Some people love to shop. But I’m not one of those people.

So when I do have to shop, like during the holiday season, I want to give myself a little incentive to make it more fun! My incentive is trying to earn the most points I can. Then each purchase isn’t just a gift—each purchase is more and more points I can use to book more and more trips. And that’s a gift to myself, if you think about it.

So ok, on second thought, maybe I do like shopping.

Here are some of my favorite ways to earn extra points from shopping during the holiday season, or really any time of year.

1. Maximizing credit-card spending categories. Take advantage of the targeted category spending on your credit cards! If you’re going to buy a gift card to someone’s favorite restaurant, use your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve cards or your American Express Gold Card so you can earn three or four points per dollar spent on those purchases. And if you have a Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex card, optimize the rotating quarterly bonus category for Q4 2024. Right now, two of the merchant categories with bonuses are PayPal and pet stores, so if you pay for any online purchases of pretty much anything with PayPal, you can earn up to five points per dollar of spending. And putting treats in your pet’s stocking doesn’t seem as ridiculous if you’re earning five points per dollar on them, right? (It’s me; I am ridiculous. But to be fair, my dog is really wonderful; she deserves presents.)
2. For big purchases, plan ahead and apply for a new card. If you know you’re going to be going all-out on a particular gift or a bunch of gifts, applying for a new card can mean the big expenditures go to a great purpose: meeting a new spending requirement so you can earn a nice welcome bonus. If you have a really big gift in mind for someone, consider one of the cards that has a super-high spending requirement (and super-high bonus to match), like the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Business or the Capital One Venture X Business card. Some cards also offer instant online access to your card number, which can mean you won’t have to wait for the physical card to show up in the mail to get started shopping.
3. Online shopping through Rakuten. Rakuten often has some of the highest shopping bonuses available, and if you value American Express Membership Rewards, linking your AmEx account to your Rakuten account can mean your Membership Rewards points start building up fast. Right now, if you open a Rakuten account and make the required purchase within 90 days, you can get a $40 bonus, which is even higher than the typical $30 bonus.
4. Online shopping through Capital One Offers. In the last few weeks, Capital One has begun to offer really remarkable shopping bonuses through the Capital One Offers section in your Capital One app or account page. You’ll earn Venture Miles for each purchase, and the bonuses on most of the stores tend to be higher than I usually see for the same stores in the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal.
5. Booking experiences through Viator (using a shopping portal). To give people the gift of experiences, not stuff, consider booking something through Viator! If you know the gift recipient has a trip coming up, get them a food tour or some kind of of fun excursion they can enjoy on their trip! Booking a Viator tour or excursion through a shopping portal can earn a LOT of points. (I’ve been seeing Viator offering 15 to 20x this week, though that can vary from day to day, so double check all the portals to make sure you’re getting the most out of your purchase.) And even if the person you have in mind doesn’t travel much, there may be fun Viator tours you can book for them right in their hometown.
6. Giving to charity. (That counts as shopping, right?) Lots of us save a big chunk of our charitable giving until the end of the year, and an easy way to maximize your points earnings from donations is to use a card that earns 1.5 or 2 points per dollar spent on any category, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited or the Capital One Venture Rewards or Venture X cards. And if you have a Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex card, certain charities qualify for their quarterly 5x bonus, so you can earn 5 points for every dollar you donate. Be sure to activate your bonus categories by December 14th! (And if you also want to maximize the donation itself, be sure to find out if your employer matches employee charitable donations before you donate!)

Did I miss any great options? Let me know in the comments!