I’ve got a confession to make. I travel a lot – it’s what I do for a living. But guess what? I’ve never had a travel rewards credit card in my wallet! Until now. Recently I applied, and was approved for the new Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. This makes me very happy.

Why was I hesitant to try a travel rewards credit card?

One. I’ve got two perfectly fine credit cards already – one personal and one I use for business travel. Neither collects travel rewards because I went that route years before and found the card really wasn’t worth the fees. Two: Who needs more credit? And Three: I‘ve had tons of airline and hotel travel rewards cards in the past, which have worked for me to some extent but none were perfect.

What changed my mind?

Three weeks ago, Scotiabank (via their PR company) sent me an email asking me pretty, pretty please to try out their new Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. As part of a sponsorship agreement, the company wanted me to apply for the card, take it for a spin and then to report back to them and my readers about my experience.

I get lots of requests to try new and exciting travel products, and most of the time I say no thanks. But since Scotiabank asked so nicely, and after looking at the benefits of this card, I thought maybe I should give it a try. Here are the reasons why I’m interested:

1. The biggest reason is a totally boring, rational, right brain thinking kind of reason. Travel insurance. You get insurance up the wazoo with this card. Like I mentioned previously, I travel a lot, and every time I travel, I buy insurance. It adds up. This one feature alone will be worth the $99 yearly fee for the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.

   Check out the insurance on this baby:

   Travel Emergency Medical Insurance
   

   Trip Interruption & Cancellation Insurance
   

   Flight Delay
   

   Delayed & Lost Luggage Insurance
   

   Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance
   

   Rental Car Collision/Loss Damage Insurance
   

   Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance ($1K!)
   

   Purchase Security & Extended Warranty Insurance
   

   Price Protection
   

   (basically every insurance under the sun)

   For me, the 25 days of travel insurance is most appealing, as it allows some extra leeway for longer trips (If you’re 65 years of age and over, you get 10 days of insurance coverage). Another interesting thing is that the trip interruption/cancellation insurance works as long as you charge 75% of your trip to the card.

2. This card is really appealing to the fashionista in me. Check out the Price Protection policy:

   When you use your Scotiabank Gold American Express Card to buy a new item in Canada that is advertised for sale at a lower price within 60 days of purchase, Price Protection refunds the price difference up to $100 per item and $500 per calendar year.

   So if you bought a hot little black dress you totally fell in love with and discovered that baby was discounted after your purchase, well Scotiabank and American Express have you covered (pun intended).

3. Last but not least, I really like the 4 points awarded for every dollar spent on the card at gas stations, grocery stores and on dining and entertainment. One of my favourite grocery stores – Longo’s – is on the list.. Maybe I’ll be shopping there more often, after all, they have awesome fruit and veg… and who doesn’t need more of that?! Check out the vendor details here.

Applying for the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

I applied for the card online, and the process was super simple. They got back to me with a tentative approval within a couple of days. Because I’m a business owner, not an employee, I was asked to send in extra info about my company’s revenue – an extra step, but understandable. Once I sent in my business particulars, I was officially approved and now I’m a happy owner of a Scotiabank Gold Amex card.

Why so happy? While I was sorting out getting the card, I also made the decision to head out on a girlfriend getaway to Bali in February 2013, via Cathay Pacific Airlines. I don’t have a rewards card for that particular airline, but guess what I do have in my hot little hands?

YES. My new Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, not only that, I’m raking in four times the rewards on much of my everyday spending.

Bali, here I come!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the new Scotiabank®* Gold American Express® Card. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Scotiabank®* or American Express®