Don’t want to miss out on earning bonus points? There’s an extension for that
Editor's Note
Shopping portals are such an important aspect of the points and miles hobby. While you can learn all about them in our TPG beginners guide, we realize it's easy to forget about this method of double dipping on your online purchases.
If you haven't built up the habit of clicking through a shopping portal — and don't want to have to worry about remembering — technology is happy to come to the rescue. There are a number of extensions that you can add to your web browser to remind you anytime you're shopping on a website where you can earn bonus points, miles or cash back.
Doing this ensures you never lose out on valuable points and miles when you shop online — let's take a closer look.
Want tips and tricks for earning points and miles delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for TPG's newsletter.
Airline shopping portals
If you're looking for the highest payout at a particular time, going through an aggregator (more on those later) will help you find the best option. However, if you're looking to earn miles toward a particular redemption or a perk such as the Southwest Companion Pass, you might want to be loyal to just one airline's shopping portal.
Airline shopping portal promotions come and go. However, they tend to offer new-member bonuses and spending bonuses throughout the year. Here are the details on each:
- Alaska Airlines (Chrome extension): Alaska Airlines has one of the most valuable airline currencies and incredible partners, making it a great choice for going all-in on accumulating bonus miles.
- American Airlines (Chrome extension): The AA portal generally offers some solid earning rates, particularly during promotions. Plus, you can earn Loyalty Points to inch closer to American elite status when shopping online.
- Delta Air Lines (Chrome extension): In addition to one of the least-valuable major airline currencies, Delta SkyMiles Shopping seems to have consistently lower rates than the other airline portals. So, I'd only recommend it if you really need extra Delta miles.
- JetBlue (Firefox add-on): ShopTrue Notify is JetBlue's own browser extension. Versions for other browsers seem like they have disappeared, but the Firefox version is still available. It will automatically notify you if you are on a site where you can earn TrueBlue points.
- Southwest Airlines (Chrome extension): This was one of the first airlines to launch a shopping portal browser extension back in October 2017. And yes, bonus points earned through the shopping portal go toward Companion Pass qualification.
- United Airlines (Chrome extension): United launched its browser extension in March 2018 and has since racked up an impressive 70,000 users.
Related: Why I'm focusing on the American Airlines shopping portal this year
Cash-back portals
While you can get a lot of value from airline miles, cash back is still king for a lot of shoppers. Here are some of my favorite cash-back portals with browser extensions:
- Rakuten — formerly Ebates (Chrome extension, Firefox add-on): Rakuten quickly became my favorite cash-back portal in February 2019 when new members could start earning Membership Rewards points instead of just cash back. Then, it later let all members opt into earning points instead of cash. Plus, Rakuten consistently runs some of the best promotions.
- TopCashback (Chrome extension, Firefox add-on): This portal has an extensive list of over 4,000 partner stores where you can earn cash back and has a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox.
- Mr. Rebates (Chrome extension, Firefox add-on): The website looks like it hails from the early 2000s, but it typically offers solid everyday cash-back earnings. And despite its older look, it has extensions to help remind you when you can be earning cash back on a website.
- Ibotta (Chrome extension, Firefox add-on): Ibotta provides cash back when you shop at hundreds of stores through its app. Ibotta also has an app that allows you to shop in-store. The minimum amount to redeem rewards is $20.
- Honey (Chrome extension, Firefox add-on): This is a popular cash-back portal that is also part of the PayPal network. Honey will automatically search for coupons and apply them when it's time for you to check out.
- Amazon Assistant (Chrome extension, Firefox add-on): This will send you notifications for the deal of the day and new deals on Amazon, plus compare prices as you shop online. It will also show you the best price available on Amazon and recommend similar products.
Other cash-back portals include:
- BeFrugal: Chrome extension and Firefox add-on.
- GoCashBack: Chrome extension.
- Lemoney: Chrome extension.
- RebatesMe: Chrome extension.
Aggregators
Aggregators are a great place to look if you just want the best return, regardless of whether it's cash back, airline miles or credit card portal points.
Cashback Monitor: This is my go-to for figuring out which airline, bank or cash-back portal is paying out the highest rate when I'm ready to buy something online. While it doesn't have an extension, Cashback Monitor has a handy JavaScript link that Chrome, Firefox and Safari users can bookmark to manually check the payout rates for a particular website.
Bottom line
Shopping portals are an easy way to save money. Using portals with browser extensions is great if you want to take the hassle out of searching for rewards or frequently forget to search for them.
Related: Use online shopping portals to maximize your online shopping
Additional reporting by Jordyn Fields and Ryan Smith.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.