What's Happening
12 minutes ago

Rumble Touts Ad Traction With Netflix, Crypto.com, Chevron As Q1 Revenue Jumps 34%

benzingabenzinga.com
22 minutes ago

Gary Black Bullish On Lyft, Sees Investment Opportunity As Uber Rival Surprises With Q1 Profit And AV Adoption Plans

benzingabenzinga.com
1 hour ago

Celsius Founder Alex Mashinsky Gets 12-Year Prison Sentence For Securities and Commodities Fraud

benzingabenzinga.com
1 hour ago

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Believes Traditional Banks Launching Own Stablecoins 'Not Necessarily The Best' Path— Pitches USDC As Option

benzingabenzinga.com
1 hour ago

Amazon Now Holds AMD Stake Worth $84.4 Million After Lisa Su-Led Chipmaker Acquires ZT Systems (CORRECTED)

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Nvidia Modifies H20 Chip For China After US Restrictions Block Sales, Aims To Deliver New Version By July: Report

benzingabenzinga.com
3 hours ago

Pope Leo XIV Didn't Spare Trump Administration Criticism On Social Media — Now The President Says He's 'Excited' And Looking Forward To Meeting The ...

benzingabenzinga.com
3 hours ago

Near a 52-Week High, Is Waste Management an Excellent Dividend Stock to Buy Now?

foolfool.com
3 hours ago

A Sign Of 'Skyrocketing' Risk Appetite? One-Day Option Trades Explode In Popularity

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

Bitcoin Closing In On $104,000, Ethereum, Dogecoin Soar On Trade Deal Optimism: Analytics Firm Says Bullish Sentiment A 'Double-Edged Sword'

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery Pulling Back From 'More Is Better' Streaming Strategy, Bets Big On Premium Content — And Letting Scooby-Doo Sniff Out New Fan...

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

Monster's CEO: 'We Don't Always Win' On Hedging—As Aluminum Tariffs Bite Into Q2 Margins

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

JD Vance Says Trump Is Right About Jerome Powell: The Fed Chair A 'Nice Guy' But 'Wrong About Almost Everything'

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Cathie Wood's $21.5 Million Shopify Grab Defies Post-Earnings Dip, Ark Continues Dumping Palantir, Also Chops Jack Dorsey's Block

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Pope Leo XIV-Themed Memecoins Surge After US-Born Robert Francis Prevost Becomes Rome's New Bishop

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Why Warren Buffett's Upcoming Move Isn't Cause for Concern

foolfool.com
6 hours ago

Arm CFO Explains Why Company Withheld Fiscal 2026 Full Year Guidance Amid Uncertainty From Customers And Tariff Impacts: 'The Amount Of Signals I'm Ge...

benzingabenzinga.com
6 hours ago

Think The Trade Desk's Best Days Are Behind It? Think again.

foolfool.com
6 hours ago

'Will I Have More Money In The Long Run By Taking Out Student Loans Instead Of Paying Cash?' Suze Orman Weighs In

benzingabenzinga.com
6 hours ago

Scott Bessent Attempted Assassination: Charged Massachusetts Man Originally Planned To Target Mike Johnson And Pete Hegseth

benzingabenzinga.com

5 Little-Known Ways to Earn More Cash Back

A person holding a bunch of dollar bills in front of their face

Image source: The Motley Fool/Upsplash

When it comes to cash back cards, people usually fall into one of two groups. Some are happy keeping it simple and earning a little money back on their expenses. Others want to take it to the max and earn as much cash back as possible.

If you’re in the latter group, there are lots of cash back hacks you can use to earn more. You may already be familiar with some of them, including opening more cards to earn sign-up bonuses and getting cards with bonus categories to fit your spending habits.

Here are the methods many people don’t know about.

1. Get around bonus caps by opening two of the same card

Cash back cards with bonus categories often limit how much bonus cash you can earn. For example, a card may earn 5% back in your top spending category, but only on up to $500 per month. Any additional spending earns the standard 1% rate.

But many credit card companies let you open more than one of the same card. I’ve gotten two of the same credit card before. I’ve also heard of people who have taken it even further, opening three or more of the same credit card to get around bonus limits.

Are you currently looking for cash back cards with big bonus opportunities? Click here to see our curated list of the best cash back cards, with cards that earn as much as 6% back.

2. Open cash back cards with rotating bonus categories

Many cash back cards have fixed bonus categories. But there are also a few with rotating bonus categories that change every quarter. Your card might earn bonus cash at Amazon and Target in the fourth quarter of the year, gyms and grocery stores in the first quarter of next year, and so on.

I personally wouldn’t recommend using one of these as your only cash back card. However, this type of card can be a good addition to your wallet. These cards typically earn 5% in their rotating bonus categories, on up to $1,500 in quarterly spending.

Since they earn such a high rate, they can boost your cash back earnings quite a bit. And if the bonus cap is too low, you can always open multiple cards with this benefit.

3. Send referral offers to friends and family

Credit card companies are always looking for new customers. And if you send them one, you could get a finder’s fee out of it.

Check if your card issuer has a referral program. How this normally works is you share a referral link with your friends and family. If someone applies for the card through your link and gets approved, your card issuer will reward you with bonus cash back. For example, one of my cards has a $50 referral bonus for each person who gets the card through my referral link.

Make sure the card you’re recommending is a good fit for your referral. It’s not just about earning cash back — it’s about helping someone you know find the best credit card.

4. Use your card issuer’s online shopping portal

Several credit card companies have their own online shopping portals. You can access these through your online account. If you go to an online store through your card issuer’s shopping portal, you could earn bonus cash back on any purchases you make.

Let’s say you’re going to buy some workout gear from Lululemon. Your card would normally earn 1% back there. But you check your card issuer’s online shopping portal first, and you see it’s offering 3% back on Lululemon. Just by going to the Lululemon site through your card issuer’s portal, you earn three-times as much cash back.

5. Stack your rewards with cash back apps

Credit cards aren’t the only way to earn cash back. There are also cash back apps that allow you to earn cash back with their partner merchants.

Here’s the best part: You can combine these with cash back cards to earn even more. You use the cash back app to find offers, and then you pay for the purchase with your cash back card. Instead of earning 2% from a cash back app or 2% from a cash back card, you could earn it with both of them for a total of 4% back. Click here to see our list of the top cash back apps and start earning more today.

Cash back is one of the most valuable credit card perks. If you use those strategies to maximize your cash back, you could save $500 to $1,000 or more every year.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Target. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Related Posts

Social Security probably forms a key part of your retirement plan — and that’s OK. It makes sense you’d factor these benefits into your retirement

A record-breaking 4.18 million Americans are set to turn 65 this year. And even if they’re not planning on retiring anytime soon, those 4.18 million

Several experts have suggested that instead of investing its $2.8 trillion in reserves exclusively in Treasury securities, Social Security could invest some of its money

Based on current economic and market conditions, I’d have to call 2025 a pretty scary time to be retiring. That doesn’t mean people can’t or