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Groceries represent one of the most significant expenses in a family budget. At Milesopedia, we turn these essential purchases into grocery reward opportunities through the best credit cards for groceries and proven strategies.
Our team of experts frequently conducts tests and comparisons to optimize their grocery strategy and maximize every dollar spent. These methods yield significant savings and thousands of points.
We show you how each team member takes advantage of unique benefits during their grocery shopping, based on their personal needs. Some use their favorite credit card to achieve savings, while others take advantage of attractive promotions or a loyalty program that earns them valuable points.
Each in its own way!
Your shopping style? I love cooking at home and I rarely go out to restaurants. I buy my basic ingredients in bulk and store them in a well-organized pantry. For fresh produce like fruits and vegetables, I buy according to what is on sale.
Preferred Loyalty Programs: AIR MILES and TD Rewards points
Strategies: I do my grocery shopping mainly at Mayrand and an Asian grocery store that unfortunately do not accept Amex. I use my TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card to earn 6 points per dollar on my grocery purchases.
From time to time, I go to Super C and use my American Express Cobalt® Card, in addition to activating my personalized offers from the Moi program.
Finally, I scan my receipts in the AIR MILES app to receive bonus miles.
How I reward myself: I use my TD Points to book accommodations on Expedia for TD and I transfer my American Express Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan and British Airways for flights. Additionally, I redeem my AIR MILES for Airbnb electronic gift cards. This combination significantly reduces the cost of my travels.
Your shopping style? Super simple tricks—I don’t cook much and I don’t eat much, so I like to buy on sale.
Favorite loyalty programs: Scene+ at IGA and Voilà par IGA.
Strategies: Go to Reebee, check out the flyers for discounts. Most of the time, I accumulate points and therefore get a discount on my next purchases. However, sometimes with the Scene+ card for example, I buy products with stamps (for example: dishes, wine glasses).
How I Reward Myself: Getting free products in large quantities, because the free samples on Voilà by IGA are often very large formats (like the free Lindt chocolate, which is a full bag with about twenty chocolates inside).
Your shopping style? We are a family that rarely eats out at restaurants, as I cook at home most of the time. Our weekly menu is always guided by current specials and we take advantage of discounts to stock up on non-perishable items for the pantry. Thanks to this approach, our grocery budget remains very well controlled.
Preferred Loyalty Programs: NBC Rewards, Scene+ and TD Rewards points
Strategies: We mainly shop at Maxi, Costco, and Asian grocery stores like T&T or Kim Phat, stores that generally don’t accept American Express. In these cases, we use our National Bank World Elite Mastercard, which allows us to earn 5x the points (except at Costco), which makes rewards add up quickly.
We also take advantage of personalized promotions at IGA, combining specials with Scene+ offers giving between 10% and 20% back in points, while maximizing 6x the points with our Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card.
For Costco, I usually buy Costco gift cards with my TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card. It’s a practical way to unlock welcome bonuses while building up a reserve of gift cards for the year.
How I reward myself: We’ve adopted a strategy focused on flexible travel points so we can enjoy an all-inclusive stay or a cruise at least once a year. Since our travel is already well optimized, we mainly focus our points on accommodations and experiences once we arrive. This approach offers us great freedom in choosing our destinations and the type of vacation we want to experience.
Your shopping style? I love to cook, and I plan meals based on the daily specials and whatever fresh ingredients I find each week. I use the FoodHero app a lot for significant discounts. Several different grocery stores and liquidation stores are easily accessible near my home, and I shop around based on my needs.
Preferred Loyalty Programs: Scene+ at IGA, as well as PC Optimum at Maxi and Shoppers Drug Mart
Strategies:
These are habits to adopt:
How I Reward Myself:
There are two parts:
Your shopping style? I like when it’s simple and I don’t need to overthink it; I always go to the grocery store near my home and I almost always buy the same products.
Favorite loyalty programs: the Moi program at Super C/Metro, Scene+ occasionally at IGA, and AIR MILES
I like to triple up and maximize my return on every dollar spent:
Additionally, I really enjoy taking advantage of occasional Scene+ offers that give bonus points on gift card purchases. So I take advantage of it to buy my gift cards at IGA. Often, these are Amazon, Spotify, Simons cards, and then I can pay with my Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card to earn 6 points per dollar.
By maximizing my points and miles earned, I manage to:
Your consumption style? We live far from the grocery store and restaurants, so we like to stock up on our favorite products so they last longer. When we visit the city, we use it as an opportunity to indulge in some delicious restaurant meals.
Preferred Rewards Program: American Express Membership Rewards.
Strategies: We are fortunate that the grocery stores near us accept American Express cards. We put all our purchases on the American Express Cobalt® Card to earn 5 points per dollar.
How I Reward Myself: We save the accumulated points to travel south in winter. Whether through American Express Travel, by using points as a statement credit, or by exchanging them for Aeroplan points when we aim for a business class ticket.
Each Milesopedia team member has developed an approach tailored to their lifestyle. The common thread: combining a high-performing credit card with one or more loyalty programs to maximize the return on every dollar spent at the grocery store.
The cards that come up most often in our strategies are the American Express Cobalt® Card (5 points per dollar), the National Bank World Elite Mastercard (5 points per dollar, accepted at Costco), and the TD First Class Travel Card (6 points per dollar). To compare all options, check out our credit card comparator.
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