Points Pulse for September 8, 2026: Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons join forces
Double dip on your double double
On September 2, 2026, national icons Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons launched a new rewards partnership. Triangle Rewards and Tims Rewards members can now link their accounts to start earning Canadian Tire Money on eligible Tims runs, on top of the Tims Rewards they already collect.
The only thing that would make this more Canadian is getting paid out in physical Canadian Tire Money — smiling moustache guy and all — instead of the digital kind.
Eligible purchases at participating Tim Hortons locations can earn up to 5% in Canadian Tire money. To earn the full amount, you’ll need to link your accounts and pay through Scan & Pay in the Tims app using a Triangle credit card.
The earn rate breaks down like this:
2% in CT Money on the eligible pre-tax purchase for scanning your linked Tims Rewards account.
2% on the post-tax amount for paying with a Triangle credit card.
An additional 1% on the eligible pre-tax purchase for using Scan & Pay.
CT Money can’t be redeemed at Tim Hortons, and Tims Rewards points can’t be redeemed at Canadian Tire or its partners.
Nerdy takeaway: The “up to 5%” in CT money is good marketing, but the headline rate requires both a Triangle credit card and Scan & Pay. If you only link your accounts and scan for Tims Rewards, you’re topping out at 2%.
TD tweaks some of its welcome offers
TD adjusted the welcome bonuses on several personal credit cards on September 1, 2026. Some gained value, some lost out.
If the card you were eyeing landed on the right side of the refresh, it’s a good time to apply. If not, now’s a good time to find out if switching isn’t worth it.
📈 You’re getting more value from…
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite: A straightforward increase from 146,000 to 160,000 TD Rewards points. At our valuation of 0.5 cent per point, the extra 14,000 points are worth $70.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite: The welcome bonus rose from 40,000 Aeroplan points to 50,000. At our valuation of 1.6 cents per Aeroplan point, the 10,000-point increase is worth $160 in value.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege: The bonus rose from 85,000 Aeroplan points to 100,000, making the additional 15,000 points worth $240 by our valuation. However, half of the new offer requires spending $24,000 within the first 12 months and arrives as an anniversary bonus.
📉 Value is disappearing from…
TD Rewards Visa: This welcome bonus was sawed almost exactly in half, from 30,310 TD Rewards points to 15,152. At our valuation, that drops its value from around $152 to $76. At least the spending requirement also fell, from $1,500 to $500.
TD Cash Back Visa: The previous $100 welcome bonus has disappeared entirely.
Nerdy takeaway: Of the improved offers, the First Class Travel Visa Infinite card has the clearest path to its full bonus: make a first purchase to earn 20,000 points, then reach $7,500 in total spending within 180 days to collect the remaining 140,000.
The Aeroplan Visa Infinite requires $12,000 in spending over 12 months, with half of its 50,000-point offer arriving only as an anniversary bonus.
KOHO launches a new no-fee account
KOHO recently launched KOHO Core, a no-fee spending and savings account that comes with a prepaid Mastercard.
There’s no direct deposit requirement or minimum balance. Once you opt in, you can earn 2% annual interest on your entire balance, plus 1% cash back on eligible grocery, transit, and food and drink purchases. Cash back can be redeemed at any time.
Biggest benefit: No-fee credit building
A KOHO Core account also includes KOHO Secured Credit Building, a feature that credit-building services often charge for separately.
It’s a pretty cool process:
Put down a refundable deposit of $30 and $500 to establish a secured credit line.
Transfer some money from the credit line into your KOHO account.
On your next billing date, KOHO automatically moves that amount back to the credit line as payment, provided the money is available in your account.
KOHO reports the payment activity to Equifax, helping you build credit history.
Nerdy takeaway: A refundable deposit of at least $30 is still required, but there’s no monthly fee for Secured Credit Building.
If you’re currently paying for a standalone credit-building product, Core is worth a look: it lets you build credit history while earning modest interest and cash back without paying for the account itself.
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