Does the Scotiabank Gold Amex include a free eSIM?

No. The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is an American Express card, and Amex runs no cardholder eSIM program in Canada, so no complimentary travel data is attached to it at any tier.

Does the Scotiabank Gold Amex charge a foreign transaction fee?

No. Scotiabank charges nothing extra on purchases made in another currency with this card, which is unusual in Canada: most cards add about 2.5%. You still get the payment network's exchange rate rather than a retail one, and declining dynamic currency conversion at the terminal still matters.

What is the annual fee on the Scotiabank Gold Amex?

$120. Additional cardholders are $29. Scotiabank states eligibility as $12,000 minimum annual income.

Scotiabank · American Express

Does the Scotiabank Gold Amex include an eSIM?

No, nothing is included

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is an American Express card. American Express runs no cardholder eSIM program in Canada, so there is no complimentary data attached to this card at any tier.

Where it runs out

There is no complimentary allowance on this card, so every megabyte you use abroad comes from either your Canadian carrier's roaming rate or a travel eSIM you buy yourself. The gap is the part worth planning, and it is cheaper to close than most people expect.

Closing the gap

Our Europe+ plans start at $4.99 USD, and a 10GB plan valid 30 days costs less than a single day of most Canadian carrier roaming. You keep your Canadian SIM active for calls and 2FA texts, switch data roaming off on that line, and run data over the eSIM.

Browse Europe+ plans

The card itself

Annual fee: $120
Additional cardholder: $29
Foreign transaction fee: NoneNo FX fee
Network tier: American Express
Eligibility: $12,000 minimum annual income

What it earns

On what	Rate
Sobeys, Safeway and other participating grocers	6x Scene+
Dining, entertainment and other groceries	5x Scene+
Gas, transit and streaming	3x Scene+
Everything else	1x

Travel perks worth naming

The highest everyday earn rate of any no-FX card in Canada
No foreign transaction fee
A $12,000 minimum income requirement, the lowest bar in this list

Best for

Everyday spending. The 5x and 6x categories are the strongest here and the fee is only $120.

Watch out

Accelerated rates stop after the first $50,000 of annual purchases, Amex acceptance thins out fast once you leave North America, and there is no network eSIM program on Amex at all.

The conditions on the eSIM benefit

Visa runs a cardholder eSIM program with GigSky and Mastercard runs one with FlexiRoam. American Express has no Canadian equivalent, so on an Amex the data is on you.
This is the single clearest reason to carry a Visa or Mastercard alongside an Amex on a trip, quite apart from the acceptance problem abroad.

Other American Express cards

These carry the same network tier, so the eSIM answer is identical. They differ on fees, earn rates and whether they charge you to spend in another currency.

Sources

Card facts were read off the issuer's own product pages and regulated disclosures on 2026-08-23. Network eSIM terms come from the program operator's own Canadian terms page, not from a rewards blog. Both operators can change or withdraw these programs without notice, so confirm before you rely on one. We sell travel eSIMs and none of these card links pays us a commission.

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card — Scotiabank
Scotiabank credit card fees, including the 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee and the cards exempt from it — Scotiabank

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