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Through a special triple dip with the Chase Ink Bold credit card, you can earn 20 points per dollar at Kohl’s and Sears!
In a previous post, I wrote about how to get 10 points per dollar using the Chase Ink Bold credit card (for more about this card, please see Preparing for Miles). In this post, I’ll show how to turn that trick into a triple dip worth 20 points per dollar!
Step 1: Log into the Ultimate Rewards Mall and shop at Staples.com
By going through the Ultimate Rewards Mall to Staples you will earn 5 points per dollar from the mall and another 5 points per dollar when using your Chase Ink Bold credit card at Staples!
Step 2: Buy Gift Cards
If your goal is to shop at Kohl’s, then buy Kohl’s gift cards. If your goal is to shop at Sears, then buy Lands End gift cards (which work at Sears). With the exception of Visa gift cards, Staples does not charge any service fees or shipping charges for gift cards. Use your Ink Bold for these purchases. As described above, you will earn 10 points per dollar for this transaction!
If you do not have an Ink Bold, another option is to use the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You will get 5 points from the mall, plus 1 base point from the credit card, plus a 7% annual bonus. In total, you will get 6.42 points per dollar using this card.
If you have both the Ink Bold and the Sapphire Preferred, then log into the Ultimate Rewards Mall with your Sapphire account, but make your purchases with the Ink Bold. In this way, 5 of the bonus points will count towards your annual 7% bonus and you will increase your points per dollar to 10.35!
Step 3: Spend your gift cards online via an appropriate portal
Kohl’s currently offers 10 points per dollar through the Ultimate Rewards Mall. So, when shopping for Kohl’s merchandise, go through the Ultimate Rewards Mall to Kohl’s and then use your gift cards to make your purchases.
Sears currently offers 10 points per dollar through the Aadvantage eShopping Mall. So, when shopping for Sears’ merchandise, go through the AA mall to Sears and then use your Lands’ End gift cards to make the purchase.
With either of the above steps you will earn an extra 10 points (or miles) per dollar, for a total of 20 Points Per Dollar!
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A simple little question
I have a friend that wants to buy a bed and chose Sears as the store. I will pay for it and he will give me the cash. So I bought $500 at staples, the bed is about 700. I want to use the UR or SW portal( or any other that is offering the most miles or points) but the item my friend wants is not listed online on the Sears Website and similar items have online a different , more expensive price. Is it possible to get in-store price, but pay online using portals.?
Luchex: I can think of two options:
1) Put a similar more expensive item in your cart and then wait for the pop up instant chat box to appear. Chat with a rep and see if they will match your price or allow you to buy the intended item instead. Or:
2) Buy something that is the same price as the intended item and choose to pickup in store. At the store tell them that you ordered the wrong item by accident and would like to swap for the right one. I have no idea if that would work — its just an idea.
Can you do steps 1 and 2 and buy staples gift certificates/cards, then use the staples gift certificate to buy more staples gift certificates and churn it?
Jack: No. Staples gift cards can’t be used online at all.
Have you tested getting AA miles using Sears GCs at Sears?
HansGolden: Yes, I recently tried buying an item through the AA portal at Sears using gift cards and that worked. Buying gift cards through AA hasn’t worked though.
how long does it take to get the gift cards?
Careful with gift cards, my bonus points were credited, then deducted later when I bought Nike gift cards. Deduction didn’t happen with Toys R Us gift cards though.
At least with AMEX, you have to make the entire purchase with the credit card in order to gain the additional protection.
Andy: Thanks for the info!
Ted: Thanks for the warning. I’ve never seen that happen with the UR Mall, but I’ve never tried Nike. It’s good to know which merchants to watch out for.
Maybe this is a stupid question, but can the lands end gc’s purchased from the Sears website be used directly at Landsend.com? Are these E gift cards or are they mailed out? If mailed, how long does it take to get them?
Thanks & great post!
Maya: Thanks Maya. I’ve never done it, but yes I fully expect that you can use Sears gift cards at Landsend.com. Through Sears, you can buy gift cards either e-gift cards or physical mailed ones. Through Staples, you have to get the mailed ones. I don’t know how long it will take to ship.
I need to buy a new snow blower but will not do the gift card thing as with my INK BOLD I get an extra year warranty with the VISA Signature protection that I would not get with the gift card. But the idea is great for std stuff.
deltagoldflyer: Good point! I wrote about this issue in Double Dipping Dangers. I wonder what would happen if you were to pay just a small portion of your snow blower with your credit card, but the rest with gift cards. Would you get credit card protection?