PC World Elite Mastercard vs Amazon.ca Rewards Mastercard®
Which one is better? Both cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.
Welcome bonus
Each offer as the issuer words it. The numbers below show whether your spending reaches it.
The offer
The offer
20,000 PC points ($20 value)
Up to $150
What each card is worth
Rewards, the welcome bonus and any Finly rebate in, the annual fee and FX fees out, all on your spending.
Worked out on a typical $2,000 a month of spending. Enter yours to see your own numbers.
$284
First-year value
$394
$264
Every year after
$244
Amazon Rewards Mastercard is worth $110 more to you in year one.
From year two, PC World Elite Mastercard pulls ahead by $20 a year.
How the first year adds up
Amazon Rewards Mastercard
Amazon Prime member?
Eligible customers unlock boosted rewards on this card
Annual rewards
$263.51
263,508 points a year
Welcome bonus
+ $20
first year only
Annual fee
− $0
no annual fee
First-year value
$283.51
Annual rewards
$243.95
cash back a year
Welcome bonus
+ $150
first year only
Annual fee
− $0
no annual fee
First-year value
$393.95
Where each card earns
A year of your spending at each card's own reward rates, most first.
30xParticipating grocery stores at President's Choice rewards
27,084 pts
$27.08
19xESSO, MobilGas
4,920 pts
$4.92
45xShoppersDrugMart
4,044 pts
$4.04
10xAll other purchases
227,460 pts
$227.46
1.5%AmazonCA, WholeFoods
$11.84
1%All other purchases
$232.11
Fees, rates and eligibility
What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.
Annual fee
Additional cards
Interest rates
Interest rates
Purchase:
21.99%
Cash Advance:
22.97%
Purchase:
21.74%
Cash Advance:
22.99%
Recommended credit score
Recommended credit score
Income required
Income required
Min Personal Income:
$80,000
Min Household Income:
$150,000
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
How each card earns
The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.
- 45 points per $1 dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart® stores
- 30 points per $1 dollar spent at Atlantic Superstore, Extra Foods, Fortinos, Loblaws, Maxi, Maxi & cie, no frills, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore, SaveEasy, SuperValu, valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer, Zehrs
- 20 points per $1 spent in PC travel
- 19 points per $1 dollar spent at ESSO and Mobil (it's 30 points per liter and the assumption of average gas price of $1.6 was made)
- 10 points per $1 dollar spent for everything else
- 2.5% cashback on Amazon.ca, Whole Foods and foreign currency transactions IF a prime member
- Only 1.5% on Amazon.ca and Whole foods and 1% on foreign currency transactions IF not a prime member
- 1% cashback on everything else
Points and how we value them
Points become dollars at each card's best redemption. Here's the value we used, and every other way to spend them.
Loyalty program
Loyalty program
We count each point at 0.1¢ a point, what it's worth redeemed for Groceries, its best value. Every dollar figure above uses that value.
Cash back: every dollar it earns counts as a dollar, so there's nothing to convert.
Point redemption options
Point redemption options
Most Optimal
Groceries
0.1¢ / point.svg)
Gas (Esso)
0.1¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
0.07¢ / point
Nothing to redeem: it pays cash back.
Insurance and perks
What both cards include comes first in each list.
Insurance
Insurance
Extended Warranty
Doubled up to a year
Purchase Protection
90 days.svg)
Car Rental Damage & Theft
Up to 31 days
Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)
$1M, Up to 10 days
Extended Warranty
Up to a yearPurchase Protection
90 days
Perks
Perks
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Concierge Services
Identity Theft Assistance
Car Rental Discount
10% off base rate of Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car
Trip and legal Assistance
Yes
Our take
Why we like it
Why we like it
This is a great card to have in your arsenal if you frequently shop at Shoppers Drug Mart®, Loblaw's owned chains, and ESSO and Mobil gas stations, as you will earn significant rewards in these categories. The additional benefits, such as out-of-province medical insurance, car rental damage insurance, and concierge service, are impressive and typically only come with cards that have annual fees; however, you can access these benefits for free with this card. We do not recommend using this as your primary credit card but as a supplement to another primary card, especially because there are no fees. This is because the rewards on purchases outside the mentioned shops are very average, and many other cards offer much more substantial rewards for general use.
If you are a Prime member and want to maximize your cashback on your Amazon purchases, then this card is the best option for that specific purchase category. However, for other purchases, many other cards offer better benefits and rewards.
Pros
Pros
- No annual fee
- Decent insurance
- Decent rewards
- Impressive Prime optimization
- Foreign currency cashback
Cons
Cons
- Limited rewards
- Income requirements
- Low non-Amazon optimization
- Limited benefits
More comparisons
Other cards we've put each of these up against.
