Earn More Points on Purchases You Already Make: Online Shopping, Dining, Rideshares and More

Learn how to earn more points and miles on everyday shopping using portals, dining programs, and partner apps.

Hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French discuss the sometimes-overlooked ways you could earn bonus points and miles on purchases you're already making. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including new summer airfare price drop data from Kayak's updated trends dashboard, T-Mobile Tuesday deals with travel perks for June, Hilton's new college-themed hotel brand called Undergraduate, and the opening of Alaska Airlines' renovated lounge at Portland International Airport.

Then, Meghan and Sally dig into online shopping portals, explaining how tools like Rakuten, airline-specific portals (including American's AAdvantage eShopping, which earns loyalty points toward elite status), hotel booking platforms like Gondola, and the up-and-coming Rove Miles program could help you stack rewards on top of your credit card earnings. They also cover airline dining programs, brand partnerships with Uber, Lyft, and Starbucks, and the aggregator Cashback Monitor so you can see at a glance which portal offers the best rate for any retailer.

Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:

• Choice Privileges Mastercard: Useful Bonus Categories, No Annual Fee 

• Choice Privileges Select Mastercard: Piles of Points for a $95 Annual Fee 

• Bilt Blue Card: Complex Housing Rewards, Modest Everyday Ones

• Bilt Obsidian Card: Fine for Foodies, Complex for Housing

• Bilt Palladium Card: Rewards on Housing Are Almost Secondary

• American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits 

• American Express Gold Card Review: Friendly for Foodies, Families 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Inside the New Portland Alaska Lounge: A Treehouse in the Forest

• Best Credit Card Bonuses for New Cardholders of June 2026

• Credit Card Transfer Partners At a Glance

• The Capital One Shopping Portal Is Changing How I Book Travel

• The Guide to Rove Miles

Want even more tips and tricks to get the most out of your travel dollars? Subscribe to TravelNerd, our free newsletter designed to help you crack the code on spending less on your travel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices