out some of the best cash back credit cards in Canada instead.

Redemption options	Value of 1 point
Travel	1 cent
Cash credits	0.67 – 0.8 cents
Gift cards	0.74 cents
Merchandise	Varies (but typically below 0.8 cents)

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite travel insurance

It’s always reassuring to have travel insurance. Luckily, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite’s insurance benefits are some of the best of any travel rewards card. Here’s an overview of what this card offers:

Insurance	Coverage amount
Travel emergency medical	$1 million per insured person (25 days for age 64 and under, but 10 days for age 65 and older)
Trip cancellation	$2,500 per person (up to $10,000 per trip)
Trip interruption	$2,500 per person (up to $10,000 per trip)
Flight delay	Up to $500 per person per trip
Delayed and lost luggage	Up to $1,000 per trip after only 4 hours
Hotel/motel burglary	Up to $1,000 per occurrence in Canada or the US
Rental car collision/loss damage	For vehicles up to $65,000 in value (for 48 days)
Common carrier travel accident	Up to $500,000 per person/up to $1 million per occurrence

There’s also purchase insurance and price drop protection included. Most personal items are covered against loss, theft, or damage if the full cost of the item is charged to the card. Coverage extends for the first 90 days from the purchase date up to $60,000 and is in addition to other insurance coverage.

Fees, interest rates, and income requirements

The card has an annual fee of $139, which is a little higher than some other travel rewards cards that charge around $120. That said, there isn’t an additional annual fee for adding your first authorized user – so you can pick up a supplementary card for a loved one at no extra cost. Most other premium cards charge around $50 to $39 a year for adding a supplementary cardholder.

The purchase interest rate is 19.99% if you have an unpaid balance and the cash advance rate is 22.99%. This rate won’t enter the equation as long as you pay off your balance in full every month and avoid borrowing money from your credit card.

To qualify for the card, you need to have an annual income of at least $60,000 or a minimum household income of $100,000.

Other perks

The Passport Visa Infinite gives you a free Avis Preferred Plus membership, which provides up to 25% off car rentals in Canada and the US as well as complimentary upgrades (when available). You can also get a special number to call for reservations and customer support.

As a Visa Infinite cardmember, you’ll have access to the Visa Infinite concierge, who can help you with airline or hotel reservations, pre-trip planning, ticket or event bookings, and restaurant reservations. 

You’ll even have access to the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection – a selection of over 900 hotels around the world. When staying at an eligible hotel, you’ll get a best available rate guarantee, free daily breakfast for two, an automatic room upgrade or late checkout (when available), and a $25 food or beverage credit.