I’ve Earned 100,000 Airline Miles Through Everyday Online Shopping — Here’s How

Updated: October 21, 2024, 8:30am CDT

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How To Earn Miles Through Shopping Portals
Which Shopping Portal Should I Use?
How I Earned 100,000+ Miles Through Shopping Portals
Final Thoughts

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Could you use an extra 100,000 or more miles? While getting a new credit card is often the fastest route to earning a large pool of rewards, there’s another, less commonly discussed option.

Over the past few years, I’ve earned over 100,000 miles from online shopping portals, without spending more than I typically would. Here’s a closer look at how I make the most of this underrated way to earn points and miles.

How To Earn Miles Through Shopping Portals

My secret? Online shopping portals. They’re easy to use and are a fantastic way to earn extra points and miles without opening a new credit card.

In fact, most shopping portals work the same way. First, you’ll need to create an account (don’t forget to include your frequent flyer number) and then click through the shopping portal’s website to a participating online retailer before making a purchase.

AAdvantage eshopping portal — I love using the American Airlines shopping portal. Image Credit: AAdvantage eShopping

Hot Tip:

If you use an ad blocker, you should turn it off before making a purchase or use a separate browser without an ad blocker for the orders to track correctly.

Which Shopping Portal Should I Use?

There are tons of shopping portals out there, but the best one will depends on what points or miles you are interested in earning. Here are some of the most popular ones for earning airline miles:

There used to be more options for earning hotel points, but the Wyndham Rewards shopping portal is the only one left.

Of course, you could also earn transferable points through shopping portals. You earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points through Shop Through Chase or American Express Membership Rewards through Rakuten (you need to switch your earning preference from cash-back to Amex points).

Although there are plenty of shopping portals out there, I suggest sticking to just one or two to keep things simple. Personally, I almost always use AAdvantage eShopping, as it allows me to earn Loyalty Points toward elite status, along with redeemable AAdvantage miles.

However, if you’re interested in earning the Southwest Companion Pass, you may want to focus on the Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal, since points earned through the portal count toward the coveted pass for BOGO flgihts.

Bottom Line:

The best shopping portal for you will based on your travel patterns, not necessarily the portal offering the best return. If you need more Delta miles, focus on the Delta SkyMiles shopping portal, rather than with another airline.

How I Earned 100,000+ Miles Through Shopping Portals

Over the past few years, I’ve earned well over 100,000 miles through shopping portals. My focus has been on earning American Airlines miles through the AAdvantage eShopping portal.

I like using the AA portal because I find American miles to be incredibly useful since they earn Loyalty Points and redeemable miles. For context, it takes 40,000 Loyalty Points to earn Gold status, which is the lowest elite level in AA’s program. If you were to earn 40,000 Loyalty Points in a year through the online shopping portal, you’ll enjoy status perks without stepping on a plane.

Over 100000 miles through American Airlines shopping — I’ve earned over 100,000 miles through the American Airlines shopping portal. Image Credit: AAdvantage eShopping

In addition to earning through an online shopping portal, make sure to use a rewards credit card for your purchase. Personally, I prefer using a card I’m actively working towards a welcome bonus on. However, I’ll always check my Amex Offers or Chase Offers first for potential savings at these retailers, then pay with that card after enrolling in the offers.

Earn Lots of Miles Through Online Shopping

Every time you need to make an online purchase, be sure to go through your favorite shopping portal. You can earn even more points if you have flexibility.

If you’re not particular about where you buy something, you may be able to earn even more points by looking at the shopping portal’s best rates page. For example, let’s say you wanted to send someone flowers. You can look up what stores offer the best rates in that category and then shop through to find the merchant that would earn you the most points.

finding best rate through shopping portal — You can compare rates in a specific category to see which merchants are offering the most miles. Image Credit: AAdvantage eShopping

Another tip is to look at merchants offering a flat rate. It’s often worth making the purchase just for the points.

For example, home delivery meal services like Green Chef or Blue Apron often offer 2,000 to 5,000 points after the first delivery. Since the first month of these types of subscriptions can be very inexpensive, it can be worth it just for the points.

Earlier this year, I paid about $17 for a Blue Apron subscription through Rapid Rewards Shopping to get 3,500 Southwest points — plus I earned 2 meals. According to our points and miles valuations, those 3,500 points are worth about $45, so it was a great deal to get the points and 2 meals for less than half that.

Blue Apron points through Rapid Rewards shopping — I got 2 Blue Apron meals and 3,5000 Southwest points for less than $20. Image Credit: Rapid Rewards Shopping

I’d also recommend setting up email alerts for your favorite stores. If you have big purchases coming up, you can wait until your favorite store offers extra points or miles.

Hot Tip:

I shop through the American Airlines portal 90% of the time, but I always check CashBackMonitor first to see what portal is offering the most miles, points, or cash-back. This is a great tool, especially if you don’t have a favorite shopping portal and are just looking for the best deal.

Final Thoughts

Using shopping portals is an excellent way to earn lots of miles, points, or cash-back without opening a new credit card. In recent years, I’ve earned a six-figure balance of miles just by doing my regular online shopping through a portal — and even earned my way to elite status by playing my cards right.