I have been happy with PC Financial, too. Not a fan of credit cards in general, as I do not like subsidizing them with my purchasing dollars, but that horse has pretty much left the barn anyway.
This seems like a pretty good deal (the $120 annual fee card). You sign up, get 15,000 free Aeroplan miles and another 5,000 once you spend $1,000 on the card. You just need to spend another $4,000 on the card to get a free round trip anywhere in in the US/Canada. Or get the free short haul flight with the 15,000 miles.
Not worth the $120 annual fee once you use up the points.
I just got a credit card through RateSupermarket for the express purpose of getting the gift card ($100 at Futureshop). The Gold Amex is indeed a great deal as 20000 points is worth at least $200 depending on how you use the points.
This seems like a pretty good deal (the $120 annual fee card). You sign up, get 15,000 free Aeroplan miles and another 5,000 once you spend $1,000 on the card. You just need to spend another $4,000 on the card to get a free round trip anywhere in in the US/Canada. Or get the free short haul flight with the 15,000 miles.
Not worth the $120 annual fee once you use up the points.
If you're going to go with an Amex, the American Express Gold Rewards Card gives a bit more of a reward than the Amex AeroplanPlus card and the Amex rewards points can be converted to Aeroplan miles 1:1 anyway.
The Sept/Oct issue of MoneySense gives a good breakdown of the best rewards card in various categories, including the breakeven point on how much you need to spend each month to make the annual fee worth it. Try to only go with a card that rebates your first year fee, those offers aren't hard to find.
Also, for anyone choosing an Amex card, I recommend getting a PC Mastercard as backup because Amex is not accepted at a fair number of places.
I went with the PC Points MasterCard. After a few months of using it to pay for flight lessons I had earned $75 in groceries. This seems pretty good for our needs.
Thanks, I will check those out. I usually cancel the card after the first year and just sign up for a new one. The only exception was the Westjet credit card where I got a $250 credit for signing up and now its $99/year but it includes a free round trip companion flight which always works out to be more than a $99/year savings. Plus the 1% rebate in Westjet dollars which usually gets me to one way to Vegas each year.
I think the card I posted is a better deal. Personally I would rather have 20,000 Aeroplan points as most flights to LA or Vegas direct out of Toronto are going to cost me more than $300, which all I save with this card. Will see if there are any Aeroplan promo cards on this site. May go to Vancouver and those flights are always $500+ direct out of Toronto.
May just get the Scotia card as well to take advantage of the $300 credit. No $100 promo for the card I want.
I use the PC MC as my backup card, can't go wrong with $0 fees.
My main card is the TD Visa First Class. They give you really good cash back on any travel. Instead of giving you airmiles or aeroplan miles though (which both expire) you just collect TD points. Book your trip and pay with the TD CC, travel and when you come back, phone them to redeem your points within 6 months I think. They just credit your account so no blackout fees and you can travel however you want.
They have an annual charge for the card, but if you get a checking account with them and keep a $5k balance, then the fee is waived.
I travel a lot so I prefer the free flight type of cards. Currently have 8 free flights to US/Canada from my credit card promos. My main card is Visa Infinite which I often avail of the 50% bump in British Airways points, which runs usually twice a year.
Just when I started to think about a trip to Vegas in June, I get a new credit card offer from Scotiabank ( I cancelled my last Scotia card about six months ago). Here's the offer:
- waive annual $99 fee for first year
- $300 travel credit (for airfares or hotels)
- 15,000 bonus points ( worth $150 towards airfare)
I went with the PC Points MasterCard. After a few months of using it to pay for flight lessons I had earned $75 in groceries. This seems pretty good for our needs.
Still happy with my PC card.
I picked up a AirMiles card also (since its free) but it seems mostly useless.
Make sure you understand the T&C of redeeming your $300 & other credits with the limited American Express merchants. After receiving the reward, do what I did with other $99+/year gold cards - cancel it before the annual fee starts & throw it in the garbage!
Just when I started to think about a trip to Vegas in June, I get a new credit card offer from Scotiabank ( I cancelled my last Scotia card about six months ago). Here's the offer:
- waive annual $99 fee for first year
- $300 travel credit (for airfares or hotels)
- 15,000 bonus points ( worth $150 towards airfare)
Make sure you understand the T&C of redeeming your $300 & other credits with the limited American Express merchants. After receiving the reward, do what I did with other $99+/year gold cards - cancel it before the annual fee starts & throw it in the garbage!
Its basically a free card for a year and any perks are a bonus. I would think it would be pretty easy to use AE in the US. Update to follow.
Have you got the PC 'World' Mastercard? It's black in colour. You get 2x the points when shopping at Loblaw's affiliated stores.
I honestly don't know what the requirements are to get it, one day a customer service rep just called me up and asked if I wanted to upgrade to it. Still no annual fee. (I have no idea why anyone would say no to the upgrade?)
I also like it because I no longer confuse my silver PC debit card with the nearly-identical silver PC Mastercard.
I've been using the Canadian Tire Options MasterCard for the extra reward from buying gas, etc. from CT so I didn't bother renewing my PC MasterCard. Since we shop at Loblaws-owned stores and with the pending mega-merger with Shoppers Drug Mart, I think I'll get the PC World MasterCard. Its other benefits are Free Extended Warranty and Free Purchase Assurance. I also have over 100,000 Shoppers Optimum points.
I have also become a big fan of my American Express Gold Rewards Card. The annual fee is waived for the first year but I have actually decided to keep it because of the travel insurance and extended warranty benefits.
Use this link and get 25,000 reward points for signing up and charging $500 in the first three months (easy). Points can convert to Aeroplan or a bunch of other rewards too. Very flexible. Basically it's at least $250 free. Just cancel before renewal if you don't think the annual fee would be worth it for you (basically if you don't travel much).
A PCF rep just phoned me up, but she gave a bunch of requirements. I said I currently have $15K credit limit with another credit card, why don't you just upgrade my current PC MasterCard so I'll resume using it? I told her I'm not pokerJAH or Big Mike, I don't meet all your requirements. So my PC MC will continue to gather dust, wherever it is.
Have you got the PC 'World' Mastercard? It's black in colour. You get 2x the points when shopping at Loblaw's affiliated stores.
I honestly don't know what the requirements are to get it, one day a customer service rep just called me up and asked if I wanted to upgrade to it. Still no annual fee. (I have no idea why anyone would say no to the upgrade?)
I also like it because I no longer confuse my silver PC debit card with the nearly-identical silver PC Mastercard.
Not sure if they are anymore. Though I have not seen discounts, I have seen the odd one that surcharges for credit cards but maybe they are just breaking their terms.
By the terms of any C.C. contract, retailers are NOT allowed to offer a customer a discount for paying via cash. In essence, paying cash is therefore a small bit of direct profit for the retailer, as all prices reflect the cost of paying for that item with a credit card.
Walmart MC 1% on stuff, slightly more on stuff from walmart 1.5?
Costco amex platinum executive 1% on stuff, 2% on stuff from costco.
Shell MC 2.5% on gas from shell.
Any better deals out there.
I never carry a balance.
A short while ago a friend of mine told me I should get a 'PCplus' card for points. I'd previously hated the idea of getting yet another chunk of plastic in my wallet, however I relented and did so.
Just found out my wife already has a PCmastercard which apparently doubles as a PCplus card. Not sure if there's any way to merge our PCplus accounts, or if I should just get a second card for her PCmastercard. We'd basically just use the MC for groceries.
You should use it for gas as well. At the Superstore gas stations they give an extra 3 cents off I think if you use a PCF card in superbucks to use in the store.
PC points is pretty good. I didn't realize how many points I had accumulated over the years and just redeemed close to $200 for groceries. I don't even use the card very much since TD VISA first class is my main card.
You should use it for gas as well. At the Superstore gas stations they give an extra 3 cents off I think if you use a PCF card in superbucks to use in the store.
PC points is pretty good. I didn't realize how many points I had accumulated over the years and just redeemed close to $200 for groceries. I don't even use the card very much since TD VISA first class is my main card.
Good idea, unfortunately the Zehrs here doesn't have gas. I do remember most of the Superstores in Vancouver did though.
I've got a TD first class as well. I never bother looking at the travel options you can get from it because we never really go anywhere. They did let me reimburse my points a while back for over a $400 credit on the card which was pretty nice. I use it for basically everything including materials for work which does add up.
The PC mastercard sounded inviting as it doubles the points you get.
Does PC Plus include No Frills supermarket as that is where my better half shops? I hope the PC points is merged with Shoppers Optimum as I can buy over $175 worth of merchandise for free, but can't find enough things worth redeeming at Shoppers Drug Mart.
A short while ago a friend of mine told me I should get a 'PCplus' card for points. I'd previously hated the idea of getting yet another chunk of plastic in my wallet, however I relented and did so.
Just found out my wife already has a PCmastercard which apparently doubles as a PCplus card. Not sure if there's any way to merge our PCplus accounts, or if I should just get a second card for her PCmastercard. We'd basically just use the MC for groceries.
Does PC Plus include No Frills supermarket as that is where my better half shops?
Yes, it would appear that No Frills is part of the Loblaws system. I wasn't aware that they were merging with Shoppers until I saw it in this thread. That's a very large merger.
RBC Avion is the card I have. Awesome if you travel a lot. I think it's a $150 annual fee but a lot of people get it waived. 1 point/dollar spent and 25% bonus for any purchases that are deemed "travel" including accommodations, flight, and car rentals. Really good travel insurance built into the card too.
35k points for a round trip North America flight with no blackout periods.
RBC Avion is the card I have. 35k points for a round trip North America flight with no blackout periods.
I also think this is a great card. Make sure you take advantage of the British Airways 50% point promotion they have for this card twice a year. You can convert your Avion points to BA points so a round trip flight to Los Angeles only cost you 16,667 Avion points as you get 25,000 BA points!
Comments
Not worth the $120 annual fee once you use up the points.
http://www.americanexpress.com/canada/en/aeroplan_dclp_dtw11_q2_en.shtml?parent=A00000ED4U&crtv=JanPlatSolo2&cpid=100069594&AFFID=APDTW
Get a FREE $100 Gift Card! - RateSupermarket.ca
This.
I just got a credit card through RateSupermarket for the express purpose of getting the gift card ($100 at Futureshop). The Gold Amex is indeed a great deal as 20000 points is worth at least $200 depending on how you use the points.
If you're going to go with an Amex, the American Express Gold Rewards Card gives a bit more of a reward than the Amex AeroplanPlus card and the Amex rewards points can be converted to Aeroplan miles 1:1 anyway.
The Sept/Oct issue of MoneySense gives a good breakdown of the best rewards card in various categories, including the breakeven point on how much you need to spend each month to make the annual fee worth it. Try to only go with a card that rebates your first year fee, those offers aren't hard to find.
Also, for anyone choosing an Amex card, I recommend getting a PC Mastercard as backup because Amex is not accepted at a fair number of places.
I think the card I posted is a better deal. Personally I would rather have 20,000 Aeroplan points as most flights to LA or Vegas direct out of Toronto are going to cost me more than $300, which all I save with this card. Will see if there are any Aeroplan promo cards on this site. May go to Vancouver and those flights are always $500+ direct out of Toronto.
May just get the Scotia card as well to take advantage of the $300 credit. No $100 promo for the card I want.
My main card is the TD Visa First Class. They give you really good cash back on any travel. Instead of giving you airmiles or aeroplan miles though (which both expire) you just collect TD points. Book your trip and pay with the TD CC, travel and when you come back, phone them to redeem your points within 6 months I think. They just credit your account so no blackout fees and you can travel however you want.
They have an annual charge for the card, but if you get a checking account with them and keep a $5k balance, then the fee is waived.
- waive annual $99 fee for first year
- $300 travel credit (for airfares or hotels)
- 15,000 bonus points ( worth $150 towards airfare)
Looks like my trip is almost free!
Still happy with my PC card.
I picked up a AirMiles card also (since its free) but it seems mostly useless.
Its basically a free card for a year and any perks are a bonus. I would think it would be pretty easy to use AE in the US. Update to follow.
Have you got the PC 'World' Mastercard? It's black in colour. You get 2x the points when shopping at Loblaw's affiliated stores.
I honestly don't know what the requirements are to get it, one day a customer service rep just called me up and asked if I wanted to upgrade to it. Still no annual fee. (I have no idea why anyone would say no to the upgrade?)
I also like it because I no longer confuse my silver PC debit card with the nearly-identical silver PC Mastercard.
Use this link and get 25,000 reward points for signing up and charging $500 in the first three months (easy). Points can convert to Aeroplan or a bunch of other rewards too. Very flexible. Basically it's at least $250 free. Just cancel before renewal if you don't think the annual fee would be worth it for you (basically if you don't travel much).
Costco amex platinum executive 1% on stuff, 2% on stuff from costco.
Shell MC 2.5% on gas from shell.
Any better deals out there.
I never carry a balance.
Just found out my wife already has a PCmastercard which apparently doubles as a PCplus card. Not sure if there's any way to merge our PCplus accounts, or if I should just get a second card for her PCmastercard. We'd basically just use the MC for groceries.
PC points is pretty good. I didn't realize how many points I had accumulated over the years and just redeemed close to $200 for groceries. I don't even use the card very much since TD VISA first class is my main card.
Good idea, unfortunately the Zehrs here doesn't have gas. I do remember most of the Superstores in Vancouver did though.
I've got a TD first class as well. I never bother looking at the travel options you can get from it because we never really go anywhere. They did let me reimburse my points a while back for over a $400 credit on the card which was pretty nice. I use it for basically everything including materials for work which does add up.
The PC mastercard sounded inviting as it doubles the points you get.
Yes, it would appear that No Frills is part of the Loblaws system. I wasn't aware that they were merging with Shoppers until I saw it in this thread. That's a very large merger.
I get canadian tire $ for everything that I purchase; in the past 2 years, I have redeemed about 1500$ worth of canadian tire goodies!
Doubt any other points based can come close to that value!
35k points for a round trip North America flight with no blackout periods.
I recently got this card as well and will likely use the free 25,000 points for my free airfare to Vegas this summer!
I also think this is a great card. Make sure you take advantage of the British Airways 50% point promotion they have for this card twice a year. You can convert your Avion points to BA points so a round trip flight to Los Angeles only cost you 16,667 Avion points as you get 25,000 BA points!