How to Use Shopping Portals to Earn More Points and Miles
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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post..
If you’re looking to travel more without spending more, learning how to earn points and miles is key. One of the easiest and most underrated ways to boost your earnings? Shopping portals.
What Is a Shopping Portal?
A shopping portal (like Rakuten, AAdvantage eShopping, Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping, or TopCashback) is a website that rewards you with bonus points, miles, or cash back for making purchases through their links.
You pay the exact same price as you would by going directly to the retailer. The difference? The portal earns a small commission, and you earn a bonus for clicking through them.
All you have to do is visit the portal, click on the store you want to shop at, and then check out as usual. That’s it.
Why Use Shopping Portals?
Shopping portals let you earn extra rewards without spending extra money. Whether you’re saving up for a big trip or trying to earn a companion pass, portals help you rack up points faster.
Here’s why I love them:
- No credit card sign-ups required
- Earn points on everyday purchases
- Stack rewards with your credit card points
- Easy to use and set up
Real-Life Tip: Curbside Pickup = Extra Points
Something I do all the time: order online and choose curbside pickup. This way, I earn portal points for the purchase—even at brick-and-mortar stores I’d usually shop at in person. Stores like Home Depot, Target, or Lowe’s usually offer this option.
Example: How Nicole Earns Points Fast
Let’s say Nicole is trying to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, which requires 135,000 points.
Instead of shopping in-store, she:
- Orders her DIY project supplies online via the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal
- Earns 2 points per $1 through the portal
- Uses her Southwest credit card to earn 1 point per $1
- Selects in-store pickup at Home Depot
Boom — 3 points per $1 without spending anything extra.
What’s the Best Shopping Portal to Use?
It depends on your goals:
- Fly American? Use the AAdvantage eShopping portal
- Prefer cash back? Try Rakuten or TopCashback
- Loyal to Southwest? Stick with the Southwest Shopping Portal
- Earn flexible points through Capital One Shopping Portal, Chase Shopping Portal, or switch your Rakuten account from cashback to earning Membership Rewards
Personally, I like to keep it simple and use just 3–4 portals to avoid analysis paralysis.
Right now, my go-tos are:
- Southwest Shopping
- Rakuten
- AAdvantage eShopping
This year alone, I’ve earned almost 24,000 AA miles in six months just by shopping like normal.
Pro Tip: Make Shopping Portals Effortless
To make this as easy as possible, install the Chrome browser extension for the portal you use most. It’ll automatically pop up when you visit a participating retailer and prompt you to activate your bonus.
Stores like:
- Walmart
- Lowe’s
- Sam’s Club
- Under Armour
…are all portal-friendly.
Take It to the Next Level
Want to go HAM?
Use CashBackMonitor.com to compare reward rates across all shopping portals. That way, you’ll always get the highest return per dollar, whether that’s in cash back, points, or miles.
Final Thoughts: Earn More Without Doing More
If you’re already shopping online, why not earn extra rewards every time?
By using online shopping portals, choosing curbside pickup, and keeping your portal choices simple, you can maximize your travel rewards with minimal effort.
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
I found out about points and miles accidentally.
I was researching index funds and happened upon the points and miles community through creators who also post about budgets, financial independence, and investing.
Points and miles allowed those people to travel and work toward financial independence simultaneously.
Thank goodness I got started when I did. The past almost two years of travel have been something we will never forget.
Earning points and miles through credit cards is only a good choice if you have the financial discipline to use them, like cash/debit cards.
Since we started traveling with points and miles, we have had more money going into our investment and savings accounts than ever.
Now I'm excited to teach you!
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