Which Credit Card To Use For Drugstore Purchases | Milesopedia?

Canadian Drugstores and Credit Cards

Most drugstores in Canada are regrouped under banners: Brunet, Familiprix, Jean Coutu, Shoppers Drug Mart, Proxim, Uniprix and others. The vast majority have a loyalty program (Shoppers Drug Mart with PC Optimum or Jean Coutu with the MOI program).

These programs do not offer points on many purchases are not eligible as:

prescriptions and products covered by the Pharmacy Act and its regulations
postal services
stamps
lottery tickets
gift cards / prepaid cards, etc.

But then? How do you earn more points for all your drugstore purchases? By having the RIGHT credit card for all drugstores… or depending on the banner you usually use.

In fact, these drugstore purchases charged to the credit card will earn points, even on medication. The credit card issuer does not know what you have purchased. All he knows is that the purchase was made in a pharmacy. Therefore, award points on the total amount, including taxes.

And check out two tips at the end of this article that could earn you… lots of points for your drugstore purchases!

The best credit cards for ALL pharmacies

Here, we’ll look at cards that offer more points, miles and cash back for all purchases made at any pharmacy.

So, if you are used to going to 2-3 different banners depending on where you work or live, it can be handy to have an “all-terrain” map!

In this respect, three credit cards stand out for drugstore purchases:

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express^® Gold Rewards Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$250	Welcome offer Up to 60,000 points	Apply NowCompare
Scotia Momentum^® Visa Infinite +* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120 $0	Welcome offer Up to $300Ends Nov 1, 2026	Apply NowCompare
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$0	Welcome offer Up to $100Ends Sep 30, 2026	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite +* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$150	Welcome offer Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026	Apply NowCompare

The Best Credit Cards For Drugstore Purchases - medications 257336 1920

American Express Gold Rewards card

The American Express^® Gold Rewards Card is among the best-known American Express cards. It allows to accumulate:

2 Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent at the pharmacy (as well as grocery stores, gas stations and travel purchases)
1 Membership Rewards point per dollar of purchase everywhere else.

According to our evaluation, 1 privilege point = 1.7 cents, which means that for every dollar you spend at the pharmacy, you could get a return of about 3.4 cents.

Compare

American Express^® Gold Rewards Card

American Express Amex Membership Rewards

Annual fee: $250
Our valuation: $1,020Milesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,020Total$1,020Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.; Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$1,020Total$1,020Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer: Up to 60,000 points

Apply Now

on American Express's website

Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

Earn up to 60,000 Membership Rewards points with this welcome offer for the American Express Gold Rewards Card. That’s a value of $600 toward travel or any purchase charged to the Card:

5,000 Membership Rewards points per month when you charge $1,000 in net purchases to your Card, for 12 months (a total of 60,000 points in the first year).

You can also transfer your points to airline partners such as Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair), Flying Blue, and hotel partners (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors).

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, you would have the choice of earning up to :

60,000 Aeroplan points
60,000 Avios
60,000 Flying Blue Miles
72,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With this Card, you get many benefits like:

$100 annual travel credit
Priority Pass membership and 4 complimentary Plaza Premium visits per year
$50 NEXUS credit

You earn 2 points per dollar for travel purchases, and at:

gas stations
grocery stores
drugstores

And 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or controlling the accuracy of the information published on this website. For full and up-to-date product information, click on the Apply now link. Terms and conditions apply.

Annual fee

Primary card$250

Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

2xPharmacy
2xGas & EV
2xTravel
2xGroceries
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,555

2nd Year Value$589

Transfer partners

AeroplanAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
Etihad GuestAirline
Flying BlueAirline
Hilton HonorsHotel
Marriott BonvoyHotel

Card benefits

Airport lounge access$160

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Trip CancellationUp to $1,500

Trip InterruptionUp to $1,500

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded

Extended Warranty+1 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

The American Express^® Gold Rewards Card is part of the Membership Rewards loyalty program, whose points can be used in many ways:

Transfers to airline programs (Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club…) to obtain airline tickets
Transferred to hotel programs (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, ALL Accor) for free hotel nights
Applied as a credit to the account for travel or everyday expenses
Used to save money on airline tickets via the American Express flat fee schedule

The Best Credit Cards For Drugstore Purchases - featured pharma medic

Scotia Momentum^® VISA Infinite +* Card

The Scotia Momentum^® VISA Infinite +* Card earns cash back:

4% cash back on groceries and recurring payments
2% cash back at gas stations and local transportation
1% cash back everywhere else (including pharmacies)

Compare

Scotia Momentum^® Visa Infinite +* Card

Scotiabank Cash BackFirst-Year Annual Fee Rebate

Annual fee: $0 $120No annual fee the first year; No annual fee the first year
Our valuation: $420Milesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$300Annual fee rebated$120Total$420Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.; Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$300Annual fee rebated$120Total$420Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer: Up to $300; + First Year Annual Fee Rebate; Ends Nov 1, 2026

The Scotia Momentum^® VISA Infinite*+ card is recognized, year after year, as one of the best cash back credit cards in Canada. Milesopedia has even named it best cash back credit card in 2026.

Currently, thanks to this promotional offer, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ Card has no annual fee for the first year, including on additional cards. And you can get 15% cash back on all your purchases for the first three months (up to $2,000 in total purchases).

It also includes a new convenient benefit for travellers: enjoy 10 GB of free GigSky global mobile data for 15 days, as well as access to Travel Essentials to use essential apps like messaging, maps, and email while on the go. Cardholders also continue to receive 1 GB of free GigSky mobile data per year, plus a 20% discount on future GigSky purchases.

With the Scotia Momentum^® VISA Infinite+ card, you get:

4% cash back on grocery purchases and recurring payments
2% cash back on gas purchases, public transit, carpooling, and food delivery
1% cash back on all other purchases

For example, if you spend $1,000 per month on grocery purchases and/or recurring payments, you will get $40 cash back per month, or $480 per year, with this card, for this purchase category. And that’s not counting the other purchases you make with this card and the benefits it offers (including its excellent insurance coverage).

Also note that you can use your cash back at any time (the cash back balance must be at least $25).

Legal

1 Offer Terms and Description: The 15% cash back, 0% introductory balance transfer rate, and first-year annual fee waiver offer (the “Offer”) applies only to new Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ credit card accounts (the “Accounts”) opened, and any additional cards issued, between July 2, 2026, and November 1, 2026 (regardless of the date you apply for the Account), subject to the terms and conditions set out below. We will waive the initial annual fees, for the first year only, for the primary card and for each additional card. The Offer may be changed, cancelled, or extended at any time, without notice, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Description and Terms of the 15% Cash Back Offer: You will receive 15% cash back on the first $2,000 in eligible purchases charged to your new Account during the three months following its opening date (the “Promotional Period”). Eligible purchases mean purchases, minus refunds, returns, and any similar credits, and exclude payments, cash advances (including balance transfers and quasi-cash transactions), interest charges, and card and other fees. After the Promotional Period, you will earn the usual cash back on your purchases, at the regular rate (the “Program Cash Back Rate”) described in the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ cash back program terms (the “Program Terms”). The 15% cash back rate for each category is the sum of the regular cash back rate (which varies by category) and the bonus cash back rate that varies during the Program Cash Back Rate (the “cash back rate”).

The cash back earned under this offer will be credited to your Account, provided it is open and in good standing on the cash back payment date.
1. Bonus Cash Back Rate: Cash back earned at the Bonus Cash Back Rate may be credited to your Account approximately 5 months following its opening date, or otherwise, in accordance with the Program Terms.
2. Regular Cash Back Rate: Cash back earned at the Program Regular Cash Back Rate may be used as described in the Program cash back.

EXAMPLE: If the Program Regular Cash Back Rate for grocery purchases and recurring payments is 4%, the Bonus Cash Back Rate will then be 11% for that purchase category, so that all eligible everyday purchases in this category will qualify for a total cash back of 15% during the Promotional Period, on the first $2,000 in purchases. If you make eligible everyday purchases at grocery stores and recurring payments totalling $2,000, the cash back credited to your Account for this category will be calculated as follows:
(1) a Bonus Cash Back of $220 (11% x $2,000), credited as an adjustment on your statement, and (2) the Regular Cash Back of $80 (4% x $2,000), which will appear on your monthly statements as it is earned.

All other program terms continue to apply during the Offer period.

Description and Terms of the 0% Introductory Balance Transfer Offer: The 0% introductory interest rate offer on balance transfers (the “Rate Offer”) applies only to eligible cash advances (including balance transfers and quasi-cash transactions, collectively referred to as “cash advances”), subject to the conditions below. This introductory rate applies for 12 months from this date (the “Promotional Period”). After the Promotional Period, the interest rate on cash advances covered by the 0% promotional rate (including any outstanding balance of such cash advances at the end of the Promotional Period) will revert to the preferred interest rate applicable to cash advances (currently 22.99%). A fee corresponding to 2% of the amount of any cash advance made during the Promotional Period applies (minimum fee of $5.00).

The Offer is subject to any cash advance limit on your Account. This Offer is also based on your approved credit limit on the date of this Offer. This means that if the sum of transferred balances exceeds the approved credit limit, balance transfers may not be processed. This Offer cannot be used to transfer a balance from another Scotiabank account, nor to make a payment or deposit to another Scotiabank account.

Cancellation of the promotional rate: If we do not receive your minimum payment by its due date shown on your statement twice in a row, you will lose the benefits of this special rate offer and your interest rates will revert to the annual rates normally applicable to your Account (currently 25.99% for purchases and 27.99% for cash advances).

Application of Payments: For residents of Quebec: In general, if one or more interest rates apply to your Account, we apply payments according to the interest rate(s) applicable to the transactions posted to your Account (from highest to lowest rate). For residents outside Quebec: In general, if you make a payment greater than the minimum amount shown on your statement, the difference is applied proportionally to the different groups of charges billed to your Account. Charges are grouped based on the interest rate applicable to them. Your payment cannot be applied to the balance of your choice. Consult your credit card agreement for more information on how payments are applied to your Account.

Description and Terms of the Annual Fee Waiver Offer: We will waive the annual fees, for the first year only, for the primary card and for each additional card issued between July 2, 2026, and November 1, 2026.

Eligibility and Exclusions: You are not eligible for this Offer if you are currently a primary or secondary holder of a Scotiabank personal credit card or have been within the last two years, including if you transfer your balance from a Scotiabank personal credit card account and if you are a Scotiabank employee. Subject to the exclusions mentioned above, holders of a Scotiabank small business credit card are eligible for this Offer. By accepting this Offer, you confirm that you meet all eligibility requirements. We reserve the right to revoke this Offer at any time if we determine that you do not meet the eligibility requirements, including after its acceptance or the opening of the Account.

Rates and Fees: The current annual fees are $120 for the primary card and $50 for each additional card (including those issued for co-account holders and additional cardholders). The current preferred annual interest rates applicable to the Account are: 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances. Rates, fees, features, and benefits, which are described in the application disclosure, may be changed.