Buying Stuff
How to get the most miles for the buck you are going to spend anyway.
First, if I can't make a deal for a cash discount, I always use a credit card that gives me frequent flyer miles whenever I can. Next, I receive extra miles for using the services below. And sometimes, using gift certificates, I can triple dip. (See the GiftCertificates.com section to see how this can works.)
Shop On Line
Never go directly to a store's on line shopping web site. Always check to see if that store is listed with one of the on line shopping portals below. The portal gives miles or cash back, and you usually are offered the same price.Find the best portal
Cash Back Portals
Airline Shopping Portals
Hotel and Amtrak Shopping Portals
Other Miles Earning Shopping Portals. Some of these often give the best deals. Don't miss reading about them.
Trick to Earn Miles Using “Pick Up in Store”. Usually if you order something online through an airline or cash back shopping portal, you pay shipping charges. But many stores will give you the miles or cash bonus and not charge you for shipping if you ship to your local store.
- Ca$hback Monitor. Lists cash back and miles and points for online purchases. But it misses a few.
- WebFlyer Mileage Mall Search . Search by mall, merchant, or category. Powered by evreward.
- Cash back portals often have minimums you must earn before they will give you your money.
- Cash back portals often charge a fee to give you your money.
- Both cash back and miles portals will often delay crediting payment or miles for up to several months to accommodate merchants' return period. None will pay you until they are paid.
- Some of the cash back programs also show coupon codes for discounts from the merchant. These offers usually are not listed on the cross reference website I list above. Serious shoppers must check with each cash back program to find these discounts.
- Cash back portals often have referral programs by which you can earn money for referring people who then actually purchase something through the portal, at no cost to the person referred.
- For any type of portal, you must first log in to get credit, then click to the merchant via the links within the portal, and then complete your order before going to any other website. Don't shop elsewhere until you have completed your order.
- Giving Assistant
- Often the best rebate rates. They say that 60% of the time they offer the highest cash back rates.
- Gives a portion of its profits to charity.
- All payments via PayPal, debit card, or check. The fastest is debit card when it is working. PayPal can have a delay of up to 2 months, and check up to 4 months.
- You can shop by store or category.
- $5/referral, after the person you refer spends $5 via Giving Assistant.
- Please use this link to sign up. This will help me at no cost to you. Thanks.
- TopCashBack
- Often the best rebate rates.
- Very good rebates for Amazon purchases in select categories. Up to 8% as of November 2, 2014.
- Especially good is the travel section. Ten pages of popular merchants are listed. I found discounts of up to 15%
- All payments via ACH, PayPal, or Amazon gift card (with a 2.5% bonus).
- Payments upon your request - 1 cent minimum.
- You can shop by store or category.
- $10/referral, after the person you refer spends $10 via topcashback.
- Matches competitors cash back rebates subject to a few simple terms and conditions. Cash Back rates will be matched when offered by the following Cash Back websites; Befrugal, Ebates, Extrabux, Fat Wallet, Mr Rebates and shopathome.
- Please use this link to sign up. This will get you a $5 bonus (after a mimimum spend, usually $5 or $10) and help me at no cost to you. Thanks.
- Mr. Rebates
- $10 minimum to receive payment.
- No fee for payment that I can see.
- Payments monthly by check or PayPal, when you request it.
- Referral program.
- You can shop by store, category, or specific product.
- Please use this link to sign up. Also, please be sure that 1737.pgary.website@earthlink.net appears in the Referral Email Address box near the bottom of the form. This will help me at no cost to you. Thanks.
- Rakuten
- $10 cash or 3,000 American Express Rewards points for joining and making at least $25 in purchases within the first 90 days.
- $5 or 500 Membership Rewards points minimum to receive payment.
- No fee for payment that I can see.
- Payments quarterly by check or PayPal, or to your American Express Rewards account, when you request it.
- Referral program.
- You can shop by store, category, or specific product.
- Please use this link to sign up for a cash back account. For the American Express type account, please first click on my referral link, which gets you to the cash type account and puts a cookie on your computer saying I referred you, then on this link to the American Express Membership Rewards type account. This should get you signed up for the Amex type account and hopefully give me a referral credit at no cost to you. Also, please be sure that 1737.pgary.website@earthlink.net appears in the Referral Email Address box near the bottom of the form. This will help me at no cost to you. Thanks.
- BeFrugal.com
- $10 Sign Up Bonus
- Rebates for purchases (they say average 7%), plus an extensive listing of coupons.
- $25 minimum to receive payment.
- No fee for payment that I can see.
- Payments by check or PayPal, when you request it.
- Referral program - $5/referral, or $10/referral if 3 or more referrals. Referral payments are processed once/quarter.
- Please use this link to sign up. This will help me at no cost to you, even if you buy nothing. Thanks.
- Great Canadian Rebates
- For Canadian shoppers only.
- Referral program.
- $3 minimum for payout.
- Cash Back Rebates are paid every two months by cheque or can be directly deposited into your PayPal account.
- Swagbucks
Given that you can use the points from Swagbucks to acquire Amazon.com gift cards, cash credit to PayPal, or gift cards for a large number of merchants, sometimes the Swagbucks shopping portal is a good deal. For example, it lists Amazon.com as one of its merchants, but for only certain categories of purchases which change each month. Click on my link above to read about this excellent program and the many ways you can very easily earn points "Bucks" for doing almost nothing.
- Amazon.com:
- If you have the excellent Ink Bold® Business Card or the Ink Plus® Business Card, you can earn 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points/$1 spent at Amazon buy buying its gift cards at an office supply store like Office Depot, OfficeMax, or Staples.
- Amazon.com gift cards can be purchased at Walgreens and probably other drug stores. Useful if your cash back credit card category for this quarter includes same.
- topcashback lists Amazon.com. Up to 8.5% cash back in select categories as of November 7, 2015.
- Mr. Rebates lists Amazon.com. 3% cash back on October 30, 2014.
- Amazon.com is listed in the shopping section of Swagbucks. Points are awarded for purchases in certain Amazon departments which change each month. On March 22, 2018,, 5 points/$1 were offered, which is equivalent to 5.68% if you use the points to purchase the $25 Amazon gift card. Swagbucks is my favorite program for earning cash for doing easy things, though not necessarily for shopping.
- MyPoints now lists Amazon.com on its shopping portal. Points are given for purchases in certain Amazon departments, which change each month. Points from MyPoints can get you miles on United Airlines, points from Marriott, or gift certificates from a very large number of merchants. First join MyPoints (for a possible bonus), then go to MyPoints.com and put Amazon.com in the search field, and then click on SEARCH MYPOINTS. Clicking on numerous emails from MyPoints gets you very easy points which add up quickly for awards. It is my favorite Miles for Clicking program.
- Cash back to Tamalpais High School from Amazon.com. I retired as a math teacher from Tamalpais High school more years ago than I care to admit. Apparently the school has a rather amazing deal wherein it receives 10% of the amount you purchase (all purchases and not just the books!). As a former math teacher, I do hope there is not a decimal point error there. But if you have no better way to shop at Amazon, this method is well worth doing. Tam High is a very good school.
- Sierra Club. Cash back to Sierra Club from Amazon.com. Various chapters of the Sierra Club have can earn a bit of money if you shop Amazon.com through their links, at no extra cost to you. in my younger days I led Sierra Club backpacking and hiking trips for 25 years, so this cause is near to my heart.
- San Francisco Bay Chapter Sierra Club: Info. Link.
- Please send me info and direct links to Amazon.com from other Sierra Club chapters. Thanks.
- Amazon.com will donate 0.5% of the value of your purchase to your choice of a very large number of charities. Just shop through AmazonSmile.
"Once you've logged in to the mall via the airline's website, you need to make sure to start and finish shopping in the same window if you wish to collect miles. If you open another window to comparison shop, or go to another site and then come back, you may lose your connection with the mileage mall and forfeit your chance to earn miles. When in doubt, re-enter the online store through the airline's site before adding items to your shopping cart, so you can be certain that your frequent flier number was captured and you'll be eligible for miles."
-
Join SimplyMiles™ to earn American Airlines miles on purchases from your favorite brands. Open to all American Airlines AAdvantage® members with a Mastercard®. Best I can tell, these extra miles are in addition to those you would normally earn from the American Airline shopping portal.
- Shopping bonus: 500 bonus miles when you spend $200+ at the American Airlines shopping portal through April 15, 2024.
- 1,000 miles for installing the American Airlines shopping button and spending $25. Currently for Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome only, but that might change in the future.
- Register your American Airlines credit card or any other Mastercard with the American Airlines SimplyMiles program to earn extra miles for purchases for purchases on that card at certain retailers.
- GiftCertificates.com is one of the merchants listed here. Incredibly, you can buy a gift certificate from GiftCertificates.com for American Airlines here, thus providing a wonderful opportunity to triple dip. See my writeup above on how to do this.
- Retail and Gifts page. If my link to this doesn't work, go to www.aa.com, then in the left menu hover over AAdvantage > Partners & Mileage Programs, and click on Retail and Gifts.
- AAdvantage eShopping mall Canada.
- 1,000 miles for installing the Delta Airlines shopping button and spending $25. Currently for Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome only, but that might change in the future.
- GiftCertificates.com is listed as one of Delta's vendors. See my writeup above on how to use these certificates to triple dip on miles.
- Delta's website lists other shopping offers and bonuses:
- Delta has a shopping portal in Japan.
United Airlines Mileage Plus Shopping
Southwest Airlines
JetBlue.
Shopping bonus: 500 bonus miles when you spend $100+ at the United
The ChoicePrivileges Mall offers Choice Hotels points for purchases. Points convert to miles on many airlines. GiftCertificates.com is one of the merchants listed here. See my writeup below on how to use these certificates to triple dip on miles. You may read about the ChoicePrivileges program in the Points to Miles, esp. Hotels, section of my Other Programs I Like page.
The Marriott Rewards Mall offers Marriott Rewards points for purchases. Points convert to miles on many airlines. GiftCertificates.com is one of the merchants listed here. See my writeup below on how to use these certificates to triple dip on miles.
Marriott has a shopping app and toolbar. View from the Wing explains.
Wyndham Hotel's Wyndham Rewards has a shop online page featuring a few familiar merchants. Points vary, but are not impressive. Probably you could do better most anywhere else.
- Amtrak's Earn Points for Purchases page lists some additional merchants offering Amtrak points for purchases.
All of the Miles for Clicking programs, described in the Click for Miles, Money, and Good Causes section of this web site offer points for shopping. MyPoints is particularly good.
Here is a way to earn miles in two and possibly three places for one purchase. It is also a way to receive the most miles for your purchase for some vendors.
- Find GiftCertificates.com on a shopping portal that offers miles. Andrew Cram's RewardsDB.com maintains a pretty good list of these portals, so I will no longer maintain a list here. Often the miles you earn here will exceed the miles you would receive by shopping directly through a portal.
- Buy a gift certificate for yourself from them for the vendor from which you want to buy something. (This Flyertalk thread indicates there is now a $2 charge for electronic certificates, so this process will no longer be cost effective for small denomination certificates.)
- Find that vendor on a portal that offers miles and buy, using your gift certificate. (A reader tell me that there is no reason why this portal can't be the same one through which you bought the gift certificate.) It is possible, but not a sure bet, that you will receive miles from the portal, also.
- And of course, use your mileage producing credit card to make the purchase.
- If you go though the right shopping portal, you can buy gift certificates for varioius hotel chains. Log into your favorite miles or points producing portal listing GiftCertificates.com, buy a gift certificate for a hotel stay at one of these properties, then use it for a stay. Earn miles or points for buying the certificate, using your credit card to do so, and for the stay itself.
- Earn 5,000 bonus miles or 10,000 points when you spend $1,000 each calendar quarter.
Newspaper and Magazine Subscriptions
Newspapers are now starting to offer miles for subscriptions, and you can buy both newspapers and magazines with miles, which could be a good use of orphan miles about to expire. I will list the offers I know about, but I rely on your with your local knowledge to tell me about the offers, especially from newspapers in your area. Links, phone numbers, and/or offer codes appreciated. Thanks.
Miles for a $1 subscription to the Wall Street Journal. Be sure to read the terms and conditions to know when to mark your calendar to cancel the subscription before it converts to a fully paid 1 year one. Up to 1,000 miles from a selection of airlines as of May 26, 2019.
Up to 2,000 miles from a selection of airlines for a $12 subscription to the Economist. Remember that you must time the cancellation properly, and that it appears that you must pay the full $12. Please tell me when this offer is gone. Thanks.
Automobile Purchase and Services
When I bought my Subaru Forester in 1999, I found many programs that offered mega-miles for buying through their referral services and for obtaining a loan for that purchase. However, none of them gave me a price that close enough to the lowest price I could find to make them worthwhile. Maybe you can be more lucky. Or perhaps you could negotiate a lower price or lower loan rate by offering to give up the miles. In April, 2002, a sales manager for a VW dealer told me that the 10,000 miles offered by the United Airlines program cost her $400. Wow! So offer $400 less to forgo the miles. See my section on Value of Miles to see why the 10,000 miles are nowhere near worth $400.When I purchased the VW, I was able to put a substantial part of the price on my mileage producing credit card. I asked to do this after I negotiated the price, of course.
Please tell me about any particularly good miles producing auto buying, loan, or services programs you find. Thanks.
Note: Automobile loans and insurance offers can be found on my Finance page.
VIVEDSEATS offers 3+ American Airlines miles/$1 spent on sports and performing arts tickets. Compare to the miles offers from other ticket agencies.
Audience Rewards offers United Airlines Miles or Amtrak points for purchase of performing arts events in an increasing number of cities. Sometimes you can use miles or points to purchase those tickets.
Tickmaster: Earn 1 Delta Airlines SkyMile per dollar spent at Ticketmaster.
Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture offers 1 Air Canada mile/$2 spent.
- RewardsDb maintains a list of these.
- Webflyer lists them within its Mileage Mall > Groceries & Specialty Foods page. Click on that page and do a word seach on "wine".
I intend to list non-portal offers, especially those offering bonus miles or points for sign-up.
Minimum price per bottle seems to be around $10 plus shipping. I have no idea if the prices are competitive. I refuse to learn to be a wine connoisseur - too expensive. I would never pay $10 for a bottle of wine. Bulk wine tastes fine to me.
Laithwait's Wine offers miles or points for joining any of its wine clubs. A reader writes "Laithwait's wine is a British owned company and have offered VERY good quality wines for over 40 years, mainly specializing in Bordeaux wines. They only recently in past few years operate in USA."
- Laithwait's Wine offers 2,000 bonus Southwest Airlines points and $100 savings on 12 wines.
- Laithwaits Wine offers 3,000 jetBlue True Blue points for first purchase, plus 5 points per additional $1 spent.
Vinesse Wine Clubs offers miles or points for joining any of its wine clubs.
- Caution: Gary Leff of View from the Wing considers himself to be somewhat of a wine connoisseur. He hates the wines offered by Vinesse. However, a reader writes
Now I may not be as much of a connoisseur as Gary Leff, but I would consider myself somewhat knowledgeable [enough to know that most 'mom and pop' package stores sell garbage.] Although I prefer Laithwaites selections there is nothing wrong with Vinesse wines. Those who complain about the selections are snobs. Unless Gary got a bad couple of wines I have no idea why he would not like them, unless he only drinks bottles costing more than $100 each. I wonder whether your link to his comments puts people off trying what are good wines at a reasonable prices even without the benefit of airline miles.
- A reader warns:
Please warn your fans that the Vinesse wine club initial offer of ca. $43 for box of six wines will be followed by box of 6 for $146 (!). While the wines are good, they are definitely not worth in excess of $20/bottle. They might want to go to vinesse.com and chat about cancelling their accounts.
- I have no experience with Vinesse.
- American Airlines:
- Earn 2,000 miles with your first shipment, 3,000 miles with your second shipment, plus earn 5 miles per dollar spent with every shipment thereafter. Ends November 10, 2020, but if it is still online, ask.
- Beware of shipping charges - $9.99, plus 17% - 30% in certain states. In the Terms and Conditions, search on "shipping".
- Caution: In one place the offer says shipping included, but a footnote and the terms and conditions say that a $25 delivery charge plus any applicable taxes and surcharges will be added. Surcharges? Be sure the price is right before you agree to pay it.
- United Airlines: 2,000 miles with your first wine club shipment then 3,000 miles with your second shipment. Also, earn 5 miles/dollar spent
- Special offer for MileagePlus Premier members and MileagePlus Credit Cardmembers: 2,500 miles with your first shipment, 4,000 miles with your second shipment and 7 miles/dollar spent on all other wine club shipments and orders. Also, a 6-piece wine tote in your third shipment. I see no expiration date for this offer. Please tell me when it is gone or changed. Thanks.
- Same offer for everyone, but expires September 30, 2016. If is still online, ask.
- Special offer: Same offer as above, except the wine tote is replaced with a One-time pass to United Club. Valid through December 31, 2014, but if is still online, ask.
- This confusing offer says in one place says you will receive 9,000 miles, and in another place says you will receive 1,500 miles with each 12-bottle American Cellars Wine Club shipment and 5 miles for every dollar spent on all other wine club shipments and orders. Ask. If the 9,000 miles comes in increments of 1,500 miles for each 12 bottles, 108 bottles is a lot of wine. The stated deadline is January 20, 2014, but if it is still online, ask.
- Special offer for MileagePlus Premier members and MileagePlus Credit Cardmembers: 2,500 miles with your first shipment, 4,000 miles with your second shipment and 7 miles/dollar spent on all other wine club shipments and orders. Also, a 6-piece wine tote in your third shipment. I see no expiration date for this offer. Please tell me when it is gone or changed. Thanks.
- Alaska Airlines: 2,000 miles with your first wine club shipment then 3,000 miles with your second shipment. Also, earn 5 miles/dollar spent. Valid through March 23, 2017, but it is online after that, call to ask.
- Delta Airlines: 5 miles/$1 spent
- Special Offer: 2,000 miles with your first wine club shipment then 3,000 miles with your second shipment, and a 5-piece Cellar Master Wine Tote with your third shipment. Offer ends February 28, 2014, but if it is still online after that, ask.
- Special offer: 1,500 miles with each shipment, up to 9,000 miles in the first year of membership. Medallion members get 1,500 extra miles—an extra 500 miles with the first shipment and 1,000 miles with the second shipment. Offer ends July 26, 2015, but if it is still online after that, ask.
- Hawaiian Airlines: 2,000 miles plus 5 miles per dollar spent. 2,000 miles with your first shipment, 3,000 miles with your second shipment and 5 miles for every dollar spent on all other wine club shipments and orders. Offer valid on enrollments to December 31, 2019. If it is still online after that, ask.
- Spirt Airlines: Member will receive 2,000 miles with their first wine club shipment, 3,000 miles with their second wine club shipment and 5 miles miles per dollar spent on all future wine club shipments and orders, excluding delivery and tax. Expires November 18, 2015, but it it is online after that, ask.
- IHG Rewards Club 3,000 Rewards points with IHG with your first shipment, plus earn 10 Rewards points/$1 spend with every shipment thereafter. I see no expiration date for this offer. Ask before buying.
- Hilton HHonors: Earn 4,000 Hilton HHonors™ Bonus Points with your first shipment, 6,000 Bonus Points with your second shipment, plus earn 13 Bonus Points per $1 spent. Good through September 30, 2016, but if is still online after that, ask.
- Best Western Gold Crown Club: Earn 500 points for EVERY enrollment and 20 points/$1 spent. Click on "read more" for details.
- Choice Privileges: Earn 2,500 Choice Privileges points with your first wine club shipment, 3,500 Choice Privileges points with your third wine club shipment plus 7 points per dollar spent on all other shipments and orders. Ends December 31, 2012, but it was still online July 3, 2013. Ask.
- Club Carlson: 5,000 Gold Points with their first shipment, 7,500 Gold Points with their second shipment; a six-piece cellar master wine tote with their third shipment, and 10 Gold Points per dollar spent on all other wine shipments and any wine accessories (excludes shipping, shipping surcharges, and tax). Ends December 31, 2015. If it is still online after that, ask.
- Amtrak:
- 5,500 points, through October 31, 2020.
- 2,000 points through February 28, 2021.
- If these offers are still online after the date I show, ask.
The Hawaiian Wine Club offers 100 Hawaiian Airlines miles for each bottle in your Hawaiian Wine Club shipments.
Virgin Wines offers 2,000 Virgin America Elevate points for joining its Virgin Wines Explorers Club.
- Special offer: 5,000 points
- Special offer: 3,000 points
- Please tell me when these special offers have changed or disappeared. Thanks.
Barclay's Wine Experience, formerly Beverage Bistro offers Amtrak points for joining and purchases.
- Special offer: 1,500 points for the first shipment and 1,000 points for every shipment thereafter.
Quintessentially Wine offers 1,000 Avios just for signing up, 1 Avios point/$1 spentand up to 8,000 bonus Avios on your first purchase (Spend $999 or under and earn 3,000 Avios. Spend $1000 or over and earn 8,000 Avios). The program is for North American residents. The offer expires January 31, 2012, but it was still online May 8, 2014. Ask.
Earn 2,000 United Airlines miles for joining a gym. They have offers from Anytime Fitness, Bally Total Fitness, Curves, 24 Hour Fitness, New York Sports Clubs, and more. I no longer see an expiration date for this offer. Please tell me when it changes or disappears. Thanks.
- 1 Alaska Airlines mile/$3 spent on the purchase of a kayak from them.
- 500 Alaska Airlines miles if you are a current Folding Kayak Adventures customer and you refer a friend who purchases a kayak.
You may read about MyPoints and what it has to do with miles on my Click for Miles, Money, and Good Causes page.
Since the program is free, and its cost is already built into the prices you would pay anyway, there is no reason to not join the program.
There is an ongoing discussion on the Fly buys program on The Australian Frequent Flyer Bulletin Board.