ShopTrue Points

Earning TrueBlue Points with ShopTrue

Now that ShopTrue is back from the dead, here's a quick primer on using the new site to nab some extra TrueBlue points for everyday purchases - something which hasn't been the easiest to do, until now.

It's Back!

 

Since the most direct way to earn TB points is through the JetBlue by Amex card, you can get 1 pt/$ spent when using the card - but that isn't that great. You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards from an Amex card as well, but I'd argue there may be better places to put those points to work for you than with JetBlue.

With the long awaited return of ShopTrue though, you can earn extra points for everyday online purchases at major retailers like Target and BestBuy. The portal works very similar to other credit card and airline reward portals - click through the provided link to earn the designated number of points per dollar. Use the JetBlue by Amex and you can add another point on top to really make the purchase effective.

ShopTrue lets you know when your points are on the way.

When you first click the company you want to buy from (in this case, I chose Target), you're brought to a standard "you're leaving..." page. What's different about this than most is that JetBlue provides a field for you to enter your email to be notified when your points are earned. They say they should post to a "Pending" status within 5 business days, but I got my notification email on the first business day after I made my purchase (over a weekend). Sometimes these things can take time and being able to have a reminder via email that the transaction is in process is really helpful.

The reminder email when your points are pending.

The email I received was nice - it had the date, the retailer, and the status of the points. While I'd prefer to see how many points I had pending (25) it's still a great feature. Something worth noting is that on the Target page of the ShopTrue site there are some caveats - such as that personal grooming items like toothbrushes don't count towards the points. I ordered some deodorant and toothpaste as part of my order and was able to receive points for the entire purchase. It may be that they are reserving the right not to give points on some items, but it seems like for now they may not be too picky even though they give a warning. All the more points!

Pending points from my account screen.

Once I logged in to my ShopTrue account, I was able to verify that I had the 25 points pending. The interface is clean, simple, and seems to update pretty fast so far. I'm impressed and happy - sometimes these types of things can take ages and become unnecessarily complicated.

Be Creative

 

While I don't normally shop at Target, there is one close to where I live. Since I needed a few household items, I purchased them online to get TrueBlue points but opted to pick them up in the store. On a Saturday afternoon, it was a great choice since the store was crowded. I went to the customer service counter and waited less than 3 minutes in line, whereas every cashier had 9+ people in their queues. I didn't have to walk to the store to find my items and it was all prepaid - much easier than normal shopping and at a better price than my grocery store as well.

Maybe it's just the part of me that hates shopping, but this seems like the best of both worlds. I had up to two days after ordering to pick up my order at my leisure and was able to earn a few reward points in the process. What isn't to love here?