A woman gasses up at a gas station in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb. 13.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Everything in Canada is more expensive these days and gas prices are no exception. Some people may be tempted to cut fuel costs by driving around searching for the lowest price or lining up for 30 minutes at a Costco station, but that’s not a good use of their time.
A better strategy would be sticking with a gas station that earns you rewards. Every major gas station chain is now partnered with a significant loyalty program. That means you can now get instant savings, earn points, and stack offers. Here are your options.
Petro-Canada – Triangle Rewards / Avion Rewards
Triangle Rewards and Petro-Points members who link their accounts will receive up to 3 cents per litre in CT Money and 20 per cent more Petro-Points. If you pay with a Triangle credit card, you’ll get up to 5 cents per litre in CT Money. Anyone filling up at participating Gas+ locations will also earn CT Money and Petro-Points.
Purchases made inside Petro-Canada SU-T convenience stores also earn you both rewards. Members should link their accounts since they can convert their Petro-Points to CT Money to redeem at stores such as Canadian Tire, SportChek, Party City, Mark’s, and more.
Additionally, the RBC and Petro-Canada partnership is still in place, so if you link your RBC debit or credit card to your Petro-Points card, you’ll instantly save 3 cents per litre in addition to earning 20 per cent bonus Petro-Points and 20 per cent more Avion points. Plus, all Avion Rewards members qualify for offers such as 100 Avion points when spending $40 on fuel and five times the Avion points on fill-ups.
Petro-Canada is your best bet if you’re looking for the most rewards.
Shell – Air Miles
BMO Air Miles credit cardholders who load their points collector number into the Shell app, or swipe their Air Miles card at the pump, will save 7 cents per litre on Shell’s top premium fuel and 2 cents off per litre on all other gas. The BMO & Shell Go+ double up offer on fuel and in-store purchases partnership still applies, so that’s four times the air miles and instant savings you’re getting.
You can still get the same gas deal if you have a different BMO credit or debit card. You just need to load your Air Miles number and BMO credit or debit card number into the Shell app. Alternatively, you can swipe your Air Miles card before filling up.
If you’re a CAA, BCAA, or AMA member, you can save an additional 3 cents per litre by adding your member number to the Shell app. That’s a total of up to 10 cents per litre you can save.
Shell best serves those who want instant cash savings.
Esso/Mobil – PC Optimum
PC Optimum members earn 10 PC Optimum points per litre – which is 1 cent in points – at Esso and Mobil locations. To get your points, you need to enter the phone number linked to your PC Optimum account or scan your PC Optimum card/app at the pump. Extra points offers are also available through the app.
If you pay for your fuel with a PC Mastercard, you’ll earn 30 points per litre. Those paying with a PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard will earn up to 70 points per litre. That works out to returns of 3 cents and up to 7 cents, respectively.
You can redeem your points at Esso locations – not Mobil – for additional savings. 4,000 PC Optimum points gets you 10 cents off per litre of fuel, up to 40 litres, or you can claim 10,000 points for any car wash.
The simplicity of PC Optimum is what makes Esso/Mobil appealing.
Parkland – Aeroplan
Aeroplan is partnered with the Parkland Corp. PKI-T (Chevron, Fas Gas, Ultramar, and Pioneer) and their Journie Rewards program. Aeroplan members who scan their membership card or enter their account number at the pump will earn one Aeroplan point per three litres of fuel purchased.
Alternatively, if you link your Aeroplan account to your Journie Rewards account, you’ll earn one Aeroplan point per litre. You’ll also get an additional 300 Aeroplan points when you earn 300 Journie Rewards points (One point is earned per litre of fuel).
For further savings, anyone linking their Journie Rewards membership to a CIBC credit or debit card will save 3 cents per litre. This is in addition to any points their card may earn them.
Anyone who wants to maximize travel rewards should gas up with Parkland.
Barry Choi is a personal finance and travel expert at moneywehave.com. He was previously affiliated with Canadian Tire, RBC, PC Financial, and Aeroplan but currently has no relationship with any of the brands.
Barry Choi