If the holidays are approaching, it might be worth bolstering your gift-giving fund by using some of your credit card rewards. Much like some credit card issuers offer increased point value when you book travel through its rewards portal, you can often shop for other items through these same portals. That means you can buy gift cards alongside various merchandise.
If your rewards portal increases the value of your points by half a penny, you could end up buying a gift card and getting some of that card’s value as a “free” bonus. It’s a better option than choosing to get cash back, as that often has the lowest value of all the methods of redeeming your rewards. Buy gift cards to a few stores you know you’ll shop during the holidays and you could cross a few items off your list without having to actually spend any more money.