How to earn points on holiday shopping in 2026 (Plus a 5,000 point bonus)
If you’re buying gifts anyway, you might as well earn points on holiday shopping (and honestly, it’s pretty easy to rack up a lot of them this year). I’m starting my orders at my favorite shopping portals (Rakuten and Rove), then checking out with Paze for an extra 10x from Chase, and picking up a few gift cards for family members at the grocery store.
I use points for pretty much all of my travel, which in a typical year means around $30,000 of trips for about $1,000 out of pocket. I have a few Chase cards, and right now they all have a really good offer from Chase when I check out with Paze (an extra 10x points through the end of the year).
Here are the three simple things I’m doing with my own holiday shopping this season, plus a quick calculator so you can see what your own list could earn 🙂
Heads up, some links in this post are my referral links, and I may earn a bonus if you use them (at no cost to you).
How to earn points on holiday shopping: a high-level overview
The easiest way to earn points on holiday shopping in 2026 is to start at a shopping portal like Rakuten or Rove, check out with Paze using a Chase card for an extra 10x, and buy gift cards at the grocery store with a Chase Freedom Flex for 5x.
Here’s a high-level overview first, and then I’ll walk through each step (with a handy calculator at the end that shows how many points you could earn). The easiest way to think about it is that one gift can earn points from a few places at once.
Quick note on the lingo. When I say 10x, I mean 10 points for every dollar you spend. Chase points are worth at least 1 cent each as cash back, so 10x is like getting 10% back, and they’re worth even more when you use them for travel.
- Start at a shopping portal. Rakuten or Rove pays you for clicking through to the store.
- Your Chase card earns its normal points. Nothing extra to do here.
- Check out with Paze for an extra 10x. Paze is just a digital wallet, not a new credit card (think of it like Apple Wallet), and it works with most personal Chase cards. The store has to offer Paze at checkout, so I share the best ones for holiday gifts below, and Paze keeps a full merchant directory too.
Not every gift will come from a store that takes Paze, though. If you’re buying anyone gift cards, buy them at the grocery store instead of directly from the brand’s site.
That’s because the Chase Freedom Flex earns 5x at grocery stores right now, and that counts for gift cards too, as long as you buy them in person (just activate the bonus by December 14). Think of these as two separate paths, Paze for gifts you’re buying online and the grocery store for gift cards you’re giving.
Step 1 works for anyone. Steps 2 and 3 need a Chase card, and I’ll tell you which ones as we go.
1. Start at a shopping portal like Rakuten or Rove
A shopping portal is a site that gets paid for sending you to a store, and it gives part of that money back to you. You just click through the portal before you shop, then shop like normal.
Your credit card still earns its usual points on top, so it’s basically free points on stuff you were buying anyway. I’d install the browser extension for whichever one you use, since it pops up on its own when you land on a store that pays (otherwise I’d forget every single time).
Rakuten
Rakuten is the one I use the most. It pays you cash back, or points if you have an Amex card like the Gold or Platinum, or a Bilt account (I have mine set to Bilt points).
If you’re choosing, Amex points are the better pick for most people, since Rakuten turns every cent of cash back into 1 Amex point. Bilt only does that if you have Bilt elite status (I have Gold), and otherwise it’s 1 Bilt point for every 2 cents. If you don’t have Bilt yet, here’s my Bilt link.
If you’re new to Rakuten, you’ll get a $50 bonus when you sign up with my link and spend $50 within 90 days.
Rove
Rove is newer, and it pays you in Rove Miles instead of cash back. Those miles transfer to 20+ airlines and hotels, including Air France and KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic, and you don’t need a credit card to earn them.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t used Rove much myself. It’s best known for hotel bookings and I don’t book a ton of hotels, but earning miles that transfer to airlines without needing a credit card is really valuable.
Rakuten vs Rove: which shopping portal is better?
If you have an Amex card like the Gold or Platinum, or Bilt elite status, start with Rakuten. If you don’t, Rove is the easier way to earn miles you can actually use for flights.
When people ask me about Rakuten vs Rove, the other thing I tell them is that only one portal gets credit per order. Both show their rate before you click through, so just go with whichever one is paying more at that store.
My example. I’m buying five Beauty of Joseon under-eye patches at Sephora as stocking stuffers ($100 total). Rakuten is paying 2% on most Sephora items right now, so that’s 200 Bilt points before I even check out. 2% isn’t huge on its own, but it’s free, and it stacks with Paze.
2. Check out with Paze for 10x Chase points
What is Paze?
Paze is an online checkout button from a group of big banks, including Chase (think of it like Apple Wallet, not a new credit card). Through December 31, 2026, Chase Paze checkout earns select cardholders an extra 10x points on up to $1,500 in purchases a month.
To see if you have it, open the Chase app, tap your card, then go to Benefits & travel and then Benefits. If your card has it, you’ll see the 10x Paze offer there (this is what mine looks like).
It’s targeted, so check each of your Chase cards to see which ones have it.
Paze only works for online checkout, and these are the stores that make the most sense for holiday gifts right now:
- Sephora for beauty gifts and stocking stuffers
- Macy’s, which recently added Paze (it may not show up for everyone yet)
- 1-800-Flowers for flowers and gift baskets
- StubHub for concert or game tickets
- United if a flight is the gift (or you’re booking your own trip home)
If you don’t see the Paze button at checkout, the store doesn’t take it. You can also check Paze’s merchant directory before you shop. Paze also works at a lot of restaurants that use Clover for online ordering, which I walk through in my guide to earning 17x on dining this quarter.
Back to my eye patches. I check out with Paze using my Chase Freedom Unlimited, which earns 1.5x on everything. That $100 order earns 1,150 Chase points (150 from the card plus 1,000 from Paze), and with the 200 Bilt points from Rakuten, that’s 1,350 points on $100 of stocking stuffers. Those 1,150 Chase points are worth at least $11.50 as cash back, and more if you use them for travel.
One thing to know is that I wouldn’t count on the Paze 10x for gift cards. Lots of stores won’t let you buy gift cards with Paze, and Chase already cut off Newegg, which people were using to buy them. That’s where the grocery store comes in.
3. Buy gift cards at the grocery store for 5x with Chase Freedom Flex
If I’m giving someone a gift card, or shopping at a store that doesn’t take Paze, I buy the gift card at the grocery store. The Chase Freedom Flex Q4 2026 categories are grocery stores, dining and American Red Cross donations, so from October 1 through December 31 it earns 5x at grocery stores (not Walmart, Target or warehouse clubs). Gift cards bought there usually count as a grocery purchase when you buy them in person.
You do have to turn it on. Go to chasebonus.com and activate by December 14, 2026, or you’ll only earn the normal rate. Also, some grocery stores don’t let you buy gift cards with a credit card, so it’s worth checking at the register before you load up.
This year I’m buying Airbnb gift cards, some for my own trips and some for friends and family so they can come visit me wherever I’m traveling. A $100 Airbnb gift card earns 500 points on my Freedom card, and lots of grocery stores sell them right by the registers.
You need the Chase Freedom Flex for this one (I have the older version of the card, which earns the same 5x). It has no annual fee, and the 5x covers up to $1,500 in grocery and dining purchases for the quarter, which is plenty for most gift lists.
Holiday shopping points calculator
Now that you know the three ways to earn points on holiday shopping, plug in roughly what you’re spending and you’ll see how fast it adds up.
Get the cards: Chase Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex
Black Friday and Cyber Monday tips for earning points
If you’re doing a lot of your Christmas shopping over Black Friday weekend, a little timing helps you earn points on holiday shopping without spending a dollar more. This year Black Friday is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30.
- Split big orders across months. The Paze 10x covers up to $1,500 a month, so if your list is bigger than that, buy some in November and the rest after December 1.
- Check portal rates that week. Shopping portals usually raise their rates for a lot of stores around Black Friday, so compare Rakuten and Rove before you click through.
- Don’t forget to activate. The Freedom Flex 5x counts back to October 1 once you activate it, but you have to do it by December 14.
How to use your holiday shopping points for travel
Points from the Freedom cards look like cash back, but if you also have a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, you can move them over and transfer them to airlines. That’s how I book business class with my points, like transferring them to Air France and KLM Flying Blue and booking the flight directly with the airline.
Bilt points transfer to airlines too, so the points from Rakuten end up in the same place. Between my two $100 purchases (the eye patches and one Airbnb gift card), I earned 1,850 points (1,650 Chase points and 200 Bilt points) without buying anything I wasn’t already planning to buy.
If you want help figuring out where to transfer your points, I have free guides and I also offer free consultations.
Mistakes to avoid when earning points on holiday shopping
- Forgetting to activate. The Freedom 5x at grocery stores doesn’t turn on by itself, so activate it here by December 14.
- Assuming you have the Paze offer. It’s targeted, so check your card benefits in the Chase app before you place a big order.
- The portal not tracking. Ad blockers and opening the store in a new tab can stop Rakuten or Rove from tracking your order, so click through and check out in the same tab.
- Expecting points right away. The Paze bonus can take up to 8 weeks to post, and Rakuten pays out every quarter (holiday purchases pay out on February 15).
FAQs about earning points on holiday shopping
Yes. Click through Rakuten first, then choose Paze at checkout with your Chase card, and you’ll earn both. Just make sure you check out in the same tab so Rakuten tracks the order.
No. Paze works for online checkout on a computer or your phone. If you don’t see the Paze button in a store’s app, switch to the store’s website in a browser.
At least 1 cent each as cash back, so 1,000 points is $10. They’re worth more when you move them to a Sapphire card and transfer them to airlines for flights.
If you have an Amex card like the Gold or Platinum, or Bilt elite status, Rakuten is the better pick. If you don’t, Rove is the easiest way to earn miles that transfer to airlines without a credit card.
Yes. New members who sign up with a referral link get $50 after spending $50 within 90 days. Rakuten can change this anytime, so check the offer when you sign up.
Rakuten pays every quarter. Anything you buy between October 1 and December 31 pays out on February 15.
No. Your Freedom points are still worth cash back on their own. A Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve just lets you transfer them to airlines, which is where they’re worth the most for travel.
For most people this year, it’s whichever Chase card has the Paze 10x offer. I use my Freedom Unlimited at Paze stores and my Freedom card for gift cards at the grocery store.
Usually, yes. Gift cards you buy in person at a grocery store typically count as a grocery purchase, so they earn the Q4 5x once you activate. Walmart, Target and warehouse clubs don’t count as grocery stores for this bonus.
Grocery stores (not Walmart, Target or warehouse clubs), dining and American Red Cross donations, from October 1 through December 31, 2026. You earn 5x on up to $1,500 combined, and you need to activate by December 14.
Final thoughts on how to earn points on holiday shopping
Earning points on holiday shopping really comes down to three habits this year. Start at Rakuten or Rove, check out with Paze when you can, and grab gift cards at the grocery store for everything else.
My eye patches and one Airbnb gift card earned 1,850 points, and that’s before the rest of my list 🙂 Activate your Freedom categories before December 14, check your Chase app for the Paze offer, and happy shopping.
Cheers to your next adventure ✈️🎄
Some links in this post are my referral links, and I may earn a bonus if you use them at no cost to you. Offers change often, so double-check the details in your own accounts before you shop.
