Miles for Textbooks
Oct 5, 2010 | 12:35 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Massachusetts, USA; AA 2.996MM & Plat Pro, DL 1MM, GM & Flying Colonel
Posts: 25,036
1. Pay for them with a mileage-earning credit card. Get about one mile per $, more during promos or with special deals such as SPG AmEx's 1.25 mi/pt if you convert 20,000 points at the same time.
2. Buy them through a store such as Barnes & Noble that participates in an airline's shopping program. If you go to B&N via American Airlines e-shopping, for example, you earn 3 AA miles/$ over and above any you might earn via the card you pay with. (There is no requirement that both sets of miles credit to the same program.)
3. Convince your school bookstore to offer FF miles as an incentive. If they're in a competitive environment, they just might do it. Might take a while to get set up, though, so if you need the books quickly this probably wouldn't help.
4. Buy them from an out-of-town store, get miles for flying there and back ...
(BTW, does $500 mean two law school books or three these days?)
2. Buy them through a store such as Barnes & Noble that participates in an airline's shopping program. If you go to B&N via American Airlines e-shopping, for example, you earn 3 AA miles/$ over and above any you might earn via the card you pay with. (There is no requirement that both sets of miles credit to the same program.)
3. Convince your school bookstore to offer FF miles as an incentive. If they're in a competitive environment, they just might do it. Might take a while to get set up, though, so if you need the books quickly this probably wouldn't help.
4. Buy them from an out-of-town store, get miles for flying there and back ...
(BTW, does $500 mean two law school books or three these days?)
Oct 5, 2010 | 5:12 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Location: 1 hour from Khao Yai, Thailand. No longer Bangkok, China, Taiwan , Palm Coast, FL, LA, or Chicago though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,573
I had to buy $300 of textbooks in Spet, the best deal was Amazon (no miles.) Second best, and very close in price to Amazon, was B&N thru CO's shopping portal using the CO Chase Debit card for 8 miles per dolar from B&N plus the usual 1 from Chase, so 9 miles per dollar. B&N also has links to used books sellers, though I haven't seen those miles post, yet. It was through B&N's site, so should earn. The worst deal was thru the school bookstore, like 50% more, though "guaranteed" buyback. No disclosure of the buyback rate. Can sell any books later through B&N or Amazon, or the used book sellers.
Oct 5, 2010 | 5:44 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Massachusetts, USA; AA 2.996MM & Plat Pro, DL 1MM, GM & Flying Colonel
Posts: 25,036
Quite true. You should toss this option into the mix before going for the miles. (I was trying to just answer the question in my previous post, and didn't think about putting it into context.)
Oct 5, 2010 | 5:59 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 327
I tried to maximize my mileage and savings buying my own LS textbooks this fall. I followed Efrem's strategy somewhat. I used a mileage earning credit card (AA), to buy B&N gift certificates through a cashback portal (6% cashback), and in order to meet a spending threshold on that card. For the one book cheaper/available on Amazon I used a Citi Forward card (5 TY points per dollar, or ~3.5% cashback).
Oct 5, 2010 | 6:02 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,774
If you do not wish to keep the books you are better off using a rental website like chegg, which offers coupon codes for its site.
I just feel that there is nothing to gain from sites that offer cashback or miles on textbooks compared to buying from a discount or used textbook website.
I just feel that there is nothing to gain from sites that offer cashback or miles on textbooks compared to buying from a discount or used textbook website.