This is a review of my hands-down favourite loyalty program: PC Optimum.
The merger of the Shoppers Optimum program with PC Plus was a source of anxiety for some, but not me. I didn’t shop a lot at Shoppers Drug Mart, which meant I didn’t see much benefit from the Optimum program.
But I loved PC Plus. So the idea of adding even more ways to earn points was exciting to me.
I really can’t say enough good things about this program. In this review, I’ll share why I love PC Optimum so much and share some tips to help you get more out of this program.
My PC Optimum review
PC Optimum is the loyalty program for Loblaws.
It’s pretty straightforward: sign up, use your card when you shop at the affiliated stores and earn points based on things you buy.
PC Optimum points don’t have a cash value, but they redeem like cash. Once you earn 10,000 points, you can redeem for up to $10 worth of stuff at the various stores that accept the card. Taken on its own, this might seem like a high points number, but trust me: it does not take long to get there if you’re maximizing the way you use the program.
Reasons I love the PC Optimum program
There are four key reasons I love the PC Optimum program.
There are many ways to earn points
My PC Optimum card is the most versatile card in my wallet.
You can collect points through the program at stores under the Loblaws banner, including Real Canadian Superstore / Atlantic Superstore, No Frills, and Shoppers Drug Mart. You can also earn points at Esso and Mobil gas stations.
The amount you earn on your purchases depends on where you’re shopping and what you’re buying. This means if you’re a regular at any of these places, it’s not hard to rack up the points. There are also opportunities to earn more points by coupling the program with certain PC Financial products, although I can’t speak too much to that as my credit card of choice is the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card .
Targeted offers through the app
If there’s one thing I regret, it’s waiting so long to start using the app to load my offers.
Prior to merging with Optimum, cashiers would ask me every time I shopped if I loaded my offers to my PC Plus card. And every time, I would shrug it off and say maybe next time.
Now that I load my offers faithfully on Thursday, I can’t believe how much money I left on the table.
Why are the offers so great? Because they are targeted.
The offers you receive each week are based on your shopping patterns. Each week, I receive about a dozen offers and almost all of them are for things I buy regularly. The offers that don’t fit into that category are either related items or, occasionally, new things to try.
One of my favourite features of the offers is the ability to defer items.
For example, we love Bullseye BBQ sauce. It retails $3.99 a bottle, but often goes on sale for $2.99. When it does, I like to buy a couple bottles.
Because we buy Bullseye BBQ sauce frequently, I regularly get offers for it through the app. If it’s a week where it’s not on sale and we have enough at home, I’ll defer that offer for a week when we’re either stocking up or when we run out.
I cannot stress enough how important using the offers are if you’re using this program. It is one of the easiest things you can do to rack up PC Optimum points quickly.
Ease of redemption
Cashing in your points is super easy with PC Optimum.
The minimum redemption under the program is $20. From there, you can redeem points in $10 increments.
If you’re going through a manned register, all you have to do is tell the cashier you want to use your points. They scan the card, you tell them how much you want to redeem and…that’s it. No calling in, no waiting for gift cards to arrive in the mail — it’s all right there, on your card.
Like many loyalty programs, there are some redemption exemptions, like alcohol, tobacco and lottery tickets (full list here).
That said, it is worth noting there seem to be limits on how you can redeem at the self-serve cash. In my experience, if you opt to use points at self-serve, it will assume you want to pay as much as you can in points. For example, if you have $100 of groceries and $120 on your PC Optimum card, it forces me to use $100 from my points before it accepts another type of payment.
A small flaw in an otherwise simple process.
Bonus offers!
Another great thing about the PC Optimum program is the bonus offers.
Perhaps the most well-known source for bonus offers is Shoppers, where 20x the points and bonus redemption days are fairly common. I’m not a big Shoppers shopper, but I did recently learn that 20x the points applies to the Beauty Boutique, too, which has been great for our points account.
We do most of our shopping at Atlantic Superstore and there are often bonus offers there, too. Plus, along with the bonus offers and the targeted offers, there are always in-store offers that anyone can receive.
Honestly, sometimes it feels like they’re just trying to give money away, that’s how easy it is to earn.
Final Thoughts
I’m a big fan of the PC Optimum program. I think my review makes that pretty clear.
From the multiple places to earn, the variety of ways to earn and how easy it is to redeem, I think it’s hands down one of the best loyalty programs out there. If you’ve been on the fence about it, I think it’s worth checking out.
Do you use the PC Optimum program? If so, do you have any tips for how to earn more points? I’d love to hear about them!
Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst
Looks like a great program! I like all these little hacks – they all add up.
I seriously LOVE it so much! I have a lot of friends who were hardcore Shoppers Optimum users but I have never been a big Shoppers Drug Mart shopper (although that has changed since I found out you can earn a ton of points through the Beauty Boutique). But I love love loved the PC program. The merger definitely combined the best thing about both programs and made it very easy to earn money quickly!