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Get your wallet ready — it's that time again with the holidays right around the corner.
By
Craig Joseph
July 5, 2023
Get your wallet ready — it's that time again with the holidays right around the corner. An estimated 91% of Americans will celebrate in some form this holiday season, a November 2022 report from the National Retail Federation shows. And for most people, celebration means spending. According to a September 2022 study by the Deloitte Center for Industry Insights, the average consumer plans to shell out $1,455 on holiday expenses this year, including food, travel and gifts. And by taking a few extra steps when you're shopping, you can rev up your rewards earnings every time you use your credit card. If you're thinking the holidays are stressful enough without jumping through hoops to earn a few extra rewards, here's the good news: It's not as hard as you think. Taking just one or two steps can add meaningful extra value to your shopping budget. Here are six strategic moves to turbocharge your credit card rewards this holiday season.
Credit card issuers often offer piles of points or cash back when you open a card. But the catch is that you'll need to spend a certain amount of money on the card within a set time frame to earn that welcome offer. Holiday shopping season can be the perfect time to knock out that spending requirement and earn a hefty bonus on a new card. If that new credit card earns cash back, those bonus funds can help stretch your holiday budget. Some popular cards offer new cardholders $200 once the spending requirements are met. If your new card bonus earns a nice stash of travel rewards, those can offset future travel costs. Now that’s something to celebrate
Ditching the crowded stores this year? According to Deloitte's study, 63% of holiday shoppers plan to make most of their purchases online. If you’re one of them, shopping portals (also called bonus malls) can be an easy way to rake in additional miles, points or cash back on top of the regular rewards your credit card earns. A shopping portal is a website that provides an incentive of cash back, points or miles if you click through its links to shop on a retailer's site. The portal receives commissions from retailers, including many major brands, and then shares a portion with you when you buy through its link. Many airlines and hotel brands have shopping portals, as do many major credit card issuers. Log in to the portal you want to use, find the merchant you want to shop with and click through their link. Shop and check out with that merchant's site as normal. Though it might take a few extra clicks, once your purchase is verified by the portal, the extra rewards will be deposited into your account automatically. This verification can take a few weeks or, less frequently, months.
Similar to shopping portals that provide a bonus for online purchases, several mobile apps provide bonus points or cash back for in-person purchases. For example, apps like Rakuten, Dosh, and Swagbucks offer bonus rewards for shopping at hundreds of stores. Download the app, enter your credit card details and use that card to complete your in-store purchase. The app tracks your purchase, and bonus rewards will generally be deposited into your account within a few weeks. Many of these apps require you to reach a minimum threshold before you can cash out your rewards.
