Today only: Stack these 3 benefits for $150 back and at least 24% off your next live event
If you've been looking to catch your favorite artist, Broadway show or sports team live, now may be the perfect day to pull the trigger. By stacking perks at StubHub, you could take home an incredible amount of rewards on your purchase.
However, one of those avenues is only available today — so act fast if you want to take advantage of it.
Here's what you need to know.
Rakuten is offering 12% back at StubHub
One of our favorite online shopping portals here at TPG is Rakuten, which allows you to earn extra rewards for shopping online at hundreds of merchants. While many use it for bonus cash back, you could also change your earning preference to American Express Membership Rewards points or Bilt Points (the earning rates convert from 1% back to 1 point per dollar in each currency).
Today only, Rakuten is offering an incredible 12% cash back (or 12 points per dollar spent) on purchases at StubHub. The standard earning rate is just 2%, so this is a notable jump.
And if you're not currently a member of Rakuten, the site is offering a one-time bonus of $50 for new members when you join at this link and spend at least $50 within the first 90 days.
However, there are two other ways to make this purchase even more lucrative.
Stack with Paze and StubHub credit
If you currently have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), you can stack two additional benefits with the elevated earning rate on Rakuten.
The first involves the annual credit of up to $300 for StubHub purchases on the card (up to $150 from January to June and up to $150 from July to December through Dec. 31, 2027; activation required). If you haven't used the second half of the credit this year, simply use your Sapphire Reserve at checkout, and you'll enjoy a statement credit of up to $150.
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve statement credits: What they are and how to use them
But don't just use the Sapphire Reserve. Be sure to consider using Paze as your payment option, as several Chase cards, including the Sapphire Reserve, are currently offering 10 bonus points per dollar spent via Paze (on up to $1,500 in purchases each month), plus a $10 statement credit when using Paze for a purchase of at least $10 (applicable on up to 10 transactions through Sept. 10).
What you'll earn through Paze is in addition to the points you'll earn via Rakuten, and making a StubHub purchase this way will still trigger both statement credits on the card.
I took advantage of this very benefit earlier this month.
So, just how lucrative can this be?
Example ticket purchase
Let's say you wanted to grab a pair of tickets to see "Hamilton" in New York City later this summer. Checking a random date in August, I found two tickets in the front mezzanine for a total of $403.
Here's what you'll get by using the above steps:
- $48.36 back via Rakuten (or 4,836 Amex or Bilt points), plus an extra $50 if you're a new member and join here
- 4,030 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (via Paze)
- 403 Chase points (the base earning rate on the Sapphire Reserve)
- A $150 StubHub statement credit
- A $10 Paze statement credit
In other words, for $243 out of pocket, you're getting two tickets to a Tony Award-winning Broadway show, plus taking home nearly $100 in cash-back rewards and almost 4,500 transferable rewards points.
That's a phenomenal return, especially if you were already planning on buying tickets to an upcoming event.
Even if you don't have the Sapphire Reserve, you can still take advantage of the elevated earning rates with Paze on the following cards:
- Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees)
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees)
In fact, live entertainment is currently one of the quarterly bonus categories on the Freedom Flex, meaning your base earning rate on the StubHub purchase is 5%* — and you'll still get the additional 10 points per dollar by checking out with Paze.
Just note that the additional cash back (or points) from Rakuten won't post right away. The terms indicate that they should post within a week of the event, though I found it took more than a month when I took advantage of a similar deal earlier in the year.
*Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined bonus category purchases; activation required.
Bottom line
There's an incredibly lucrative stacking opportunity available right now for ticket purchases, especially if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You can take home thousands of bonus points or a ton of cash-back rewards by clicking through Rakuten to StubHub and then checking out with Paze. You can also join Rakuten via this link for a one-time $50 bonus (after meeting spending requirements).
But don't wait. The 12% earning rate through Rakuten for StubHub purchases is only around Wednesday, July 15, so lock in those plans before it disappears.