One of the best ways to save money and help the environment is to reuse school supplies from the previous year.
Shake out the backpack that’s been stagnating in the back of your closet since last June and rummage through your drawers. Another option is to exchange old school supplies with other parents.
The Quebec government’s supplement for the purchase of school supplies is also available to all families with a child aged 4 to 17. No action is required to obtain this amount for the purchase of school supplies. It is automatically added to your July Family Allowance. So you should already have received it.
But when you absolutely need to buy a specific duo-tang, book, or notebook from a store, there are ways to cut down on costs.
Some of the most popular stores for buying school supplies include:
Buying school supplies at Jean Coutu means lower grocery bills at Super C and Metro.
Bonus point promotions vary by item, brand and week.
Are you an Aeroplan member? Take advantage of the back to school event in the Aeroplan eStore to earn extra Aeroplan points on your online purchases, whether you’re shopping for clothes, sports equipment, electronics, or school supplies.
The same applies to the Airmilesshops shopping portal. Stop by this site before shopping at your favourite store. You’ll collect AIR MILES miles along the way.
Cash back is versatile and can easily be used to deduct credit card balances.
The CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card is the best cash back card, with no annual fee. It’s not complicated, and gives a 0.5% to 2% discount on all purchases.
The TD CashBack Visa Infinite* Card works on the same principle. This card offers between 1% and 3% cash back, along with a generous welcome bonus that lets you earn even more.
This offer is available to parents of post-secondary students, as well as teachers or staff at elementary or secondary schools. Read our guide to buying a laptop for our best tips on how to save money.
Back to School – For Students
Starting at age 18, it may be time to begin building your credit history for the future. Here’s how credit scoring works and how to build a credit history.
A cash-back credit card allows you to accumulate cash in the form of credit, depending on the category of commerce where the purchase was made. This money is then used to deduct the account balance.
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$125Total$125Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
The CIBC Dividend® Visa* Card for Students is one of the best cash back Visa student credit cards in Canada. Apply for the card and get up to $125 in value:
$25 cash back after you make your first purchase within the first 4 monthly statements†
A 10% cash back welcome bonus for the first 4 monthly statements, up to $100†
With this CIBC Student Credit Card, you get:
2% cash back on eligible grocery purchases†
1% cash back on eligible gas, electric vehicle charging, transportation, and dining purchases and on eligible recurring payments†
0.5% cash back on all other purchases†
What’s more, with this CIBC Student Credit Card, you get a free SPC+ membership, plus over 450 deals on everyday purchases, bigger discounts, special experiences and exclusive giveaways†.
And this CIBC Student Credit Card offers some insurance coverages:
Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance
Legal
This is a digital-exclusive offer.† To be eligible for this offer: 1) this offer must have been directly communicated to you from CIBC or from a partner/affiliate; and 2) you must apply for the eligible card through the link provided in the CIBC or partner/affiliate communication to you. † This offer is reserved for you. Please do not forward it to anyone else.
This offer is reserved for you. Please do not forward it to anyone else. CIBC may approve your application, but you are not eligible to receive this Offer if you have opened, transferred or cancelled another Dividend card within the last 12 months.†
† Terms and conditions apply. Click on Apply Now to learn more.
Annual fee
Primary card$0
Additional card$0
Annual income required
Individual$0
Household$0
Conversion fees
2.5%
Earning rate
2xGroceries
1xTransit
1xBills & recurring payments
1xGas
1xRestaurants
0.5xAll spending
Value
1st Year Value$461
2nd Year Value$263
Purchase protection
Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
In addition to being an excellent way to build a credit file, the National Bank mycredit Mastercard offers mobile device insurance. This is rare, especially for a credit card with no annual fee.
So a new tablet or cell phone purchased with the card can be replaced or repaired if it’s broken, lost or stolen, up to a maximum of $1,000. This helps you avoid a major hit to your budget in case of an accident or loss.
What’s more, cashback is applied to the balance of each monthly statement, for added convenience.
1% cash back on restaurant purchases and recurring pre-authorized debits
0.5% cash back on all other purchases
And since it’s a Mastercard credit card, you can use it at Costco.
Cash back is automatically applied to your credit card account balance when each monthly statement is issued.
This is a credit card suited to those new to credit cards who want a no-fee credit card. What’s more, this credit card comes with a number of insurances for your purchases, including mobile device insurance (which is rare for a credit card with no annual fee).
Legal
®MASTERCARD is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. National Bank is an authorized user.
®NATIONAL BANK and the NATIONAL BANK logo are registered trademarks of National Bank of Canada.
™mycredit is a trademark of National Bank of Canada.
Cash back details
Card issued subject to National Bank credit approval. A 1% cash back is granted on restaurant purchases and recurring pre-authorized payments when settled by recurring automatic payments to your mycredit account. The 0.5% cash back applies to all other eligible purchases during a billing cycle. The account must be in good standing when the cash back is disbursed. Your account is in good standing when you meet the obligations of your credit card agreement (e.g., making the minimum payment by the due date). Eligible pre-authorized payments are defined as payments made regularly and automatically debited by a merchant from your credit card. Balance transfers, cash advances, and fees related to card usage are not included in the cash back calculation. To learn about the terms and restrictions applicable to cash back, consult the Cash Back Program [PDF].
Mobile device protection
Subject to purchase of device with card or telephony service subscription paid by recurring pre-authorized payments from your mycredit account.
Credit terms
Grace period: No interest will be charged on purchases made during the month, provided the client pays the balance in full within twenty-one (21) days of the statement date. This grace period does not apply to cash advances or balance transfers.
Minimum payment: If your account balance is lower than $10, you must pay the entire balance.
If you reside in the province of Quebec, your minimum payment is the greater of 5% of your account balance, plus any overdue amounts, or $10.
If you live outside Quebec, your minimum payment is 2.5% of your credit card balance, plus any past-due amount or $10, whichever is greater.
Account statement: A statement is sent monthly.
Example of credit charges over a 30-day period
Annual interest rate
Average balance
$500
$3,000
22.49% (regular card)
$9.24
$55.45
20.99% (regular card)
$8.63
$51.76
13.2% (Syncro card)
$5.53
$33.16
9.2% (Syncro card)
$3.78
$22.68
*Variable interest rate in effect on September 1, 2021.
Balance transfer and cash advance are subject to credit approval by National Bank. Each balance transfer must be at least $250.
4. Subject to the mobile device’s purchase with the card or mobile plan settled by recurring pre-authorized payments from your mycredit account.
5. The extended warranty applies to most new items purchased with the card, in Canada or abroad, as long as the manufacturer’s warranty is in effect and valid in Canada. Maximum coverage of $60,000 for the entire term of the account. Certain conditions and restrictions apply. For more information, please consult the warranty certificate associated with your card.
6. These protections apply if the purchases or expenses are charged to the National Bank mycredit Mastercard credit card. Extended warranties apply to most new items purchased with the card, in Canada or abroad, as long as the manufacturer’s warranty is in effect and valid in Canada. Certain conditions and restrictions apply. For more information and details concerning your insurance coverage, please consult the insurance certificate attached to your card.
7. Certain conditions apply. Visit mastercard.ca for more information. Refer to the credit card terms and conditions.
Annual fee
Primary card$0
Additional card$0
Annual income required
Individual$0
Household$0
Conversion fees
2.5%
Earning rate
1xRestaurants
1xBills & recurring payments
1xTelecom
0.5xAll spending
Value
1st Year Value$216
2nd Year Value$148
Purchase protection
Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years
Back to School – Bottom Line
Now’s the time to scour your local store flyers for the best discounts!
Plan ahead, visit the school’s parent Facebook groups and don’t hesitate to reuse supplies from previous years to maximize your savings.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is back to school 2025?
The vast majority of primary and secondary schools will open between August 27 and September 3, 2025.
What is the payment date for the school supplies allowance in 2025?
July 2, 2025. It is paid on the same date as the Family Allowance.
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$469Annual fee rebated$120Total$589Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is one of the best Visa Infinite rewards credit cards in Canada. Its welcome offer lets you earn up to 70,000 BMO Rewards points, for a total value of up to $1,150*.
It also includes a monthly statement credit for streaming services, an annual $50 lifestyle credit, and no annual fee for the first year (a $120 value)*.
With the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card, you also get:
5x BMO Rewards points for every dollar spent on groceries, meal delivery or takeout, rideshare, public transit, and gas*
1 BMO Rewards point for every dollar spent on all other purchases*
10% more points when you add an authorized user to your account*
Mobile device insurance offering coverage up to $1,000*
The Pay with Points feature, which allows you to redeem your points on recent purchases starting at $1*
Six months of Instacart+ membership plus a monthly $10 Instacart credit with an eligible card*
Legal
*Terms and conditions apply
BMO is not responsible for updating the content of this site. For the most up-to-date information, please click on the Online Application link.
Annual fee
Primary card$120
Additional card$50
Annual income required
Individual$60,000
Household$100,000
Conversion fees
2.5%
Earning rate
5xTransit
5xGas
5xRestaurants
5xGroceries
1xAll spending
Value
1st Year Value$1,128
2nd Year Value$365
Travel insurance
Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 21 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 21 days
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000
Purchase protection
Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days
Our editorial integrity
Our reviews and rankings are based on an objective assessment. Advertisers do not influence our content. We may receive compensation through some links; our analysis and opinions remain independent.
