Canada’s Best Bank Loyalty & Cash-Back Programs: Deep Dive on RBC Avion Rewards and Scotiabank Scene+

 

Canada’s retail banking market has quietly become a proving ground for sophisticated loyalty programs that drive engagement well beyond credit-card rewards. Below is an in-depth, data-driven look at two leaders—Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Scotiabank—covering how each program works, the measurable “before vs. after” impact, and what we can—and can’t—know about their annual and quarterly budgets.

1) Scotiabank — Scene+: from movie points to a national coalition

What changed (“implementation”)
In 2022, Scotiabank and Cineplex brought grocery giant Empire Company (Sobeys, Safeway, etc.) in as a co-owner of Scene+, and rolled the program across Empire banners nationwide through early 2023. At the time of the announcement, Scene+ counted “over 10 million” members and was gearing up to become a true, everyday-spend coalition program spanning groceries, pharmacy, travel, retail and entertainment.
Source: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/empire-becomes-co-owner-of-scene-unveils-refreshed-loyalty-strategy-810078972.html newswire.ca

After: membership, engagement & issuance
By fiscal 2024, Scotiabank reported Scene+ membership had grown to 15+ million, citing deeper client relationships: almost 40% of Scotiabank clients with Scene+ now hold three or more Scotiabank products. The bank also recorded record-high point issuance—a strong proxy for increased earn and redemption activity—alongside a strategic push for “primary client” growth.
Source: Scotiabank 2024 Annual Report (see CEO letter and Canadian Banking section): https://www.scotiabank.com/content/dam/scotiabank/corporate/quarterly-reports/2024/q4/Annual_Report_2024_EN.pdf scotiabank.com

Measured “before vs. after” (headline metrics)

Budget: what’s disclosed (annual & quarterly)

Takeaway
Scene+’s expansion into everyday essentials (groceries & pharmacy) unlocked large, measurable uplifts in scale (10M+ → 15M+) and relationship depth (~40% with 3+ products). While the bank doesn’t publish a recurring loyalty “budget,” the C$133M Q4-2022 investment shows the scale of capital Scotiabank is willing to deploy to reshape customer behavior and primacy.


2) RBC — Avion Rewards: rebrand + retail coalitions that meet Canadians where they shop

What changed (“implementation”)
RBC rebranded RBC Rewards to Avion Rewards in August 2022, then layered in large retail coalitions to shift the program from “travel-first” to “everyday value.” Two key moves in 2024:

After: scale and value footprint
RBC’s 2024 Annual Report highlights that Avion Rewards enables Canadians to shop, earn and redeem with 2,400+ retailers and brands—a concrete indicator of program breadth after the 2022 rebrand and 2024 grocery partnerships.
Source: RBC 2024 Annual Report (Canada section). https://www.rbc.com/investor-relations/_assets-custom/pdf/ar_2024_e.pdf РБК

Measured “before vs. after” (available public data)

Note: Unlike Scene+, RBC has not publicly disclosed total Avion Rewards membership counts in its filings. Instead, it emphasizes footprint (retailers/brands) and coalition reach via grocery partners—useful leading indicators of increased everyday engagement.

Budget: what’s disclosed (annual & quarterly)

Takeaway
RBC shifted Avion from a traditional travel-rewards engine into an everyday-value ecosystem, anchored by grocery partnerships and a 2,400+ retailer network. The sheer breadth is the “after” metric we can verify publicly. Like other banks, RBC does not itemize quarterly/annual loyalty costs; spend is embedded in overall operating expenses and partner arrangements.

What marketers and product teams can learn

  1. Coalitions change behavior at scale. Scene+ added grocery at national scope and lifted members from 10M+ → 15M+, with record point issuance and deeper multi-product penetration (~40% with 3+ products)—all signs of more frequent earn/burn cycles and stronger primary-banking relationships. newswire.cascotiabank.com

  2. Everyday categories turbocharge perceived value. RBC’s embrace of groceries (Metro Moi, More Rewards) and thousands of retailers pushes rewards out of the “travel-only” niche, delivering visible savings on essentials that resonate in a high-inflation environment. newswire.caMarketScreener Hong KongРБК

  3. Budget transparency is rare; use proxies. Banks seldom publish a recurring “loyalty budget.” Look for one-off support costs (Scotiabank’s C$133M in Q4-2022), membership growth, partner coverage, and point issuance as your proxy KPIs for ROI and program intensity. scotiabank.com+1

Sources (direct links)

  1. Scotiabank 2024 Annual Report: https://www.scotiabank.com/content/dam/scotiabank/corporate/quarterly-reports/2024/q4/Annual_Report_2024_EN.pdf scotiabank.com

  2. Scotiabank Supplementary Financial Information (Q4-2024, citing the C$133M Scene+ support cost recorded in Q4-2022): https://www.scotiabank.com/content/dam/scotiabank/corporate/quarterly-reports/2024/q4/Q424_Supplementary_Financial_Information-EN.pdf scotiabank.com

  3. Scene+ rollout announcement (Empire/Sobeys becomes co-owner; 10M+ members): https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/empire-becomes-co-owner-of-scene-unveils-refreshed-loyalty-strategy-810078972.html newswire.ca

  4. RBC 2024 Annual Report (Avion Rewards; 2,400+ retailers/brands): https://www.rbc.com/investor-relations/_assets-custom/pdf/ar_2024_e.pdf РБК

  5. RBC × Metro Moi Rewards partnership (core loyalty partner, Ontario expansion): https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/rbc-expands-strategic-partnership-with-metro-inc-to-offer-canadians-greater-everyday-value-842044127.html newswire.ca

  6. RBC × Pattison Food Group / More Rewards partnership (Western Canada): https://hk.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ROYAL-BANK-OF-CANADA-1411559/news/RBC-and-Avion-Rewards-launch-strategic-loyalty-partnership-with-Pattison-Food-Group-and-More-Rewards-46230864/ MarketScreener Hong Kong

Conclusion: How ACHIVX can help you launch “coalition-grade” loyalty—without the bank-scale budget

Both case studies show the same playbook: meet customers in everyday spend, integrate with partners, and use points issuance/redemption as a flywheel. If you’re not a Big-Five bank, you can still execute that strategy with ACHIVX—an open solution for gamification and loyalty systems that lets you:

  • Orchestrate multi-partner offers (think “Scene+” or “Avion Offers,” but on your terms),

  • Gamify everyday earning with challenges, tiers and streaks to lift frequency and AOV,

  • Keep total cost in check thanks to an open, extensible architecture you can deploy and iterate rapidly—on-prem or in the cloud.

Explore ACHIVX here: https://achivx.com/ (open solution for building modern loyalty & gamification).

Location: Canada

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