The holiday season is officially here, whether you count it as the day the calendar turns to December, the first snowfall, or the first ‘big sale day’ of the season there’s no mistake – ‘tis the season for ALL THE THINGS!
It’s no wonder then that, for many, the holiday season can also be the most stressful due to the sheer number of events to attend and loved ones to purchase the perfect gift for. The best way to help alleviate stress in any situation applies to the holiday season as well – have a plan! Walking into a mall or opening your laptop without a focus, clear road map, and of course budget, can all lead to even more stress. First, just like Santa, make a list and check it twice. Determine what gift would be best for which person and make a plan to find it, or something in that category if you can’t narrow it down, at a great price.
Of course, free is always the best price and this frugal mom highly endorses free. It’s entirely possible to achieve too if you utilize rewards programs in a smart and focused way!
Take RBC Rewards, for example. By redeeming RBC Rewards points for gift cards or merchandise from your favourite retailers including Best Buy and Apple, RBC Rewards can help save you money and take the stress out of holiday shopping. Making this even better, you don’t have to leave your pajamas and slippers and deal with traffic and crowds because you can shop from your own home eating shortbread and watching yet another holiday movie (she always picks the good guy in the end, he didn’t know she was right under his nose the whole time and now they’re in love forever, the end.)
The planning aspect here is, of course, to earn RBC Rewards by using your RBC Visa for your day-to-day purchases and then paying it off with cash monthly. I use my RBC Visa for everything from a quick lunch to booking our winter vacation, and the points add up quickly! Then, you can log into your RBC Rewards account online or using the mobile app and quickly see your point balance at any time. Shopping is the fun part, with over 200 retailers offering great gift ideas at www.rbcrewards.com
While visiting the site just this week, I not only discovered that RBC Rewards has Fingerlings for kids (probably THE hottest toy this year and increasingly hard to find), but I can also use my RBC Rewards points to purchase Disney Gift Cards to use at Disneyland Parks later this winter! That will be a huge help to our family budget and a great reward for me for my diligent rewards-points-planning. They’re a perfect stocking stuffer too!
Happy holiday shopping to you, whether you’re venturing out in the crowds or sitting at home with a cup of coffee. I hope sharing this has encouraged you to check your rewards balance and see how you can elevate your gift-giving this season! Or, perhaps this will inspire you to create a strategy to optimize your rewards to use next holiday too!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by RBC. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words.
I don’t bank with RBC but my parents do and they utalize the rewards 🙂
I just started investing through them.
RBC is awesome! I dont deal with any other bank. Alot of rewards!
I don’t bank with RBC but they seem to have a wonderful rewards system
I don’t have a RBC credit card so don’t collect their rewards either. However I get cash back with my credit card which I much prefer.
RBC is a great bank! I still have no idea what to buy my son…… gift card not an options, he doesn’t like using them.
I don’t use RBC but rewards like this inspire me to consider.
I prefer not to bank at RBC.
I do not shop at RBC but I get a lot of rewards in other places!
Great program.
I love using all my rewards points for christmas time , walmart rewards , optimum , pc points ..every little bit helps
I have banked with RBC since moving to Canada in 2006. Never had any complaints!
I don’t bank with RBC but I just may have to switch
Getting extra points is wonderful. I’m no familiar with RBC but maybe I should find out what extras they give.
I love RBC rewards! I didn’t even realize I have points accumulating until a few months ago and on black friday they had discounts on their gift cards. I redeemed my points for $60 in Chapters gift cards 🙂
I don’t use RBC, but I might consider it. Great rewards!
We aren’t with RBC but I highly approve of any ways to save money and redeem points 🙂
I do banking with RBC but I don’t have a Visa with them. Definitely worth looking into.
I don’t bank with RBC but I do use my travel miles credit card for my Christmas shopping.
I love loyalty and rewards programs, RBC Rewards sounds great! I often find that people don’t utilize these types of programs enough sometimes, you can really make them work for you and your budget!
informative ad !
We use RBC but I never thought to use the points for Christmas shopping. Great idea
Awesome rewards program! We may just have to invest with RBC!! 🙂
I don’t bank with RBC but it’s rewards is definitely something look into
Haven’t had any dealings with RBC….maybe I should!!
I love that they also partnered with PetroCan!
I love using rewards towards gifts!! We got a free tv on Black Friday with rewards points!
I don’t use RBC but I do have pc plus card and I use the points for flowers in the spring and a large grocery shopping for Christmas – free stuff is great.
Thanks for the post. Well worth looking into
My hubby cashes in his rewards for gift cards when we travel. It helps keep our trips on budget!
Free points for gifts is a great way to keep on budget this year!
My sister has a RBC VISA so I’ll have to tell her about this!
I will look into RBC rewards as shopping for the holidays is a big investment of time and money.
I don’t bank with NEC but this have me a very real reason to look into it — sure more than my current bank offers
It’s so nice to get free stuff just because you used your card
We don’t bank with RBC due to a mix up on their end with our account 10 years ago but this looks tempting.
I love RBC Rewards points. I try to maximize multiple points systems to get a little something back during my holiday shopping
We used to have the RBC Rewards Visa, but changed banks and cards. I did like getting gift cards with the rewards when we couldn’t travel.
I don’t use RBC but may look into , great rewards
Use the reward loyalty points towards your gifts.
I save up all my reward points until just before the holidays and then have a nice shopping spree for free!
I dont bank with RBC but dang maybe I should be!
I didn’t realize they had a rewards program. Sounds good!
There’s no worse feeling than aimlessly wandering the mall with two little ones in tow. Planning is a must!
We’ve never banked with RBC, thx very much for this review, will have to look into it.
Love the rbc rewards, been with them for years
It is so nice to be able to use reward points towards gifts – I LOVE that 🙂
I wasn’t aware that RBC had reward points but it’s worth looking into.
I don’t bank with RBC. There are so many reward programs out there.
I collect RBC Rewards and use them for merchandise and RRSP contributions.
I cancelled my RBC rewards card awhile ago, but it was a pretty good program.
I have quite a few RBC points that I have saved up. I am definitely going to look into using them for Christmas gifts this year.
I don’t bank with RBC but looks like a great program!
I just love bonuses like this ! I try to earn points where ever I can and use them during the holidays to save money! It adds up so quickly at this time of year , everyone should be doing something like this if they can ! Why wouldn’t you want to save money ? !
I dont have a RBC account.
I don’t bank with RBC, but I make use of other points programs. I got some free gifts using my points at Shoppers. And I sure love free! 🙂
I don’t have rbc but I do have pc points and they help save on holiday dinners!
Loooove RBC!
I love using my airmiles for things, especially trip related!
I don’t have RBC but I love redeeming points for free gifts
I like rewards programs that have a great selection of products like this one!
I don’t use RBC, but I might consider it. Great rewards!
I bank through RBC 🙂
definitely got me thinking!
I love RBC , its the best bank , some many rewards 🙂
I bank with RBC, I should pay more attention to point redemption!
I don’t have anything with RBC but it does sound worth looking into and maybe transferring
wow!!I don’t use RBC but rewards like this inspire me to consider moving to one
This mom likes free, too! Rewards programs are so fantastic for earning free things. 🙂
I’m not with RBC but this does make me think I need to check to see what my bank offers in terms of rewards.
I had no idea there were so many RBC rewards gifts! Between Apple products, Best Buy products, gift cards etc. the choices are vast!
I should look into RBC for banking, my current bank is not helpful! Thanks!
I’ve been with RBC since I opened an acct when I was 12~
I love RBC rewards system and have banked with them since I was a teenager. I find they have something for everyone in their rewards.
I need to check my balance now. I had no idea how awesome it was!!
I didn’t bank with RBC before, but I switched this year and I’m glad. They are a great bank to work with.
I am not with RBC but hear great things!
This blog post has given me a great idea. I am signed up for several reward programs. Throughout the year I plan to browse through the rewards catalogues to help me get gift ideas for those on my list and redeem. That way I can chip away before the season gets busy and not worry about low/no stock. And lastly I can ensure I don’t have to deal with shipping/delivery dates. The best part is I can redeem for free or reduced costs for gifts so I can stick to a reasonable budget.