When travel points collecting becomes a hobby you constantly think of ways to maximize each purchase. I needed a new ceiling fan. Most folks would hop in the car and head to a home improvement store of their liking, pick out a fan, pay using a credit card and happily head home. With a few minutes of effort a simple $200 purchase can generate 1400 points over the hop in the car method of shopping and I don't need to leave my home.
Let me explain....most everyone owns some sort of points per dollar rewards credit card, using one of those cards for a purchase would net 200 points simply by presenting the fan for payment. I have several points earning credit cards and while many give you 1 point per dollar on a purchase like a ceiling fan, others can provide a whole lot more. I carry a Chase Ink charge card and receive 5x the points for purchases at office supply stores or for paying my cell phone, cable TV and internet bills - given that those are my most expensive bills, it's a nice little point perk card to own. Needing a new ceiling fan meant that I brought out the card, opened up my browser to locate Staples.com and purchased a $200 eGift card for Home Depot from Staples' online store. I used my Ink card to pay and earned 1000 Ultimate Rewards points. Those points are the best because they are transferable to several hotel and airline partners that I frequently use when I travel. While 1000 points was nice, I knew I could earn more. I then went to American Airlines shopping portal, logged in and indicated I wanted to make a purchase at Home Depot. The portal showed that any purchase I made from Home Depot would earn me 2x the points, but they are American Airlines specific points. I used my $200 egift card from Staples to pay for my purchase and netted 400 AA points. 1400 points, one $200 ceiling fan being delivered to my door for free. Not a bad way to shop.
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