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Best Card for Cash back at Pharmacy/shoppers

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Deal Addict
Dec 25, 2013
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Toronto

Best Card for Cash back at Pharmacy/shoppers

I'm looking for the best card for cash back at shoppers. Preferably with no fee but if the % were high enough i'd consider it. Currently I use the tangerine master card for 2% cash back. Is there a 4% cash back at pharmacy's/drug stores?

Any suggestions are appreciated.
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Jan 4, 2011
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The PC World Elite MasterCard will give you 3% at Shoppers, and 1% at all other phramacies.

The Amex Gold card gives you 2 MR points per dollar at all pharmacies.

The Amex SPG card gives you one Starpoints per dollar at all pharmacies.

So depending on how you value MR and Starpoints, you could be higher than 3%.
Sr. Member
Sep 29, 2007
817 posts
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Actually, it looks like you earn 45 points per dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart. So that's technically 4.5%!! Only redeemable at PC stores though..
efrant wrote: The PC World Elite MasterCard will give you 3% at Shoppers, and 1% at all other phramacies.

The Amex Gold card gives you 2 MR points per dollar at all pharmacies.

The Amex SPG card gives you one Starpoints per dollar at all pharmacies.

So depending on how you value MR and Starpoints, you could be higher than 3%.
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Jan 4, 2011
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RD616 wrote: Actually, it looks like you earn 45 points per dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart. So that's technically 4.5%!! Only redeemable at PC stores though..
All PC Optimum members get the 15 points per dollar, so it's not specific to the PC MasterCard.
Member
Oct 22, 2012
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I'm unaware of any card with a cash back earn rate above 2%, with the exception of an introductory offer such as 4% on everything for 3 (?) months with BMO Cashback MasterCard.

As for rewards-based cards, I'm not aware of any with a higher earn rate than 2% for pharmacies/drug stores.

@efrant 's suggestion above for the PC WE MasterCard is probably your best bet if you spend a lot at Shoppers Drug Mart. 4.5% in Optimum points is almost as good as cash back. And no annual fee for the PC WE MC.

@RD616 - I wasn't aware that PC Financial changed the earn structure on the PC WE MC at Shoppers... 4.5% it is! Good catch. Of course, it's really 1.5% Optimum + 3% PC WE, but still...
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May 8, 2009
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Perhaps not the top dogs, but surprisingly not yet mentioned. Scotia Momentum Infinite and Meridian Cashback infinite offer 2% CB at all pharmacies. If SDM is your only go-to pharmacy, then maybe PCO pts would be better. If you rather shop at any pharmacy and earn cashback, then Scotia and Meridian aren't bad, and it's straightforward cashback, no points that are lifestyle-specific.
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Deal Guru
Jan 19, 2017
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titaniumtux wrote: Perhaps not the top dogs, but surprisingly not yet mentioned. Scotia Momentum Infinite and Meridian Cashback infinite offer 2% CB at all pharmacies. If SDM is your only go-to pharmacy, then maybe PCO pts would be better. If you rather shop at any pharmacy and earn cashback, then Scotia and Meridian aren't bad, and it's straightforward cashback, no points that are lifestyle-specific.
You can do better than 4.5% at SDM if you also spend for gas by getting the Scotia Momentum Inf. Card. You can buy the SDM gift cards at Shell station to get 4% cash back on your Scotia Visa, plus 1 Airmiles per $10. Then you use the SDM gc to spend at SDM to get 15 PCO pts. Per 1$. You will get over 6.5% back.
Sr. Member
Apr 8, 2007
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Instead, transfer your prescriptions to metro and buy whatever you normally buy at shoppers, at Metro or Sobeys instead. Then get cobalt amex and get 5x MR on each purchase. Fixed point travel gets up to 2cents per point. That works out to 10% cash back.
Newbie
Jan 3, 2017
25 posts
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buy SDM/PHARMAPRIX gift card at ebates.ca cardswap, right now it's 1.5% cash back, plus your credit card rewards. Mine: rogers MC(1.75%) + GG(1.5%) without any annual fee or charge, total 3.25% cash back. Gift card just accepted at Pharmaprix cause I live in Montreal.

Actually ebates.ca cardswap is a very great way to boost cash back cause you could earn additional rewards by your credit cards, weeks ago I bought 4% petro-canada GC plus 5 cents fuel saving card.
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Jan 9, 2011
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OP specifically asked for cash back, not travel points or loyalty program points. Amex Gold, Cobalt, SPG, PC Mastercard, etc don't give cash back.

The only way to get 4% cash back at Shoppers is to buy Shoppers gift cards at a Shell gas station or Loblaws (?) with a 4% Visa like Scotia Momentum, CIBC Dividend, or Meridian Cash Back Visa Infinite.
Deal Guru
Jan 19, 2017
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Kiraly wrote: OP specifically asked for cash back, not travel points or loyalty program points. Amex Gold, Cobalt, SPG, PC Mastercard, etc don't give cash back.

The only way to get 4% cash back at Shoppers is to buy Shoppers gift cards at a Shell gas station or Loblaws (?) with a 4% Visa like Scotia Momentum, CIBC Dividend, or Meridian Cash Back Visa Infinite.
Those credit cards should be 4% cash back at all gas stations and grocery stores, not just Shell.
Don't forget about collecting 1 Airmiles for every $10 spent in Shell which includes gift cards.
or even better if you are close to one of the selected stations on the lists :
https://www.shell.ca/en_ca/service/sear ... re%20offer
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ml88888888 wrote: Those credit cards should be 4% cash back at all gas stations and grocery stores, not just Shell.
Don't forget about collecting 1 Airmiles for every $10 spent in Shell which includes gift cards.
Yes, but are SDM gift cards available at other gas stations? I don't remember seeing them anywhere else.
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Jan 4, 2011
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Kiraly wrote: OP specifically asked for cash back, not travel points or loyalty program points. Amex Gold, Cobalt, SPG, PC Mastercard, etc don't give cash back.

The only way to get 4% cash back at Shoppers is to buy Shoppers gift cards at a Shell gas station or Loblaws (?) with a 4% Visa like Scotia Momentum, CIBC Dividend, or Meridian Cash Back Visa Infinite.
Do the Scotia Momentum, CIBC Dividend, or Meridian Cash Back Visa Infinite cards cut you a check for your percentage? If not, how are they cash back? If they just give you a statement credit, then points earned on many cards (Amex Gold, Amex Cobalt, etc.) also can be used as a statement credit.

And if the OP is specifically shopping at SDM (which he is), then, for him, points earned on the PC WE MC applied to his purchase are essentially cashback, no?
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May 27, 2011
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Ychanceit wrote: I'm looking for the best card for cash back at shoppers. Preferably with no fee but if the % were high enough i'd consider it.
It looks like you plan to do a lot of shopping there :)

Like other mentioned, I believe the no fee PC WE Mastercard + your PCO points card combo is the best to use. It will give you 3% + 1.5% cashback as PCO points to be redeemed for more Shoppers shopping.

And it looks like the future is bright, there's a pilot PC Insiders program where you pay $99/year and you get even more points and free shipping and other stuff. FOrum thread: pc-insiders-paid-membership-99-per-year ... h-2144938/

A summary of the benefits related to Shoppers if/when the pilot program goes live:
- 20X the PC points every day when customers shop online at beautyBOUTIQUE.ca (that's the Shoppers online site); I think that's 1.5 x 20 = 30% back in points!
- Free shipping on all beautyBOUTIQUE.ca and joefresh.com purchases

Of course, you need to calculate how much you're annually spending there aka if the extra points back + other benefits are covering the PC Insiders AF.
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efrant wrote: Do the Scotia Momentum, CIBC Dividend, or Meridian Cash Back Visa Infinite cards cut you a check for your percentage? If not, how are they cash back?
They give you a statement credit. It reduces the amount owing on anything you've already bought, no additional spending or further store loyalty required to redeem. PC cards give you points you can redeem only for merchandise—you have to go to their stores and buy more stuff to get the benefit. Same idea as Air Miles, Canadian Tire Triangle, etc. I'm not saying these types of cards are not a good deal for loyal customers of those businesses, but they're not cash back.

Amex MR points can be redeemed against travel-related expenses you have made on the card. It's close to a statement credit but not really the same thing. If you don't travel they aren't really all that valuable. Remember OP specifically said cash back.
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Kiraly wrote: They give you a statement credit. It reduces the amount owing on anything you've already bought, no additional spending or further store loyalty required to redeem. PC cards give you points you can redeem only for merchandise—you have to go to their stores and buy more stuff to get the benefit. Same idea as Air Miles, Canadian Tire Triangle, etc. I'm not saying these types of cards are not a good deal for loyal customers of those businesses, but they're not cash back.

Amex MR points can be redeemed against travel-related expenses you have made on the card. It's close to a statement credit but not really the same thing. If you don't travel they aren't really all that valuable. Remember OP specifically said cash back.
Amex MR points can be redeemed against ANY charges that you have made on your card, not just travel charges. The redemption rates vary between cards and charges, but, nevertheless...

My point with the PC WE MC was that the OP shops specifically at SDM, so, while not cashback, it is essentially cashback for him.
Deal Guru
Jan 19, 2017
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Kiraly wrote: Yes, but are SDM gift cards available at other gas stations? I don't remember seeing them anywhere else.
yes, Esso, Petro-Can. Canadian tire. Most major gas stations have them.
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Mar 6, 2013
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I wonder if the OP is in the same circumstance as.. someone I know.
If one were to be on a very expensive prescription medication (covered through insurance, but have to option to pay for it upfront and submit it to insurance themselves afterward), what would be the biggest cash back/points back on this (as it is a pharmacy purchase). Would have to be one without a max earning at pharmacy. I'm thinking 2% at Tangerine with Pharmacy as a listen option? Or maybe try to find a grocery store that has a pharmacy and accepts AMEX to get 4% back on the Scotiabank Amex Gold?

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