Holiday Shopping? The Magic of "Stacking" Rewards

 

Are you leaving free travel points on the table every time you shop online? Let me introduce you to a game-changing strategy that'll have you earning rewards like a pro!

What is a Shopping Marketplace?

Think of an online shopping marketplace like a digital mall that rewards you for shopping through their platform. Instead of going directly to a retailer's website, you can earn bonus points by taking a quick detour through these clever portals.

The Magic of "Stacking" Rewards

Here's where it gets exciting: you can potentially earn multiple layers of rewards on a single purchase. Imagine turning your everyday shopping into a ticket for your next vacation!

How It Works:

1. Check Cashback Options: Before buying anything, visit cashbackmonitor.com
2. Compare Marketplace Rewards: See which portal offers the most points. Most airlines, hotels and banks have portals, but the number of points you can earn varies. 
3. Click Through the Marketplace: Log in and access the retailer's site
4. Use Your Rewards Credit Card: Double or even triple your point earnings!

Real-World Example: Walmart Shopping

Let's break down a typical scenario:

• You want to make a purchase on Walmart.com 
• Check cashbackmonitor.com
• Chase Freedom Marketplace offers 4x points
• Your credit card adds 1-2x points
• Total: Up to 5x points on a single purchase!

Pro Tip: Your Free Vacation Starts Here

By strategically routing your online purchases, you're not just shopping—you're building a travel fund. Every click could be bringing you closer to your dream destination.

So before you hit that "buy" button, take a moment to maximize those rewards. Your future self (lounging on a beach) will thank you! 🌴✈️💳

If you need more help, feel free to schedule a 1:1 coaching session with me or enroll in my travel coaching program. Both are super affordable and will help you be successful in traveling for almost FREE. 

Remember Your Amex Offers On Black Friday

We already talked about using shopping portals for extra savings and miles during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Now let's talk about stacking offers by using the right credit card for your purchase. 
Some credit cards offer additional bonuses like these from American Express. 
If you log into your American Express card online and scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see a list of Amex offers like these. They rotate and range from a few bucks off to some huge savings. 

You need to activate the offer before you make the purchase and then American Express will issue a statement credit. Of course, you will make your purchase through a portal, but you will use this Amex card to double dip. 

Chase Freedom offers rotating categories. This quarter, you get 5% cash back at Costco, department stores and Chase Pay. 
If you are a Target shopper, then the Red Card always gives 5% back and if you shop at Amazon, then the Amazon card also always gives 5% cash back. 
So before you make any purchases this week, do some homework and it could end up saving you some big bucks! 

Two Shopping Portal Promotions End This Week

 

Two shopping portal promotions ending this week, one from American Airlines and one from United Airlines. If you need a few miles to top off your account or if you need some activity on your American Airlines account, then you might want to take a look. 

United Airlines miles never expire, however, American Airlines miles expire after just 18 months of no activity. Shopping portals are a great way to show activity on your account and reset your expiration date. 

Two Shopping Portal Promotions End This Week

Right now, both promotions are the same. Spend $150 and get 500 miles, spend $300 and get 1,000 miles. You do not have to spend the entire amount on one purchase. You just need to spend the total by the promotion end date. 

If you don't know how shopping portals work, check out this post. Shopping portals are a great way to earn airline miles and points without actually flying. Many of your favorite retailers are listed on the marketplace and may have different offers on each portal. I use cashbackmonitor.com to see the offers in one place. Stacking offers can make shopping portals even more lucrative. 

The American Airlines promotion ends Jan. 20th. 

The United Airlines promotion ends Jan. 19th. 

The Ultimate Guide to Maximizing Miles Through Shopping Portals!

 

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are already popping up! So if you have your eye on something, now might be the best time to press that purchase button to get the best deal. 

But be sure that you are getting the most points and miles for each purchase. 

Not only can you get the points for the purchase, but you can also get bonus points. 

We have put together the ultimate guide to maximizing miles through shopping portals to help you get that next trip for free. 

You can think of a shopping portal like a marketplace. All of the retailers are listed on one website and when you access the retailer through the marketplace, you are rewarded with extra points or miles. These are IN ADDITION to the points you get for the purchase. We call this "stacking"

1. Before you buy anything, check cashbackmonitor.com. This website lists every retail store and which portals it is listed on so you can choose the best option for you. You click through to the portal from cashbackmonitor.com

Depending on your strategy, you may pick one portal over another. 

• if you need to top off an account
• you have points that are expiring and you need some activity
• you are trying to earn enough points for a specific trip 

There are a lot of reasons to pick one portal over another. 

My go-to portal is the Chase Ultimate Rewards since I can transfer those points to dozens of different airlines, hotels, use them in the travel center or pay myself back. Points earned in the Southwest shopping portal count towards the Companion Pass. 

Sometimes the portals will offer bonus points too so if I saw a great bonus offer in another portal, I would head there. 

You can click on the portal out of cashback monitor and log in from there. Some of the portals require a separate login from your regular airline mile account. 

Then make your purchase just like you would normally. The portal will track your purchase and a few days later you will get an email letting you know that your purchase is being tracked. 

Now one more thing before you push the button to make that purchase and after you click through to a shopping portal, be sure you use the right credit card. If you have a Chase FREEDOM FLEX card, then check your bonus categories. If the store you are making a purchase from is listed, then use that credit card to get the bonus on top of the portal bonus. For example, Q4 2023 bonus categories include Paypal. Can you use Paypal to pay for this purchase? Many retailers offer the option, then do it and collect 5x bonus points on top of the portal points. 

If not, is the retailer an office supply store? If so, use your Chase Ink credit card to earn 5x points and so on. Amazing and happy shopping!