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Is PC Financial travel Insurance good? Review 2024

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Traveling without travel insurance can have severe financial consequences. Did you know that one night's hospital stay in the U.S. can be over $14,000 CAD? In some countries, you may even be denied medical assistance if you cannot prepay for treatment.

Travel insurance is an absolute necessity when you're away from home, providing coverage for healthcare expenses and ensuring you can access medical services when needed. It also offers assistance for flight disruptions, lost baggage, and other related issues.

One popular provider worth considering is the PC Financial Travel Insurance (from President's Choice). So we've done a comprehensive review outlining the coverage, costs, and the pros and cons of their service.

Additionally, you can also use our comparator to explore the best travel insurances in Canada and get quotes in seconds.

President's Choice Financial Travel Insurance: 5 Key takeaways

• PC Financial Travel Insurance protects against unexpected medical expenses and other issues like delays and cancelations.
• It offers comprehensive coverage, including trip cancellation, interruption, emergency medical, and baggage loss/delay.
• It is important to review the policy's terms and conditions to understand coverage limitations and exclusions.
• The policy offers flexibility and customisation, allowing travellers to tailor their coverage.
• It is advisable to compare other travel insurances using our comparator, considering factors like coverage, cost, and reviews.

Our 2024 review of PC Financial travel insurance

President's Choice has joined hands with Manulife Travel Insurance to provide Canadians with exceptional plans so they can travel and enjoy their business trips or vacations stress-free.

PC primarily offers 4 travel insurance options: Complete package, Package without medical care, Global medical care, and Unequaled Protection Insurance.

Before we dive into the coverage of each option, here's a quick look at the pros and cons of this insurance overall.

Pros of PC Financial Travel Insurance

• Diverse insurance options
• Partnership with Manulife
• Insurance for seniors
• No-fee master cards with travel insurance
• Quarantine expenses covered in case of COVID

Cons of PC Financial Travel Insurance

• Pre-existing medical condition exclusions
• Limited pricing information on website

You can also compare PC Financial Travel Insurance with other providers in Canada like Allianz Travel Insurance using our comparator below and also get quick quotes based on your unique needs.

Compare the best travel insurance plans on the market!

How is the PC Financial Travel Insurance Coverage?

PC Financial travel insurance offers a wide range of coverage from trip cancellation and medical emergency to flight delays and lost baggage and more to ensure you have the most stress-free travel. However the coverages vary based on the option you choose.

What does PC Financial Travel Insurance cover?

Your PC financial travel insurance may cover medical insurance alone or a combination of travel medical and trip protection, although the specific policy details, including coverage duration and limits, vary across different plans offered.

Generally, the PC Financial Travel covers a few or all of the following based on your plans:

• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage: Reimburses non-refundable expenses if a trip needs to be canceled or cut short due to covered reasons like illness, injury, or severe weather.
• Travel medical insurance: This provides coverage for medical expenses incurred while traveling, including emergency medical treatment, hospital stays, and sometimes even medical evacuation back to your home country.
• Lost or delayed baggage coverage: In the unfortunate event of lost, stolen, or delayed baggage, this coverage will provide reimbursement for the replacement of essential items.
• Trip delay coverage: If your flight or other transportation is delayed (for a specific period of time), this coverage can reimburse you for expenses such as meals, accommodations, and transportation during the delay.
• Travel accident insurance: Offers coverage for accidental death or dismemberment that occurs during travel on planes, trains, or buses.
• Rental car insurance: Coverage for collision damage or theft of rental vehicles.
• Covid Travel Insurance : Covers Covid-related medical emergencies, repatriation and booking cancellations.

Here is a table to give you a quick overview of the coverage provided under the PC Financial Travel Insurance:

What does PC Financial Travel Insurance not cover?

PC Financial Travel Insurance, like other insurance policies in the market, has certain exclusions and limitations.

These may include coverage exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions, high-risk activities such as extreme sports, and incidents related to intoxication or drug use. Any claims arising from incidents related to being under the influence of alcohol or drugs may not be covered by the policy.

Additionally, travel to restricted or high-risk destinations may impact coverage eligibility. It's important to thoroughly review the policy's terms and conditions to fully understand the coverage limitations and exclusions that may apply.

If there are any uncertainties or specific concerns, it is advisable to contact PC Financial directly for further clarification.

How much does PC Financial travel insurance cost?

The price of PC Financial travel insurance depends on the following factors:

• Your desired coverage and respective policy
• Your deductible
• Your waiting period
• Your destination(s)
• The duration of your trip

You can compare coverages and prices of the best travel insurances in Canada using our comparator below and also get quick quotes based on your unique needs.

Is there a PC financial Mastercard travel insurance?

Yes, like other popular credit cards with travel insurance (to hyperlink later), President's Choice also offers this option. However, the extent of coverage and fee involved vary based on the type of credit card you choose.

PC has three primary credit cards. They are World Elite MasterCard MD , World MasterCard MD , and MasterCard MD .

PC Financial World Elite MasterCard travel insurance

PC World Elite MasterCard travel insurance provides up to $1,000,000 coverage for various emergency medical expenses during your travel including doctor charges, accidental dental care, return airfare, and more.

It also has car rental loss/damage and baggage coverage among others. It is important to read the offer documents of your card carefully.

To make insurance claims, it is highly important to ensure that your PC World Elite Mastercard account is in good standing at the time of the occurrence and the claim.

PC Financial World MasterCard travel insurance

The PC Financial World Mastercard does not offer any travel benefits, however, it does offer reward points for purchases made with respect to travel. It's best to check with your card provider to get accurate and up-to-date information.

PC Financial MasterCard travel insurance

The PC Financial MasterCard does not provide travel benefits by default. However, it might give you rewards and redeemable points that could prove beneficial for your trips and vacations. It would be best to get in touch with your provider for more information on this.

Good to know

In order to get these credit cards, you must satisfy certain eligibility criteria that also include a minimum yearly personal income or household income, apart from other credit approval criteria. Also, it's important that your travel purchases are made on your specific credit card to be eligible for claims after.

How do I contact PC travel insurance?

You can get in touch with the PC Financial travel insurance phone number: 1-844-862-8466 or 1-866-246-7262 . They are both toll-free numbers. You may have to wait a few seconds to minutes in queue when the lines are facing an unexpectedly high volume of enquiries.

The numbers are available only between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm (ET) from Monday to Friday. Weekends are closed for in-phone enquiries.

You could also fill up and submit a form on their website that is available under the contact us category and an agent will get in touch with you shortly after.

If you're an insurance holder, however, in the event of an emergency, however, you can call the toll free at 1-855-856-7569.

How do I file a claim for PC financial travel insurance?

To file a claim, you can get in touch with your provider directly on the phone and a customer service agent will guide you through the process.

You could also login on the PC Financial website to fill the claim form. It is extremely important to make sure you have all the supporting documents like invoices for purchases, bills, etc, at the time of claims process.

How do I cancel my PC financial travel insurance?

If you are looking for information and instructions to cancel PC Financial travel insurance at any time, please call 1-866-246-7262 to speak with a representative.

But canceling your travel insurance might mean putting yourself at the risk of financial stress should you be faced with unforeseen medical and other related issues during your travel. So, it's strongly recommended that you opt for a travel insurance that best suits your needs.

Now that you have a good idea about PC Financial Travel Insurance, you can compare it with the best travel insurances in Canada using our comparator below and also get quick quotes .

Save up to 25% on your travel insurance with our partner soNomad

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Nishadh Mohammed, an experienced news editor and writer, has been a member of the HelloSafe team since May 2023. With a robust nine-year background in journalism and content creation, he has transitioned from impactful roles at major Indian newspapers to steering the course of online content as the managing editor of The Daily Net. Possessing a proficiency in crafting content for diverse audiences, Nishadh also brings a deep understanding of data analytics tools such as SQL, Tableau, and Knime. His commitment goes beyond crafting engaging financial content for HelloSafe; he navigates the ever-changing SEO landscape, leveraging data-driven insights to make informed decisions. When he's not wrestling with SEO algorithms, Nishadh indulges in reading and passionately explores narratives on human rights, intersectionality, race, caste, and LGBTQIA+ issues.

• No annual fee
• Earn 45 PC Optimum Points per $1 dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart
• Earn 30 PC Optimum Points per $1 spent where PC Products are sold and at PC Travel
• Earn at least 30 PC Optimum Points per litre at Esso/Mobil locations
• Earn 10 PC Optimum Points per $1 spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus and earn rate

What’s interesting about the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard is that it doesn’t typically have a welcome bonus when you apply online. However, if you’re applying in-store where there’s a PC Financial booth, they’ll usually give you 100,000 points when you sign up. That’s a value of $100.

As for the earning rate, you’ll get 45 points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart, 30 points at Loblaws-owned grocery stores (Loblaws, Superstore, No Frills, Fortinos etc.), Esso/Mobil Gas stations, PC Travel, and 10 points on all other purchases. That works out to a 4.5%, 3%, and 1% return in PC Optimum points respectively.

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard benefits

For a no fee card, the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard comes with a decent amount of benefits. Mind you, many of these benefits come with any World Elite Mastercard, but you get access to them by being a cardholder.

Travel emergency medical insurance

Those under the age of 65 get $1,000,000 in travel emergency medical insurance. This insurance applies the second you travel out of province and covers things such as ambulances, doctor charges, hospital stays, dental care, prescription drugs and more. The coverage lasts for the first 10 days of your trip. You do not need to charge your travel expenses to your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard for the insurance to apply.

Car rental collision/loss damage waiver insurance.

When you charge the full cost of your car rental to your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, you get 31 days of car rental collision/loss damage waiver insurance. This covers you from damages if you’re in an accident, but you need to decline the rental agency’s insurance for your policy to be valid. note that this doesn’t cover you for any liability.

Airport lounge access

One little known benefit of this card is the included Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey. This gives you access to more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide. That said, this is just a membership you’re getting. You still need to pay for each individual visit, which is typically US $32.

Purchase assurance

Any purchases charged to your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard are automatically covered with purchase assurance. If anything happens to your goods, including loss, theft, or damage in the first 90 days, you can have them replaced/repaired at no charge.

Extended warranty

Your manufacturer’s warranty is doubled, up to one additional year, as long as you charge your purchase to your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard.

Concierge service

You can contact a Mastercard concierge 24/7 to help you with things such as booking restaurants, purchasing gifts, arranging translation services, and more. Admittedly, all of these things can be done on your own, but I suppose a concierge can be helpful if you’re in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language.

How to redeem your points

PC Optimum is one of the most popular loyalty programs in Canada. You can redeem 10,000 PC Optimum points for $10 in groceries or merchandise at Loblaws-owned grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Mart. In addition, you can use your points at Esso/Mobil gas stations for discounts on your gas purchases or for free car washes.

Occasionally, Shoppers Drug Mart has bonus redemption offers. For example, there was a promotion where you could claim 250,000 points for $400 in credit. That’s $150 more than the regular redemption, so it can be worthwhile to save your points. They’ve also had other offers, such as earning 20X the points or getting 25,000 points when you spend $75. Read my post on how to earn more PC Optimum points if you want to maximize your points.

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard eligibility

• You’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• You’re at least the age of majority in your province or territory
• You have a minimum annual personal gross income of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000.

Although PC Financial doesn’t state what credit score is required to be approved, they say a credit check will be performed at the time of application. Generally, you’ll want to have a credit score of at least 700 before applying.

How the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard compares

The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard is the best for earning PC Optimum points. That said, there are a few cards worth comparing since they offer better earning rates on groceries.

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard vs. American Express Cobalt Card

The American Express Cobalt Card has an earning rate of 5 American Express Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on eats and drinks (includes grocery stores), 3 points on streaming services, 2 points on travel and transit, and 1 point for all other purchases. The earning rate here is clearly higher than what the PC Financial World Elite offers. There’s just one problem: American Express isn’t typically accepted at Loblaws-owned grocery stores. While the Cobalt Card is one of the best cash back credit cards in Canada , it’s useless if your grocery store doesn’t accept it.

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard vs. Scotiabank Gold American Express

Another card with a high earning potential is the Scotiabank Gold American Express . With this card, you’ll get 6 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Empire-owned supermarkets (Sobeys, Foodland, IGA, FreshCo), 5 points at other grocery stores, dining, and entertainment, 3 points on gas, and transit, and 1 point on all other purchases. If you shop at an Empire-owned grocery store, this card is one of your best choices. It’s also worth mentioning that the Scotiabank Gold American Express has no foreign transaction fees.

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard vs. Rogers Mastercard

The Rogers Mastercard is a good comparison since it also has no annual fee, and it’s a Mastercard. If you have one qualifying service with Rogers, Fido or Shaw, you’ll earn 2% cash back on all your purchases. While that earning rate is lower than what the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard offers on Loblaws-owned stores, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Esso gas stations, the base earning rate could compensate for it. In addition, if you redeem your cash back earned for Rogers services, you get a 30% boost, so you’re actually getting a cash back rate of 2.6%. The other appealing aspect of the Rogers Mastercard is that it has no formal income requirement, so it’s easier to be approved for compared to the PC Financial card.

Final thoughts

My PC Financial World Elite Mastercard review is positive. This card is ideal for anyone in the following situations:

• You want to earn more PC Optimum points – No other credit card gives you a higher earning rate for PC Optimum points.
• You shop at Loblaws-owned stores – If you shop at Loblaws, No Frills, or Superstore, this is a card you want to earn points on every purchase. Otherwise, you’ll only earn points on in-store and targeted offers.
• You don’t want to pay an annual fee – This is one of the few World Elite Mastercards with no monthly or yearly fee.

PC Optimum is one of the best loyalty programs in Canada. With the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, you’ll be able to earn PC Optimum points on every purchase. Plus, with no annual fee, getting this card and only using it where you get an enhanced earning rate could be worth it.

About Barry Choi

Barry Choi is a Toronto-based personal finance and travel expert who frequently makes media appearances. His blog Money We Have is one of Canada’s most trusted sources when it comes to money and travel. You can find him on Twitter: @barrychoi

92 Comments

Are you sure about the Priority Pass membership?

Yup, please see MasterCard’s website

https://www1.mastercard.com/content/mc/offer-exchange/world-elite/apmea/en/travel/airport/Airport_Lounge_Access.html

And their list of partner banks

https://www.mastercard.ca/en-ca/search-by-bank.html

Just enrolled, thanks for the tip !! Was unaware.

Another possible URL:.

Airports.mastercard.com

If I’m going out of country do I need to call PC World elite travel insurance before leaving on vacation?

You only need to call the insurance line if you’re making a claim. That said, if you plan on your PC Financial Mastercard when you’re abroad, you should call them in advance to let them know you’re travelling.

Where do you sign up for it then? I see no mention of this on the PC World Elite Mastercard page?

I believe PC Financial doesn’t mention it on their website since there’s a copyright issue with the name. However, if you go to the MasterCard site, you’ll see they’re listed as a partner.

To be honest, I don’t know how you get your actual membership with them. You may need to call MasterCard for that info.

so when I go to the PC world Elite Mastercard site, I find:

As a World Elite MasterCard cardholder, you receive

Complimentary Priority Pass membership One free lounge visit per cardholder per year

Simply present your Priority Pass membership card upon arrival at the lounge.

but when I go to the Priority pass site, it shows membership costs for Canada at $99 us.I assume that you need a priority pass card to get into the lounge?? How do you get the complementery one that is suposed to come with the credit card? What am I missing here?

With Priority Pass, you need a membership just to access the lounge. Depending on what membership you have, you’ll either get free visits or pay the one time fee of $27USD per visit.

So the One free lounge visit per cardholder per year = 1 time visit. After you’ve used that voucher or whatever it is, you pay $27USD per visit.

To be perfectly honest, it’s been difficult to get confirmation about how to get that actual one free pass. PCF is not responsible for that benefit so you need to call MasterCard. I’ve heard so many different things about the LoungeKey access with MasterCard that it’s impossible for me to give accurate information.

If I am approved… if I make a purchase at Shoppers drug mart will I need to just pay with the PC MasterCard to earn my full points or will I also need to show my PC Optimum card in addition? Is there any point in having a physical PC Optimum card if you are a PC MasterCard holder?

If you have a PCFWEMC or any Mastercard and have linked it to your PC Optimum account, then you don’t need a physical PC Optimum card. Your credit card will be fine.

I find that I do need to present twice, for points then payment, though if you have a smartphone one need not carry the loyalty nor the credit card. Personally I keep them in the Wallet app in my iPhone and use those to scan for the points & then verify the purchase (Which uses NFC to wirelessly talk to the swipe terminal.)

D. Cornelius,

Yes you do need to tap with your PC Mastercard first to get points and then again to pay. But you don’t physically need to have your PC Optimum card on you to earn points since your credit card will earn them.

Great review Barry! Merger definitely increased value with 45 total PC Optimum Points per $1 dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and 30 total PC Optimum Points per $1 spent where PC Products are sold.

And, wow, a free annual standard membership ($79 US) to Priority Pass with one free visit AND no annual fee!

Yes, the PCFWEMC is a great card and offers tons of benefits with no fee which is why I love it.

Hi Barry, back to the Airport Lounge Access benefit …

I spoke with Mastercard Canada on the phone, and since I don’t have this card yet, the rep couldn’t check on the actual benefits without a CC#. She did mention that it depends on the financial institution whether the Lounge Access benefit is included, .

I checked this link and included an excerpt below: https://www.pcfinancial.ca/english/legal/pc-mastercard?list=3&scrollTo=abp-additional-exclusive

Benefits exclusive to PC Financial World Mastercard accounts Concierge Services are provided by Assurant Services Canada Inc. (ASCI). Details of what is included as part of this service is outlined in the Terms and Conditions sent with your card.

Additional benefits exclusive to PC Financial World Elite Mastercard accounts Car Rental Collision/Loss Damage Waiver Insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (ABIC), and Travel Emergency Medical Insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Life Assurance Company of Florida (ABLAC). Concierge Services and Identity Theft Services are provided by Assurant Services Canada Inc. (ASCI). Details of your insurance and service, including definitions, benefits, limitations, and exclusions, are outlined in the Certificate of Insurance sent with your card. Keep your Certificate of Insurance in a safe place with your other valuable documents, and take it with you when you travel. ABIC, ABLAC, ASCI and their subsidiaries and affiliates carry on business in Canada under the name Assurant®. ®Assurant is a registered trademark of Assurant, Inc.

Not sure if you have this card, or can confirm whether the Priority Pass membership + 1 free visit per year is definitely included with the PC World Elite Mastercard?

I have this card too but didn’t know that Priority Pass membership was free. I never got that info when I received my card. Did you get your membership from this card Barry?

Barry is wrong on this, period. I’ve had the card for 3 years, it does not entitle you to a priority pass membership.

Here’s the statement I received directly from PC Financial.

With the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard customers will earn 3X the regular PC Points when purchasing vacations, flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals and tours. Customers also receive exclusive travel offers at competitive rates and the Best Price Guarantee on all bookings (price matching within a 24 hr).

A new benefit introduced late last year is LoungeKey access:

If you are a PC Financial World and World Elite Cardholders you will be able to purchase lounge passes at over 800 Lounges Worldwide, including presence in all large airports in Canada and at the top Canada travel destinations at subsidized rates of $27 USD. Cardholders simply need to present their PC MasterCard World or World Elite card to the lounge staff, or register for the program by going to the “MasterCard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey” website. Benefits:

• Over 800 lounges, in over 400 airports worldwide (120+ countries), regardless of their airline, frequent flyer membership, or class of ticket. • Unique experiences and offers in dining, spa and retail outlets within the airport

so how do you get your one free visit if you have to pay $27 us per year?? Lots of confusion with this perk. Barry, perhaps you can investgate and clarify. – Thanks

Thank you for the info. This is was the clarification I was look for.

Paying $27 per visit is still better than paying $100 annual fee and $27 each visit with the priority pass.

Hi Barry… I’m a retiree and I have the HSBC Premier World Elite card. I shop often at shoppers and PC stores. In your opinion is it worth it for me to get the PC Elite card and split the loyalty points I’d get into two plans?

With the PCFWEMC you earn 4.5% back at Shoppers Drug Mart and 3% back where PC products are sold so you come out ahead compared to the HSBC Premier World Elite. The key is to take that money you save on groceries and to add it to your vacation fund.

Hi Barry…my wife and I love reading your financial and travel blogs. In your opinion what is the best credit card available now in Canada for maximizing returns to complement our HSBC card?

It really depends on where you shop and what categories you spend the most money on. e.g. where do you do all your grocery shopping? Do you spend a lot on gas? Do you eat out a lot?

We love to travel. When we’re home we shop usually at PC grocery stores or Walmart. We do love eating out.

So things could get complicated there.

If you shop at PC grocery stores – the PC Financial World Elite gives you 3% cash back which is quite high. At Wal Mart, you could keep using your CIBC card since it gives you 1.5%

If you eat out A LOT, then the Amex Cobalt card is good too since you get 5X the points. However, Cobalt points can’t be transferred to airlines. They can be used for fixed mileage rewards and transferred SPG at 2:1 so you still have some options.

Thanks Barry. Like your travel blogs you seem to write in a manner that is easy to read and understand.

Do you think getting an additional card for my spouse will allow my spouse to obtain free lounge access too?

If your spouse applies for the card on their own (as opposed to being a supplementary cardholder), then they would have lounge access. A reminder, that just the membership is free. You still need to pay for each visit.

Hi Barry, this is great! thank you for the post. if you use your PC WE MC for mainly gas, groceries and Shoppers, which would be a great cash back card for all the other stuff? thank you!!

Hi FernandoM,

It depends on where else you shop and what kind of benefits you like. The Tangerine money-back card since you can choose up to 3 categories that give you up 2% back.

Barry thank you for your reply! I use PC stores a lot so that would remain my main card (groceries, gas, etc.). for other stuff I can think of, monthly bills, random shopping, recreation…

I will definitely take a look into the Tangerine one. thank you!

I have the PC world elite Mc got it few weeks ago and I cannot see where are the 4.5X and 3X points. I can only see the base points which are 10X but how you know that you got the correct points? I called them several times but didn’t get a clear answer.

There’s honestly no clear place that shows you when you’re earning multipliers.

Your statement only shows you the total earned for the month.

Thank you for your answer. And yes, I know about the statement, but the statement shows only the base points.

With the comment above; do they send you a Priority Pass Membership card with it? or do we only get the LoungeKey Access membership free?

“As a World Elite MasterCard cardholder, you receive

Complimentary Priority Pass membership One free lounge visit per cardholder per year”

They don’t send you anything, but the one free visit is something offered by Mastercard as a World Elite cardholder. I honestly have no idea how to actually activate your membership and how to get that one free visit.

Thanks for the reply Barry. It’s still good to hear that you get LoungeKey Access membership for free which is nice a perk for a free NO FEE credit card.

yeah, it’s a pretty sweet perk once you figure out how to get it. No one at PCF customer service seems to know about it, but the Mastercard website lists PCF as a partner for LoungeKey access.

It’s been painful since the change was made. I am not getting 30 points/$1 with my PC World Elite Master Card instead only getting 20 points/$1 for purchases in PC stores. 0 points for purchases from non PC stores. However, no issue with purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart and I got the loyalty points showed up on my receipt, while PC stores did not show the points other than bonus points on the receipts. I had to submit the point adjustment requests for each and every receipts for PC stores and non PC stores. Sometime, I got the points adjusted for the non-PC stores, and another time I got reply telling me “In order to earn PC Optimum Points, you are required to go to PCOptimum.ca, sign-in into your account, load all offers on to your PC optimum account by viewing them, and swipe your card/device at the beginning of each transaction at participating stores. As a result of your card/device not being swiped for this transaction we are unable to make any adjustments to your account”. By the way transactions other than PC stores never showed up on my PCOptimum account. Telephone call to PC Mastercard regarding the issue was totally a waste of time and message send to PC Mastercard regarding the above issue is not getting replied nor resolution. This could be really a good card if PC Mastercard delivers their promises. I am kind of sick and tired of hearing the excuses about up to the stores including PC stores to give the loyalty points and how the heck do you tell non-PC stores to swipe your PC Mastercard before the transaction to get the loyalty points, so essentially consider sh** of luck getting any points from non-PC stores. Also, the email replies from sending the point adjustment request gave you a case# without reference to any information to the specific purchase nor the request detail. Hence it is a difficult task to match up with the receipts with the case# when I was requested to submit additional info. As always, buyer beware and don’t believe everything they tell you.

I have a MC President’s Choice Elite card. I find it impossible to decipher whether or not I am getting the appropriate amount of points on my purchases because of the way the Financial points are recorded. The detailed info for each posting should indicate which transaction it is for. ie purchase date and amount. I am concerned that I am not getting the correct amount of points. I guess I could do a points adjustment of every transactions but I do not want to have to do that. The computer system must have the info I am asking for. I use my MC for everything but I want to be assured that I am getting the correct amount of points. The points earned is why I have and use this card!

Hey Marion,

From what I understand, the bonus points only appear online via pcoptimum.ca. I agree it’s a bit sill that there’s no easier way to view your bonus points.

I do go online to pcoptimum,ca to view my earned points. I have been told by PC Financial that it takes 3-5 days for the Financial points earned to be posted. I can deal with that. But when the points are posted, I want to know which transaction the points are coming from. I have contact PC Financial with my concern but I am not satisfied with their response. Do you have an inside tract with PC Financial?

Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who works there that would be able to assist.

Are there any caps on points earned in any of the categories? (At PC Stores, Shoppers, Anywhere else?) I ask this because on the ‘Points earned’ calculator in a recent email I received from PC, there is a cap of $2000 on spending in the ‘everywhere else’ category.

There’s should be no cap. I don’t know why they set a limit of $2,000 on the online calculator.

Thanks Barry, I didn’t think there was a cap.

Looks like PC optimum points is a scam. whenever there is an offer on Gas, I buy it. But i have to call customer care to get my points otherwise we don’t get any points. last week there was an offer 10,000 points on $40 purchase of gas. i still did not get points, i am still fighting for those. I will never ever go again to superstore and never use pc optimum. Whenever I called customer service they hangup the call. waste of time. I am planning to contact media and local news channels.

I registered for Lounge access with my PC Financial World Elite Card. I read that you can tell if your card receives a complimentary visit by going into the my account section. If you qualify for any complimentary passes the “complimentary” section will show. Mine does not…not surprised. So it looks like I have free access but will need to pay $27 US for each visit. I have a long stay in Miami for my next vacation the way the flights work out so I may use it.

Im trying to figure out what the best credit card combination for me would be. I’m retired so cash back is a great option. I was using my PC points to purchase gift cards until they removed that option last year. Now I have $400 worth in points I’m not sure how to redeem. I don’t shop at PC much. I shop at local organic grocery stores. I do shop at Shoppers sometimes, and ended up using some of it to buy sunscreen. I’d prefer to be able to get free items immediately like a gas card or even collect rewards for flights or vacations as being on a limited income makes though purchases tough. Any suggestions Barry?

Hi Michele,

With your remaining points you could shop at Loblaw’s or Superstore where they have organic produce and merchandise e.g. electronics and housewares for sale.

As for the best credit card, it depends on your spending habits and where you shop. The Amex Simply Cash preferred card and the Tangerine Money-Back card immediately come to mind as good choices

Hi, thanks for the share.

I received the Elite MasterCard this week and wondering if I have to make minimum amount of purchase with this card yearly to maintain my status.?

Please confirm, I can’t find this info anywhere, no one knows…

ONce you have the card, you keep it. There is no status with this card as it’s based on your minimum income, now how much you spend.

[…] the PC Financial Mastercards, you can increase your earn rate significantly. I personally have the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard and use it all the time. It honestly doesn’t take me long before I have enough points to make a […]

Avoid this card if you like to have online access to your account. I’ve had it for one month and still cant’ get access. Customer service has no answers. It’s an IT problem. They’re working on it. No time frame for resolution.

Can I use my pc elite mc in other countrie?

Yes, just make sure you let them know in advance of your travel dates.

Great review Barry. One thing to note which I’m a bit sore about – I am an existing PC MasterCard holder (the plain standard card) and I asked PCF if I could be upgraded to the World Elite (I am over the personal income requirment, and comfortably over the household earn requirement). They flat out said no and that I have to have spent $25000 over the past 24 months on my existing card in order to qualify. $25k is a pretty unreasonable sum for even a high spender on what is definitely not going to a primary travel card. It appears that PCF really don’t want people applying for this card (probably costs them too much from points redemptions).

I feel like that’s an uninformed rep. If you’re over the income requirement, they should be upgrading you no questions asked. It might be worth calling again to see if a different rep will upgrade you.

I currently have the PC Mastercard and was just approved for the PC World Elite card. I currently get 7 cents/liter back on my gas purchases, but I read the World Elite is only 3 cents/liter? Just curious. We have large vehicles and drive a lot, so our points add up fast just from gas purchases alone.

I believe you’re referring to the 70 PC optimum points that are earned at gas stations located at Loblaw’s owned grocery stores? That remains the same with the PC Financial World Elite card. The 3 cents earned per litre is at Esso/Mobil locations.

You may want to double check with PCF, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it works.

Excellent article! good one

Thanks for this review. But I was wondering what other credit card we could combine with the PC World Elite MasterCard to maximize our points. We shop mainly at the Loblaws and affiliate stores, so the PC WEMC is a perfect card for us.

Currently we have the Scotia Gold AMEX(restaurants, travel), Scotia VISA Momentum Infinite(grocery, gas),RBC VISA Infinite Avion, Home Trust Visa(US purchase), Capital One(Costco).

We do eat out frequently and vacation to the US at least once a year. I need to cancel all these credit cards, want to only have the PC WEMC and another card or two.

Can you suggest which other cards I should combine and will cancel the rest?

Hi Cecilia,

THe Scotia Gold Amex is actually a great complimentary card to the PCFWEMC especially if you use it to eat out a lot and travel. Come August 1st, you’ll earn 5X the points on restaurants and the card will have no forex fees.

https://www.scotiabank.com/content/dam/scotiabank/canada/en/documents/personal-banking/AW007111_CJ54869_Gold_AMEX_ENG_WEB.pdf

If you want to drop the Scotiabank Amex card, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card doesn’t give you as many points for groceries and restaurants, but you get a Priority Pass membership and 6 free annual passes.

With either of the two above cards, you could cancel the Home Trust card and the RBC Avion card.

My wife keeps pushing me for the PC World Elite MC as she is working for PCF.

I currently have TD Visa Infinite cash back card that gives me 3% on Gas, Recurring Payments and Groceries (from grocery stores – no Walmart or No Frills (Visa not accepted)).

TD Visa Infinite cash back card has a better travel insurance, rental car coverage etc than PCWEMC – Correct me if i am wrong

Does it make sense for me to go for PCWEMC just for the 3x points in No Frills shopping? BTW i have PC Optimum card that gives my 10 points on ESSO gas purchases.

Also we travel at least once a year to India or US which travel card do you recommend for lounge access + perks – Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite or CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite?

If you always pay your bills on time, it doesn’t hurt to get the PCFWEMC since you would earn 30 points per dollar spent.

As for your other question about lounge passes and Nexus. I personally think the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card is the best all-in-one travel card. Your wife would be able to use the free annual passes as long as she’s travelling with you (assuming you’re the primary cardholder). She wouldn’t be able to use the passes if she was travelling on her own.

Nexus is only $50 for 5 years, so although CIBC offers a rebate, the 2 extra lounge passes you get from Scotiabank every year are worth more. As I’m sure you know, the Scotiabank card also has no forex fees.

Hi Pradeep, Visa HomeTrust has you no exchange fees for currency. That is somewhere around 2.4% savings when out of country. Also, I get 1% cash back. So it is about 3.5% savings when travelling. Unless you get currency wihtout having to exchange it (ie cash gifts from family).

Thanks Barry. WiIl wait on PCFWEMC….

Scotia benefits are better and will go with it… Also will apply for a Supplementary card (wife) for free and add that to the Priority Pass account, not sure if they will let me register. Any thoughts?

The fine print on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card states that the Priority Pass membership is only valid for the primary cardholder so your wife would not qualify.

If she travels on her own quite a bit, it may be worth it for her to get her own card.

Thanks Barry 🙂

i only get 20 points for 1 dollar

You have the World card, not the World Elite.

i have the world elite.

The world elite card definitely earns you 30 points per $1 spent at Loblaws owned stores.

https://www.pcfinancial.ca/en/credit-cards/world-elite

thats what theY said.but i only get 20 for 1 dollar

You’d have to contact customer service again and tell them to look at your statement to varify that there’s an error and then have them fix it.

yes.i did.mastercard said it is points issue.points said its mastercard issue

my wife traveled to India last week. but unfortunately lost her luggage. she did not receive her luggage at New Delhi. Airlines are unable to track her luggage. My question is that as i paid her full ticket from PC choice world elite master card, will i be able to claim the baggage lost. please answer

Sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard does not come with any lost baggage insurance.

Hi, If I’m the primary card holder and I have a supplementary card issued in my Wife’s name, does the travel insurance cover her on a trip to the US. if that trip flight and hotel was charged in full on the supplemental card with her name on it if me as the primary card holder is not going on the trip with her? Thanks.

Your wife would not be insured with the card if you’re not travelling with her.

Thank Barry, I guess I’m going to Vegas as a 3rd wheel in a bachlorette party. Lol. By the way, what is the process if one needs to for example see a doctor or visit a hospital emergency room in the U.S.? Does the card member pay for all of the medical services 1st, keep the invoices, then file a claim afterwards or do you call and get pre-approval first? We are both Canadian born, I as the primary card holder and my spouse has the supplementary card. . And is it family coverage or just your spouse? And is there any deductible (i.e. card member pays first $100?). Thanks.

You’re supposed to contact your insurer before you seek medical attention or as soon as possible. Sometimes the doctor or hospital can bill the insurer directly, but sometimes you need to pay yourself and then make a claim. Generally speaking, your dependent children who are not students are also covered, again read the policy. Also note that the travel medical for this card only covers 10 days if you’re under the age of 65.

Thank Barry, can you post a link to the policy? Thanks.

https://www.pcfinancial.ca/docs/default-source/legal-stuff/pcf_worldelite_coi_en.pdf

Hi Barry, What cards currently have no forex fees? Which one offers the best cash back? Which card has best travel insurances. I do like the Amex option, but here in a more rural area, many merchants don’t accept Amex. Thanks

Check out these two pages.

https://www.moneywehave.com/canadian-credit-cards-without-foreign-transaction-fees/ https://www.moneywehave.com/best-cash-back-credit-cards-in-canada/ https://www.moneywehave.com/the-best-credit-cards-with-travel-insurance/

Hello! Thanks for the info. Does this card have any coverage for Trip Cancelation Insurance? We are currently en route to Australia from Canada with a stop over in Hawaii and Jetstar has cancelled our flight to Melbourne. Sadly, we forgot to purchase travel insurance before the trip (of course, the one time I forget…..).

Hoping this card will help over the costs at Jetstar is being absolutely useless. Cheers!

Unfortunately, this card does not have any trip cancellation.

Points are slow to add up, even if you spend a huge amount on the card. If you don’t pay off the balance on your card dinged over a 22% interest charge. In the end you do not come out ahead on the PC Mastercard!

If you’re shopping at Loblaws owned stores or Shoppers Drug Mart, the points add up fast. You’re basically earning 3% or 4.5% return on all your purchases and that doesn’t include any in-store or targeted offers. If you’re carrying a balance, the rewards are definitely not worth and you should focus on debt repayment. This is a no fee card so I would say the majority of people do come out ahead.

Sounds fantastic!! However I have the card and have been trying to get my points fixed for over 2 years. I still only get 10 points at gas stations and minimum at their stores. I called, wrote,started a points claim and even wrote to the PC ombudsman. All failed to follow up and follow through. Very disappointing.

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• Credit Cards

PC Financial World Elite Mastercard

Signup bonus:

Annual fee:, earning rate:.

The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard is a fine choice for people who frequently shop at Loblaw’s brands, but otherwise has limited appeal.

Bonuses & Fees

The card currently has a welcome bonus of 20,000 PC Optimum points upon making their first purchase at a store that participates in the PC Optimum program.

Occasionally, new applicants can earn a welcome bonus of 100,000 PC Optimum points upon making their first purchase at a store that participates in the PC Optimum program. If you’re interested in the card, consider waiting for this offer to make an appearance before applying.

The card has no annual fee .

Earning Rewards

The card has category bonuses for shopping at specific stores:

• All Optimum members earn an additional 15 points per dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix, regardless of which credit card is used to pay
• Earn at least 30 Optimum points per litre at Esso and Mobil gas stations
• Earn 30 Optimum points per dollar spent at PC Travel
• Earn 10 Optimum points per dollar spent on all other purchases

While these rates cover a wide range of categories, they only apply at these particular merchants. So while the card may appear to have strong earning rates, it only benefits cardholders who already shop at those stores, or are willing to change their shopping habits.

Redeeming Rewards

PC Optimum points have a value of 0.1 cents per point , with occasional 50% bonus redemption events. Points can be redeemed at PC Optimum’s partner grocery stores and drugstores.

Perks & Benefits

The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard has no meaningful perks or benefits to speak of.

Insurance Coverage

The card has a modest insurance package, including emergency medical insurance for trips up to 10 days, and standard extended warranty and purchase protection .

It also includes rental car collision insurance for cars up to an MSRP of $65,000.

However, it doesn’t offer the specific provisions that are important to travellers, and the coverage it does provide can also be found on many other cards.

As a World Elite product, this credit card has a minimum annual income requirement of $80,000 (individual) or $150,000 (household). Follow the below link to the PC Financial website to learn more about this card and submit an application.

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To learn about the benefits available with your credit or debit Mastercard, contact your issuing financial institution

The overview below outlines the most common benefits. This information is intended only as a reference for the types of shopping, travel and convenience-related benefits that may be available with your Mastercard.

Please Note: Benefits described below vary by card type and by issuing financial institution. * Refer to your issuing financial institution for complete benefit coverage terms and conditions.

†These are summary descriptions only. Additional terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Contact your issuing financial institution for complete coverage terms and conditions. To file a Price Protection or Extended Warranty claim online, please go to www.mycardbenefits.com . ↩

*Selection of benefits on your card varies by card type and by card issuer. Please refer to your issuing financial institution for complete coverage terms and conditions. If there is any difference between the descriptive language regarding insurance benefits described above and the actual applicable master policy issued by the insurance carrier, the terms and conditions of the policy shall govern. Your card issuer can cancel insurance benefits at any time and must notify you at least sixty (60) days in advance. Coverage will still apply for any benefits you were eligible for prior to the date of such terminations, cancellation or nonrenewal, subject to the terms and conditions of coverage. ↩

1. Certain terms, conditions and exclusions apply. For more information, please refer to your benefits guide or contact your issuing financial institution. ↩

2. Certain terms, conditions and exclusions apply. For full details, please visit: http://www.boingo.com/legal/end-user-license-agreement-boingo-customer-agreement . ↩

3. Offer expires 09/30/2024. New customers who pay for their first annual McAfee Total Protection for Mastercard subscription using an eligible Canada-issued Mastercard credit card will receive a special introductory price on a 13-month subscription term. Customers will also receive 13 months of McAfee TechMate at no additional cost. Limit one offer per cardholder. Unless you cancel your initial 13-month subscription at least 30 days before it expires, you will be charged the renewal subscription price in effect at the time of your renewal, and it will renew automatically for a 12-month term. You can cancel at any time or change your auto-renewal settings by accessing your My Account page . Pricing is subject to change. Mastercard reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time without notice. You may request a refund by contacting McAfee customer support within 30 days of initial purchase or within 60 days of automatic renewal. Neither Mastercard nor any participating financial institution card issuer has any involvement in or responsibility for McAfee’s products or services and are not responsible for any claims or damages arising from the use of the McAfee products and services. Additional terms and conditions apply. Not all features may be available on all devices. For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.mcafee.com/mastercard-en-ca . ↩

4. Certain terms, conditions and exclusions apply.

New User Offer: Get CAD $20 in Ritual voucher credits when you sign up for Ritual using promotional code “MC2020” and use an eligible Mastercard as a form of payment on your Ritual account (the “Offer”). Eligible new users must access the Offer by entering the promotional code “MC2020” during sign-up. Offer is available only to new eligible Ritual signups in Canada. The new user voucher credits will expire if not used within 30 days of signing up on Ritual. New users must add and pay with a consumer World or World Elite Mastercard credit card issued in Canada upon sign-up (“Eligible Mastercard”). CAD $20 in new user voucher credits are issued as four staged CAD $5 vouchers. All vouchers must be applied on a minimum pre-tax order value of CAD $10. Eligible new users will receive: (1) a CAD $5 voucher credit upon sign-up, which will be automatically applied when placing their first order; (2) a CAD $5 voucher credit after using their first voucher, which will be automatically applied to their second order; (3) a CAD $5 voucher credit after using their second voucher, which will be automatically applied to their third order, and (4) a CAD $5 voucher credit after using their third voucher, which will be automatically applied to the next order. For any order, if the value of the voucher credit exceeds the value of the order after taxes, the remaining value of the voucher credit will be lost. Voucher credits are redeemable at select participating restaurants, once per restaurant. See in-app for a complete list of participating restaurants. This Offer cannot be combined with any other offers, or with promotional or referral sign-up credits. Promotion subject to change. Additional terms and conditions may apply.

For full details, please visit: www.ritual.co/mastercard .

All Users Offer: Earn 1,000 Ritual Reward points after you place your fifth hot beverage order in the same calendar month using your eligible Mastercard as payment. Ritual Rewards points will not be issued to users who do not use a consumer World or World Elite Mastercard credit card issued in Canada as the form of payment (“Eligible Mastercard”). Orders that are paid for using voucher credits will not be applicable to the count of hot beverages orders. Hot beverages are defined as coffee or tea menu items available for purchase at all restaurants within the Ritual merchant network in Canada. Cannot be combined with any other offers, or with promotional or referral sign-up credits. Promotion subject to change. Additional terms and conditions may apply. For full details, please visit: www.ritual.co/mastercard .

All Users Offer: Eligible users will receive 1.5x the Ritual Reward points on every order when using a consumer World or World Elite Mastercard credit card issued in Canada (“Eligible Mastercard”) as the form of payment. Cannot be combined with any other offers, or with promotional or referral sign-up credits. Promotion subject to change. Additional terms and conditions may apply. For full details, please visit: www.ritual.co/mastercard. ↩

PC® World Elite Mastercard®

Earn 30 points per $1 spent at PC grocery stores

• Rates & Fees

45 points * 45 points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix

30 points At least 30 points per litre of gas purchased at Esso™ or Mobil™ stations

30 points At least 30 points per $1 spent on PC Travel services

30 points 30 points per $1 spent at Loblaw Banner Grocery Stores (includes Loblaws, No Frills, Valu-Mart, Independent Grocers, Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstore, Fortinos, etc.)

$0 Annual Fee

21.99% Purchase APR

22.97% Cash Advance APR

21.99% Balance Transfer Rate

Fair Recommended Credit Score

$80,000 Required Annual Personal Income

By Money.ca

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Compare other PC Financial credit cards

• Best PC Financial credit cards
• PC® Mastercard®

Compare other Mastercard credit cards

• Best Mastercard credit cards in Canada
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• MBNA True Line® Mastercard®
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Compare other grocery credit cards

• Best credit cards for groceries in Canada
• American Express Cobalt® Card
• Rogers™ World Elite® Mastercard®
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In the market for a credit card that will allow you to earn back on day-to-day spending without having to pay an annual fee? Depending on where you shop, you might want to consider the PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® . It’s a particularly great fit if you regularly stock up at Loblaw grocery stores or if you fill the tank at Esso™ and Mobil™ gas stations, where it has a 3% earn rate (30 points per $1 spent or per litre of gas purchased). It also makes sense for frequent customers at Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, where it earns back at 4.5% (45 points per $1).

The PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® is one of Canada’s few World Elite Mastercards without an annual fee, and it had the highest customer recommendation score in Forrester’s 2020 Canada CX Index™ Survey. That said, it’s not the only rewards card out there that pays back handsomely on everyday spending, and its Loblaw-centric rewards structure might leave some feeling restricted.

Pros and cons

No annual fee

High earn rates in certain stores

Easy, straightforward redemptions

Points don’t expire provided your account stays active and in good standing

Special events allow you to earn extra points

High income requirement to qualify

Accelerated earn rates are limited to certain partner stores, and points can be redeemed only for purchases within Loblaw banner stores

Points can’t be transferred to other loyalty programs

The included travel insurance is very limited

How to earn points

The PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® has the best overall earn rates offered among all three PC Financial ® credit cards:

• 45 points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix
• At least 30 points per litre of gas purchased at Esso™ or Mobil™ stations
• 30 points per $1 spent on PC Travel services
• 30 points per $1 spent at Loblaw Banner Grocery Stores (includes Loblaws, No Frills, Valu-Mart, Independent Grocers, Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstore, Fortinos, etc.)

All other purchases earn 10 points per $1 spent. Make sure to keep an eye out for special events as well which will allow you to earn points at a higher rate.

How to redeem points

The value you get when you redeem  PC Optimum™  points is very straightforward: 1,000 points can be redeemed for $1 worth of groceries or other products at Loblaw banner stores, as well as online at shoppersdrugmart.ca, pharmaprix.ca, joefresh.ca and pcexpress.ca. That’s it—there’s one flat rate for all redemptions. Points will not expire provided your account stays active and in good standing. This means you can collect and save as many points as you like, with no rush to redeem them within a certain period of time.

There are only a few caveats to what is otherwise a very easy redemption process: You do need a minimum of 10,000 points to redeem, and points can only be redeemed in $10 increments. So, if for example you’ve accumulated 28,000 points, you can either opt to redeem 20,000 of them and then wait until you’ve earned 2,000 more to make a 10,000-point redemption, or you can just wait until you have 30,000 and redeem them all at once for $30 in value. Also, you can redeem a maximum 500,000 points per transaction ($500 in value).

Be aware that some select items are not available for redemption with points, like tobacco and alcohol products, gift cards, etc.

Additional perks

Though it’s not loaded with the valuable features that you might get if you shell out for a  rewards credit card  with an annual fee in the $100+ neighborhood, the PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® nonetheless has a few handy perks and benefits worth noting:

• Up to 10 consecutive days of Travel Emergency Medical Insurance per trip, for cardholders under the age of 65. Max benefit $1M.
• Up to 31 consecutive days of Collision/Loss Damage Waiver Insurance for car rentals with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $65,000 or less
• Identity Theft Assistant Service
• 24/7 concierge service

Readers frequently contact us asking if the card covers trip interruption or cancellation—to which the answer is, unfortunately, no. The PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® does not offer any additional travel insurance beyond its basic emergency medical and car rental coverage. If you’re looking for a credit card that offers a more comprehensive suite of protections you should check out our list of  credit cards with great travel insurance .

Rates and fees

Interest rates.

The PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® has a purchase interest rate of 21.99%, 22.97% (21.97% in Quebec) on cash advances. 

*Standard rate.

*Basic rates may apply; see details on provider’s site.

• Annual fee: $0
• Cash advance in Canada: $3.50
• Cash advance outside of Canada: $5.00
• Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%
• Dishonoured payment fees: $42.00
• Overlimit fee: $29.00 ($0 for Quebec residents)
• Copy of sales draft or account statement: $10.00
• Credit balance refund made by cheque: $20.00
• Inactive account (12+ months no activity): $10 or balance amount; whichever is the lesser value of the two.

Eligibility requirements

You need to be a Canadian resident and the age of majority in your home province to be eligible for this credit card. Furthermore, you’ll need to have a minimum personal income of $80,000 per year or $150,000 minimum household income per year.

How to apply

Ready to apply for the PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® ? Here’s what you need to do:

Ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements as listed above.

Visit the website  here  and click the red ‘Apply now’ button.

You’ll be asked if you already have a PC Financial ® account. If you do, great. It just means all your information is on file and ready to go in your account. If not, that’s ok! You can create an account now.

You’ll be given an application disclosure summary again with the eligibility requirements, as well as the fine print details. Give it a read over and then tick the box that you have read and accept.

Fill in the application form. You will be asked to provide some personal details, your employment info, if you want to add an additional user or any optional extras to the account, etc. Filling this information out should only take you a few minutes.

Review your application and submit.

Approval should be very quick. Once you are approved it takes about 5-7 business days for your card to arrive in the mail.

How it compares

The PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® is a pretty handy credit card to have—for some. There are other grocery and gas-oriented credit cards that might be a better choice depending on your spending habits and lifestyle. Here is how the PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® compares to two other Canadian favourites: the Scotia Momentum ® Visa Infinite* Card and the Rogers™ World Elite ®  Mastercard ® .

The PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® is likely the best option for high-income singles or couples who plan on making the majority of their grocery purchases at Loblaw banner grocery stores. Here’s how the math works out: A single consumer who spends $4,000 annually at those stores will earn around 120K PC Optimum™ points, which is worth about $120. That’s a very respectable chunk of change for a card with no annual fee.

Small families, however, might benefit from paying the annual fee for the  Scotia Momentum ® Visa Infinite* Card . Given that they’ll have more mouths to feed, let’s say they spend $8,000 annually on groceries, $5,000 of which is spent at Loblaw banner grocery stores, and the remaining $3,000 outside that network. With the Scotia card’s higher earn rate (4%), they’ll get $320 in cash back on those purchases; with the PC ® World Elite Mastercard® they’ll earn 180,000 PC Optimum™ points, worth $180. In this circumstance the small family is better off paying the annual fee for the Scotia card, because after factoring out that $120 fee they’ll still end up with an extra $20 in cash back that they would not have earned with the PC card.

However, if you’re fundamentally opposed to paying an annual fee for a credit card, you might also look at your monthly expenses and compare the earn rates for the PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® against the  Rogers™ World Elite ®  Mastercard ® . The Rogers card’s 1.5% cash back rate on all CAD purchases and 3% rate on USD purchases make it a great option for a few different types of consumers:

Frequent customers at big-box stores like Costco or Walmart, where the Scotia and PC Financial cards either won’t be accepted or will only earn a 1% return

Those who have a diversified monthly budget that isn’t heavily skewed toward groceries and/or gas

Snowbirds, dual citizens, or other frequent cross-border travelers who make a lot of purchases in the United States

¹ Conditions Apply. Visit  here  for the Scotia Momentum ® Visa Infinite* Card to learn more.

Grub for nothing

At the end of the day, the PC Optimum™ program is definitely one of the  best ways to save on groceries in Canada , provided you shop regularly at the ubiquitous Loblaw stores and PC partner brands. And once you’re at the register, paying with the PC® World Elite Mastercard® is the easiest way to rapidly accumulate more points and get more and more free groceries.

However, if you make about 50% or more of your grocery purchases outside the Loblaw network, this probably isn’t the right credit card for you. In that case, you would be better off looking at a different card that still has a high earn rate for groceries or a high base earn rate on all purchases, and that isn’t locked into a specific loyalty program.

Sponsored advertising. President’s Choice Financial ® Mastercard ® is provided by President’s Choice Bank. The PC Optimum™ program is provided by President's Choice Services Inc. President’s Choice Bank is not responsible for the contents of this site, including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete information regarding the PC ® Mastercard ® , PC ® World Mastercard ® , or PC ® World Elite Mastercard ® , please click on the “Apply Now” or other applicable button.

The Money.ca Editorial Team is a group of passionate financial experts, seasoned journalists, and content creators who are deeply committed to providing unbiased, relevant, and accurate financial information. With years of combined industry experience, our team is dedicated to maintaining the highest journalistic standards and delivering informative and engaging content. From personal finance and investing to retirement planning and business finance, we cover a broad range of topics to suit the financial needs of our diverse readership. You can trust the Money.ca Editorial Team to empower you with the knowledge and tools necessary to make wise financial decisions.

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PC Financial Mastercard world elite travel insurance

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Topping up travel insurance offered by credit card

Here’s a start. https://assets.ctfassets.net/xqp30uh3quox/5bjnPXwVaaD7dwD792v0TY/917c718b945ffc1051abcccbaf5598c4/pcf_worldelite_coi_en.pdf i believe the answers are: 1. Yes, automatic, subject to conditions such as pre-existing conditions 2. that’s up to you. You may consider the coverage from PC MC isn’t enough. It doesn’t need to be one or the other. What I’m not clear about is how these credit card medical coverages work if you are driving out of country. You don’t have any airline tickets to prove entry/exit dates….how would you prove when you left rhe country? I assume you would need to prove it.  

But already that's not good, if they aren't even internally coordinated to answer public's basic answer.  

Did you try this number: 1-866-892-8683  

This thread opened is just in a nick of time. Not trying to break your estatic balloon in getting covered/iinsured even with the top up ... try getting your claim paid or deemed approved is a nightmare. Just read yesterday from G&M(?) that a gentleman broke his back from sleep-walking off his hotel's balcony (weird or what?) whilst vacationing down south (somewhere). Boy did he get his money's worth ... of hassles. He was so closed to being a paralyzed from the waist down before he got approval for the emergency surgery from his "out of country cc covered insurer" some days later ... after calling like not hanging up at all. The insurer's 1800 # wasn't being picked up ... the usual "normal than higher volulme BS" so be prepared to wait ... hours ... if not days ... if not never. Holy jesus. Only if you're interested, I'll look for the link and p ost o/w it's not all that uncommon or unheard of ... these days. You pay and you take your chances.  

From past experience, what matters is the terms of the insurance contract in effect when you enter into the contract. Suggest you download and read carefully to assess you are covered for the specific risks you are concerned about. Or post a link to it here and we can chime in. What the website or an agent say are at best only useful if you keep records and go to court months after the fact. In other words, if you have a claim someone will read the Terms in the Contract and pay based on that. Or not.  

Tostig said: The benefits detail from the PC Financial website says includes "airfare". So I think it that means trip interruption. Click to expand...

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• pcf_worldelite_coi_en.pdf 537.2 KB Views: 64

I just found out that TD’s US dollar Visa offers some trip interruption coverage. Up to $5,000 of coverage per insured person, to a maximum of $25,000 for all insured persons on the same trip. To be eligible for this insurance, you must pay at least 75% of the entire cost of your trip, including taxes and fees of the Common Carrier fare, and any hotel or similar accommodations with your TD Credit Card.  

• you must be under age 65
• you must be permanent residents of Canada with active provincial health insurance
• pre-existing conditions are excluded
• only the first 10 consecutive days of a trip are covered

James has provided a pretty good synopsis of how these plans work (as I understand it as well). Medical vs Trip Interruption & Cancellation are two very different things. Be sure to understand the difference and the one (or both) that you require. Be sure to fully understand the limited coverage of credit card plans and recognize it cannot be all that good considering how expensive such insurance coverages actually are. On a personal basis, I have ex-country health/medical coverage as a part of my annuitant heath benefit plans via Global Allianz which is ultimately the largest provider of this type of insurance. It is the same ex-country insurance active employees of the corporation have when they are traveling on company business. The part I have to cover on my own is Trip Interruption and Cancellation if I choose to do so. I bought this coverage back in 2015 when we were going for a Peru trip and I still had a very elderly parent alive. As it turned out, she died 5 days before we were to leave.We obviously had to cancel the trip. It took a lot of work but we were compensated for our non-refundable sunk costs because of that situation. We no longer buy TI&C because now that we are in our mid-70s, we have become higher risk of not being able to travel when scheduled and premiums have increased to about 10% of the value of the trip. We now self-insure on the premise that failure to follow through on 1 of 10 trips will pay for itself (like windshield coverage). We didn't buy TI&C for our recent trip to Costa Rica and we have not done so for our upcoming trip to Maui. Somewhere along the line, we may get caught exposed but we will take our chances.  

AltaRed said: We no longer buy TI&C because now that we are in our mid-70s, we have become higher risk of not being able to travel when scheduled and premiums have increased to about 10% of the value of the trip. We now self-insure on the premise that failure to follow through on 1 of 10 trips will pay for itself (like windshield coverage). We didn't buy TI&C for our recent trip to Costa Rica and we have not done so for our upcoming trip to Maui. Somewhere along the line, we may get caught exposed but we will take our chances. Click to expand...

We also look for opportunities for refundable bookings, or relatively short lock-ins. Easy to do with airfare but more difficult with bookings in resort places, and even less easily with 'vacation packages'. Our Costa Rica package was not refundable at all about 30 days out from commencement. It is a calculated risk we take.  

For packages, most tour operators sell a cancellation insurance that is not age-dependent. Runs usually $50 pp for the cheap coverage (gives you future vacation credit rather than your money back) or $100 pp for the better coverage (cancel for any reason, full refund, up to 24 hours before travel).  

Lots of good advice given here. I will check the other thread again and call PC Financial about the possibility of topping up the insurance for an extra two days and trip cancellation and interruption.  

Well my call to PC Financial's insurance administrator at the number on post #4, didn't get any results. No top ups are available. So I called CAA and got a quote for 2 extra days and for trip cancelation and interruption. It's over $500 for a $7000 trip for two people. Then my wife comes home and gets on the phone to talk to her pension administrator. It turns out we can register and pay an annual fee of something like $250 for the both of us to have trip cancellation and interruption as well as travel medical for all our trips. And for the trip we are booking, $35 per person. So, for us, problem solved.  

Thank you. I was remiss in not saying that actually. In the case of WestJet vacations (our Costa Rica trip) it only covers up to 3? 5? days before travel, so there is a short window of real exposure. Anyways, your point is well taken.  

We had/have Capital One world elite Mastercard. When we called to make a cancellation claim the C1 CSR had no information other than contact their insurer at this 1 800 number. We did, and had good service/good experience. The claim paid for more than 10 years of card fees. Our experience is that the credit card CSR’s only seem to have a data sheet with very general talking points. Anything else…call their insurance carrier. No surprise.  

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Is travel insurance worth it?

April 30, 2024 | 2 min read

Planning a trip and wondering if you need a travel insurance policy? Keep reading to learn more about travel insurance to decide whether it’s right for you.

Key takeaways

• Travel insurance can provide financial protection if things go wrong before or during a trip.
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Interruptions and cancellations

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Considering travel insurance in a nutshell

Travel insurance can offer peace of mind if anything goes wrong before or during a trip. But it may not always be worth it. If you’re considering travel insurance coverage, looking at your situation, your trip and the terms and conditions of your existing insurance policies could help you determine whether the benefits outweigh the costs.

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