How to maximize your purchases for the perfect home office setup
Quick summary
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Due to pandemic, both learning and working is going to be a different experience, with everyone doing it from home. As universities craft their reopening plans for the fall, many students face the realization that most of their classes – if not, all – will be online again.
Over the past four months, I've had to adapt to these changes as a student and as a new hire. As a Class of 2020 graduate, my last month of classes were online and I started my first job virtually. While online learning is a completely different experience than having in-person classes, the right setup can help you have a successful school year.
Use a shopping portal
Before making any purchase, be sure to check shopping portal aggregators like EVReward and CashBackMonitor. Simply search for a merchant and both of these sites will show you offers from a variety of rewards programs.
For example, I searched for Lenovo on EVReward, which aggregated all of the current offers on one page.
If you're in the market for a new laptop or tablet, you'll definitely want to maximize these purchases as they're the most expensive part of your home office setup.
Save cash and save points on Apple purchases
By using a shopping portal when purchasing Apple products, you could earn a minimum of one mile per dollar spent or 1% cash back. Some portals offer better deals than others. For example, British Airways and JetBlue Airways offer 3 Avios or points per dollar, respectively. You're getting upwards of triple the amount of points earned from a rewards card by using a shopping portal. So it's absolutely worth taking a look before checking out.
Keep an eye out for bonuses too – we've even seen limited time offers as high as 7 miles per dollar spent on Apple purchases. To complete your transaction, don't forget to use a travel rewards card to earn even more points.
As a student, you'll also have access to Apple's education pricing, which offers exclusive discounts. This year's deal includes free Airpods (a $159 value) with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad. You can opt for one of the following:
- Airpods with a charging case for free.
- Airpods with a wireless charging case for $40.
- Airpod Pros for $90.
For example, I can get the newest MacBook Pro 13-inch for as low as $1,199. If I then opt to upgrade to the Airpod Pros for just $90 (which retail for $249), my total comes out to roughly $1,300 before tax. Education pricing also offers discounts on accessories and 20% off Apple Care.
Earn TrueBlue points on Apple purchases
As a JetBlue flyer, I could use the TrueBlue Shopping Portal to receive three points per dollar on Apple purchases. I would effectively receive 3,900 TrueBlue points – worth about $50 according to TPG valuations.
If I make the purchase using my Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, I receive 2x miles on all purchases. As a result, I would also receive 2,600 Venture miles from this transaction, worth about $36. With Apple's education pricing, an airline shopping portal AND a travel rewards credit card, I'm getting an amazing value on my Apple products.
If you don't need a new laptop but want to take advantage of Apple's education pricing, I highly recommend purchasing an iPad. Taking notes with my iPad and Apple Pencil was especially helpful during my Zoom classes.
I would also recommend the AirPod Pros in general for maximum productivity, as its noise-canceling abilities helps me focus on my work. While living with roommates who are also on Zoom meetings, my Airpod Pros have been invaluable in reducing background noise. By shopping for Airpod Pros on a shopping portal with the right credit card, you'll also accrue a decent amount of points and miles.
Save on Dell products with Amex
If you're not an Apple fan, there are plenty of other deals to be found. For Amex Membership Rewards cards, you can earn an additional point per dollar spent on Dell.com. Even better, if you're a Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholder you have access to two incredible deals right now. The card comes with up to $200 in annual Dell statement credits for U.S. purchases, every calendar year. However, you can get an additional up to $100 in statement credit through Dec. 31.
In addition, you can earn one extra Membership Rewards point per dollar spent in addition to getting 10% back (up to $1,500) as a statement credit when shopping on Dell.com. Just make sure that your card is enrolled in both of these Amex offers.
In tandem with shopping portals, you can maximize your purchase with bonus miles or cash back.
Dell sells everything from laptops to monitors to printers. If you're in the market for any of these, taking advantage of these Amex offers can help you save money and maximize your purchase at the same time.
Related: How to Maximize Computer Purchases: Points, Credit Card Protections and More
Double up on savings with Amazon
Amazon sells many products that will make your work or remote learning setup a lot cozier. Some of my must-haves include a computer mouse with a mousepad, lumbar support pillow and stress-relief candles. Whatever the purchase may be, you want to make sure you're maximizing these components of your work-from-home setup.
With the Prime Visa, you'll get 5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. While the card has no annual fee, you'll need to have a Prime membership to qualify for it. You can use your rewards for cash back or transfer them to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal to book travel.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Amazon purchases
Bottom line
Furnishing your home office for work or school can be costly, but the rewards can be lucrative. By taking these extra steps before you press "buy", you could be earning cash back and points for future travel.