Credit card rewards have skyrocketed over the last few years, and consumers have absolutely loved it. Whether they’re partial to cash back or miles and points, millions of Americans have jumped at the chance to gobble up big sign-up bonuses, and banks have been more than happy to feed their appetites.
But rewards aren’t just about sign-up bonuses.
Sure, that’s how you make the biggest splash with rewards, but good rewards junkies are always seeking an advantage — a way to get the most out of their everyday spending to turbocharge their credit card rewards. There are plenty of opportunities out there to do just that.
Here are a few ways you might not have thought about to get more bang for your credit card reward buck.
[See: 8 Ways to Maximize Your Credit Card Rewards.]
Credit card issuer shopping portals. Many of the nation’s biggest banks offer websites through which cardholders can shop at select merchants and earn far more than the normal return on their credit card spending.
For example, Chase’s Ultimate Rewards shopping portal is offering eight points per dollar spent at Nike and a whopping 16 points per dollar at Omaha Steaks through June 18 as a Father’s Day shopping special.
Meanwhile, Citi’s Bonus Cash Center offers cash back at more than 400 online stores, including 20 percent cash back on online education site Lynda.com, 10 percent back at flower retailers, such as 1800flowers.com and ProFlowers.com, and 5 percent at Saks.com, The North Face, Under Armour and more. That’s in addition to 3 percent at Macys.com and 2 percent at both Walgreens and Walmart.
Unsure whether your bank offers a shopping portal? Visit your issuer’s website or just call the 1-800 number on the back of your card and ask.
[See: 10 Easy Ways to Pay Off Debt.]
Third-party rewards sites and apps. The issuers’ sites aren’t the only ones offering rewards boosts. Here are a few third-party sites that stand out.
— RewardsNetwork.com allows you earn points just for dining out. You effectively double-dip on purchases, getting miles or points from the restaurant, as well as the miles or points you’d already earn from your card issuer. Just enroll your credit cards, and whenever you eat at a participating restaurant, you get automatic credit to your designated airline or hotel loyalty program account.
— CreditCards.com’s Wallet app is about making sure you get the most rewards wherever you shop or dine. Confused about which card is the best to use at the gas station or the grocery store? Just put in your current card information and Wallet’s advanced algorithm we will be able to tell you which of your cards is the best one to use based on where you are.
— Rocketmiles ramps up the rewards you get for each hotel stay. Simply enroll, connect a loyalty program to your account, book your hotel stays through RocketMiles.com, and you can get extra rewards points. Of course, just how much you earn will vary, but the calculator on the front page of its website says that if you take just three trips in a year, and they’re each three nights long, you can earn an extra 27,000 miles through Rocketmiles. (One important caveat: It’s still important to shop around before you book your hotel stay. The last thing anyone should ever do is overspend to get credit card rewards, regardless of how lucrative those rewards might be. Otherwise, you’re just asking for trouble.)
Smart purchases to take advantage of bonus categories. Many Americans like their cash-back rewards to be as simple as possible. They want a set-it-and-forget-it card that will give them the same rewards whenever and wherever they spend. That’s not for everyone, though, and that’s why many cards offer different cash-back returns for purchases in different types of places. For example, the Chase Freedom card is offering 5 percent cash back on purchases at grocery stores or drugstores through the end of the month, while Discover is offering 5 percent back on purchases at home improvement stores and wholesale clubs until the end of the month.
That may seem limiting. After all, there’s only so much you’re going to spend at those types of stores during a certain timeframe. However, with some extra forethought, you can get some extra bang for your buck. For example, buy gift cards for Walmart, Target or a favorite restaurant from the grocery store or wholesale club during that 5 percent bonus window, and you’ll essentially be getting 5 percent cash back for what you spend at those stores. Just make sure that you use the gift cards at places you regularly visit anyway. Otherwise, you could end up overspending just to get a 5 percent break, which isn’t wise.
[Read: 4 Credit Card Rewards Perks to Drool Over.]
The bottom line. There are countless sites and apps out there offering deals to folks who want to ramp up their rewards earnings. They can all be tempting and many of them can give rewards junkies a real advantage, but it’s important to remember that not all deal sites are created equal. For every legitimate site out there, there may be many more disreputable ones that are simply looking to get a hold of your credit card information or loyalty program information. Be cautious, trust your gut if you get a sketchy feeling about a site, and above all, treat your credit card and debit card information like it is gold because that’s what it is to fraudsters.
More from U.S. News
10 Completely Careless Credit Card Mistakes You’re Making
9 Ways to Save When Holiday Shopping With Credit Cards
What to Do If You’ve Fallen (Way) Behind on Your Credit Card Payments
How to Turbocharge Your Credit Card Rewards originally appeared on usnews.com
