Advertisement
If you frequently shop at Loblaw-affiliated stores, the right PC Mastercard or a PC Money Account can help you earn serious PC Optimum points.
The PC Optimum rewards program lets you earn points redeemable for products at Loblaw-affiliated grocery stores, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Esso and Mobil gas stations. Earning and redeeming points is easy. There are lots of ways to earn points when you shop, and you can redeem 10,000 PC Optimum points for $10 off virtually anything available at participating stores. Just tell the cashier and the savings come off at the till. Savvy shoppers can accumulate even more points with a PC Money Account or by paying with one of three PC Mastercards. Read on to discover how to maximize your points with one of the best credit card rewards programs for grocery shoppers.
At Loblaw grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Mart, PC Optimum points must be redeemed in 10,000-point increments, and 10,000 points have a value of $10. This means that 1 PC Optimum point is worth 0.1 cents, and 10 points are worth 1 cent. So, you can think of PC Optimum points as having a value of 1% when redeeming at these stores.
The point value varies when redeeming for gas purchases. When you fill up at an Esso station, you can redeem 4,000 PC Optimum points for a discount of 10 cents per litre (up to a maximum of 40 litres). Getting the full 40 litres gives you $4 in savings—a point value of 0.1 cents (or 1%).
However, you’ll have to redeem 4,000 points to get the discount, even if you purchase under 40 litres of gas, which can lower the redemption value. Purchasing 30 litres of gas, for example, gives you a point value of 0.075 cents (or 0.75%).
Redeeming for car washes can help stretch your points further. At Esso stations, you can redeem 10,000 points for any free car wash. If you choose a car wash worth more than $10, you push the point value above the usual 1%. Get a $15 car wash and your PC point value jumps to 1.5%.
Note that while you can earn points at Mobil stations, you can’t redeem points there.
There’s a huge variety of retailers in the PC Optimum program all across the country. Major partners include:
Finally, you can earn PC Optimum points on any purchase when you use one of four PC Mastercards.
Think of a basic PC Optimum membership as your entry-level pass to the program. Use the PC Optimum card or app to earn points when you shop at affiliated stores online or in person, and also through personalized offers. Points can be earned at more than 4,500 locations across the Loblaw family of grocery stores, as well as Shoppers Drug Mart (or Pharmaprix in Quebec), and Esso and Mobil gas stations.
There are many ways to earn PC Optimum points. The earn rate depends on where you shop, the promotions happening in stores, the card(s) you hold and the other PC services you use. Points earned through personalized offers and in-store promotions vary. Otherwise, you can earn:
When you’re strolling the aisles at participating stores, keep an eye out for the PC Optimum logo. In-store offers let you earn more on everyday items. For example, Shoppers Drug Mart periodically has a promotion for 20x the points. You can get your coupon by loading the offer in your weekly email or opening your Shoppers or PC Optimum app. Be proactive by checking flyers in advance when you’re writing up your shopping list.
When you register for personalized offers, you’ll receive offers every Thursday for items you’ve purchased before or are likely to be interested in (based on your transaction history). Examples include bonus points on certain items, extra points with a minimum spend, and bonus points days when you can get discounts while earning extra points. These offers are great, low-effort ways to multiply your earnings.
Give your points balance a serious bump when you sign up for a no-fee PC Mastercard. You’ll earn points on every purchase you make, no matter where you make them. Plus, when you swap out your chequing account for a PC Money Account, you’ll accelerate your earnings everywhere you shop.
Bump up your PC Optimum points earn rate and earn rewards everywhere with one of the four PC Mastercards—three of which have no annual fee.
At a glance: The PC Mastercard has no annual fee and no minimum income requirement, making it a totally accessible way to earn PC Optimum rewards no matter where you shop. With accelerated grocery, gas, drugstore and travel bonus categories, you’ll reach your points goals even faster.
Annual fee: $0
Card details
| Interest rates | 21.99% on purchases, 22.97% on cash advances and % on balance transfers |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | 560 or higher |
| Point value | 1 PC Optimum point is worth $0.001 (redeem 10,000 points for $10). |
At a glance: The PC World Mastercard is available to people who have an annual income of more than $60,000 (or $100,000 for the household). With this card you’ll enjoy boosted earn rates without having to pay any annual fee.
Annual fee: $0
Card details
| Interest rates | 21.99% on purchases, 22.97% on cash advances, % on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal income of $50,000 or household income of $80,000 |
| Credit score | 560 or higher |
| Point value | 1 PC Optimum point is worth $0.001 (redeem 10,000 points for $10). |
At a glance: Those who make $80,000 annually (or $150,000 as a household) are eligible for the PC World Elite Mastercard, which offers the best earn rates of any PC credit card, plus World Elite perks. Even better, there’s still no annual fee.
Annual fee: $0
Card details
| Interest rates | 21.99% on purchases, 22.97% on cash advances (21.97% for residents of Quebec) |
| Income required | Personal income of $80,000 or household income of $150,000 |
| Credit score | 560 or higher |
| Point value | 10 PC points = $0.01 at Loblaws grocery network and Shoppers Drug Mart. |
At a glance: Shoppers willing to pay a $120 annual fee can take their earnings to the next level while also enjoying some premium perks like a complimentary PC Express Pass.
Annual fee: $120
Welcome offer: earn a welcome offer* of 250,000 PC Optimum™ points with the NEW PC® Insiders World Elite® Mastercard®. Conditions apply. Offer ends January 15th, 2025
Card details
| Interest rates | 21.99% on purchases, 22.97% on cash advances, % on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal income of $80,000 per year or household income of $150,000 per year |
| Credit score | 660 or higher |
| Point value | 1 PC Optimum point is worth $0.001 (redeem 10,000 points for $10). |
Launched in 2020, the PC Money Account is the newest financial offering from President’s Choice, which joins other no-fee online banks to provide a fairly comprehensive suite of free everyday banking services while shaking things up with the perk of earning PC Optimum points. While earning rewards points is a common benefit of using a credit card, it’s less typical when you do everyday banking.
As far as bank accounts go, the PC Money Account offers a solid portfolio with free unlimited everyday transactions, including cash withdrawals (from PC Financial ATMs or at select points of purchase), bill payments, account-to-account transfers and Interac e-Transfers. As this isn’t a traditional chequing account, paper cheques are not available. However, between point-of-purchase, bill payments and Interac e-Transfers, you can still pay for everything from food to utilities to rent. And, the PC Money Account card is widely accepted. Use it wherever you could use Mastercard—in person, online and internationally.
When you shop with the PC Money bank card, you’ll earn 25 PC Optimum points per dollar on purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart and 10 points per $1 everywhere else (except for banking transactions, like paying bills or e-Transfers). You can link your card to your PC Optimum account to earn even more points through personalized offers. Plus, you can earn up to 200,000 points in bonuses during the process of setting up your account and making your first transactions—a value of $200.
For those who shop at Loblaw banner stores and affiliates, the PC Money Account is a no-brainer. It offers most, if not all, of the everyday banking services you need, fits seamlessly into the existing PC Optimum program and costs you nothing to use.
In April 2023, PC announced its Express Pass, a grocery delivery service which competes with the likes of InstaCart and UberEats. But it is used at Loblaw banner stores, including Loblaws, Zehrs, Freshmart, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, and many, many others, wherever PC products are sold. It can also be used for picking up orders, too.
You’re wondering about the cost, right? It’s $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year (which saves you over $20 if you sign up for the annual membership). It costs the same as the streaming services from Amazon Prime, so make sure you will use PC Express Pass for it to be of value to you. There is a one-month free trial period. Here’s what you would get with PC Express.
No. PC Optimum points cannot be used as payment towards your PC Mastercard balance or other financial services like withdrawals from your PC Money Account.
Of the three PC Mastercards, only the PC World Elite Mastercard carries any travel insurance. With this card, you’ll have up to $1 million in travel emergency medical insurance for trips up to 10 days from the date of departure, for those under age 65. Additionally, you have up to 31 consecutive days of coverage in case your rental car is damaged or stolen.
Share this article Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Share on Reddit Share on Email
Car loan interest rates can be as confusing as a complicated recipe, and just as daunting to navigate. This...
Buying your first car in Canada is like any other major purchase. Ask a lot of questions, not just...
The Canadian government is sending out the last carbon rebate of 2024. See who’s eligible and how much you...
When buying car insurance, it pays to shop around. Here’s what affects the price of car insurance in Toronto...
Sponsored By
Simplii Financial
Sponsored By
EQ Bank
Would swapping a house for cash from a corporation save on taxes? And is this tactic worth it in...
Here’s what to keep an eye on as we head into the new year, from the housing market and...
Does this app register to receive grocery points
PC Optimum card on its own is basically useless for grocery purchases. You have to use one of PC’s credit cards to get points. Or you have to check weeky offers and if you’ll be purchasing those specific items you’ll earn some points.(but only if you losd those offers)
My card numbers are unreadable, how do I get my points.