In brief
Explore our comparison of the CIBC Aventura and Scotiabank Scene+ programs to find out which loyalty program is the best.
Deciding what type of loyalty rewards you want to get can seem complicated given the number of choices available to you.
Often one of the easiest options is to choose the program offered by your main bank, or to choose a program that gives you points that you can easily use every day, but are these programs really worth it?
In this review, we’ll compare CIBC Aventura and Scotiabank Scene+, two convenient banking rewards programs, to see which one offers the most benefits and flexibility, and see how both can help you take great trips around the world.
CIBC Aventura vs. Scotiabank Scene+
Table of Contents
Both the CIBC Aventura and Scotiabank Scene+ programs are travel-focused and also offer multiple ways to redeem and benefit from your points. To determine which program is best, we will compare the following key areas:
- Accumulation of points;
- Usage options;
- Benefits of the program.
Point accumulation
There are many ways to earn points with each of these programs, so let’s see which one makes it easiest to increase your account balance.
Cards of credit county
You can earn Aventura points with the following CIBC credit cards :
These cards have earn rate starting at 1 point per $2 spentuntil 3 points per $1 spentdepending on the card you hold.
On the other side of this comparison, you can accumulate Scène+ points with following Scotiabank credit cards:
You’ll find a good mix of Visa and American Express options here, offering accumulation rate from 1 Scène+ point per $1 spent and going up to 6 Scène+ points per $1 spent.
As we can see, both programs offer cards that all types of spenders can access and benefit from.
Each program offers options with no annual fee and no minimum income requirement (or minimum requirements), high-end options with high annual fees but offering great benefits, and a range of mid-tier cards.
Additionally, most cards offered under each program also offer welcome points offers to help you start building your account balance quickly.
Other ways to accumulate
In addition to earning points with eligible credit cards, you can also increase your Scène+ points balance by simply holding a program membership card and scanning it when making eligible purchases.
Membership of Scène+ is free (you can easily register on the program website), and it’s a great way to earn those points at participating merchants like Sobeys and Cineplex.
Scène+ members and credit card holders can also earn more points using the following methods:
In comparison, on the other side of this comparison, CIBC Aventura points can only be earned with one of the cards in the Aventura range.
Trading options
After accumulating a good number of points, it’s time to have fun!
The programme CIBC Aventura and the Scotiabank Scene+ program both offer numerous ways to redeem your points, such as:
- Voyage
- Account credits and investments
- Free groceries, meals and entertainment;
- Merchandise and gift cards.
Voyage
With the programme CIBC Aventura and the Scotiabank Scene+ programone of the best ways to redeem your points is to use them for travel.
CIBC Aventura
The CIBC Aventura program offers a few different ways to redeem your points for travel.
The first and most beneficial travel option is to redeem your Aventura points for a round-trip economy class flight using the CIBC Aventura flight rewards chart. This option can allow you to obtain a value up to 2.3 cents per Aventura point.
When you use this table for your redemption, you’ll redeem your points to cover the base fare of your flight, up to a tiered maximum cost based on where you’re traveling.
The second way you can use your Aventura points to save on travel is through CIBC by Expedia, which allows you to book a trip through its travel portal and then to exchange your points for 1 cent each to cover your flight, hotel, car rental and more.
You can also get this same value per point by taking advantage of the Aventura redemption promotion, redeeming your points for your pending transaction in the travel category to get an account credit.
Finally, you can choose to exchange your points for a gift card from a travel merchant (e.g., Air Canada).
Scotiabank Scene+
On the other side of this comparison, you can use your Scène+ points to book travel through Scène+ by Expedia. Similar to CIBC’s option, this travel booking portal allows you to make reservations as you normally would, then to exchange your Scène+ points for 1 cent each to cover the cost.
Additionally, with Scene+, you can use the program’s travel redemption feature, which allows you to save on travel by redeeming your Scene+ points for eligible travel purchases made on the card in the last 12 months, also for a value of 1 cent per point.
This option is especially handy for helping you save money on small boutique hotels, Airbnbs, car rentals, and other travel costs that you can’t cover with hotel and airline loyalty points.
Free groceries, entertainment and dining
One of Scène+’s best-known redemption options is the ability to instantly exchange your accumulated points for savings at eligible grocery stores, restaurants and entertainment centers.
In this category, Scène+ members can redeem 1,000 points for $10 off chez Sobeys, IGA, Cineplex, Rec Room, Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario’s et plus encore.
CIBC Aventura does not offer an equivalent exchange option.
Goods
Another way to use your Aventura Points and Scene+ Points is to redeem them for merchandise or gift cards.
However, none of these options represent the best value for your points, so we recommend choosing these redemptions only if you don’t intend to use the points in other, more valuable ways.
In terms exchange for merchandise, only CIBC Aventura allows you to browse a catalog of items that you can acquire with your points.
However, since it’s impossible to know exactly how much a given item would cost in cash, we can’t really confirm a value for these exchanges.
That said, to give an example, our recent search showed us a Breville Nespresso Pixie espresso machine being offered for as low as 27,300 Aventura points, with the item typically retailing for around $240.
This gives us a value of 0.88 cents per point for this particular commodity exchange.
Gift Cards
In terms of redeeming points for gift cards, let’s compare the same option of both programs:
- CIBC Aventura : $100 Apple Gift Card = 14,000 Aventura Points (or 0.71 cents per point)
- Scotiabank Scene+: $100 Apple gift card = 13,400 Scene+ points (or 0.75 cents per point)
Account credits and investments
Redeeming your points to cover the cost of credit card purchases or to contribute to your retirement fund is another way to use both Aventura Points and Scene+ Points.
CIBC Aventura
- Pay with points: Reduce your credit card balance from 4,000 points = $25 (or 0.63 cents per point);
- Invest and save: Make payments/contributions to eligible financial products, starting at 12,000 = $100 (or 0.83 cents per point);
- Shop with points: Pay for eligible purchases that are still pending card transactions between $25 and $249.99 (1 point = 1 cent);
Scotiabank Scene+
- Points for credit: Use your points to pay your credit card bill, starting at 3,000 points = $20 (or 0.67 cents per point).
Program Benefits
In addition to the possibility of accumulating and redeeming points, the programme CIBC Aventura and the Scotiabank Scene+ program offer credit card holders a range of other benefits.
Now, the exact benefits you will receive depend on the credit card you choose to keep in your wallet, but in general, you can find the following benefits within the respective card families:
CIBC Aventura
The benefits you can enjoy with the CIBC Aventura line of credit cards include:
Scotiabank Scene+
Depending on which Scotiabank credit card you have, you may potentially benefit from the following benefits:
- No currency conversion fees;
- Free access to airport lounges;
- Annual travel credit;
- Booking trips through Voyages Scène+, powered by Expedia;
- Access to Amex Offers, Amex Experiences and the Amex Preview service (if you have an American Express card);
- Priority airport services;
- Elite status with eligible car rental companies;
- Various travel insurance coverage;
- Car rental insurance;
- …and more.
Conclusion
Here we are at the end of our comparison, and we must now decide if one of these two programs is better than the other.
After comparing the CIBC Aventura program and the Scotiabank Scene+ program, we found that each program offers substantial value for the right person, and the best program is the one that best fits your spending style and redemption desires.
If you’re all about good value and savings on your flights, the CIBC Aventura program could be right for you, giving you access to the Aventura flight rewards table and offering you great opportunities to save on travel.
Otherwise, if you’re looking for a credit card with no currency conversion fees that offers significant travel benefits, or if you like the idea of saving on everyday expenses like groceries, Scotiabank’s Scene+ program might be a better option.
Both programs are easy to access, so you should have no problem taking advantage of the one that suits you best.
FAQ
date: 2026-01-06 19:07:00
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