Expert shares how new PC Optimum program changes are "not fair" for members
If you’re a PC Optimum member, you may want to be aware of some changes coming to the program.
This week, users received an email informing them of amendments to the program’s terms and conditions.
According to the company, the changes have been made to better protect point balances, safeguard against account takeovers, and will help ensure PC Optimum can “proactively inform you about any suspicious activity on your account.”
Daily Hive reached out to Patrick Sojka, founder of Rewards Canada, to learn more about the changes and what they mean for members.
What are the changes to the PC Optimum terms and conditions?
There are four key changes in the terms and conditions that will come into effect on October 31, 2024.
The first is a confirmation that program members can only open one PC Optimum account at any given time.
Secondly, to prevent account takeovers, the rewards program will remove the option to create new household accounts. These accounts allowed members who live in the same home to contribute points to the same total and redeem them from the same points pool.
PC Optimum added there are a few exceptions to this new rule.
Members who are primary or additional cardholders on a PC Financial Payment Product will still be allowed to form a household account, but only with another primary or additional cardholder on the same product.
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Those who currently have five or fewer household members will not see any changes and can remain in the household until they leave it.
However, if someone leaves the household membership, the same member or another person cannot be added to it in the future.
The third update has to do with points added to suspended accounts.
“In the event that your participation in the program is suspended, PC Optimum points in your account that have been accumulated as a result of an abuse of a program privilege, failure to follow the Program Terms and Conditions or a misrepresentation may be forfeited and removed from your account,” reads the new rule.
Lastly, members residing in Quebec will be informed if their account has been detected as compromised and will receive a notice if their account was frozen, suspended, or suspected of fraudulent activity.
What does an expert think?
Sojka said the changes to household accounts seem understandable because these types of memberships tend to be targets for fraudulent activity.
“Over the past few years, a lot of loyalty programs have been the victims of hacks or fraudulent tax account takeovers,” he said. “So that is more of a protective measure, which I am totally fine with.”
Sojka said that because PC Optimum is a cashback program with “lower value,” household accounts “aren’t as big a deal” for collecting a large amount of points.
Sojka took issue with the program’s new terms, which involved suspended accounts and points.
PC Optimum’s update to suspended accounts
The unexpected freezing or suspension of accounts has been an ongoing issue for many users who said they were unaware they couldn’t redeem their points until they were at the till.
Sojka’s main issue with the program is that PC Optimum has three levels of operation for its members: active, suspended, or cancelled.
“Cancelled is where they kick you out of the program, which PC Optimum tends not to do,” he explained.
“What I’ve seen when they’ve told people they’ve broken the terms [is that] they suspend them,” which Sojka feels is a grey area.
“That kind of where my point of contention is, because all these members that have issues with their programs where they find out their [account] is frozen, they’re in that suspended area,” he said.
“So now they’ve added wording that if your account is suspended, they can now forfeit and remove your points, but it doesn’t say that they’ll actually close your account and cancel the participation.”
Essentially, this leaves members in limbo, noted the points expert.
“So basically, they can take all your points away, but you’ll still be in the program. You can still earn, you can still log in…they put you in this penalty box.”
He also said that PC Optimum informing Quebec members about why their accounts are frozen or suspended should also happen for all other Canadian members.
“That’s not fair,” he said. “They don’t have to tell you anything outside of Quebec.”
In a response to Daily Hive, Loblaw said it freezes accounts “due to suspicious activity” and “to protect the customer and their rewards.”
“We have recently improved our process for handling these types of cases and as part of this will be sending notices to consumers if preventative action is taken on their account,” stated a Loblaw spokesperson.
“Our goal is to restore accounts as soon as possible after rectifying these issues to ensure customers continue to have access to the PC Optimum points that they have earned.”
Recommendations to PC Optimum
Sojka has been an advocate for PC Optimum members who have been lost and confused after dealing with several issues, including account suspension, lower point earnings, and the company ignoring their request to delete their accounts.
He’s also made several recommendations to the company on how the program can be improved, especially regarding communication with customers about the status of their accounts.
Other recommendations include capping the maximum number of points earned during certain promotions and being more transparent with customers about why their accounts were frozen in the first place.
The expert hopes these changes are a “step in the right direction” for the PC Optimum program.
The company’s complete list of terms and conditions can be reviewed here.