Mixing the use of grocery rewards programs WITH credit card rewards is a great way to save money.
Use loyalty points to pay less for groceries
The trick is to use your favorite grocery store’s loyalty card and pair it with your payment method to do double dip !
At Maxi with the PC Optimum program
Earning rate | Redeem | |
PC Optimum | Depending on the weekly personalized offers, the offers from the flyer and the selected products |
1,000 points = $1 off your bill at checkout Exchangeable at any time |
Offers may include a discount to the member or giving extra points for a certain minimum spend.

By carefully planning purchases at this low-price grocery store, their flyer specials and the app’s weekly offers, rewards accumulate faster.
Here, I got 42,800 points (or $42.80) on a bill of $159.18, including taxes. The next time I go to the checkout counter at Maxi, I will be able to get $42 off from my grocery bill.
But the best thing to do is to wait for the Bonus Redemption Event at Shoppers Drug Mart. On these days, the exchange value is much greater and points are worth even more!

Then the best move is to pay with a credit card that has a high multiplier for grocery store purchases.
Maxi only accepts Visa and Mastercard cards. So, the best credit cards to use at Maxi are :
Grocery Store earning | Best for | Eligibility Requirements | |
National Bank World Elite Mastercard | 5 points/$1 purchase | Save on travel expenses | Minimum $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income |
BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* | 5 % Cash Back | Cash back $$ | Minimum $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income |
CIBC Dividend Platinum® Visa* Card | 3% Cash Back | Cash back $$ | Minimum of $15,000 in annual income |
The World Elite Mastercard PC card gives you 30 points for every dollar you spend at Maxi. I would have earned 4,775 points, a value of $4.77.
However, much more can be achieved by using :
Card | Points and value |
National Bank World Elite Mastercard | 796 NBC Rewards points (approx. $7 value) |
BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* | $ 7.96 cash back |
At IGA and its Scene+ program
As of March 23, 2023, the loyalty card linked to IGA is Scene+. Until March 22, 2023, IGA was a partner with AIR MILES.
Earning rate | Redeem | |
Scene+ (since March 23, 2023) | Depending on the weekly personalized offers, the offers from the flyer and the selected products |
1,000 points = $10 off your bill Redeemable at any time at the cashier |
AIR MILES (Ended on March 22, 2023) | 1 thousand/$20 purchase – (Ends March 22, 2023) |
95 miles = $10 off the bill Redeemable at any time at the cashier (Ended on March 22, 2023) |

It should be noted that IGA stores are increasingly accepting American Express cards through the Scene+ program. Even the Voilà by IGA online grocery store accepts them!
Grocery Store earning | Best for | Eligibility requirement | |
American Express Cobalt® Card | 5 points/$1 purchase |
Credit to the $ account, thanks to 1,000 Membership Rewards points = $10 and/or Transfer to air and hotel programs for travel |
No minimum income required to obtain the card |
Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card | 6 points/$1 purchase at IGA, Voilà by IGA, Rachelle-Béry, Les Marchés Tradition, etc |
Credit to the $ account, with 1,000 Scene+ points = $10 or In-store redemption 1,000 Scene + points = $10 off the bill |
No minimum income required to obtain the card |
The latter is particularly attractive because the redemption rate is 1,000 points for $10 off the bill. It’s exactly the same as the Cobalt, but the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card earns 1 extra point per dollar spent.
For example, it takes $200 in spending at IGA to earn 1,000 Membership Rewards points with the Cobalt card. While $167 in spending is required at IGA to earn 1,000 Scene+ points with the Scotiabank Gold American Express card.
For other credit cards that earn more points than average, there are:
Grocery Store earning | Best for | |
National Bank World Elite Mastercard: | 5 points/$1 purchase | Save on travel expenses |
BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* | 5 % Cash Back | Cash back $$ |
At Metro and Super C with the Moi card
The Moi de Metro loyalty card earns 1 point for every dollar spent. Each week, we have to upload our personalized offers on the mobile application or in the member profile on the Metro website.
Earning rate | Redeem | |
MOI | 1 point/$1 purchase |
At all times, when there are a minimum of 500 points in the bank 125 points = $1 off at checkout |
As of May 25, 2023, the metro&moi program has changed to the MOI program. The rate of accumulation and the rate of exchange are the same.
Note that Super C does not accumulate any basic MOI points. To earn MOI points at Super C, you need to buy a product specially marked with bonus points.

Metro supermarkets accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
The Moi RBC Visa credit card is linked to the Moi de Metro program. The basic accumulation isone Moi point for every $1. By paying with this card AND scanning the Moi card at the checkout of participating stores will be :
- One additional Moi point for every $1 spent at Metro, Première Moisson and Brunet in Quebec
- One additional Moi point for every $1 spent at Jean Coutu stores in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick.
Then, for other expenses charged to the account:
- 2 Moi points per $1 restaurant purchase, gas and electric vehicle charging
Then, Moi points can be used to reduce your bill at Metro, Jean Coutu, Première Moisson, Super C and Brunet.
But there’s much better accumulation with other credit cards, so the choice is yours:
Grocery Store earning | Best for | Eligibility requirement | |
National Bank World Elite Mastercard | 5 points/$1 purchase | Save on travel expenses | Minimum $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income |
American Express Cobalt® Card | 5 points/$1 purchase |
and/or Transfer to air and hotel programs for travel |
No minimum income required to obtain the card |
BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* | 5 % Cash Back | Cash back $$ | Minimum $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income |
CIBC Dividend Platinum® Visa* Card | 3% Cash Back | Cash back $$ | Minimum of $15,000 in annual income |
Here is an example of how to earn points for the American Express Cobalt® Card. You’ll notice that the points are multiplied by 5, for the purchases at Metro (and other supermarkets).

Costco and its membership card
Costco has an annual cash back program, through the Executive membership card only.
Earning rate | Redeem | |
Executive Membership Card | 2% on every purchase made during the year in the warehouse, on Costco.ca, Costco Travel, etc. |
Once a year ($1,000 maximum) Cash back cheque to be redeemed in the warehouse only |

Costco is in a completely different category. It is classified as a “Warehouse” and not a “Grocery Store”. Then it has no additional multiplier and will be considered as an expense in the Other category.
Costco warehouses only accept Mastercard. Their CIBC Costco Mastercard offers 1% cash back on in-store purchases and 2% cash back on costco.ca purchases.
In addition, a 2% discounted Executive membership card provides additional benefits with the following credit cards:
Grocery Store earning | Best for | Eligibility and welcome offer | |
HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® | 1% (2 points/$1 purchase) | Travel Expenses | Minimum $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income |
BMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* | 1% cash back | Cash back $$ |
Minimum of $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income Up to 10% in the first three months with the welcome offer |
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card | 0.5% cash back | Cash back $$ |
Minimum of $12,000 in annual income Receive an additional 15% discount with their welcome offer |
When you are comfortable with this technique, take it to the next level by using the trick ofusing a Visa credit card at Costco, indirectly.
To have the cheapest grocery basket in 2023
Rising grocery store prices can hurt the budget, but there are ways to lessen that impact.
Above all, it is very important to pay your credit card balances in full every month! Otherwise, all your savings will be eaten up by interest charges.
Once you’ve used this double dip trick, take it to the next level with the trick of buying grocery store gift cards for your other expenses.
To find out which grocery store is the cheapest, check out our grocery store comparison. Is Super C, Maxi, IGA, Metro or Walmart the best?
When's the next Metro reward? How do I get a Metro reward?
Following the change to the MOI loyalty program in 2023, you can earn your Metro reward at any time! All you need is at least 500 points in your MOI member account.
Where can I get my Scene+ card? How do I get a Scene+ account?
Future Scène+ members can go to the Courtesy Counter at IGA to pick up a physical card and a registration form.
Another way is to apply online and obtain a virtual card automatically.
Where can I use my Moi card to earn rewards at Metro?
You can collect and redeem points from the new Moi loyalty program at any of the following participating stores in Quebec:
- Metro (except Metro Coop Fermont grocery store)
- Super C
- Jean Coutu pharmacies
- Brunet pharmacies
- Première Moisson bakeries
In Ontario and New Brunswick, the Moi program is only available in Jean Coutu pharmacies.
How can I become a member of the PC Optimum loyalty program?
Future members of the PC Optimum program can go to the Comptoir de la Courtoisie at Maxi or to a Shoppers Drug Mart checkout to pick up a physical card and registration form.
You can also apply online and receive a virtual card automatically.
How do I get a Moi.ca membership card?
Future members of the Moi loyalty program can go to the Courtesy Counter at Metro to pick up a physical card and a registration form.
Another easier way is to apply online and get a virtual card automatically.