How to Stack Rewards When Shopping Online in Australia

With some planning and a little extra effort, Aussie shoppers can make the most of each purchase by combining various rewards programs. Here’s how you can start stacking points and saving more.

The Basics of Points Stacking

Stacking points involves combining different reward programs to maximise earnings on each transaction. By layering credit card rewards, loyalty programs, and cashback websites, you can earn significantly more than you would with a single rewards program.

Using a rewards credit card in combination with a cashback site or loyalty shopping portal can yield a decent return on a single purchase.

Done right, points stacking lets you unlock greater value from your spending without changing your habits. And over time, these rewards add up, allowing you to save on future purchases, travel, or redeem for cashback.

2. Choose a Credit Card with Rewards

To make points stacking work, start with a credit card that aligns with your spending patterns and offers a good earn rate per dollar spent.

Rewards credit cards earn points with a rewards program linked with a bank or airline. Alternatively, you can earn cashback, although generally not on every dollar spent. To complicate matters further, some bank rewards programs make it possible to convert rewards points to cash.

If you don’t already have a good credit card that earns points, look for one with a generous earn rate, low or preferably no annual fees, and a large introductory bonus that can help you jumpstart your points earnings. Preferably any bonus offer can be unlocked without having to change your current spending habits too much.

Use a comparison website like Credit Card Compare to keep an eye on the latest offers from various credit card providers

3. Shop Via Cashback Websites Or Loyalty Shopping Portals

Cashback websites and loyalty shopping portals add another layer to your points strategy, giving you a way to earn more rewards in addition to whatever you get from the credit card.

They all operate in fundamentally the same way: a logged in member clicks through to a store, buys something, then shares in the commission the platform earns for referring a sale to the merchant.

Another thing that they share in common are the seasonal promotions they run from time to time with extra points, cashback, or bonus rewards. If you are not in a rush to order, especially when you’re buying something expensive, holding off until there is an elevated offer can net out a substantially higher return in either cashback or points.

Stack Cashback with Credit Card Points

Popular Australian cashback sites like CashRewards, Shopback, and Kickback offer cash back on purchases at hundreds of retailers. When you shop through these sites, you receive a portion of your purchase amount back in cash, which effectively boosts your overall rewards.

To get cashback and points, start your shopping trip by visiting a cashback site and clicking through to the retailer. Then, use a rewards credit card at checkout. This strategy lets you earn both cashback and points, effectively stacking rewards for the same transaction.

Stack Cashback with Credit Card Cashback

Very few credit cards in Australia earn cashback on an ongoing basis, but there are a couple. If you do opt for one of these, you can earn cashback from the cashback site and again from the credit card.

Note that the amount of cashback earned from a credit card is likely to be a fraction of a percentage of the amount spent — and there is often a cap of some sort on how much you can earn.

Stack Loyalty Shopping Points with Credit Card Points

You can earn Qantas Points by shopping via Qantas Shopping and earn Velocity Points via Velocity eStore. Once you decide who you are buying from, login to the shopping portal, locate the store, click through, and use your rewards credit card at checkout. You will earn points on the purchase from the card and also from the shopping portal. Other rewards programs have their own shopping portals, but these are the two major ones.

These operate much like cashback websites, but instead of generating cash, they generate points. The main difference between earning points versus cashback is that the value of a point is less defined.

Using Coupons with Cashback Websites and Rewards Shopping Portals

How do coupons fit in with stacking rewards? Unfortunately, it is generally not possible to use a coupon and get cashback from a cashback website or points from a rewards program’s shopping portal. Therefore, you need to decide which backs out better: using a coupon and getting credit card rewards or not using the coupon but getting cashback/rewards from the cashback website or shopping portal and credit card rewards.

Is It Worth Stacking?

Yes, stacking points can definitely be worth the effort! By stacking rewards, you’re essentially creating a multiplier effect for each dollar you spend. The more layers you add (such as cashback, credit card points, and loyalty points), the more you get.

However, it will not back out in your favour if you do not pay off your credit card in full as the interest on a balance carried over will quickly cancel out the value of rewards.

Example

Let’s say you’re buying a $100 item from an online store with a credit card that offers 1 point per dollar spent, you’d earn 100 points.

Assuming the product or store is on both platforms, you need to choose whether you want to earn cashback or points.

1. Cashback site: By clicking through from your preferred cashback website, you earn 5% cash back, or $5.
2. Loyalty shopping portal: When you click through from Qantas Shopping, for example, you earn an additional 5 Qantas Points per dollar, adding another 500 points. If you value a Qantas Point at roughly 1c, then the cash value would be $5 too.

Over time, these rewards can add up significantly, allowing you to redeem points for travel, gift cards, or discounts. While stacking does require a little extra effort, the payoff is worth it for frequent and disciplined shoppers.