5 Underrated Ways To Earn Credit Card Rewards

Written by Ashley Parks – 4 min read – Edited By Courtney Mihocik – Reviewed By Cathleen McCarthy 

Use your utility bills

Utility bills are a recurring charge you have to pay anyway. Why not put those on your credit card to earn rewards on a monthly purchase? One downside is that some utility services may charge processing fees when you pay bills with a credit card. But paying your utilities with your credit card can help build a positive credit history. New features like UltraFICO and Experian Boost use and record bill payments as a contributing factor to your credit history, creating new avenues to build up credit beyond just responsible credit card use.

Play into partner programs

Many credit cards are co-branded or have partner programs that offer rewards when you spend. Partner programs span many categories, including dining, airlines, retail shopping and more. If you enroll in a partner program like Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Dining program or American Airlines’ AAdvantage program with your card and spend at any participating merchant within that program, you’ll earn rewards on your card that can be used toward any of your card’s redemption options. Read up on your card’s program partners so you know all the places where you can maximize your earnings.

Seek out retention offers

A retention offer could be on the table for people who already have good to excellent credit. Card issuers want to retain cardholders in good standing, so you may have some leverage to negotiate a retention offer, or an incentive to keep your account open. These incentives can be a refunded annual fee or credit card rewards points added to your account.

You can often negotiate incentives when you call an issuer to cancel a card, or if you have a complaint about your experience with the card itself or with the brand associated with the card. For example, if you experience flight delays with your co-branded airline card, you could call and have extra rewards added to your account compensate for the inconvenience.

Buy gift cards

A concept called manufactured spending is another interesting way to get your hands on more rewards. This process involves using your credit card to purchase gift cards that can earn you both rewards on your credit card, as well as the cash incentive that goes along with the gift card you purchase.

For example, if your card only earns elevated rewards and cash back at grocery stores, buy gift cards there for restaurants, Amazon, rideshares, streaming services or other places you normally spend anyway. Technically, you could even purchase a Visa gift card; however, some issuers may find this kind of activity to be a red flag and could cancel your account or revoke any rewards you’ve already earned.

Bank on bonuses

A popular way to earn a windfall of rewards meeting the spending requirement to earn your credit card’s sign-up bonus. You could easily cover this by making one big purchase on your credit card like a new laptop. Just pay off this purchase at your next billing cycle closing date to avoid any interest charges.

On the other hand, referral bonuses are when you receive an extra windfall of rewards for referring a friend to apply for your credit card and their application is approved. Another way to earn bonus rewards is with an authorized user. This user has the ability to spend on your card’s credit line, and your account earns rewards for their purchases. Make sure you have someone who is responsible or who you trust as an authorized user on your card as you will be responsible for covering the purchases they make.

How to maximize your rewards points’ value

• Leverage portals. If your card has a spending portal, like Capital One Travel or Chase Ultimate Rewards, use them to maximize your earnings. These portals often offer boosted rewards rates when you make purchases or book travel through them.
• Watch your redemptions. Not all redemption options are created equal, and you could be unintentionally diluting your rewards value. For example, cards that offer travel rewards will often have their highest redemption rate when you redeem them for travel-related purchases. Redeeming travel rewards for other things like a statement credit or gift card purchase could cut your points’ value in half.
• Stack cards. Multiple cards from the same issuer used together will help maximize your reward earnings and boost their overall value. A good example of this concept is the Chase Ultimate Rewards program and the Chase trifecta. The overarching goal is to strategize spending using multiple cards and then pool those reward earnings into one account for maximum amount and value.
• Transfer to partner airlines. Travel cards that have airline partners usually allow cardholders to transfer rewards to these airlines. In some cases, transferring your points or miles to a different airline partner can boost the mile or point value.
• Look out for limits. Be cognizant of the fact that some cards with lucrative bonus categories have spending caps. Once you reach these spending limits, the bonus category value most often goes down to the lowest reward rate. Spending limits and time windows before these limits reset vary by card.

The bottom line

By using all the options available to you, a windfall of rewards could be yours in multiple unique ways. Read all the fine print about your card, enroll in partner programs and think critically about how you’ll want to redeem your earnings. As always, keep up with responsible credit habits and you’ll open up even more earning possibilities over time.