The Value of Scotia Scene+ Points

The average dollar value of 1 Scotia Scene+ point is $0.01

The Scene+ loyalty program is a partnership between Cineplex, Scotiabank, and Empire (which owns the Sobeys supermarket chain). If you frequently shop at Sobeys banner grocery stores and or watch movies at Cineplex, you’ll be able to accumulate Scene+ points. The program is free to join — you’ll receive a Scene+ membership card, which you can use at checkout to collect points.

The Scene+ program also has several other points-earning partners like Home Hardware, Rec Room, the Scene+ Rakuten online shopping portal, and the Scene+ Travel portal.

Below is a summary of how you can earn and redeem points with the Scene+ program:

As the table shows, Scene+ offers a fairly broad range of partners where you can earn and redeem points. More importantly, by using an eligible Scotiabank credit card, you can earn points much more quickly and have more ways to redeem rewards.

Since Scene+ is partly owned by Scotiabank, it’s no surprise that the program is tied to Scotiabank’s credit cards — which also happen to be some of the most popular cards available to Canadians today. Here’s a quick comparison of the Scene+ rewards offered by Scotiabank credit cards:

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card consistently ranks as one of the top travel rewards credit cards, with solid travel insurance and high earn rates on several spending categories. On the other hand, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card has slightly lower points multipliers, but includes airport lounge access.

Both cards are among a handful in the market that don’t charge foreign transaction fees, making them highly appealing to frequent travellers.

With a number of retail partners, it’s easy to spend your Scene+ points on your favourite lifestyle purchases. Unfortunately, Scene+ does not have any points transfer partners, so you won’t be able to transfer your points to an airline or hotel loyalty program such as WestJet or Marriott Bonvoy. Here are our tips for maximizing your Scene+ points value:

Do: Use the Apply Points to Travel feature

If you have a Scotiabank credit card, the best way to use your Scene+ points is the Apply Points to Travel feature. This lets you use your points to offset any travel purchases on your credit card statement in the past 12 months, and isn’t just limited to flights and accommodation: it includes travel visas, travel insurance premiums, rideshares and public transportation. You can also offset taxes and fees on all these purchases. This gives you tons of flexibility on using your Scene+ points, even on past purchases.

Apply Points to Travel uses 100 Scene+ points for $1 in credit, which gives you the maximum $0.01 value. 

Do: Redeem points at Scene+ partners

If you don’t have a Scotiabank credit card or prefer to use your Scene+ points on groceries or entertainment, you can easily maximize your rewards at Sobeys banner stores (including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, and more). Redeeming 1,000 Scene+ points gives you $10 off, giving you a $0.01 value. Similarly, at Cineplex, 100 Scene+ points gives you $1.

Shoppers will also enjoy the ability to redeem Scene+ points for a variety of gift cards, but beware: some retailer gift cards, like Apple or Sephora, require more points to redeem. This means each point will have a lowered value of around $0.007 (less than 1 cent).

Don’t: Redeem points for statement credit 

On the other hand, redeeming points for a statement credit is only available in specific blocks, from 3,000 points = $20 ($0.0067 value) to 71,500 points = $500 ($0.0069 value). This makes each Scene+ point worth less than 1 cent and is the worst value you can get from your points.

Overall Flexibility: Strong

One of the unique features of the Scene+ program is that you can make a travel purchase on your own, wait for it to show up on your online account, then apply your points towards the purchase. After you use your Scotia Rewards points towards a purchase, your account will be credited for the full cost in 7-10 days. The Scene+ program also has a full service online travel agency, where you can use points to book travel.

The Scene+ program also functions as Sobeys’ grocery loyalty program, putting it in competition with Loblaws’ PC Optimum and Metro’s Moi Rewards — our in-depth comparison has all the details. 

As a retail- and entertainment-focused reward program with no travel partners, Scene+ may not appeal to frequent travellers as much as travel-specific programs like Aeroplan. However, its versatile Apply Points to Travel feature, along with the high earning rate of Scotiabank’s travel-focused credit cards, can help you travel for much less.

In general, here’s what to consider when deciding which rewards programs give you the most value:

• What credit card do you use most? If you use your credit card for most of your purchases, it only makes sense to join the rewards program that’s tied to that particular card. The credit card’s reward tiers are usually much better than the reward program’s standard offers.
• Where do you spend most of your money? If you tend to shop at a particular grocery chain or like to spend on entertainment, use the rewards program associated with those merchants.