Whether you’re new to the world of award travel or a seasoned pro, the ultimate goal is to maximize every dollar you spend to maximize your earnings. However, you can still earn points and miles without solely relying on credit card sign-up bonuses and air travel! One way to do this is by using airline shopping portals, which also stack well with other offers and cashback deals.
This guide will teach you how to start earning points and miles without stepping foot on a plane! 😉
What are shopping portals?
Shopping portals are websites that partner with various retailers to offer rewards to shoppers for making purchases through their links. Some of the ones I use frequently are American Airlines, Rapid Rewards, and United Mileage Plus Shopping portals.
Users log in, select a retailer, make a purchase, and earn points, miles, or cash back. Rewards can be redeemed for free flights, hotel stays, and more.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Rakuten owns Cartera, the engine behind many online shopping portals, including AA, United, Rapid Rewards, etc.?
Signing Up:
Many portals now sync with your existing airline or credit card logins. I always recommend signing up for these reward programs early on in your award travel journey. Not only does it establish your accounts, but it can also lead to special sign-up bonuses.
For example, my God Sister signed up for AAdvantage before applying for the Citi AA Platinum card, and once she created her account, we discovered she had a New Member Promotion for a bonus of 3,000 AA miles for completing just one qualifying flight!
To stack shopping portal rewards with credit card sign-up bonuses (SUBs) and cash-back offers, follow these steps:
- Choose the Right Portal:Â Select a shopping portal that offers the highest rewards for the retailer you intend to shop with. My favorite website to do a quick check is Cashbackmonitor.com to compare rewards rates across different portals.
- Maximize Credit Card Rewards: You can use any card to make your purchases, similar to Rakuten so you’d want to use a credit card that offers additional cash back or rewards for purchases at the chosen retailer. This allows you to double or sometimes triple dip on your earnings since you’ll earn rewards from both the shopping portal and your credit card.
- Check for Offers: Before making a purchase, see if your credit card issuer has any special cash back or rewards offers for the retailer. Some issuers provide targeted offers that can stack with portal rewards.
- Complete the Purchase: Click through the shopping portal to the retailer’s website and make your purchase as usual.
- Monitor Rewards and Follow Terms and Conditions: Keep track of the rewards you earn from both the shopping portal and your credit card. Ensure that you follow all terms and conditions for purchasing to avoid any issues with receiving your rewards. These rewards will typically appear in your accounts within a few days to a few weeks after the purchases, but they can take longer.
In conclusion, tapping into airline shopping portals offers a seamless entry point into the world of earning points and miles, without the hassle of credit card approvals.
Furthermore, it’s a way to stack these rewards with credit card SUBs and cash-back offers, allowing you to double and triple dip to maximize your earnings on your everyday purchases!
