How to Maximize Points with Shopping Portals and Credit Card Bonuses
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When it comes to maximizing your points and miles for travel, you might be overlooking one of the easiest ways to boost your balance: online shopping portals. These tools have helped us earn extra rewards for purchases our family is already making, and when used strategically, they can be a significant points earning strategy.
Read on for my comprehensive guide on how online shopping portals work, why they’re valuable for families, some of our favorite shopping portals, and how you can use them to supercharge your points-earning game.
What Are Online Shopping Portals?
Online shopping portals are websites that partner with retailers to offer cashback or points/miles for purchases. Instead of shopping directly at your favorite retailer’s website, you start your purchase through a portal, which tracks your transaction and rewards you accordingly.
For example: If a shopping portal offers 3 points per dollar at Macy’s, and you spend $100, you’ll earn 300 points on top of any points your credit card earns via a category multiplier. This is called “stacking” since you are earning rewards from more than one source on a single purchase.
Why Are Shopping Portals Valuable?
- Double Dip on Rewards: You’ll earn rewards from the shopping portal and your credit card.
- Stackable Deals: Combine shopping portal rewards with sales, promo codes, and other discounts for maximum value. You can even still use promo codes or coupons at checkout.
- Strategic Points Earning: You can choose portals tied to your preferred loyalty program, like earning Southwest Airlines miles or American Express Membership Rewards points.
- Minimal Effort: Most portals are user-friendly, and you’re simply adding one extra step to your shopping routine by logging into that site and clicking over to where you want to shop.
Compare Your Offers Before You Shop
If you’re serious about earning points and miles from your everyday online shopping, SaveWise should be your first stop. This free tool compares all the major shopping portals we’ll review here — like Rakuten, Alaska Mileage Plan, American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping, and more — to show you which one is offering the best bonus right now.
Instead of guessing which portal will give you the most points, SaveWise lays it all out in seconds. Just search for the store where you plan to shop, and you’ll see the current cash back or miles rates across multiple portals. SaveWise also offers a paid premium version where you can see offer history to help time your shopping to when points or cashback offers are highest. CashbackMonitor.com also offers a similar offer comparison tool without the upgraded offer history option.
Popular Online Shopping Portals (and Our Favorites!)
1. Airline Shopping Portals
Airlines like Delta, United, Southwest, American Airlines, and more have their own portals where you can earn miles:
- Example: Spend $150 at Macy’s via the American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping portal offering 5 miles per dollar, and you’ll rack up 750 miles.
- Best For: Travelers working toward a specific airline redemption. Since we now live nearest to an American Airlines hub, we use the AAdvantage Shopping portal often, including the browser extension.
2. Credit Card Rewards Portals
Card issuers like Chase, American Express, and Capital One also offer shopping portals where you can earn additional rewards:
- Example: Use the Chase portal to earn bonus points at stores like Apple, Sephora, or Walmart.
- Best For: Maximizing transferable points programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards. We love earning Chase Ultimate Rewards and find them so valuable, especially for booking Hyatt stays, so this is another go-to strategy for us.
3. Cashback Portals
If you prefer cashback over travel points or you love American Express or Bilt, portals like Rakuten (formerly Ebates) or TopCashback are excellent options:
- Example: Rakuten lets you earn Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt points instead of cashback when linked to your account. You must be a current Amex card holder to earn Amex points, but you do not have to be a Bilt cardholder to earn Bilt points. Both allow you to transfer points to hotels and airlines for nearly free travel.
- Best For: Flexible rewards that can either offset expenses or fund your travel plans. I’ve been using Rakuten for years, previously to earn cashback, but I recently switched it over to earning Memership Rewards.
Pro tip: While there is the option to stack with credit card bonuses and category multipliers, you can typically only shop through one shopping portal at a time. Clicking on one and then clicking on another will typically deactivate the first one you clicked on.
Maximizing Points with Credit Card Linked Offers
Shopping portals are an easy and rewarding way to earn extra points, but you can further boost your earnings by activating credit card linked offers. These bonuses are tied to specific categories, promotions, or rotating offers that can make your online purchases even more rewarding by using the specific card the offer is on. Here’s how to activate your offers and make the most of both shopping portals and credit card rewards.
How to Activate Offers on Your Credit Cards
1. Check Your Credit Card’s Website or App
Most credit card issuers make it easy to activate offers directly through their website or mobile app:
- Log into Your Account: Start by logging into your credit card account either through the website or the mobile app.
- Look for Promotions or Offers: On the dashboard, look for a section related to rewards or bonuses. This may be labeled as “Earn More,” “Bonus Categories,” or “Special Offers.”
- Activate the Offer: Once you’ve found the available bonuses or categories, there should be a button or link to activate the offer. Some issuers, like Chase, even offer the ability to activate rotating categories for each quarter.
Example: Chase Freedom Flex offers rotating 5% cashback on specific categories each quarter (like groceries or dining). To activate, go to the “Rewards” section in your Chase account, select the current quarter’s offer, and click to activate. If you hold a Chase Ultimate Rewards earning card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can also turn your cashback from the Chase Freedom Flex into points.
If you want an easy way to activate all of your card linked offers at once, CardPointers‘ browser plug-in offers this capability.
2. Check Your Card’s Offers Page
Some credit cards provide detailed information about their rewards program through a separate “Rewards” section or tab. For example, the American Express Membership Rewards program has a dedicated portal where cardholders can review available promotions and activate specific bonuses.
- Look for Special Categories: These might include extra points for certain purchases, such as travel bookings or grocery shopping, or even at certain retailers.
- Activate in Advance: Most rewards bonuses must be activated in advance of a purchase. For instance, one of my cards was recently offering 5x points back at CVS, but I had to activate that offer in my bank’s website before I ran by card at CVS.
3. Sign Up for Alerts and Email Notifications
To make sure you never miss an opportunity to activate a bonus, sign up for email alerts or push notifications from your credit card issuer. Many issuers send out notifications when new offers or promotions become available. These reminders can help you stay on top of activation deadlines. All of the credit cards I hold send me emails multiple times a month to let me know what bonuses are available, but it is on you to go in and activate them.
4. Monitor for Targeted Offers
Some credit cards may also have targeted offers based on your spending habits. These offers are often personalized and can give you additional rewards on specific categories like online shopping or gas purchases. Be sure to check your account regularly to spot these special offers.
- Log In Regularly: Even if you don’t see any obvious promotions, check your account frequently for updates or bonus offers.
- Activate as Soon as Possible: Targeted offers may expire after a certain time frame, so activating them as soon as you see them is crucial.
5. Track Your Bonus Categories and Rewards
Once you’ve activated any rewards bonuses, it’s important to keep track of which categories are active, and for how long. Some credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, allow you to track your progress in earning rewards within specific categories right from the account dashboard.
How to Use Online Shopping Portals and Credit Card Bonuses Strategically
1. Compare Offers Across Portals and Cards
Not all shopping portals offer the same rewards for the same retailer. By comparing offers across multiple portals, you can ensure you’re getting the highest rate possible.
2. Combine Shopping Portals and Credit Card Offers
Maximize your points by pairing your shopping portal purchase with a credit card that offers bonus points for online shopping or specific retailers.
Example: Use Rakuten for 6% cashback or (6x Membership Rewards) at Instacart and a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred 3x on online groceries, combined with Chase card linked offer of 5x back at Instacart.
3. Take Advantage of Portal Bonuses
Shopping portals often have special promotions that offer extra miles or cashback after you meet a minimum spend within a set period. These promotions can be a great way to get bonus rewards on top of your regular earnings.
Example: “Earn 500 bonus United miles after spending $200 through the shopping portal in the next 90 days.” Be on the lookout for these limited-time offers, as they can add significant value to your purchases.
4. Bookmark Your Favorite Portals and Set Reminders
It’s easy to forget to use a portal before making a purchase, but there are ways to keep it top of mind. Bookmark your favorite shopping portals or install browser extensions that remind you to use a portal before checking out. For example, Rakuten offers extensions that automatically alert you if a store is eligible for rewards.
Pro Tips for Staying Organized
1. Use the CardPointers App
Apps like CardPointers track your cards’ best categories and remind you of rewards rates for purchases. Combine this with your portal strategy for ultimate earning potential.
2. Use Browser Extensions
Many portals like Rakuten offer browser extensions that alert you when a store is eligible for rewards. This ensures you never miss an opportunity.
3. Keep Track of Transactions
Use a spreadsheet or note-taking app to track portal purchases and ensure points are credited correctly. Save screenshots of the offers you activated into a folder on your computer or phone. Most portals process rewards correctly within 30-90 days, but it’s good to have the backup if there’s a discrepancy.
Final Thoughts: Earn Points on What You Already Buy
Online shopping portals and credit card linked offers are a simple but powerful way to accumulate way more points and miles with your everyday spending. By strategically using both, you can turn everyday shopping into significant rewards. Whether you’re buying groceries, clothes, or gadgets, those purchases can be converted into your next dream vacation, hotel stay, or other rewards.
With a little planning and the right tools—like apps and browser extensions—you can easily maximize your points earning potential and stay organized. So, next time you’re about to make an online purchase, don’t forget to start at a shopping portal, use your best credit card for that category, and check your credit card’s website for additional offers. The points you earn will add up, and before you know it, you’ll be booking your next family vacation on points and miles.
Please note that this article contains affiliate links, and I may earn a referral commission if you choose to apply through my links. As a small business, these earnings help me to continue to bring you content like this at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
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