PC Optimum Guide Canada: How to Earn and Redeem Points

PC Optimum is the loyalty program of Loblaw Companies, earned at Loblaw-affiliated grocery stores, Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix, Esso and Mobil stations, and with PC Financial payment cards. Points are redeemed at participating stores, including Esso stations; Esso says redemption is not available at Mobil stations. A release Loblaw published on August 12, 2026 describes it as one of Canada’s largest loyalty programs, with more than 18 million members, and puts Loblaw’s network at more than 1,100 grocery stores and nearly 1,400 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix locations.

The program’s defining feature is a fixed in-store point value: 10,000 points are worth $10 in rewards at participating stores, which is 0.1¢ per point. That makes earn rates easy to convert: 10 points per dollar is 1% back. The trade-off is that store redemptions are fixed at that rate, unlike travel programs such as Aeroplan, where the value of a redemption varies.

This guide is part of the rewards programs hub, which also covers Aeroplan, Blue Rewards (formerly Air Miles), Amex Membership Rewards and the bank programs.

PC Financial is now part of EQ Bank

EQB, the parent company of EQ Bank, bought PC Financial from Loblaw; EQ Bank says the deal was completed on July 1, 2026. PC Optimum itself stays with Loblaw, and EQ Bank’s FAQ says there will be no changes to the program, including how points are earned and redeemed, or personal point balances, as a direct result of the acquisition. EQ Bank also says PC Mastercard products will, over time, transition to the EQ Bank brand, so card names and terms on this page may change; the issuer’s own pages have the current versions.

Where to earn PC Optimum points

Loblaw grocery stores

Points are earned at Loblaw-affiliated grocery stores (Real Canadian Superstore and Loblaws are two of the banners) through product offers in the app and in store, and at a per-dollar rate when you pay with a PC Financial card (see the card table below). When PC Optimum launched, Loblaw named weekly personalized offers and exclusive points-earning and points-redemption events among the program’s features. The full list of participating stores is on pcoptimum.ca.

Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix

Every PC Optimum member earns 15 points per dollar on eligible purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix, whatever the payment method. At the program’s point value that is 1.5% back. A PC Financial card adds its own points on top of that member rate (table below).

Esso and Mobil stations

All PC Optimum members can earn 10 points per litre at Esso and Mobil stations (1¢ per litre at the program’s point value). PC Financial cards earn more per litre; the PC Insiders card’s fuel rates are below.

PC Financial Mastercards

PC Financial says all of its Mastercards earn at least 10 points per dollar on every purchase. The cards differ in what they earn at Loblaw-banner stores and Shoppers Drug Mart. The figures below come from PC Financial’s benefits guide for each card.

The Shoppers Drug Mart figures include the 15 points per dollar every member earns. What each card adds on top is 35 points per dollar for the PC Insiders card, 30 for the World Elite, 20 for the PC Financial World Mastercard and 10 for the PC Financial Mastercard.

PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard details. Its 40 points per dollar also apply at Joe Fresh stores. At Esso and Mobil the card earns 50 points per litre (5¢), rising to 70 points per litre (7¢) on all fuel bought there in a calendar month once that month’s purchases reach 150 litres. The card includes a PC Express Pass subscription (its $99.99 annual fee, plus tax, is waived; the subscription can end if the card account is closed, restricted, not in good standing or changed to a different PC Financial card). PC Financial lists the card’s income requirement as $80,000 personal or $150,000 household.

How points add up on one purchase

Card points and app offers are separate: the card’s rate per dollar applies to the purchase, and an activated offer adds its own bonus points. PC Financial notes that bonus offers made to cardholders are calculated on the regular 10-points-per-dollar rate, not on a card’s higher category rate.

Does the PC Insiders card’s fee pay for itself?

The PC Insiders card charges $120 a year; the World Elite card in the table has no annual fee. Whether the extra points cover the fee depends on how much is spent at Loblaw banners and Shoppers Drug Mart. The comparison below is a worked illustration with made-up monthly spending, not a typical household.

Points are not the whole comparison. A cardholder who would otherwise pay for a PC Express Pass gets that $99.99 subscription included, and the card’s higher fuel rate adds points for regular Esso and Mobil customers. The same steps (points per dollar × annual spend × 0.1¢, minus the fee) can be repeated with your own annual spend and each card’s points per dollar.

How to redeem PC Optimum points

At the till. Points are redeemed at participating stores in blocks of 10,000, each worth $10, with a minimum of 10,000 points. PC Financial’s benefit guides add that some redemption restrictions apply, with the details on pcoptimum.ca. Because each 10,000-point block is worth the same amount at the till, every block redeemed is worth the same per point, though PC says its offers are subject to change.

As a PC Mastercard statement credit. PC Financial announced on September 8, 2025 that PC Mastercard holders can apply points to their card balance: every 10,000 points is a $7 credit, up to 500,000 points at a time. That is 70% of the in-store value of the same points. In PC Financial’s words: “Redemptions do not count toward your credit card's minimum payment requirement.”

Against the PC Insiders annual fee. PC Insiders World Elite primary cardholders can redeem points against the annual fee through their PC Financial online account, within 45 calendar days of the fee posting. The card account and the PC Optimum account must both be open and in good standing, only one redemption is allowed each time the fee is charged, and it can’t exceed the part of the fee not already credited or rebated. Like the statement credit, it reduces the balance but doesn’t count toward the minimum payment.

PC Optimum compared with travel programs

PC Financial’s guide states that 10,000 PC Optimum points are worth $10 in rewards at participating stores, with some restrictions (a statement credit on a PC Mastercard pays less, as described below). In travel programs it depends on the redemption: TD’s Aeroplan card page, for example, says Aeroplan points are redeemable under the Aeroplan program for flights and other rewards, and that the retail value of those rewards will vary depending on a range of factors including the type of reward issued. That variability is what lets a well-chosen flight redemption beat a fixed rate, and what makes a poor one worth less.

Things that reduce what you earn

Key takeaways

• Fixed value: 10,000 points = $10 at participating stores, so each point is worth 0.1¢.
• Member earn at Shoppers: 15 points per dollar for every member; PC Financial cards add more on top.
• Card tiers: the PC Insiders World Elite earns 40 points per dollar at Loblaw banners and 50 at Shoppers for $120/year; whether that beats a no-fee PC card depends on spending in those two places.
• Ownership change: PC Financial now belongs to EQB; the PC Optimum program stays with Loblaw.
• Travel goals: programs with variable redemption values, such as Aeroplan and Amex Membership Rewards, work differently; their guides cover how.

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