Another great way to earn more free points is through shopping portals.
Lots of rewards programs have shopping portals. So what are they? Portals are websites where you start your online shopping. They have links to online retailers and by starting with them, you get a bonus, usually in the form of bonus points. It costs you nothing and is completly legit.
So it always benefits you to look at the portals with programs you use when shopping online, especially before making a big purchase.
Here are some links to common portals I use regularly.
- Alaska – Earn Alaska miles
- Chase – Earn Chase Ultimate Awards
- Rakuten – Cash back or Amex Membership Rewards
There are lots more and One Mile at a Time has a great list.
Tips
- Always check a few portals. They might have different benefits and you can choose the one with the best special.
- Compare similar stores and choose the one with the best benefits. For example, if you can shop at either Home Depot or Lowe’s, choose the one with with the best best portal benefits.
- Use in store pickup to buy your items online and get the portal bonus, and still pick up your order the same day at the physical store.
- Configure Rakuten for Amex Membership Rewards
- Be sure you read the browser compatibility requirements. I find Safari on macOS is not well supported by many portals. I Use Chrome for these purposes with good success.