PC Financial World Elite Mastercard Review
In this PC Financial World Elite Mastercard review, I’m going to share all the details including how you can maximize your PC Optimum points. To simply put it, using the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard is the quickest way to earn PC Optimum points. Best of all, There’s no annual fee.
Anyone who collects PC Optimum points will likely agree that it’s one of the best loyalty programs in the country. Normally, you would only earn points on in-store and targeted offers at participating stores. However, with a PC Mastercard, you earn points on every single purchase. At Loblaw’s owned grocery stores, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Esso/Mobil gas stations, you’ll earn even more points. In other words, you can earn points fast with your everyday spending. Keep reading my PC Financial World Elite Mastercard review to find out all the benefits and to learn why PC Optimum is a favourite among Canadians.
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
- No annual fee
- Earn 45 PC Optimum Points per $1 dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart
- Earn 30 PC Optimum Points per $1 spent where PC Products are sold and at PC Travel
- Earn at least 30 PC Optimum Points per litre at Esso/Mobil locations
- Earn 10 PC Optimum Points per $1 spent on all other purchases
Let’s get to the point of this PC Financial World Elite Mastercard review. If you do your grocery shopping at a Loblaw’s owned store, then you need to get this card. The earn rate is 30 points per dollar spent at Loblaw’s owned grocery stores (except T&T), which works out to a 3% return in points. At Shoppers Drug Mart, you get 45 points per $1 spent (4.5% back). Esso/Mobil gas purchases will earn you at least 30 PC Optimum points per litre purchased. As you can see, you can essentially earn PC Optimum points at the largest grocery, drug store, and gas station chains. These points add up super fast.
What’s often overlooked about the card and is arguably one of the main benefits is the fact that it has no annual fee. With many premium cash back cards where you’re earning 4-5% on your grocery spend, you need to pay an annual fee of $120 or more. Since there’s no fee with the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t apply for this card.
That said, to qualify for this card, you must have a personal annual income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000. In addition, Mastercard now requires World Elite cardholders to charge at least $15,000 to the card each year or you’ll be downgraded to the PC Financial World Mastercard. This is highly annoying because you would use your PC Optimum Points earned to offset your costs. That means you’re naturally spending less on your card which could put you below that $15,000 threshold for the year.
Funny enough, you also get concierge service with this card. This is relevant since concierge service is usually reserved for premium travel credit cards, but you still get it with this one. You also get Mastercard Airport Experiences Provided by LoungeKey (no free passes).
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard insurance
- Travel Emergency Medical Insurance (up to 10 days)
- Car Rental Collision/Loss Damage Waiver Insurance
- Purchase assurance – 90 days
- Extended warranty – Double, up to one additional year
For a no fee card, the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard comes with some decent travel insurance. Sure, you only get 10 days of travel emergency medical insurance, and it only applies to people under the age of 65, but that’s better than other cards that only offer travel accident insurance. The car rental collision/loss damage waiver insurance can be really handy for anyone who rents a car but doesn’t have auto insurance at home. If you want a card that offers better travel benefits, take a look at my list of the best travel credit cards in Canada.
Purchase assurance is another benefit that many people don’t take advantage of, but they really should. The way it works is, if you purchase an item with your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, it’s covered from loss, theft, and damage for 90 days. You can literally get your money back for the item up to $1,000 per incident.
Extended warranty is also a great feature since it doubles your manufacturer’s warranty up to one additional year. This is completely free as long as you charge the full price of your purchase to your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard. I’ve personally made thousands of dollars in claims with my extended warranty benefits over the years.
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard pros and cons
The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard is obviously aimed at people who shop Loblaw’s owned grocery store and Shoppers Drug Mart, but that doesn’t mean you should apply on the spot. Like any credit card, you need to consider the pros and cons so you can make an informed decision when signing up.
Pros
- No annual fee: You’re getting a premium Mastercard with no annual fee.
- High earn rate: There’s no other way to earn more PC Optimum points than with this card.
- Easy redemptions: 10,000 points = $10 in groceries or merchandise. Redeem your points whenever you want.
- Bonus events: There are multiple events where you can earn more points or get extra redemption value.
Cons
- High income requirement: You must have a personal annual income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000 to qualify.
- Limited travel insurance: This card lacks premium travel insurance
- Minimum spend requirement: You must charge at least $15,000 to your card each year or you’ll be downgraded.
How PC Optimum works
In case you didn’t know, PC Optimum is the loyalty program for Loblaw’s owned stores, Shoppers Drug Mart, Esso/Mobil, and Joe Fresh. You can earn and redeem points at more than 7,000 stores across the country. PC Optimum has more than 10 million users and is often referred to as the best retail loyalty program in Canada.
PC Optimum is pretty straightforward. You can earn points in-store via promotions and targeted offers. If you have one of the PC Mastercards, then you earn points on every purchase. There’s also PC Insiders which has an annual fee, but the benefits you get and extra points earned are well worth it. Read my PC Insiders review now for more details.
When it comes to redeeming points, you can claim 10,000 PC Optimum points for $10 in groceries or merchandise. You can claim points in 10,000 intervals so 20,000, 30,000, and 40,000 points would be worth $20, $30, and $40 points respectively. There is a maximum redemption of 500,000 points at a time ($500). You can pretty much claim points on just about anything but there are a few exceptions such as cigarettes, lottery tickets and gift cards.
On occasion, Shoppers Drug Mart has bonus redemption offers. For example, there was a promotion where you could claim 250,000 points for $400 in credit. That’s $150 more than the regular redemption so it can be worthwhile to save your points. They’ve also had other offers such as earning 20X the points or getting 25,000 points when you spend $75. Read my post on how to earn more PC Optimum points if you want to maximize your points.
How the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard compares to others
Right away some people will think that the American Express Cobalt Card or the Scotiabank Gold Amex is better since they both give you 5% back in points on grocery store purchases, but it’s not that simple. You see, Loblaw’s owned stores only accept Mastercard (some accept Visa) so you can’t compare the Cobalt card here since you can’t use it. Although I find it annoying that only Mastercard is accepted, I think it’s genius as it’s basically another reason to get consumers to sign up for their card.
What’s also worth noting is that both the American Express Cobalt Card and the Scotiabank Gold Amex have annual fees. The Cobalt card charges $12.99 a month, while the Scotiabank Gold Amex charges $120 annually. Compare that to the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard that comes no annual fee.
That said, since the other cards have an annual fee, they have better benefits. With the Amex Cobalt Card, you earn American Express Membership Rewards points which can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy and Aeroplan. The Scotiabank Gold Amex has a comprehensive travel insurance package and even comes with mobile device insurance.
Final thoughts
My PC Financial World Elite Mastercard review is positive. This is a must-have card for anyone who shops on a regular basis at the Loblaws network of stores. If you combine your credit card with a PC Insiders subscription, you can rack up an insane amount of points quickly. Those points can in turn be used to claim free groceries or merchandise.
Are you sure about the Priority Pass membership?
Purell,
Yup, please see MasterCard’s website
https://www1.mastercard.com/content/mc/offer-exchange/world-elite/apmea/en/travel/airport/Airport_Lounge_Access.html
And their list of partner banks
https://www.mastercard.ca/en-ca/search-by-bank.html
Just enrolled, thanks for the tip !! Was unaware.
Another possible URL:.
Airports.mastercard.com
If I’m going out of country do I need to call PC World elite travel insurance before leaving on vacation?
Colleen,
You only need to call the insurance line if you’re making a claim. That said, if you plan on your PC Financial Mastercard when you’re abroad, you should call them in advance to let them know you’re travelling.
Where do you sign up for it then? I see no mention of this on the PC World Elite Mastercard page?
Joe,
I believe PC Financial doesn’t mention it on their website since there’s a copyright issue with the name. However, if you go to the MasterCard site, you’ll see they’re listed as a partner.
https://www1.mastercard.com/content/mc/offer-exchange/world-elite/apmea/en/travel/airport/Airport_Lounge_Access.html
https://www.mastercard.ca/en-ca/search-by-bank.html
To be honest, I don’t know how you get your actual membership with them. You may need to call MasterCard for that info.
so when I go to the PC world Elite Mastercard site, I find:
As a World Elite MasterCard cardholder, you receive
Complimentary Priority Pass membership
One free lounge visit per cardholder per year
Simply present your Priority Pass membership card upon arrival at the lounge.
but when I go to the Priority pass site, it shows membership costs for Canada at $99 us.I assume that you need a priority pass card to get into the lounge?? How do you get the complementery one that is suposed to come with the credit card? What am I missing here?
Hi Marpy,
With Priority Pass, you need a membership just to access the lounge. Depending on what membership you have, you’ll either get free visits or pay the one time fee of $27USD per visit.
So the One free lounge visit per cardholder per year = 1 time visit. After you’ve used that voucher or whatever it is, you pay $27USD per visit.
To be perfectly honest, it’s been difficult to get confirmation about how to get that actual one free pass. PCF is not responsible for that benefit so you need to call MasterCard. I’ve heard so many different things about the LoungeKey access with MasterCard that it’s impossible for me to give accurate information.
If I am approved… if I make a purchase at Shoppers drug mart will I need to just pay with the PC MasterCard to earn my full points or will I also need to show my PC Optimum card in addition? Is there any point in having a physical PC Optimum card if you are a PC MasterCard holder?
Jim,
If you have a PCFWEMC or any Mastercard and have linked it to your PC Optimum account, then you don’t need a physical PC Optimum card. Your credit card will be fine.
I find that I do need to present twice, for points then payment, though if you have a smartphone one need not carry the loyalty nor the credit card.
Personally I keep them in the Wallet app in my iPhone and use those to scan for the points & then verify the purchase (Which uses NFC to wirelessly talk to the swipe terminal.)
D. Cornelius,
Yes you do need to tap with your PC Mastercard first to get points and then again to pay. But you don’t physically need to have your PC Optimum card on you to earn points since your credit card will earn them.
Great review Barry! Merger definitely increased value with 45 total PC Optimum Points per $1 dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and 30 total PC Optimum Points per $1 spent where PC Products are sold.
And, wow, a free annual standard membership ($79 US) to Priority Pass with one free visit AND no annual fee!
Angela,
Yes, the PCFWEMC is a great card and offers tons of benefits with no fee which is why I love it.
Hi Barry, back to the Airport Lounge Access benefit …
I spoke with Mastercard Canada on the phone, and since I don’t have this card yet, the rep couldn’t check on the actual benefits without a CC#. She did mention that it depends on the financial institution whether the Lounge Access benefit is included, .
I checked this link and included an excerpt below:
https://www.pcfinancial.ca/english/legal/pc-mastercard?list=3&scrollTo=abp-additional-exclusive
Benefits exclusive to PC Financial World Mastercard accounts
Concierge Services are provided by Assurant Services Canada Inc. (ASCI). Details of what is included as part of this service is outlined in the Terms and Conditions sent with your card.
Additional benefits exclusive to PC Financial World Elite Mastercard accounts
Car Rental Collision/Loss Damage Waiver Insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (ABIC), and Travel Emergency Medical Insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Life Assurance Company of Florida (ABLAC). Concierge Services and Identity Theft Services are provided by Assurant Services Canada Inc. (ASCI). Details of your insurance and service, including definitions, benefits, limitations, and exclusions, are outlined in the Certificate of Insurance sent with your card. Keep your Certificate of Insurance in a safe place with your other valuable documents, and take it with you when you travel. ABIC, ABLAC, ASCI and their subsidiaries and affiliates carry on business in Canada under the name Assurant®. ®Assurant is a registered trademark of Assurant, Inc.
Not sure if you have this card, or can confirm whether the Priority Pass membership + 1 free visit per year is definitely included with the PC World Elite Mastercard?
Thanks!
I have this card too but didn’t know that Priority Pass membership was free. I never got that info when I received my card. Did you get your membership from this card Barry?
Barry is wrong on this, period. I’ve had the card for 3 years, it does not entitle you to a priority pass membership.
Purrell,
Here’s the statement I received directly from PC Financial.
With the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard customers will earn 3X the regular PC Points when purchasing vacations, flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals and tours. Customers also receive exclusive travel offers at competitive rates and the Best Price Guarantee on all bookings (price matching within a 24 hr).
A new benefit introduced late last year is LoungeKey access:
If you are a PC Financial World and World Elite Cardholders you will be able to purchase lounge passes at over 800 Lounges Worldwide, including presence in all large airports in Canada and at the top Canada travel destinations at subsidized rates of $27 USD. Cardholders simply need to present their PC MasterCard World or World Elite card to the lounge staff, or register for the program by going to the “MasterCard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey” website.
Benefits:
• Over 800 lounges, in over 400 airports worldwide (120+ countries), regardless of their airline, frequent flyer membership, or class of ticket.
• Unique experiences and offers in dining, spa and retail outlets within the airport
so how do you get your one free visit if you have to pay $27 us per year?? Lots of confusion with this perk. Barry, perhaps you can investgate and clarify. – Thanks
As a World Elite MasterCard cardholder, you receive
Complimentary Priority Pass membership
One free lounge visit per cardholder per year
Simply present your Priority Pass membership card upon arrival at the lounge.
Thank you for the info. This is was the clarification I was look for.
Paying $27 per visit is still better than paying $100 annual fee and $27 each visit with the priority pass.
Hi Barry… I’m a retiree and I have the HSBC Premier World Elite card. I shop often at shoppers and PC stores. In your opinion is it worth it for me to get the PC Elite card and split the loyalty points I’d get into two plans?
Hi Tim,
With the PCFWEMC you earn 4.5% back at Shoppers Drug Mart and 3% back where PC products are sold so you come out ahead compared to the HSBC Premier World Elite. The key is to take that money you save on groceries and to add it to your vacation fund.
Hi Barry…my wife and I love reading your financial and travel blogs. In your opinion what is the best credit card available now in Canada for maximizing returns to complement our HSBC card?
Hi Tim,
It really depends on where you shop and what categories you spend the most money on. e.g. where do you do all your grocery shopping? Do you spend a lot on gas? Do you eat out a lot?
We love to travel. When we’re home we shop usually at PC grocery stores or Walmart. We do love eating out.
Hi Tim,
So things could get complicated there.
If you shop at PC grocery stores – the PC Financial World Elite gives you 3% cash back which is quite high. At Wal Mart, you could keep using your CIBC card since it gives you 1.5%
If you eat out A LOT, then the Amex Cobalt card is good too since you get 5X the points. However, Cobalt points can’t be transferred to airlines. They can be used for fixed mileage rewards and transferred SPG at 2:1 so you still have some options.
Thanks Barry. Like your travel blogs you seem to write in a manner that is easy to read and understand.
Do you think getting an additional card for my spouse will allow my spouse to obtain free lounge access too?
Mary,
If your spouse applies for the card on their own (as opposed to being a supplementary cardholder), then they would have lounge access. A reminder, that just the membership is free. You still need to pay for each visit.
Hi Barry, this is great!
thank you for the post. if you use your PC WE MC for mainly gas, groceries and Shoppers, which would be a great cash back card for all the other stuff?
thank you!!
Hi FernandoM,
It depends on where else you shop and what kind of benefits you like. The Tangerine money-back card since you can choose up to 3 categories that give you up 2% back.
Barry thank you for your reply! I use PC stores a lot so that would remain my main card (groceries, gas, etc.).
for other stuff I can think of, monthly bills, random shopping, recreation…
I will definitely take a look into the Tangerine one.
thank you!
Hi Barry
I have the PC world elite Mc got it few weeks ago and I cannot see where are the 4.5X and 3X points. I can only see the base points which are 10X but how you know that you got the correct points? I called them several times but didn’t get a clear answer.
Hi Monika,
There’s honestly no clear place that shows you when you’re earning multipliers.
Your statement only shows you the total earned for the month.
Thank you for your answer. And yes, I know about the statement, but the statement shows only the base points.
With the comment above; do they send you a Priority Pass Membership card with it? or do we only get the LoungeKey Access membership free?
“As a World Elite MasterCard cardholder, you receive
Complimentary Priority Pass membership
One free lounge visit per cardholder per year”
Nimesh,
They don’t send you anything, but the one free visit is something offered by Mastercard as a World Elite cardholder. I honestly have no idea how to actually activate your membership and how to get that one free visit.
Thanks for the reply Barry. It’s still good to hear that you get LoungeKey Access membership for free which is nice a perk for a free NO FEE credit card.
Nimesh,
yeah, it’s a pretty sweet perk once you figure out how to get it. No one at PCF customer service seems to know about it, but the Mastercard website lists PCF as a partner for LoungeKey access.
It’s been painful since the change was made. I am not getting 30 points/$1 with my PC World Elite Master Card instead only getting 20 points/$1 for purchases in PC stores. 0 points for purchases from non PC stores. However, no issue with purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart and I got the loyalty points showed up on my receipt, while PC stores did not show the points other than bonus points on the receipts. I had to submit the point adjustment requests for each and every receipts for PC stores and non PC stores. Sometime, I got the points adjusted for the non-PC stores, and another time I got reply telling me “In order to earn PC Optimum Points, you are required to go to PCOptimum.ca, sign-in into your account, load all offers on to your PC optimum account by viewing them, and swipe your card/device at the beginning of each transaction at participating stores. As a result of your card/device not being swiped for this transaction we are unable to make any adjustments to your account”.
By the way transactions other than PC stores never showed up on my PCOptimum account.
Telephone call to PC Mastercard regarding the issue was totally a waste of time and message send to PC Mastercard regarding the above issue is not getting replied nor resolution.
This could be really a good card if PC Mastercard delivers their promises. I am kind of sick and tired of hearing the excuses about up to the stores including PC stores to give the loyalty points and how the heck do you tell non-PC stores to swipe your PC Mastercard before the transaction to get the loyalty points, so essentially consider sh** of luck getting any points from non-PC stores. Also, the email replies from sending the point adjustment request gave you a case# without reference to any information to the specific purchase nor the request detail. Hence it is a difficult task to match up with the receipts with the case# when I was requested to submit additional info.
As always, buyer beware and don’t believe everything they tell you.
I have a MC President’s Choice Elite card. I find it impossible to decipher whether or not I am getting the appropriate amount of points on my purchases because of the way the Financial points are recorded. The detailed info for each posting should indicate which transaction it is for. ie purchase date and amount.
I am concerned that I am not getting the correct amount of points.
I guess I could do a points adjustment of every transactions but I do not want to have to do that. The computer system must have the info I am asking for.
I use my MC for everything but I want to be assured that I am getting the correct amount of points. The points earned is why I have and use this card!
Hey Marion,
From what I understand, the bonus points only appear online via pcoptimum.ca. I agree it’s a bit sill that there’s no easier way to view your bonus points.
I do go online to pcoptimum,ca to view my earned points. I have been told by PC Financial that it takes 3-5 days for the Financial points earned to be posted. I can deal with that. But when the points are posted, I want to know which transaction the points are coming from.
I have contact PC Financial with my concern but I am not satisfied with their response.
Do you have an inside tract with PC Financial?
Hi Marion,
Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who works there that would be able to assist.
Are there any caps on points earned in any of the categories? (At PC Stores, Shoppers, Anywhere else?) I ask this because on the ‘Points earned’ calculator in a recent email I received from PC, there is a cap of $2000 on spending in the ‘everywhere else’ category.
Mary Jo,
There’s should be no cap. I don’t know why they set a limit of $2,000 on the online calculator.
Thanks Barry, I didn’t think there was a cap.
Looks like PC optimum points is a scam. whenever there is an offer on Gas, I buy it. But i have to call customer care to get my points otherwise we don’t get any points. last week there was an offer 10,000 points on $40 purchase of gas. i still did not get points, i am still fighting for those. I will never ever go again to superstore and never use pc optimum. Whenever I called customer service they hangup the call. waste of time. I am planning to contact media and local news channels.
I registered for Lounge access with my PC Financial World Elite Card. I read that you can tell if your card receives a complimentary visit by going into the my account section. If you qualify for any complimentary passes the “complimentary” section will show. Mine does not…not surprised. So it looks like I have free access but will need to pay $27 US for each visit. I have a long stay in Miami for my next vacation the way the flights work out so I may use it.
Im trying to figure out what the best credit card combination for me would be. I’m retired so cash back is a great option. I was using my PC points to purchase gift cards until they removed that option last year. Now I have $400 worth in points I’m not sure how to redeem. I don’t shop at PC much. I shop at local organic grocery stores. I do shop at Shoppers sometimes, and ended up using some of it to buy sunscreen. I’d prefer to be able to get free items immediately like a gas card or even collect rewards for flights or vacations as being on a limited income makes though purchases tough. Any suggestions Barry?
Hi Michele,
With your remaining points you could shop at Loblaw’s or Superstore where they have organic produce and merchandise e.g. electronics and housewares for sale.
As for the best credit card, it depends on your spending habits and where you shop. The Amex Simply Cash preferred card and the Tangerine Money-Back card immediately come to mind as good choices
Hi, thanks for the share.
I received the Elite MasterCard this week and wondering if I have to make minimum amount of purchase with this card yearly to maintain my status.?
Please confirm, I can’t find this info anywhere, no one knows…
Hi Sri,
ONce you have the card, you keep it. There is no status with this card as it’s based on your minimum income, now how much you spend.
[…] the PC Financial Mastercards, you can increase your earn rate significantly. I personally have the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard and use it all the time. It honestly doesn’t take me long before I have enough points to make a […]
Avoid this card if you like to have online access to your account. I’ve had it for one month and still cant’ get access. Customer service has no answers. It’s an IT problem. They’re working on it. No time frame for resolution.
Can I use my pc elite mc in other countrie?
Yes, just make sure you let them know in advance of your travel dates.
Great review Barry. One thing to note which I’m a bit sore about – I am an existing PC MasterCard holder (the plain standard card) and I asked PCF if I could be upgraded to the World Elite (I am over the personal income requirment, and comfortably over the household earn requirement). They flat out said no and that I have to have spent $25000 over the past 24 months on my existing card in order to qualify. $25k is a pretty unreasonable sum for even a high spender on what is definitely not going to a primary travel card. It appears that PCF really don’t want people applying for this card (probably costs them too much from points redemptions).
Rahul,
I feel like that’s an uninformed rep. If you’re over the income requirement, they should be upgrading you no questions asked. It might be worth calling again to see if a different rep will upgrade you.
I currently have the PC Mastercard and was just approved for the PC World Elite card. I currently get 7 cents/liter back on my gas purchases, but I read the World Elite is only 3 cents/liter? Just curious. We have large vehicles and drive a lot, so our points add up fast just from gas purchases alone.
Hi Nicola,
I believe you’re referring to the 70 PC optimum points that are earned at gas stations located at Loblaw’s owned grocery stores? That remains the same with the PC Financial World Elite card. The 3 cents earned per litre is at Esso/Mobil locations.
You may want to double check with PCF, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it works.
Excellent article! good one
Hi Barry,
Thanks for this review. But I was wondering what other credit card we could combine with the PC World Elite MasterCard to maximize our points.
We shop mainly at the Loblaws and affiliate stores, so the PC WEMC is a perfect card for us.
Currently we have the Scotia Gold AMEX(restaurants, travel), Scotia VISA Momentum Infinite(grocery, gas),RBC VISA Infinite Avion, Home Trust Visa(US purchase), Capital One(Costco).
We do eat out frequently and vacation to the US at least once a year. I need to cancel all these credit cards, want to only have the PC WEMC and another card or two.
Can you suggest which other cards I should combine and will cancel the rest?
Thanks!
Hi Cecilia,
THe Scotia Gold Amex is actually a great complimentary card to the PCFWEMC especially if you use it to eat out a lot and travel. Come August 1st, you’ll earn 5X the points on restaurants and the card will have no forex fees.
https://www.scotiabank.com/content/dam/scotiabank/canada/en/documents/personal-banking/AW007111_CJ54869_Gold_AMEX_ENG_WEB.pdf
If you want to drop the Scotiabank Amex card, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card doesn’t give you as many points for groceries and restaurants, but you get a Priority Pass membership and 6 free annual passes.
With either of the two above cards, you could cancel the Home Trust card and the RBC Avion card.
Hi Barry,
My wife keeps pushing me for the PC World Elite MC as she is working for PCF.
I currently have TD Visa Infinite cash back card that gives me 3% on Gas, Recurring Payments and Groceries (from grocery stores – no Walmart or No Frills (Visa not accepted)).
TD Visa Infinite cash back card has a better travel insurance, rental car coverage etc than PCWEMC – Correct me if i am wrong
Does it make sense for me to go for PCWEMC just for the 3x points in No Frills shopping? BTW i have PC Optimum card that gives my 10 points on ESSO gas purchases.
Also we travel at least once a year to India or US which travel card do you recommend for lounge access + perks – Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite or CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite?
Thanks.
Pradeep,
If you always pay your bills on time, it doesn’t hurt to get the PCFWEMC since you would earn 30 points per dollar spent.
As for your other question about lounge passes and Nexus. I personally think the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card is the best all-in-one travel card. Your wife would be able to use the free annual passes as long as she’s travelling with you (assuming you’re the primary cardholder). She wouldn’t be able to use the passes if she was travelling on her own.
Nexus is only $50 for 5 years, so although CIBC offers a rebate, the 2 extra lounge passes you get from Scotiabank every year are worth more. As I’m sure you know, the Scotiabank card also has no forex fees.
Hi Pradeep, Visa HomeTrust has you no exchange fees for currency. That is somewhere around 2.4% savings when out of country. Also, I get 1% cash back. So it is about 3.5% savings when travelling. Unless you get currency wihtout having to exchange it (ie cash gifts from family).
Thanks Barry.
WiIl wait on PCFWEMC….
Scotia benefits are better and will go with it… Also will apply for a Supplementary card (wife) for free and add that to the Priority Pass account, not sure if they will let me register. Any thoughts?
Pradeep,
The fine print on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card states that the Priority Pass membership is only valid for the primary cardholder so your wife would not qualify.
If she travels on her own quite a bit, it may be worth it for her to get her own card.
Thanks Barry 🙂
i only get 20 points for 1 dollar
John,
You have the World card, not the World Elite.
i have the world elite.
The world elite card definitely earns you 30 points per $1 spent at Loblaws owned stores.
https://www.pcfinancial.ca/en/credit-cards/world-elite
thats what theY said.but i only get 20 for 1 dollar
You’d have to contact customer service again and tell them to look at your statement to varify that there’s an error and then have them fix it.
yes.i did.mastercard said it is points issue.points said its mastercard issue
my wife traveled to India last week. but unfortunately lost her luggage. she did not receive her luggage at New Delhi. Airlines are unable to track her luggage. My question is that as i paid her full ticket from PC choice world elite master card, will i be able to claim the baggage lost. please answer
Hi Munish,
Sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard does not come with any lost baggage insurance.
Hi, If I’m the primary card holder and I have a supplementary card issued in my Wife’s name, does the travel insurance cover her on a trip to the US. if that trip flight and hotel was charged in full on the supplemental card with her name on it if me as the primary card holder is not going on the trip with her? Thanks.
Hi Jason,
Your wife would not be insured with the card if you’re not travelling with her.
Thank Barry, I guess I’m going to Vegas as a 3rd wheel in a bachlorette party. Lol. By the way, what is the process if one needs to for example see a doctor or visit a hospital emergency room in the U.S.? Does the card member pay for all of the medical services 1st, keep the invoices, then file a claim afterwards or do you call and get pre-approval first? We are both Canadian born, I as the primary card holder and my spouse has the supplementary card. . And is it family coverage or just your spouse? And is there any deductible (i.e. card member pays first $100?). Thanks.
Jason,
You’re supposed to contact your insurer before you seek medical attention or as soon as possible. Sometimes the doctor or hospital can bill the insurer directly, but sometimes you need to pay yourself and then make a claim. Generally speaking, your dependent children who are not students are also covered, again read the policy. Also note that the travel medical for this card only covers 10 days if you’re under the age of 65.
Thank Barry, can you post a link to the policy? Thanks.
Jason,
https://www.pcfinancial.ca/docs/default-source/legal-stuff/pcf_worldelite_coi_en.pdf
Hi Barry,
What cards currently have no forex fees? Which one offers the best cash back? Which card has best travel insurances. I do like the Amex option, but here in a more rural area, many merchants don’t accept Amex.
Thanks
Hi Jenny,
Check out these two pages.
https://www.moneywehave.com/canadian-credit-cards-without-foreign-transaction-fees/
https://www.moneywehave.com/best-cash-back-credit-cards-in-canada/
https://www.moneywehave.com/the-best-credit-cards-with-travel-insurance/
Hello! Thanks for the info. Does this card have any coverage for Trip Cancelation Insurance? We are currently en route to Australia from Canada with a stop over in Hawaii and Jetstar has cancelled our flight to Melbourne. Sadly, we forgot to purchase travel insurance before the trip (of course, the one time I forget…..).
Hoping this card will help over the costs at Jetstar is being absolutely useless. Cheers!
Meagan,
Unfortunately, this card does not have any trip cancellation.
Points are slow to add up, even if you spend a huge amount on the card. If you don’t pay off the balance on your card dinged over a 22% interest charge. In the end you do not come out ahead on the PC Mastercard!
Kevin,
If you’re shopping at Loblaws owned stores or Shoppers Drug Mart, the points add up fast. You’re basically earning 3% or 4.5% return on all your purchases and that doesn’t include any in-store or targeted offers. If you’re carrying a balance, the rewards are definitely not worth and you should focus on debt repayment. This is a no fee card so I would say the majority of people do come out ahead.
Sounds fantastic!! However I have the card and have been trying to get my points fixed for over 2 years. I still only get 10 points at gas stations and minimum at their stores. I called, wrote,started a points claim and even wrote to the PC ombudsman. All failed to follow up and follow through. Very disappointing.