CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite vs Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite in Canada

1Is the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite or the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite better?

Cash-back cards with grocery bonuses and different recurring-payment categories.

WalletReturn example spending of $2,000/month: groceries $500, dining $200, gas $150, transit $80, travel $100, recurring bills $200, entertainment $100, drugstore $40, online $300, other $330.

Some of that lead sits in capped categories on the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite + (Recurring bills), so it narrows once the cap is reached; the cap section below shows what applies afterwards.

2How do the two cards compare, fact by fact?

Rewards net of the annual fee are the year’s estimated rewards after the card’s regular fee, excluding any welcome offer. First-year value adds a welcome offer where the card supports one. Both use the same example spending profile for every card.

A “Not recorded” entry means our catalogue does not hold that fact for the card. It is an unknown, not a favourable fact, and we never fill the gap by assumption.

3Which card pays more in each category?

A bonus rate applies only to purchases that record in that category. Merchant classification decides it, so a purchase in the same store can earn differently.

Across the 9 categories both cards price, the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite is higher in 2, the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite in 1, and they are level in 6.

CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite: a $20,000 annual cap shared by groceries, gas, transit, dining and recurring bills, after which 1% applies. Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite +: a $25,000 annual cap shared by groceries and recurring bills, after which 1% applies; a $25,000 annual cap shared by gas, transit and dining, after which 1% applies.

CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite base rate: 1% on purchases outside its bonus categories. Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite + base rate: 1% on purchases outside its bonus categories.

4Do the bonus rates have caps?

CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite: a $20,000 annual cap shared by groceries, gas, transit, dining and recurring bills, after which 1% applies. Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite +: a $25,000 annual cap shared by groceries and recurring bills, after which 1% applies; a $25,000 annual cap shared by gas, transit and dining, after which 1% applies.

A cap is often shared between categories — groceries and dining on one card can use the same allowance, so spending in one reduces what is left at the bonus rate in the other.

An unrecorded cap is an unknown, not a promise that no cap exists. Confirm the current terms with the issuer before relying on a rate.

5Is the extra annual fee worth it?

This arithmetic uses our example profile: WalletReturn example spending of $2,000/month: groceries $500, dining $200, gas $150, transit $80, travel $100, recurring bills $200, entertainment $100, drugstore $40, online $300, other $330. A smaller month of bonus-category spending has to earn the fee back on less.

With equal fees, the entire difference is in the earning rules.

If either card’s fee is waived or rebated in the first year, that changes year one only. Compare the regular fee for a card you plan to keep.

6How do the first-year values compare?

A welcome offer is conditional: it usually needs a minimum spend inside a set period, and it pays once. Ongoing rewards are what the card is worth in a normal year after its fee.

7Which card should I pick?

If you expect to carry a balance, the lower borrowing rate is 20.99% against 21.99%, and interest at those levels can outweigh a year of rewards. This comparison prices rewards only.

WalletReturn is paid by affiliate links on some cards. Compensation does not change an estimate, a cap or the order of any ranking, and we do not predict approval odds or eligibility.

8How do I check this against my own spending?

Compare puts two cards side by side, and the Rewards Calculator shows the arithmetic for one card at a time. My Wallet keeps the pair you actually hold.

Every card is put through the same earn rules, cap records and welcome offers. Where a card’s terms do not document something, it stays unrecorded on its product page and in this article.