🧭 How We Maximize Every Dollar: Our Favorite Points-Earning Hacks

If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram and wondered how people are flying business class to Europe or staying in five-star hotels without spending a fortune — we’re here to let you in on a secret: it’s not magic. It’s points. ✨

And while earning points might sound complicated, there are a few simple strategies that can dramatically boost how many you collect — without spending more than you already do. Over time, those extra points can translate into free flights, luxury stays, and bucket-list adventures.

Here are the tried-and-true hacks we use every day to stretch our points farther and make every purchase count.

💻 1. Use Shopping Portals — Your Secret Multiplier

One of the easiest and most powerful ways to supercharge your points is by using online shopping portals. Think of these as bonus layers that sit on top of your regular credit card earnings.

Here’s how they work:

• Say your credit card earns 2× points per dollar on every purchase.

• If you go through a portal before you shop — like the Chase Shopping Portal — you might earn an additional 2× to 10× points on top of that.

• That means you could walk away with up to 12× points for something you were going to buy anyway.

🧠 Pro Tip: These bonus rates change daily based on merchant promotions, so make it a habit to check the portal before any online purchase.

Some of our favorite portals:

• Shop Through Chase – Often offers 2×–15× points with major retailers.

• Capital One Offers – Available inside your Capital One account if you’re a cardholder. This is not the same as Capital One Shopping — it lets you earn miles or points directly when you click through and pay with your Capital One card.

• Capital One Shopping – A free browser extension anyone can use, but it only earns cash back, not points. It’s a great option if you don’t have a Capital One account.

• Rakuten – Lets you choose between cash back or earning Amex Membership Rewards.

• American Airlines eShopping – Perfect if you’re trying to build up AA miles, which are often harder to earn.

✈️ Why it matters: Those extra points compound. A few hundred here and there add up to thousands over a year — enough for free flights or hotel nights.

🔄 2. Stack Your Rewards for Maximum Impact

Once you’re comfortable with portals, the next level is stacking — layering multiple bonuses on the same purchase.

Here’s what that looks like in action:

1. Use a card that earns bonus points in a specific category (like groceries or travel).

2. Make the purchase through a shopping portal for additional points.

3. If possible, use a card that has a quarterly bonus category.

💡 Example:A while back, our Chase Freedom card offered 5× points on pet supplies. We ordered dog food from Chewy through Rakuten, which added another 7×. That one purchase earned 12× points per dollar — for dog food we needed anyway!

🧠 3. Focus on One or Two Portals to Avoid Decision Fatigue

When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the different portals, bonuses, and options. Our best advice? Keep it simple.

Pick one or two portals and use them consistently. This helps you:

• Learn how they work

• Spot bonus opportunities more easily

• Avoid the “analysis paralysis” that can lead to missed points

  
  

Our go-tos:

• Capital One Offers – Because of their large partner list and the ability to earn miles or points directly (as long as you’re a Capital One cardholder).

• Rakuten – Because we love converting cashback into valuable AmEx points.

  
  

⚠️ Heads up: If you install browser extensions, remember that Capital One Shopping and Rakuten will compete if both are active. We stick to one extension at a time.

🧾 4. Use Receipt-Scanning Apps Like Fetch for “Found Points”

Not every points hack is about credit cards and portals. Some are super low-effort — like scanning your receipts.

Our favorite: Fetch.

Here’s how it works:

• Snap a quick photo of your receipts (paper or digital) after every purchase.

• Earn points for each scan.

• Redeem points for gift cards to your favorite stores, restaurants, or travel platforms.

It’s not a huge points generator — but it only takes 10 seconds per receipt, and those rewards add up over time. Think of it as “found money.”

🧠 5. Change a Few Habits for Big Gains

When we started, the hardest part wasn’t learning the tools — it was changing how we shopped. A few small tweaks made a huge difference in how many points we earn:

• 🛍️ Shop less on Amazon. It’s tough to find strong portal bonuses there. If possible, buy directly from brand websites that participate in portals.

• 🔎 Check portals before every purchase. Even small buys can earn multipliers.

• 🧠 Use the right card for the right purchase. If your card offers 3× on dining, don’t use a 1× card at restaurants.

• ✈️ Prioritize harder-to-earn currencies. Airline miles (like AA) are often worth more effort.

⚠️ Affiliate Disclosure

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and sign up, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products and services we genuinely use and love.

✈️ Ready to start maximizing your everyday spending?

• Sign up for Rakuten here

• Activate Capital One Offers in your account

• Try Fetch here

Your future self at the airport lounge will thank you.

💬 We’d love to hear from you!

• Which portal or app do you use most to earn points?

• Have you discovered any stacking tricks that work particularly well?

• Do you have a favorite “found points” hack we haven’t mentioned?

Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read every single one and love learning new hacks from our community!

Ciao for Now! 🍷