PC MasterCard now offering points for SDM

[Arjon]

You get Optimum points for most things purchased at Shoppers except (depending on your province) purchases of lottery tickets, transit tickets, stamps and a few other items. That is why I marvelled that at least one loyalty program, PC Plus, is giving @Frugalbigmama, points for the stamp purchase on her PC Mastercard as Shoppers Optimum does not give points on stamps bought in Ontario.

It's straightforward for SDM to designate specific products such that no points are given for purchasing them because such designations are internal; i.e. points are given or not on SDM's system, which "knows" exactly what you bought product by product.

For Mastercard's system not to give points (or cashback) on particular items (e.g. stamps), it would need to have the same fully detailed level of information, presumably from SDM. It would also need to be programmed accordingly. I'm not a lawyer and have no idea if sharing such info between companies would be legal, and I also wonder if doing so would raise ethical / privacy questions. Accordingly, it would seem much simpler for MC to give N% on all purchases at SDM.

Keep in mind as well that only a fraction of stamp purchases actually get points back or cashback anyway.

[My two Canadian cents]

Technically, you can get Optimum points when you buy stamps at SDM, if you pay using SDM gift cards you bought at SDM. Since you get Optimum points when you buy SDM gift cards at SDM, you could buy SDM gift cards at SDM then use those gift cards to buy stamps and other products that don't award Optimum points. It's an even better deal if you buy the SDM gift cards at SDM using a credit card that provides rewards. E.g. when you buy a $10 SDM gift card at SDM, you receive 100 Optimum points; when you pay for your purchases with that $10 SDM gift card, you can receive up to another 100 points for a total of up to 200 points.

• On pointable products (e.g. most products at SDM), this method of paying with SDM gift cards you bought at SDM allows you to earn:
  
  • 20 Optimum points per dollar spent on subtotal, instead of 10
  • 10 Optimum points per dollar spent on sales taxes, instead of zero
  
  
• On non-pointable products (e.g. stamps), this method of paying with SDM gift cards you bought at SDM allows you to earn:
  
  • 10 Optimum points per dollar spent on subtotal, instead of zero
  • 10 Optimum points per dollar spent on sales taxes, instead of zero
  
  

[Ciel]

I have never purchased Shoppers gift cards for use for purchases so I have not done the points/purchase reading. Thanks for sharing how it works. I am aware that SCers that are familiar with SDM gift card purchases maximize the most out of them.

[Arjon]

Technically, you can get Optimum points when you buy stamps at SDM, if you pay using SDM gift cards you bought at SDM.

Technically, no you can't. You already got the base points that you're attributing to the purchase of the stamps earlier, when you bought the gift card.