I just decided to start ramping up my PC points to help out with cruise costs too. Have $230 worth at the moment. Was thinking of cashing out points for groceries and then putting grocery money towards cruise costs. Is that the same way you are making the points work or is there a better way? (The cruise was gifted but there will be airfare for 4, tips, excursions, etc that would be nice to offset.)
this is the way that lots of us use our points
redeem them, then transfer the equivalent $$ to a dedicated bank account, take the amount out in cash, or put it on a travel related gift card, like disney gift cards.
there are some times of the year when 230,000 points could be worth more than 230$.
at shoppers drug mart: roughly every 4-6 weeks, there are bonus redemption days. on these days, you could redeem 200,000 points for 300$ off. for me, 300$ is a lot to spend at the drug store, so i have to go in with a clear plan and a list of things to restock (vitamins, razors, family planning, diapers, extra bottles of shampoo, etc…).
at superstore: much more rarely, but occasionally, the flyer will have a bonus like earn 20% back in points when you redeem a certain amount. again, you usually have to spend a fair number of points, but the value works out to better than the standard ones.
finally, sometimes in the app, you might see some targeted rewards where you can earn back a portion of the points you redeem at a specific store.
those are the ways i maximize my points. sometimes i just feel like redeeming a bit at the grocery store at the standard 10,000=10$ off rate, and i think that’s still a good system. it’s money i would spend anyways, so i think of it as a free bonus. but i try to keep a few points in my account so if a bonus event pops up, i’m ready.
Sign into the pcoptimum page or app. At the top right (page) or bottom right (app) there is a choice for your account. From there, there is a drop down menu to add cards. It's how you can lock your cards as well. HTH
