{"id":8797,"date":"2016-12-02T06:00:40","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=8797"},"modified":"2022-10-27T13:55:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-27T13:55:51","slug":"double-dip-on-rewards-with-online-shopping-portals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/double-dip-on-rewards-with-online-shopping-portals\/","title":{"rendered":"Double Dip on Rewards with Online Shopping Portals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earning points and miles on purchases is the easiest part of rewards travel, earning the highest possible points and miles on our everyday spend, however, is a different story. We can earn rewards for staying at a hotel or taking a flight, paying for dinner and a taxi home with a rewards credit card, or we can earn rewards in bulk when receiving signup bonuses from new credit cards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Transforming our interest in points and miles from a mere hobby into rewards mastery requires we dig deeper, and learn strategies that offer increased returns on every dollar we spend.<\/p>\n

\"Online
Using online shopping portals to maximize rewards is essential to points and miles success<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

The first time a friend mentioned double-dipping when offering me some pointers on rewards, it brought to mind childhood memories of swiping a second helping of ketchup on my half-eaten french fry when my parents had dropped their guard. But when raised in relation to rewards points, double-dipping on points and miles via online shopping portals is one of many strategies that can help us in our quest for rewards travel success.<\/p>\n

Using online shopping portals can help raise rewards earning rates from the base 1 or 2 points per dollar spent on rewards earning cards, supercharging the number of points or miles earned. The double dip is the added cash back, points, or miles we receive from using the shopping portal.<\/p>\n

\"CashbackHolic
CashbackHolic is a deal aggregator to discover the best bonus points deals<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

What Exactly Is an Online Shopping Portal?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Online shopping portals (OSP\u2019s) are referral websites that offer incentives when you use their referral links. By clicking through to the online merchant you intend making a purchase from using a link on the OSP\u2019s website, they make a small commission.<\/p>\n

How does a third-party website offer cash back or rewards when you\u2019re still purchasing direct from the vendor's website?<\/p>\n

The OSP's have agreements in place with each retailer they direct traffic to. When we click on the link in the OSP redirecting us to the online retailer and then make a purchase, the OSP receives a small commission on the sale.<\/p>\n

The cash back, points, or miles we receive is either a portion, or in some cases the total sum, of the commission received by the OSP from the retailer.<\/p>\n

Supercharging Rewards Points and Miles with Online Shopping Portals<\/span><\/h2>\n

OSP's offer several different ways to double dip on rewards and which one we use depends on our individual travel goals.<\/p>\n

Focusing on a transferable currency like Ultimate Rewards, you can shop in the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal and earn bonus Ultimate Rewards points. It\u2019s important to note that the bonus points are in addition to any points you would typically earn on your credit card, hence the double dip.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also an excellent method to help meet minimum spending requirements on cards like the new Ink Business Preferred\u00ae<\/sup> Credit Card<\/a>, essentially bagging points three ways.<\/p>\n

If for example, you hold the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature\u00ae<\/sup> Credit Card<\/a> and shop through Mileage Plan Shopping<\/a>, renewing your anti-virus subscription through AVG would net an additional 9 bonus miles per dollar spent. With the 1 mile\/$1 received for everyday spend on the credit card, that's 10 Alaska miles per dollar.<\/p>\n

We look for a minimum redemption value of roughly 1.6\u00a2\/mile for Alaska miles which gives you approximately 16\u00a2 back on every dollar spent. Most shopping portals also run regular promotions for additional spend. Alaska recently gave members the opportunity to earn 3,000 bonus points<\/a> for $1,500 total spend over roughly two weeks. That would make it a triple-dip!<\/p>\n

By shifting some of your household spending between different rewards-earning credit cards and shopping portals, and taking advantage of regular promotions within loyalty programs, you can earn 2X, 3X, and higher rewards.<\/p>\n

The aim here isn\u2019t to go haring off on radical spending sprees dropping cash on big purchases. It\u2019s to change your everyday spending behavior to maximize the rate of return on the money you would be spending in any case. You can earn bonus points on purchases ranging from new Apple products to WeightWatchers.com and everything in-between by utilizing shopping portals, and all it takes is a small shift in behavior.<\/p>\n

When you start nailing the process down it can milk points from every stage of the purchase.<\/p>\n