REWARDS FAST TRACK
Whether you have a dream vacation in mind or just want to see more of the world without breaking the bank, travel rewards can be an excellent way to turn your spending into freebies — in theory. For most Canadians, collecting enough points may take a whil
1 Shop online
Shopping online offers more than just convenience for customers. Many retailers shower you with points galore from their affiliate loyalty programs upon checkout with promo codes.
And when you make your purchase with your travel rewards card, you get extra points. That’s called doubledipping and is probably the only situation in which that term is encouraged.
It’s possible to get even more bang for your buck by shopping via an online portal. Some travel loyalty programs offer big point bonuses if you click through from their websites or e-stores to certain brands and retailers’ online shops. Taking that extra step can earn you rewards on not-so-obvious purchases such as books, skin products and luggage that you’d otherwise miss out on.
2 Automate your bills
Fund your next vacation by paying your electricity bill! Wait, what? The easiest thing you can do to build up your points collection is to funnel the bills you’d be paying anyway through your travel rewards card. For example, if you get two points per dollar spent, your monthly $400 in bills will leave you with 800 points. That adds up to 9,600 points a year just for keeping the household running.
3 Use partner airlines
When trying to lock down major rewards during a business trip or vacation, it pays to do your airline research. Carriers affiliated with loyalty programs often have partner airlines that also allow you to collect points for flying with them.
So, instead of racking up points or miles with just one airline, your options for a rewardsearning flight could be on up to 30 carriers.
4 Gift card gold mine
Many loyalty and credit card rewards programs offer bonus points from certain grocery stores, says Patrick Sojka of RewardsCanada.ca. If you need to buy something from a specific store anyway, purchase a gift card for that retailer with your travel rewards credit card to receive those bonus points. Pay off the credit card balance and use the gift card to buy whatever you need. It’s like tapping a gold mine of points.
5 The big-purchase strategy
What if your car purchase could help you get a free vacation? This rewards-collecting strategy might help you do just that. Sign up for a travel rewards credit card and put part of your large purchase on the card, meet the minimum spend requirement and collect the sign-up bonus. But wait, there’s more! Some credit card providers offer referral bonuses, so if you’re purchasing the card with a spouse, get them to sign up too. Then, have them pay their share of the purchase on the card and also hit the minimum spend requirement, meaning even more bonus points. It should go without saying: pay off the entire amount you put on these cards in full, immediately, otherwise you’ll be swimming — nay, drowning — in more interest payments than points.