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As the calendar year comes to an end, I like to look at the points I’ve earned in the last 12 months, how many and how. Of course, I use credit cards to pay for most of my purchases and earn points on my spending, but sometimes credit card issuers make it extra easy to earn more points. I’d like to share some of the most unexpected ways I’ve earned points or miles this year.
American Express’ Pay Over Time Feature
In the spring, I received an offer from American Express with an option to enroll my Platinum Card in the Pay Over Time feature in exchange for some points. The Platinum Card from American Express is a charge card, which means the balance has to be paid in full every month.
However, Pay Over Time adds more flexibility and allows you to pay your bill like a regular credit card. I don’t actually plan to carry a balance on my card, but I got an easy 10,000 Membership Rewards points simply for enrolling my card.
For a list of American Express cards with benefits like these, head here.
Marriott Rewards NFL Promo
Marriott Rewards has partnered with the National Football League and asks football fans trivia questions on Twitter almost every Sunday during the NFL season. Questions range from “How wide is an NFL football field?” to “How many players can each NFL team have on the field?” Every correct answer equals to 1,000 Marriott Rewards points! No stays, no mattress runs, just free points. By far, this has been one of the easiest ways to earn hotel points from your couch. For another way to earn Marriott hotel points, head here.
Bonus Points on Digital Wallet Transactions with Chase
A couple of months ago, Chase ran a promo for Sapphire-branded credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. You could earn an extra point for every transaction paid via a digital-wallet app, such as Apple Pay, Android Pay, Chase Pay and Samsung Pay. The promo ran for a month, and I tapped my phone everywhere I could just to earn some bonus Ultimate Rewards points with my Card. I even accidentally shut down the payment terminal at a local restaurant because it wasn’t compatible with Samsung Pay. Oops!
Get more information about this card and other travel rewards cards here.
Referral Bonuses
Referral bonuses are my favorite way of earning bonus points, but the opportunities to actually score rewards this way are few and far in between. My friends either have debt or aren’t interested in credit card rewards. However, when people ask questions about the way I can afford to travel, I’m happy to tell them all I know about credit cards. And sometimes their interest is piqued enough to apply for their own rewards card. This year, I’ve scored and 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points by referring my Chase Sapphire Preferred and 20,000 Starpoints by referring my Starwood Preferred Card from American Express.
Targeted Spending Offers
Speaking of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, sometimes after the sign-up bonus is long gone and members don’t swipe their cards as frequently, American Express targets cardholders with everyday spending bonuses. For example, select card members could earn double points on all purchases up to $5,000 during the promotional period. It’s a nice way to pad your Starpoints balance, considering there aren’t enough opportunities to earn double points on that card, so when a chance presents itself, you have to take it.
For a list of American Express cards with benefits like these, head here.
What are some easy ways you’ve scored bonus points on your credit cards this year?
“Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.”
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