I’m not sure how new this is. A reader sent in a tip that U.S. Bank cards can have their rewards program linked with Paypal which then allows redemptions at 1 cent-per-point toward any future Paypal purchase. That gives us the ability to cash out rewards without the standard $25 cash minimum or $10 real time rewards minimum.
Most banks offer sub 1-cent redemptions via Paypal. However, with Discover, Citi, and U.S. Bank you get a full cent per point. In the case of U.S. Bank this is useful to bypass the minimum redemption which would otherwise be required.
Hat tip to reader Manny A.
Wow, this worked like a charm! I used up the points on my US Bank Altitude Go card by purchasing an eGift Card on PayPal’s Shopping website (https://www.paypal.com/us/gifts/all) and paying with points at checkout. Thanks, DoC!
Is there another screen after clicking going to the cart and clicking “checkout”? I only see a button saying “buy now”, but nowhere to select payment method or rewards. Not sure if it will use the default payment method somehow.
Anyone able to do this for the Altitude Connect or Cash+ cards?
After adding them I don’t see any way to enable paying with rewards. Manually adding /link-rewards to the card details http address brings up the “Agree and Link” template with the card info, but clicking the button gives an error…
For anyone else who has used this route, I followed the instructions and linked my 2 US Bank cards (Leverage and Business Cash) but they’re both showing up with a note “Link U.S. Bank Rewards” at the bottom and not the usual available rewards balance with other programs. I can confirm from US Bank’s side that it is linked with Paypal. Did anyone else have this experience?
Nevermind, I was able to figure it out!
How did u manage? It doesn’t work for me
Were you able to use rewards on your Business Cash card?
This was super helpful! Thanks!!
Thanks I was able to buy a $11ish Walmart Gift Card by checking out thru paypal, seemed to bypass the $25 min redeem requirement.
Do you remember if you bought this Walmart gift card on Walmart.com, or on the PayPal gift card site (https://www.paypal.com/us/gifts/all)? I can’t get the purchase to go through on either one. Thanks!
aran
Had to get a PayPal rep via chat and luckily, this rep was a good one. He got the clog removed (whatever it was) and I easily completed the transaction on the PayPal shopping site and paid with POINTS. Woohoo!
Anyone getting US Bank Business Cash Rewards card to show up on Paypal with points available to use for spending? It’s working on my Leverage card but has never worked for Biz Cash Rewards card.
Same problem. Not working for that card with this trick.
But, the purchase on PayPal will likely only get 1% rewards instead of your selected 5% categories.
The point of the article is to cashout less than $25 of rewards which you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. You won’t earn any cashback because you are using points.
Might not be the greatest idea to cash out via Paypal anymore, since it might end up getting reported on a 1099-K now.
How? It will reduce the amount you pay for a purchase, no positive change to you PayPal balance at all
Hmmph, interesting point. My guess is it’ll be excluded since it’s a rebate, but agreed there’s some risk there (for someone who has more than $600 received in Paypal during the calendar year).
To clarify, this appears to mean that you can “cash out” by using your US Bank rewards points toward (unrewarded) purchases, not directly withdrawing to your PayPal/bank account. Would happy to be corrected, though!
Clarified now in the post, thanks