Hurry Up, 5% Cash Back from Paypal

Time limited, from Nov 24 to Dec 2, 2014,
Buy something online and paid by paypal, you will get 5% cash back. It looks like you need to register to this event first.
Hurry up!

Best Buy, Future Shop and many other online are supporting Paypal.

https://www.paypal-promo.com/cashbackcaapp/sfo?lang=en

Please pay attention to their Terms and conditions (part of it)

In order to receive this Offer you must: 

1) create or have a Canadian PayPal account in good standing, 

2) receive an email directly from PayPal inviting you to participate in the Offer OR view a banner or marketing message on the PayPal site, 

3) register for PayPal cash back rewards, when prompted to do so, using your PayPal primary email address or the email address that you will use to open a Canadian PayPal account, and 

4) complete a qualifying purchase during the Offer Period using PayPal. 

Your second purchase, and each purchase you make thereafter during the Offer Period, will qualify for the Offer. 

The maximum amount of cash back under this Offer is limited to $20.00 CAD per purchase, and a maximum amount of $200.00 CAD per PayPal account for the entire Offer Period.

How Much Canadian Tire 10X Rewards Realy Worth

You usually see the promotion of 10X or more Canadian Tire money rewards for gas in its flyers. How good the 10x rewards are? I was always confused about the rewards I got on the gas receipt. It is much less than the 10x rewards I imaged.

I was thinking I could get more than 1% Canadian Tire money when I bought something in its store by using its Option Mastercard. So I just believe I should get similar on the gas bar, 10x means 10% Canadian Tire money of my consumed. However, it is never true.

Take a look of Canadian Tire Money Multiplier Chart below:(Canadian Tire has updated the Multiplier chart, new one seems give you better return)

Here are something we should keep in mind

1. Canadian Tire money you earned is based on the liters you filled in your gas tank, rather than the money you spend on your gas. So, the gas price goes higher, the return becomes lower. So, filling premium gas will get less return.
2. There are steps of the return, the more gas you fill, the more return you can get.
3. Always fill gas to the minimum level of each step to get the best return. For example, fill 40 liters gas instead of 49.9 liters.

I did some math to convert multiplier reward to CT money return.

Let’s take today’s gas price, $1.139/per liter, as an example

If the reward multiplier is 10x, you fill 50 liters gas. Your total spend is $56.95, and your reward is 2.0, the CT money return is 3.51%. If you filled the same amount premium gas at $1.309/per liter, the CT money return is 3.06%.

Comparing with other reward program, Canadian Tire seems not having too many advantages. For example, 10x Air mile reward for premium at Shell gas station + 2% cash back credit card, the actual return could more than 5%.

However, 3%+ reward is not bad if you use it smartly.

Tips of Credit Card and Point Card Daily Using

There are many credit cards and point cards in the market. Different people like different ones. Here are what I have in my purse and I will show you how I am using them.

• RBC Cash Back Mastercard
• Amzon.ca Visa card
• Canadiantire World Option Mastercard
• American Express True Earning with Costco (Replaced by Capital One Platinum MasterCard)
• Shoppers Drugmart Optimum card
• Airmile card
• Aeroplan card 

Grocery Store

RBC Cash Back MasterCard, gives you 2% cash back (Participating ones).

+ Airmile card in some of the grocery stores below:

Metro, Sobeys, Foodland, IGA, check the full list.

+ Aeroplan card in Sobeys if you like.

Drug Store

 I don’t have particular credit card for drug stores for big cash back. So I am using Amazon.ca Visa card for 1% cash back. If American Express card is accepted, its SimplyCash card could give you 1.25% cash back.

+ Optimum card in Shoppers Drugmart to enjoy maximum 20x-points collection. Redeem return can be up to 50%.

+ Airmile card in Rexall Drug Store.

Gas Station

 American Express True Earning and Capital One Platinum MasterCard will give you 2% cash back. I don’t use others since I have to keep one of them for Costco shopping.

+ Airmile card in Shell Gas

+ Aeroplan card in ESSO Gas

+ Switch to Canadian Tire Option when it has 10x more.

Canadian Tire

I go to Canadian Tire very often, so I kept one Canadian Tire World Option Mastercard. It will give you roughly 4% back if you use it in Canadian Tire. For the Canadian Tire gas station, when it is on promotion, 10x, I will go and use Canadian tire Option mastercard. You need to understand what the 10x means. I will give you another post to tell it in details.

  

Other Retail Store

For other retail store including most of the Chinese grocery stores I visit very often, either you use the store credit card, or use the one can give you best return. For me, I don’t want to keep many credit card in my purse, so usually I am using Amazon.ca Visa, which has 1% cash back, or American Express SimpleCash if it is accepted, which will give you 1.25% cash back.

Keep in mind to use points card if it is accept.

Also, for stores like Sears, HBC, use their own credit cards at the promotion time, such as Boxing Day, Black Friday, you will get more discount or more points. In other time, you don’t need keep those cards with you all the time.

Shopping in US

If you do cross broad shopping often, you need to know the FX exchange charge in most of the credit card (even credit companies claim they don’t do that), which could be 1-2% or even more. Amazon.ca Visa card does not charge any FX exchange fee and that is my first choice when I buy stuff in US. 

Capital One® Platinum MasterCard®

Maximum 6% cash back for the first three month. Costco members still get the same cash back credit card with Capital One Platinum Mastercard.

Earn cash back virtually everywhere.

• 3% on restaurant purchases
• 2% on gas purchases
• 0.5% on the first $3,000 you spend annually on all other purchases, and 1% after that
• There's no limit on how much you can earn
• Get your cash back in January as a rebate coupon you can use to shop at Costco

DOUBLE CASH BACK!
You can get double cash back for three months from the date you activate your card.

American Express New Cash Back Credit Card after Costco Canada Stops Using AMEX

Recently, Costco Canada ended up 15-years relationship with American Express. One of my favorite credit cards, TrueEarnings AMEX Costco, is going to the garbage bin.

I like this TrueEarnings card is because it gives good cash back when I used it to fill the gas besides using it in Costco warehouse. The cash back rate is 2% for gas, which is the best one among my other credit cards. Using it with other royalty cards, like Air Miles, Aeroplan, you will get a significant return. My return is about 5% if using them right. Beyond that, 3% cash back rate for the restaurants, including those well known restaurants, such as McDonald's, Harvey’s, Jack Astor’s, etc.

Now American Express is replacing TrueEarings card with its new cash back card, called SimplyCash card. It is not bad, but you will lose 2% cash back for gas and 3% cash back for dinning. Instead, you get 1.25% for everything. Most other credit cards only give 1% for the purchases other than gas and grocery.

The most exciting news about this SimplyCash card is the Welcome cash back rate for the first 6 months. It is a huge one, 5%, on gas, grocery and restaurants in Canada. Make sure to refer to its merchant list for the best cash back.

I think I will keep this SimplyCash card in my wallet, but not for daily uses after the first 6 months. How about you?

Make cheap international calls by Google Hangouts

International call has become cheaper and cheaper since VOIP technology is widely used. Now Google pushes it further. According to Google Hangouts Support, making calls from Hangouts will get first minute free for 25 countries. After the first minute, you still can enjoy a very low rate for the international calls (For most of the countries, the call rate is as low as 1₵).

In order to get the first minute free, you have to add some calling credit into your Google account, minimum is 10$. It can be easily done by using Hangouts mobile App and chrome App.

The most impressive thing to me is the calling quality. I made a call to a China Unicom phone number (+86155xxxx) by Hangouts after I failed to do so through my phone company’s VOIP service. The voice from the other side is so clear just like a local call.

There are many amazing things about Hangouts. You will find everything from Hangouts website.

Prologue

For majority of people, like me, life is not easy. It never is. Life is not hard either, if you want to put effort on it and find a smart way to deal with it. Eventually, you will be enjoying everyday in your life and in return, life will make you smarter and smarter.

I start this blog to share every smart way in my life. I hope you will share yours. Be happy, be smart, live a better life than you can image.