Triangle Mastercard Review

The Triangle Mastercard from Canadian Tire is their most basic card, but it comes with a good amount of benefit and more importantly, there’s no minimum income requirement to qualify for the card. Since this is a Canadian Tire branded credit card, you’ll earn Triangle Rewards which is a new digital rewards program. Don’t worry, Canadian Tire Money (CTM) still exists, but Triangle gives you more opportunities to earn rewards.

Since Canadian Tire is such a recognized brand in Canada, it makes sense for them to offer credit cards, but are they any good? Read my Triangle Mastercard review now to find out how the loyalty program works and how it compares to some of the best credit cards in Canada.

Triangle Mastercard benefits

• No annual fee
• 4% back on qualifying purchases made online and in-store at Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek and Atmosphere
• No fee, no interest financing for qualifying purchases over $200 at Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek and Atmosphere
• 5 cents back per litre at Gas+ / Esence+, and Husky
• 0.8% back everywhere else you shop with your Triangle Mastercard

The 4% back on qualifying purchases made online and in-store at Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek and Atmosphere look impressive at first glance, but it’s worth noting that you would get the same earn rate as long as you’re registered for Triangle Rewards and you use the app when paying. In other words, you’re not technically getting any extra rewards, but there are additional benefits that come with the card that are worth featuring.

Getting 5 cents back per litre at Gas+ / Esence+, and Husky is quite generous and 0.8% back everywhere else you shop with your Triangle Mastercard is not a terrible rate of return.

Now, for me, what makes this card a winner is the optional no fee, no interest financing on qualifying purchases over $200 at Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek and Atmosphere. This is the only credit card in Canada that offers a true no fee, no financing option. You obviously should only make purchases when you can afford to pay off the full balance right away, but I do admit this is a unique feature that could help some people manage their cash flow.

How Triangle Rewards / Canadian Tire Money works

Triangle Rewards is the rebranded Canadian Tire loyalty program, but Canadian Tire money still exists. Basically, you would earn Triangle Rewards if you use a Canadian credit card to pay or scan your app at checkout. If you don’t have either, you would receive physical Canadian Tire Money at Canadian Tire stores.

What makes Triangle Rewards appealing is that it gives members more options since you can earn and redeem your points at Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, and participating Mark’s/L’Equipeur and Atmosphere locations. You’re guaranteed a 4% return at these stores once you’ve signed up for Triangle Rewards so there’s no reason to not sign up.

In addition, Triangle Rewards offers additional perks such as no receipt returns and targeted offers. I should also note that if you hit Canadian Tire’s minimum spend requirement, they may invite you to upgrade to the Triangle World Mastercard which gives you some additional benefits. If you have a personal income of $80,000, you’re better off applying for the Triangle World Elite Mastercard since it has much better benefits.

How the Triangle Mastercard compares to other cards

Since we’ve established the fact that you can still earn 4% in Triangle Rewards without having the credit card, we only compare the additional benefits to other cards. A 0.8% return on all purchases is respectable, but the Rogers World Elite Mastercard offers 1.50% on all purchases so there’s a pretty significant difference.

Another comparable credit card is the PC Financial Mastercard which gives you 25 PC Optimum points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and 10 PC Optimum points per $1 spent on all purchases which are essentially a 2.5%/1% return.

Final thoughts

My Triangle Mastercard review is neutral. It may not be an ideal card for everyday purchases, but, the no fee, no interest financing option is unique to this card which will likely make it appealing to some people. If you’re looking for something that earns you more rewards, check out my list of the best travel credit cards in Canada.