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In the last post, we explored how to snag discounted gift cards from our favorite companies. Typically, we can score these gift cards at 2% to 10% off their face value. In this post, we’ll dive into how you can stack even more savings by using shopping portals (Cashback and Airline Points/Miles).
As we mentioned previously, we had a spirited debate about which topic should come first: discounted gift cards or shopping portals? Ultimately, we decided to lead with discounted gift cards because, by the end of November last year, the inventory was nearly wiped out. We didn’t want you reading about discounted gift cards only to discover that there were few—or none—left to grab!
When we’re ready to make a purchase, we first check out shopping portals to find the best rewards. Then, we buy a discounted gift card for that specific retailer. It’s a simple strategy that adds up to big savings over time.
With that in mind, let’s dive into shopping portals and how they work!
What are they?
At first, we thought shopping portals were a total scam. It wasn’t until we started hearing about them more and more from blogs and podcasts that we finally decided to give them a shot. Of course, now we’re kicking ourselves because we missed out on so much cashback over the years. To give you an idea, we earned $75 in one transaction…
Here’s how it works: there’s something called an affiliate link. Anna and I use them on both our travel-focused YouTube channel, Anna D and Adam (gear link), and our indoor cycling channel, go2spin (gear link). When you click one of these links, it tells Amazon that we sent you. If you buy anything on Amazon within 24 hours (it doesn’t even have to be the item you clicked on), we earn a small commission—usually between 3% and 10% of the product price. At the end of the month, Amazon sends us a check.
Here’s where it gets interesting: some smart people took this affiliate-link model and scaled it up. They created pages filled with affiliate links to hundreds—if not thousands—of retailers. Instead of keeping the entire commission, though, they share a portion of it with you. Typically, you’ll earn 1% to 2% cashback, but we’ve seen as much as 15% back! It’s a win-win for both sides. But it also makes you wonder—if they’re able to give you back 15%, how much are you actually overpaying for that item?
Super nerd/OCD alert… Skip to the Our Favorites section below if you aren’t into squeezing every penny out of every opportunity and would just like an easy option, which is what we primarily use.
The best place to get started/maximize every single purchase, in our opinion, is Cashback Monitor (this isn’t a referral link). Simply type the name of the retailer—like Walmart—into the search bar, and Cashback Monitor will show you all the cashback rates available across various portals, including cashback sites, airline shopping portals, and credit card portals.
In the screenshot above, let’s say cashback is really important to you. Rakuten offers up to 4% cashback. To take advantage of it, you’d click on the link to Rakuten, which would redirect you to their site. From there, you’d click the link to Walmart.
Next, you’d complete your purchase as usual. When Walmart pays Rakuten their commission, Rakuten shares a portion of it with you.
You’ll also notice that some results have asterisks. This indicates that certain product categories might earn a higher bonus percentage. To figure out which ones qualify, you’ll need to click on each offer and review the details to see which one makes the most sense for your purchase. On the right, we can see the cashback ranges from 1% to 4%, depending on the category.
Downsides
The steps above ensure you get the highest rate of return, but there are a couple of downsides to keep in mind:
- Lots of steps – You’ll need to go to Cashback Monitor, search for the retailer, find the cashback portal with the best rate, create an account with that portal (if you don’t already have one), and then click through to the retailer to complete your purchase. It’s a bit of a process, especially if you’re shopping at multiple retailers.
- Minimum amounts to cash out – Each cashback portal has a minimum threshold you must meet before you can transfer your earnings. This is typically between $5 and $10, but it can take a while to reach that amount if you’re using different portals for each purchase.
Our Favorites
Top Cash Back
Our favorite is Top Cash Back. Three reasons we like them:
- They have a browser extension
Instead of going through the whole process of visiting Cashback Monitor, clicking on a shopping portal, creating an account if it’s a new site, and then navigating to the retailer, there’s an easier way. Simply go directly to the retailer’s website with the Top Cash Back extension installed, and the extension will pop up with a message showing you the cashback percentage available for purchases on that site. It’s quick, seamless, and super easy!
- Rates
TopCashback offers better rates compared to our second choice, Rakuten. - Cardcash.com and Giftcards.com
As we discussed in the last post, buying discounted gift cards is a great way to save. With TopCashback, you can stack even more savings—earning an additional 2% cashback at CardCash.com and up to 6% at GiftCards.com. - Payouts
When it’s time to cash out, you can choose from an ACH bank transfer, PayPal, or a gift card balance to 43 different retailers (as of this writing). On top of that, if you opt for a gift card payout, you’ll receive a bonus of 2% to 5% added to your gift card balance. - Bonuses
Periodically, they’ll offer bonus amounts. For example, buy something over $15 at a partnering website and we’ll not only give you the normal cash back amount, but an additional $2.50. A lot of times, we just buy gift cards to a retailer we know we’ll use. The highest bonus we’ve seen is $10.
Rakuten
The second one we like is Rakuten. Three reasons we like them:
- They have a browser extension
- Payouts
Once a quarter, they automatically cash us out via PayPal—assuming we’ve earned more than $5.01. It’s a nice, hands-off way to get your cashback without having to think about it. - Their customer service
There have been a few occasions where we weren’t credited for a purchase. In those cases, we simply opened a ticket, and usually, within an hour, our account was credited. Sometimes the correction happens automatically. On the rare occasions we’ve had to interact with their support team, they’ve been incredibly nice and helpful, making the whole process stress-free. - CardCash.com and Giftcards.com
Rakuten also offers cashback for these discounted gift card sites but at slightly lower rates—1% at CardCash.com and 2.5% at GiftCards.com. - American Express Membership Rewards
I know I said three reasons, but here’s a bonus for those of you in the points-and-miles game. If you’re part of the Amex family, you can choose to be paid in Membership Rewards instead of cash. Each dollar of cashback equals 100 Membership Rewards points. The great thing about points is their potential for better value when redeemed for airlines and hotels compared to straight cash. In a future post, I’ll dive into our credit card strategy and share how we use points to take trips. For the record, Anna and I are a Chase family, but Amex is a great option for many—hence why this is a bonus reason.
Side note, for as long as I’ve known Anna, she’s wanted to visit Ibiza (Spain) and spend a few days partying. So, for her 40th birthday (This past June), we decided to make it happen! We booked a couple of tickets to London on British Airways using our Avios (British Airway’s points are called Avios) and then snagged a cheap flight, which we paid cash, over to Ibiza on Iberia. We used the Top Cash Back extension and got a few bucks back.
Airline Shopping Portals
I briefly mentioned airline shopping portals earlier, but they’re an excellent alternative way to earn points that can be used for travel. Most major airlines have their own shopping portals. Some offer browser extensions, while others require you to visit their website directly.
Through these portals, you can earn anywhere from 1 to 10 points per dollar spent at over 1,000 online retailers. Each point is typically worth about 1 to 2 cents, so 100,000 points would translate to $1,000 to $2,000 in airline travel. However, if you’re willing to strategize, hunt for deals, and plan ahead, you can boost the value of your points to 5 to 10 cents each. As of this writing, Anna and I have close to 800k points.
Another great feature of airline shopping portals is their periodic bonus offers. For example, here’s a recent offer I received from United Airlines:
- Earn an extra 500 points when you spend $25.
- If you have the airline’s credit card, you can earn 1,000 points for the same $25 spend.
These bonuses are a fantastic way to rack up points quickly, especially on purchases you were already planning to make.
In addition, several airlines and hotels have dining programs. You register any credit card (doesn’t have to be a points credit card) and when you eat at participating restaurants, you typically earn one point per dollar spent. Periodically, some of the programs offer multipliers for completing various activities.
Just note, you can only have one credit card dedicated to each program. We typically choose United Airlines or American Airlines.
- Airlines
- Hotels
Unfortunately, most points expire. It is one of those terms and conditions often overlooked. It is typically between twelve and thirty-six months if there isn’t any activity in the account. Activity is the keyword. Activity can be booking a flight, making a purchase on that airline’s credit card, or going through an airline’s shopping portal and earning points. So shopping portals are a great way to keep point balances alive.
Shopping Portal Safe Practices
I want to talk about something that took me months to figure out. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t being credited cashback despite going through the portals. It was driving me bananas, but it was also my fault. I had secured my browser so much, that these cashback portals weren’t working. I have extensions for blocking ads, enabling privacy, and things to keep me safe on the Internet. They were all preventing me from getting cashback.
So, in Chrome, I created a second profile:
- Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner
- Click on the current profile
- Click on Add New Profile
In the first profile, I have all the security things enabled. That is where I do all my product research, test all sorts of coupons, and buy discount gift cards (discussed in the last post). The second profile is a clean profile that I only use for purchasing items with a cashback portal or airline portals.
I have had a near 100% success rate with this method. I say near because there have been a few times where it hasn’t worked (I usually wait a week first). I always make sure to screenshot my transaction with the appropriate extension showing as activated. When the cash hits our account, then I delete it.
Patience
One last thing I want to highlight is the importance of patience when it comes to getting paid by shopping portals.
Here’s how the process typically works:
- Click through the shopping portal or enable the extension.
- Make a purchase.
- The merchant tracks the referral.
- The merchant pays the shopping portal for the referral (typically 30/60/90 days).
- The shopping portal then pays you a portion of that referral commission (which can take another 30/60/90/180 days).
While shopping portals may quickly acknowledge your purchase, they won’t pay you until the merchant pays them. In our experience, the entire process from purchase to payout often takes at least six months. Rakuten is a bit more user-friendly in this regard—once you’ve earned (and they’ve received) at least $5.01, they’ll pay you automatically (quarterly). With TopCashback, however, you’ll need to keep an eye on your balance and request withdrawals periodically.
Wrap Up
We hope you were able to find some savings by using shopping portals.
Stats
- Top Cash Back
- 2024: $27.67
- 2025: $242.98
- Rakuten
- 2024: $107.70
- 2025: $50.25
In the next post, we’ll talk about some miscellaneous ways we also save money while shopping online.
