Walmart, Costco, and Canadian Tire all provide a wide array of valuable products and services. Each one has its specific strengths: Costco offers bulk savings, Walmart has an excellent price guarantee, and Canadian Tire offers the best quality tools, tires, and sports equipment options.
Using the right credit card makes a big difference, too, at each retailer, though particularly at Costco.
This article looks at Walmart, Costco, and Canadian Tire in detail, comparing prices, policies, credit card options, and much more.
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Summary of our top credit card picks for each retailer
Curious what card is best for each of these retailers? Here’s a quick summary for each one.
| Retailer | Credit Card | Earn Rates at the retailer | Annual Fee | Apply Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart |
|
Up to 3% back in Walmart Rewards | $ 0 | Apply Now |
| Costco |
|
Up to 2% cash back | $ 89 | Apply Now |
| Canadian Tire |
|
2% cash back | $ 0 | Apply Now |
Walmart
Walmart is one of the world’s largest retail companies…with good reason.
When they started selling groceries in their Canadian stores in 2006, they quickly became the go-to, one-stop shop for many. It’s hard to stick to your grocery list without adding in some extras.
You can also shop at Walmart online, take advantage of their super low prices and deals, and have your order shipped right to your house. What’s more convenient than saving money and gas?
With their slogan, “Save Money. Live Better,” their website states their goal is to offer the best possible price every day of the year – both in-store and online – rather than just during sales:
“Saving Canadians money has been our mission since we opened the first Walmart in Canada more than 20 years ago, and today we’re more committed than ever to that promise. We want to make it easy for customers to know they are getting the best value for their money, and finding everything they need, all under one roof. As part of that promise, we’ve worked to identify the products that customers buy most often such as bananas and paper towels with a visible “everyday low price” mark in store and online. Canadians can be sure they are always getting the lowest price on these items, day in and day out.“
With a statement like that, surely they have the best prices in Canada, right?
Costco
You may go to Costco in Canada because they have great prices on bulk items, or maybe you love their rotisserie chicken. But you can also shop at Costco online, saving a few hours by having all your favourite discount warehouse goodies shipped right to your door.
You’ll inevitably go in for one or two things, but end up buying a cart full of other goods. Not to mention spoil your dinner with all those tasty samples.
In fact, Costco in Canada operates on this exact principle: the best prices. Their website states:
“We are a membership warehouse club, dedicated to bringing our members the best possible prices on quality, brand-name merchandise… all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.” – (Costco.ca)
They also claim to “keep costs down and pass the savings on to [their] members. [Their] large membership base and tremendous buying power, combined with [their] never-ending quest for efficiency, result in the lowest possible prices for our members.” (Costco.ca)
That promise, combined with a membership fee of at least $60, should make Costco the best place to shop for everything. You’re paying for the privilege to shop there so they should have the best prices, right?
Canadian Tire
Although Canadian Tire doesn’t offer the same grocery options as Walmart and Canadian Tire, there’s a lot to be said for this Canadian retail giant.
Around since the 1930s, Canadian Tire has been a household name. Plus, with approximately 500 stores, there are actually more Canadian Tire locations in Canada than there are Walmart locations – as they will tell you.
“We are one of Canada’s most admired and trusted companies. With world-class owned brands and exciting market-leading merchandising strategies, we are continually innovating with purpose: to excite and serve Canadian customers from coast-to-coast.“
Canadian Tire also has its own bank – the aptly named, “Canadian Tire Bank” – which issues Canadian Tire credit cards. Canadian Tire Bank also offers some other products and services, such as a high interest savings account.
Price comparisons
Let’s start with a simple item that people use every day.
Editor’s note: Prices as of February 2019.
The kitchen
Paper towels are a typical staple, so it’s a good jumping off point:
For this chart, we have compared the company brands, or the prices of
the exact same product, as offered by each store. Costco has Kirkland,
Walmart’s brand is Good Value and Canadian Tire carries Frank.
Note: Prices could change at any point, so for the most up-to-date offers and promotions, be sure to visit these sites directly.
| Item | Costco | Walmart | Canadian Tire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Towel – Company Brand | Kirkland
$1.83 / roll |
Great Value
$1.49 / roll |
Frank
$1.24 / roll |
| Paper Towel – Bounty | $2.04 / roll | $2.63 / roll | $1.66 / roll |
The comparison seems simple – Canadian Tire has the best price for both brands of paper towel. But we know that it’s not that easy, quality also needs to be considered.
Kirkland is better quality than both Great Value and Frank, so it might be worth spending a little more.
But Canadian Tire did have a better price for Bounty, which seems strange given that Walmart’s prices are supposed to be unbeatable. However, you do pay for a Costco membership to be sure that you’re getting the best price.
The garage
Now that we’ve gotten our feet wet, let’s compare some higher priced items – tools and tires specifically.
I’ll do my best to compare apples to apples, but each store may offer a slightly different brand, quality, or model.
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire will have tires to fit your vehicle. They even carry car parts and do the repairs themselves. They also have a wide variety of brands. It’s in the name of their company, after all.
If you’re looking for a tool, there’s a good chance Canadian Tire carries it. They carry major brands with a reputation for high quality, like DeWalt, but also carry their own product line, which is decent in quality.
They have plenty of options for garage storage, from tool chests to shelving. There’s a reason Canadian Tire has been a strong retail name in Canada for years.
Costco
Costco also has a good selection of high-quality name brand tires. They stock the most common tire sizes and should have tires to fit your car (hopefully).
I did have an issue at Costco getting winter tires for my 2011 Dodge Journey three years ago, though. So, it might be best to plan a couple of months ahead and ask them if they can order in your size.
As for tools, Costco seems to only carry hand tools, but it varies. Certain items are only available for a limited time. Isn’t that part of the appeal, though? The best price, for a limited time.
Costco has great options for tool chests and garage storage.
Walmart
As for Walmart, although tire selection is limited, they do carry Goodyear. The exact model of tire will be different from most places, but the prices are quite competitive.
Although they have hand tools and a few power tools, they aren’t commonplace at Walmart, and the selection is nothing compared to Canadian Tire.
But let’s focus on tires for a second.
Getting as close as we can to the same brand and model, let’s compare tire prices for the most common vehicle in Canada, the Honda Civic.
Canadian Tire
Costco
Walmart
| Store | Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 – price for 1 tire |
|---|---|
| Canadian Tire | $120.99 |
| Costco | $179.99 |
| Walmart | $240.75 |
The verdict
Canadian Tire wins again. They are $59 less expensive than Costco. Walmart didn’t have the exact model for a proper price comparison, but their Goodyear Ultra Grip was still $8 more expensive than Canadian Tire.
Even when comparing different brands, Canadian Tire has the edge.
The living room
Let’s start with Costco this time. A quick look around Costco will tell you they have everything needed for a home theatre. They stock top of the line televisions, whatever your budget might be.
They also carry a variety of furniture for living rooms – whether you want something simple, elegant, or for a man cave. Prices tend to start in the $1000 range and move upward.
Walmart also has a great selection in this department.
Their TVs are similar to those offered at Costco, but they lack the higher end products. Their furniture selection is wide but aimed at people on a budget. There’s nothing listed on their website for more than $1,000, with the odd exception. If you’re on a budget, Walmart might be your best bet.
Canadian Tire has some options for TVs but their furniture selection is limited. If you’re not a brand snob, then you can find a good, inexpensive TV here. But you can likely find a similar TV at Walmart.
Price Comparison
| Store | LG UK6300 |
|---|---|
| Costco | $593.99 |
| Walmart | $744 |
| Canadian Tire | $845.99 |
The verdict
In the living room, Costco is king.
On TV savings alone, you’ve made the cost of your membership back. They have a better selection of furniture and TVs – the quality is higher too.
Price matching
On a product-for-product basis, no store will beat all others consistently. But, when you claim the best price, it gives people the confidence to shop at your store.
Sometimes that confidence is false – you paid your membership, or you saw the Walmart commercial with the low price guarantee, so you assume your store of choice will always give you the best price.
It’s a false assumption.
Each store wants you to become a regular shopper and let your guard down. You’ll go to a single store and buy everything you need…
“The overarching idea is to get shoppers into the habit of picking up groceries and other staples from one preferred retailer. That retailer then wants you to keep shopping there – regardless of whether all the prices are actually good.” – Brad Tuttle, Money
Comparison shopping and price matching is your best weapon against this tactic. Don’t let your guard down.
Both Walmart and Canadian Tire will price match, although Canadian Tire’s guarantee is “subject to store participation”, according to their website.
Costco, however, doesn’t price match. Despite paying for a membership, if you find a better price elsewhere, your Costco membership won’t help.
The weekly flyer
The weekly flyer is one of your best friends when it comes to shopping around and price matching. It’ll help you find the best price on just about anything, even if you think you have the stores figured out.
Walmart and Canadian Tire have weekly flyers, which could help you make decisions on a product that is offered in all stores.
So before you head out to your favourite retail giant, be sure to check out their flyers. You may save some money.
Saving big in bulk
A common belief is you always save when you buy in bulk.
But when we did the paper towel price comparison above, we found that roll-for-roll, Canadian Tire beat the bulk-giant Costco.
Let’s look at another comparison to see how Costco stacks up.
Coffee is the life-blood of productivity and it’s found in most homes. Curious where you should be buying your good, ol’ fashioned Timmie’s?
| Store | Tim Hortons Original Blend Fine Grind Coffee |
|---|---|
| Costco | 1.36 kg (3 lb), 2-pack $39.99 = $1.47/100g |
| Canadian Tire | 930 g $16.97 = $1.83/100g |
| Walmart | 930 g $16.97 = $1.83/100g |
In this case, the bulk buying works. The coffee is cheaper at Costco – a lot cheaper.
Let’s try one more comparison just to be sure:
| Store | Ziploc Medium Freezer Bags |
|---|---|
| Costco | 3 x 50 bags 2 pack = 300 bags $21.59 = $0.07/bag |
| Canadian Tire | 38 bags $6.59 = $0.17/bag |
| Walmart | 3 x 38 bags = 114 bags $10.49 = $0.09/bag |
Costco comes out on top again, showing that there’s merit to the membership after all. But they won’t always have the best price and they don’t price match. The key is to compare.
The return policy
Costco return policy
Without going into too much detail, Costco’s warranty is the best in the business. They “guarantee your satisfaction with every product we sell and will refund your purchase price, with the following exceptions:”
- Electronics – though they do extend the manufacturer’s warranty to two years from the date of purchase, with their concierge service.
- Diamonds.
- Cigarettes and alcohol.
- Products with limited usefulness – tires, etc.
Canadian Tire return policy
The return policy is as follows:
Unopened items, with a receipt, in original packaging and returned within 90 days of purchase will receive a refund to the original method of payment** or will receive an exchange. Items that are opened, damaged and/or not in resalable condition may not be eligible for a refund or exchange. Click on the tabs below for a list of exceptions and exclusions to our returns policy. (Canadian Tire, Returns Policy)
Walmart return policy
The return policy at Walmart is a little complicated. It is a basic 90-day policy with a few exceptions:
- Within 14 days: Most small technology purchases like computers, wearable tech, and video games.
- Within 30 days: Larger technology like TVs and mattresses.
There’s a long list of exceptions here.
The verdict
Both Walmart and Canadian Tire have fairly standard return policies and they have warranties with some purchases, but they just don’t compare to Costco.
Costco has the best warranty by far. You can return just about anything with no questions asked.
You can even return food if it isn’t up to your standards.
Earn rewards with store credit cards
Arming yourself with the right credit card is a great way to get even more out of these retail stores – and all 3 offer a store specific credit card.
Earning rewards and taking advantage of credit card insurance is a sure way to make shopping at Walmart, Costco, and Canadian Tire even more enjoyable.
I decided to compare each retailer’s store-specific cards to see if they’re worth it – or if I would be better off with a bank issued credit card instead.
| Retail Giant | Credit Card | Best Alternative | Apply Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | Apply Now | ||
| Costco | CIBC Costco Mastercard | Apply Now | |
| Canadian Tire | Canadian Tire Triangle Mastercard | Apply Now |
Walmart credit card
Walmart offers a couple of cards you can look at. We’ll first focus on the
Here’s what you’ll get on all your purchases:
- 3% back in Walmart Rewards at Walmart
- 1% back in Walmart Rewards on all other purchases
Those are some pretty good earn rates for a no annual fee card. The online earn rate in particular is pretty much untouchable, and you’re getting a nice little bonus on gas and when shopping in-store at Walmart.
And at the end of the day, you’re still earning at least 1% no matter where you shop.
Walmart Reward Dollars you’ll earn can be used toward any purchase at Walmart – either in-store or online. You can redeem them in $5 increments.
One point to note – the card does have a high household income requirement of $100,000.
If you don’t meet that requirement, there’s also the
Here’s what this card will earn on your purchases:
- 3% back in Walmart Rewards at Walmart
- 1% back in Walmart Rewards on all other purchases
Not as good as the World version, but it still offers at least 1% on anything you purchase, which is good for a no fee card.
At regular Walmarts, these cards will be hard to beat. Shop online at walmart.ca, and the World Version is gold to you.
However, if you find you’re shopping at Walmart Supercentres, you’ll want to consider the
Mastercard recognizes Walmart Supercentres as grocery stores (something Amex and Visa don’t do).
With this card you’ll earn 5% cash back on groceries on your first $500 in monthly spend. Max out that $500 monthly allowance and that’s $300 in cash back in a year, more than offsetting the annual fee of $120.
GC: $150
$150 GeniusCash + Exclusive: Up to $480 bonus cash back + First year fee waived.*
There’s also a no fee version you can look at instead. The
Costco Mastercard
The
Here’s what you’ll get on all your purchases:
- 3% cash back on restaurants and Costco gas
- 2% cash back at other gas stations, EV charging, and at Costco.ca
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
With a typical spend breakdown, you’re looking at a return of about 1.33% on all your purchases. And this is all for no annual fee.
But is the Costco Mastercard the best choice?
There’s a common misconception that you can only use a Costco Mastercard at Costco stores, but you can actually use any Mastercard there. You don’t need to be limited by Costco’s no fee credit card.
If you want to earn even more rewards when shopping at a Costco Warehouse, there are better options out there. Our favourite is the
It does have a high annual fee of $89, but Brim makes it worth your while.
First, here are the rewards you’ll earn on your purchases:
- 1% cash back on all purchases
Much improved earn rates when shopping at Costco.
But here’s where Brim makes the annual fee worthwhile:
- 12 types of insurance, this is the most of any credit card,
- bonus rewards when shopping with 250+ Brim partner retailers,
- installment plans, and
- no foreign exchange fees.
Canadian Tire credit card
Although Canadian Tire offers 3 levels of the Triangle Mastercard, I’m going to look at the regular
Here’s what this Canadian Tire Mastercard will give you for rewards:
- 4% back (including what you would earn using your basic membership card) in Canadian Tire money on all purchases (pre-tax) at Canadian Tire, Canadian Tire online, Sport Chek, Mark’s, and Atmosphere,
- 1.5% back on groceries, and
- 0.5% back on all other purchases.
On a typical spend, this Canadian Tire credit card has a return of 0.82%, but if you shop at Canadian Tire a lot, this ratio increases. If this is the case for you, both the Canadian Tire Triangle Mastercards are worth considering.
However, remember that you’ll also be racking up rewards quicker And since you can only redeem them at Canadian Tire, you’ll be earning 4% back a little less.
You’ll also have access to 12 months of no fee, no interest financing at Canadian Tire – which is a great benefit.
That being said, only earning 0.5% on your other purchases is disappointing.
Pairing this card with another credit card can offset that 0.5% back. One such option is the
Earn 4% back at Canadian Tire, 2% back on your 3 biggest spending categories, and 0.5% back on everything else – that’s a pretty great return for not paying an annual fee.
×1 Award winner GC: $120
1x Award winner
A set of credit cards with bonus rewards with all retailers
There is one set of credit cards that offer bonus rewards at all 3 of these retailers – Neo Financial credit cards.
With a Neo Mastercard, simply use your card and you’ll earn bonus rewards while shopping, both in-store and online. How much extra you’ll earn depends on the level of card you have.
You can learn more about Neo Financial credit cards here.
Final thoughts
While Canadian Tire, Costco, and Walmart all have their downfalls, they each have their strengths as well.
Canadian Tire does tools, tires, sports, and the outdoors better than the other two. Their prices are better most of the time, but it’s always a good idea to check Canadian Tire online before you go anywhere else.
Walmart has a price match guarantee that’s pretty sweet, but don’t let that stop you from doing your research.
Costco does bulk, but that’s not all. They have quality, great brands, and their warranty is by far the best.
In the end, there’s no true winner – don’t give one place all of your business. If you’re looking to save money, shopping around is key.
Saving money isn’t always easy, but with a little legwork, you can make it happen.
Let us know what you think
What are your favourite retail giants?
Do you prefer Costco, Canadian Tire, or Walmart?
Or do you like the added convenience of shopping at Costco online, Canadian Tire online, or Walmart online?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
FAQ
Is Canadian Tire Money still accepted?
Canadian Tire Money is still accepted, but has largely been replaced by the Triangle Rewards program, which is a digital version of this iconic rewards program. To be safe, if you have a bundle of old paper Canadian Tire Money lying around, you might want to use it sooner rather than later.
What’s the best credit card to use at Walmart Canada?
We like the Walmart World Mastercard for shopping at Walmart. You’ll earn 1.25% back when shopping in-store at Walmart, plus 3% back when shopping online, all while earning at least 1% back everywhere else.
What credit cards can I use in-store at Costco Canada?
Costco Canada is a rare store that only accepts one type of credit card. In this case, it’s Mastercard. While many people think you have to use the CIBC Costco Mastercard, you can actually use any Mastercard at a Costco Warehouse. We recommend the Brim World Elite Mastercard, which earns 2% cash back on the first $25,000 in annual purchases.
Does Costco Canada take Visa?
While you cannot use Visa in-store at Costco Canada, you can use Visa at Costco online.
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