The United MileagePlus Shopping Portal is temporarily offering amazing mileage payouts for several stores. Simply start your shopping within the portal and earn huge numbers of bonus miles for your purchases in addition to any rewards earned directly from your credit card. Keep in mind that Department Stores qualify for 5X bonus points with both Discover It and Chase Freedom cards this quarter.
Here are the big payout stores I found, along with tips on how you may be able to get gifts before Xmas:
Bloomingdales 20 Miles Per Dollar
If you have a store nearby, order online for pickup in-store. Make sure to order early in order to get items same day. According to Frequent Miler Laboratory reports, purchases of gift cards do NOT earn miles.
Neiman Marcus 18 Miles Per Dollar
According to recent Frequent Miler Laboratory reports, purchases of e-gift cards DO earn miles. I do not know how quickly they are sent however, so order early if you plan to send e-gift cards for Christmas.
If you’d prefer to buy stuff instead of e-gift cards, Neiman Marcus also offers ship-to-store if you order before 4PM local time.
Other Great Deals (but without obvious last-minute options):
Saks Fifth Avenue 15 Miles Per Dollar
Unfortunately, Saks does not appear to have a ship-to-store option. Also reports in the Frequent MIler Laboratory indicate that you will NOT earn miles for purchasing gift cards.
Under Armour 20 Miles Per Dollar
Unfortunately, Under Armour does not appear to have a ship-to-store option. Also reports in the Frequent MIler Laboratory are MIXED regarding whether or not you’ll earn miles for purchasing gift cards (I wouldn’t chance it).