Looking to start holiday shopping earlier this year? With Black Friday sales starting weeks before the actual day itself you may be planning to start shopping early. Here’s 5 ways to maximize your miles and points this Holiday Season!
5: Avoid Redeeming Points for Gift Cards
Redeeming points for Gift Cards is always poor value. For most gift card redemptions, you will top out at 1 cents per points. This creates poor value and if you do plan on using points for gift cards do this instead.
The Alternative:
If you have a credit card that allows you to erase charges ala redeeming points at 1 cents per point to cover charges, try buying discounted gift cards on sites such as Slide,Raise or Rakuten Gift Cards. Both sites often have gift cards at 3-5% off with occasional increases, allowing you so save some points and get a better redemption value.
Other Read: Do This and Not That: Travel Credit Card Edition
4: Track historic prices of Items you are looking to buy
Many companies raise prices ahead of Black Friday to create the perception of a deep discount. If you have an idea of the items you are specifically looking to purchase, try tracking the historic prices ahead of time to get a better feel of what is truly a good deal. There are plenty of apps and websites that assist with price tracking!
3: Always try to shop online using a shopping portal
Deep discounts aren’t only at stores. During the hectic holiday season, shopping portals often offer increased earning rates. This could add a nice bonus and cherry on top for your holiday shopping! During the hectic holiday season, Rakuten tends to offer increased cash back bonuses including upwards of 10% at almost every store on Black Friday. In years past, I was able to rack up upwards of 15,000 points thanks to these bonuses. As a rule of thumb, some exclusions might apply but it’s always better to use the portal when you’re unsure.
Pro Tip: Cashback Monitor is a excellent resource for Comparing shopping portal earnings rates
2: Look for Credit Card offers (Simply Miles, Amex Offers, Chase Offers, ETC)
Credit card companies are becoming increasingly savvy. What originally began with American Express as credit card linked offers can now be found amongst most of the major credit card issuers. Amex and Chase offers can help you save a nice chunk of money in the form of statement credits, cash back, or give you bonus point earnings.
1: Get a NEW credit card with a nice signup bonus
Not everyone has ways to manufacture spend to quickly meet that $4,000 or $6,000 sign up bonus. Grabbing a new card with a high minimum spend requirement during holiday shopping season might give you a boost. Whether you’re buying gifts for loved ones or planning a holiday getaway, the increased spend can provide a nice boost for meeting minimum spend requirements.
