American Express is both a payment network and a card issuer. These cards operate on the Amex payment network, but aren’t issued by Amex.nnAlthough they come with many of the same benefits, they’re entirely independent from Amex as an issuer. Scotiabank is the one approving your application, you manage your card online with Scotiabank and pay bills to Scotiabank, and you’re subject to Scotiabank’s terms and conditions.