Readers are on a roll today! @Ringsthecaddy sent me a pretty good deal from AAA: Members who purchase merchant gift cards through AAA receive a 5% discount in the form of AAA Dollars. These AAA dollars can then be used to cover membership renewal fees.
Membership fees in California range from $57 – $119. In order to earn enough AAA dollars to cover these membership fees, you’ll need to purchase $1140 – $2380 worth of merchant gift cards from AAA. Below is a list of merchant gift cards offered by AAA:
- AERO
- Amazon
- American Eagle
- Applebees
- Barnes & Noble
- Bass Pro Shops
- Bath & Body Works
- Bed, Bath & Beyond
- Brinker card
- Chili’s Grill & Bar
- On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
- Maggiano’s Little Italy and
- Romano’s Macaroni Grill
- Buca di Beppo
- Burger King
- Cabela’s
- Champs
- Cracker Barrel
- CVS Pharmacy
- Darden Restaurants
- Dell
- Denny’s
- Domino’s
- DSW
- Dunkin Donuts
- GameStop
- Gap Options
- Global Direct
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Kindle Fire
- Landry’s Restaurants
- Macy’s
- Overstock.com
- Petco
- QVC
- Sally Beauty Supply
- Sears
- Starbucks
- Whole Foods Market
The list looks very much like a line-up from an office supply store, where you can earn 5x Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Ink Plus card. Since Ink Plus office supply store bonuses are limited to the first $50,000 spent each year, this is a good way to keep earning rewards after you’ve maxed out your credit card benefit. Sure, you’re only earning AAA dollars but it will save you actual cash when membership fees are due. To earn 5% AAA dollars on merchant gift cards, simply head to your local AAA branch to make your purchase.
Don’t forget to use a rewards credit card for your gift card purchase. This is a good opportunity to not only earn rewards towards your annual membership fee, but to meet some spending requirements easily. My go-to card these days is the Barclay Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard, which earns 2.2% in travel cash on all spending. Purchasing the maximum $2380 worth of merchant gift cards would earn me an additional $52 in travel rewards, which I can always put to good use.
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