Tag Archives: discounts

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.

A Review of Great Canadian Rebates and SoftMoc Online Shopping

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The other day (in 2014) I realized one of my children needed boots again to cope with the long trudge to school in the pouring rain. (Yes, some kids DO still have to walk to school. They have rotten parents, from what I’m told.) The last pair were Cougars which had lasted well and had fit comfortably.  So while we were at “the Mall” we looked at Sears to see what they had this time. Unfortunately, it appears Sears no longer stocks Cougars (especially since now, in 2017 Sears is bankrupt). So when we were home, I went online to find out who sells Cougars. The result was that I ended up successfully using Great Canadian Rebates again and saving 5% off my purchase price from SoftMoc.

Who Sells Cougars In Canada?

I quickly discovered that SoftMoc sells Cougar boots in Canada. The only downside was that the boots we wanted to buy are not carried at the SoftMoc stores. Instead they have to be ordered online.

Always Check the Online Return Policy Before Buying

Children’s feet don’t stay the same size from year to year which makes it tricky to buy footwear without trying it on. So I was uneasy about ordering boots online from SoftMoc.

When I checked the details of their Return Policy, however, I calmed down. I could return boots ordered online that didn’t fit to any store location for a full refund.

Always Check the Details for Free Shipping Before Buying Online Too

The other qualm was the infamous shipping fees. Fortunately, SoftMoc offers free shipping to most of southern Canada on reasonably priced goods.

As a bonus, I could also get the order delivered to my nearest SoftMoc store. That meant I wouldn’t have to worry about being available when the courier arrived with the order. (Our workplaces do NOT like to receive personal mail or parcels.) It also meant that if the boots didn’t fit, they could be “returned” immediately at the store with no delay or dispute that they had been worn or damaged.

At that point, I nearly hit the Buy button. But then I thought: I wonder if I can get a discount or cash back on these?

Never Buy Online Before You Check If Great Canadian Rebates Has a Cash-back Reward for Your Order

So I signed in to my Great Canadian Rebates account.

Sure enough, they deal with SoftMoc! In fact, at that time they were offering a 5% rebate on any online purchases made there. All I had to do was start shopping by selecting SoftMoc from the drop-down list of stores under the Merchant heading at the top of the page.

UPDATE: Unfortunately in November 2017, SoftMoc doesn’t currently have a relationship with Great Canadian Rebates. Keep checking though as things often change.

(If you’d like to join Great Canadian Rebates, please consider using my referral link. https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/Register/171462/
You’ll be enrolled the same as if you join any other way, but I will get a reward if you shop using their website. It won’t cost you anything and it would be greatly appreciated by me. Thanks to some other kind readers who joined this way, one of my children got the new Vet Volunteers book for free using my rewards.)

So I went to the SoftMoc website from the link on my Great Canadian Rebates page (after signing in) and placed my order.

The order was shipped, as promised within one business day.

I received a phone call from the SoftMoc store telling me my order was in even before I received the confirmation emails that my order had shipped.

We went to the store after school and to my amazement, the boots fit.

That was almost too easy. (I’m sure any parent who has driven their child from store to store desperately trying to find foot wear that fits, and that the child can stand the colours of, will agree this was a major win.)

How Would I Rate the SoftMoc Online Shopping Experience

For my test, the entire process went very well. I will shop from their website again in the future.

Did I Get My Money from Great Canadian Rebates?

Well, I will. They have a policy of paying out after 45 days. This avoids (most) problems with people returning goods after they have paid out the cash back reward.

I can see the correct amount is waiting in my GCR account. I have received other payments correctly.

Will I Use Great Canadian Rebates Again?

Yes.

I have used them in the past and it works. For one extra step for online shopping, I have often saved 2-5% off my bill. Given that my savings account (except for the promotional rate money at Tangerine and PC Financial) is usually only earning 1.3%, this seems like a good saving.

In fact, I just signed in to Great Canadian Rebates and used their link to go to Walmart.ca to buy some Hallowe’en handouts, laundry soap, and cornstarch. All of these were on sale and the bonus is that I won’t have to waste any gasoline driving to buy them in person. Plus they have a promotional reward rate of 4% this week (mid-October 2014.)

UPDATE: In July 2016, Walmart is not a store I can shop at through Great Canadian Rebates but I’m hoping they will return again in the future.

If You Want to Sign Up for Great Canadian Rebates

I wrote an earlier article about how to sign up for Great Canadian Rebates. Whether you choose to use my link and also earn me some rewards is up to you. (Thank you if you do, though!) Even if you don’t, though, consider using this method to save a bit of money on a purchase. If you receive your rebates as amazon.ca certificates you can get paid quickly.

The link that lets you join and gives me a bonus is:
https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/Register/171462/
then click on the Not a Member Join Up Here link at the top right side of the screen.

Otherwise, just type the greatcanadianrebates address in your browser to get there with no connection to me.

NOTE:  I am never told who used my link, so I won’t be able to thank you personally. They want to keep your identity 100% private.

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Do you shop through any websites that give you a rebate or reward in addition to that offered by the store itself? Please share your insights with a comment.