Happy Halloween! Rundown of the Scene Program 2019

Happy Halloween Everyone!

We continue our annual (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) tradition of providing a rundown of the Scene rewards program on this day, except that we skipped 2015.

This year’s post had a lot more updates than years post due to the major changes that kicked in on April 17, 2019 (which you can read more about the changes).

However, for today’s post, we will recap the current state of the program.

Expiry Policy

Scene points has a fairly standard expiry policy where points do not expire if you have an activity (earn or redeem) once every 24 months. Granted there are many ways to keep your account active that does not only require us to go to the movies.

Earning Points

In general, look for bonus points promotions; members generally need to load the offer into your member account online or on mobile.

Cineplex

There are no shortage of ways to earn points at the theatre.

• Earn 1,000 points for doing XBOX Party on the big screen
• Earn 250 points for signing up (have an activity within the first 90 days)
• Earn 250 points for paying for a VIP ticket
• Earn 200 points for paying for an Imax, UltraAVX and D-Box ticket
• Earn 125 points for paying for a General admission ticket and 3D
• Earn 75 points for a Child Premium admission movie ticket
• Earn 50 points for seeing a movie with at least one member of your SCENEtourage, a regular Child admission movie ticket
• Earn 10 points for every $1 spent on digital movie downloads at the Cineplex Store, and interactive gaming

Cineplex Food and Drinks

I like how they added the option of earning points for eating the movies.

• Earn 200 points for Combo 1, 2 and 3
• Earn 100 points for Combo 4 and Outtake Meals
• Earn 10 points for every $1 spent on food and drinks at the theatres

Credit Card

You can earn Scene points with the Scotiabank SCENE Visa card, which has the following highlights:

• No annual fee
• Earn 2,500 sign up bonus Scene points after spending $500 in the first 3 months
• Earn 5 Scene points for every $1 spent at Cineplex Entertainment theatre or online
• Earn 1 Scene point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Have at least $12,000 in personal annual income

This card is a no-brainer for movie goers, especially since it does not have an annual fee. Furthermore, most data points I have indicate that it is a once-in-a-lifetime sign up bonus per Scene account member. So not much point churning it anyway. Depending on when you redeem your points, you should be able to receive more than 1 cent per point.

Debit Card

You can also sign up for the Scotiabank Scene Debit Card, which has the following highlights:

• Earn 1 point per dollar spent at Cineplex
• Earn 1 point for every $5 spent on all other purchases

Restaurant Partners

When it comes to non-movie (Cineplex partners), you can earn 1 point for every $3 spent at 8 restaurants. This is a highly valuable option of keeping your account active if you are not a bank card holder and have not gone to the movies in 24 months. Granted, if you have no gone to the movies once in the last 24 months, you will probably not see much value in this program anyway.

Here is a list of restaurant partners:

• Bier Markt
• D’Arcy McGee’s
• East Side Mario’s
• Harvey’s
• Kelsey’s
• Montana’s
• Milestones
• Swiss Chalet

Scotia Rewards

I love how Scotiabank has increased the ability to earn Scene points. We now have the option to convert Scotia Rewards points to Scene points.

Vivid Seats

Vivid Seats is an independent ticket marketplace in North America that allows you the earn Scene points.

• Earn 1,25o points on each increment of $125 spent on Vivid Seats (e.g. tickets to live sports, concerts, or theatre events)
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent

The Rec Room

The Rec Room is a place to go for “eats & entertainment”. Think of it like a place to host a party.

• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent at the Rec Room

Redeeming Points

There are many options to redeem your Scene points. Do what works best for you. I just recommend to always do your calculations on cents per point.

Cineplex

• Redeem 6,000 points for a free VIP Night Out Package
• Redeem 5,000 points for a free IMAX, UltraAVX, and D-BOX Night Out packages
• Redeem 3,500 points for a free 3D Night Out package or a General Night Out Package
• Redeem 2,500 points for a free VIP movie ticket free UltraAVX, IMAX and D-Box Child Night Out Package
• Redeem 2,000 points for a free IMAX, UltraAVX, and D-BOX movie ticket
• Redeem 1,750 points for a free General Child Night Out Package
• Redeem 1,250 points for a free General Admission or 3D movie ticket
• Redeem 1,000 points for a free Digital Movie
• Redeem 500 points for $5 off food & drink at the movies

Other Partners

• Redeem 27,000 for a XBOX Party On The Big Screen
• Redeem 1,000 points for $10 at restaurant partners (Bier Markt, D’Arcy McGee’s, East Side Mario’s, Harvey’s, Kelsey’s, Montana’s, Milestones, Swiss Chalet)
• Other various gift cards, theatre, concerts, Rec Room and sporting events

Gold Program

SCENE currently has a pilot program that offers the option to be a Gold member. But it is only available in Edmonton, Alberta. You can read more about this program on our previous post. We will write more about this program as it expands to the rest of the country.

Personal Experience

I was really disappointed when Carrot Rewards shut down, as it was my favourite way to earn Scene points. Going to the movies has become a very expensive form of entertainment and prices only seem to keep going up. Personally, I still enjoy the whole movie experience, so I find my Scene points extremely valuable.

Lately, I have been burning my Air Miles by redeeming for a Movie Package. Unfortunately, the reward redemption has gone up to 425 (compared to 175 before). I have little to no use for my Air Miles, as I have stopped making a conscious effort to earn them, so I am happy with my Air Miles redemption. The reason is because I do not have to pay more cash out of pocket for the reward. The other good news is that you can still earn Scene points (based on my last experience this summer) when redeeming the certificate (for movie and popcorn!)

When this blog was created, I made it a point to never pay for a movie again and have not done so since (2013). Since I only see about 5 or less movies per year, I made it work between Scene points and Air Miles redemption without ever having to dish out my hard earned cash.

What has been your personal experience with Scene, please share with us in the comment section below!