Mar 31, 2026
For most renters, that monthly housing payment is the single largest line item in a monthly budget. Until recently, it was also one of the few recurring expenses that credit cards couldn't help you with (unless you used an expensive cash advance). Even when using payment platforms, transaction fees made it too costly to use a credit card, wiping out any benefit earned from using a credit card to pay rent.
That's starting to change. Canadians can now use the ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card to pay rent or condo fees on the Casa platform, a Canadian payments and rewards platform — and pay no transaction fees while earning Scene+ points (1).
How can you earn Scene+ points paying rent?
The ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card earns 1 Scene+ point per $1 on everyday purchases. Through the Casa partnership, cardholders can use the card to pay rent or condo fees directly, bypassing the transaction fees that other Visa and Mastercard cards still incur on the platform (2).
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For instance, if you pay $2,000 in rent each month and opt to pay this using the Casa platform and the ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card, you could end your year with 128,000 Scene+ points — the equivalent of $1,280 you can spend on movies!
There’s also a bonus earning tier, where cardholders who spend $350 or more in everyday purchases in a given month can earn an additional 1 Scene+ point per $1 on their housing payments — effectively doubling the points rate on what is often their biggest monthly expense (3).
For a renter paying C$1,800 a month and meeting the $350 spending threshold, that's an extra 1,800 Scene+ points, monthly.
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Should renters pay attention to this offer?
This offer is most relevant to renters and condo owners who pay monthly fees and hold — or are considering — the ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card. It also applies to those paying condo corporation fees, since Casa serves residential owners, operators and property managers in addition to individual tenants.
Canadians who already use their credit card for recurring expenses like groceries, transit and subscriptions may find it relatively easy to hit the $350 everyday spend threshold needed to unlock the enhanced points rate on housing payments.
It's worth noting that the no-transaction-fee benefit is specific to the ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card used through Casa. All other Visa and Mastercard cards on the Casa platform continue to incur standard transaction fees.
What to do next
If you're already a ScotiaGold Passport Visa cardholder, check whether your building or property manager is set up to accept payments through Casa. The platform works with residential operators across Canada.
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If you're evaluating credit cards and pay rent or condo fees, this partnership changes the math — housing payments were previously a dead zone for points accumulation. Being able to earn on that spend without absorbing a fee makes this worth a closer look.
As with any rewards card, accumulating points should never be the primary purchase, as carrying a balance and interest charges will quickly outpace the value of any points earned.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Newswire (1, 2, 3)
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Romana King is the Senior Editor at Money.ca. She writes for various publications, and her book -- House Poor No More: 9 Steps That Grow the Value of Your Home and Net Worth -- continues to be an Amazon bestseller. Since its publication in November 2021, this book has won five awards, including the New York CPA Society's Excellence in Financial Journalism (EFJ) Book Award in 2022.
