Credit Card Tricks for Halloween Treats
With Halloween coming up, the festive among us might be decorating and preparing costumes, while lazy folks like me are simply eyeing the candy aisle. Either way, to make your holiday even sweeter, be sure to maximize your points and savings with these easy tricks:
Use the Right Credit Card
For that last-minute candy from the supermarket, use a credit card that gets good rewards at grocery stores like the Amex Gold (4x points), Citi Premier (3x), or Discover It (3% cash back). For general retail or halloween experiences like apple picking at the local orchard, use a good all-around card like the Capital One Venture or Venture X (2x), Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5x), or Citi Double Cash (2%).
Look for Merchant Offers
I’ve mentioned them before, but be sure to check your card’s merchant offers for deals. For instance, if you shop at Spirit Halloween, many Amex cardholders can get $15 off a $75 purchase by activating an Amex Offer:
If you have a MasterCard instead, you could head over to SimplyMiles and earn hundreds of American Airlines miles by spending $75 at Spirit Halloween using a linked MasterCard.
Some Amex cardholders can also get a huge boost to their point balances when shopping at Amazon, including for Halloween supplies. My Chase Offers at the moment include 10% cash back at Oriental Trading Company, World Market, and Lindt, which could be useful for some people in Halloween preparations.
Use a Shopping Portal
I’ve also mentioned shopping portals as a great way to boost rewards, and that holds true at Halloween. Before you take your Mastercard or Amex to the Spirit Halloween website to take advantage of the offers above, click through via Swagbucks, Wyndham Rewards, or JetBlue’s shopping portal to stack even more rewards. (In the case of Swagbucks, use our referral link for a $10 bonus if you spend $25 within 30 days). Tons of other stores have bonus points or cash back opportunities, including Walmart and Target via Rakuten. If you haven’t joined Rakuten yet, you can use our link and get $40 in cash back (or 4000 Amex points, if you have a point-earning Amex card) after spending $40 within 90 days. It’s a great way to get your Halloween decorations on the house!
Key Points
Buy your candy with a good grocery store card if you have one
Look out for Amex or SimplyMiles offers if you plan to spend $75+ at Spirit Halloween
Get cash back or other rewards when doing your Halloween shopping via a shopping portal like Swagbucks (get $10 with our referral link and qualifying purchase(s)) and/or Rakuten ($40 with our referral link and qualifying purchase(s))