Quick overview of the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard
During the pandemic, my wife and I got the PC World Elite Mastercard and fell in love with the points. We started ordering our groceries online and stood by Loblaws and No Frills in the early, rushed days of them adapting to the instant and significant influx of online shoppers. We were spending around $700 and getting around $40 to $50 a month in cash back.
One point of frustration was that, when I went on the odd grocery run or visit to the Shoppers drug mart for my prescriptions or deodorant without my wife, we’d miss out on the points because we only had the one card and it was in her wallet.
With the new PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard, we get $0 grocery delivery from No Frills on same-day or future orders so long as we spend at least $35. We also got additional cards for free, helping us to rack up the points and earn cash back rewards even faster, without ever having to pass the card between us or struggle with those grocery lockers.
Who’s the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard for?
This is the perfect card for families who pull in $150,000 of household income and are brand loyalists to Loblaw grocery store brands (No Frills, Independent, Zehrs, etc.), Shoppers Drug Mart and at least occasionally fill up at Esso & Mobil gas stations.
Pros and cons
Pros
-
Generous welcome bonus
-
Excellent earn rate on everyday expenses
-
Access to free online delivery
-
Super rare identity theft protection
-
Rental car insurance
-
Emergency medical insurance
Cons
-
$120 annual fee
-
Poor travel insurance for a World Elite credit card
-
Limited to PC brands
PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard Welcome bonus
- Earn 150,000 PC Optimum points when you spend at least $3,000 anywhere within the first 4 months. Up to $1,100 in average annual value.
How to earn PC Optimum points
If you buy groceries at Loblaws banner grocery stores, you earn forty points for every $1 you spend. These stores include Loblaws, Independent, Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstore, Club Wholesale and No Frills. You earn 50 points for every $1 at Shoppers Drug Mart stores including Shoppers Drug Mart, Beauty Boutique, Shoppers Simply Pharmacy and Wellwise by Shoppers.
There are also services like mediSystem, The Health Clinic, medical cannabis, Speciality Health Network and PC health where you can earn points for completing daily activities.
Everywhere else you use your card, you’ll earn 10 points per $1 spent.
Finally, you earn 70 points per litre at Esso and Mobil gas stations.
How to redeem PC Optimum points
You can redeem your points at the register with the cashier or at self-checkout in 10,000 point increments, which is the equivalent of $10.l. You can use your points at any participating store including Loblaws, No Frills, Shoppers and Esso, to name a few. At Esso, you can redeem 4,000 points to get 10 cents off per litre (up to 40 litres).
You can also redeem at Beautyboutique.ca and JoeFresh.ca.
If you like hoarding points, you can save them and redeem a maximum of $500 of any one purchase (so you can buy the PS5 at Shoppers Drug Mart).
PC Insiders key benefits
- Huge welcome bonus of 150,000 PC Optimum points
- Incredible earn rate on everyday purchases
- Unlimited $0 online grocery delivery and pickup (a value of $99.99)
PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard Insurance coverage
- Travel Emergency Medical insurance: $1 million in coverage for trips up to 10 days for those under 65
- Purchase assurance: In the event of theft, loss or damage in the first 90 days post-purchase
- Extended warranty: Doubles the manufacturer’s warranty for up to an additional year
- Car rental collision/loss damage: Up to 31 days for cars under $65,000. You must charge the full amount of the rental vehicle to your card.
- Identity theft assistance service: To help you avoid or restore your identity
You can find the full details in the PC Financial certificate of insurance for purchase assurance and extended warranty. Click here
Find the full details of the rental car insurance certificate, here.
Extra benefits
- Mastercard Global Service: Get emergency assistance with reporting a lost or stolen card, getting an emergency card replacement or cash advance or answering questions about your account.
- Concierge services: 24/7 access for assistance in booking travel, entertainment, business and shopping. You can also get medical assistance such as finding a medical provider, transportation arrangements, prescriptions, and more. (charges apply). Call 1-866-892-8683
What the Reddit community has to say
Reddit users have weighed in on the value of the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard. One user, who currently uses a PC World Elite, was “pretty disappointed” at only receiving an extra 1% with the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard for the $120 annual fee. Their calculations suggested they'd have to spend $12,000 to break even. That said, they did say that, if you’re otherwise paying to get your groceries delivered, the PC Insiders card is worth it.
Read the r/PersonalFinanceCanada thread.
How PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard compares
PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard Vs. PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
The PC World Elite Mastercard charges no annual fee and, as a result, you lose the perk of getting free delivery. The earn rate on groceries drops to 30 points per $1 (from 40pts/$1), at Shoppers it drops from 50 points to 45 points and at Esso and Mobil it drops from 7 cents a litre to 3 cents per litre.
What will push the PC Insiders card over the top, though, is the 150,000 Welcome Bonus (you’d have to spend $5,000 on groceries alone to get there with the PC Financial World Elite card). As soon as you have 10,000 PC Optimum points, you can redeem for up to $10 worth of free stuff at participating stores. So that 150,000 bonus points are essentially paying for you to try the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard.
PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard Vs. CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
Both cards charge a $120 annual fee. However, both welcome bonuses essentially negate the fee. Though the CIBC Dividend also gives you a 10% cash back welcome bonus that could add up to $250.
The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite gives you 4% cash back on groceries and gas. While it does limit how much you can spend, the limit is high—$80k in net annual purchases or $20k on groceries and gas or about $800 cash back. The biggest plus with the CIBC card is that it rewards you for any groceries and gas.
For a similar example, let’s say you spend $12,000 on groceries, $5,000 on gas, and $3,000 at Shoppers. You can redeem 10,000 points for $10 at Loblaws, Shoppers and Esso or Mobil. That means you get $980 cash back, but only for those stores.
So, the question is—how loyal are you to Loblaws, Shoppers and Esso or Mobil? Is the $180 difference worth it?
PC Insiders Vs. Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite
If you're not super brand loyal when it comes to grocery shopping, but want to go where you'll score the best points, let's look at how the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard compares with the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite.
| - | PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard | Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $120 | $150 |
| Welcome offer | 150,000 PC Optimum points | 40,000 bonus Scene+ points and first year annual fee waiver |
| Earn rate per $1 |
Earn 40 points at Loblaw Banner stores
Earn 50 points at Shoppers Drug Mart stores Earn 10 points everywhere else. Earn up to 70 points per litre at Esso and Mobil gas stations. |
Earn 3 Scene+ points on every $1 at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more.
Earn 2 Scene+ points for every $1 you spend on dining, other grocery stores, entertainment purchases, and daily transit (Uber, buses, subway, etc.) |
| insurance | Emergency medical, rental car, purchase assurance and extended warranty | Emergency medical, Trip cancellation, trip interruption, flight delay, delayed and lost baggage, rental car, hotel burglary, travel accident, purchase security and extended warranty |
| Benefits | $0 grocery delivery |
No foreign transaction fees
6 Complimentary airport lounge access passes Save on Avis car rentals |
| Review | - | Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite review |
| Get started | Apply now | Apply now |
Is the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard worth it?
For the welcome bonus and $0 grocery delivery, if you shop at Loblaws and Shoppers, it’s worth it, at least for one year. Before you renew the card, decide if you want to spend $120 for groceries to be delivered. If not, go with the PC World Elite Mastercard.
PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard FAQs
Tyler Wade has worked in personal finance for over 5 years writing for brands like Ratehub, Forbes, KOHO, and now Money.ca.
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