Earn up to $2,300 in value in the first year1
Qualify and earn up to $2,300 in first year value, including up to $580 with the StartRight Program2.
How to qualify for StartRight
If you’ve been a Canadian permanent resident for five years or less or are an international student or a foreign worker, you could get a head start when you bank with the StartRight Program. Qualify for our StartRight Program when you open an account and provide the required documents to register as a newcomer.
Reasons you'll love banking with us
Open a chequing account, credit card, or both to earn cash, save on fees, and enjoy great benefits.
Open a chequing account
Open a Preferred Package chequing account and we’ll waive the monthly account fee for your first year. Plus, find out how you can bank your way to $700 cash.
Not right for you? Explore other accounts.
Preferred Package benefits
- Send money globally for $1.99 with Scotia International Money Transfers10
- Eligible for overdraft protection11
- Earn an additional 0.05% interest on your MomentumPLUS Savings Account12
- Receive preferred rates on select Guaranteed Investment Certifications (GICs)13
- Waive the monthly account fee on a Scotia® U.S. Dollar Daily Interest Account14
- Waive the fee on one non-Scotiabank ABM withdrawal per month in Canada15
- Take advantage of the Scene+TM program
*No monthly account fee by maintaining a minimum daily closing balance of $4,000 for the entire month.
MOST POPULAR
Preferred Package
$0* or $16.95 per month
*No monthly account fee ⓘ
Unlimited
debit and Interac e-Transfer† transactions7
First year annual fee rebate
on select credit cards (up to $150)8
Trade 1, get 1 free
with Scotia iTRADE®9
Open a credit card
Apply for a Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card and earn bonus Scene+ rewards with minimum spend on purchases. Learn about this card’s welcome offer.
Not right for you? Explore other credit cards.
TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE
Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card
Earn up to $1,50016 in first year welcome offers, rewards and savings, including up to 60,000 bonus Scene+TM points17.
Earn 3 Scene+ points18 on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland & Participating Co-ops and more.
Annual fee: $150
Interest rates: 20.99% purchases / 22.99% cash advances
Take advantage of a range of StartRight Program benefits and welcome offers. Depending on the products you choose, that could add up to $2,300 in combined value.
StartRight Program2 benefits
Worth up to $580 in value1
Join the StartRight Program to unlock great benefits.
No monthly account fee of $16.95 on the Preferred Package chequing account for the first year8
Valued at
$200
Unlimited no-fee international money transfers10
$280
10 free Scotia iTrade equity trades9
$100
Open a new eligible Scotiabank chequing account and complete 2 qualifying chequing account transactions
$500
Bundle your new chequing account with a new Money Masters Savings Account and set up a smart savings tool
$100
Bundle your new chequing account with an eligible registered account
$100
Credit card welcome bonus
Worth up to $1,0801
Open a Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite* Card to qualify for a welcome bonus offer. Earn Scene+ points and other benefits.17
Up to 60,000 bonus Scene+ points with minimum spend
$600
Average foreign transaction fee savings on foreign currency purchases
$130
6 complimentary lounge visits
$350
Total value
up to $2,360
Ready to get started?
We can help you open an account and get our best offers.
Collect these documents before you apply.
Permanent resident
You’ll need:
- Your permanent resident card or Confirmation of Permanent Residence
- Foreign passport or Canadian government-issued photo ID, like your driver’s license
Foreign worker
You’ll need:
- Your work permit
- Foreign passport or Canadian government-issued photo ID, like your driver’s license
Applying for a credit card? If you’re a foreign worker, you'll also need a letter from your Canadian employer confirming your annual income.
Applying as an international student?
Check out the offers we have just for you.
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Value of up to $2,300 is rounded down and calculated as follows: i) up to $583.30 first year value with the StartRightTM Program + ii) Up to $700 in chequing, savings and registered account welcome offers + iii) up to $1,098 in Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite welcome offer, first year point earn potential and savings:
i) Value of up to $583.30 is an annual potential value for the first year based on the following benefits and savings available to StartRightTM clients as of March 3, 2026:
- $203.40 in account fee savings for a Preferred Package chequing account ($16.95 monthly account fee waived for first 12 months);
- $280 in fee savings when compared to in-branch Swift Wire Transfers (assumes an annual average of 7 in-branch Swift Wire Transfers at $40 per transfer);
- $99.90 in fee savings for 10 free equity trades with iTRADE (10 free equity trades per year at $9.99/trade)
Actual value will depend on individual usage of the StartRightTM Program features and products. Conditions apply. All products and features are subject to change.
ii) Value of up to $700 in chequing, savings and registered account welcome offers as of March 3, 2026:
- $500 for new Preferred and Ultimate Package clients who complete certain qualifying conditions. Clients who are eligible for the $500 offer can then get an extra $100 with a new Money Master Savings account and/or an extra $100 with a new eligible registered account when they complete certain qualifying transactions;
iii) Value of up to $1,098 in Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card welcome offer value, first year point earn potential and savings includes the following as of March 3, 2026:
- $400 in travel rewards (40,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients who spend $2,000 within the first 3 months;
- $100 in travel rewards (10,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients who spend $10,000 within the first 6 months;
- $100 in travel rewards (10,000 bonus Scene+ points) when you spend $40,000 annually on your Account each year (12-months);
- $134 in foreign transaction fee savings based on average annual foreign spend per account over the last 24 months (save the 2.5% foreign transaction fee markup typically charged by other card issuers);
- $364 value with a complimentary Visa Airport Companion Program Membership that includes 6 lounge passes (based on a ‘Preferential’ membership valued at approx. CAD$364/USD$259). Currency conversion as at November 3, 2025.
Actual offers, savings and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility. Conditions apply.
The 1-Year No Monthly Account Fee Offer (the “Offer”) is available to eligible clients who open a new Preferred Package account under the StartRight™ Program (the “Account”). Employees of The Bank of Nova Scotia (“Scotiabank”) and individuals who are currently or were previously holders/ joint holders of a Scotiabank chequing account within the last 2 years are not eligible for this Offer. If you are eligible for the Offer, during the first 12 months, your monthly Account fee will be waived and will not appear as a charge on your Account. The Account must be open and in good standing at the time of the waiver. All applicable service charges on the Account will continue to be applied monthly. After the first 12 months, you will begin to see the monthly Account fee charged to your Account unless you maintain a minimum daily closing balance of $4,000, in which case the monthly Account fee will be waived per the Account terms and conditions. This Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offers. Maximum one Offer per customer. All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change. Offer may be changed, cancelled, or extended at any time without notice.
Regular Earn Rate: You are awarded one (1) Scene+ Point for every $1.00 in all purchases of goods and services charged to the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Account (the “Account”).
Accelerated Earn Rates: You will earn accelerated earn rates on the following eligible purchases charged to the Account:
Grocery Stores: You are awarded two (2) Scene+ Points for every eligible $1.00 purchase made at Sobeys, Safeway, participating IGA, Foodland, Foodland & Participating Co-ops, FreshCo, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, Rachelle Béry, Les Marchés Tradition, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by Safeway and Voilà par IGA locations charged and posted to the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Account. This list of eligible grocers may be changed from time to time without notice. See full list of participating merchants across Canada at scotiabank.com/participatingstores.
Home Hardware Stores: You are awarded two (2) Scene+ Points for every eligible $1.00 purchase made at eligible Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre, Home Furniture locations in Canada and online at homehardware.ca charged and posted to the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa Account. The list of eligible locations may be changed from time to time without notice. See full list of eligible locations across Canada at scotiabank.com/participatingstores.
Cineplex: You are awarded two (2) Scene+ Points for every $1.00 purchase made at Cineplex theaters, the Cineplex App and online at cineplex.com charged and posted to the Account.
Eligibility: Only purchases earn Scene+ Points. Cash advances (including Balance Transfers, and Cash-Like Transactions), fees, interest or other charges, returns, refunds or other similar credits to your Account do not qualify for Scene+ Points. Scene+ Points will not be posted to an Account that is not in good standing when purchases are made or when a statement is issued, or if the Account is not open when a statement is issued. See your Scene+ Points terms at www.scotiabank.com/sceneplus for full program details.
All dollar amounts are in Canadian currency unless otherwise stated.
Scene+ ScotiaCard® debit card: Earn 1 Scene+ Point for every $5 on debit purchases (up to a maximum of 300 points per transaction and 600 points per day) made from an eligible Scotiabank chequing or savings account using your Scene+ ScotiaCard debit card linked to a Scene+ membership, including Interac Debit contactless and Visa Debit transactions. Normal Interac Debit contactless transaction limits apply. Scene+ Points accumulated using your Scene+ ScotiaCard debit card will be updated within 2-3 days to the associated Scene+ account. Scene+ points are calculated on debit card purchases, less any refunds, returns, or other similar credits. Other conditions apply.
Visit www.scotiabank.com/sceneplusrewards for full terms and conditions.
Savings and reward potential in first 12 months includes welcome offer value, first year point earn potential, foreign transaction fee and airport lounge savings as of November 4, 2025
$400 in travel rewards (40,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients who spend $2,000 within the first 3 months
$100 in travel rewards (10,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients who spend $10,000 within the first 6 months
$100 in travel rewards (10,000 bonus Scene+ points) when you spend $40,000 annually on your Account each year (12-months: annual points bonus).
$50 supplementary card annual fee waiver on the first supplementary card for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients
$134 in foreign transaction fee savings based on average annual foreign spend per account over the last 24 months (save the 2.5% foreign transaction fee markup typically charged by other card issuers);
$369 in first year point earn potential (36,900 bonus Scene+ points) on everyday purchases based on average annual spend per account over the last 24 months with an average spend of 21% in 3X and 2X accelerator categories.
$364 value with a complimentary Visa Airport Companion Program Membership that includes 6 lounge passes (based on a ‘Preferential’ membership valued at approx. CAD$364/USD$259). Currency conversion as at November 3, 2025.
Potential First Year Value = up to $1,517 (rounded down to $1,500)
Actual offers, savings and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility for applicable offers. Conditions apply.
Offer Description and Conditions: The 50,000 Bonus Scene+ Points Offer (the “Offer”) applies only to new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite credit card accounts (“Accounts”) that are opened between January 2, 2026 and July 1, 2026 (regardless of the date you apply for the Account) subject to the conditions below. Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers.
Plus, as a Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite credit cardholder you are always eligible to earn an annual 10,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $40,000 in everyday eligible purchases annually on your Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite account. Conditions apply - see below for further details.
50,000 Bonus Scene+ Point Offer Description and Conditions: To qualify for the 40,000 bonus Scene+ points (the “40,000 Point Bonus”), you must have at least $2,000 in eligible purchases posted to your new Account within the first 3 months of the Account open date. To qualify for an additional 10,000 bonus Scene+ points (the “Additional 10,000 Point Bonus”), you must have at least $10,000 in eligible purchases posted to your new Account in the first 6 months of the Account open date. Eligible purchases include purchases (less any refunds, returns or other similar credits) but do not include payments, cash advances (including balance transfers or cash-like transactions), interest, fees or other charges.
10,000 Annual Bonus Scene+ Point Conditions: As a Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite credit cardholder you can earn an annual Scene+ point bonus starting at 10,000 Scene+ points (the “Annual Point Bonus”) when you make at least $40,000 in eligible purchases annually on your Account each year (12-months). Annual period starts from the Account open date and resets every 12 months thereafter. If you switch from another Scene+ eligible Credit Card to the Passport Visa Infinite Card (vs. it being opened as a new or additional Card), your original Account open date will carry over to your new Passport Infinite Card and your annual period for this offer will begin on the next anniversary of your original Account open date. For Example: If you originally opened a Scotiabank®* Gold American Express® Card on January 15, 2022, and switch that Card to the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card on July 15, 2025 – your annual period for the 10,000 annual Scene+ point offer will begin on January 15, 2026 (your next Anniversary) and will reset annually on January 15th afterwards. You can also earn 2,000 bonus Scene+ points for every additional $10,000 in eligible purchases thereafter in that same year, after the $40,000 annual spend has been reached. Eligible purchases include purchases (less any refunds, returns or other similar credits) but do not include payments, cash advances (including balance transfers or cash-like transactions), interest, fees or other charges.
Point Bonus Fulfillment: The applicable point Bonus(es) will be credited within approximately 8 weeks after qualifying for a Bonus, provided the Account is open and in good standing. For Joint Accounts with a Primary Borrower and Co-borrower, the applicable point Bonus will be credited as follows: (i) the 40,000 Point Bonus, the Additional 10,000 Point Bonus, and the Annual Point Bonus will be credited to the Scene+ account linked to the Account of the borrower that completed the last transaction to meet the qualifying amount of eligible purchases (i.e., $2,000, $10,000, or $40,000) in the appropriate time frame (i.e., first 3 months, 6 months, or first 12 months). If a supplementary cardholder completes the last qualifying transaction to meet the qualifying amount of eligible purchases for the 40,000 Point Bonus, the Additional 10,000 Point Bonus, or the Annual Point Bonus, the applicable point Bonus will be credited to the Primary Borrower’s Scene+ account linked to the Account. Points can be transferred between Primary and Co-Borrower or Supplementary Cardholder’s Scene+ accounts by contacting Scene+. The Account is considered in good standing if it is not past due or over limit and the Cardholder(s) is not in breach of the Revolving Credit Agreement that applies to the Account. All other terms and conditions of the Program Terms continue to apply during the Offer period.
Offer Eligibility and Exclusions: Individuals who are currently or were previously primary or secondary cardholders of a Scotiabank personal credit card in the past 2 years, including those that switch from an existing Scotiabank personal 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 also eligible for the Offer.
Rates and Fees: The current annual fee is $150 for the primary card, $0 for the first additional card and $50 for each additional card thereafter (including those issued to co-borrowers and supplementary cardholders).
The current preferred annual interest rates for this Account are: 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances (including balance transfers and cash-like transactions). All rates, fees, features and benefits are outlined in the Application Disclosure Statement and are subject to change.
You are awarded two (2) Scene+ Points for every eligible $1.00 purchase on all other grocery (not listed above), dining, entertainment, and daily transit purchases charged and posted to the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Account (the earn rates for each of the above categories and merchants are referred to as the “Accelerated Earn Rates”). See below for the Spend Threshold that applies to this Accelerated Earn Rate.
You are awarded one (1) Scene+ Point for every $1.00 in all other purchases of goods and services charged to the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Account (the “Regular Earn Rate”).
Spend Threshold for the Accelerated Earn Rate (Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Accounts only):
You will earn the Accelerated Earn Rate on the first $50,000 in purchases made on your Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite account (the “Account”) annually at the following: purchases made at merchants classified in the Visa credit card network as: Grocery Stores and Supermarkets; Eating Places and Restaurants, Drinking Places, Fast Food Restaurants; Entertainment including Motion Picture Theatres, Theatrical Producers, Ticket Agencies, Bands, Orchestras, Miscellaneous Entertainers; Railroads, Local and Suburban Commuter Passenger Transportation, including Ferries, Passenger Railways, Taxicabs and Limousines, Bus Lines, Transportation Services (Not Elsewhere Classified). Some merchants may sell other products/services or are separate merchants who are located on the premises of these merchants, but are classified by the credit card network in another manner, in which case this added benefit would not apply. The annual spend calculation for the $50,000 maximum threshold is calculated annually from January 1st to December 31st each year. You will earn 1 point per $1 on purchases made on the Account after the 2 points per $1 / $50,000 annual spend maximum is reached and on all other purchases made on the Account. Scene+ points are only awarded on purchases. Scene+ points are not awarded for cash advances, balance transfers, Scotia® Credit Card Cheques, payments, returns, refunds or other similar credits, fees or interest or other charges. All dollar amounts are in Canadian currency unless otherwise stated.