A Beginner’s Guide to Airline Shopping Portals: How to Earn Rewards Points and Miles

Newcomers to the world of points and miles often think that the only way to earn loyalty with an airline is to fly frequently or use co-branded airline credit cards.

There are many other ways to earn points and miles, and one of the easiest is through online shopping portal. Shopping portals reward you with points and miles (and status in some cases) without ever leaving your home.

Shopping portals help increase your points and miles along with airline and credit card points and offer opportunities double dip or even triple dip. While there are shopping portals that offer cashback and hotel points, this article will focus specifically on airline shopping portals.

Related: Airline vs. Hotel Dining Rewards Programs: Which One is Best for You?

What is an online shopping portal?

Online shopping portals allow you to earn reward points and airline miles by shopping at various online retailers. These rewards are in addition to the points or airline miles you would normally earn when you pay for purchases with rewards credit card.

Points and miles can be earned whether you make small purchases like ordering photos or large purchases like buying a new car. MacBook Laptop. A real-world example is when ordering everyday essentials like contact lenses. For example, American AAdvantage eShopping is offering 4 miles for every dollar spent at 1-800-Contact.

Let’s say you spend $500 a year on contacts. Here’s how much you could earn:

• $500 with 2 miles per dollar spent daily with Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card equal to 1,000 Capital One Miles ($18.50 based on TPG July 2024 valuation).
• $500 at 4 miles per dollar spent on 1-800-Contacts through the American Airlines shopping portal equates to 2,000 AAdvantage miles (worth $31 based on TPG valuations), which also counts as Loyalty points to help you reach the next status level.

Now, you’ve gone 3,000 miles by saving time and pre-ordering contacts.

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How to use the airline shopping portal

Here’s how to optimize your purchases through these portals to maximize your earnings.

Step 1: Choose an airline

All major airlines have shopping portals, so it’s important to choose the airline you fly with most often. You can check out our latest pricing to find the most valuable miles. Also, as mentioned, American AAdvantage online purchases earn eligible Loyalty Points, as well as redeemable miles.

Most carriers only credit points or miles that can be redeemed for purchases on shopping portals, so you may want to use American to earn AAdvantage Elite Status.

Here are some of the most popular airline shopping portals:

Step 2: Sign up for the airline’s loyalty program

Before you can earn points or miles, you need to have an account with your chosen airline. Setting up an account is a simple and important step in the process. Once you do, you can log in to the shopping portal using your loyalty account information.

Step 3: Shop via link

To earn points or miles on purchases, start at your favorite portal and search for the store where you want to shop.

Clicking on a merchant’s name will take you to that merchant’s page in the shopping portal, where you can see more details about the rewards offered (rewards change frequently) and any discounts available. Then, click “Buy Now” to go to the merchant’s website and make your purchase.

Step 4: Download the browser extension (if you want)

A shopping portal extension is a browser add-on or plug-in that allows users to easily activate rewards when shopping online. By downloading the plug-in, you will be notified via a pop-up if the site you are shopping at offers points or miles. All you have to do is click “Activate.”

These extensions often provide a more seamless shopping experience, allowing users to take advantage of bonus offers and earn rewards when making online purchases without having to visit a shopping portal first.

Whether you use the extension or go directly through the portal, it can take a few weeks for points or miles to be credited to your frequent flyer account, depending on the portal.

• If using a plug-in, activate points or miles when prompted to ensure you don’t miss out on earning points or miles.
• Once you visit the shopping portal website, click on the provided link and make a purchase on the opened page. Avoid leaving and coming back later as this may deactivate the bonus.
• Enable cookies in your browser for the retailer’s website. This will allow the portal to track your purchases and reward you.
• Only use promotions or promo codes listed on the portal, as using other programs may disqualify the purchase from earning reward points or miles.
• Consider using one shopping portal synthesis alike Refund screen to compare earning rates across different portals. This allows you to quickly determine which portal offers the best returns for the particular retailer you are shopping at.

These tips can help you maximize your rewards and ensure a smooth shopping experience through shopping portals.

Online shopping portals are an easy way for all types of travelers and online shoppers to increase their points and miles. You can start earning bonus rewards without credit card approval. If you have travel rewards credit cardsThis is the perfect opportunity to make the most of it and maximize your rewards.