Rexall Be Well Review

As of May 1, 2020, Rexall has ended its partnership with Air Miles and has introduced its own loyalty program called Be Well. This is a huge change for consumers since Rexall was one of Air Miles’ biggest partners.

Earning Air Miles has always been difficult, so if Rexall’s new program gives you a better earn rate or is at least competitive with PC Optimum, I think most people would be happy. Read my Be Well review now to find out if it’s any good or if you should change your shopping habits now.

Rexall Be Well benefits

• Digital app or physical card
• Earn 10 points for every $1 spent
• In-store bonus points events
• Personalized offers for extra points
• Direct access to your pharmacist
• Medication management

The Rexall loyalty program seems to be clearly designed at helping people manage their medication better. One of the biggest pet peeves for just about anyone is how you have to wait to drop off and pick up your prescription. Depending on how busy a store is, that could take up to 45 minutes or even an hour of your time. No one wants to wait around for their drugs.

To address this issue, the Be Well app allows you to submit new prescriptions by taking a photo. You can even take a look at your medication history and get a refill via the app.

Since everything is done through the app, you’ll get a notification when your prescription is ready. This is where the app excels as you can run errands without physically going to the pharmacy. Once your drugs are ready, you’ll know so you won’t waste any time.

Having access to information about your medication within the app is handy too. I realize that pharmacists will usually explain everything and include a sheet with direction, but how many times are we not paying attention or we lose that paper?

Rexall Be well does a really good job at is managing your medication, but this assumes you have a smartphone. Many older people still don’t have data plans and they’re the ones who may need the most assistance. Of course, they can still go into Rexall and speak to a pharmacist directly.

What is Rexall Be Well points worth?

• Earn 10 points for every $1 spent
• 25,000 points can be redeemed for $10

Based on the above, that means you’ll need to spend $2,500 to get $10 off. In other words, the value of one Be Well point is .0004 cents. If you think that’s a terrible value, you’re right. Essentially, every dollar you spend at Rexall will earn you $0.004 in cash back.

People complained about how difficult it was to earn Air Miles at Rexall since you had to spend at least $20 to get any miles, but Be Well is arguably worse. Some might counter with the fact that you’re getting free cash back without any additional spending so you shouldn’t complain, but come on! 

On a somewhat positive note, there will be times where you can earn additional Be Well points. It appears the Rexall will have regular promotions such as get 50,000 Be Well points when you spend $50. Mind you, that was the first offer available when the program launched, so let’s see if they have similar deals later.

Like Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall will give additional Be Well points when you purchase certain in-store products. You’ll also get targeted offers that will help, but I still think it’ll be difficult to accumulate points quickly. 

I also personally find that Rexall is more expensive than other pharmacies but I’ve never really price compared too much.

How does Rexell Be Well compare to PC Optimum

Let’s get right to the point, Rexall screwed up if they were trying to lure the competition away. PC Optimum is a far superior program.

Let’s start with the earn rate. Be Well does a good job since you can earn 10 points for every dollar spent. But that’s no different from PC Optimum where you can earn 15 PC Optimum points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharma Prix. 

In addition, if you pay with one of the three PC Optimum cards, you get an even better earn rate. The PC Financial Mastercard earns you 25 PC Optimum points $1 spent. The PC Financial World Mastercard gives you 35 points per $1 spent and then there’s the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard that earns you 45 points per $1 spent.

To make things even worse for the Rexall loyalty program, PC Optimum only requires 10,000 points to redeem $10, That means you’ll earn more points and it’ll take you fewer points to make a redemption with PC Optimum.

PC Optimum also allows you to earn additional points at Loblaws owned grocery stores and Esso/Mobil Gas stations. If you pay with your PC Mastercard, you can earn PC Optimum points anywhere. There’s also the PC Insiders program that will enhance your earn rate. Rexall Be Well only allows you to earn points at Rexall.

That said, Be Well is unique when it comes to first-time drug prescriptions since you can send a picture of your prescription and pick it up later. Shoppers Drug Mart will only allow you to refill prescriptions online or via text message.

Final thoughts

My Rexall Be Well review is negative. The earn and redemption rates are not very good. That said, is it enough reason for you to switch to PC Optimum/Shoppers Drug Mart? It really depends on if you have a location near you to make it worthwhile.