I actually don’t buy much, but the few times that I do buy things online, I try to ensure that I get the maximum value for every dollar that I spend, be it in cash back, or in points. In the more recent past, I have also been reselling things online, mostly to try and meet minimum spend on credit cards. Nothing drives me crazier than watching my friends make offline or online purchases, without maximizing their returns on purchases.
So, how do I maximize returns?
I personally find Cashback Monitor to be the most reliable website for monitoring Cashback/Points for online purchases.
The site is very easy to use, and generally very up-to-date with portals.
So, say for example, you wanted to buy something from “Sears”. You just search “Sears”, and you will get a screen like that:
From there, you can make a decision – would you prefer to get more cash back? Or are you trying to hit a certain threshold for a hotel/airline redemption?
Another thing that I personally find very useful, is the “Best Rate History” (two lines below “Sears”). If there’s something that you want to buy, but is not time sensitive, you can check out the “Best Rate History”.
In the case of “Sears”, there have been instances of 18% Cashback, or 10 miles per dollar spent, and these bonuses come around often enough, so you probably can time your purchases.
Do your wallet/mileage accounts a favor. Maximize returns on your online purchases!
Wanderlust 