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Holiday sales—Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday—are prime opportunities to stretch every dollar. If you plan to shop during these events, use shopping portals to earn extra points, miles or cash back on top of your card rewards.
What shopping portals are and how to use them
Shopping portals are online hubs run by airlines, hotels, card issuers or third parties that pay rewards for purchases at participating retailers. To use one: create or sign in to the portal account, click from the portal to the retailer’s site, and complete the purchase. You’ll earn portal rewards in addition to your credit-card rewards.
Tips to simplify activation:
– Install the portal’s browser extension to get alerts and activate earnings without visiting the portal site.
– Use a shopping-portal aggregator to compare rates across portals before you buy—portal payouts change often.
Popular portals
– Atmos Rewards Shopping (Atmos points for Alaska/Hawaiian)
– American AAdvantage eShopping
– Delta SkyMiles Shopping
– JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping
– Rakuten (cash back, Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt points options)
– Shop Through Chase (Chase Ultimate Rewards)
– Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping
– United MileagePlus Shopping
How to evaluate portal offers
Portal payouts differ widely by retailer and portal. Compare the effective return by valuing the portal currency. Example: if JetBlue offers 9 points per dollar and you value each point at about 1.45 cents, that’s roughly a 13% return. A different portal might offer 2 points per dollar for the same store, so always compare.
Watch for bonus promotions that reward extra points or miles after you hit a cumulative spend threshold during the holiday period—those can make a lower base rate more valuable overall. Some portals also let you earn for in-store purchases if you link and activate a payment card and enroll in in-store offers.
Stacking portals with card offers
Stack portal earnings with your credit-card rewards and targeted card offers (like Amex Offers or Chase Offers) for maximum value. Amex and Chase frequently run merchant-specific credits or discounts that vary by cardholder; log in to your account to see what’s available.
Examples of current targeted Chase Offers (may vary by holder and time):
– Adidas: 10% cash back through Nov. 30 (up to $50)
– Sony Electronics: 5% cash back through Dec. 6 (up to $50)
– Lululemon: 10% back through Dec. 7 (up to $30)
Pick the right credit card
Choosing the best card for each purchase increases value and can add protections such as purchase security or extended warranty. Consider where you spend most and which protections matter. Holiday card picks include:
– Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000/year), then 1%.
– Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: At least 2 miles per dollar on purchases — good when other cards don’t offer category bonuses.
– Prime Visa: Useful for Prime members to earn 5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases.
– Discover it® Cash Back: 5% back on rotating quarterly categories (activation required); currently includes Amazon through Dec. 31.
– Chase Freedom Flex®: 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in rotating categories each quarter; PayPal may be a December bonus category.
– Citi Double Cash® Card: 2% cash back (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay). Some Citi premium cards let you convert cash-back balances to transfer partners for more value.
Bottom line
Shopping portals are an easy way to double- or triple-dip during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Compare portal payouts, value the portal currency, look for holiday bonuses, link in-store offers where possible, and stack portal rewards with credit-card earnings and targeted card offers. Those extra points and miles add up and can help keep your reward balances active.
Featured image credit: FRESHSPLASH/GETTY IMAGES
Editorial disclaimer: The author’s opinions are their own and not those of any bank, card issuer, airline or hotel chain; these organizations have not reviewed or endorsed this content.