A Guide to Canadian Loyalty Cards (2026) — Scene+, PC Optimum, Aeroplan: the Rewards Cards Newcomers Should Get First

Updated: 2026-06-17 | Points rules, earn rates and redemption conditions change; for real-time information always refer to each program’s official announcements.

In the first few months after landing in Canada, just adjusting to the supermarkets, buying daily necessities and setting up a phone keeps you busy enough, so loyalty cards are the kind of thing that easily gets pushed to the very end. But honestly, the points ecosystem here is much more mature than in Taiwan—grocery checkout, drugstore shopping, gas, the movies, swiping a credit card—almost every action that involves spending money can earn you a little something back. I myself didn’t seriously get a few cards sorted out until about three months after landing, and looking back, that’s the same as having given away my points for free for those first three months. So what I want to share in this article isn’t to get you to sign up for every card on the market, but, starting from a newcomer’s actual life, to make clear who each of the four most worthwhile free points programs suits, how to accumulate them, what you can redeem, and which things to watch out for.

First, an important point: the basic memberships below (not including credit cards) are all free to register, have no nationality restrictions, can be activated online with just an email, don’t require a SIN, and can be set up on the very day you land. Another concept that often gets overlooked is that “the value of points varies a lot”—how much each point is worth differs greatly between programs, and this directly affects where you should prioritize concentrating your spending. I’ve organized the basics of the four mainstream programs into the table below; the figures are the “approximate value per point” converted according to each program’s official redemption rules, to give you a basis for comparison:

You’ll notice that, even though it’s all “earning points,” one PC Optimum point is worth only 0.1 cents while one Scene+ point is worth 1 cent—you can’t compare them directly just by looking at the numbers; what you need to look at is “what percentage of your spending the reward roughly works out to, at the channels you frequent.” Below I’ll go through these four cards one by one.

PC Optimum is the one card you should tie to groceries and drugstores most of all. If the area you live in is near a Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore or Shoppers Drug Mart (the Loblaw group), it’s pretty much a must-have. Download the PC Optimum App and register with an email and you can use it; at checkout just scan the barcode in the App or give your phone number to accumulate points. Its per-point value is low (10,000 points = $10, meaning one point is 0.1 cents), but where it shines is in “personalized bonuses” and “multiplier promotions.” The most noticeable is Shoppers Drug Mart’s 20x the points promotion days: normally at Shoppers you get 15 points per $1 spent, but on a 20x day it becomes 300 points per $1, which is the equivalent of getting back about 3% of that purchase in discounts. My own habit is to save up things like tissues, shampoo and skincare—the kind of stuff you’ll have to buy sooner or later and that keeps well—and stock up all at once on those 20x days. The thing to watch out for is that the per-point value is low, so without a multiplier promotion the reward is pretty ordinary, and you have to save up 10,000 points ($10) before you can redeem; if what’s near your home is mainly the Sobeys/Metro system, the benefit drops off.

Scene+ is a card that pays off if you go to the movies often or use Scotiabank. It’s a program jointly run by three parties—Cineplex cinemas, Scotiabank, and the Empire supermarket group (which includes Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland and IGA)—and its per-point value is attractive: 100 points = $1 (one point is 1 cent), and its uses are flexible too—you can put it toward movie tickets, toward popcorn, redeem 1,000 points for $10 off at Empire supermarkets, or even put it toward travel. For newcomers, it has two sweet spots: first, if what’s near your home is Sobeys/Safeway/FreshCo/IGA rather than Loblaws, then Scene+ is your main grocery card; second, if you open a Scotiabank account or one of its credit cards, your everyday card swipes will keep accumulating Scene+, and applying it directly when you go to the movies feels very rewarding. One reminder: Scene+’s earn rules at Cineplex were adjusted starting May 13, 2026: for general showtimes plus food, drink and merchandise the rate was lowered from 5 points per $1 to 3 points, while for premium showtimes (IMAX, VIP, UltraAVX, 4DX, etc.) it was raised to 6 points per $1; the redemption ratio is unchanged, still 100 points for $1 off. The actual rate is as shown at checkout and per official announcements.

Aeroplan is Air Canada’s frequent-flyer program, and it’s especially valuable for people who “will fly Air Canada back to Taiwan or travel around North America”—the value per point when redeeming for flights is usually higher than using it toward daily necessities (the industry generally estimates an average of about 1.6 cents per point, and higher still when redeeming for higher cabin classes or peak-season flights), and basic membership is likewise free. But its points are mainly accumulated through “credit cards” and “flying,” so relying on ground spending alone is slow. On the market, American Express, TD and CIBC all issue Aeroplan co-branded cards, often with a welcome bonus. You have to be especially careful here: the points threshold for the welcome bonus, the annual fee, and whether the first year’s annual fee is waived—the conditions vary by issuer and by time period, and some credit cards require a local credit history to be approved, which newcomers who have just landed may not necessarily pass. For the specific welcome-bonus figures and eligibility, please refer to each issuing bank’s current official-website announcements, and don’t make decisions based on the numbers in old online articles. I’d suggest that in the early period after landing you first get the free Aeroplan basic membership (accumulate points first through flying and the eStore), and reassess getting a card once your credit history is built up.

Triangle (CT Money) is something many people overlook, but it’s well worth getting on the side when you’re just settling in and buying your household stuff. What it accumulates is CT Money, and $1 of CT Money equals $1 off (1 to 1, unlike the previous few that need converting); it can be used at Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Mark’s, Atmosphere and more. Scanning the Triangle card (or App) gives a base reward of about 4% of your spending, and if you don’t scan the card it drops to about 0.4%—a huge difference—so remember to scan every time. It’s especially useful for people who have just landed, because in the first two or three months you’ll most likely do a round of shopping at Canadian Tire: vacuum cleaner, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, storage, even a bicycle and camping gear—taking advantage of this wave to get that 4% back is really worthwhile. The one limitation to remember: CT Money expires if there’s no accumulation or redemption activity in the account for 18 consecutive months, so just going back to swipe once in a while keeps it alive.

Newcomers’ first year: how I’d order it

You don’t have to get them all at once. My suggested order is this:

• First week after landing: see which system the main supermarket near your home belongs to—if it’s the Loblaw system, get PC Optimum; if it’s the Empire system (Sobeys/Safeway/FreshCo/IGA), get Scene+; if both are close by, get both—they’re free anyway.
• When buying household stuff: get Triangle sorted before going to Canadian Tire, so you max out the 4%.
• After settling in: if you go to the movies, start using Scene+; if you’re sure you’ll fly Air Canada, then get the Aeroplan basic membership.
• After your credit history is established (usually six months to a year): then go back and assess whether to get a co-branded credit card to amplify the rewards—that’s when the welcome bonus is within reach and you’re more likely to be approved.

As for “whether points expire,” the rules differ by program; the one you should remember most is Triangle’s 18-month inactivity expiry rule; the validity periods and terms of the other programs also change, and the latest rules should always be taken from the official sources. People also often ask: if you’ve just arrived and have no credit history, can you get these cards? The answer is yes—the “basic memberships” of PC Optimum, Scene+, Aeroplan and Triangle are all free to register, don’t require a SIN or a credit history, and can be activated online with an email to start accumulating points; what requires a credit history and card approval is the “co-branded credit card” layer, and for that part it’s better to wait until you’ve been here six months and your credit score has come up before assessing. Tie these four free memberships down first, remember to scan at checkout as a matter of course, and saving a hundred or two hundred Canadian dollars over the first year is perfectly normal—which amounts to taking back into your pocket the rewards you’d otherwise have given away for free. If you want to take care of the other things you need to do after landing all at once, you can go on to read our Canada Life Guide, which has the full context of the must-do items for newcomers that you can follow along with.