The last few months of the year are the busiest shopping time, and I don’t want you to miss the chance to maximize your points-earning because you’d be leaving real money on the table.
I am shopping for new appliances to update my kitchen, so I am looking at a few websites to see who’s got the best pricing and what the cash-back offers might be while also planning to maximize my points-earning on the purchase.
One of the easiest and most overlooked ways to earn extra points and miles is to use shopping portals or browser extensions when you shop online. Basically, most airlines, hotels and credit card companies have portals where you can register, and when you shop online and click their affiliate link, you will earn a certain number of miles or dollars deposited back into your account.
The most important thing to note here is that this is in addition to the points or miles that you earn on your credit card for that transaction. For my online shopping, I’m using my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to earn an additional 2 miles per dollar spent (and for its shopping protections, but more on that later).
I do most of my online shopping through the American Airlines AAdvantage shopping portal because I no longer have credit cards that earn points that can be transferred to AA, and AA miles are very hard for me to earn. Shopping through the portal also earns Loyalty Points, which count toward elite status.
However, if you like earning American Express points, shopping through Rakuten is often the best bet. For a particular retailer, it might say 2% or 3% cash back is being offered, but if you have your Rakuten account set up to receive that cash back as Amex points, then that means you’ll receive it as 2 or 3 Amex points per dollar spent. Check out our guide to shopping portals to learn more.
Rakuten is offering new members the opportunity to earn $30 by signing up via a referral link and spending at least $30 with participating retailers (the offer is subject to change at any time). You can also receive referral bonuses for yourself if you refer friends.
One note of caution — if you purchase anything on final sale and the retailer won’t let you return the item, be sure to check your credit card purchase protections. I recently purchased some clothes, and because it was a final sale, I couldn’t return what didn’t work out. But because I used my Venture X Rewards, the 90-day purchase protection kicked in, and I will not lose money on the transaction.
If you shop at Amazon, it doesn’t participate in any of these shopping portals with cash-back rewards, but I highly recommend checking out the new no-annual-fee Prime Visa. New applicants (and Prime users) who are approved will receive a $150 gift card instantly upon approval — and 7% back with no-rush shipping on eligible items on Tuesday and Wednesday during Prime Big Deal Days.
Have a great weekend,
BK
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