SoFi Personal Loan $300 Bonus (No Fees)

Posted on July 3, 2022 // 24 Comments

SoFi is offering a $300 personal loan bonus via referral if you take out a SoFi Personal loan offer, which has a minimum amount of $5,000. SoFi charges no fees, so no application fee, no origination fee, no prepayment (early payoff) fee. You will get a hard pull on your credit report.

If you wanted, you could get the $5,000, pay a day or two’s worth of interest (a few dollars), and then pay off the loan completely. Take the $300 bonus into your SoFi Checking and Savings account (which has its own $325 bonus) and walk away with a tidy profit.

Here is the rate I was offered during the pre-approval process. You can see the rate before proceeding with the application (before the hard credit check).

Note the additional fine print:

Offer not available to residents of Vermont or Ohio. You must keep your loan active and in good standing for at least 90 days to receive the $300 bonus.

The easiest way to manage this with minimum interest paid is to pay down as much of your loan as possible (i.e. make a one-time $4,985 payment) and leave a small balance of $15 to keep the loan active and good standing. Don’t pay it completely off until 90 days have passed. Also, don’t leave $10 or less balance because they may either make that the minimum payment or even “forgive” you the rest which will end up with the loan being closed early. This only costs you a tiny bit in extra interest.

(Note: There was a limited-time $600 offer sent to SoFi users in the past. Some comments below may refer to this previous offer.)

Filed Under: Banking, Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Coinstar Bitcoin ATM Review: Buy $100 BTC, Get $15 BTC Promo, But Still a Pass

Posted on June 20, 2022 // Leave a Comment

Coinstar kiosks count your physical coins for you and take a pretty big 11.9% cut, unless you redeem for a gift card (where they still get a cut from the retailer). Walmart and Amazon are my favorite options, although I usually save up my coins for their occasional bonus promos. I just received this peculiar $15 BTC promo from them:

Curious about crypto? Try purchasing at a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM powered by Coinme. Through June 30, 2022, when you create a new Coinme account and purchase $100 or more of crypto at a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM you’ll get $15 in bitcoin!* Use the promo code CoinstarBTC and be sure to use the same email address when you create your new Coinme account.

Purchasing crypto at a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM is simple:

– Create a Coinme account
– Find a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM
– Purchase a crypto voucher with cash (coins are not accepted for crypto transactions)
– Redeem your voucher to instantly claim crypto with Coinme

Did you catch that? You can’t buy Bitcoin with physical metal coins. Even at a Coinstar kiosk, of all places! Why not? How are paper bills somehow different??

*Terms apply. Valid for new Coinme accounts only. The $100 crypto purchase must be made in a single transaction at a participating Coinstar location using your Coinme account. This offer begins May 16th and ends June 30th, 2022. If a qualifying purchase is made during the offer period, $15 in BTC will be deposited to your Coinme wallet within seven (7) business days of purchase. See Official Rules for more details.

In addition, there are some serious fees:

Each crypto purchase carries a transaction fee of 4% and a cash exchange fee of 7%.

So you put in $100 in paper bills (don’t even get to return coins back into circulation), only get $89 of Bitcoin plus $15 of bonus Bitcoin, but then when you sell you have to pay another fee. All this along with BTC high price volatility. And you have to sign up for another crypto broker. Pass.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Mastercard Free ID Theft Protection and Credit Monitoring

Posted on April 28, 2022 // 9 Comments

Update April 2022: Just a quick update that this has been a useful, additional free identity theft protection service. Today, I electronically signed some “power of attorney”-type papers through Docusign and they had me answer some identity verification questions like “which address have you been associated with?” that pulled from my credit reports and driver’s license data. Immediately, I got the following alert from Mastercard Identity Protection that even included the exact questions asked:

Previously, this service has also alerted me that my personal information like name/email have been found in data breaches from random websites like autoexpresscars.com and drivesure.com. These are all events that did not trigger any alerts from my other credit bureau-based monitoring services. Therefore, I feel signing up for this additional free service rounds them out. Services like Docusign are useful but open you up to potentially more severe cases of fraud.

Original post:

Data breaches are scary fact of life these days. If you have a Mastercard, did you know that they offer a Mastercard ID Theft Protection service to cardholders for free? If you activate it, Mastercard has paid on your behalf for a private-label identity theft protection service provided by Generali Global Assistance, Inc. (GGA). The same way that Safeway doesn’t actually make their generic version of Cheerios, Mastercard has outsourced this service. Thanks to reader Bill P for the tip.

Services are provided by Generali Global Assistance, Inc. (GGA), one of the largest providers of private-label identity protection services in the United States. GGA has handled thousands of identity-related cases and has protected millions of customers since it began offering the service in 2003. GGA’s in-house identity theft resolution specialists are certified identity theft risk management specialists – CITRMS® certification by the Institute of Consumer Financial Education (ICFE) and FCRA-certification (Fair Credit Reporting Act by the Consumer Data Industry Association).

You’ll receive an alert if there’s a change to your TransUnion credit report (e.g., new inquiries, new accounts, updated personal information by creditors). That’s nice, but I already get more comprehensive coverage from all three bureaus than this from my combination of Credit Sesame, Credit Karma, and FreeCreditScore.

The difference that caught my eye was their emphasis on full-service, human help if you do become a victim of identity theft. Emphasis mine:

This program is designed to help protect you from identity theft and provide full-service, hands-on assistance in the event of an incident. Studies have shown that the largest cost to victims of identity theft is lost time and stress associated with figuring out how to restore their identity, including replacing cards and documents while communicating with creditors to dispute fraudulent activity. In the event of an incident, we will assign you with a personal case manager to help you resolve issues, saving you countless hours and reducing the stress associated with identity theft.

Their package of services includes: identity theft affidavit assistance and submission, creditor notification, dispute and follow-up, 3-bureau fraud alert placement, inform police/legal authorities, placement of credit freeze and opt-out services provided by certified identity theft resolution specialists.

These could be hollow claims, but hopefully they are truly helpful in taking care of these things on your behalf. If you have a Mastercard, it may be another worthwhile service to add to your defenses.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, Insurance //

PFS Buyers Club: New US Mint Coin Arbitrage Opportunity ($250+ Net Profit, March 2022)

Posted on March 15, 2022 // 26 Comments

New deal March 17th, 2022. The US Mint regularly releases limited-edition coins to collectors. The coin sets are often limited to one per household, but end up with a market value greater than the initial cost. PFS Buyers Club is a website broker that recruits regular folks to buy their allotted coin set with a set markup amount, with the agreement that they will sell only to PFS Buyers Club. For example, you might pay $300 for a coin and they’ll agree to pay you $350 for it – a fixed profit of $50.

On Thursday, March 17th at 12:00 pm Noon Eastern Time, there is a new guaranteed profit opportunity. A limited edition American Eagle Four-Coin Set will be released then, with a purchase limit of one per household. The cost of the Four-Coin Set should be either $5,332.50 or $5,240.00 (depends on the spot price of Gold). Shipping will cost $4.95.

PFS will pay you a fixed commission of $162.55 for each Four-Coin Set, on top of your cost for the set.

You’ll also earn credit card rewards on your ~$5,000 purchase (worth another ~$100 here at 2% cash back), or also possibly satisfying the requirements for some $500+ value credit card bonuses. This makes the total net profit safely over $250.

Note that the eventual value of the set may exceed that elsewhere – you may see a higher bid on eBay, for example – but if you want to make that bet, don’t promise to sell to PFS Buyers Club. Just buy it on your own and try to sell it yourself. Keep in mind that eBay seller fees can be quite high (12.9% of the final selling price + PayPal fees), and you’ll be responsible for other costs like the proper shipping with adequate insurance. PFS Buyers Club will send you a free prepaid mailing label (including insurance) and pay you via eCheck, paper check, or PayPal. I enjoy the low-stress experience.

My past experience. I used PFS last year for the first time, and everything went smoothly and I was paid my money in full without issue. The amount of communication was great and better than expected; I was kept up-to-date every step of the way. The total time commitment was about 30 minutes for $400+ profit, including the stop at the Fedex store to drop off the box with prepaid label. The eCheck option worked great – I printed the check out at home and deposited immediately via mobile app. PFS has a very solid reputation online, although some folks were unable to buy the coins from the US Mint before it went out of stock. I have done over six deals with them myself with no issues whatsoever.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. Sometimes these deals fill up, so I would sign-up (it’s free) and opt-in sooner rather than later. You can still opt out of the deal until an hour prior to the coins going on sale. They will provide very detailed instructions. Follow them carefully, and it was pretty easy for me as a first-time buyer. If you use that link, I will receive a referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it last time! I would sign up, but I will unfortunately be skipping this round because I am currently on vacation and at that moment I will be on a dogsledding excursion!

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Review: 75,000 Bonus Miles + $300 Annual Travel Credit

Posted on March 3, 2022 // Leave a Comment

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Negative changes to lounge access starting February 2026. The card_name is the newest entry into the ultra-premium credit card category. It has a large new-cardholder bonus, loads of perks, and a hefty annual fee. The net result is a first-year value of well over $800! Let’s take a look at what it offers:

  • 75,000 bonus miles (equal to $750 towards travel) when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • $300 Annual Travel Credit. $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel. Book your choice of flights, hotel nights, or car rentals.
  • 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
  • Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
  • Airport lounge access. Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass(TM) lounges, after enrollment.
  • $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection.
  • Annual fee is $395.

Here is the rewards structure on purchases:

  • 10X Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. They offer a Price Match Guarantee.
  • 5X Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
  • 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
  • Redeem miles for any airline, any hotel, rental cars, and more.
  • Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs.

Redemption details. Capital One “miles” can be redeemed directly for a cash statement credit on a 1 mile = $0.01 basis when offsetting any travel purchase made on the card within the past 90 days. In other words, 75,000 miles = $750 toward travel. That means you can fly on any airline or stay at any hotel, pay with this card, and then “erase” that purchase using your miles balance later. This even includes AirBNB vacation rentals, car rentals, and Uber rides.

This means that earning 2 miles on on every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel. Earn even higher rewards of 5 miles per $1 spent on on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 10 miles per $1 spent on on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

The Capital One Travel portal offers price matching: if you find a better price on another website within 24 hours of booking, they will refund you the difference.

Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well. Here are the airline transfer partners:

  • Aeromexico
  • Air France/KLM
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
  • Avianca Lifemiles
  • British Airways Avios
  • Emirates Skywards
  • Etihad
  • EVA
  • Finnair
  • Qantas
  • Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
  • TAP Air Portugal
  • Turkish Airlines
  • Virgin Red

Hotel partners

  • Accor Live Limitless
  • Choice Hotels

If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs, this can be a very valuable option. Otherwise, it’s nice to know you can always get a certain level of value by redeeming against any travel purchase.

Airport lounge access details. Capital One is creating their own lounges within select airports (currently only DFW). Venture X cardholders get unlimited access and can bring 2 free guests per visit. Additional cardholders are also free (no extra annual fee) and have the same benefits of bringing 2 free guests per visit.

As a Visa Infinite card, you also get Priority Pass membership, which includes access to 1,300+ participating VIP lounges, in more than 600 cities and more than 148 countries.

(UPDATE: Starting February 1, 2026, authorized users will no longer receive complimentary access and will need to pay $125 per year for each additional cardholder to retain lounge access. Additionally, guests for primary cardholders will no longer be included for free. Primary cardholders and authorized users will have to pay $35 per guest at Priority Pass lounges. Guest access for Capital One lounges and Landings will cost $25 to $45.)

Various other perks.

  • Cell phone protection. Protect your cell phone every time you pay your bill with your Venture X card. If it’s stolen or damaged, you’ll get reimbursed up to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible.
  • Primary rental car collision-damage waiver insurance.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • Complimentary Hertz Five Star® status. Perks include skipping the counter and a wider selection of cars. Note: You must activate this perk by registering through the link in your Capital One account.

Bottom line. The card_name is an ultra-premium rewards card that earns a minimum of 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases, which you can either redeem against any travel purchase or transfer to one of their airline/hotel partners. There is an new-customer offer of 75,000 bonus miles (worth $750 towards travel). If you can take advantage of the $300 annual travel credit, and add the 10,000 miles on every anniversary, then you’ve effectively offset the $395 annual fee in all future years.

Due to the $800+ first-year value, I will be adding this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Chase Freedom Flex® Credit Card Review: $200 Bonus, 5% Rotating Categories, 3% Back on Dining Out, No Annual Fee

Posted on January 10, 2022 // 6 Comments

The Chase Freedom Flex® Card is the new 5% cash back rotating category card for Chase, with the notable addition of 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. All of the popular features from the old Freedom remain as well: Up to 5% cash back on select categories throughout the year, no annual fee, and the ability to earn Ultimate Rewards points (useful in combination with Chase Sapphire cards). Highlights:

  • $200 cash bonus (20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $500 in purchases in your first 3 months.
  • 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers. 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days your account is open, with a minimum of $5. After that, the fee for future balance transfers is 5% of the amount transferred, with a minimum of $5.

Here are the ongoing features of the Freedom Flex:

  • 5X points (5% cash back) on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating categories each quarter you activate.
  • 5X points (5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R).
  • 3X points on dining out, take-out, and eligible delivery services.
  • 3X points on drugstore purchases.
  • 1X points on all other purchases.
  • Cell phone insurance is one of the noteworthy World Elite Mastercard benefits. “Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year in cell phone protection against theft or damage for phones listed on cardmembers’ monthly bill.”
  • No annual fee.

Enroll after logging into your online account (look on the right-hand side). 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

Remember that these cards earn Ultimate Rewards (UR) points, which can then be redeemed for cash at 1 UR point = $0.01. Therefore, you can either view a category as 3X points per dollar points, or 3% cash back. When UR points are transferred to a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they can become much more valuable when converted to frequent flier miles or hotel points. For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, 5x points = 5 United miles per dollar spent, 5 Hyatt points per dollar spent, or 7.5% value back towards travel redeemed at the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

This is a new card (different than the regular Chase Freedom Visa), so everyone should be eligible for the bonus, but Chase does have an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers.

If you have an existing Chase card like the original Freedom card, you may be able to convert to this card by calling them directly. You won’t get the sign-up offer, but you will get the new ongoing features.

Bottom line. The Chase Freedom Flex® Card is a unique rewards card that lets you earn 5% cash back on select categories each quarter, in addition to a constant 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. If you have a Chase Sapphire card, this card is a great way to earn Ultimate Rewards points while using the additional redemption options of the Sapphire (hotel points, airline miles, and travel redemptions).

The information for the Chase Freedom Flex® Credit Card has been collected independently by My Money Blog. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

PSA: Ask For Extension/Credit on Expired Free Hotel Night Certificates

Posted on January 10, 2022 // 4 Comments

Many hotel rewards programs offer free night and upgrade certificates as a perk, and many of them were set to expire on December 31st. However, many programs are offering a courtesy extension and/or points credit. Some may have quietly extended it automatically, but you may have to ask directly for this courtesy. Here are credit cards that offer free night certificates:

For example, I just received 10,000 Hyatt points for my Cat 1-4 Free Night Award that expired December 31, 2021. I logged into my World of Hyatt account and asked politely via their Live Chat feature. It only took about 5 or 10 minutes, while 10,000 Hyatt points are worth at least $100 to me. If I didn’t ask, the award would have simply expired worthless. Definitely worth the effort. If you are logged out due to inactivity, just log back in and the chat history should be preserved.

I also have a free IHG night certificate with an expiration date that was extended from mid-2022 until the end of 2022 (without asking). You may wish to call in to ask about certificates that expired in 2021.

Hilton also extended many of their free nights certificates, so I’d check that too.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

$6,000 IRA Contribution Goal 2021 Final Results:: $5,592 in Bonuses, $2500+ in Extra Interest

Posted on December 30, 2021 // 15 Comments

2021 end-of-year update. I have an informal goal each year of earning the equivalent of the maximum annual IRA contribution limit of $6,000 using the profits from various promotions alone. If you had put $6,000 into your IRA every year for the last 10 years (2011-2020) and invested in a simple Target Date retirement fund, you would have turned small deals into a $100,000+ nest egg.

Example. I was recently approved for the new Capital One Venture X card, and I was hoping the $1,000+ value would put me over the $6,000 threshold. I’m very confident that I’ll get at least $1,000 out of this card, as (1) we have multiple upcoming trips planned, (2) are renewing Global Entry for $100, and (2) this is the rare card that lets us gain lounge access for a family of 5. Each cardholder is free plus 2 guests, but additional cardholders are free 😉. I will offset $1,000 in travel expenses I would have incurred anyway, and invest it instead.

The ground rules: Real-world results for one person only. As following with My Money Blog tradition, this will track my personal, real-world results. It would be quite easy to list a bunch of random promotions that add up to $6,000, but these will be promotions that I personally sign up for and complete the requirements (even though I’ve already opened so many bank accounts, credit cards, and brokerage accounts over the years). I will track my individual results only, although my partner does also participate on a more selective basis. I quickly ran through all posts in the Deals and Offers category, Top 10 credit cards list, and brokerage bonus list:

2021 bonuses and promotions

Total from one-time bonuses: $5,592

For 2021, I made it 93% of the way to $6,000 annual IRA contribution limit from one-time bonuses alone. Not bad. In general, this is based on the human tendency to not like change. Most people open a bank account at age 18 and never switch again. Companies have to offer you money to incentivize you to switch your bank or credit cards.

This ignores higher bank interest or ongoing credit card purchase rewards like 2% back on all credit purchases and 5% cash back on specific categories. I did multiple US Mint coin deals this year, but also much fewer credit card applications than in a normal year. My wife and I were thinking of trying to get dual Southwest Companion passes, but we decided not to go for it yet.

Bank interest accounts. With a simple direct deposit change, I earned between 3% and 3.5% APY on $100,000 at HM Bradley for all of 2021, FDIC-insured and with no interest rate risk. (I have the HM Bradley credit card as well.) This is money that could have sat 0.01% at BofA/Chase/Wells Fargo or in a Fidelity/Vanguard/Schwab cash sweep account, or 0.50% at a “high yield” savings account. Deals will come and deals will go, that’s just part of the game, but the fact is that it helped me earn an extra $2,500 this year.

If you follow my monthly best interest rate updates, you know that US Savings bonds are paying 7.12% interest currently. If you maxed out in 2021, you can buy more in January 2022. I view this is a legitimate form of “profit”, but the value is dependent on the size your cash/bond holdings. Thus, I’ve kept it separate.

Total from higher bank interest: $2,500

I don’t like to waste my time either, so I attempt to curate and include the ones that offer a good return based on the time commitment required. I avoid things that involve driving to store where things may or may not be “in stock”. The deals that I post usually last at least a few days, but it’s a bit like value investing where you have to be ready to take advantage of an opening when it shows up, because they won’t last forever. I’m sure that 2022 will offer its own share of opportunities.

Total for 2021: $8,092

Filed Under: Banking, Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

The American Express Blue Business Cash(TM) Card Review: 2% Cash Back on First $50k in Purchases, No Annual Fee

Posted on December 10, 2021 // 3 Comments

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card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a solid cash back rate with no complicated categories. There is also generous welcome offer for new applicants, which is great for a “keeper” business card. Here the highlights:

  • Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
  • Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
  • 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then reg_apr,reg_apr_type, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
  • No annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Terms Apply.

This is a solid offer for small business owners who want a simple-yet-competitive rewards credit card. If your business purchases don’t exceed $50,000 within each calendar year, this card provides flat 2% cash back. In addition, your cash back is automatically credited to your statement as a statement credit, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything.

My primary small business card for day-to-day spending is the sibling Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (my review), which offers 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year and 1 point per dollar thereafter. I prefer earning the double Membership Rewards points per dollar over 2% cash back because I regularly redeem each MR point for more than 1 cent per point of value. I happen to enjoy the flexibility of having some Membership Rewards in my back pocket to convert to airlines miles and hotel points, and this card also helps keep them active.

If you don’t expect to get at least 1 cent per mile value by converting to airline miles or hotel points, then this card is better. Many people will prefer the simplicity of cash.

Business credit card eligibility. Many people aren’t aware that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. Any individual can be a small business. Perhaps you sell items on eBay, Craiglist, or Etsy. Maybe you do some graphic design, web design, freelancing and/or consulting. If you received a 1099-MISC tax form and filled out a Schedule C, that means you have business income, you pay self-employment taxes, and you’re a sole proprietorship. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

This card will require you to personally guarantee that you’ll pay them back what you charge on the card, which means they’ll check your personal credit score like any other consumer card. However, as the card is a business card, American Express won’t have it show up on your personal credit report, so it won’t change things like your credit limits, average account age, or credit utilization ratio.

Bottom line. card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a flat 2% cash back on purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year with no annual fee. This is a high cash back percentage, and your rewards are automatically credited on the next monthly statement, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything. (See Rates and Fees)

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Amazon: Pay with Citi ThankYou Points, Get Up to 50% Off (Targeted)

Posted on November 8, 2021 // 1 Comment

Check again to see if targeted for latest promo. If you have a Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points, you can redeem them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 1 ThankYou points = 0.8 cents to spend at Amazon, which may not be the best value available. However, here are targeted promotions where you can save money after redeeming just 1 single MR point (a penny’s worth). (To see the link, you may need to visit this page on the internet if viewing this via e-mail or RSS.)

Here are some additional tips:

  • If you haven’t linked yet, you can link your ThankYou points balance to your Amazon account here.
  • If you have already linked your cards and aren’t targeted, you may consider removing your Citi card from your account completely, and then linking it again after a day, and then checking the offer page(s) again after another day.
  • Items must be marked as both sold AND shipped by Amazon.com.
  • Be sure to select your Citi credit card as your payment method and redeem at least 1 point or $0.01 in value of ThankYou points.
  • Savings should be reflected on the final order checkout page, before you commit to purchase.

Notably, the Citi Double Cash card, Citi Custom Cash card, and Citi Rewards+ all now earn ThankYou points. You may want to try linking them to see if you qualify for this promotion now or in the future. For redemptions, I’d probably stick with the 2% cash back option for the Double Cash, and look at the new airline transfer options for the premium travel cards like Citi Premier.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Amazon: Pay with Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, Get Up to 50% Off (Targeted)

Posted on November 8, 2021 // 12 Comments

Check again to see if targeted for newest discount. If you have Ultimate Rewards points from Chase credit cards, you can use them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 1 Ultimate Rewards points = 1 cent at Amazon, which is the same rate as their statement credit redemptions. However, here are targeted promotions where you can save money after redeeming just 1 single MR point (a penny’s worth). (To see the link, you may need to visit this page on the internet if viewing this via e-mail or RSS.)

  • Get 50% off (max discount $15), valid on items shipped and sold by Amazon. Must redeem at least 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point. You may be eligible even if you’ve done similar promos before.

Here are some additional tips:

  • If you haven’t linked yet, you can link your Ultimate Rewards points balance to your Amazon account here.
  • If you have already linked your cards and aren’t targeted, you may consider removing your Chase card from your account completely, and then linking it again after a day, and then checking the offer page(s) again after another day.
  • Items must be marked as both sold AND shipped by Amazon.com.
  • Be sure to select your Chase credit card as your payment method and redeem at least 1 point or $0.01 in value of Ultimate Rewards points.
  • Savings should be reflected on the final order checkout page, before you commit to purchase.

Keep in mind that you have options to earn 25% more value (1.25 cents per Ultimate Rewards point) from travel redemptions via the Chase portal and the Pay Yourself Bank tools if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and 50% more value (1.5 cents per UR point) with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You can transfer over any UR points earned elsewhere from the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited. You may get even better value by converting them to frequent flier miles like United Airlines or hotel points like Hyatt.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Synchrony Premier World Mastercard Review: 2% Cash Back + Free Cell Phone Protection

Posted on November 2, 2021 // 15 Comments

The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is a rewards credit card that earns 2% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee. There are no rotating categories, activation deadlines, no earning caps, or miles/points to redeem. It was previously invite-only, but is now open to public applications subject to credit approval.

Here are a few minor but notable ways that make this 2% cash back card unique from the competition.

Cash back is credited automatically to your statement every month. Other competitors may require you to accrue either a minimum like $25 before you can redeem, or require you to manually request the rewards. With this card, your cash back gets credited to your statement every month, automatically. You don’t have to do anything.

World Mastercard perks. As a “World Mastercard” – a notch above the standard Mastercard – it includes a few unique benefits that most other 2% cash back cards don’t have. These include cell phone protection, DoorDash, Lyft, and Shoprunner benefits. Details at the World Mastercard official page, but here the perks I found most useful:

  • Cell phone protection. World Mastercard comes with $1,000 in yearly coverage ($600 max per claim, 2 claims per year) should your cell phone get stolen or need certain repairs. Simply pay for your cell phone bill with your World Mastercard to activate coverage. There is a $50 deductible.
  • DoorDash DashPass perks. Get free delivery, reduced fees and exclusive offers with DashPass, the monthly subscription service from DoorDash. New members get 3 free months of membership. In addition, World Mastercard DashPass members get $5 off their first 2 orders per month until 9/30/2022. Details.

If you aren’t into chasing bonuses or maximizing the value of points and miles, I recommend that everyone get some sort of flat 2% cash back credit card. Many people I know who prefer simplicity use a debit card with at most 1% cash back, while they could be earning double the cash back while getting better consumer fraud protections and still paying off the balance each month. For example, $2,000 in credit card spending a month is easily calculated at $40 month in cash back rewards, or $480 a year.

If you do like juggling multiple rewards cards, it’s still good to have a 2% cash back card as your “catch-all” back-up card. Traditional, for me this has been my Citi Double Cash card.

Bottom line. The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard offers 2% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee. This simple, flat structure minimizes any work on your end – even the cash back is automatically credited to your statement every month.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //
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