Discover Scotia's chequing accounts

Compared to other consumer credit cards publicly offered by Canadian Schedule 1 banks as of March 3, 2023.

We do not charge any foreign currency conversion fees, only the exchange rate applies. See the Application Disclosure Statement, under "Foreign Currency Conversion Fees" section for full details.

To qualify for 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^TM Program (the “Account”). 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. 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.  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.

Value of up to $385 in welcome bonuses and point value with the Scene+^TM Student Banking Bundle includes $100 cash bonus and up to 13,750 in bonus Scene+ points (valued at up to $237.50) as follows:

1. $100 cash offer for new Student Banking Advantage^® Plan customers
2. 7,500 Scene+ points ($75 value) for new Scotiabank^® Scene+^TM Visa^* Card customers
3. 1,250 Scene+ points ($12.50 value) for new customers who combine the products above with a new Momentum^PLUS Savings Account
4. 5,000 Scene+ points ($50 value) when you bundle all 3 of the above accounts and complete certain qualifying transactions
5. $149.90 in savings with the Scotia iTRADE^® perk for Student Banking Advantage Plan holders ($4.99 per trade and Trade 1 Get 1 Free at Scotia iTRADE^®)

Conditions apply. Please see Scotiabank^® Scene+^TM Bundle for Students Offer.

The Ultimate Package monthly account fee is waived if a minimum daily closing balance of $6,000 is maintained for the entire month in the Ultimate Package. If the monthly balance of the Ultimate Package account is less than the daily minimum of $6,000 but has a combined minimum daily closing balance of $30,000 across the Ultimate Package account and Momentum^PLUS Savings Account(s) for the entire month, the monthly account fee of the Ultimate Package account will be charged then rebated within the first 10 business days of the following month. The account must have sufficient funds to cover any fees, including the monthly fee. The account balance of one (1) Ultimate Package Account plus more than one (1) Momentum^PLUS Savings Account(s) qualifies to pay no monthly fees on one (1) Ultimate Package account. Account holders of the Ultimate Package who are also account holders of the Momentum^PLUS Savings Account(s) qualify.

The Scotiabank $500 Cash Bonus Bundle Offer (the “Offer”) is available between March 4, 2025 and April 30, 2025 (the “Offer Period”) to individuals who open new eligible accounts. Subject to the Offer conditions, eligible clients can:

i) Earn $400 when they open a new Preferred Package or Ultimate Package chequing account and complete certain qualifying transactions.

ii) Earn an additional $100 when they meet the conditions for the $400 bonus and open a new Eligible Registered Account (as defined below) with either The Bank of Nova Scotia or Scotia Securities Inc. (together, “Scotiabank”) and complete certain qualifying transactions.

 

For the purposes of this Offer, the following Scotia Registered Accounts are defined as “Eligible Registered Accounts”:  Scotia Registered Retirement Savings Plans (excluding Spousal RRSPs and locked-in plans such as LIRAs and LRSPs) (each an “RRSP”), Scotia Tax-Free Savings Accounts (each a “TFSA”) and Scotia First Home Savings Accounts (each a “FHSA”). Scotia RRIFs (including locked-in income plans), RESPs, RDSPs, and non-registered Scotia Investment Accounts are not included in the definition and are not eligible for the Offer.

 

$400 Cash Bonus for Preferred or Ultimate Package Conditions: To qualify for the $400 cash bonus (the “Package Bonus”), you must:

1. Open a new Ultimate Package or new Preferred Package chequing account (the “Eligible Chequing Account”) during the Offer Period; and

2. Complete any two (2) of the following activities in your Eligible Chequing Account within 60 days of Eligible Chequing Account opening:

• Set up and receive at least one eligible† automated and recurring direct deposit, such as payroll or pension, which will recur monthly for a minimum of six (6) consecutive months, or
• Set up and make a minimum of two (2) separate eligible† recurring pre-authorized transactions with a minimum value of at least $50 per transaction which will each recur monthly for a minimum of six (6) consecutive months, or
• Make at least one (1) eligible† online bill payment of at least $50 through the Scotiabank Mobile App or through Scotia OnLine.

 

† Click here for a list of eligible direct deposits, pre-authorized transactions and online bill payments. Notwithstanding a transaction may be included in these lists, certain exclusions may still apply and Scotiabank reserves the right to modify these lists and to determine whether a specific direct deposit, pre-authorized transaction or bill payment is eligible for the Package Bonus. Fund transfers initiated to other Scotiabank accounts (one time or recurring, e.g. credit card or savings account), to chequing or savings accounts held at other financial institutions, or to payment processing firms, are not eligible for the Package Bonus.

 

$100 Registered Account Bundle Conditions: To qualify for the $100 cash bonus (the “Registered Bundle Bonus”), you must meet the conditions for the $400 Package Bonus, and:

1. During the Offer Period and within 60 days of opening your Eligible Chequing Account, open a new Eligible Registered Account; and
2. Within 60 days of the Eligible Registered Account opening, contribute or transfer in a minimum of CAD $5,000 into your new Eligible Registered Account and maintain that minimum amount each day for at least three (3) consecutive months.

 

Eligibility and Exclusions:  Individuals who are currently holders of, or who were previously holders within the last two (2) years of, a Scotiabank Chequing Account are not eligible for the Package Bonus. “Scotiabank Chequing Account” means any of the following accounts: Ultimate Package, Preferred Package, Scotia One Account, Basic Plus Bank Account, Basic Banking Plan, Basic Bank Account, Momentum Chequing, Power Chequing, Scotia One Service, Scotia Value, Student Banking Advantage Plan. In order to qualify for the Registered Bundle Bonus, the individual cannot have held the same type of Eligible Registered Account (as that opened during the Offer Period) with Scotiabank in the six (6) months preceding the Offer Period.  Employees of Scotiabank are also not eligible for these Offers.

 

General Terms: Provided all Package Bonus conditions outlined above have been met, the Package Bonus will be deposited to the Eligible Chequing Account within approximately nine (9) months from Account open date. Provided all of the Registered Bundle Bonus conditions outlined have been met, the Registered Bundle Bonus will be deposited to your Eligible Registered Account within approximately ten (10) months from the Eligible Registered Account open date. You have 24 months from the date you believe you have fulfilled the applicable Offer conditions to notify us if you have not received the applicable cash bonus so that we may confirm your eligibility. For clients investing in non-Canadian dollar currencies, the investment will be calculated based on Canadian dollar equivalent at the Scotiabank rate on the transaction date to determine eligibility for the offer. The Package Bonus and Registered Bundle Bonus will be paid in Canadian dollars.

 

For either cash bonus to be fulfilled, the Eligible Chequing Account and the Eligible Registered Account, as applicable, must be open and in good standing until the time of payout of the cash bonus. The Eligible Chequing Account is not in "good standing" if any of the following conditions are not met: (i) it has a negative balance exceeding the authorized overdraft limit, (ii) it has been in continuous overdraft for a period of three consecutive months, or (iii) the Account holder is in breach of the Account agreement with Scotiabank. For purposes of this Offer, an Eligible Registered Account is not in 'good standing' if the account holder is in breach of the Eligible Registered Account’s client account agreement.

 

This Offer is non-transferable and may not be duplicated. Limit of one (1) Package Bonus and one (1) Registered Bundle Bonus per client (total bonus of up to $500), regardless of the number of Eligible Chequing Accounts or Eligible Registered Accounts opened. If more than one (1) Eligible Chequing Account is opened, only the first Eligible Chequing Account opened will be eligible for the Package Bonus.

 

If more than one (1) Eligible Registered Account is opened, only the first Eligible Registered Account that fulfilled the Registered Bundle Bonus Offer conditions will be eligible for the Registered Bundle Bonus. If two (2) Eligible Registered Accounts fulfill on the same day, the Registered Bundle Bonus will be paid into only one of the Eligible Registered Account(s) in the following order: (1) Eligible TFSA, then (2) Eligible FHSA, then (3) Eligible RRSP.   For joint Eligible Chequing Accounts, only one (1) Package Bonus will be applied to the primary account holder’s Eligible Chequing Account and only the primary holder of the Eligible Chequing Account is eligible to receive the Registered Bundle Bonus.

 

All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change. This Offer may be changed, cancelled or extended at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers, except the Scotiabank Registered Account Welcome Offer. All other terms and conditions of the Eligible Chequing Accounts and Eligible Registered Accounts continue to apply – please refer to the Day-to-Day Banking Companion Booklet or Investment Companion Booklet, as applicable.  All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change.

Additional fees apply for shared ABM services, cross-border debit transactions and other banking services not included in the chequing account package. For accounts that do not provide unlimited debit transactions, a charge for additional debit transactions may apply if you perform an Interac e-Transfer transaction over and above the number of debit transactions allowed in the account.

If you open an Ultimate Package account (the “Account”), on or after the date you open the Account (“Account Open Date”) you will receive an annual fee rebate of up to $150 on one Eligible Card that you hold as the primary cardholder (“Annual Fee Rebate”), for each year as long as you have one eligible Scotiabank Credit Card account (an “Eligible Card”) and the Account  which are open and in good standing. You will receive the Annual Fee Rebate, even if you opened an Eligible Card prior to the Account Open Date. Eligible Cards are the Scotiabank Gold American Express®, Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite*, Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Privilege*, Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* and Scotiabank Value® Visa* credit cards. Eligible Cards are subject to change. Each Account will only receive one Annual Fee Rebate regardless of the number of accountholders on the Account or Eligible Cards held or opened. The Annual Fee Rebate will be applied to the first annual fee charged on the Eligible Card after the Account Open Date. If you are the primary cardholder of multiple Eligible Cards, the Annual Fee Rebate will be applied to the first annual fee that is charged on an Eligible Card after the Account Open Date. If your Eligible Card has an annual fee that is greater than $150, you remain responsible for any difference after the Annual Fee Rebate is applied.  All other fees and charges applicable to the Eligible Card continue to apply. Annual Fee Rebate cannot be combined with any other annual fee rebate or waiver offer. Current annual fees, rates and other features for Eligible Cards are subject to change.

Account holders who have a Scotia iTRADE account (except for corporate and non-personal Scotia iTRADE accounts) qualify to be credited with the commissions associated with their first 10 online commissionable trades of equities, options, debentures ($24.99 per debenture trade) or ETFs (“Eligible Securities”) placed across all account holder(s)’ Scotia iTRADE accounts within the calendar year when they open the Ultimate Package account. In the second calendar year and thereafter, account holders qualify to be credited with the commissions associated with their first 5 online commissionable trades of Eligible Securities placed across all their Scotia iTRADE accounts during each year. Both the Ultimate Package account and Scotia iTRADE accounts must be in good standing on the last day of every month. Credits will be applied to the account holder’s non-registered Scotia iTRADE account, and, in its absence, to the account holder’s registered Scotia iTRADE account in CAD currency (converted from USD to CAD for trades executed in USD, using the applicable foreign exchange rate) within the first 10 business days of the month following the trades. To be eligible, the primary or joint account holder of the Ultimate Package account can be either the primary or joint account holder of the Scotia iTRADE account. Credits will appear as $4.99 or $9.99 per trade depending on the account trading activity: standard commissions are $9.99, if more than 150 trades are placed per quarter commissions are valued at $4.99 per trade, debenture commissions are valued at $24.99 per trade. Trades executed by a Trading Authority in the Scotia iTRADE account are also eligible. To qualify you must not be in a disallowed debit position in your Scotia iTRADE accounts and not have any outstanding margin calls due in your Scotia iTRADE accounts. No cash redemption value. Free trades are limited to one per client. Only one account holder per each joint Ultimate Package account will be entitled to receive the credits for 10 or 5 free trades, as applicable, into their Scotia iTRADE account.

Subject to availability. Upon activation, the primary account holder of the Ultimate Package account who gets a safety deposit box will receive a $60.00 fee waiver (value of a small safety deposit box) applied annually as long as the account is in good standing. Limit of one (1) annual waiver per Ultimate Package account.

Value of up to $2,200 is calculated as follows: i) up to $583.30 first year value with the StartRight^TM Program + ii) Up to $1,900 in Preferred Package, TFSA/RRSP and Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite welcome offer and first year point earn potential:

 

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 StartRight^TM customers as of November 1^st, 2024:

• $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 StartRight^TM Program features and products. Conditions apply. All products and features are subject to change.

 

ii) Value of up to $1,900 in Scotiabank welcome offers and first year point earn potential includes the following as of November 1^st, 2024:

• $800: $400 cash offer for new Preferred and Ultimate Package clients who complete certain qualifying conditions plus up to $400 when you open two eligible investments plans  and complete certain qualifying transactions;
• $250 in travel rewards (25,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients who spend $1,000 within the first 3 months;
• $50 supplementary card annual fee waiver on the first supplementary card for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients;
• $100 in travel rewards (10,000 bonus Scene+ points)  when you spend $40,000 annually on your Account each year (12-months);
• $250 in first year point earn potential (25,000 Scene+ points) on everyday purchases based on average annual first year spend per account with an average spend of 21% in 2X accelerator categories;
• $350 value with a complimentary Visa Airport Companion Program Membership and 6 lounge passes (annual membership plus one free visit of approx. CAD$134/USD$99 plus 5 lounge passes at CDN$48/USD$35 per pass). Currency conversion as at February 28, 2024;
• $100 in foreign transaction fee savings based on average first year annual foreign spend per account (save the 2.5% foreign transaction fee markup typically charged by  card issuers).

Actual offers and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility for applicable offers. Conditions apply.

If you open a Preferred Package account (the “Account”), on or after the date you open the Account (the “Account Open Date”), you will receive an annual fee rebate for the first year only (the “First Year Annual Fee Rebate”) on one eligible Scotiabank Credit Card account (an “Eligible Card”) opened on or after the Account Open Date. Eligible Cards are the Scotiabank Gold American Express®, Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite*, Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* and Scotiabank Value® Visa* credit cards. Eligible Cards are subject to change. Each Account can only receive one First Year Annual Fee Rebate regardless of the number of account holders on the Account or Eligible Cards opened. The First Year Annual Fee Rebate will be applied to the first annual fee charged to one Eligible Card that you hold as the primary cardholder after the Account Open Date. If there is more than one Eligible Card opened after the Account Open Date, the First Year Annual Fee Rebate will be applied only to the first annual fee charged to one Eligible Card that you hold as the primary cardholder after the Account Open Date. This First Year Annual Fee Rebate is only available for new Eligible Cards opened on or after the Account Open Date. Current or previous cardholders of an Eligible Card or cardholders that transfer to an Eligible Card on or after the Account Open Date will not receive the First Year Annual Fee Rebate. All other fees and charges applicable to the Eligible Card continue to apply. First Year Annual Fee Rebate will not be applied if the Account or Eligible Card is not open or is not in good standing and cannot be combined with any other annual fee rebate offer. Current annual fees, rates and other features for Eligible Cards are subject to change.

As of January 1, 2023, new and existing Preferred Package bank account holders who have an existing Scotia iTRADE account qualify for the following benefit:

• Trade one get one free using the Scotia iTRADE Mobile App: Receive a rebate for the commissions incurred for every second eligible commissionable trade placed through the Scotia iTRADE Mobile App (up to a maximum of 10 in the first calendar year and thereafter while the Scotia iTRADE customer is a Preferred Package bank account holder). The rebate relating to options will be applied to base commissions only.

Trade one get one free rebates: The rebate will be applied to the account holder’s non-registered Scotia iTRADE account, or in its absence, their registered Scotia iTRADE account, in CAD currency (converted from USD to CAD for trades executed in USD, using the applicable foreign exchange rate) within the first 10 business days of the month following the month that the trades were executed.

 

Eligibility & Exclusions:

• Eligible commissionable trades include stocks, ETFs, options placed across all Preferred Package account holder(s)’ Scotia iTRADE accounts within the calendar year since the later of January 1, 2023 and the time when a client opens a Scotia iTRADE account.
• Corporate and non-personal Scotia iTRADE accounts are not eligible.
• Joint Preferred Package account holders are collectively entitled to the rebates for the total of the first 10 or 20 (as applicable) eligible trades fulfilled within their Scotia iTRADE accounts as between joint Preferred Package account holders regardless of whether or not such Scotia ITRADE accounts are sole or joint with other people.
• Both the Preferred Package bank account and Scotia iTRADE accounts must be in good standing on the last day of every month.
• The Scotia iTRADE account must not be in a disallowed debit position and must not have any outstanding margin calls due.
• No cash redemption value.
• This offer can be combined with other Scotia iTRADE programs (excluding Student Banking Advantage Plan offer) and campaigns unless otherwise specified. Should free trade rebates be awarded for the other programs and campaigns, those free trades will be applied first until fully consumed before applying Preferred Package free trades rebate.

Scotia iTRADE^® (Order-Execution Only) is a division of Scotia Capital Inc. (“SCI”). SCI is regulated by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Scotia iTRADE does not provide investment advice or recommendations and investors are responsible for their own investment decisions.

Foreign currency exchange rates apply. For Ultimate Package customers and customers onboarded as a part of the Scotiabank StartRight® Program, we do not charge a service fee for the transfer, however, foreign currency exchange rates apply. A transfer needs to be made from an eligible Scotiabank Chequing or Savings account. Subject to daily limits and additional terms and conditions as set out in the Scotiabank International Money Transfer Agreement found at www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/ways-to-bank/scotiabank-international-money-transfer-agreement.html. 

Eligibility: you are eligible for the Student Banking Advantage Plan (chequing account) if you are enrolled full-time in a university, community college, or another recognized post-secondary institution in Canada or the United States. You will be required to confirm your student status by providing proof of enrollment. 
What happens when you’re no longer a student? When your student status expires based on Scotiabank’s records or you have failed to provide proof of enrollment confirming your full-time student status, the plan will be removed and the account will be converted to the Preferred Package as of December 1st following the date of your student status expiry.

As of January 1, 2023, new and existing Student Banking Advantage Plan account holders who open a new Scotia iTRADE account for the first time qualify for both of the following benefits: 

• Preferred $4.99 pricing on eligible commissionable trades (regularly $9.99). Note: it will take up to 10 business days from the date of opening a new Student Banking Advantage Plan or Scotia iTRADE account for the discounted $4.99 commission pricing to apply. 
• Trade one get one free using the Scotia iTRADE Mobile App:  Receive a rebate for the commissions incurred for every second eligible commissionable trade placed through the Scotia iTRADE Mobile App (up to a maximum of 20 in the first calendar year, and 10 in the second calendar year and thereafter while the Scotia iTRADE customer is a Student Banking Advantage Plan account holder). The rebate relating to options will be applied to base commissions only. 

As of January 1, 2023, new and existing Student Banking Advantage Plan account holders who have an existing Scotia iTRADE account qualify for both of the following benefits: 

• Preferred $4.99 pricing on eligible commissionable trades (regularly $9.99). Note: it will take up to 10 business days from the date of opening a new Student Banking Advantage Plan or Scotia iTRADE account for the discounted $4.99 commission pricing to apply. 
• Trade one get one free using the Scotia iTRADE Mobile App: Receive a rebate for the commissions incurred for every second eligible commissionable trade placed through the Scotia iTRADE Mobile App (up to a maximum of 10 in the first calendar year and thereafter while the Scotia iTRADE customer is a Student Banking Advantage Plan account holder). The rebate relating to options will be applied to base commissions only. 

Trade one get one free rebates: The rebate will be applied to the account holder’s non-registered Scotia iTRADE account, or in its absence, their registered Scotia iTRADE account, in CAD currency (converted from USD to CAD for trades executed in USD, using the applicable foreign exchange rate) within the first 10 business days of the month following the month that the trades were executed. 

Eligibility & Exclusions:

• Eligible commissionable trades include stocks, ETFs and options placed across all Student Banking Advantage Plan account holder(s)’ Scotia iTRADE accounts within the calendar year since the later of January 1, 2023 or the time when a client opens a Scotia iTRADE account. 
• Corporate and non-personal Scotia iTRADE accounts are not eligible. 
• The student (the primary account holder of the Student Banking Advantage Plan account) can be either the primary or joint account holder of the Scotia iTRADE account. 
• Only the primary account holder of a Student Banking Advantage Plan account will be entitled to receive the preferred $4.99 pricing or get their commissions reimbursed for every second eligible commissionable trade, as applicable, into their Scotia iTRADE account. 
• Both the Student Banking Advantage Plan account and Scotia iTRADE accounts must be in good standing on the last day of every month. 
• The Scotia iTRADE account must not be in a disallowed debit position and must not have any outstanding margin calls due. 
• No cash redemption value. 

This offer can be combined with other Scotia iTRADE programs (excluding Preferred Package) and campaigns unless otherwise specified. Should free trade rebates be awarded for the other programs and campaigns, those free trades will be applied first until fully consumed before applying Student Banking Advantage Plan free trades rebate. 

A Student Banking Advantage Plan holder can get a total value of $149.90 if they complete at least 20 eligible commissionable trades on the mobile app in a calendar year, which value is comprised of the $50 total value of the discounted commission on 10 trades and the $99.90 value of the 10 free trades. 

Scotia iTRADE ^® (Order-Execution Only) is a division of Scotia Capital Inc. (“SCI”). SCI is regulated by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Scotia iTRADE does not provide investment advice or recommendations and investors are responsible for their own investment decisions.

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.

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