Petro Canada vs Esso reward bonus points (for the car wash and not only)

For the past year I've been member of Petro-Points, collecting the points especially for the car washes. I already had Petro-Points card before I bought my car, because I used to buy TTC tokens at Petro Canada and, by the way, accumulated a good amount of points (and got many free coffees). But recently, one co-worker advised me to switch to Esso, because, as he said, at Esso you get way more points, especially if you're interested in car washes.

I decided to research the forums, but didn't find any concrete answer, backed by the real figures or facts. So, I decided to make my own research and post it for you guys, who are interested in this particular subject.

I'm not an employee of any of these two gas companies and below is my personal, independent research. I didn't intend to compare the quality of their products and services, it's just the comparison of their reward programs.

Let's kick off ...

Petro Canada Petro-Points™
^{http://www.petropoints.ca/}

• You'll earn 5 points on RegularClean (Regular 87) gas
• You'll earn 7 points on PlusClean (Mid-grade 89) gas
• You'll earn 10 points on SuperClean (Premium 91), Ultra 94 or Diesel
• You'll earn 20 points per $1 spent on car was or convenience store items

Let's say, that the price of 1 litre of Regular 87 gas is $1.28. It means that for every $1.28 spent you'll earn 5 points (or 3.91 points for $1).
I have a receipt in front of me. I've spent $50 for the regular gas ($1.28/litre) and earned 196 points=3.92 points per $1.

Esso Extra^{®
https://www.essoextra.com}

With Esso it is simpler:

• You'll earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all eligible purchases
• You'll earn 2 points on Extra-grade gas (89 Octane level)
• You'll earn 3 points on Supreme-grade gas (91 Octane level)

Table: Rewards comparison

Rewards	Petro Can., points	Petro Can., $ spend	Esso, points	Esso, $ spend
Car wash - Regular	6,000	1535	499	499
Car wash - Advanced	8,000	2046	599	599
Save 5c. on 200 litres	12,000	3070	1,500	1,500
$10 Free Gas	20,000	5115	1,800	1,800
$1 worth Lottery Tickets	2,000	512	160	160
$25 Gift Card	40,000	10230	4,300	4,300

There are also other things to consider:

• when you create an online profile for your rewards cards, both companies will offer you free bonus points: Petro Canada - 2,500 bonus points (41.7% value of a car wash); Esso - 250 points (50.1% value of a car wash);
• when you buy 150-249 litres or more per month, Petro Canada will offer you 750 extra Petro-Points. This almost doubles the points offered;
• when you buy 250 litres or more per month, Petro Canada will offer you 1,000 extra Petro-Points;
• you can sign-up for Esso Speedpass key tag. You’ll earn 1 or more Esso Extra points for every $1 spent, and that's besides the 500 bonus points for the enrollment. Speedpass will practically double your points.

Conclusion

As you can see from the information above and from the table, Esso definitely beats Petro Canada as regards the reward points. If you don't drive a lot (like me) and buy the regular 87 gas, you need to spend more than twice at Petro Canada compared to Esso. If you drive a lot, you'll get additional points from Petro Canada, which will bring you closer to what Esso offers. But if you enroll for a free Esso Speedpass key tag, you'll double your Esso points, and maybe quadruple them compared to Petro Canada. 

During the past year I've spent $1100 on gas (of course, you spend much more). It means that I didn't accumulate even for one car wash at Petro Canada. All the bonus points I've earned for buying TTC tokens. Now, after I'll sign up for Esso Extra and Esso Speedpass, I'll get four (!) car washes for the same amount.

It seems to be all. If you liked this research or if you found any inaccuracy in my calculations or in information presented, feel free to comment it.