I love a good deal. I love earning extra points and miles even more.
But I have learned one very important thing over the years:
Saving 40% on something I didn't need is still spending money. 😂
So when the holiday sales start flying at me from every direction, I try to keep things really simple.
These are the little things I personally do before I check out to save a little more, earn a few extra rewards, and hopefully avoid buying 14 things I suddenly decided I needed because they were on sale.
Referral & Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains personal referral and affiliate links. If you use one of my links, I may receive bonus points, miles, cash back, or a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share programs and tools I personally use and recommend. Thank you for supporting No Point Left Behind.
1. Check My Credit Card Offers
Before I buy something, I check whether any of my credit cards have an offer for that particular store.
I use CardPointers to help me keep track of my offers because otherwise there is approximately a 100% chance I will remember the offer right after I check out.
I also use the CardPointers extension before purchases to help me figure out which card makes the most sense to use.
It takes me a minute.
Sometimes it saves me money.
Sometimes it earns me extra points.
And sometimes there is absolutely nothing there, so I move on with my life.
→ Want to try it? Check out CardPointers with my affiliate link
2. Check a Shopping Portal Before I Buy
This is probably one of my easiest habits.
Instead of automatically going straight to a retailer's website, I try to remember to check my shopping portals first.
I personally use a few different ones because I don't feel like I have to be loyal to a portal. I want to use whichever option makes sense for that particular purchase.
Rakuten
Rakuten has been part of my shopping routine for a long time, and it's one of the first places I check when I'm shopping online.
If I'm buying something anyway, I might as well see if I can get something extra for it.
→ Join Rakuten with my personal referral link
Rove
Rove is another portal I've added to my routine.
I like having another option to check before I shop. I'm not trying to make this complicated. I just want to know whether I can earn a little something extra before I click buy.
→ Try Rove with my personal referral link
Capital One Offers
I also check Capital One Offers.
And I specifically mean the offers associated with my Capital One credit card, not Capital One Shopping (I personally have not had luck with this platform).
Again, I'm not checking 47 different places before I buy a sweater.
Rakuten. Rove. Capital One Offers.
Quick check. Pick what works. Move on.
3. Stack the Easy Wins
This is where things get fun.
If I have:
A sale + a credit card offer + shopping portal rewards + the right card at checkout
I'm a very happy girl.
But here's the important part:
I'm not buying something just so I can create a stack.
That's where I think rewards can get a little sideways.
If I was already buying it and I can stack a few easy savings or rewards on top?
Absolutely.
If I'm spending $200 I wasn't planning to spend because someone promised me an extra 5X points?
Hard pass.
The goal is to make my spending work harder, not to spend more so I can earn rewards.
4. Ask Myself: Do I Actually Need This?
And here we arrive at the rule that saves me the most money.
Before I hit buy:
Do I actually need this?
Or…
Do I really, really want it?
Because wants are okay, too.
I don't believe in saving every penny and never buying anything fun. If you've read No Point Left Behind for very long, you already know my philosophy is to save where it doesn't matter to me so I have room to spend where it does.
But holiday marketing is REALLY good at turning something I didn't know existed five minutes ago into something I suddenly cannot possibly live without.
40% OFF!
TODAY ONLY!
LOWEST PRICE OF THE YEAR!
Suddenly I'm saving $75 on something I wasn't going to buy.
Except…
I didn't save $75.
I spent the other $125. 😂
That little reality check has probably done more for my holiday budget than any shopping portal ever could.
My Very Simple Holiday Shopping Strategy
That's really it.
Before I buy:
Check the credit card offers.
Check Rakuten, Rove and Capital One Offers.
Use the right card.
Stack an easy deal if one is there.
And then ask:
Do I actually need this or really want it?
If the answer is yes, I'm buying it and hopefully earning a little something extra along the way.
If the answer is no?
Close the tab.
We have survived another holiday sale. 😂
No spreadsheet. No hours of research. No chasing every last point.
That's my kind of holiday shopping.
New to Points, Miles & Stacking?
If you're reading this thinking, Okay Julie, but I don't even know where to start with all of this, don't worry.
You absolutely do not have to turn points and miles into a second job.
My Lazy Girl Beginner Guide to Points & Miles walks through the simple system I use to earn rewards, redeem them for travel, and keep the whole thing manageable.
→ Start with my Lazy Girl Beginner Guide to Points & Miles
And if you're ready to go a little deeper into stacking offers, credits and shopping portals, head over to my Stack & Save Hub next.
→ Explore the Stack & Save Hub
The goal isn't to collect the most points.
It's to make the money you're already spending work a little harder for you.
About the Author
Julie Davis is the creator of No Point Left Behind, where she shares the real strategies she uses to travel more, spend intentionally, and make everyday purchases work harder.
After more than 20 years of using points and miles, Julie has learned that the best strategy isn't necessarily the most complicated one. It's the one you'll actually use.
From credit card perks and shopping portals to cruises, hotels and real trip costs, she shares what she personally uses, what she pays, and what actually works in real life.
Travel smarter. Spend where it matters. Leave no point behind.
