September 2025 Newsletter

LABOR DAY Today is Labor Day! Check your shopping portals for sales. Historically we have seen deals on mattresses, appliances, and electronics on Labor Day. Even some back-to-school lingering sales can pop up!

CHASE DINING PORTAL Thanks to an eagle eyed Earning Multiplier memeber for pointing out this recent change. Effective october 26th Chase will no longer be operating it's Dining Portal. Instead they will be encouraging dining earn through their new Exclusive Tables program.

ATMOS REWARDS Alaska and Hawaiians new (long awaited) loyalty program is here. A choose your own adventure in earning points; you pick either distance flown, price paid or segments flown. You can also earn status credit from award travel so keep that in mind when choosing your earning path.

Turn Your Cash Travel Purchases Into Points & Perks

When we book trips around the world, we try to stick to going where the deals are. But let’s be honest — you can’t score a crazy deal every single time. Sometimes it’s the flight, sometimes the hotel, and sometimes it’s that must-do excursion.

The good news? Even when you do pay cash, you can still make those purchases work harder for you. The trick is stacking — using the right card, grabbing targeted offers, and checking portals. Let’s break it down:

✈️ Flights

Paying full price for flights stings, but think of it as an investment — you’re earning miles and maybe even a bump toward status.

• Pick the right card: Amex Platinum gives 5x on airfare booked direct, Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 4x, and other premium cards, like the Amex Gold and Chase Ink Preferred, have similar perks.

• Check your benefits: Sometimes your card offers extra credits or travel protections.

• Portals: Rare, but worth checking. Airlines like Aer Lingus, Virgin, Turkish, or Condor sometimes pop up on Rakuten.

• Credit Card portals: Booking through Amex or Chase portals can actually be a way to earn more, since premium cards often have bonus multipliers. Just be cautious because this is a third party booking and carries its own risks.

🏨 Hotels & 🚗 Rental Cars

Same mindset as flights: use your best travel card or a hotel-branded card, then layer on offers and perks.

• Use the right card: As always, make sure you are paying with the card that gives you the best bonus. Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 4x on hotels booked direct. Chase Ink Preferred will earn 3x.

• Targeted offers & benefits: Chase, Capital One, and Amex often send hotel and rental car deals.

• Portals: Rakuten (Booking.com, Hotels.com, Agoda), or Rocketmiles (earn airline miles on hotel stays).

• Credit Card portals: Big multipliers make these a solid option when paying cash.

• Pro tip: Call the hotel to confirm your reservation if booking through a third party.

• Double dip: Always link your loyalty numbers for extra points or elite benefits.

🎭 Excursions & Activities

This is where you can rack up huge points.

• Viator: Their multipliers can get wild (20x isn’t uncommon). Pair with a Chase or Amex offer for serious earning.

• Food & City Tours: Great way to explore a new city — and yes, you can earn with dining cards like Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire.

• Portals: Just like with shopping, always check if your favorite activity site is offering a boost.

The Bottom Line

Even when you’re paying cash, you don’t have to leave points on the table. With the right card, a quick portal check, and a little stacking, those full-price purchases turn into earning opportunities.

Happy travels (and happy earning)!

Mark your calendars for a Livestream in the Village with Shannon and Kira on Monday, September 8th at 11:30a PT/2:30p ET, where we will be sharing how we applied some of these strategies to our recent travels!

🗓️ UPDATES 🗓️

Mark your calendars for our next Live Q&A session on Monday September 29th at 3:00pm PT/6:00pm ET. Get all your questions answered. Here's the link to join. Don't miss out on attending live!

See you soon!

Kira & Shannon

JGOOT Earning Multipliers Experts