Points and miles · By Hiram Resto · October 5, 2026

Before You Click “Buy”: Turn Everyday Shopping Into Your Next Trip

What if some of the miles and points for your next vacation were hiding inside purchases you’re already making?

Clothes. Electronics. Shoes. Gifts. Travel gear. Household purchases.

If you shop online, there’s a simple habit that can help you earn additional cash back, points or airline miles without necessarily spending more:

Before going directly to the retailer, check a shopping portal first.

Two of the portals I use and recommend looking at are Rakuten and Rove. Airline portals such as AAdvantage eShopping are worth comparing, too.

Start With Rakuten

Rakuten is one of the best-known shopping portals, and the concept is simple. Instead of going directly to a participating retailer’s website, start your shopping trip through Rakuten. The retailer pays Rakuten for the referral, and Rakuten shares part of that with you.

Depending on your account setup, Rakuten offers several ways to receive rewards. One particularly interesting option for travelers with a qualifying American Express Membership Rewards account is choosing Membership Rewards points instead of cash back.

For example, Rakuten explains that a 10% cash-back offer translates to 10 points per eligible dollar when you’ve selected Membership Rewards as your payment method. That is an illustration of the conversion, rather than a rate available at every store.

That can turn ordinary online shopping into another source of transferable travel points.

Join Rakuten through my referral link →

Rove: A Portal Built Around Travel Rewards

Rove takes the shopping-portal concept in a particularly interesting direction for travelers. Eligible purchases can earn Rove Miles, which you can use toward flights and hotels through Rove or transfer to participating loyalty programs.

Rove’s current partners include Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France–KLM Flying Blue, Copa Airlines ConnectMiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and ALL Accor.

Rove currently lists more than 20 transfer partners. Airline partners transfer at 1:1; ALL Accor transfers at 1.5 Rove Miles to 1 ALL point. Minimums, transfer increments and individual program rules apply. Check availability and current terms before moving miles.

For someone who enjoys using points and miles strategically, that flexibility is what makes Rove worth watching.

Join Rove through my referral link →

Don’t Forget the Airline Shopping Portals

Rakuten and Rove aren’t your only choices. Many airline loyalty programs have their own shopping portals.

One example is American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping. Start at the portal, select a participating merchant, click through and complete your purchase with that merchant to earn AAdvantage miles on eligible transactions.

There’s another useful benefit for people pursuing American Airlines status: eligible base miles earned through AAdvantage eShopping also earn Loyalty Points. Bonus miles are excluded.

Before a significant online purchase, compare whether Rakuten, Rove, AAdvantage eShopping or another portal offers the reward that best fits your travel goals.

Which Portal Fits Your Goal?

Cash-back percentages and miles per dollar are different currencies. The largest displayed number may not deliver the best value for your plans.

The Real Strategy: Stack Your Rewards

Imagine you’re already planning to spend $500 with an online retailer. Instead of going directly to the store:

1. Compare the available shopping portals and read the merchant’s terms.
2. Choose and activate the portal offering the reward you value most.
3. Click through to the retailer and complete the eligible purchase.
4. Pay with the credit card that gives you the best return for that purchase.

Now you may earn the shopping-portal reward plus your normal credit-card rewards. That’s stacking.

You aren’t buying something just to earn points. You’re earning more rewards from money you were already going to spend.

Use one shopping portal for a purchase. Activating a different portal or rewards extension afterward can replace the original tracking.

Read the Terms Before You Buy

Shopping-portal rates change frequently, and every merchant can have exclusions. Gift cards, certain products, outside coupon codes and other purchases may not qualify. Returns and cancellations can reverse rewards.

Read the merchant’s terms before a large purchase, allow the required tracking and activate the portal before completing checkout. Keep your order confirmation until the reward is credited.

My Rule: Check the Portal First

Before I make an online purchase, I want to know whether someone will give me additional miles, points or cash back for the same purchase.

Sometimes the answer is Rakuten. Sometimes it’s Rove. Sometimes an airline portal such as AAdvantage eShopping wins. The important thing is developing the habit of checking.

A few hundred points here and a few thousand miles there may not seem significant. Over a year of normal spending, those rewards can add up and help cover something much more memorable: your next trip.