Maximizing rewards on back-to-school shopping

As the school year kicks off, you’re likely in the market for essential supplies. Whether it’s notebooks and pencils for a middle school student or a new laptop for college, these costs can add up quickly. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to capitalize on these purchases and earn rewards points and miles.

Here are our top recommendations for enhancing your back-to-school shopping experience.

Key considerations

Before we dive in, there are a few crucial points to keep in mind. While some tips are universally applicable, others may depend on your location or the specific credit cards you hold. Additionally, not all strategies may be combined effectively.

For example, if you apply a discount code that isn’t offered through an airline shopping portal, you will miss out on bonus miles (more details below). It’s essential to research which strategies are relevant for each purchase.

With that clarified, let’s dive into the best ways to optimize your back-to-school shopping experience.

Credit card sign-up bonuses

Think about applying for a new travel rewards credit card to rapidly boost your points and miles. These cards typically offer generous sign-up bonuses when you reach a certain spending threshold within a specified period. If you expect to make large purchases in the coming weeks, this is an excellent chance to rack up significant points or miles from a welcome bonus.

We’ve even put together a guide to the top travel rewards cards for families, and here are a few standout options:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account, plus a $300 statement credit on Chase Travel℠ purchases in the first year.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

You could also consider a card with a limited-time welcome bonus or a 100,000-point incentive. Just ensure you are aware of the different application rules for major card issuers before you apply, particularly Chase's well-known 5/24 rule.

A final tip: If you apply and are instantly approved, consider calling the issuer to request expedited delivery of the card. Some issuers automatically do this for premium cards, but many will send the new card via standard mail, which usually takes 7-10 days.

Alternatively, if you need to shop right away, focus on cards that show your new account number upon approval.

Credit card reward categories

An excellent approach to maximizing your back-to-school shopping is to make sure you’re taking advantage of bonus categories on the cards you already own. A few cards stand out in this regard:

Ink Business Cash Credit Card

The Ink Business Cash Credit Card provides 5% cash back on up to $25,000 in combined purchases at office supply stores and for internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year. If your children require pencils, crayons, markers, or any other "office supplies," head to your nearest Staples or Office Depot and use this card.

Keep in mind that the cash back points you earn can be combined with points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, enhancing their value through transfers to partners such as World of Hyatt and United MileagePlus.

American Express® Gold Card

For those focused on efficiency, consider picking up some school supplies during your next grocery trip. The American Express® Gold Card offers 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar on up to $25,000 in purchases at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1 point per dollar). According to TPG's valuations, that translates to a robust return of 8% — or potentially even more if you can capitalize on a sweet spot in the program.

Top cards for Amazon purchases

When shopping on Amazon, the Prime Visa card is a great option for earning 5% back. Additionally, other strong choices like the Chase Freedom Unlimited provide 1.5% cash back on all purchases, regardless of where you shop.

Regrettably, many retailers, particularly clothing stores, often don’t fit into the usual bonus categories. In this situation, your best bet is to use a new card and aim for the welcome bonus. Alternatively, consider a card that offers more than one point per dollar on everyday purchases.

Credit card safeguards

If you’re looking to make a significant purchase, like a computer or tablet for your child, it’s wise to choose a credit card that emphasizes robust protections for these types of transactions, even if it isn’t the most rewarding option. Here are four key benefits that apply to these purchases:

• Purchase protection: Many cards automatically cover eligible purchases against loss, damage, or theft for a limited time after purchase. For more details, see our guide on the best cards for purchase protection.
• Extended warranty: While most products come with a manufacturer's warranty, problems often arise right after it expires. By using the right credit card, you can often secure an extra year or two of coverage at no additional cost. Refer to our guide on cards with extended warranties for more information.
• Return protection: While it’s uncommon, some merchants may refuse to accept a return. Return protection can activate, allowing claims typically within 90 or even 120 days post-purchase.
• Price protection: This feature lets you get a refund if you find a lower price on eligible items within a specified period after buying. However, there are restrictions and some issuers are reducing or eliminating this benefit due to rising claims.

Each card and issuer may have varying terms and conditions for these benefits, including claim submission deadlines, coverage limits, and excluded items. Be sure to thoroughly review your card's policy to guarantee adequate protection.

Online shopping portals

To enhance your purchases, consider utilizing an online shopping portal. Instead of going directly to a retailer's website, start at these portals to earn bonus rewards alongside your regular credit card points or miles. Here are a few types of portals available:

• Cash back: Sites like Rakuten and Top Cashback provide cash back for shopping at various retailers.
• Airline miles: Major airlines such as Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, and United partner with popular retailers to offer bonus miles. Some portals might even feature back-to-school bonuses.
• Credit card points: Capital One, Chase, and Barclay's provide bonus points for shopping at many well-known websites.

We suggest using an online shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor to compare earning rates across various portals before making your choice.

Keep in mind that using an online shopping portal can be combined with the points you earn on your credit card. For instance, Staples might provide up to 3 American miles (about a ~5% return, according to TPG valuations) when you access their site via the AAdvantage shopping portal.

This is in addition to the 5% cash back you'd receive on office supply purchases when using the Ink Business Cash Credit Card. As mentioned earlier, if you also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred Card, you effectively earn 5 Ultimate Rewards points along with 3 American miles and Loyalty Points per dollar spent. Based on TPG's latest valuations, this totals a return of over 15% on your back-to-school shopping.

Amex Offers

Another avenue for discounts or enhanced bonuses is the Amex Offers program.

This is accessible to all personal and small-business Amex cards, including options like The Platinum Card® from American Express and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Unlike the previously mentioned strategies, Amex Offers are typically targeted, meaning your account likely features a distinct selection of offers.

The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been independently gathered by Dinogo. The details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For offers applicable to online shopping, you can usually still navigate through a shopping portal to earn bonus points. This is because the credit or bonus points are awarded by American Express, with no restrictions related to shopping portals. Be sure to read and understand the full terms of each offer, as some may require in-store purchases.

Discount codes and offers

Another way to save during the back-to-school season is by utilizing coupons. While you may receive mailers featuring these offers, searching for promo codes online is even more convenient. Retailers often showcase them on their homepage or on the shopping portal's merchant page.

For example, you can find this offer for OfficeMax on the United MileagePlus Shopping website:

Certain retailers might provide a one-time discount code when you join their loyalty program or download their app, like Bed Bath & Beyond — terms apply:

Lastly, a quick Google search for "[insert store name here] promo code" can lead you to deals on websites like Groupon and RetailMeNot.

Typically, if you apply a coupon code that isn’t listed on your shopping portal, you won’t qualify for rewards from that portal.

Although this guideline is quite clear, you might find that the enforcement of this rule can be inconsistent, and you could still receive bonus points or miles. Just be ready to forfeit rewards if you use an unlisted code from the shopping portal.

United MileagePlus X

With United's MileagePlus X app, you can rack up airline miles on everyday purchases. You earn miles by buying gift cards through the app. Typically, you won't earn your credit card's category bonus, so it's wise to check out with a card that offers high rewards on everyday spending. For instance, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card gives you 2 miles for every dollar spent on anything.

Holding a MileagePlus cobranded credit card might qualify you for a 25% bonus on your miles earned — even if you don’t use a United card for payment.

If Office Depot/Office Max is offering 10 miles per dollar through the MileagePlus X app, here's how you can effectively earn nearly 20% back (based on our valuations) on a $250 purchase:

• 3,125 United miles (valued at $34.38, if paid with a United card)
• 500 Capital One miles (valued at $4.63, assuming payment with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card)

Final thoughts

Getting your children ready for the upcoming school year can be overwhelming and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. By utilizing credit cards, online shopping portals, and various discount strategies, you can save money and rack up bonus points. The TPG team already leverages these techniques to enhance our daily spending, so you can definitely do the same to optimize your back-to-school shopping and get one step closer to your next getaway.