Store credit cards are associated with a specific store or brand. It allows the cardholder to make purchases on credit and earn rewards, which can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including store-specific gift cards and merchandise.
Store credit cards work just like traditional credit cards. They have specific eligibility requirements, including a minimum income and credit score, and using them can affect your credit score. In this article, we’ll discuss what some of the best store credit cards in Canada have to offer. Let’s get started:
1. Walmart Rewards Mastercard
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 19.89% for purchases; 22.97% for cash advances
- Minimum income: n/a
Walmart Rewards Mastercard comes with no annual fee and has low-income requirements. However, applicants need to have a credit score of 640 or higher to qualify. The card comes with some thrilling rewards, including a $50 welcome bonus when you spend a total of $500 on your Walmart Rewards Mastercard in your first 90 days. Moreover, cardholders earn rewards every time they use the card at Walmart or any other store.
Shopping online at walmart.ca or at a physical Walmart store in Canada will earn 1.25% Walmart Reward dollars. This rate goes down to 1% for all other stores, including gas stations. The card has an excellent points-to-dollar conversion ratio of 1:1.
Other benefits include liability protection and Mastercard Global Services. There is also a Walmart Rewards World Mastercard, which comes with additional benefits such as travel discounts. A household income of $100,000, or an individual income of $60,000, is required to qualify for the Walmart Rewards World Mastercard.
Read more about Walmart Mastercard and everything it has to offer in our complete review.
2. Costco Mastercard
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 19.75% for purchases; 21.49% for cash advances
- Minimum income: $15,000 per year
The CIBC Costco Mastercard offers excellent cash back rewards, such as 3% at restaurants and on Costco gas. Using the card at other gas stations offers up to 2% cash back. Purchases at costco.ca are also eligible for 2% cash back. All other purchases, including in a Costco store, earn 1% cash back. However, points must be redeemed in the form of digital certificates that can only be redeemed at Costco.
One of the biggest highlights of the card is the CIBC Pace It installment plans. There are no installment charges, but the buyer has to bear interest that depends on the length of the plan.
In addition to these benefits, CIBC Costco Mastercard comes with insurance coverage, including purchase security, extended warranty insurance, and mobile device insurance. Also, members can request up to 3 additional cards at no extra charge.
Those who want more can consider the CIBC Costco World Mastercard, which comes with World Mastercard perks such as airport lounge access through Mastercard Travel Pass, provided by DragonPass, as well as hotel discounts and car rental insurance. Applicants need to have a household income of $100,000, or an individual income of $60,000, to qualify for the CIBC Costco World Mastercard.
- Annual fee: $120
- Interest rate on purchase: 20.99%
- Interest rate on cash advances: 22.99%
- 6 Scene+ points per dollar at partipating grocery stores
- 5 Scene+ points per dollar on food and entertainment
- 3 Scene+ points per dollar on gas, transit and streaming services
Unfortunately, these cards have relatively high credit score requirements, and are only available to Costco members. Costco membership starts as low at $60 per year, and applications can be submitted online.
3. Neo Financial Hudson's Bay Mastercard
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 19.99% to 24.99% for purchases; 21.99% to 26.99% for cash advances
- Minimum income: n/a
Introduced by Hudson's Bay in partnership with Neo Financial, the Hudson's Bay Mastercard is an impressive store credit card. Unlike some other cards out there, this one has no minimum income requirements, and applicants with a poor credit score can qualify. Applications can be submitted online or in the store.
The card offers a special 15% discount on first-day purchases. Moreover, cardholders earn up to 4 points on every dollar spent at Hudson's Bay. This rate goes down to 2 points for every dollar spent outside of Hudson's Bay stores. There is no minimum threshold to redeem points, which can be done instantly at thebay.com or in Husdon's Bay stores.
The Hudson’s Bay card comes with an interest-free grace period of 21 days on purchases, but there is no grace period on cash advances. In addition, the card gives buyers 90 days to return products they don't like that were purchased with the Hudson's Bay card. On the downside, the card does not insure purchases.
4. President’s Choice (PC) Financial Mastercard
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 20.97% for purchases; 22.97% for cash advances
- Minimum income: n/a
The PC Financial Mastercard is unique as it tailors rewards to match products. Applicants need to have a decent credit score to qualify, but there are no minimum income requirements. Applications can be submitted online and the processing only takes a few minutes.
This card is a great option due to the huge number of participating stores and its 21-day grace period. Cardholders earn up to 25 PC Optimum points per dollar at select stores, which goes down to 20 points per dollar for travel-related eligible purchases, and up to 30 points per litre of gas at Esso. All other purchases earn 10 PC Optimum points for every dollar spent.
Points can be redeemed for free products and groceries at a variety of online and physical stores, including JoeFresh, PCExpress, ShoppesDrugMart, and PharmaPrix. In addition, points can be redeemed at Esso stations throughout the country.
Look out for special offers to earn more PC Optimum points. The company is known for offering additional points on specific purchases. Another great way to earn more points is to join the PC Optimum Insiders program. Members enjoy additional discounts on more than 12,000 products and a chance to win bonus points.
5. Amazon.ca Rewards Mastercard
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 19.99% for purchases; 22.99% for cash advances and balance transfers
- Minimum income: n/a
The Amazon Rewards Mastercard comes with impressive rewards but has high credit score requirements. Applicants need a score of at least 660 to qualify. Plus, applying for the Amazon Rewards Mastercard can reduce your credit score by up to 10 points. On the plus side, there are no minimum income requirements.
The card offers 5% cash back for the first 6 months. The amount is capped at $3,000, which means buyers can earn a maximum of $150. After the first 6 months, the cash back rate falls to 2.5% for Amazon Prime members and 1.5% for nonmembers on eligible purchases at Amazon.ca and Whole Foods Market. All other purchases earn 1%.
Points are automatically converted into gift cards. The threshold is 2,000 points, which earns a $20 gift card. The conversion rate isn’t very generous, but can still prove to be beneficial for loyal Amazon consumers.
There is a foreign transaction fee of 2.5%. However, the 2.5% cash back on eligible purchases can cover the fee. Non-members earn 1% cash back on foreign purchases. In addition, there are travel benefits such as lost luggage assistance. Moreover, the card offers purchase assurance, extended warranty benefits, and emergency card replacement.
6. Triangle Mastercard
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 19.99% for purchases; 22.99% for cash advances and balance transfers
- Minimum income: n/a
Called the best Canadian Tire card, the Triangle Mastercard offers Canadian Tire Money (CT) reward points. This is one of the most rewarding store credit cards in Canada, as it offers 5¢ cash back per litre of gas at Gas+ and Essence+ locations.
Furthermore, the card offers up to 4% cash back in CT Money on eligible purchases at participating stores. These include Canadian Tire, Mark's, L’Équipeur, Sport Chek, Party City, Pro Hockey Life, Atmosphere, Sports Rousseau, L’Entrepôt du Hockey, and Hockey Experts. Additional stores are added from time to time, so check the official site for a list of participating stores.
Grocery shopping can earn cardholders 1.5% CT Money. Every other purchase earns 0.5% CT Money. Points can be redeemed at almost all participating stores, including Canadian Tire. The conversion ratio is excellent at 1:1.
The mobile app works like a charm and provides great insights and exclusive offers. These offers are tailored for consumers and may include discount coupons and special cash back deals. In addition, the card offers “no fee, no interest” financing on eligible purchases.
All in all, the Triangle Mastercard is a great credit card as it covers a number of stores and offers hefty rewards. Those who want more can consider the Triangle World Elite Mastercard, which offers more rewards and perks, including insurance.
Don’t like these store credit cards? Consider 2 bonus cash back credit cards
Those who do not want to own a store credit card can consider cash back cards. Just like store credit cards, cash back cards reward buyers for making purchases by paying back a percentage of the amount spent. Moreover, some cash back cards offer points that can be redeemed at participating stores.
Cash back cards may prove to be more beneficial than store credit cards as they offer more ways to redeem points and are typically more generous. However, they usually have higher income requirements. Here are 2 of our favourite cash back cards:
1. BMO Cashback World Elite Mastercard
- Annual fee: $120, waived the first year
- Interest rate: 20.99% for purchases; 23.99% for cash advances
- Minimum income: $80,000 per individual or $150,000 per household
The BMO Cashback World Elite Mastercard is a little expensive, but it's worth it. A minimum credit score of 660 is needed to qualify, and income requirements are also high. However, new users don’t have to pay annual charges for the first year, and enjoy a welcome offer of up to 10% cash back in the first 3 months.
Other than this, the card offers 5% back on groceries, 4% on transit, 3% on gas, 2% on recurring membership bills, and 1% on all other purchases. Points can be used towards bills or deposited into a BMO account.
Other perks include free access to Wi-Fi hotspots with Boingo WiFi, travel perks such as DragonPass membership, concierge service, and hotel discounts. Moreover, the BMO Cashback World Elite Mastercard offers auto rental insurance, delayed and lost baggage insurance, emergency travel medical insurance, purchase protection insurance, and extended warranty insurance.
2. American Express SimplyCash
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest rate: 20.99% for purchases; 21.99% for cash advances
- Minimum income: n/a
SimplyCash, by American Express, is a one-of-a-kind cash back card with no annual charges, minimum income, or credit score requirements. It offers 2% cash back on gas and groceries and 1.25% on all other purchases. The rate might be low but it is still quite impressive considering that almost all purchases qualify. In your first 10 months as a cardmember, you can earn a $10 statement credit for each monthly billing period in which you spend $300 on your card.
In addition, there are referral bonuses up to $750, as well as perks such as travel coverage, discounts, and exclusive offers. Furthermore, there are lending offers for more flexibility. All in all, this is a great alternative to store credit cards as it is one of the easiest credit cards to get in Canada.
FAQ
Costco, Walmart, Hudson's Bay, Amazon, and Home Depot are some of the major stores offering co-branded store credit cards in Canada.
Yes, you can apply for a Costco credit card in the store. However, you need to show documents that prove your income, Costco membership, address, and identity.
Yes, store credit cards can help build credit as most issuers report to the bureaus.
Yes, Walmart credit cards can be paid off in the store. You can also pay it through the mail, on the mobile app, and on the website.
Find the best credit card for your needs by answering a few questions.
About The Author: Arthur Dubois
Passionate about personal finance and financial technology, Arthur Dubois is a writer and SEO specialist at Hardbacon. Since his arrival in Canada, he’s built his credit score from nothing.
Arthur invests in the stock market but doesn’t pay any fees because he uses National Bank Direct Brokerage online broker and Wealthsimple’s robo-advisor. He pays for his subscriptions online with his KOHO prepaid card, and uses his Tangerine credit card for most of his in-store purchases. When he buys bitcoins, it’s with the BitBuy online platform. Of course it goes without saying that he uses the Hardbacon app so that he can manage all of his finances from one convenient place.
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