Is a PRESTO Transit Fare Card Worth It?

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I don’t commute to work using public transit because I can walk to work. In fact, aside from one job in Toronto where I lived within a block of a subway stop and worked within a block of another subway stop on the same line, I have never lived where I can’t walk to work. So although I had heard about the PRESTO transit fare card system I hadn’t ever considered buying one because I didn’t think it was worth it: until recently.

Why Would a Non-Commuter Buy a PRESTO card?

What swayed me to buy a PRESTO card was its use for GO Transit. I use the GO train several times a year to get to Union station in Toronto or to the Exhibition grounds. While I have always been able to buy a GO ticket without much hassle it does slow the process down because sometimes there is a line. That means I have to allow some extra time when arriving for a train which isn’t earth-shatteringly important but it does mean more time waiting on a windy platform if there is no need to wait in line.

What I hadn’t realized is that there is also a discount for using a PRESTO card instead of paying a cash fare. In particular, if I take local transit using my PRESTO card to the GO station and use my PRESTO card for the train, my local transit fare is reduced significantly. There is also a saving for using PRESTO for my GO fare.

What Does It Cost to Use a PRESTO Card?

There is an actual cost to using a PRESTO card. You have to pay a one-time fee of $6 to buy a card.

If you lose it, while you can salvage any cash value left on your card (if you registered it online before you lost it), you can’t get a replacement card for free; a replacement card also costs $6.

Is It Worth $6 for a PRESTO Card?

I wondered how long it would take me to save $6 in fares to pay out the initial cost of the PRESTO card.

It didn’t take long! On my first journey I saved

  • $2.65 on my local transit bus fare because I used the bus to get to the GO train
  • $0.74 on my GO fare
  • $0.74 on my GO fare returning home
  • $2.65 again on my local transit returning home

$6.78 total

So in my first use, I paid off the card and saved $0.78.

What Really Made my PRESTO Card Valuable

What really pleased me most about having my PRESTO card though wasn’t the cost savings. It was arriving at Union Station late in the day on my VIA Rail train, coming up to the GO wing, seeing a train departing for my stop that was already loading, tapping the card quickly against the PRESTO reader at the base of the stairs, walking briskly up and onto the train, and sitting down just as the doors closed and the train started rolling. I saved a bit over a half-hour of waiting at Union station by not having to line up for a ticket or find enough coins to feed the machine for one. Yay for PRESTO!

Using PRESTO Means No Hoarding Coins

The other obvious advantage to the card is you don’t have to lug around change to pay exact fares on city transit.

Where Is PRESTO Used?

PRESTO cards are used on many transit systems in Ontario including those in

  • Brampton
  • Burlington
  • Durham
  • Hamilton
  • Mississauga
  • Oakville
  • Ottawa
  • Toronto (some locations only so far)
  • York

In addition, it’s the transit fare system used by GO Transit for all GO trains and buses, and the UP Express from Pearson airport to Union Station in Toronto.

So they are in use in four cities I visit on a fairly frequent basis where I could put the card to use.

Would I Recommend PRESTO?

Yes. It has already paid itself out and it worked efficiently and well.

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Do you use PRESTO or a similar fare card system for your adventures on transit? Do you save money or is it just convenient? Please share your views with a comment.

How I Saved $5.40 Off the $99 Sale Price for Office 2016 And Got a Roll of Designer Duct Tape Plus $1 Back

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My 2008 laptop is still working fine. I use it for email, with MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel; I edit photos with Photoshop Elements; my kids do homework and play dubious computer games. Still, my husband would never be able to run *his* games on such an antique which resulted in him eventually upgrading his boat anchor. We decided to load it with MS Office 2016 because so much of the homework our children get encumbered with requires them to use it. I shopped around for a reasonable price and found it at Staples on sale for $99. Of course, I immediately tried to get an even better price: this is how I saved $10 more and got $2 back in amazon.ca gift cards although I decided to blow some of that $10 on a roll of designer duct tape adorned with comical cartoon owls.

Always Check Great Canadian Rebates Before You Make an Online Purchase

I wasn’t sure if Staples was one of the stores available through Great Canadian Rebates so I visited the website and checked. Yes. And even better, it offered rebate of up to 4% on purchases. Admittedly the rebate on computer-related stuff like this software is only 1% but still, not bad.

What really caught my eye, though, was the click through coupon to save $10 on an order of $100 or more. That’s significant considering it applies to items that are already on sale!

Of course, the software I wanted was $99.00. I thought about buying something that cost very close to $1, like paperclips at $1.68 a box. But then I thought what we need more of is duct tape. There were many colours and styles to choose from: I went with the sophisticated neon cartoon owls that should add a certain j’n sais quois to patching that hole in the yard waste tub.

(This image leads to my amazon.ca kickback page to buy the tape. It’s cheaper at Staples right now so shop around.)

Buying from Staples Through Great Canadian Rebates Also Gets Free Shipping on Lower Orders

Another perk that is available when buying from Staples through Great Canadian Rebates is the minimum order for free shipping is lower. Shipping is free on most orders of $45 or more. (This offer will change from time to time, so check before making a decision.)

How Did I Get $2 In Amazon.ca Certificates If I Bought from Staples?

The kickback Canadians get from buying stuff through Great Canadian Rebates is paid in amazon.ca gift certificates. They nicely round up to the next $ if your monthly total rebate is even $0.01 above a dollar. Since I didn’t buy anything else last month, and since my eligible rebate is $1.04, I’ll be getting a $2 certificate for Amazon.

UPDATE: As of June or July 2016 it appears they no longer “round up” the Amazon certificates. They seem to be issuing them now right down to the penny you’ve earned.

What Did I Save In Total For Clicking Through from Great Canadian Rebates?

So by
signing in to my GCR account (e.g. typing my email and password), and then
typing Staples in the Merchant text box, then
clicking on the Save Now button beside “Save $10 on Your Next Purchase of $100 or more” and then
shopping at staples.ca as usual, I saved or was rebated

  • $10 – $5.60 the cost of the duct tape that I would have bought elsewhere possibly for less
  • $2 – $1 rebate from GCR in Amazon certificates (It would have been $1 if I had not bought the tape.)
  • Plus the cost of gas driving to staples

On software that was already on at a reasonable sale price of $99.

For a total saving of
$5.40 (or
$12
if you don’t adjust for the duct tape)

Cool.

Blatant Sales Pitch for Great Canadian Rebates

If you don’t belong and you join GCR by clicking on my link, you will get the same rewards as if you just join GCR by searching for it on the internet. I, however, will be very happy you used my link because I will get a small percentage rebate if you ever buy anything using GCR, even though it will not reduce or affect your reward. (I don’t get any info about who joined, what they spent, or what they spent it on, though, so I won’t know how to thank you personally.)

To join Great Canadian Rebates and help me earn a few more dollars in amazon.ca certificates, please join using my

http://www.GreatCanadianRebates.ca/register/171462/

Code, which is automatically entered if you click on this above link.

Either way, consider joining as it could save you a few bucks and get you a free roll of duct tape, too!

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Do you use an online rebate program like GCR or RedFlagDeals to save a few $$ on your online purchases? Please share your experiences with a comment.