How PC Financial Mastercards Help Canadians Stretch Their Budgets

The PC Financial Mastercard generously rewards your supermarket purchases. The PC Financial Mastercard gives holders valuable PC Optimum points, and they accept almost anyone. No credit? No problem! For the first time ever, those with a bad credit score or no credit at all can access the benefits of a PC Financial Mastercard too. These cards are very attractive not only for groceries but also for fuel expenses. Let’s take a look at the PC Financial Mastercard line-up and their new product that’s helping even more Canadians get free stuff. 

Why we love the PC Financial Mastercard

There are many credit cards you can use to earn points or cash back when you shop at grocery stores. PC Financial offers cards that generate lucrative cash back rewards on your grocery store hauls. As you’ll find out, these cards are great for generating rewards on almost all your essential spending. Finding the right credit card for your needs has never been easier because PC Financial Mastercards offer a lot of those gotta-have-em card perks.

All PC Financial credit cards have no annual fee for the primary and secondary cardholders. The interest rate is 20.97% on purchases if you don’t pay your full balance each month. If you want to withdraw money with your credit card or make a balance transfer, the interest rate is 21.97%. However, you can take advantage of a welcome offer that gives you a balance transfer rate of 0.97% for the first 6 months. Are you ready to find the right PC Financial Mastercard for you? Let’s take a closer look at each.

PC Financial Mastercard

Fee: None
Rate: 20.97% 
Rewards: Up to 25 points per dollar
Income requirements: None

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One of the reasons I love the PC Financial Mastercard is because it’s a store card that’s fairly easy to get if you have a below-average credit score. While you generally need a credit score in the high 600’s to qualify, I’ve seen reviewers with scores as low as 660 report getting approved. In addition to the more lenient credit score requirements, this card does not require any specific annual income in order to be eligible, making it an excellent choice for those with no credit history like immigrants and students.  You can add up to 4 additional cards for your family, which helps you collect even more points. You can apply for the PC Mastercard and activate it entirely online.

The basic PC Financial Mastercard earns 10 points per $1 spent at Loblaw’s owned merchants such as:

• Real Canadian Superstore
• Wholesale Club 
• No Frills
• Independent 
• PC Express
• Maxi
• Provigo
• Pharmaprix
• Shoppers Drug Mart

With the PC Financial Mastercard, you accumulate 15 additional points in Pharmaprix and Shoppers Drug Mart stores if you’re a member of the PC Optimum program, for a total of 25 points per dollar of purchase. When you refuel at Esso Mobile gas stations, you earn 30 points per litre, regardless of the type of fuel. You get 20 points per dollar for anything purchased on the President’s Choice website. Lastly, you earn 10 points for every dollar spent on all other purchases. 

This card includes free benefits such as purchase protection and an extended warranty. The purchase protection covers the full cost of an item paid for with the PC Financial Mastercard in the event of theft, loss or damage within the first 90 days of purchase. The extended warranty doubles the retailer’s warranty for up to one year.

PC Financial World Mastercard

Fee: None
Rate: 20.97%

Rewards: Up to 35 points per $1
Income requirements: $60,000 individual or $100,000 household

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With the PC Financial World Mastercard, you can earn 20 points per dollar at Wholesale Club, Maxi, Pharmaprix and Provigo stores, which is double the previous card. If you’re a member of the PC Optimum program, you can earn an additional 15 points at Pharmaprix and Shoppers Drug Mart for a total of 35 points per $1 spent in those stores. Fuel purchases at Esso Mobil still get you 30 points per liter, and you’ll get 10 points per $1 on all other card purchases.  

The card includes purchase protection, a free extended warranty, and a concierge service. This service helps PC Financial World Mastercard holders arrange leisure, entertainment and medical assistance such as: 

• Reservations for shows, sporting events or other entertainment events
• Reservations for exhibitions, performances and festivals
• Reservations for limousines and vehicle rental services
• Bookings for sessions in a fitness centre or in a specialized business
• Reservations for rounds of golf and other reservation services
• Assistance in replacing lost tickets or documents
• Gift basket and flower delivery

A unique feature of the PC Financial World Mastercard is the medical assistance perks offered by their 24/7 concierge service; a 1-800 number you call for help with pretty much anything. This makes it an incredible asset for seniors and anyone experiencing chronic or emergency health issues. I didn’t think there could be such a thing as a credit card that makes healthcare more accessible, but the PC Financial World Mastercard just keeps impressing me. With this card, you can access medical assistance such as: 

• making appointments and arranging admission with a medical provider
• Arrangements for emergency medical transport
• Prescription replacements
• Arrangements for emergency medical visits

They can also assist you with emergency money transfers, emergency translation services, and courier service recommendations. This concierge service can definitely bring some relief to a high-stress situation. But it comes at a cost, since the income requirements for this card place it out of reach for many retirees on reduced, fixed incomes. The PC Financial World Mastercard requires a minimum income of $60,000 per person or $100,000 per household. The trick is to activate the card and start using it before you retire.

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard

The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard offers more points for purchases, so you can earn free stuff even faster. It earns 30 points per $1 for purchases at all Loblaw’s owned grocery stores like Superstore,  Wholesale Club, and No Frills to name a few. You’ll also get 15 additional points at Pharmaprix and Shoppers Drug Mart if you are a member of the PC Optimum program, for a total of 45 points per $1 spent. In terms of spending at Esso, Mobil, and elsewhere, the points per dollar have not changed from the last two cards. You’ll earn 30 points liter of gas at Esso or Mobil and 10 points for purchases anywhere else.

In addition to the increase in points, this card provides other benefits. It includes a concierge service, as does the PC Financial World Mastercard. It also provides an identity theft assistance service. This card also provides you with emergency medical travel insurance. This insurance protects you when you make trips shorter than 10 days, and is only available to credit card holders 65 and under. The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard covers eligible medical expenses up to $1,000,000 which include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Hospital stay expenses
• Medical care expenses
• Expenses related to doctor care
• Private duty nurse when prescribed by a doctor
• Ambulance
• Air Transport
• Transportation of immediate family member from Canada to your bedside

Another great benefit is auto rental collision and damage insurance. This insurance covers not only damage to rental cars, but also theft and physical damage. As long as you are a PC Financial World Elite Mastercard holder, have a valid driver’s license, your car rental period is less than 31 days and you decline the rental agency’s collision damage and loss waivers. All coverages and exclusions are covered in the card agreement, so make sure you read it carefully. But in order to access these premium card features, you need to be making more money than the average Canadian. This card requires a minimum annual income of $80,000 per person or $150,000 per household.

No matter what type of credit card you choose, for every 10,000 points you earn, you can redeem your rewards for $10 worth of purchases. You can use your rewards like cash in a variety of stores offering President’s Choice products, or online at outlets pharmaprix.ca, shoppersdrugmart.ca and joefresh.com.

Why you need to start collecting PC Optimum points right now

Things are getting expensive out there. It’s time to give yourself a raise. With the PC Financial Mastercard, you make money when you shop for all your everyday essentials. In August 2021, the cost of goods hit their highest average price point in the last 18 years. Few things hurt quite as much as getting punched in the wallet at the grocery store. 

Right now, the cost of food is among the hardest hit by inflation. According to CTV, Canadians will pay about $700 more on groceries this year than they did last year. So how can you save money at the supermarket? Just activate your PC Financial Mastercard online right now. 

Introducing the new PC Financial Debit Mastercard

Whether you’re a veteran PC Mastercard holder, new to credit like immigrants and students, or rebuilding a damaged credit score, you can get more free stuff no matter your financial profile. This is a total game-changer for those previously unable to access a traditional PC Financial Mastercard. If you didn’t qualify, your points earning potential was severely restricted by the limitations of the PC Optimum card. That was quite a sting for a large number of loyal Loblaws shoppers. But finally, free groceries are no longer reserved for those with great credit scores or higher incomes. With the PC Financial Money account, you earn PC Optimum points on all your purchases made with the PC Financial debit mastercard.

What is the PC Financial Money Account?

The PC Financial Money Account is a new banking service offered by PC Financial. It’s a free, digital bank account that comes with a complimentary PC Financial Debit Mastercard. This new service offers a host of free banking features and the debit mastercard is accepted wherever mastercard is accepted. You’ll earn 10 PC Optimum points per $1 every time you use your PC Financial Debit Mastercard to make purchase. And the best part? The debit mastercard is not a credit card. You don’t have to go through a credit check in order to get it, and you’ll never go into debt using it either. It’s linked to our PC Financial Money account, so you can only spend the money that you deposit into the account, just like a debit card. But you can use it online and anywhere mastercard is accepted, just like a credit card.

How to activate your PC Financial Mastercard

Now that I have sufficiently blown your mind, it’s time to activate your PC Financial Mastercard or Money Account Debit Mastercard. Just hop on over to pcfinancial.ca and create an account. You’ll need to have your physical PC Financial Mastercard product on hand in order to successfully activate it.

If you prefer using a desktop for stuff like this, create your account then click on Accounts & Cards. Open the tab labelled Cards and click on the mastercard you want to activate. Select Activate Now, answer the questions, and enter the activation code located on the sticker found on your PC Financial Mastercard. Voila! You are now ready to start earning free stuff.

If you prefer using the mobile app, the process is just as simple. Open the app, and on the bottom of the screen tap on the Cards button. Tap the Cards option and select the mastercard you want to activate. Tap Activate Now, answer the questions, and enter your activation code. That’s it! You’re done. Now get shopping. The more you spend, the more free stuff you get.