The easiest and fastest way to supercharge your mileage accounts in today’s world is with credit card sign-up bonuses. The catch is that someone will need to spend $2,000-$3,000 on the card to get those bonuses and not everyone is capable of meeting such a high requirement.
A Wise Flys reader, Rachel, asked “What can someone who spends about $300 a month do to earn miles?”
Someone with relatively low expenses of about $300 a month can still get in on the travel points banking fun. Before diving into the various options, it is important to set an expectation that it will take longer to get the same miles and points balances of someone who tends to spend more every month and leverages it to unlock credit card sign up bonuses.
1. Obtain A Straightforward Cash Back Credit Card
Look for a cash back credit card that will pay you back with every swipe. Most importantly, look for one that doesn’t charge an annual fee. Let’s take a card that offers 1% cash back: US$300 a month will turn into US$36 cash back every year that you can use towards travel or other expenses.
In the US, the best cash back cards are the Chase Freedom Unlimited (unlimited 1.5% cash back) and the Citi Double Cash (up to 2% cash back).
It also goes without saying that it is important to you charge as many things as possible to a cash back credit card. Even small charges that you are used to paying with cash must be put on this card. Over time, every single dollar or pound will add up.
2. Looks For Credit Cards That Offer Bonuses With Lower Spend Requirements
While most blockbuster credit cards require several thousands of dollars of spending to get the bonus, there are a small handful of cards that require less spending to get the bonus.
In the US, the AAdvantage Aviator Red credit card by Barclaycard is offering an astounding 50,000 bonus miles after making a single purchase and paying the $95 annual fee within 90 days of opening the account. This bonus offer is likely to disappear soon considering how easy it is to get so it would be wise to pounce on this sooner rather than later.
AAdvantage Aviator Red credit card
3. Use A Shopping Portal To Buy Your Everyday Items
Physically going to a grocery store, or any store for that matter, and purchasing something is so 2016. Retailers and grocery stores today have expanded what items you can purchase online and have shipped to your doorstep.
You can buy a candy bar from Staples.com and earn 2 mile for every US$1 spent by shopping through the AAdvantage Shopping Portal, or even buy some storage containers from The Container Store online and earn 2 miles per US$1 spent when going through the Delta SkyMiles Shopping Portal.
4. Miles For Your Opinions
If you have some time to spare and wouldn’t mind giving your opinion on a certain topic in exchange for some miles, E Miles and Opinion Miles Club are some good options. In fact, the latter is offering at least 300 bonus miles for signing up and completing your first survey.
The points you earn from taking surveys with these sites can then be transferred to participating airline and hotel programs.
What are some other methods to earn points for low spenders?
