Smart Shopping in Canada: Deals, Points and Cash Back

Canada’s annual deals calendar

Four key moments structure the shopping year. Three are seasonal; the fourth is permanent: cash back portals and cash back cards work for you year-round, no matter the date.

Amazon Prime Day

Prime Day has become the kickoff to deals season. Reserved for Prime members, it comes back once in June or July, then again in October. Every year, we track the categories that truly drop, because not all advertised discounts are created equal.

To get ready for the next wave, check our roundup of the best Amazon Prime Day 2026 deals. Also keep an eye on the Aeroplan eStore and Amazon promotion, which multiplies points on your purchases, and the option to shop with your points on Amazon when the transfer value is attractive.

Which card to use on Amazon

Amazon accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, which gives you the freedom to use the most rewarding card. We favour a card that boosts online purchases or offers a high return on the general category. Before a big purchase, check whether your loyalty eStore or a cash back portal gives you an extra layer of points—often that’s where the real value is hiding.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the peak of the year for shopping. It’s the time when we recommend planning your big purchases: electronics, appliances, travel. Loyalty programs also use this period to launch their most generous points promotions.

To miss nothing, follow our recap of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and our best tips to make the most of them. On the points side, watch for Aeroplan and Air Canada Black Friday as well as Marriott Bonvoy Black Friday promotions.

Boxing Day and post-Christmas sales

Once the holidays are over, retailers clear out inventory. Boxing Day on December 26 now stretches into a full week, sometimes until mid-January. It’s the time for the best discounts on seasonal items and end-of-line products.

Loyalty eStores join the party too. In particular, watch for the Aeroplan eStore post-Christmas sales week, which boosts points on a selection of merchants.

Cash Back and Card Strategy

There isn’t one perfect card for shopping. Shoppers who truly maximize their returns pair a few cards and pull out the right one depending on the purchase. For online purchases in particular, the best choice depends on the merchant and the currency. Here’s how to build a high-performing wallet, from the core card to advanced strategy.

The core card: 2% everywhere, without thinking about it

The foundation is a card that earns a high rate on everything, with no categories to manage. The American Express SimplyCash Preferred^MD Card is the only one in Canada that pays 2% cash back on all your purchases, with no cap—making it an ideal card for online purchases where American Express is accepted.

The best card depending on your online purchase

No Canadian card offers a universal “online purchases” category. The right card depends on what you’re buying and the currency used.

Maximizing each spending category

Beyond the core, one or two annual-fee cards can supercharge your biggest categories. Here’s our comparison of the best cash back cards in Canada.

The optimal wallet: pairing your cards

Advanced shoppers don’t stick to one card: they pair a few to get the best rate in each category. A formidable wallet combines a 2%-everywhere core card for out-of-category purchases, the BMO CashBack World Elite for 5% groceries, and the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite + for 4% subscriptions.

With this pairing, a household spending $25,000 per year can aim for an average rate of 3% or more—over $750 in annual cash back—where a single no-fee card would often earn less than half. As soon as your grocery and transit spending exceeds about $8,000 to $10,000 per year, the BMO CashBack World Elite’s $139 annual fee is fully offset by the 5% rate. Keep in mind that American Express isn’t accepted everywhere: always keep a Visa or Mastercard as a backup.

To go further, compare the best cash back credit cards in Canada, our Neo vs. BMO head-to-head, and our guide to maximizing the Tangerine card based on your profile.

Here are our recommended cards for shopping online and maximizing your cash back:

Shopping portals: the “double dip”

The technique that changes everything? Go through a cash back portal before landing on the merchant’s site: you earn a layer of points or cash that stacks on top of your credit card. Savvy points-focused consumers call it double earning, or a “double dip”: the portal pays you, and your card pays you too on the same purchase.

To understand how it works, read our strategy to optimize your online purchases with a cash back site and our guide to rewards and discounts on online purchases. On the program side, learn how the WestJet Rewards eStore works and take advantage of promos like the Rakuten and Scene+ promotion.

Maximizing during the holidays

The holidays concentrate a large share of your annual spending. Done right, that peak becomes an opportunity to earn points and cash back rather than just money going out. We plan our holiday shopping to run through the right card categories and the right portals.

Our guides to saving during the holidays and to earning points with your holiday spending bring together the habits to adopt.

The method for stacking discounts

The real win doesn’t come from a single discount, but from stacking multiple layers on the same purchase. Here’s the order we follow before every major purchase.

1. Go through a cash back portal to get a first layer of points or cash.
2. Pay with the most rewarding card for the purchase category.
3. Pay with a discounted merchant gift card when possible.
4. Add a valid promo code or coupon at checkout.
5. Watch the price after purchase: many merchants and some cards offer a price adjustment or price protection.

Each layer seems modest on its own. Together, they turn an advertised 20% discount into real savings that are often much higher.

Gift cards: the often-forgotten lever

Gift cards are a discount layer that few people use. By buying a merchant’s gift card at a discount, or buying it in a boosted category on your credit card, you save before you even shop. Some promotions offer up to 5x the points on purchases of Amazon, Walmart, or Netflix gift cards.

To get the most out of it, read our guide on earning points with gift cards, see how to buy gift cards with your points, and take advantage of promotions offering up to 5x the points on gift cards.

Protect your purchases: warranties and price protection

Buying during a big wave loses all its appeal if the item breaks or its price drops the following week. Many credit cards include extended warranty insurance that doubles the manufacturer’s warranty, as well as purchase protection against theft or damage. Before a major purchase, check your card’s coverage.

To understand these protections, read our feature on credit card extended warranty insurance and our analysis on whether it is worth buying an extended warranty.

Shop safely

Big deal periods also attract fraudsters: fake sites, phishing emails, and bogus promotions multiply. Always pay by credit card rather than debit, since fraud protection is stronger, and be wary of discounts that seem too good to be true.

To protect yourself, follow our tips to avoid credit card fraud and to secure your accounts against online fraud.

Our tip for smart shopping year-round

Smart shopping isn’t about luck—it’s about preparation. Beyond the big waves, keep an eye on secondary events like back-to-school sales in August or Singles’ Day on November 11. Start with a good cash back card, add a shopping portal, then let the deals calendar guide your big purchases. By stacking the right layers, you keep hundreds of extra dollars in your pocket every year—and we keep this page updated before each major wave.

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Frequently Asked Questions