It’s no secret that shopping portals are an easy way to earn extra rewards when shopping online.
But since so many loyalty programs offer shopping portals, it’s hard to know which portal has the best earning rate for a particular purchase without checking each portal individually. Fortunately, there are several popular shopping portal aggregators that can help.
Searching for your retailer in the shopping portal aggregator will show you the revenue rates of different shopping portals. You can then begin your purchase through the shopping portal that makes the most sense for you.
Today we’re going to look at how to use the shopping portal aggregator to maximize your rewards.
What is a shopping portal aggregator?
Shopping Portal Aggregator collects and displays online shopping portals and their current earning rates for popular retailers. Most of the shopping portal aggregators also highlight some online shopping portal promotions on their home page.
Related to: A Beginner’s Guide to Airline Shopping Portals
Which shopping portal aggregator is the best?
I use Cashback Monitor to compare shopping portal returns, but some TPG employees prefer Evreward. The sites basically work the same.
If you use Google Chrome, another option is to download an extension for a shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Comparison. These extensions use the URL of the website you are browsing to find and compare prices on the website’s online shopping portal.
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Related. How do I earn rewards in 5 different ways when I book on Hotels.com?
How can I use the shopping portal aggregator site?
To access the shopping portal aggregator website, visit the website and enter the name of the seller you wish to shop with. You can then quickly compare your potential earning rates across various online shopping portals.
Once you have decided which online shopping portal you used, click on the name of the portal which will take you to the online shopping portal website. Here you can log in, confirm earning rates and check the fine print for exclusions. After you start shopping, you can complete your purchase.
Related to: The best credit cards for online shopping
Why should I use a shopping portal aggregator?
Shopping portals can help you generate diversified points and miles. For example, a Delta Air Lines flyer can use the American Airlines AAdvantage shopping portal to purchase Viator. After all, American’s AAdvantage had this merchant’s best return on airline miles when we updated this story.
You may also have multiple loyalty programs where you are ready to earn rewards through shopping portals. And as you can see in the example above, some earning rates may temporarily increase. Also, not all trading portals cooperate with every seller.
Starting with a shopping portal aggregator when you’re ready to shop online can help you find the best portal to use for your preferred retailer.
Related: How can 1 Chrome plug-in earn you extra points or cash?
How to decide which online shopping portal to use?
Once you’ve used the shopping portal aggregator to compare offers, you’ll need to decide which online shopping portal to use.
We recommend using our monthly evaluations to see which plan provides the highest income. But you also need to consider your personal preferences. For example, you can use Rakuten to earn American Express points, as American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable rewards. And of course, the American Airlines shopping portal is a popular choice because it allows you to earn loyalty points toward American Airlines elite status.
Regardless, be sure to read the fine print for each vendor. For example, some portals may earn “up to” a certain percentage or exclude certain types of purchases.
Related. How I use cash, not just points and miles, to meet my travel goals
Bottom line
If you are not committed to just one shopping portal, it is worth starting with an online shopping portal aggregator.
Of course, the rewards you earn through online shopping portals go beyond what you’ll earn from your credit card purchases. So when you combine online shopping portals with one of the best credit cards for online shopping, you can earn more points and miles by double dipping.
Additional reporting by Liz Hund and Kyle Olsen.