PC Optimum - SDM and PC Unite Feb.1 2018!!!!

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Originally Posted by Pointsman

why not use em for 3rd party Gift Cards? Now I simply pick one or more GCs up, when I do my regular shopping for groceries, Joe Fresh, health n beauty, etc. ;)

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I understand what you are doing, but you could just as easily put those extra $$'s your spending on gift cards in a savings account! Make some extra interest! So everytime you use your points, (if you can afford it) put those $$ you saved in the bank. Save for something special, or as my mom called it 'the rainy day emergency' fund.

[QUOTE=GoodBoy;6865422]Anna Michele ... There are now two threads on the new PC Optimum program - hard to track which to which - any chance of having just one? Thanks[/QUOTE @couponlady maybe we could just merge them what do to think

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I like @Pointsman 's approach! :top:

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Originally Posted by uanoor

Did any one try? Pepsi products 6000/$20 points offer worked with shoppers 20X, 10X point offers. And also did any one try FPC and they worked in new system to count for threshhold value for points? Thanks

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Yes I just came back I got 25000 wus 75 and 6000 for pepsi

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Originally Posted by Pointsman

why not use em for 3rd party Gift Cards? That's what I've been doing and will do with my 400,000+ PCO points.

ok, I know you can't just waltz in and grab a mitfull of GCs, and tell the cashier you're going to redeem your points to pay for them, ever since they outlawed that practice months ago, due to some apparent fraudulent behavior.

Now I simply pick one or more GCs up, when I do my regular shopping for groceries, Joe Fresh, health n beauty, etc.
If the order is, say $53 and change, I might grab a $50 LCBO GC, and redeem 50,000 pts.
If order is $27, I could grab a $25 Marks, or Golf Town GC, and redeem 20,000pts.
Next time, if order is $31.95 for example, I might grab a different $25 GC and redeem 30.000pts.
So it all kind of balances out.

Helpful Hint: Get the cashier to do a subtotal before GCs get scanned, to be sure your order total exceeds, even by one cent, the GC(s) total you want. If its not, get a different one with lesser $ value, and redeem only enough pts to cover the GC value.
You'll feel really good about how you outsmarted the NO GIFT CARDS Policy; I know I do. ;)

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This is a great idea, except now that you can't earn points when you redeem ruins it. It's very rare that I don't earn points when I do regular grocery shopping. :(

Did you get your two movie tickets too!!

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Originally Posted by Anna Michele

Yes I just came back I got 25000 wus 75 and 6000 for pepsi

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Yes I will like to know too, and also about using FPCs and getting points. I think I'm still learning this week, before starting under new program, LOL.

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Originally Posted by eyafitz

Did you get your two movie tickets too!!

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From what I know that with pcplus you have always been able to redeem and get points in the same transfer (I have been doing it for years) I have read that with the old optimum that you could not. (I used to have a optimum card and would just transfer the points to my wife's account if went in there as she is the one that one ultimately spend the accumulated points anyways)

Edit: deleted off-topic post

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Originally Posted by GracieAnne

This is a great idea, except now that you can't earn points when you redeem ruins it. It's very rare that I don't earn points when I do regular grocery shopping. :(

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Hmmm. I just did it last week, and have done regularly. Is this something new for the PC Optimum program that you've read ?

Now if you're referring to those offers like 'Earn 10,000 for every $100 spent in store' [usually a 3day offer], then yeah, that would be after any redeemed points. If I chase those type of offers, I don't redeem points for my Gift Cards then. ;)

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Originally Posted by uanoor

Yes I will like to know too, and also about using FPCs and getting points. I think I'm still learning this week, before starting under new program, LOL.

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Like the old optimum FPCs still count. I used about $30 in FPCs on Saturday and still got all my points!

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Originally Posted by Pointsman

it's just the way you look at what's really "free".
We're all frugal shoppers here, right? So when we buy groceries we need anyway, chances are most, or maybe all items are On Sale, maybe price matched to get the best possible deal, maybe some coupons were presented, etc, etc. Maybe we earn some points.

What the cost at the cash happens to end up being, the OOP, and pre-GC, is my Grocery Budget amount. and that's what I track.
Now for all that astute shopping and work that goes into it, we should be rewarded, don't you think?

In our household, that "Reward" is a Gift Card, or cards, to ME (and my wife of course). I consider the redeemed points to be attributed to the Gift Cards, which costs me zip, and leads to guilt free purchase(s), that I don't have to account for. .... like maybe a $100+ bottle of really good Single Malt (scotch). or whatever.

Bottom line, its money in, money out, but I can't stand the thought of redeeming my loyalty points for boring things like lettuce, potatoes, cans of beans, and pork chops. I need all that to survive.

But that special bottle of Single Malt, that I otherwise would probably never think of buying. well that's priceless ! ;)
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/lag...6#.Wni5ZqinEuQ

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Great twist on the points collecting game. We really do the same sort of thing and sometimes buy things that we would not normally buy eg. fresh shrimp, high end steaks etc etc using the points we have collected

Would make it a bit easier for you to get the bottle of scotch if they put LCBO,s in the stores instead of The Beer Store

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Originally Posted by Pointsman

why not use em for 3rd party Gift Cards? That's what I've been doing and will do with my 400,000+ PCO points.
ok, I know you can't just waltz in and grab a mitfull of GCs, and tell the cashier you're going to redeem your points to pay for them, ever since they outlawed that practice months ago, due to some apparent fraudulent behavior.
Now I simply pick one or more GCs up, when I do my regular shopping for groceries, Joe Fresh, health n beauty, etc.
If the order is, say $53 and change, I might grab a $50 LCBO GC, and redeem 50,000 pts.
If order is $27, I could grab a $25 Marks, or Golf Town GC, and redeem 20,000pts.
Next time, if order is $31.95 for example, I might grab a different $25 GC and redeem 30.000pts.
So it all kind of balances out.

Helpful Hint: Get the cashier to do a subtotal before GCs get scanned, to be sure your order total exceeds, even by one cent, the GC(s) total you want. If its not, get a different one with lesser $ value, and redeem only enough pts to cover the GC value.
You'll feel really good about how you outsmarted the NO GIFT CARDS Policy; I know I do. ;)

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What if you could redeem those points for CASH?? instead of gift card??? Wouldn't THAT be even more amazing?!?!

I have a surefire method -- Here's how:

Like your example above, when you get to the register... have the cashier tally up the groceries... and if it comes to $53 (as your example) ... Then redeem your 50,000 points. There will be $3 owing. Give her $53 to pay for that. In return, she gives you $50 back in change. -- even MORE AWESOME, right???

Now you have a $50 bill you can spend ANYWHERE! You arent limited to LCBO or some restaurant, or other one-stop destination.


[note the sarcasm... but seriously why get a gift card? -- I know you attempt to rationalize it in a future post -- I'll see you in the next post...]

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Originally Posted by Pointsman

it's just the way you look at what's really "free".
We're all frugal shoppers here, right? So when we buy groceries we need anyway, chances are most, or maybe all items are On Sale, maybe price matched to get the best possible deal, maybe some coupons were presented, etc, etc. Maybe we earn some points.

What the cost at the cash happens to end up being, the OOP, and pre-GC, is my Grocery Budget amount. and that's what I track.
Now for all that astute shopping and work that goes into it, we should be rewarded, don't you think?

In our household, that "Reward" is a Gift Card, or cards, to ME (and my wife of course). I consider the redeemed points to be attributed to the Gift Cards, which costs me zip, and leads to guilt free purchase(s), that I don't have to account for. .... like maybe a $100+ bottle of really good Single Malt (scotch). or whatever.

Bottom line, its money in, money out, but I can't stand the thought of redeeming my loyalty points for boring things like lettuce, potatoes, cans of beans, and pork chops. I need all that to survive.

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No offense, and I hate to rain on your parade, but I think you're only fooling yourself. If you did the groceries and the GC in separate transactions... redeeming 50,000 points for the $53 in groceries, and paying cash for the GC then you'd leave the store paying the exact same amount out-of-pocket and realizing that you just spent REAL money on a GC that you didnt need to. The end result is the same.

To imagine that you redeemed points on a gift card doesnt make it so. It's like believing that the sun came out just because you stepped out of your house when actually it was actually there all along.

NOW, if you could redeem 100,000 points on the entire transaction, sneaking in the GC into the mixed transaction, then OK -- I now see the benefit. But there's no "sneakiness" to it if you're redeeming 50,000 points and paying $50 cash out of pocket to include a $50 GC. No matter how you want to serve it up, you're paying cash for that gift card.

To quote you, "money in, money out" couldn't be any more accurate. But why put that money out? It's coming out of YOUR pocket, isnt it?

A more astute phrase to quote might be "A penny saved is a penny earned" -- So save the $50 cash you forked out for the GC and go to LCBO and buy that scotch if you want it. You saved the money in either stretch, so why limit yourself to a GC that's only good at one location?

Yes, I understand you have a Grocery Budget Amount and that's fine. Keep that system if you want if it does something for your manner of thought. But instead of locking yourself into a gift card, take the cash you would have spent on the "groceries" and set it aside. Mark it on your Grocery Budget for your psychology but pocket it instead. Even separate it into a different wallet if you want and if it helps. Maybe it will eventually pile up and turn into a 65-inch 4k TV that you buy from ANYWHERE, not just a PC brand store... or maybe a vacation? The sky's the limit when it's CASH you are keeping!

To each their own, I suppose, but that's my 2-cents...

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Originally Posted by bhlombardy

No offense, and I hate to rain on your parade, but I think you're only fooling yourself. If you did the groceries and the GC in separate transactions... redeeming 50,000 points for the $53 in groceries, and paying cash for the GC then you'd leave the store paying the exact same amount out-of-pocket and realizing that you just spent REAL money on a GC that you didnt need to. The end result is the same.

To imagine that you redeemed points on a gift card doesnt make it so. It's like believing that the sun came out just because you stepped out of your house when actually it was actually there all along.

NOW, if you could redeem 100,000 points on the entire transaction, sneaking in the GC into the mixed transaction, then OK -- I now see the benefit. But there's no "sneakiness" to it if you're redeeming 50,000 points and paying $50 cash out of pocket to include a $50 GC. No matter how you want to serve it up, you're paying cash for that gift card.

To quote you, "money in, money out" couldn't be any more accurate. But why put that money out? It's coming out of YOUR pocket, isnt it?

A more astute phrase to quote might be "A penny saved is a penny earned" -- So save the $50 cash you forked out for the GC and go to LCBO and buy that scotch if you want it. You saved the money in either stretch, so why limit yourself to a GC that's only good at one location?
Yes, I understand you have a Grocery Budget Amount and that's fine. Keep that system if you want if it does something for your endorphin levels. But instead of locking yourself into a gift card, take the cash you would have spent on the "groceries" and set it aside. Mark it on your Grocery Budget for your psychology pocket it. Even separate it into a different wallet if you want and if it helps. Maybe it will eventually pile up and turn into a 65-inch 4k TV that you buy from ANYWHERE, not just a PC brand store... or maybe a vacation? The sky's the limit when it's CASH you are keeping!

To each their own, I suppose, but that's my 2-cents...

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yeah i dont get Pointsman thought process as well, its just more work(doing math at till/keeping track of small denomination GC after wards) for no reward. if you just kept the cash you could take advantage of offers on GC at other stores, ie airmiles on lcbo giftcards when bought at sobeys
https://smartcanucks.ca/sobeys-ontar...bo-gift-cards/