Does your credit card reward you for using it - making you richer than you would be if you had paid in cash? A good credit rewards card allows you to take advantage of cash back offers, free merchandise and even benefit from special discounts. Let it be stated right up front that not all rewards programs are the same. There are better credit card rewards programs...and there are those that can be found lacking. Some rewards programs offer the ability to build points faster , whereas others tease you with benefits while dragging along at a snail's pace. The best ones offer you practical rewards that you can actually use. One of the credit cards we found to have a quite generous program is the MBNA Shoppers Optimum MasterCard.

The MBNA Shoppers Optimum Card - A Practical Rewards Program

The Shoppers Optimum MasterCard is one of the more practical rewards cards available to Canadians. The Shoppers Optimum credit card is designed specifically to provide reward points for those who buy things at Shoppers Drug Mart. There are more than 1,000 Shoppers Drug Mart locations throughout Canada, and you can earn points for purchases made at any other store that takes the MasterCard brand.

Some of the features you can enjoy with the Shoppers Optimum MasterCard include:

• Up to 25 points for every dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart, and five points for every dollar spent elsewhere.
• 15,000 bonus points when you make your first purchase. That’s enough for $25 of in store credit at
Shoppers Drug Mart.
• 1.99% introductory rate on balance transfers and cash advances for the first six months, with a reasonable 19.99% interest rate afterward.
• Around the clock fraud protection.
• Purchase protection for 90 days, covering theft of, and damage to, your merchandise.
• Up to $1,000,000 travel accident insurance coverage.

The Shoppers Optimum card also allows you to withdraw cash from more than 430,000 ABMs in countries all over the world. The 19.99% regular interest rate on the Shoppers Optimum credit card is fairly standard for many rewards cards in Canada. As long as you pay off your credit card balance each month, the interest rate doesn’t matter very much. Sometimes, the Shoppers Optimum card runs promotions that offer 20x the points on certain products and brands at Shoppers Drug Mart. This is a great perk that can help you build reward points even faster.

Balance Transfers with Shoppers Optimum

With the MBNA Shoppers Optimum Mastercard, you can also enjoy the low introductory rate. This introductory rate is 1.99% on cheque cash advances, as well as balance transfers, for six months. If you are suffering from a load of high interest debt on another credit card, you can transfer it to the Shoppers Optimum MasterCard and pay only1.99% for six months. If you are trying to pay down debt, this offer can help you do it faster.

You can get the best results if you pay as much as you can toward your balance during the introductory period. It is also important to realize that your introductory can be ended if you go over your limit, or miss a payment.