How to maximize points and miles on Father's Day purchases

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.

Father's Day may be alarmingly soon if you haven’t recently glanced at a calendar. Yes, Father's Day is on June 19 this year. So, there’s not much time left to order gifts and secure restaurant reservations.

If you’ve already made all the necessary arrangements, kudos on being better-organized offspring than most of us. But if you’re still at square one, there are some great ways to earn points and miles while purchasing solid gifts or tasty meals for your dad.

Here are a few strategies to help you get the biggest bang for your bighearted buck.

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Earn rewards shopping for gifts

Online shopping portals are one of the most powerful tools in the world of travel rewards and cash back. When you begin your shopping trip with a portal, you will be redirected to the actual merchant's website — so your shopping experience will be the same as if you'd started at the merchant's website.

Best of all, the rewards you earn via a shopping portal are in addition to the rewards you’ll earn for spending on your credit card.

Related: Your guide to maximizing shopping portals for your online purchases

Here are a handful of good shopping portal deals for potential Father’s Day gifts that were available when I wrote this story. However, note that the payouts listed below may have decreased (or increased) by the time you read this article.

• Bass Pro Shops
• 3 United Airlines miles per dollar.
• 5 American Airlines miles per dollar.
• 4 Alaska Airlines miles per dollar.
• 5 Choice Privileges points per dollar.
• 10% cash back with Active Junky.
• 8% cash back with Mr. Rebates.

• Cabela’s
• 5 American Airlines miles per dollar.
• 10% cash back with Active Junky.
• 8% cash back with Mr. Rebates.
• 6% cash back with Top Cashback.

• Sonos
• 3 United Airlines miles per dollar.
• 5 American Airlines miles per dollar.
• 4 Alaska Airlines miles per dollar.
• 7% cash back at Sunshine Rewards.
• 16.4% cash back on your first order with FatCoupon.

• Saks Fifth Avenue
• 3 JetBlue TrueBlue points per dollar.
• 2 Membership Rewards points (or 2% cash back) per dollar via Rakuten.
• 3% cash back with TopCashback.
• Remember to use the up-to-$50 statement credit from your The Platinum Card® from American Express. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

• Hugo Boss
• 5 Membership Rewards points (or 5% cash back) with Rakuten.
• 5% back with Capital One Shopping.
• 4 American Airlines miles per dollar.
• 4 Amtrak Guest Rewards per dollar.
• 10.5% cash back with GoCashBack.
• 8% cash back with Top Cashback.

• Ace Hardware
• 8% cash back with Mr. Rebates.
• 9% cash back with BeFrugal.
• 4.6% cash back with RebatesMe.
• 2 Membership Rewards points (or 2% cash back) with Rakuten.

As noted above, some of these payouts may have changed since I wrote this story. So, I recommend using a shopping portal aggregator site like Cashback Monitor to compare returns and help determine which portal to use once you've decided to purchase your gift from a particular retailer.

Related: The best travel gifts to buy for Father’s Day

Earn rewards for sporting events and concerts

You can purchase tickets to sports and concerts from various sites, and they all provide dramatically different potential return rates. The returns listed below were available when I wrote this story, but may be different now.

• Vivid Seats
• 8% cash back with Active Junky.
• 6% cash back with Top Cashback.
• 4% back with Capital One Shopping.
• An additional 8% cash back when using Capital One Savor cards.

• SeatGeek
• 4% cash back with RebatesMe.
• 3% cash back with Mr. Rebates.
• 3% cash back with ExtraBux.

• Ticketmaster
• Up to 5% cash back with Top Cashback.
• 5% cash back with RetailMeNot.
• Up to 3 Membership Rewards points (or 3% cash back) with Rakuten.

Again, I recommend using a shopping portal aggregator to compare current offers for the merchant from which you want to purchase tickets.

Related: Book and redeem rewards for exclusive events with Capital One’s new entertainment platform

Earn rewards for eating out

Whether you intend to brave the crowds for a Father’s Day meal or just want to order takeout or delivery, make sure you’re using the right credit card to make your purchase. Many rewards credit cards offer bonus points for dining purchases, such as:

• American Express® Gold Card: 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 3 points per dollar spent on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 10 points per dollar spent on Chase Dining purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards when you make prepaid restaurant reservations, order takeout or join virtual cooking events; 3 points per dollar spent on other dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: 6 points per dollar spent on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.

Depending on the restaurant you choose, you may be able to earn even more rewards if you make your restaurant reservations through an app called Seated. It provides up to 30% back in rewards — in addition to what you’ll earn from your credit card.

Related: Expert stacking: How I earned $80 in cash back and rewards from one dinner

Save with promo codes and offers

Some cards issued by banks like American Express and Chase come with targeted statement credits and bonus rewards. It’s worth checking them out to see if there are any helpful offers for purchases you may have already planned to make for Father’s Day.

You can often use these offers in tandem with a shopping portal, too. It’s a great way to receive an extra layer of savings or bonus rewards.

For example, I’ve currently got a string of Amex Offers that I could use in various ways for Father’s Day gifts.

Eligibility for these offers is limited. Enrollment is required in the Amex Offers section of your account before redeeming.

You can also check other apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, which now deliver many non-food items. For example, look at the Office Depot Father's Day page on DoorDash, where you can buy items ranging from office chairs to desk lights. Some of these items are currently on sale, too.

One thing to note is that you may not always be able to use promotional codes and earn bonus rewards through shopping portals. Sometimes a promotional code will cancel the bonus rewards a shopping portal would otherwise offer. So, be sure to read the fine print on the shopping portal before you make your purchase.

Related: Gone, but not forgotten: How my father instilled in me a love for travel — and points and miles

Bottom line

You’ve got lots of ways to turn your Father’s Day gift-giving into a springboard for your next vacation. Between online shopping portals, targeted deals like Amex Offers and considering your credit card bonus categories, shopping for presents could be more fun and rewarding than you might expect.

Alternatively, if money is tight this year, check out our guide to using points and miles to give gifts with $0 out-of-pocket cost.