Here at TPG, we’re all about maximizing every dollar you spend. Often, you can accomplish that by using the best credit card to enjoy the highest return for a specific purchase. But sometimes, you can go a step further.
Enter “double dipping,” or the practice of earning two (or more) different types of points on a single transaction. Taking advantage of double-dipping opportunities will help you accelerate your points-earning — bringing you that much closer to your dream award trip.
Below, we’ve outlined some of our top double-dipping opportunities that you can (and should) work into your everyday points practices.
Use online shopping portals
One of the simplest ways to double dip is to use shopping portals for your online purchases. These third-party sites partner with various retailers to give you points, miles or cash back when you click through their links. This is in addition to the points and miles you earn from putting the transaction on your credit card. So, you earn one bonus from the portal and another from your card.
No matter what type of points you’re trying to earn, there’s likely a portal out there that will suit your needs. Several airlines and hotel chains have their own portals, as does Chase Ultimate Rewards. Meanwhile, Rakuten allows you to receive your earnings in the form of American Express Membership Rewards points as an alternative to its usual cash back. New members can earn a one-time $30 bonus by joining Rakuten and spending $30 in the first 90 days.
Not sure which portal to use? Try using a shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor to compare earning rates across numerous portals for a given retailer.
Join restaurant rewards programs
Dining out can be a lucrative activity by itself, with cards such as the American Express® Gold Card offering 4 points per dollar on restaurant purchases worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar). But it’s also an opportunity to double dip using dining rewards programs.
Once you register, participating restaurants automatically award you points or miles when you pay for a meal with a linked credit card. Once again, these earnings are on top of the points or miles you net just for purchasing with your favorite credit card for dining.
There’s just one key thing to remember: Each of your credit cards can only be registered for one dining program, so you can’t earn through two airline or hotel programs for a single purchase.
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Related: Which card should I pay with when dining at a hotel?
Earn more with Uber and Lyft
Whether you use Uber or Lyft, you can make your rides more valuable by linking certain rewards accounts to earn points on every ride.
With Lyft, you have several choices when it comes to earning bonus points or miles, though you must select one of the following as your designated loyalty rewards partner:
Delta Air Lines also has a partnership with Lyft, but that partnership will end April 7 when it links up with Uber.
Another Lyft partnership ending this year is with Chase. However, through March, you can use an eligible card — like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — to earn up to 10 points per dollar spent on the platform.
Meanwhile, with Uber, you can link your Marriott Bonvoy account and earn the following:
- 3 points per dollar spent on rides with Uber XL, Uber Comfort, Uber Black and Uber Black SUV
- 2 points per dollar spent on Uber X rides when you reserve in advance
- 2 points per dollar spent on Uber Eats restaurant and grocery orders of $40 or more delivered to Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites or Element hotels
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other Uber Eats restaurant and grocery orders above $40
Make sure you’re also using a credit card with a great return on travel purchases; for instance, the American Express® Green Card, which offers 3 points per dollar spent on travel and transit purchases, including ride-hailing services.
The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Frequent Uber or Lyft passenger? These credit cards are for you
Order with Starbucks
The Starbucks Rewards program has lost some of its luster over the years, but it has inked partnerships with a pair of travel brands that may make your morning Starbucks run more rewarding.
This started a few years ago with Delta Air Lines, though the partnership was updated last June. Now, you’ll earn bonus SkyMiles when you reload $25 or more to your Starbucks account — up to 200 miles for a $100 reload.
Last year, Starbucks and Marriott launched a new partnership that offers additional bonus opportunities. First, if you make three purchases at Starbucks during any Marriott Bonvoy Week, you can earn 100 bonus Marriott points. In addition, any Starbucks purchases you make while staying at a Marriott property earn double Stars in the Starbucks Rewards program. Finally, you can convert your Marriott points to Stars at a ratio of 1,000 points to 100 Stars.
Neither of these partnerships is worth going out of your way to use, but if you’re a frequent Starbucks patron, you might as well link your Delta and Marriott accounts.
Related: The best credit cards to use at Starbucks
Rent with Airbnb or Vrbo
Make your Airbnb stays more valuable by booking them through Delta Air Lines’ or British Airways’ online portals. Choose a program and click the booking button on its dedicated Airbnb page to rack up extra miles. You’ll earn 1 mile per dollar spent through Delta SkyMiles and 2 Avios per dollar spent through British Airways Executive Club. So, expensive Airbnb bookings can quickly add up to award flights.
Alternatively, you can earn JetBlue TrueBlue points on your next Vrbo stay, as the pair launched a new partnership last year. This lets members earn 1 point per dollar spent when booking home rentals through Paisly, JetBlue’s site for nonflight bookings. These purchases also count toward earning JetBlue Mosaic status.
As with Uber and Lyft, pay with a travel credit card that earns bonus points on vacation rentals to further maximize your points-earning.
Related: Tips for choosing the perfect beach house rental
Earn bonus United miles with MileagePlus X
This app provides endless double-dipping possibilities for those looking to rack up United MileagePlus miles. It awards you bonus miles for buying electronic gift cards through the app, which you can later use online or in person at shops and restaurants. This is particularly great for merchants not included in popular bonus categories on credit cards.
The deal is even sweeter for those with a cobranded United Airlines credit card, like the United℠ Explorer Card. If you link your United card to the app, you’ll earn a 25% mileage bonus for every gift card you buy, whether or not you use that card to pay for the purchase.
The best part? With MileagePlus X, you can take things to the next level for a triple dip. Simply buy a gift card through the app — earning points from the app and points for the transaction on your credit card — and then use that gift card to make an online purchase while utilizing a shopping portal. Just ensure the shopping portal you use doesn’t exclude purchases made with a gift card from earning points.
Related: Here’s why it matters which card you use to pay in the United MPX app
Give RewardsPlus a go
Beyond the MileagePlus X app, you can leverage the RewardsPlus program to enjoy elevated benefits with United and/or Marriott.
With this program, United Gold (or higher) elite members automatically receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, while Marriott Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members automatically receive United Premier Silver status. Of course, it’s relatively easy to get Marriott Gold status with cards — including The Platinum Card® from American Express or the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. As a result, top-tier Marriott elite members get the better end of this deal. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
In addition to reciprocal elite benefits, all members enjoy extra miles when transferring Marriott points to United, regardless of status. While most (but not all) of Marriott’s transfer partners offer a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, United members get 10,000 bonus miles for transferring 60,000 points. That means you can effectively convert 2 Marriott points to 1 United mile.
Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines?
Leverage retail loyalty programs
While they won’t get you first-class tickets or luxury hotel stays, many sports retailers, restaurants, office supply stores and pet supply stores offer loyalty programs that you can maximize when shopping. Most of these programs give you rewards in the form of future discounts (e.g., spend $100 and get a $5 coupon) on top of the standard earnings you’d get from using your credit card.
Some of the ones I use frequently include Chick-fil-A One, Jersey Mike’s Shore Points Rewards and Dunkin’ Rewards — especially since I can receive up to $84 in statement credits each year at Dunkin’ (up to $7 per month; only at U.S. locations) when I make a purchase with my Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required.
Related: Why changes to the Amex Gold Card made me love it even more
Credit card offers and discounts
Applying for a new credit card typically comes with a large number of points or miles as a welcome bonus (after you meet the minimum spending requirement, of course). However, once you’ve opened a card, there are a number of other ways to earn bonus rewards or unlock discounts on everyday purchases.
Most of the major issuers offer a program along these lines, including:
These are targeted to each individual cardholder, and you typically must activate them before making a purchase. You also may find several obscure merchants with whom you have no intention of doing business. However, by frequently checking your online accounts, you may be able to find some good opportunities for bonuses or savings.
Here’s just a sampling of the offers that TPG staffers currently have on their cards:
- An Amex offer to receive 10% back on insurance purchases, up to $20
- A Chase offer to earn 30% back on purchases with Dropbox, up to $30
- Multiple Wells Fargo offers to earn 10% back when you spend $100 with multiple Marriott brands — including AC Hotels, Autograph Collection and Renaissance Hotels
- A Citi offer to earn 5% back on Lyft rides
You can also stack these with many of the other “dips” on this list to create a double dip or triple dip. For example, you may be able to stack an Amex Offer at a nearby restaurant with a dining rewards program or an online purchase with a shopping portal.
Bottom line
There are plenty of great ways to rack up points and miles quickly, but everyday spending often gets overlooked as one of them. There are many concrete things you can start doing today that will unlock a world of rewards for tomorrow.
Make these double-dipping efforts a part of your overall strategy, and you’ll build your account balances and get much closer to your next award trip.
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For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
