Scotiabank · Visa
Best for bills and groceries
4% on groceries and on recurring bills, which few cards pay well on. The first year is free, and it is a Visa, so it works everywhere.
Rates and features verified 2026-08-18Full terms and conditions
What we like, and what we don’t
Worth having
- 4% on groceries and 4% on recurring bills and subscriptions
- First-year annual fee waived, so the first year genuinely costs nothing
- Visa Infinite acceptance, so none of the Amex refusal problem
- Strong insurance package including mobile device and rental car coverage
Watch out for
- Drugstore was removed as a bonus category in the February 2026 programme change and now earns 1%
- The 4% rate stops after $25,000 of annual spend, with a separate $25,000 cap on the 2% tier
- $60,000 personal or $100,000 household income required
- 2.5% foreign transaction fee
- The certificate of insurance is dated 2021 and was not reissued for the 2026 refresh
What this card earns
- Groceries
- 4%
- Gas
- 2%
- Recurring bills and subscriptions
- 4%
- Transit
- 2%
- Everything else
- 1%
- Bonus rates apply up to
- $50,000 of annual spending after that, the base rate
The earning fine print
Program terms effective 1 Feb 2026. Two separate caps: $25,000 of annual spend at the 4% rate (groceries, recurring bills and subscriptions) and a further $25,000 at the 2% rate (gas, EV charging, transit, rideshare). Both reset 12 months from the statement period of the month the account was opened, NOT the calendar year. The 1% base rate is uncapped. Drugstore was REMOVED as a bonus category in the Feb 2026 change and now earns the 1% base rate; dining, travel and entertainment have never been bonus categories on this card.
The welcome offer
- Welcome bonus
- $220 after you spend $2,000, within 3 months
- Also included
- The first-year annual fee is waived
- Offer ends
- 2026-11-01
What the offer actually requires
HEADLINE VS FOOTNOTE. Scotiabank advertises "15% cash back for the first 3 months", which reads as $300 on the $2,000 cap. The footnote defines 15% as the regular earn rate PLUS a "Cash Back Top Up Rate", so only the top-up is incremental. Scotiabank's own worked example yields $220 of incremental value on $2,000 spent in a 4% category. Incremental value ranges $220 (4% categories) to $280 (1% base) and is never the headline $300. The conservative $220 is recorded.
Fees and interest rates
- Annual fee
- $120 waived the first year
- Additional card
- $50
- Foreign transaction fee
- 2.5%
- Cash advance fee
- $5
- Dishonoured payment fee
- $48
- Purchase APR
- 20.99%
- Cash advance APR
- 22.99%
- Balance transfer APR
- 22.99%
- Balance transfer promo
- 0% for 12 months
- Balance transfer fee
- 2%
Who can get this card
- Minimum personal income
- $60,000
- Minimum household income
- $100,000
Insurance and benefits
- Travel medical
- $1,000,000 first 15 days of a trip, age 65 and under
- Trip cancellation
- $1,500
- Trip interruption
- $2,000
- Flight delay
- $500
- Baggage delay
- $500
- Mobile device
- $1,000
- Rental car damage waiver
- Included
- Purchase protection
- Included
- Extended warranty
- Included
- Concierge
- Included
What the benefits really mean
Travel medical covers the first 15 consecutive days and only for cardholder and/or spouse UNDER 65. Certificate of insurance is dated July 2021 and has not been reissued for the Feb 2026 card refresh, so verify before relying on amounts. Two balance transfer fees exist: 2% under the promotional offer, or the greater of $5 and 1% otherwise.
Our verdict
The best cash back card here for anyone who does not want to think about points, and the strongest option if American Express acceptance is a problem where you shop. Paying 4% on recurring bills is unusual and quietly valuable. Most people have more going out on subscriptions and utilities than they realise.
Be aware Scotiabank quietly dropped drugstore from the bonus categories in February 2026. If you picked this card up on the strength of that, it no longer does what you bought it for.
Cards worth comparing this against
Compare this against every card we track
Where this came from. scotiabank.com product page, Feb 2026 Notice of Change, fees and rates pages, COI. We take every figure from the issuer’s own pages, never from another comparison site, and we leave a field blank rather than guess at it.