One of the easiest way to earn more points on everyday purchases, aside from credit cards, is to use a shopping portal. Now is an especially ideal time because so many shopping portals are offering increased rewards. Not only will you often earn at least 1 extra mile per $1 spent (though I tend to get 5 miles per $1 at my favorite retailers), but you may even be eligible for spending bonuses. For example, at the moment the Alaska MileagePlan Shopping Portal is offering up to 1,500 bonus bonus miles for spending $300. It’s totally worth it to opt in for notifications from shopping portals, in case deals like this show up.
That being said, the most important part of using shopping portals is getting the highest payouts. With hundreds of portals out there, checking them all is not feasible. Luckily, you don’t have to do that. There are shopping portal aggregators that will search for the highest payouts for you.
All you have to do is type in the merchant name and you’ll get a list of portals and their payout rates. I check multiple aggregators, just because I find occasionally one will feature a portal that another does not. Here are the four aggregators I check to make sure I’m earning the highest shopping portal payouts possible:
Cashback Monitor
What I like about Cashback Monitor is how they list the top 50 most viewed merchants on their home page. This is actually helpful because a lot of times I don’t have to type the merchant name in. I often find them right on that page, along with the highest payout rate. Unfortunately, this list only includes cash back. To see rewards program payouts, you’ll need to click on the merchant. But again, what’s so useful is how the information is laid out. There are four columns displaying Cashback, Travel Miles/Points, Credit Card Points, and Other Rewards Points. This makes it easy to compare the rates easily and make a decision quickly.
Cashbackholic
Despite the name, Cashbackholic displays all kinds of rewards portal payout rates – not just cash back. I find sometimes that Cashback Monitor isn’t always 100% accurate or updated on time. Cashbackholic tends to be pretty up to date. Of course, I’m not crazy about how they list shopping portal payouts. It starts with cash back portals (highest to lowest), followed by rewards portals. But it’s not always done in order of highest to lowest, or categorized by type of reward. It can be annoying to swift through.
EvReward
EvReward doesn’t list quite as many shopping portals as the other two, but I use it if I’m primarily looking for points/miles rewards. Plus, I like how they often list deals from Visa checkout while highlighting lucrative coupon codes.
Jewel
Jewel is a shopping portal I recently discovered that doesn’t show up in the aggregator lists yet. It focuses on high-end/luxury brands but it’s nothing outrageous. In my experience, they often have payouts that are higher than what you’ll find at other cash back portals. If you find any great offers, you can get a $5 credit for signing up with my referral link.
That’s pretty much how I make sure I’m earning the most shopping portal rewards possible. I do my research and go with the rewards that I most value and need at the moment. Again, it’s important to opt in for deal alerts in case there are bonus point offers for meeting certain spending thresholds. Plus, some portals (Alaska) offer rewards for in-store purchases, which is pretty nice!
Which shopping portal aggregator do you use to ensure the highest payouts?
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