Estimated read time: 3 minutes & 34 seconds

Good morning friends!

A big round of applause for everyone who faced the Sunday Scaries 😵‍💫 and made it to Monday. We’re here to jumpstart your week. 🔌

What we’re covering:

• 🛍️Why you should be using shopping portals while online shopping

Tis’ the season for gift-giving, and I’m sure all those purchases for family & friends are draining our student wallets. No need to worry because we've got some insider tips to make your celebrations merrier. As we gear up for the holiday shopping season it’s time we talk about one of the best ways YOU can maximize your spending: shopping portals.  

What is a shopping portal?

Shopping portals allow you to earn rewards or substantial savings on online purchases with hundreds of participating retailers. These rewards can range anywhere from cashback to bonus points and airline miles. Simply log in to a portal of your choice and select a desired store. You will then be redirected to the retailer’s website where you can shop as you normally would. The only real difference is that you’ll receive bonus points for your online purchases–although this only applies to the purchase subtotal (excluding taxes and fees). Additionally, if you’re using a rewards credit card for purchases you’ll be able to double up on points which further maximizes your rewards. To put it simply, shopping portals help you shop smarter–especially on a student budget.

A quick example:

I was Black Friday shopping on Foot Locker’s website and bought shoes on sale for $59.99. The United MileagePlus Shopping portal was offering 1 mile/$1 so in addition to the discounted price I received 60 points from the purchase. That’s on top of the additional point per $1 earned from my Citi Premier card. Without using the shopping portal, I would’ve missed out on earning those extra miles and I still paid the same price. 

What shopping portal is the best for me? 

Since my home airport, Washington Dulles is a United hub, I generally opt for the United MileagePlus Shopping portal so I earn reward miles that I can use towards redeeming award tickets. However, that’s not to say that’s the best or most popular option. Ultimately, the best option comes down to what works for you and the portal with the best savings and reward offers. 

Types of online shopping portals:

Let’s dive into the different types of shopping portals:

• Airline or Hotel Programs

• Credit Cards

• Cashback 

Airlines or Hotels

Pretty much every major U.S. airline and several hotel programs offer an online shopping portal for their respective reward programs with thousands of retailers. 

Here’s a list of popular U.S. carrier portals:

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Shopping

• American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping

• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Shopping

• JetBlue Airways TrueBlue Shopping

• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Shopping 

• United MileagePlus Shopping  

PRO TIP: It’s always a good habit to check United’s MileagePlus website before shopping to see what in-store offers are available.

Credit Cards: 

Several card issuers offer online shopping portals that allow active cardholders to stack their earnings through cashback or miles redemptions with transfer partners:  

• Capital One Shopping (only cashback)  

• Chase Ultimate Rewards Shopping 

Cashback:

This option offers a certain percentage of cashback to users on purchases made from select online retailers: 

• Rakuten 

Shopping Portal Tips & Reminders

Different shopping portals in each category will frequently incentivize spending at select retailers by running bonuses on points, miles, and cashback. When combined with big sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you can score some insane deals. For example: 

Although you can’t technically use two shopping portals simultaneously, I’ve found ways to strategically pair different ones to ensure I’m maximizing my money. I typically use the Capital One Shopping browser extension first to compare prices with other online retailers, find coupon codes, and then activate the United Mileage portal to earn United miles on my purchases. For example, I ordered an item from J. Crew and used Capital One Shopping to stack an additional 15% off even after already being heavily discounted for Black Friday and earned 48 miles because of the 2 miles per dollar bonus with United. 

Admittedly I don’t always shop online, but when I do I always use a shopping portal to maximize my spending by earning bonus points, miles, cashback, and even save a bit of money. I’m sure it may seem too good to be true, but it’s a win-win-win situation for the retailer, the shopping portal (who takes a cut from the merchant), and YOU.

Will you earn a HUGE sum of points and miles? No, but they certainly add up quickly and can lead to major point-and-mile redemptions on free lodging or flights. 

With that being said, shopping portal rewards are NOT a reason to go overboard on a shopping spree. Be sure to spend responsibly while you’re spreading holiday cheer. 🫡

Happy shopping, and let the holiday savings festivities begin! 🛍️✨

See you next week, 

Dustin Tran

Founder & Content Lead