Stacking: The Shopping Triple Dip
You have signed up for a Rakuten account that earns American Express Membership
Rewards points for your online shopping. And you have signed up for a MileagePlus X account that earns United miles when purchasing gift cards. Now, it’s time to do some shopping, so let’s maximize your earnings!
We’ll use a hypothetical trip to GAP for this example, but this concept works with many different stores.
Step 1:
Head to Rakuten and search ‘GAP’ in the dropdown. Today, it is showing 6% cash-back, which will convert into 6x Amex points per dollar spent. Click ‘Shop Now’ and you will be redirected to the GAP website. (Pro tip: You can purchase anything from GAP, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta off of one another’s websites, so if one of those other stores has a better offer, you could use that ‘Shop Now’ button on Rakuten and still make a purchase from GAP).
Now, when you make your purchase using any payment method, you’ll still earn the 6x Amex points just by using Rakuten to get to the GAP website.
Step 2:
Do your shopping. Add everything into your cart just like you normally would.
Step 3:
It’s time to pay. Go to the checkout page. But instead of paying directly with a credit card, grab your phone, open up the MileagePlus X app, and find GAP (or Banana Republic/Old Navy/Athleta - their gift cards are all interchangeable) through the ‘Nearby’ or ‘Catalog’ search feature. You will see that GAP generally offers 5 United miles per dollar spent. (Having a Chase United credit card automatically adds a 25% bonus to any purchase through MileagePlus X. So if you have a United branded card, what would normally be 5 United miles would actually be 6.25 miles per dollar spent)
Enter the amount of the total GAP purchase into MileagePlus X, select your credit card of choice (see below for best card options), and purchase the gift card. You will be presented with a bar code and gift card number.
Back on the GAP website, choose to pay with a gift card and enter the information of the gift card you purchased through MileagePlus X. And you’re all set!
Best credit cards to use on MileagePlus X:
• Dining: Citi ThankYou Prestige (5x) or Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x)
• Travel (e.g. Airbnb): Citi ThankYou Premier (3x) or Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x)
• Other Shopping: Your Default Card (e.g. Chase Ink Unlimited, Chase Freedom Unlimited, American Express Blue Business Plus, Citi DoubleCash, Capital One Venture Card)
It’s that simple! After you go through this process once or twice, it will become a habit.
Now go earn those points and happy shopping!