[Meridian Visa] 4% cash back on G&G, 2% on Rx&PAP VISA card (First $25,000 in purchase)*No limited time

Kiraly wrote: ↑ https://meridian.mycardinfo.com/

ml88888888 wrote: ↑ I agree. If someone really wants to get the gift card, they should redeem for a statement credit, then use the credit to buy the gc from a store. Whoever designed this reward system should be replaced.

emiabe wrote: ↑ Does anyone know which gas station will give you reward points when you buy gift cards? Shell does not give air miles.

I tried Esso, because the staff said I would get points for gift card purchases. I showed Esso Extra card and scanned it but the receipt does not show any of the account #, so not sure if there was some reading error ... I didn't receive points anyhow. (I searched for an active Esso Extra thread, which does not seem to exist. Esso Extra program rules state I don't get points for Esso gift cards, but they don't mention other gift cards that they sell.)

Petro Canada points and Aeroplan are other possibilities. (I don't have other gas station rewards memberships.) Is there another thread that I should ask this question? Thanks.

OxbridgeIvy wrote: ↑ It's only Shell gift cards that don't earn you Airmiles. Other gift cards, when bought at Shell, earn you Airmiles. When I had my Meridian Visa Inifinite, I regularly bought gift cards at Shell. This made all these purchases count as gas purchases on the Meridian card, giving 4% cashback. What I figured out was this (Admittedly, it's been over a year since I cancelled my Meridian Visa Infinite, so this may be outdated):

Buy Shell gift cards at Shell: earn 4% cashback on Meridian VI (this is kind of pointless, since you can get the same 4% cashback at Shell by spending normally. Also, Shell gift cards are very annoying to use because the cashier must first enter the exact amount to charge to the gift card before swiping it. The gift card will decline the transaction if the cashier tries to charge to much onto the card, which is exactly what will happen if the purchase is a higher amount than what is left on the gift card. This means when you get to the last few dollars/cents on the gift card, you have to keep track of the amount, and tell the cashier exactly how much to charge to the gift card)

Buy any other gift cards at Shell: earn 4% cashback on Meridian VI, earn 1 Airmile / $10 (this is where it makes sense to buy gift cards at shell. I bought many Amazon, Home Depot, LCBO, and Canadian Tire gift cards in this way. Getting me 4% cashback on Meridian VI at places I would only normally get 1.5% using Rogers WE. Additionally Shell gives you Airmiles on gift card purchases on non-Shell gift cards. As an added bonus, for LCBO purchases, I'd get Airmiles from Shell for the gift card purchase, and then I'd get Airmiles again from LCBO on the actual purchase itself)

ml88888888 wrote: ↑ As you said that you have not bought any gcs from Shell for a year. Things can change since you did last time at Shell. You don’t earn AM for buying any gcs or lottery tickets any more since about Aug., 2020.
Why did you stop buying gcs from Shell after cancelling your Meridian Visa?

OxbridgeIvy wrote: ↑ That question pretty much answers itself. The only reason I bought GCs was because it gets me 4% cashback on Meridian VI if I buy those GCs at a gas station or grocery store. Taking away the Meridian VI also takes away that reason.

Currently, I only very occasionally get GCs, since I have the BMO cashback MC. It gets me 3% (but only at grocery stores, not gas stations.)

ml88888888 wrote: ↑ The BMO card must be fee free then. If not fee free, why switching?

OxbridgeIvy wrote: ↑ Correct. It is a free card. The Meridian VI had FYF, so I only held it a year and cancelled it before they would have charged me a fee for the second year. I've never paid a credit card fee in my life.

Kiraly wrote: ↑ Anyone else having trouble redeeming points for cash back? From the meridian.mycardinfo.com page I click Browse Rewards, but it just takes me to the same page, with no link to the rewards section. Same result in two different browsers.

Kiraly wrote: ↑ I received a new card to replace the one that's expiring soon. The new one expires only two years from now. I think that's the shortest validity period I've ever had on a card replacing an expiring one. On the plus side, the points redemption I made on Thursday has already been credited today, a holiday Monday. That's the shortest amount of time I have ever waited to get the credit after redeeming points. I have had it take longer than a month.