There are traditional ways of easily earning points and miles, like credit card welcome bonuses, flights and hotel stays. And then there are the non-traditional ways that rewards hackers swear by. One such trick is “double dipping,” when you earn two different types of rewards for a single activity. It’s one of the best ways to make the most out of your credit card spending.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
Below, we’ll go through our list of top double dips. In some cases, you might even get to triple or quadruple dip!
Shopping Portals
If you like to shop online, then shopping portals is a great way for you to double dip. These are third-party sites that partner with various retailers to give you points, miles or cash back when you click through the portal to the merchant’s site. Rewards from shopping portals are earned on top of the points, miles or cash back you get from making the purchase with your credit card.
There are many different types of shopping portals, including airline, hotel, credit card and cash back. In fact, because there are so many to choose from, it could become overwhelming when you try to figure out which one offers the best bonus. Our trick? Use a shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor. These sites compare earning rates across portals by specific retailers. Simply search for a merchant and choose the portal that offers the most value to you.
Oftentimes, shopping portals offer limited-time promotions with elevated earning rates for certain merchants, or bonus rewards for select purchases over a holiday.
As with anything relating to rewards, you’ll want to read the fine print for each shopping portal to make sure your purchase is eligible for the bonus.
Restaurants
Dining out with the right credit card can earn you loads of rewards in and of itself. Especially if you have a card like Chase Sapphire Reserve® which gives triple points on restaurant purchases. But you can earn even more rewards when you double dip. Here are a few ways to do it:
- Dining Programs. Airline and hotel loyalty programs often have dining rewards networks. When you pay for a meal with a linked credit card, participating restaurants will reward you with points or miles. Again, these bonuses are separate from the rewards you earn with your credit card. Below is a list of popular dining programs and their welcome bonuses
| DINING PROGRAM | WELCOME BONUS |
| Alaska Mileage Plan Dining | 1,000 bonus miles when you spend $30 within your first 30 days. |
| American AAdvantage Dining | 1,000 bonus miles when you spend $25 within your first 30 days. |
| Delta SkyMiles Dining | 3,000 bonus miles when you spend $90 your first 30 days.* |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining | 1,000 bonus miles when you spend $25 within your first 30 days. |
| United MileagePlus Dining | 3,000 bonus miles when you spend $100 within your first 30 days.* |
| Hilton Honors Dining | 1,000 bonus points for your first visit. |
*Spending requirement is spread across multiple restaurant visits.
- OpenTable. You’ll get 100 points for every reservation you make (or 1,000 points at select restaurants and times) which you can redeem for future dining. So, each completed OpenTable reservation you make earns a discount on a future meal.
- Restaurant Vouchers/Certificates. Purchase discounts on meals at certain restaurants via sites like Restaurant.com, Groupon and Living Social. Be sure to read the fine print, as many of these vouchers have special limits on days, times and dishes.
QUADRUPLE DIP EXAMPLE: OpenTable + Restaurant.com/Groupon/Living Social/other discount + dining program + credit card dining rewards.
RewardsPlus
United Airlines and Marriott partnered up to offer their members elevated bonus points and elite status benefits through the RewardsPlus program.
All Marriott Bonvoy members enjoy a 10% bonus when transferring their Marriott points to United miles.
This bonus is in addition to the standard 5,000-mile bonus you get for every 60,000 Marriott points you convert.
In terms of elite status:
- Marriott Bonvoy Titanium and Ambassador members automatically receive United MileagePlus Premier Silver status.
- United MileagePlus Gold members or higher automatically receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.
TIP: The Platinum Card® from American Express and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, both issued by American Express, automatically grant Marriott Gold elite status.
American Airlines + Hyatt
In 2019, American Airlines and Hyatt also partnered up to offer reciprocal points earning and fast tracking to elite status for certain members.
Hyatt elites earn 1x bonus points on AA flights.
AA elites earn 1x bonus miles on Hyatt stays.
The bonuses above are in addition to the regular AAdvantage miles you’d earn on flights or Hyatt points you’d earn on stays. Simply link your AAdvantage and World of Hyatt accounts, and you’ll automatically be rewarded accordingly.
You might also get the opportunity to fast track to elite status. For Hyatt, fast tracking is available to Explorist or Globalist elites. AA fast tracking is limited to those with AAdvantage Platinum status or higher. If you hold AA’s invite-only Concierge Key status, you’ll automatically receive Hyatt Globalist status.
TIP: The World of Hyatt Credit Card automatically grants Discoverist elite status for as long as you’re a cardmember.
Hyatt + M Life
Way back in 2013, Hyatt partnered with MGM Resorts so members can easily earn and redeem points at luxurious properties on the famed Las Vegas Strip.
World of Hyatt members earn points and elite credits for stays at participating MGM properties, like the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and Vdara. You’ll earn M life tier credits for these stays as well.
The Hyatt and M life partnership also offers status matching:
| WORLD OF HYATT | M LIFE |
| Member | Sapphire |
| Discoverist | Pearl |
| Explorist | Gold |
| Globalist | Gold |
With your M life status, you’ll have access to on-property benefits, including room upgrades, priority check-in and VIP line access to nightclubs and pool areas.
Retail Loyalty Programs
While retail loyalty programs won’t get you free luxurious hotel stays or first-class tickets, you’ll at least earn some kind of reward for your loyalty with office supply stores, sports retailers, restaurants, pet supply stores and more.
Most retail loyalty programs will reward you with future discounts. For example, get a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend. Sometimes, merchants will provide additional perks for their loyal members, like complimentary shipping and a free birthday gift every year.
TRIPLE DIP EXAMPLE: Retail loyalty program + online shopping portal + credit card rewards.
Make sure to check if your favorite retailers have loyalty programs, and sign up for them so you can start earning rewards. To view our favorite underrated loyalty programs, look for our upcoming post The 7 Best Loyalty Programs You Don’t Know About.
Amex Offers
If you have an American Express card, then you should utilize the Amex Offers program. These promotions usually come in one of three forms:
- Spend X amount of dollars and get Y number of bonus points.
- Spend X amount of dollars and get Y amount of dollars back.
- Get X additional points for each dollar you spend at a select merchant.
Taking advantage of one or two of these deals every year will easily cover the cost of most Amex cards’ annual fees. Plus, you can stack Amex Offers with other “double dips” on our list, so you’d essentially be “triple dipping.”
TRIPLE DIP EXAMPLE: Amex Offer + dining program + credit card dining rewards.
Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
Many luxury resorts partner with booking platforms to offer additional benefits during your stay. One of the best options to double dip this way is through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts for those that have The Platinum Card® from American Express.
This combo lets you book rooms at high-end chain hotels as well as a boutique and unaffiliated properties worldwide. Because you’re booking with Amex instead of directly with the hotel, you’ll enjoy a variety benefits during your stay, which might include free breakfast, room upgrades, property credits, early check-in, late checkout or a welcome amenity. These perks are in addition to the 5x points you’d earn on prepaid hotel bookings.
TRIPLE DIP EXAMPLE: Luxury hotel program + hotel loyalty program + credit card hotel rewards
Another great thing about the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program is that you’ll still earn points, elite credits and perks for your stays as a hotel loyalty program member (except Marriott Bonvoy).
Credit Cards Mentioned
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is offering 80,000 bonus points (worth up to $1,600 in travel per our valuations). You’ll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify for the bonus. These 80k points are redeemable for $1,200 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $550. But, you’ll receive premium benefits such as 5X points on air travel, 10x points spent on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit, 3X points on all other travel and dining, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
The card also features an application fee credit (up to $100) for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®, access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. With Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more for existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
MARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT™ AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card has an offer for 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. We value these 75k points at around $675.Â
This card earns 6 points per $1 at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program and 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. You’ll receive 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
You’ll get a Free Night Award (redemption level up to 50,000 points) every account anniversary year, and up to $300 in statement credits each year for eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program. Resort fees may apply. Other benefits include unlimited airport lounge visits with the Priority Pass Select membership and no foreign transaction fees.
This premium card comes with an Annual Fee of $450. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
THE WORLD OF HYATT CREDIT CARD
The World of Hyatt Credit Card from Chase has an offer for up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months. Get another 30,000 bonus points with 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent on purchases that earn 1 Bonus Point up to $15,000 in the first 6 months of account opening. Our valuations put 60k points at around $1,020 in value.
You’ll earn up to 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt with this card. That’s 4 bonus points per $1 with the card and 5 base points per $1 as a World of Hyatt member. The card also earns 2 bonus points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets bought directly from airlines, on local transit and commuting, and on fitness club and gym memberships.
This card has a $95 annual fee.
Bottom Line
Double dipping, or triple and even quadruple dipping, are quick and easy ways to get more for your credit card spending. Use the tools and strategies we outlined above and you’ll be well on your way to your next dream award vacation.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
