The favorite time of the year for the majority is Black Friday. A time of the year where you can save a lot of money and purchase that one item you were waiting for so long. For years, businesses have prolonged Black Friday sales to last a week, or even the whole month of November. Sure, the bargains might save you money, but understanding how to optimize your savings and points-earning along the road is just as crucial.
Make use of an online buying platform
If you’re planning to make an online purchase, the best advice is to go via an online shopping gateway first. These portals will reward you with additional points, miles, or Cashback for purchases you would have made regardless. The most significant aspect is choosing which site to utilize according to whether you like points, miles, or cash back. In fact, many loyalty programs have their own websites where you may pick your preferred airline or credit card program.
Assume you were about to purchase at your favorite clothing store. Instead of going straight to the store’s website, you should first visit one of the shopping sites listed below. Because each portal has a different payment, you may use a shopping portal aggregator like CashbackMonitor.com or Evreward.com to search for the retailer you want and quickly compare the current incentives because payouts fluctuate from day to day and across programs. For example, one site may give 10% cashback while another offers three extra miles for every dollar spent. Assume you’re making a $50 purchase: A site that provides 10% cashback will put an extra $5 in your pocket, while an airline gateway that offers 3x points would earn you an additional 150 miles. So be sure to compare and get the maximum value.
Earn points and miles for your holiday/vacation shopping
Approximately a dozen loyalty programs have their own shopping gateway if you want to earn points or miles for a future trip with a particular airline, hotel, or even train. First, you’ll need to sign up for your preferred portal and connect it to your loyalty account. After logging in, you may search for the store where you wish to shop. You will then be sent to the store’s individual website, where you may shop as usual. If you are not registered in the shopping portal and do not click through to the portal’s store link from there, you will not earn any extra points or miles for using the portal. Here is a list of airline, hotel, and rail loyalty program websites where you may earn points and miles.
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue Shopping.
- Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping.
- American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping.
- Amtrak Guest Rewards Shopping.
- British Airways Shopping.
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Shopping.
- JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping.
- Spirit Airlines Shopping.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping.
- United MileagePlus Shopping.
- Wyndham Rewards Shopping.
Earn points on your holiday expenditures by using a credit card
A few banks offer their own shopping websites, like the airline mentioned above, hotel, and rail programs where you may earn additional points on your purchases. These will earn you points inside the appropriate program, just like conventional credit card spending. You may then redeem your points any way you like, whether for Cash back, via the program’s travel site or by transferring to a partner program.
- Ultimate Rewards from Chase
- Citi’s Bonus Cash Center
- Barclaycard RewardsBoost
- Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards
Get money back on your Gift shopping
If you’d instead have Cashed in your pocket that can, in principle, be used to cut the cost of a specific item, you may choose a cashback shopping web. Each portal will provide a different amount of cashback, so compare the sites. You’ll also notice that some sites pay you back quarterly, but others enable you to seek your money back more often. Here are a some of the actively popular shopping platforms for earning cashback on online purchases:
Utilizing offers given from Amex
Amex Offers are available if you have any American Express credit cards in your wallet. This covers both co-branded cards like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and cards that earn Membership Rewards points like the American Express® Gold Card. Because offers differ from card to card, you’ll need to check in to your Amex account online to see which ones you’re qualified for. If you notice an offer you like, be sure to add it to your card since they might vanish, and some are only available for a short period. Some fascinating Amex Offers that are now available that may save you money or earn you more points on your next Black Friday shopping spree include:
- Spend $115 or more at Madewell and receive $15 back.
- Wayfair: Earn 5 miles for every qualified dollar spent, up to 5,000 miles.
- Spend $50 or more and receive $10 back from Under Armour.
- com: Spend $70 or more and get a $20 credit.
- Spend $40 or more and receive $20 back.
- Spend $150 or more at Levi’s and receive $30 back.
- Shop Black-owned products and earn $15 back if you spend $20 or more for the holidays.
- Aveda: Spend $75 or more and get a $15 credit.
- GoPro: Spend $200 or more and get $40 back.
Each Amex Offer has somewhat different conditions, so read the fine print on each campaign. For example, some deals need the minimum expenditure to be made in a single transaction, whilst others demand cumulative spending. Some discounts are only valid for purchases made online or in-store, so be sure you understand which purchases will result in statement credit. Above all, the most excellent feature of Amex Offers is that they may be used with any other coupon or incentive from an online shopping gateway, enabling you to double- or even triple-dip on your savings.
Chase credit card offers
Chase, like Amex Offers, provides statement credit when you use your registered credit card to make a transaction. To discover which deals are available to you, you must first check in to your Chase account, either online or via the app. Depending on the card you have, the following may be useful to you during the Black Friday season:
- J.Crew: 10% back.
- Zulily: 10% back.
- Shutterfly: 10% back.
- Kindle: 20% back.
- Dell: 5% back.
Find out which card will give you the best value and the most points
Best cards for Amazon
- Discover it® Cash Back: Enroll to earn 5% cashback (on up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases) at Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and Target.com until December 31, 2021. In addition, receive 1% cashback on any other transactions.
- Earn 5% cashback on Amazon purchases with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. In addition, receive 2% cashback in restaurants, petrol stations, and drugstores, and 1% cashback on all other transactions. *
Target RedCardTM is the best card for Target
- Target RedCardTM is offering a 5% discount right now.
Best card for Walmart is Chase Freedom Flex:
- Chase Freedom Flex offers 5% cashback (on up to $1,500 in quarterly spending) at Walmart and PayPal; must activate the offer by December 14, 2021, for purchases through December 31, 2021)
Best wholesale club cards
- S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: 3 points for every dollar spent on mobile wallets.
The best gift cards for department retailers
- American Express Blue Cash Everyday® Card: Earn 2% cashback at U.S. petrol stations and select U.S. department shops.
- Earn up to 2% back on all purchases with the Citi® Double Cash Card – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay.
Best business cards for office supply businesses
Even if you aren’t giving someone a new office chair, keep in mind that many office supply businesses provide third-party gift cards — such as Amazon, Delta, or Disney — that you may send to someone on your Christmas shopping list.
- Ink Business Cash Credit Card: 5% cashback (on up to $25,000 in total expenditure in all 5% cashback categories per card membership year).
Summery
So in conclusion, with black Friday coming up, there will be a lot of discounts and a lot of things for you to buy. But it is best that you get the best value of the sales. So check out the online shopping portals; add the Amex and Chase offers to your credit cards; utilize the cards that provide the most points, miles, or cashback for your purchases; and keep an eye out for cards that have pricing and purchase safeguards.
