Shoppers Optimum Program Review
A few years ago there wasn’t a rewards card in Canada that offered a more lucrative program than Shoppers Optimum. The Shoppers Optimum rewards card holders were disappointed to find out that on July 1st, 2010 Shoppers Drug Mart changed the Shoppers Optimum Program, increasing the number of points required to redeem for $10 in products from 7,000 to 8,000 (about 15%).
This change to the Shoppers Optimum program coincided with new legislation surrounding generic prescription drugs, which was going to reduce revenues and profits for Shoppers Drug Mart. So what did these changes mean for one of Canada’s most popular rewards programs? Let’s take a closer look at the program.
Collecting Shoppers Optimum Points
Shoppers Optimum is a free rewards program where members can earn points on almost anything in the store. You can earn 10 Shoppers Optimum points for almost every dollar spent, including prescriptions.
- Earn 10 points when you spend $1.
- Earn 100 points when you spend $10.
- Earn 500 points when you spend $50.
- Earn 1,000 points when you spend $100.
You can collect Shoppers Optimum points even faster by using some of the following tips:
- Shop during 20x the points events to earn thousands of points. For example, if you spend $50 in-store you would earn 10,000 points rather than just 500.
- Get Shoppers Optimum bonus points on specially marked items in-store every day.
- Throughout the year Shoppers Drug Mart offers special points events, such as 20x the points on cosmetics, 10x the points on Life Brand products, and 10x the points on health products like vitamins.
- Receive un-advertised email offers, exclusive for Shoppers Optimum members.
Redeeming Shoppers Optimum Points
When you redeem your Shoppers Optimum points, the rewards are given on a sliding scale. This means that the more points you accumulate, the greater the rewards will be.
- 8,000 points = $10 off next purchase (1.25% rebate)
- 22,000 points = $30 off next purchase (1.36% rebate)
- 38,000 points = $60 off next purchase (1.58% rebate)
- 50,000 points = $85 off next purchase (1.70% rebate)
- 95,000 points = $170 off next purchase (1.79% rebate)
Even without the 20x bonus events, the Shoppers Optimum program is still one of the most lucrative no fee rewards programs in Canada. As you can see, the more you save up your Shopper Optimum points, the more return members get on their purchases. When you include the bonus point events, the program becomes even more lucrative.
Similar to the PC points program at PC Financial, once you have accumulated 8,000 Shoppers Optimum points you can redeem them right at the cashier for $10 off your purchase. It’s that easy to use!
Final Thoughts on Shoppers Optimum
It seems amazing that just one year ago the Shoppers Optimum program was even more generous with their rewards than they are now. The program has a much higher utility than other retail programs like HBC rewards. Shoppers Drug Mart not only sells cosmetics and prescriptions, but they have quite a few grocery products as well.
There are not a lot of no fee rewards programs in Canada that offer more than a 1% rebate on your purchases. With Shoppers Optimum points, you can easily put 2% back in your wallet when you take advantage of the bonus point events.
The Shoppers Optimum card is definitely worth keeping in your wallet to earn rewards points. This is one of the best rewards programs in Canada.
*Update: Shoppers Optimum has recently partnered with RBC on a new program called the RBC Shoppers Optimum banking account.
We think Shoppers is one of the best cards for Canadians, certainly for anyone who frequently shops at Shoppers. You know you can use the rewards on things you actually need, so it truly is a way to save money rather than just a sneaky way to get you to spend more.