Save at the Grocery Store: The Best Combinations of Reward Programs and Credit Cards

Updated Feb 10, 2025
Fact checked by
Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève Leclerc Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève, Web Director at Milesopedia, is an expert in budget travel and a slow travel enthusiast. Specializing in Aeroplan, Scene+, and Marriott Bonvoy programs, she spends nearly six months a year abroad, making travel her way of life. Constantly seeking the best waves to surf, excellent coffee, and strategies to extend her travels, she is often found in coworking spaces with fellow digital nomads or by the sea, watching the sunset.
All posts by Marie-Ève Leclerc
Épicerie
To the point Start double dipping by redeeming points from top grocery and credit card reward programs to buy your groceries.

Grocery store tips

Mixing the use of grocery rewards programs WITH credit card rewards is a great way to save money.

Use loyalty points to pay for groceries at the best price

The trick is to use your favourite grocery store’s loyalty card and pair it with your payment method to double dip!

At Maxi With the PC Optimum Program

Earning Redeeming
PC Optimum Depending on weekly personalized offers, flyer offers, and selected products

1,000 points = $1 off your bill at checkout

Exchangeable at any time

Offers may give the member a discount or earn additional points for the purchase of a certain minimum spend.

PC Optimum offres

By carefully planning purchases at this low-cost 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 trick is to wait for the Bonus Redemption Event days at Shoppers Drug Mart. On these days, the exchange value is much greater, and points are worth even more!

PC Optimum transaction

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. So, the best credit cards to use at Maxi are:

Earning in grocery stores Best for Eligibility requirements
National Bank World Elite Mastercard® card 5 points/$1 purchase Save on travel expenses Minimum annual personal income of $80,000 or family income of $150,000
BMO CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* 5% Cash back Cash back $ Minimum of $80,000 personal annual income or $150,000 family income
CIBC Dividend Platinum® Visa* Card 3% Cash back Cash back $ Minimum annual income of $15,000

The World Elite Mastercard PC card gives you 30 points for every dollar you spend at Maxi. I would have had 4,775 points, for a value of $4.77.

However, much more can be achieved using :

card Points and value
National Bank World Elite Mastercard® card 796 Rewards points NBC (approx. $7 value)
BMO CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* 7.96 cash back

At IGA With the Scene+ Program

As of March 23, 2023, the loyalty card linked to IGA is Scene+.

Earning Redeeming
Scene+ 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

 

iga scene promotion

It should be noted that IGA grocery stores are increasingly accepting American Express cards thanks to the Scene+ program. Even the Voilà by IGA online grocery store accepts them!

Earning in grocery stores Best for Eligibility requirement
American Express Cobalt® Card 5 points/$1 purchase

Statement credit $, 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 for purchases at IGA, Voilà by IGA, Rachelle-Béry, Les Marchés Tradition, etc

Statement credit $, thanks to 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, as the redemption rate is 1,000 points for $10 off the bill. It’s 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. At IGA, it takes $167 in spending to get 1,000 Scene+ points with the Scotiabank American Express® Card Gold. Fewer expenses and the rewards accumulate faster!

iga scene

For other credit cards that earn more points than the average, there are :

:

  Earning in grocery stores 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 from Metro loyalty card earns 1 point for every dollar spent. Each week, customers download their personalized offers on the mobile application, at a special terminal at Metro or in the member profile on the Metro website.

Earning Redeeming
Moi 1 point/$1 purchase

Anytime, so long as there is 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.

coupon moi

Metro supermarkets accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express.

The Moi RBC Visa Credit Card is linked to the Moi program at Metro. The basic accumulation is one Moi point for every $1. By paying with this card AND scanning the Moi card at the checkout of participating stores you’ll get:

  • One additional Moi point for every $1 spent at Metro, Première Moisson and Brunet at Quebec
  • One additional Moi point for every $1 spent at Jean Coutu stores at Quebec, in Ontario and New Brunswick.

Then, for other expenses charged to the account :

  • 2 Moi points per $1 restaurant purchase, gas and electric vehicle charging

Moi points can be used to reduce your bill at Metro, Jean Coutu, Première Moisson, Super C and Brunet. The trick is to spend them and trade them in at a low-cost place, like Super C.

But there’s much better accumulation with other credit cards, so the choice is yours:

Earning in grocery stores Best for Eligibility requirement
National Bank World Elite Mastercard 5 points/$1 purchase Save on travel expenses Minimum annual personal income of $80,000 or family income of $150,000
American Express Cobalt® Card 5 points/$1 purchase

Statement credit $

1,000 points = $10

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 of $80,000 personal annual income or $150,000 family income
CIBC Dividend Platinum® Visa* Card 3% Cash back Cash back $ Minimum annual income of $15,000

Here is an example of how to earn points for the American Express Cobalt® Card. Points are multiplied by 5 for spending at Metro (and other supermarkets).

Cobalt Épicerie 2

Costco and Its Membership Card

Costco has an annual cash-back program, through the Executive membership card only.

  Earning Redeeming
Gold Star Executive Membership Card 2% on every purchase made during the year in the warehouse, on Costco.ca, Costco Travel, etc.

Once a year ($1,250 maximum)

Cash back cheques to be redeemed in the warehouse

Costco remise exécutif

Costco is in an entirely different category. It is classified as a “Warehouse” by all credit cards, not as a “Grocery Store”. So it has no additional multiplier and will be considered as an expense in the Other category.

Among the few credit cards that offer something special at Costco are the BMO credit cards linked to AIR MILES. For all spending in the “Warehouse” category, there’s an additional multiplier of 2X miles:

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.

What’s more, an Executive membership card with a 2% discount means you can get a little more with the following credit cards:

Earning for groceries Best for Eligibility and welcome offer
BMO CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* 1% cash back Cash back $$

Minimum $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 extra 10% in cashback with their welcome offer

BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard 2 miles / $12 in purchases AIR MILES miles

Minimum $80,000 in annual personal income or $150,000 in family income

3,000 AIR MILES miles

BMO AIR MILES®† Mastercard®* 2 miles / $25 in purchases AIR MILES miles

Minimum of $15,000 in annual income

1,500 AIR MILES miles

When you’re comfortable with this technique, take it to the next level by usinga Visa credit card at Costco, indirectly.

For a low-cost grocery store in 2025

Rising grocery prices can be hard on the budget, but there are ways to lessen the impact.

Above all, it is very important to pay your credit card balances in full every month! Otherwise, all your savings will be destroyed 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.

Check out food waste apps like Too Good to Go and FoodHero. Credit cards treat them like a grocery store or restaurant, with an extra multiplier.

To find out which grocery store is the least expensive, check out our grocery store comparison. Is Super C, Maxi, IGA, Metro or Walmart the best?

How to save money on food at the grocery store?

There are several ways in which :

  • Use Glouton, FoodHero, Checkout 51 applications;
  • Make a grocery list and stick to it to avoid impulse purchases;
  • Be a member of the supermarket’s loyalty program;
  • Take advantage of free items (like selected Fridays with Metro, Super C and Jean Coutu) and discount coupons;
  • Combine your credit card with greater grocery accumulation and in-store loyalty programs.

Where can I get my Scene+ card? How do I get a Scene+ account or card at IGA?

Future members of the Scene+ program 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 at 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 Client Service desk at Maxi or to a checkout at Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up a physical card and a registration form.

You can also apply online and get a virtual card automatically.

How to save money on a small budget?

To make a grocery list with foods on sale, check out Reebee for its online flyers.

The FoodHero and Too Good to Go apps make it possible to obtain food at lower cost.

At the checkout, scan your receipt with Checkout 51 to earn additional cash back on eligible items you’ve purchased.

Which application is best for flyer rebates?

In Quebec, Glouton, Les vraies aubaines, Miss économe, SOS Cuisine and Tout simplement bouffe are the most popular to show you the best deals based on weekly discounts. They require a monthly or annual subscription.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Caroline Tremblay
Caroline Tremblay
Caroline, a loyalty program specialist, helps families maximize their points to travel more frequently and affordably. With expertise in Disney, AIR MILES, and Costco, she travels the world with her partner and two children through rewards. Passionate about the latest in loyalty programs, Caroline shares tips to help you earn more points and turn your travel dreams into reality.
All posts by Caroline Tremblay
Series
Groceries
Region
Canada

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