If you’re Canadian, chances are you’ve shopped at Canadian Tire. The retailer, established nearly 100 years ago to sell tires, has steadily expanded into a one-stop shop for everything home, automotive and outdoors, which means customers can find everything from patio furniture to hockey equipment to kitchen appliances to camping gear to carburetors under one roof. Some of their locations even offer car repairs from licensed technicians.
The company itself has also evolved, expanding its family of businesses to include unisex apparel chain Mark’s Work Wearhouse (Mark’s), as well as the sporting goods chains SportChek and Atmosphere, among others. Not surprising, then, that in 2019 Canadian Tire topped a list of Canada’s most admired companies, as determined by a survey of 2,100 Canucks.
All About Canadian Tire’s Triangle Rewards Program
Participating locations of these stores are partnered with Canadian Tire in their new Triangle Rewards Program, the company’s loyalty structure. For consumers, this is good news. Canadian Tire has loads of experience with customer rewards—they’re the inventors of Canadian Tire Money (CTM), the granddaddy of Canadian rewards programs. Introduced way back in 1958, Canadian Tire Money (coupons printed to look like currency) offered customers a way to save on in-store purchases, as a reward for their patronage; when you made a purchase, you were handed CTM to use in lieu of cash on a future visit. (We’re guessing you have a roll of brightly coloured Canadian Tire bills in your glove box at this very moment.) Shoppers who like to collect the coupons can still claim paper Canadian Tire Money today.
In addition, however, through the Triangle Program, collectors can accumulate CTM digitally at Canadian Tire stores, at participating partner stores and online. The 2018 introduction of the Program digitized the CTM concept, allowing Triangle Program members to collect CTM at more retailers, and at a better rate.
There are two ways to join the Triangle program: become a Triangle Mastercard cardholder; or register for Triangle Rewards with the downloadable app or a physical loyalty card. In both cases, members receive digital CTM automatically on every purchase. But here’s where the paths diverge: Loyalty cardholders earn at a rate of 0.4% at Canadian Tire and its affiliates, while Triangle Mastercard account holders earn 10 times that amount (4%)—and they can earn on every purchase, anywhere.
If you spend regularly at Canadian Tire and its associated retailers, you’ll want to maximize your earnings potential. In this article, we’ll run down Canadian Tire’s two credit products, the Triangle World Elite Mastercard and the Triangle Mastercard, and offer tips and tricks that allow you to collect CTM even faster.
Canadian Tire Triangle Mastercards
Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard*
With robust earn rates and no annual fee, this Mastercard is a standout. Cardholders earn 4% in Canadian Tire Money on purchases at Canadian Tire and partner stores. Spends on groceries at any store (except Walmart and Costco) get 3% in CTM, and purchases anywhere else earn 1%. Further, when you fill up at Canadian Tire’s Gas+ gas stations, or participating Husky gas stations, you’ll earn between $0.05 and $0.07 per litre in CTM.
The ability to earn Canadian Tire Money is the headline perk on this card, but the benefits don’t end there. Account holders get a free Gold Plan membership from Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance, which includes 24-hour roadside assistance in Canada and the U.S., five free tows, and help with fuel delivery, battery boosts and flat-tire changes. Perhaps best of all, you can decide whether to insure your single registered vehicle—regardless of who’s driving it—or yourself, regardless of which vehicle you’re in. Extended warranty and purchase protection are also included.
Applicants must show an annual income of $80,000 (or $150,000 for the household) to be eligible. Those earning under this threshold can set their sights on the entry-level Triangle Mastercard (more information on that below).
Click here for more details about the Triangle World Elite.*
Canadian Tire Triangle Mastercard*
This accessible card has no income requirement and carries no annual fee—but, like its partner card above, allows you to rack up the Canadian Tire Money.
As with the World Elite card, this product puts 4% in CTM back in your pocket on spends at Canadian Tire and partner stores. Purchases made anywhere else earn 0.8% back, and gas is rewarded at $0.05 per litre at Gas+ and participating Husky gas stations. Card holders of either card will receive personalized offers tailored to their interests.
Click here for more details about the Triangle Mastercard.*
Boosting your rewards with Canadian Tire Financial Services
Here’s a pro-tip for Triangle Mastercard account holders: If you use your card to pay for larger recurring bills like your hydro or property taxes, you can actually earn CTM there, too. Canadian Tire has its own bank, so cardholders who register and use their card to make these recurring payments will earn CTM (1% or 0.8%, depending on the Triangle card they have). Also, as a Canadian Tire credit card holder, you can get no-fee and no-interest financing on qualifying purchases at Canadian Tire of $200 or more, so you have the option to pay in instalments, penalty-free.
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