How I Earn Points on (Almost) Everything I Buy

Okay, let’s talk about shopping portals. This is really one of my favourite topics to talk about.

Because think about it. We’re spending this money anyway, right? And if we just stop and think a little bit before we buy something, and make that one extra click, we can earn much, much, much more points than we would just by having a credit card that earns points.

I know, it can be a bit annoying. Even me. Sometimes I’m walking past Superdrug and I need something from there, and I have to really stop myself. If I have time, if I remember before, I’ll buy it online on the train, through the portal, and pick it up in store because I know I’m going to walk past anyway. But if I forget, and I need that thing right now, then fine, I go in and buy it. I lose the shopping portal points, but I still get the points from my credit card, because these days I do have one that earns points.

That’s why I always say points are all about organisation. If you’re organised, you’ll earn so many more points through shopping portals.

So what is a shopping portal?

It’s basically a website that gives you points when you buy something through its link. That’s it.

Instead of going straight to Boots or Sainsbury’s, you go to the portal first, find the shop there, click through, and then shop normally. Same shop, same price, same everything. The only difference is that now you’re getting points for every pound you spend.

And it doesn’t matter how you pay. Debit card, any credit card, whatever. You don’t need a fancy card that earns points, because the points come from that click on the portal, not from your card. (And if you do have a card that earns points, even better, you get both!)

If you’ve ever used TopCashback, it works exactly the same way. You go to their website, there are loads of shops offering you cashback, and you buy through their link. Same thing here, but instead of money, you get points.

Honestly, pretty much everything I buy for my house goes through these portals, okay?

Which portal do I use?

This is where a bit of planning comes in, because it depends on where you want your points to end up. Here in the UK we have:

• Avios eStore, where you earn Avios
• Nectar eShops, where you earn Nectar points, which in the end become Avios too, because you can convert them
• Shops Away and Virgin Red, where you earn Virgin Points (I also explained how I turn my Tesco Clubcard points into Virgin Points in another post.)

They all work basically the same way. You go in, see if the shop is there, see how many points it’s offering you, click and buy.

What I usually do, especially between Nectar and Avios, is open both and check which one is giving me more. But I always compare in Avios, not in Nectar points. Every 2 Nectar points are worth 1.25 Avios. So for me to buy through Nectar, it has to be giving me more than Avios, once I do that maths.

If I’m focused on Virgin, if I have a trip coming up where I’m going to use Virgin Points, then I use Shops Away or Virgin Red.

And the other reason to use one or the other is simply when the shop isn’t on the portal I wanted. Then I just use whichever one has it. Even if it’s not the airline for that specific trip, I’m still earning points either way, right?

When do the points actually show up?

It depends on each shop’s terms and conditions. So I think it’s really important to always read them, so you know what you’re earning and when you’re going to get it. Booking.com, for example, gives you the points 120 days after your stay. A hundred and twenty days!

My system (yes, there’s a spreadsheet)

This is a super important tip. You have to keep track of what you buy through the portals. Otherwise you’ll forget one thing or another, and if the points don’t come in, you can lose a lot of points.

One thing I always do is take screenshots, especially on big purchases, when I’m earning a lot of points or spending a lot of money. I keep them all in a folder. And if it’s something really, really big, I even record my screen during the purchase, to prove I went through the portal and did everything right. That way, if the points don’t arrive by the date in the terms and conditions, I have proof and I can claim them.

And obviously, I’m obsessed with spreadsheets. I love spreadsheets. I have a spreadsheet for everything. So I write down:

• The date I bought it
• The shop
• The portal I used
• What I bought
• How many points per £1 they offered
• How much I spent
• How many points I should get
• How many points actually came in
• The status: pending, posted, or missing (when the date has passed and the points haven’t come in)

Here’s mine, so you can see. It’s really simple, anyone can make one.

“But that’s so much work!” Yes, it is. I’m not going to say it isn’t. But it’s worth it, especially when points don’t come in. And once you get into the routine, once you get into the habit of writing things down, it’s really not that much work. At the beginning it’s harder. Maybe it’s the same amount of work, but I’m so used to it now that I do it on autopilot.

Why I know this works

I think this is an important part of my story, so I want to tell you.

When I moved here to the UK, I didn’t have a credit card. Nothing. Obviously, when you arrive, you don’t even have a credit history. So every single point I earned came from shopping portals and from my Nectar, doing my shopping at Sainsbury’s.

And with those points, I brought my mum over from Brazil.

Let me tell you why. Some close friends of ours were getting married in Italy, and we really wanted to go. But we live here in the UK and we don’t have any family support here. No grandparents down the road, no one to leave our son with. So I brought my mum over to stay with him, so we could go to the wedding.

Her flight from São Paulo to London cost me less than £50 out of my own pocket. The rest was all points. (She took a domestic flight from her city to São Paulo first, that part wasn’t included.) Points I earned completely organically, just from shopping portals and Nectar.

And it wasn’t just about the wedding. My mum spent almost a month here with us. She got to spend real quality time with her grandson, when we live so far away from each other. That’s priceless for me. And it didn’t hurt our budget at all, because of points.

So yes, points really work. I can tell you that for sure. It takes some work, but it’s so worth it.

So, where do you start?

Honestly, it’s simple. Before you buy anything online, check the portals first. Have a quick look at the terms, so you know how many points you’ll get and when. Write it down, take a screenshot if it’s a big purchase, and then keep an eye on it. If the date comes and the points haven’t arrived, claim them. Each portal has its own deadline for that, so don’t leave it too long.

For me, this is one of the easiest ways to earn points without changing anything about what you spend or how you spend. You don’t need a credit card. You don’t need anything. You just keep spending your money the way you already do, on the things you already buy. The only difference is that you do it online, through these portals. That’s it.

And it’s so rewarding when you take a trip for really, really cheap just because you changed this one small habit.

I know a lot of people forget. Like I said, even me, sometimes I need something that’s right in front of me and I can’t buy it through a portal. It drives me crazy when that happens, because I really try to organise myself so it doesn’t. But a lot of people just forget, and they let that opportunity go.

Now you know how it works, so I hope you won’t. Next time you’re about to buy something online, just open the portal first. That’s it!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments. We’ll be really happy to help, and I hope this helps you understand how shopping portals work.

Lots of love, and see you next time! Xx

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