Ways to earn points other than bills and flights?

Credit Cards & Credit Card Programs
, ,
1

I recently read about this points hack in the US where you can load funds on a prepaid Target Amex using a rewards credit card, then using the Target card to pay your credit card bill. Rinse and repeat. Is there anything similar to this in Australia?

I’m trying to figure out how to earn points given that I don’t spend a huge amount on bills etc (I keep my cost of living pretty low), and I rarely fly so won’t earn many points that way either.

I recently got a rewards card and earned 60,000 points as a signup bonus, but wondering how to keep earning points. I already use my card for everything I can (rarely use cash or bank transfers for anything other than rent).

Another thought was to purchase items and resell them, then pay off the card with that money. E.g. when the Qantas mall had 10x points at David Jones, purchase something like a MacBook, then sell it and repay the card. You’d lose $50-$100 reselling the laptop, but it might be worth it for 15,000 points. Another thought was to load up a share or CFD account with the card, then redraw the money and pay off the card, but most have a credit card payment fee, so it may not work out to be worthwhile. Are there any other ideas for items that can easily be bought and sold or other ways to earn extra points outside of general expenses and flights?

2

The tactics you’re referring to here are generally under the banner of ‘manufactured spend’. In the US, it does seem to be much easier to find opportunities to go after manufactured spend but here, less so. In many cases you’re skirting the terms of your credit card and/or the retailer you are using - as a result, I don’t chase manufactured spend opportunities and as a result, don’t ever really blog about them.

Your thought buy and resell is good - I have done this multiple times, or at least bought something on a whim which I knew I could resell if it turned I didn’t want to keep it, with the points as an insurance policy. The DJ’s 10x offer is a great example of this, along with a DJ’s card you could get them up to 13 Qantas Points per $.

The other option is to look overseas for bonus points options, and start diversifying your balances in the hunt for other bonuses.

In short - it’s not straightforward.

3