Do you like to save money? That’s great, so do we! That's why we love to study the different loyalty programs! In fact, in Canada, the range of choices is very wide and there is something for everyone! Indeed, whether you are a wine lover, a travel enthusiast or a movie buff, there is certainly a program that corresponds to your consumption habits.
In Canada, SCENE is the first and only entertainment loyalty program. It is from a partnership between two big Canadian institutions: Scotiabank and Cineplex Entertainment. Moviegoers are in for a treat since the program allows them to accumulate SCENE points and redeem them for movie tickets. We'll look at this later, but it's also possible to use your points to buy other types of rewards.
Cineplex is a Canadian company that operates more than 160 theatres across the country. With the pandemic, theatres have faced a rather difficult reality and the program has undergone some changes. Here are the features to consider in order to know if the SCENE points loyalty program can be beneficial for you.
Where to use your Scotia SCENE points card
First, you will be happy to know that joining the SCENE points loyalty program is free. All you have to do is go to the Scene rewards website and follow a few simple steps. Since you receive your membership number directly after signing up, you can enjoy the benefits immediately. Moreover, thanks to an application that you can download on your cell phone, you can have access to your card, your offers and much more at your fingertips. You will also receive a card by mail.
You can use your card at any Cineplex theatre, for admission tickets, the food counter, and other on-site entertainment, such as the arcades. However, with your card, you can also earn points at other locations that are affiliated with the program, such as restaurants and entertainment venues. As for accumulating points, locations and offers vary but we will come back to this shortly. Among the different partners, we often find the same restaurants such as Harvey's, East Side Mario's and Swiss Chalet. If you have a Scotiabank SCENE Visa card or SCENE debit card, you get SCENE points on every purchase you make with your card, regardless of location.
How to earn SCENE points
First, when you join the programme and use your card within the first 90 days, you benefit from a welcome offer of 250 SCENE points. This offer is worth $2.50 CAD. You can start redeeming your points for rewards as soon as you have a minimum of 500 points.
| Points | Value |
| 1 point | 1 cent |
| 250 points | $2.50 |
| 1,000 points | $10 |
Subsequently, with the SCENE card, you earn SCENE points on different purchases. These offers are still in effect. Here are some examples:
- For your Cineplex theater tickets and all food counter purchases, you get five SCENE points for every dollar you spend. So with a movie ticket that costs about ten dollars, you accumulate 50 points. These have a redemption value of 50 cents.
- At the Cineplex Store, you also earn five points per dollar spent.
If you purchase a gift card from The Ultimate Dining Card, you earn one point for every five dollars spent.
In addition, you can also earn points through various offers that differ over time. For example, during part of the summer of 2021, there was an offer that allowed you to accumulate 15 SCENE points for every three dollars spent at Harvey's. In order to take advantage of this offer, you had to download the offer on your phone app and present your SCENE card when you visit Harvey's. On a bill, say of 15 dollars, you get 75 SCENE points. These have a redemption value of 75 cents.
In order to know the different offers and accumulate more SCENE points, the best thing to do is to watch for new offers that appear on your application.
Maximize your Scotia SCENE rewards
As you can see, with the way SCENE points are valued, it can take a while to redeem your points for rewards. Unless you go to the movies very regularly, accumulating a lot of points is slow going. If you want to enjoy rewards quickly, you need to be on the lookout for the different offers.
You can also get points faster by sharing your account with your partner who, like you, loves going to the movies.
Fortunately, there's a way to earn points much faster: you must have a Scotiabank SCENE Visa card or SCENE debit card. We will come back to this shortly.
What to do with your SCENE points
As mentioned above, a minimum of 500 points is required to start redeeming your points. The program offers you the choice of using your points for rewards related to movies, entertainment or gift cards. Here are some examples:
- with 1,250 points, you get a free regular or 3D-movie ticket;
- with 500 points, you get five dollars off towards food at Cineplex cinemas;
- with 2,500 points, you get a free VIP movie ticket;
- with 500 points, you get five dollars off at Harvey's, East Side Mario’s, and Bier Markt restaurants.
As for digital gift cards, you can redeem your points to get cards from a variety of businesses including Ardene, American Eagle Outfitters, Best Buy, Footlocker, and much more.
Of all the redemption options, the value of your points is very similar. However, it is advisable to take advantage of movie-related rewards. If you want to enjoy other benefits, such as gift cards, you will probably be better off with another loyalty program. We, therefore, recommend that you keep your SCENE card in order to take advantage of discounts when you go to the movies.
The best credit card to earn Scotia SCENE points
| Scene Debit Card | Scene Visa Card |
| $ 5 = 1 point | $ 1 = 1 point |
| Earn 1 point for every $5 spent using your SCENE debit card | Earn 2,500 bonus points with regular purchases of $500 in the first three months |
With the SCENE debit card, you earn one SCENE point for every five dollars spent, no matter where the transaction is made. You can accumulate points much faster and enjoy low-cost movie outings. In fact, by signing up for a new plan with Scotiabank, you receive $300 directly in your account.
Otherwise, there is also the SCENE Visa credit card available. You get one SCENE point for every dollar spent no matter where the transaction is made. Some features of the card include:
SCENE Visa Card
Fee: $0
Rate: 19.99%
Welcome Offer: 2500 bonus Scene points when you spend $500 in the first 3 months
Rewards: 5 Scene points for every $1 spent
To find out if this is the right credit card for you, we invite you to use the Hardbacon credit card comparison tool. It is a free and customizable tool that allows you to get credit card options that match your financial situation and needs.
Scotiabank SCENE Visa Card and Scotia Rewards
If you have a Scotiabank SCENE Visa card or SCENE debit card, you can convert your SCENE points to Scotia Rewards at any time. This way, if your needs change, you can enjoy rewards that better suit your expectations.
To ensure that your points do not expire, you must keep your account active. Simply accumulate at least one point to keep your account active. Otherwise, after two years without activity, you will lose your points.
Program summary
| Where to use your SCENE points card | Cineplex Cinemas- Cineplex Store Restaurants affiliated with the program, according to current offers |
| Value of points | 1,000 points accumulated = 10 dollars in rewards |
| How to earn points | SCENE points Card Scotiabank SCENE Visa Card Scotiabank SCENE Debit Card |
| What to do with your points | Redeem for rewards at Cineplex cinemas Discounts at restaurants affiliated with the program Digital Gift CardsRedeem for Scotia Bonus points |
| SCENE Credit and Debit Card | Scotiabank SCENE Visa Card Scotiabank SCENE Debit Card |
| Particularities of the SCENE program | Points expire after two years of inactivity Ability to redeem points with Scotia Bonus points |
| Program Benefits | FreeCanada's only entertainment-focused program Ideal for movie buffs Very simple to use |
In short, you will probably have understood that if you do not go to the movies often, the SCENE loyalty program is not really for you. However, if you like to discover new movies, you will be delighted!
For example, a ten-dollar admission earns you 50 points. With 500 points, you get a five-dollar discount on a ticket. So after ten admissions, you get a five-dollar discount. Although the value is quite low, if you already go to the movies regularly, you will be happy to take advantage of such a discount.
If you're on the lookout for promotions and you use the Scotiabank SCENE Visa or SCENE debit card, your movie trips could soon become free.
Enjoy the movie!
About The Author: Arthur Dubois
Passionate about personal finance and financial technology, Arthur Dubois is a writer and SEO specialist at Hardbacon. Since his arrival in Canada, he’s built his credit score from nothing.
Arthur invests in the stock market but doesn’t pay any fees because he uses National Bank Direct Brokerage online broker and Wealthsimple’s robo-advisor. He pays for his subscriptions online with his KOHO prepaid card, and uses his Tangerine credit card for most of his in-store purchases. When he buys bitcoins, it’s with the BitBuy online platform. Of course it goes without saying that he uses the Hardbacon app so that he can manage all of his finances from one convenient place.
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