Shopping Your Way to Points, Miles & Cash

Credit card sign-up bonuses are your new best friend. But similar to anything or anyone you spend too much time with, credit card sign-up bonuses can get on your nerves and make you not want to hang out with them anymore… So if this happens than perhaps it is time to switch it up and earn points, miles and cash back in a different way! So say hello to your new second best friend, Shopping Portals!

Do you shop online? Of course you do! With one easy step you can earn valuable points, miles, and even cash back on each dollar you spend, sometimes at 10 to 20 times your actual spending (this is in addition to the points you get for the normal spending)! In the points and miles game (and in everyday life really) it is important to get the most value out of each dollar spent, and this a great way to ensure that you achieve that! Just go through a specific airline, hotel, or cash back shopping portal, click the site where you want to shop and then shop and buy like normal! I listed shopping portals as my #1 Non-Credit Card Earning Option in my previous post, but now I am back to help you put it nto action!

Here is a step-by-step guide for those unfamiliar to the process:

Step 1: Visit the Shopping Portal associated with the reward program of your choice (I will use my favorite cash back portal as an example, Ebates!):

Step 2: Log In or “Enroll Now” in the program and link your loyalty account:

Step 3: Search for the Stores/Offers of your choice, utilizing the Search Bar or by browsing some of the top offers listed on the home screen:

Step 4: Click on the link to the store:

You should see a screen like this logging your visit:

Step 5: Online shop as you normally would!

A couple things to note:

• When using coupons in addition to the portal, make sure to read the terms of the portal bonus, as most will say that use of coupon codes (not listed on the portal site) will invalidate the portal bonus.
• Always start with an empty cart to ensure that your purchases are logged and you get credit for all the items purchased
• Returned items will result in the shopping portals clawing back the bonus points/miles
• Make sure to keep track of what you are owed and file a claim if you do not receive the points/miles as promised

I have found that the Ebates (and a similar site TopCashback) has the largest variety of stores and in addition has some awesome referral bonuses that they offer if you get your friends to sign up too! Here are my referral links for both Ebates and TopCashback if you are interested!

Other Portals I Frequently Utilize:

In addition to the Ebates Shopping Portal, I have been able to earn some valuable points and miles through the Southwest Rapid Rewards Portal and AA Shopping Portal:

Points and Miles Portals like Southwest Rapid Rewards Portal and American Airlines Shopping Portal operate in the same way as the Ebates and TopCashback cash back sites but rather than cash back for purchases they offer a points and miles back! I have found that these sites have even more stores than the points/miles portals and in addition have some awesome referral bonuses that they offer if you get your friends to sign up too! Here are my referral links for both Ebates and TopCashback if you are interested!

So is one extra step worth thousands of points and miles and/or hundreds of dollars in cash back? Not a trick question, the answer is yes! Get out there and shop your way to your travel dreams!

If you have any questions or comments or would like some advice on how to build these methods into your overall earning strategy then leave a comment or send an email to accountingyourpoints@yahoo.com.

DW