Nova Scotia pilot program upgrades iconic offering to be among the best in Canada

HALIFAX, Feb. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Canadian Tire today announced an upgrade to its iconic loyalty offering to be launched on Friday, February 24 with the Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage program, a customer rewards program that will rank among the best in the country for customer value.

Launching as a pilot program, initially available only in Nova Scotia's 21 Canadian Tire stores and eight gas bars, this new program offers members the option to collect Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage points electronically with a new loyalty card or key chain fob. Alternatively, customers not participating in the program can still collect Canadian Tire 'Money' in paper form as it has existed for 54 years. Rewards can be redeemed for more than 90,000 products at Canadian Tire stores or donated to Canadian Tire Jumpstart or other eligible community groups.

In designing the upgraded offering, customer research demonstrated that many consumers wanted a more convenient and electronic option to collect and redeem Canadian Tire 'Money,' while other Canadians continue to cherish the iconic Canadian Tire 'Money' paper bills. Canadian Tire's upgraded loyalty offering provides customers with the best of both worlds.

Customers who join the program will earn Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage points on eligible purchases, even when paying with a major credit card, as well as collect exclusive bonus points on products weekly in flyer and in store. Points will be redeemable like Canadian Tire 'Money', with members earning the most points when they use their Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage card and pay with their Canadian Tire Options® MasterCard®. In addition, customers will earn Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage points everywhere else they shop with their Canadian Tire Options® MasterCard®.

Customers who choose not to use a Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage card will continue to collect paper Canadian Tire 'Money', by paying with cash and debit - just as they do today. In fact, those customers can look forward to a new release of Canadian Tire 'Money' later this year.

"Eighty percent of Canadians visit a Canadian Tire store each year. We value our customers' loyalty and the Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage program gives us one more way that we can be loyal to them. It offers program members the convenience, assortment and high value of one of the best loyalty programs in the country," said Rob Shields, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Canadian Tire. "Members will now be able to take home that kitchen appliance, BBQ, snowblower or thousands of other products even faster with our Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage program."

Further reinforcing Canadian Tire's commitment to local communities across Canada, the Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage program will offer qualifying community organizations a powerful fundraising tool to help support their efforts. Any Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage points earned on the new loyalty card can be donated to a participating community group and then be redeemed for eligible products in Canadian Tire stores.

In designing the program, Canadian Tire sought the input of consumers as well as industry experts, including engaging a leading North American customer loyalty firm to review ten of the most comparable and well-known customer loyalty programs in Canada. According to the study, the Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage program will rank among the top two in Canada for loyalty programs. Canadian Tire will use the pilot period to gather firsthand customer feedback on the program.

How it works

Collect:

• 1 point for every $1 you spend at Canadian Tire stores, no matter how you pay*
• Points with a multiplier when you fill up at Canadian Tire gas bars
• 3 points for every $1 you spend at Canadian Tire stores when using the Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage card and paying with a Canadian Tire Options® Mastercard®
• Exclusive bonus points in-store, in the flyer, or sent directly to members

Redeem:

• Points in-store for eligible merchandise, just like Canadian Tire 'Money'*
• 100 points = $1
• There is no minimum - so you can use a few points or save them up for something big
• Donate points to Jumpstart, or eligible community groups
• Points have no expiry date and can be redeemed at any time towards the thousands of eligible products in-store

Nova Scotia customers can get more information or enroll online at www.moneyadvantage.com or in store.

*Some terms and conditions apply, visit moneyadvantage.com for full details. Purchases with fleet cards excluded.

®/™ The Canadian Tire triangle design, Canadian Tire Options and Canadian Tire 'Money' are registered trademarks, and Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage is a trademark, of Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited.
® MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated used under license.

About Canadian Tire 
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC.a) (TSX:CTC) is one of Canada's most-shopped general retailers and the country's largest sporting goods retailer, with more than 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets from coast-to-coast. Our primary retail business categories - Automotive, Living, Fixing, Playing and Apparel - are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division, which markets such products and services as credit cards, retail deposits, in-store financing, product warranties, and insurance. Nearly 68,000 people are employed across the Canadian Tire enterprise, which was founded in 1922 and remains one of Canada's most recognized and trusted brands.

Image with caption: "Rob Shields of Canadian Tire hands the first Canadian Tire 'Money' Advantage card to Nancy Stapleton of Adsum for Women and Children in Halifax. Ranked among the best in Canada, the program offers a powerful fundraising tool for eligible local community groups. The pilot will run in Nova Scotia only starting February 24. (CNW Group/CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120215_C4326_PHOTO_EN_10118.jpg