Scene+ Points guide
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Updated: November 01, 2022
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In December 2021, Scotia Rewards (Scotiabank’s former rewards program) and SCENE (Cineplex Entertainment’s loyalty program) merged to become Scene+. Thus far the merger seems to be a success, creating a loyalty rewards program that features a strong selection of redemption options, and lots of accelerated earning opportunities thanks in part to a powerful complement of Scotiabank affiliated credit and debits cards.
The Scene+ program does have one clear drawback: though point values are consistent across all its redemption channels, the points typically redeem for a value of one cent each or less. The only time Scene+ points are worth slightly more than $0.01 each is when they’re redeemed for a free movie. If your recreational activities consist of a mix of cinema, dining out, and travel, you’ll probably give Scene+ two thumbs up. But hardcore travel junkies might get better value for their points via competing programs.
Pros and cons of Scene+
Pros
- Lots of earning and redemption options
- Solid point values for most redemption categories
- Stack points earning opportunities by using Scotia credit or debit cards while shopping at Scene+ partner merchants
- You don’t have to use the Scene+ travel portal for travel redemptions
Cons
- Points rarely exceed a value of $0.01 each
- Best redemption deals are for movie tickets
- No airline or hotel transfer partners
How do you earn Scene+ Points?
There’s a wide variety of ways to earn Scene+ points, and the program also features some impressive limited-time offers, such as earning an extra 15x the points at select restaurants.
Travel
You can earn 3 points per $1 spent on hotels and car rentals (*note that you don’t earn on flights) via the Scene+ Travel portal, which is powered by Expedia.
Shopping
If you link your Scene+ and Rakuten.ca (one of Canada’s best cash back apps for shopping) accounts you’ll earn Scene+ points (rather than cash back) from hundreds of retailers, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Sephora, Indigo, and more. Scene+ members will also have access to special offers where they can earn up to 20% more points than non-Scene+ members. Earning potential depends on what the retailer is offering, but cash back earned will be converted to Scene+ points at a rate of $0.01 per point.
Entertainment
Earn 5 points for every $1 spent on movie, food, and drink purchases at Cineplex theatres across Canada. You will also earn 1 point per $1 spent at The Rec Room and Playdium.
Dining
Earn 1 point for every $3 spent at participating restaurants, including Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario’s, Montana’s, Milestones, Kelsey’s Original Roadhouse, and more.
Select Scotia accounts
You can earn points when you shop with a debit card connected to any of four Scotia accounts: the Preferred Package, Ultimate Package, Student Banking Advantage Plan, and the Getting There Savings Program for Youth. With those accounts you’ll earn 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent at Cineplex and 1 Scene+ point per $5 spent on everything else.
Scotiabank credit cards
One of the best benefits of a loyalty program like Scene+ is that its many associated debit and credit cards allow you to double dip/stack the points you earn. For example, if you go out to eat at Swiss Chalet and spend $60 you would earn 20 points thanks to your Scene+ membership (earn 1 point for every $3 spent). But you can significantly power-up your points by paying for the meal with a Scotia Scene+ card. In that example, paying the bill with the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card, which earns 5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent at eligible restaurants, will give you 320 points total. Not a bad haul for one meal.
Here’s a breakdown of all the different Scotia credit cards that earn Scene+ points:
Conditions apply. Visit each associated Scotiabank link to learn more.
How to activate a Scene+ account
To activate a Scene+ account, register via the app or sign up online at www.sceneplus.ca. The process is basically as simple as submitting an email address and a password; you’ll be sent a membership number once you confirm your email address.
If you were already a member of the SCENE program, your points should have automatically transferred to the new Scene+ program. I was a member of the SCENE program and can say from personal experience that the transition was seamless and did not require me to do anything. If you earned Scotia Rewards but were not a SCENE member, a Scene+ account was created for you, and you should have received your new membership number via email. Your Scotia Rewards points transferred to your new Scene+ account at a rate of 1:1.
Where can I use my Scene+ points?
Not only does Scene+ offer lots of ways to earn points, it also has an impressive array of redemption opportunities.
Travel
There are two ways to redeem points for travel:
- 1.
Scene+ Travel portal, powered by Expedia. Book a flight, hotel, or rental car via the portal at a redemption rate of 100 points per $1 reward. A laudable feature of Scene+’s travel portal is that if you don’t have enough points, you can pay for your travel by using a mix of points and another method of payment.
- 2.
Apply Points to Travel. If you don’t want to use their proprietary travel portal, you can instead use a Scene+ Scotiabank credit or debit card to independently book an eligible travel product, like a flight, car rental, or hotel. You have 12 months from the date of the transaction to use your points to offset the purchase (including taxes) at a rate of 100 points for $1 in credit.
Currently there is a 5,000-point minimum ($50) required when redeeming points against independently booked travel, but the Scene+ website states that “the ability to use Scene+ points for a partial redemption of an eligible travel transaction is coming soon.”
Entertainment
Points can be redeemed for Cineplex movies, and in Scene+ it’s pretty much the only way you can get a redemption value of more than $0.01 per point. You’ll need 1,250 points for a General Admission or 3D movie ticket, 2,000 points for an enhanced movie ticket (UltraAVX, IMAX, Prime seats and D-Box), or 2,500 points for a VIP movie ticket.
It can be hard to pinpoint an exact point value for this redemption path, as movie prices vary across Canada. But on average, a standard movie tickets costs about $15.40 (with tax), meaning that you’d get a value of about $0.012 per redeemed point for General Admission. For enhanced movies, with a D-Box seat, you would normally pay approx. $23.45 with tax, giving a good point value of $0.017 each.
You can also redeem 500 points for $5 off food and drinks at Cineplex movie theatres or use 100 points for $1 off movie rentals or your Cineplex Store purchases. 500 points can also be redeemed for $5 off a variety of items at the Rec Room or Playdium.
Restaurants
Scene+ has a flat redemption rate of 500 points for $5 off at its partner restaurants, including Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario’s, Bier Markt, Fionn MacCool’s and more. When used at restaurants, points have a value of $0.01 each.
Gift Cards
Redeem Scene+ points for gift cards with over 60 brands (like Amazon.ca, Canadian Tire, Gap, Walmart, and more) through the Scene+ website. For the majority of merchants, gift card redemptions start as low as 1,400 points for a $10 gift card, and go up to 64,000 points for a $500 gift card. Points have a value range of $0.0071–$0.0078 each if you go with this redemption option.
Merchandise
Shop for over 50,000 items via the Best Buy and Apple Store Scene+ catalogue. Examples include:
- iPhone 13 for 158,745 points (sells for $1,241.87 including taxes, for a value of $0.0078 per point)
- Apple watch SE 40mm for 53,300 points (sells for $484.77 including taxes, for a value of $0.009 per point)
- Dyson cyclone v10 animal cordless stick vacuum for 101,110 points (sells for $790.99 including taxes, for a value of $0.0078 per point)
After looking at a random sampling of other items, point values seem to range from $0.0067–$0.0087, for an average point value of $0.0077.
What’s nice about this redemption option is that if you don’t have enough points, you can pay as little as 20% of the item’s value plus taxes using points, and use any other payment method to cover the remaining 80%.
Statement credit (points for credit)
You can use your Scene+ points toward a statement credit (non-travel) with your Scotiabank debit card and credit card accounts. The redemption values are as follows:
- 3,000 Scene+ points = $20
- 4,500 Scene+ points = $30
- 7,500 Scene+ points = $50
- 11,000 Scene+ points = $75
- 14,500 Scene+ points = $100
- 21,500 Scene+ points = $150
- 43,000 Scene+ points = $300
- 71,500 Scene+ points = $500
With this redemption path the value you get for your points increases slightly as you redeem more, with values ranging from $0.0067–$0.0070.
Below is a summary of all the different redemption options.
How to check the number of Scene+ points you have
To check how many Scene+ points are in your account visit sceneplus.ca or use the Scene+ app. It can take up to three days for points to post to your account.
How to redeem Scene+ Points
The redemption process is very straightforward. To buy merchandise and gift cards, members simply go to the website, log in and tap on the Rewards tab and then select either Shopping or Gift Cards. For participating restaurants, members can redeem points in person or for drive-thru or take-out where applicable. Redeem points for Cineplex movie tickets online or in-person. To redeem points against a statement credit go to the Rewards tab and select “Points For Credit” and then just follow the prompts.
If you want to redeem points for travel you can access the dedicated Scene+ travel portal via the main Scene+ website. Tap “Rewards” and then hit the travel option and you’ll be given the option to redeem points for travel or apply points to a travel-related purchase you’ve already made with a Scotiabank card.
Do Scene+ Points Expire?
If you don’t have any Scene+ activity in more than 24 months, your account may be closed. Scene+ does note however that they will warn you before they close your account.
If you have a Scene+ Scotiabank debit or credit card, your points will not expire as long as your Scotiabank credit or debit account is open and in good standing.
Is Scene+ the best rewards program in Canada?
Like Scene+, the Amex Membership Rewards® Program also has varied redemption options, as well as credit cards (like the popular Cobalt® card) that offer high earn rates and generous welcome bonuses. Where Amex Membership Rewards® really outshine Scene+, however, is in the value of its travel rewards and its transfer partners. If you redeem points using its Fixed Points Travel Program, your points could be worth up to as much as $0.02 each, which is double what you can get with Scene+. Furthermore, Amex lets you transfer points to six airline and two hotel partners, often at a value of 1:1, which gives you incredible flexibility and makes the program especially appealing to globetrotters. The one major drawback compared to Scene+, however, is that Amex credit cards have a lower degree of merchant acceptance in Canada than Visa (the processor for Scene+ cards), making it harder to amass points.
If you prefer to stick with Visa, note that RBC Rewards also has Scene+ beat when it comes to travel redemptions, provided you have an Avion credit card. Avioner points are valued from $0.02–$0.0233 each if you redeem them for travel via RBC’s Air Travel Redemption Schedule. That’s more than double the value you get when you redeem Scene+ points for travel. Another great feature of the RBC Rewards program is that, unlike Scene+, you can convert points to other eligible loyalty programs like WestJet dollars and Hudson’s Bay Rewards. But while RBC Rewards does potentially offer far higher redemption value for travel, you can’t put RBC points toward independently booked travel expenses like you can with Scene+ (or Amex MR, for that matter), and RBC Avion credit cards tend to earn less points overall than the high-end Scotia Scene+ cards. Finally, RBC Rewards doesn’t let you redeem points for restaurant or movie purchases like Scene+.
Aside from a few travel-related weaknesses, it’s clear that overall the Scene+ program has lots to offer even if you aren’t a moviegoer. It’s a flexible program with an impressive cast of redemption and earning partners, as well as respectable (if not jaw-droppingly high) point values in every redemption category. The program really has something that will appeal to everyone. That being said, those who spend more time in the air than on the ground probably have more to gain from other flyer-friendly rewards ecosystems.
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