The Chexy Rundown
Posts
💸 New Welcome Bonus Offers on Scotiabank Cards + 25% Off Business Class Flights from Montreal with KLM

💸 New Welcome Bonus Offers on Scotiabank Cards + 25% Off Business Class Flights from Montreal with KLM

Scotiabank just bumped its Scene+ welcome bonuses to record highs, and Flying Blue is offering 25% off business class flights from Montreal (but with a catch). Here’s what you need to know.

Brianna Harrison
January 03, 2026

In This Issue:

💳 New Scotiabank Scene+ Welcome Bonus Offers

✈️ 25% Off KLM Business Class Flights to Europe (With a Catch)

🛫 Chexy Deals: Business Class to Europe + Asia from YYZ, YUL, & YVR

💳 New Scotiabank Scene+ Welcome Bonus Offers: Are They Worth It?

Scotiabank just refreshed the welcome bonus offers for its two Scene+ travel cards. These now come with higher-than-usual welcome bonuses, including one with the largest Scene+ bonus ever offered.

If you’ve been on the fence about getting one of these cards, now might be the time. Let’s break down exactly how many points you can earn and if these cards are worth getting. 👇

✈️ Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege: Up to 100,000 Scene+ Points

This is Scotia’s most premium card, and the new welcome bonus lives up to the hype. If you unlock the full offer, 100,000 Scene+ points are worth about $1,000 toward travel, groceries, dining, or Scene+ partners. That’s the highest Scene+ bonus we’ve seen to date.

The Offer: Up to 100,000 Points

You’ll earn:

30,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
45,000 more after spending $20,000 in the first 6 months
25,000 more after making any purchase in month 14

Yes, the spend requirement is quite high, but using this card to pay rent and bills with Chexy makes it easy.

Real-life example:

If your monthly rent and bills come to $3,000 per month and you pay it with Chexy:

6 months of rent & bills = $18,000
Chexy fee = $315
Total charged = $18,315

That alone gets you most of the way to the $20k threshold. Add groceries, travel, and other spending, and the bonus becomes very realistic. You’ll also earn 18,315 Scene+ points from your Chexy spend, too.

😎 The Other Perks

This card is loaded with travel perks, including:

$250 annual travel credit
No foreign transaction fees
10 airport lounge passes
Earn up to 6x Scene+ points per $1 spent
Strong travel insurance and concierge access

This card does have a steep $599 annual fee, so it only makes sense if you travel often and can hit the spend. In our opinion, this new higher welcome bonus makes it well worth it.

🌟 Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite: Up to 60,000 Scene+ Points

This card is the sweet spot for most people. It comes with a lower annual fee (only $150), easier spend requirements, and still very flexible rewards.

On paper, the welcome bonus is 60,000 points, but realistically, 50,000 points come from the welcome bonus, with another 10,000 available annually if you’re a heavy spender.

The Offer: Up to 60,000 Points

You’ll earn:

40,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months
10,000 more after spending $10,000 in the first 6 months
Plus 10,000 points annually if you spend $40,000

If your rent is $2,000 a month and you use this card with Chexy, you’ll hit the full welcome bonus in just 5 months, plus earn over 10,000 Scene+ points from the spend itself.

😎 The Other Perks

You’ll also get:

No FX fees
6 lounge passes
Solid travel insurance
Earn up to 3x points on groceries, dining, & transit

This card only has a $150 annual fee, but it’s waived if you have an eligible Scotia bank account. It’s a great choice if you don’t travel too often but still want some airport perks and solid earn rates.

🤑 What Are Scene+ Points Worth?

Scene+ points are simple but flexible. In most cases, 1 Scene+ point = 1 cent when redeemed for travel, groceries, dining, and entertainment through Scene+ partners. No complicated charts, no airline math. ✅

Here’s what that looks like in real life:

60,000 Scene+ points (~$600 in value) can get you:

A round-trip flight within Canada or to the US
Several hotel nights on a mid-range trip
A big chunk of your grocery bill over a few months

100,000 Scene+ points (~$1,000 in value) can cover:

Most (or all) of an international economy flight
Flights + hotel on a short trip
More than a few months of groceries or everyday redemptions

The Scene+ program doesn’t have the highest ceiling compared to airline programs, but the tradeoff is simplicity. Scene+ points are easy to earn and use, which is why you might want to consider getting one of these cards for the welcome bonus.

✈️ 25% Off KLM Business Class from Montreal (With a Catch)

Flying Blue Promo Rewards are here for January, and this month’s deal gets you 25% off KLM business class flights from Montreal to Europe.

However, there’s a catch: this discount is only available if you’re a Flying Blue Extra subscriber. So while the pricing is great, you’ll need to decide whether paying upfront is actually worth it.

Let’s break it down. 👇

🌍 The Deal: 25% Off Business Class (Flying Blue Extra Only)

This month’s promo applies to KLM business class flights from Montreal to Europe, Turkey, or North Africa. Book by January 31st, 2026, and travel by June 30th, 2026.

With the 25% discount, business class awards start at 45,000 Flying Blue Miles one-way. That’s significantly lower than what most Canadian programs charge for lie-flat seats to Europe.

Availability varies by destination and date, but right now there’s solid coverage, especially in winter and early spring.

🛫 Where Can You Fly?

Since we don’t have a Flying Blue Extra subscription, the price shows 60,000 miles, but with the membership, it drops down to 45,000. Here are discounted business class award flights we found:

Montreal (YUL) to Amsterdam (AMS) on Jan 27, 2026:

Montreal (YUL) to Istanbul (IST) on Feb 2, 2026:

If you book in cash, you’d be paying 4,531 euros for the flight to Amsterdam and 2,358 euros to Istanbul. At 45,000 miles one-way, you’re getting a value of 5 to 10 cents per mile, which is a great deal.

🤔 What Is Flying Blue Extra (and Is It Worth It)?

Flying Blue Extra is a paid 12-month subscription that unlocks better award pricing and benefits. For this promo, it’s mandatory.

The lowest-tier package starts at €379 (~$550 CAD). At first glance, that feels steep, until you look at the savings.

Here’s the key math:

25% off a round-trip business class award saves ~30,000 miles
Those 30,000 miles can easily be worth $600–$900+ in real value

If you book even one round-trip business class flight using this promo, Flying Blue Extra can pay for itself. Book two, and it’s a no-brainer.

But is it worth the extra money? It can be worth it if:

You’re booking business class
You’ll use this promo (or others) at least once this year

However, it may not be worth it if:

You’re flying economy class
You won’t redeem miles during the subscription period

How to Get Flying Blue Miles

If you don’t already have Flying Blue Miles, your best option is to transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue at a 1:0.75 ratio.

For these discounted business class flights, you’ll need to transfer 60,000 MR points for a one-way ticket or 120,000 MR points for a round-trip flight.

By putting your rent, bills, and other big expenses on your Amex card through Chexy, you can earn points quickly and hit those huge welcome bonuses, some worth up to 100,000 points.

Let’s say you spend $2,600 on fixed monthly expenses ($2,000 in rent plus $600 in other bills). Charging that to your Amex card gets you to the 70,000-point mark (the first tier of the 100,000-point bonus) in under three months.

That’s more than enough for a one-way ticket at the discounted rate, all without changing how you normally spend. 🫡

⭐️ Final Thoughts: Is This Promo Actually Worth It?

If you live in Montreal and have been eyeing a business class flight to Europe, this is one of the cheapest ways to get there on points we’ve seen.

Yes, Flying Blue Extra is an extra cost, and you have to decide whether it’s worth it, but it can be if you take advantage of this or another month’s Promo Rewards.

If a trip to Europe is on your radar this year, this promo is worth a serious look, especially if you’re already earning Amex points through Chexy and everyday spending.

🚀 Love Chexy? Come Work with Us!

We’re looking for people to join the Chexy team. If you thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and enjoy helping people, this is your chance to shape the future of our platform while supporting the users you already know and love.