Originally Posted by DaDOKin DC
In addition to the supermarket's own Gift Certificates, many now sell gift cards for other stores. The Safeways here in DC sell cards for gas stations, Best Buy, Olive Garden, etc. In a pinch at Xmas, I bought a few and was surprised to see them just added to the total as a purchase (not cash advance).
So, you can take it a step farther, and buy them for stores where you would shop anyway and get some extra points. Of course if you would be using an affinity CC, then it is a wash.
It may be a little better than a wash as Safeway gives UAL miles for purchases using the Safeway Card in addition to the credit card affinity miles. I'll give this one a try on my next grocery run. I was under the impression that the gift cards would not count toward UAL miles, but I'll try it!