Analysing Canadian Gas Station Cards
The price of gas (petrol) has gone up over the years, but there is nothing we can do about it. If there is at least a small degree of comfort, it is that with strategic use, you could get something back from the gas stations or companies, and this is in the form of the now-favourite points.
The series of essays will consider some of the benefits offered by the gas stations. We will only consider the status in Ontario, and also only the following four majors – Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso and Sunoco.
Obviously, there is one big question: which is the most beneficial card.
In Part 5, we try to get to that, even though it is no easy task.
First, this is NOT a scientific analysis; rather a very basic analysis with some simple and basic presumptions.
The Input Method
I tank about five times a month, each time about 40 litres.
I have also assumed that I pump only regular gas which, again I have assumed, to be a dollar a litre.
Calculation
Let’s say, I have tanked for 2000 dollars and want to know the rough monetary value of having used the various stations.
Petro Points: 10,000 Petro Points. According to their website, 10,000 Petro Points would earn a gas gift certificate to the value of $5.00.
Sunoco: 6000 Sunoco Performance Points. 20,000 Sunoco Points equals $20.00. Based on this, 6000 Points would equal $6.00
Esso: 2000 Esso Extra Points. 1800 Points equals $10.00. Therefore, 2000 Points would equal $11.11
Shell: 80 Air Miles. It is a little bit tough to calculate the value for this, but 175 Air Miles can get a $20.00 fuel certificate. Therefore, 80 Miles would have a value of just over $9.00
So, a rough translation of the value of the various cards would mean the following:
$2000.00 spent=$5.00 @ Petro Points, $ 6.00 @ Sunoco, $11.11 @ Esso and $9.14 @ Shell.
Again, I wish to stress this is a very simple calculation, and one might be able to get more out of the cards by being a strategist – for example, linking HBC to the various cards would bring more points. But that is for another day.
Sunoco Performance Points — A Gas Card With Rewards – 4
The price of gas (petrol) has gone up over the years, but there is nothing we can do about it. If there is at least a small degree of comfort, it is that with strategic use, you could get something back from the gas stations or companies, and this is in the form of the now-favourite points.
The series of essays will consider some of the benefits offered by the gas stations. We will only consider the status in Ontario, and also only the following four majors – Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso and Sunoco.
In Part 4, we analyse some of the benefits of using the Sunoco gas station.
Benefits come primarily through two types of cards – Sunoco Performance Points and the HBC Credit Card or HBC MasterCard.
Both are free.
Sunoco Performance Points Card
Points are awarded for the following:
Ultra 94 fuel: 20 points/litre
Sunoco 91 fuel: 5 points/litre
Sunoco 89 fuel: 5 points/litre
Sunoco 87 (regular) fuel: up to 3 points (you will have had purchased 100 or more litres of regular fuel during the previous month to receive 3 points; otherwise, you get one point/litre)
Gold diesel: 10 points/litre
Regular diesel: up to 3 points/litre (same rules as Sunoco regular fuel apply in terms of the number of points awarded)
Eco-wash/Eco-bright/Eco-brilliant car-washes: 30 points/dollar
Eco-wash/eco-clean: 20 points/dollar
In-store merchandise: 20 points/dollar
Rewards:
20,000 Performance Points= $ 20.00 Sunoco gift card (to be used to purchase fuel, car-wash or in-store merchandise)
Partnership Programs
If you have HBC Credit Card or HBC MasterCard, link your Sunoco Performance Points account and receive 50 HBC Points for every dollar spent.
To know more about the program, or to apply, go to the Sunoco Loyalty Programs Website.
Shell Canada — Tanking With Rewards – 3
The price of gas (petrol) has gone up over the years, but there is nothing we can do about it. If there is at least a small degree of comfort, it is that with strategic use, you could get something back from the gas stations or companies, and this is in the form of the now-favourite points.
The series of essays will consider some of the benefits offered by the gas stations. We will only consider the status in Ontario, and also only the following four majors – Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso and Sunoco.
In Part 3, we analyse some of the benefits of using the Shell gas station.
Benefits come primarily through two types of cards – Shell’s partnership with Air Miles Program and the four different types of MasterCards from Bank of Montreal (BMO).
Air Miles Program
You can swipe the Air Miles card to get the following:
One Air Mile for the first 20 dollars, and one Air Mile for every $ 30.00 thereafter for fuel and other purchases at Shell.
Two Air Miles on oil change services for up to $ 14.99, three Miles for between 15.00-29.99 and five Miles if the value is more than $30.00
There are also special offers from time to time.
Shell/BMO MasterCards
No Annual Fee Cards
Shell Air Miles MasterCard
Benefits:
Save 1.5 cents on every dollar spent at Shell, to a maximum purchase of $2500.00 per month.
1 reward Mile for every $20.00 at other locations
1.5 reward Miles if you rent car through National Car Rental or Alamo Rent A Car
Discounts on car rentals of up to 25%
Shell CashBack MasterCard
Save 2.5 cents on every dollar spent at Shell for first three months, to a maximum purchase of $2,500.00 per month
Save 1.5 cents on every dollar at Shell after first three months.
Save 0.5 cents per dollar on purchases made using the card elsewhere.
1.5 cents per dollar on National Car Rental or Alamo Rent A Car locations worldwide.
Annual Fee Cards
Shell Gold Air Miles MasterCard (Annual Fee $ 99.00)
5 times bonus miles for purchases at Shell for the first three months
2 times bonus Miles after first three months, to a maximum of $2,500.00
One Mile for every $15.00 on all other purchases
25% discount on number of Air Miles required for flights worldwide and no blackout
2 times bonus miles on National Car Rentals and Alamo Rent A Car.
Discounts on car rentals
Shell Premium CashBack MasterCard (Annual Fee $49.00)
10 cents on every dollar at Shell for first three months, to a maximum of $2,500.00
3 cents for every dollar spent after the first three months
1 cent per dollar on all other purchases
BMO Roadside Assistance at no cost
3 cents on every dollar spent at National Car Rental or Alamo Rent A Car rentals.
To know more about the Shell advantages, go to Shell Canada Website.
Esso Extra Points Card — A Gas Card With Rewards – 2
The price of gas (petrol) has gone up over the years, but there is nothing we can do about it. If there is at least a small degree of comfort, it is that with strategic use, you could get something back from the gas stations or companies, and this is in the form of the now-favourite points.
The series of essays will consider some of the benefits offered by the gas stations. We will only consider the status in Ontario, and also only the following four majors – Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso and Sunoco.
In Part 2, we analyse some of the benefits of using the Esso station.
Benefits come primarily through two types of cards:
Esso Extra or the RBC Royal Bank Esso Visa Card.
Both are free.
Esso Extra Card
One or more Esso Extra Points for every dollar spent at an Esso station. (from my understanding, points can be collected even for buying non-fuel items, such as washer fluid or food items such as chips)
If you have RBC Royal Bank Esso Visa Card, then the points are mostly doubled.
Value of Esso Extra Points and Redeeming
You can use 1800 Esso Extra Points to get a gift certificate to the value of $ 10.00
Esso Partners
Esso Extra Points can be redeemed at the following places:
Choice Hotels – 4500 Esso Extra Points = $25.00
Chapters, Indigo, Coles – 4500 Esso Extra Points = $25.00
Swiss Chalet, Kelseys, Milestones, Montanas & Harveys – 4500 Esso Extra Points = $25.00 dinner gift card
Empire Theatres, Cineplex – 4500 Esso Extra Points = movie passes for two
Roots – 4500 Esso Extra Points = $25.00 gift card
Shoppers – 4500 Esso Extra Points = $25.00 gift card
Zellers, Bay, Home Outfitters — 4500 Esso Extra Points = $25.00
Tim Hortons – 4500 Esso Extra Points = 25.00 QuickPay Tim Card
Exchange of Extra Extra Points with RBC and HBC Points
2500 Esso Extra Points = 15,000 RBC Rewards Points
500 Esso Extra Points = 25,000 HBC Points
Aeroplan
Aeroplan Cards could also be swiped at Esso stations.
You will gain one mile for every three dollars spent
And if you want to donate your Esso Extra Points to a great cause, then connect to Kidney Foundation of Canada, Canadian Hockey Foundation or to the Hockey Jersey Program.
To know more about Esso Extra Card, or to join the program, visit the Esso Extra site.
Petro Points Card – A Gas Station Card With Rewards
The price of gas (petrol) has gone up over the years, but there is nothing we can do about it. If there is at least a small degree of comfort, it is that with strategic use, you could get something back from the gas stations or companies, and this is in the form of the now-favourite points.
The series of essays will consider some of the benefits offered by the gas stations. We will only consider the status in Ontario, and also only the following four majors – Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso and Sunoco.
In Part 1, we analyse some of the benefits of the Petro Points Card offered by Petro Canada.
Petro-Canada’s Petro Points Card
This is a free card, with great benefits.
Collecting Points
If you are buying SuperClean or SuperClean 94 gas — 10 points for every litre
If you are buying PlusClean fuel – 7 points per litre
If you are buying RegularClean – 5 points per litre
If you are buying anything from the gas station’s convenient store – 20 points per dollar
Car wash – 20 points/dollar
Certigrad services – 20 points/dollar
Besides this, every now and then there are special offers, such as cheaper gas for a limited amount if you buy a particular number of car washes.
Direct Rewards
10,000 Petro Points will get you fuel worth $5.00
Petro-Canada’s advantages do not end here, though. The card is tied with a number of other retailers and you can use your points to exchange or redeem.
Canadian Automobile Association (CAA)
Once you link your CAA card to your Petro Points account, you will get 20% more points each time you use the PP.
Besides, 75,000 Petro Points will get you a basic CAA membership.
Sears
Once your Petro Points membership has been linked to Sears Club card, you can collect points whenever you use the latter to shop at Petro-Canada.
You can also exchange points between Sears and Petro-Canada at the following rate: 20,000 Petro Points=1000 Sears Points= Cdn$ 15.00
Citicard Petro Points MasterCard
You will earn 2 cents off every litre/
You will earn 10 Petro Points for every dollar you spend at the tank
Amazon.ca
You can buy Amazon gift certificates using your Petro Points. The value is: 16,000 Petro Points = Cdn $ 10.00
- You can collect Petro Points when you use Itravel2000.com to book your flights, cruises, vacation packages, hotels and rental cars. The value is 10 Petro Points per every dollar spent.
- If you have CitiCard Petro-Points MasterCard, then you earn double the points.
- You can also redeem your Petro Points towards your purchases at the value of 10,000 Petro Points= Cdn$ 10.00
And if you want to donate your Petro Points to a great cause, then connect to Canadian Cancer Society.
Your money goes towards two key programs: Cancer Information Service, which is a bilingual service giving out information on cancer, and CancerConnection, which is a telephone-based one-to-one help service connecting cancer patients or their caregivers with volunteers who have experienced cancer either as victims or as caregivers.
Language Fluency, Teamwork Can Affect Immigrant’s Career Mobility
September 13, 2009 by admin
Filed under News, News/Articles
Two dollars and eighty cents Canadian.
This is the difference in the hourly wage of an immigrant Canadian with a degree and a ‘non-immigrant’ Canadian of equal qualifications and training.
Career Success of Immigrant Professionals: Stock and Flow of Their Career Capital
A new study that has appeared in the International Journal of Manpower says a non-immigrant professional would get about $ 30.10 an hour while an immigrant professional with the same qualifications that includes Canadian workplace training, will earn 27.30 an hour.
One of the critical conclusions of the study, that was co-authored by academics from Canada’s York University and University of Mississippi in the USA, is that there is more than just workplace training and development for a person’s career development.
It Is Not Just Training
The study found that while both immigrant and non-immigrant employees undergo the same type of training funded by their employers, it is a different story when it comes getting higher salaries, promotions or even increased job satisfaction. Immigrant professionals score low in all these sectors.
The study points out to one factor as a potential reason for this situation: lack of ‘cultural fluency’. This would include language limitation, including possibly the lack of experience in ‘Canadian English’, and the cultural difference in the education and training many immigrants have had.
For example, corporate cultures that emphasis on teamwork would be a stumbling block because while Canadian-born professionals have had this type of training and experience through their schools and later universities, the educational system in countries from where these immigrants come are different, the study points out.
By extension, therefore, while it is a good that for training is available for everyone, the training manuals have to take into account the cultural differences of employees.
Role of Biases and Stereotypes
Finally, the study does not discount that cultural biases and stereotypes can also play a role in denying immigrant professionals the rightful place in the workplace but this is something the study did not take into account.
But there is one interesting fact the study points out: immigrant/minority-friendly companies out-perform the Fortune-500 companies.
A number of studies have also pointed out how countries like Canada are losing billions of dollars by not utilising the experience of immigrants appropriately.
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Call for Canada to Bring in More Indian Students
September 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under News, News/Articles
India can expect more attention from Canadian universities and even the government’s officials responsible for immigration.
This, after an expert study called for dedicated effort to woo Indian students, not just as a source of foreign exchange, but also as an investment in cementing firm political, economic and cultural relationships with an emerging powerhouse.
In his study, titled ‘A New Direction for the Canada-India Relatiionship, Professor Ryan Touhey castigates the current status of Canada’s efforts to attract Indian students.
And Touhey has hard numbers to back up his complaint: Of the more than 150,000 Indian students going abroad every year for studies, less than three percent – about 4,000 – come to study at the various universities and colleges in Canada. Compare this to the 80,000 that go to the USA and 40,000 to Australia every year. Even New Zealand, which has much weaker links to India than Canada, with its more than half a million Indians spread throughout the country, gets more than 6,000 students every year.
Economic & Political Advantages
For one thing, attracting foreign students is good for the economy, as they pay much more than what locals pay for their studies.
A case in point is Australia.
Since the nineties, Australia has invested heavily in attracting Indian students with a number of annual events throughout the country. The foreign students sector itself is said to be the third largest foreign exchange earner, with annual earnings of about 12 billion dollars. And the estimated 100,000 Indian students are the second largest group next to Chinese.
The importance Australians pay for their foreign student component was very evident during the racially motivated attacks on Indian students in May of this year. Conversations were held at the highest level between officials of both countries, and recently even the Australian deputy prime minister was in India to reassure that Indian students are welcome.
But it is not just economy that benefits from having Indian students, says Prof. Touhey.
It is also about building future relationships.
India, along with China, is emerging as an economic powerhouse and nations are hurrying to build relationships with current leaders of those nations. But today’s students are future leaders and once they return to their home countries and rise up in life, they will fondly remember all things Canadian, and this will help Canada politically, says the study.
80,000 Foreign Students Come to Canada Annually
About 80,000 foreign students come to Canada every year and recently the government announced it was keen on increasing this number. At present, Canada offers a host of incentives for foreign students and these include allowing them to work here after studying and an easier path to permanent residency in the country.
New No Fee MBNA Platinum MasterCard With 1.99% AIR
MBNA is offering a special offer of a no-fee, 1.99% annual interest rate (AIR) card.
According to the mail sent by the company, the introductory AIR for MBNA Platinum Plus MasterCard will be for ten months, after which the standard rates apply.
The Current offer is valid until Oct 19, 2006. A special sticker that comes with the mail is needed for the application.
online address to apply for the card is creditrsvp.com
