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Frequently, various questions came up in our facebook group:
Can you help me identify expenses to unlock subscription bonuses? How can you charge $1,500 to an American Express card in 3 months? Is it possible to pay Hydro Quebec with a credit card? How do I pay my municipal taxes with a credit card? How can I pay my taxes with a credit card? How can I pay my rent with a credit card?
Can you help me identify expenses to unlock subscription bonuses?
How can you charge $1,500 to an American Express card in 3 months?
Is it possible to pay Hydro Quebec with a credit card?
How do I pay my municipal taxes with a credit card?
How can I pay my taxes with a credit card?
How can I pay my rent with a credit card?
Members have shared their tips and tricks to more easily reach the spending thresholds for welcome bonuses, which can be as high as $7,000 in 3 months! Here are most of them here, but first, a common-sense reminder:
Don’t spend more than you can afford! There’s no point putting a lot of charges on your credit card to unlock bonuses…if you can’t pay it off every month! All the benefit will be lost due to interest paid… and points lost on your credit file!
There are dozens of gift cards for a multitude of businesses, and members of our Facebook group are big fans! However, you still need to know how to use them wisely.
A good points and miles hunter is generally someone who keeps a close eye on their budget and is able to forecast their spending over the coming months. In this specific case, gift cards are valuable allies for quickly unlocking welcome bonuses. Additionally, you can earn a lot of points when buying them!
Here, for example, is a typical budget for the coming month:
By planning your expenses for the next 2-3 months – and having the cash flow to “advance funds” via gift cards – it is possible to unlock bonuses more easily. This can also come in handy a few weeks before the deadline to unlock the bonus if you see that the 3 months won’t be enough!
Most insurance companies allow you to pay for car and/or home insurance in one go using a credit card (Mastercard/Visa for most).
Certainly, you will need to have the money available immediately to cover this expense, but if you do, it’s an easy welcome bonus to obtain!
And the big advantage: it’s an easily predictable expense, depending on the expiry date of your contracts! You can then sign up for a credit card in advance.
Do you have group or individual insurance? This allows you to pay only the deductible to the medical provider? Charge the entire expense to your credit card.
This way, it’s not the provider (like your dentist) who receives your insurance payment… it’s you! And this will have allowed you to put the expense on your credit card!
If you have money in your account, prepay your monthly expenses for certain services:
The same principle applies to other subscriptions like Netflix, YouTube Premium, Apple Music… by purchasing gift cards!
This tip is especially useful when you see that you are about to reach the end of the allotted time (generally 3 months) and you are only a few hundred dollars short of unlocking your bonus!
An innovative way to unlock a welcome bonus is to use the Chexy service to pay your rent.
Chexy is a Canadian company that allows tenants to pay their rent with a credit card. By using this service, not only can you automate your rent payments, but you can also earn reward points or cash back on your credit card.
Chexy charges your credit card for rent each month and then transfers the money to the landlord via an Interac transfer. The service is particularly useful for those looking to maximize their reward points or improve their credit score.
One of the biggest challenges in unlocking a welcome bonus is reaching the required spending threshold. For example, some premium credit cards may require you to spend up to $7,000 in 3 months to unlock the bonus, or even several hundred dollars per month for 12 months (as with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard or the American Express Cobalt® Card).
By using Chexy to pay your rent, you can easily increase your monthly spending without adding extra costs to your budget. What’s more, Chexy’s service fees are generally offset by the value of the points or cash back you earn.
Finally, Chexy has recently been recognized as a recurring payment service by most credit card issuers. For example, with the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card, you get 4% cash back when you pay your rent via Chexy!
We wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but unfortunately… it happens! Does your car need to be serviced after an accident? Is your windshield broken?
Instead of letting the insurance company pay the body shop or garage, pay the repairs in advance on your credit card!
Owning a car is expensive: but usually, maintenance can be scheduled a few weeks in advance.
If you do it correctly, it’s a way to help you unlock a new welcome bonus!
Does your mother, your brother, your best friend pay his bills with their bank account or by check? Tell them to stop!
Invite them to read this article…. or offer to take care if their bill and have them reimburse you with an Interac payment! You can always offer them a SAQ or grocery gift card as a thank you (purchased with your American Express Cobalt® Card)!
The next time you invite your parents over for dinner, identify the expenses they regularly incur!
Are you planning a group trip involving the purchase of numerous plane tickets and hotel nights?
Are you having a birthday party at a restaurant with a group of friends? Are you giving a joint gift to a colleague or friend?
Offer to pay in advance on your credit card and be reimbursed by Interac!
For small condominiums, managed by the various co-owners, one or two people will often take care of certain expenses, such as the purchase of a barbecue or parasols for the communal terrace…
Charge this expense to your credit card! For example, a friend of mine managed to charge the complete renovation of their building’s communal terrace to various American Express cards, and easily collected several hundred thousand points! (Tip from a friend).
Are you a member of the Ordre des Pharmaciens? Each year, you must pay a membership fee of approximately $1,500. And since this Order accepts PayPal, it’s easy to get the bonus from a card like the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
Many professional organizations accept credit card payments: instead of sending a check, pay by credit card!
The same applies to all memberships: theatre, soccer club, gym, etc.
And if your credit card isn’t accepted, you can fall back on a service like Plastiq to send a check for you.
Do you work for a small business? Often, it’s possible to set up an expense account and charge your various purchases to your credit card: flights, hotels, multiple subscriptions, and so on.
In some companies that advertise on Facebook or Google, it is also possible to request that expenses be charged via your credit card.
Here is a list of some cards that are perfect for picking up different bonuses:
There are many other tips for unlocking bonuses… which are discussed in the milesopedia Facebook group or during our events!
But with all the ones mentioned above, you should be able to unlock many bonuses! To find out when you’ll receive your bonus, click here!
To quickly unlock a welcome bonus, you need to concentrate your current expenses on the new card while staying within your budget. Using gift cards, prepaying for services, or paying large bills makes it easier to reach the required threshold.
Recurring expenses such as groceries, gas, insurance, or subscriptions are ideal for reaching the required amount. It is also possible to advance certain medical, professional, or family expenses to temporarily increase the volume of eligible purchases.
Yes, certain services allow you to pay rent or other significant bills with a credit card, which helps you earn points and unlock a welcome bonus. However, it is necessary to check associated fees and ensure that the value of the rewards remains advantageous.
The main risk is spending more than you can repay, which leads to high interest and negates the benefits of points. Rigorous budget management and full payment of the balance each month are essential for the strategy to remain profitable.
Planning significant expenses, using group payments reimbursed by transfer, and consolidating purchases on a bonus-earning card are effective strategies. Choosing a card suited to your spending profile also optimizes point accumulation and the value of bonuses obtained.
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