How do you earn cashback by purchasing gift cards online?
Gift card purchases can generate cashback returns on top of the card’s loaded value. Various platforms pay you back percentages of what you spend buying cards. Online portals, credit card programs, and mobile apps all offer different return rates. This works particularly well when you already planned to buy cards for yourself or as gifts. Pairing cashback strategies with purchases, then monitoring what you’ve loaded through amexgiftcard com balance resources, squeezes extra value from both ends. Most card buyers miss the earning potential sitting in the transaction itself. People treat gift card purchases like any mundane online buy, overlooking percentage returns available through strategic platform selection. Knowing which systems reward card purchases converts routine transactions into money-generating activities.
Shopping portal earnings
Online cashback portals broker deals with retailers to pay users percentages for shopping through their links. These portals list massive merchant directories, including numerous gift card sellers. Click through the portal to reach the seller’s actual website, complete your purchase, and cashback gets credited to your portal account. Gift cards typically qualify for identical rates as regular merchandise. Earning rates fluctuate constantly based on retailer agreements and promotional calendars. Some card sellers consistently deliver 1-2% returns. Others spike to 5-10% during holiday pushes or special campaigns. Comparing several portals before buying reveals whoever’s paying the most right now. Cashback posting timelines vary from days to weeks while portals verify legitimate purchases.
Credit card rewards
Particular credit cards accumulate points or cashback on everything you buy, including cards. Flat-rate reward cards don’t discriminate between product types. Category-bonus cards get trickier since card purchases sometimes fall into elevated earning tiers:
- E-commerce cards might classify gift card websites as online shopping
- Store-branded cards often pay higher rates on their own card inventory
- General merchandise categories occasionally encompass card retailers
- Travel cards sometimes code cards as travel spending when purchased through airline or hotel platforms
Card issuer terms need reading since some explicitly ban cards from bonus categories, while others include them freely. No-restriction cards provide the safest bet for reliable earnings on card purchases.
Loyalty program multipliers
Certain retailer loyalty systems reward members for buying their branded gift cards. You earn points by purchasing the card initially, then earn again when spending that card on merchandise later. This double-hit generates returns from identical money at two separate transaction points. Department stores and supermarket chains with membership programs frequently extend earnings to card sales. Your purchase earns base points upfront. Redeeming that card earns points again on whatever you grab. Some programs wall off cards from earning entirely, while others actively push them as point opportunities. Policy checking matters since retailers handle this wildly differently.
Promotional bonus offers
Card sellers sporadically launch promotions, adding value beyond standard cashback. These deals provide bonus percentages, throw in extra cards free, or multiply rewards during narrow time windows. Holiday seasons bring especially aggressive promotional warfare as sellers fight for gift budgets. Combining promotional bumps with regular cashback multiplies returns substantially. A baseline 2% portal rate meeting a 10% promotional offer delivers 12% total return. These stacking chances pop up irregularly throughout the year, making promotional awareness worthwhile for timing major card purchases around peak earning windows.
