Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card Review: 6% Cash Back in One Category for First Year (Up to 8.25% with Preferred Rewards)

Posted on May 26, 2025 // 36 Comments

New limited-time offer. The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card is the “3-2-1” cash back rewards credit card in the Bank of America line-up. If you are a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase the cash back earned by 25% to 75%. Right, they are also offering a special offer during the first year. Here are the highlights:

  • New customers: $200 cash rewards bonus after $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
  • Earn 1% cash back on every purchase, 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 3% on your choice category up to the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/choice category purchases each quarter. During the first year, you’ll get an extra 3% cash back on the choice category.
  • Cardholders will be able to choose their 3% cash back category from one of these 6 options: gas and EV charging stations; online shopping, including cable, internet, phone plans and streaming; dining; travel; drug stores and pharmacies; or home improvement and furnishings.. You can change your category once each calendar month in-app or online. Do nothing and it will stay the same.
  • Bank of America Preferred Rewards® members earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. However, Preferred Rewards bonuses are not applied to the 3% first-year bonus. Details below.
  • 0% Introductory APR offer. See link for details.
  • No annual fee.

During the current limited-time offer, the cash back rewards on your special choice category are boosted by an additional 3% for the first year. The 75% Preferred Rewards bonus for Platinum members does not apply to the extra 3%, so the net cash back during the first year for Platinum members would be 3% * 1.75 + 3% = 8.25% cash back on your Choice Category during the first year, subject to the $2,500 cap per quarter which includes grocery/wholesale club purchases. You would also get 3.5% cash back on your grocery/wholesale club purchases during the first year, again subject to the $2,500 cap per quarter which includes any purchases in your Choice Category.

Theoretically, if you only used your card for the Choice Category and spent exactly $2,500 in that Choice Category per quarter, in one year you would rack up $825 in rewards from $10,000 in purchases. This would be separate from the one-time $200 new customer cash bonus.

Personally, I think the “Online Shopping” category is the most flexible. Per this page: “Online Shopping category includes purchases made online via a website or a digital application (an app). Here are the provided examples of eligible merchants: Amazon, Walmart, Comcast, Etsy, Netflix, Nordstrom, Ticketmaster.

Preferred Rewards bonus basics. The Preferred Rewards program is designed to rewards clients with multiple account and higher assets located at Bank of America banking, Merrill Edge online brokerage, and Merrill Lynch investment accounts. Here is a partial table taken from their comparison chart (click to enlarge):

bofa_pref1

Let’s consider the options. Bank of America’s interest rates on cash accounts tend to be lower than highest-available outside banks (read: nearly zero), so moving cash over to qualify may result in earning less interest on your cash deposits. Merrill Lynch advisory accounts also usually come with management fees. The sweet spot is therefore the Merrill Edge self-directed brokerage, where you can move over your existing brokerage assets like stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs held elsewhere (Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, etc).

In the past, moving over to Merrill Edge at the Platinum and Platinum Plus levels also led to 30 to 100 free online stock trades every month. Fast forward to now, and nearly all major online brokers offer commission-free trades anyway.

Personally, I moved over $100k of brokerage assets from Vanguard to Merrill Edge to qualify for Platinum Honors. You should ask Merrill Edge if they will cover any ACAT transfer fees involved. I realize not everyone will have this level of assets to move around, but if you do then it is worth considering. Keep in mind that it will take a while for your “3-month average combined balance” to reach the $100k level and officially qualify for Platinum Honors. You might become Gold first, then Platinum, and so on. After that, the 25%-75% rewards bonus on credit card rewards kick in. Once you reach a certain tier, BofA guarantees that you will stay there for a year no matter what, even if your balance fluctuates. (In certain cases, when you open a new Merrill Edge account and new BofA Checking with a asset transfer bonus offer, you may be eligible to “fast track” to a higher tier.)

Cash Back Rewards after Preferred Rewards bonus (standard):

Recall that the basic structure is “1/2/3”; you get 1% cash back on every purchase, 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and 3% on choice category for the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/gas purchases each quarter (1/2/3). Here’s how the bonuses work out:

  • Platinum Honors: 1.75% cash back on every purchase, 3.5% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 5.25% on choice category for the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/gas purchases each quarter.
  • Platinum: 1.5% cash back on every purchase, 3% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 4.5% on choice category for the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/gas purchases each quarter.
  • Gold: 1.25% cash back on every purchase, 2.5% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 3.75% on choice category for the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/gas purchases each quarter.

Not all Bank of America consumer credit cards qualify for Preferred Rewards. Other cards of interest that do qualify are:

Bottom line. The Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card is an “okay” cash back rewards card with a 1/2/3 structure, but turns into an “excellent” rewards card if you are willing to do deal with the added complexity of tracking purchase categories and can take full advantage of their Preferred Rewards program. If you transfer $100,000 of existing brokerage assets over to Merrill Edge, you can qualify for the highest Platinum Honors tier. This won’t be a good option for everyone, but something to be aware of if you can swing it.

During the current limited-time offer, the Choice Category purchases are boosted by an additional 3% for the first year. The 75% Preferred Rewards bonus for Platinum members does not apply to the extra 3%, so the net cash back during the first year for Platinum members would be 3% * 1.75 + 3% = 8.25% cash back on your Choice Category during the first year, subject to the $2,500 purchase cap per quarter which includes any grocery/wholesale club purchases.

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

Big List of 529 College Savings Plan Promotions: 529 Day 5/29 2025

Posted on May 22, 2025 // 6 Comments

College savings plans that are looking to grow assets tend to have promotions on May 29th, aka “529 Day”. I started gathering up these bonuses from various plans even before having kids, and eventually consolidated them into one single plan. The bonus amounts tend to be pretty modest, and transfers do involve extra legwork, so getting more than one is mostly for the highly-motivated.

Here’s a list of bonuses that include guaranteed amounts; I’m less interested in drawings. I’m listing the state, but you do not have to be a resident of that state to open a 529 account there. You can have multiple 529s from different states, and often you can usually get the bonus once for each child/beneficiary. However, you may need to be a resident to qualify for a specific bonus, or there may be an age restriction on the beneficiary, etc.

  • California – CA Scholarshare. Open a ScholarShare 529 account between May 20 and May 31, 2025, and receive a $50 bonus. Use promo code 529Day25.
  • Florida – Florida Prepaid 529. Open a Florida 529 Savings Plan by June 30, 2025, and get $50 added to your account.
  • Georgia – Path2College 529. Open a Georgia Path2College 529 account between May 20 and May 31, 2025, and receive a $50 bonus! Use promo code 529Day25.
  • Kansas – Learning Quest 529. Nothing on their site yet, but might be one coming closer to 5/29.
  • Michigan – Michigan Education Trust. Purchase a new MET from 5/29/25 to 6/1/25 and get a $50 bonus. A minimum $250 contribution during online enrollment is required, use coupon code 529DAY during enrollment to qualify.
  • Minnesota – MN Saves 529. Open a Minnesota 529 College Savings Plan account between May 20 and May 31, 2025, and receive a $50 bonus! Use promo code 529Day25.
  • Nebraska – NEST 529. Nothing on their site yet, but might be one coming closer to 5/29.
  • Pennsylvania – PA 529. There is only a drawing, but wanted to note that all PA children born after January 1, 2019, have a $100 investment available for them in a Keystone Scholars account. You must activate to claim.
  • Utah – Utah My529. To be eligible to receive a $25 matching contribution from my529, open an account for a beneficiary who is new to my529 and contribute $25 or more to the new account between May 1 and May 31, 2025. Use the code 529DAY25 during the account setup process. my529 will match the $25 contribution on or around June 16, 2025. Account owners must be Utah residents. The beneficiary does not need to be a Utah resident.
  • Virginia – NEST 529. For one day only, open a new Invest529 account on May 29th and use the gift code 529DAY2025 to receive a bonus initial contribution of $25.

529 plans can now pay for K-12 tuition, apprenticeships, and other educational expenses beyond college tuition and room/board. You can even pay to up to $10,000 of student loans (including your own). Check your own state rules to ensure they enable this option, though. Finally, opening a plan and making any contribution also starts the 15-year clock on potential future 529-to-Roth IRA rollovers.

Most 529 plans also now have convenient contribution links to share with friends and family. Please let me know if you find others.

Sources: NY Times, CollegeSaving.org, specific state websites.

Photo credit: Modified from Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Filed Under: College & Education, Deals & Offers, Investing //

Webull Brokerage: Deposit Promos, Free WSJ Subscription, 3.5% IRA Match w/ Premium

Posted on May 20, 2025 // 5 Comments

Brokerage app Webull is running a “7 Years of Webull” anniversary promo (full terms) that includes some decent bonuses that are stackable. This offer is targeted at selected existing customers who have a funded account as of 5/20/25. Check your app or desktop account if you didn’t get a notification.

Offer #1: 30 Days of Webull Premium. If you deposit $100+, you get 30 days of Webull Premium, their new upgrade tier that is similar to Robinhood Gold.

Offer #2: Deposit Bonus. Pays out automatically in 12 equal monthly installments. First payment will be within 45 days of 6/30/25, so your hold time will be up to 15 months or so. The ratios are pretty good at the lower end; for example $200 for $2,000 is a 10% ratio.

Offer #3: 12-month subscription to The Wall Street Journal. Must deposit $10,000+. You need Webull Premium to keep this going, which costs $40 for a year. This is still a steep discount to the usual pricing (intro ~$100 a year for the first year, ~$500 a year ongoing).

Stacking example: If you deposit $10,001 in new funds (and invest it there for 13-15 months) and pay $40 for a year of Webull Premium, you can get both a $400 deposit bonus and 12 months of WSJ. With Webull Premium, you also make available 4.1% APY on cash sweep, 3.5% bonus on IRA contributions, and 3% bonus on IRA transfers (5-year minimum hold period for both). I’m more here for the short-term promos though, as I’m not a big fan of Webull customer service in general.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, Money Markets, ETFs – May 2025

Posted on May 14, 2025 // 2 Comments

Here’s my monthly survey of the best interest rates on cash as of May 2025, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Banks love taking advantage of our idle cash, and you can often earning more money while keeping the same level of safety by moving to another FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you could earn from switching. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 5/14/2025.

TL;DR: Savings account interest rates are stable overall. Short-term T-Bill rates at around 4.3%. Top 5-year CD rates are ~4.25% APY, while 5-year Treasury rate is ~4.15%.

High-yield savings accounts*
Since the huge megabanks still pay essentially no interest, everyone should at least have a separate, no-fee online savings account to piggy-back onto your existing checking account. The interest rates on savings accounts can drop at any time, so I list the top rates as well as competitive rates from banks with a history of competitive rates and solid user experience. Some banks will bait you with a temporary top rate and then lower the rates in the hopes that you are too lazy to leave.

  • The top saving rate at the moment: Axos One Savings at 4.66% APY (no min). Roger.bank is right behind at 4.65% APY (no min), but does require an additional companion checking account. OnPath FCU has a new account paying 5.00% APY but requires $25,000 min and has some ACH withdrawal hoops. CIT Platinum Savings is now at 4.10% APY with $5,000+ balance, but also has a $225/$300 deposit bonus you can stack on top. There are many banks in between.
  • SoFi Bank is at 3.80% APY + up to $325 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount (even $1) each month for the higher APY. SoFi has historically competitive rates and full banking features. See details at $25 + $300 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
  • Here is a limited survey of high-yield savings accounts. They aren’t the top rates, but a group that have historically kept it relatively competitive such that I like to track their history.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
A common question is what to do with a big pile of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (plan to buy a house soon, just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My usual advice is to keep things simple and take your time. If not a savings account, then put it in a flexible short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • No Penalty CDs offer a fixed interest rate that can never go down, but you can still take out your money (once) without any fees if you want to use it elsewhere. Marcus has a 7-month No Penalty CD at 4.00% APY ($500 minimum deposit) and 13-month at 3.90% APY. Farmer’s Insurance FCU has 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.25% APY ($1,000 minimum deposit). Kinecta FCU has 9-month Liquid CD at 4.25% APY ($10,000 minimum) that allows for daily penalty-free withdrawals of up to 50% of the start of day balance. Consider opening multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
  • Security State Bank has a 12-month certificate special at 4.65% APY ($25,000 min). Early withdrawal penalty is 180 days of interest.

Money market mutual funds
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). Note: Money market mutual funds are highly-regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms.

  • Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 4.20% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 4.28%, which is better for comparing against APY). Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
  • Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund (VUSXX) is an alternative money market fund which you must manually purchase, but the interest will be mostly (100% for 2024 tax year) exempt from state and local income taxes because it comes from qualifying US government obligations. Current SEC yield of 4.23% (compound yield of 4.31%).

Treasury Bills and Ultra-short Treasury ETFs
Another option is to buy individual Treasury bills which come in a variety of maturities from 4-weeks to 52-weeks and are fully backed by the US government. You can also invest in ETFs that hold a rotating basket of short-term Treasury Bills for you, while charging a small management fee for doing so. T-bill interest is exempt from state and local income taxes, which can make a significant difference in your effective yield.

  • You can build your own T-Bill ladder at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a brokerage account with a bond desk like Vanguard and Fidelity. Here are the current Treasury Bill rates. As of 5/14/25, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.32% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.14% annualized interest.
  • The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 4.17% SEC yield (0.09% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 4.13% SEC yield (0.136% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.15 years. The new Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL) has a 4.20% SEC yield (0.07% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 years.

US Savings Bonds
Series I Savings Bonds offer rates that are linked to inflation and backed by the US government. You must hold them for at least a year. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest. The annual purchase limit for electronic I bonds is $10,000 per Social Security Number, available online at TreasuryDirect.gov.

  • “I Bonds” bought between May 2025 and October 2025 will earn a 3.98% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
  • In mid-October 2025, the CPI will be announced and you will have a short period where you will have a very close estimate of the rate for the next 12 months. I will post another update at that time.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops which usually involve 10+ debit card purchases each cycle, a certain number of ACH/direct deposits, and/or a certain number of logins per month. If you make a mistake (or they judge that you did) you risk earning zero interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others would rather not bother. Rates can also drop suddenly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling.

  • OnPath Federal Credit Union (my review) pays 7.00% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and login to online or mobile banking once per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization. You can also get a $100 Visa Reward card when you open a new account and make qualifying transactions.
  • Genisys Credit Union pays 6.75% APY on up to $7,500 if you make 10 debit card purchases of $5+ each per statement cycle, and opt into online statements. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
  • La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 5.75% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases of at least $5 each per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization, Louisiana Association for Personal Financial Achievement ($20).
  • First Southern Bank pays 5.50% APY on up to $25,000 if you make at least 15 debit card purchases, 1 ACH credit or payment transaction, and enroll in online statements.
  • Credit Union of New Jersey pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit, online bill payment, or automatic payment (ACH) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
  • Andrews Federal Credit Union pays 5.50% APY (down from 6%) on up to $25,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit or ACH transaction per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization.
  • Find a locally-restricted rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
CDs offer higher rates, but come with an early withdrawal penalty. By finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider building a CD ladder of different maturity lengths (ex. 1/2/3/4/5-years) such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account. When one CD matures, use that money to buy another 5-year CD to keep the ladder going. Some CDs also offer “add-ons” where you can deposit more funds if rates drop.

  • Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has a 5-year certificate at 4.25% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.20% APY, 3-year at 4.15% APY, 2-year at 4.00% APY, and 1-year at 4.20% APY. Early withdrawal penalty for the 4-year and 5-year is 365 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee (or try promo code “consumer”).
  • Lafayette Federal Credit Union (LFCU) has a 5/4/3/2/1-year certificates at 4.28% APY ($500 min). Slightly higher rates with jumbo $100,000+ balances. Note that the early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is a relatively large 600 days of interest. Anyone nationwide can join LFCU by joining the Home Ownership Financial Literacy Council (HOFLC) for a one-time $10 fee.
  • You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I see a 5-year non-callable brokered CD at 4.20% APY (callable: no, call protection: yes). Be warned that both Vanguard and Fidelity will list higher rates from callable CDs, which importantly means they can (and will!) call back your CD if rates drop significantly later.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk (tbh, I don’t use them at all), but I still track them to see the rest of the current yield curve.

  • Willing to lock up your money for 10 years? You can buy long-term certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. You might find something that pays more than your other brokerage cash and Treasury options. Right now, I see a 10-year CDs at 4.05% (non-callable) vs. 4.53% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.

All rates were checked as of 5/14/25.

* I no longer recommend fintech companies due to the possibility of loss due to poor recordkeeping and lack of government regulation. (Ex. Evergreen Wealth at 5% APY is a fintech.)

Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing // Tagged:

Apple Siri Class Action Settlement: “Lopez Voice Assistant” Email

Posted on May 13, 2025 // 2 Comments

Apple has settled a class-action lawsuit that their voice-activated Siri assistant violated users’ privacy by recording conversations and sending them to third-party contractors. Eligibility includes those that “owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device and experienced an unintended Siri activation during a confidential or private communication between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024.”

If this applies to you, first check your inbox (including Spam folder!) for an email from “Lopez Voice Assistant Settlement Administrator” [info@lopezvoiceassistantsettlement.com] with the subject line “Lopez Voice Assistant Class Action Settlement”. At the top of the e-mail, you should find a Claimant Identification Code and Confirmation Code that will make it easier to file a claim. My e-mail arrived on 5/11/25. Here are a few useful details:

  • You can get up to $20 per device, for up to 5 devices (up to $100 total) where you attest under penalty of perjury that you “experienced an unintended Siri activation during a conversation intended to be confidential or private”.
  • Eligible devices include iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV.

Submit your claim online at www.lopezvoiceassistantsettlement.com. Claim form must be submitted no later than July 2, 2025. You don’t need to have received the e-mail to file a claim, but the codes may help confirm your eligibility.

Based on my past experience, I would simply submit a claim right away… and then forget about it. Choose a payment method that you are confident will still work years from now. I could only pick from direct deposit or eCheck, so here pick a bank account you know you won’t close. Let yourself to be surprised on the upside later down the road. Then either buy some Starbucks or some fractional AAPL shares with the money. 😜

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

WisdomTree Prime Crypto: $100 Bonus w/ $1000 Deposit for 45 Days

Posted on May 12, 2025 // 2 Comments

New crypto exchange WisdomTree Prime is offer a $100 bonus in crypto after the following:

  1. Open a new WisdomTree Prime account.
  2. Deposit $1,000 into your account and maintain an average balance of $1,000 — based on deposits and withdrawals — for a 45 day period.
  3. We’ll deposit your reward of $100 in value into your WisdomTree Prime account in approximately 5 business days after you have met all of the reward requirements.

You’ll technically get your $100 reward in WUSD (WisdomTree Dollar Token), a stablecoin that is meant to be exchangeable for one U.S. dollar. Offer currently set to expire 5/18. Interesting that it doesn’t require any trades. Just remember that this is still a crypto exchange and is thus not FDIC-insured. Based on this tweet, WisdomTree Prime does appear to be affiliated with the more well-known WisdomTree ETF provider with over $81 billion in AUM.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Gemini Crypto: $50 Bonus after Trading $100 (Referral Promo Code)

Posted on May 12, 2025 // 9 Comments

Update: Bonus now $50.

Crypto exchange Gemini has upped their referral offer for a limited-time to a $50 bonus in crypto after you open a new account and trade $100. You should see the info on the link landing page. Above is a screenshot from my app. You can do something as simple as trade something buy and sell $100 of USDC or GUSD stablecoin (which is what I did), if you want something with minimal volatility although it’s still crypto and not FDIC-insured. You should get confirmation of the bonus after a day or so. That’s my referral link, which should auto-populate with the promo code pv7x7gy39; Thanks if you use it!

You’ve been invited to Gemini!
Sign up and trade at least $100 to earn $50 in the crypto of your choice. The more you trade, the more you and your friend will earn!

Get another $75 in Crypto: If you haven’t already, Kraken also has a $75 bonus after trading $200 in crypto.

By the way, always be careful with crypto apps. Many scam e-mails will involve a crypto app, and now that you have an actual account with them, you might think the e-mail is legit.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles (Worth $750 in Travel)

Posted on May 8, 2025 // 12 Comments

card_name

The card_name is a premium travel rewards card with a flat 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases. 75,000 miles can be redeemed as a $750 credit towards any travel purchase made with the card (any airline website, any hotel website, AirBNB stays, Uber rides, no blackout dates). Here are the highlights:

  • 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening – that’s equal to $750 in travel.
  • 2x miles on every purchase, every day.
  • 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. They offer a Price Match Guarantee.
  • Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
  • Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network. This perk is valid through December 31, 2024.
  • Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase-or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel.
  • Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn.
  • $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $95 annual fee.

Note the following about existing or previous cardholders:

Existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for this product if they have received a new cardmember bonus for this product in the past 48 months.

(Capital One’s “ultra-premium” card is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which has more perks including Priority Pass airport lounge access and a $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel, but also a higher $395 annual fee. This Venture card is more directly competitive with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, while the Venture X competes more directly with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.)

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, 50,000 miles = $500 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 every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel. You also have the option of booking travel through their travel portal, similar to Chase Ultimate Rewards, but you are not required to do so. You have the flexibility of booking through them or making the purchase directly through the airline, hotel, car rental counter, etc. This makes it easy to combine and spend all your Capital One miles.

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 (my favorites are Aeroplan and Avios since you can combine family points), 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.

Bottom line. The card_name earns 2x miles on every purchase, which you can either redeem against any travel purchase or transfer to one of their airline/hotel partners.

Due to the $700+ potential 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 //

Walmart+ Week 2025: Bonus Walmart Cash, Free Express Delivery, Gas Discount, Burger King

Posted on April 29, 2025 // 5 Comments

Walmart+ Week 2025 is running from 4/28 to 5/4/25 and here are the offers mostly for paid Walmart+ members (not in trial period), including estimated value and potentially useful fine print:

  • 1 Free Express Delivery ($10 estimated value). Get stuff within 1-hour or 2-hours. Available to paid Walmart+ members only. One time use during 4/28/25 – 5/4/25. Express Delivery discount applied at time delivery is scheduled and order is placed. No order minimum.
  • 50 cents off per gallon at Exxon & Mobil Stations. (15 gallons = $7.50 value). Participating stations only. Valid 4/28/25 – 5/4/25.
  • Free Burger King sandwich w/ $1 purchase every day. Walmart + Members can redeem a free single Croissan’wich® with a $1 minimum purchase once per day, and one free Whopper® Jr. with a $1 minimum purchase once per day, at participating U.S. Burger King® restaurants.
  • 6 months of Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan. Available to paid Walmart+ members only. Limited supply. Valid 4/28/25 – 5/4/25. Separate registration required. Cannot be in an active Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan upgrade. After free trial, plan will automatically renew at $5.49/mo for monthly members or $64.99/yr for annual members.
  • $5 Walmart Cash with scan & go. One-time. Available to paid Walmart+ members only. Limited to one redemption between 4/28/25 – 5/4/25. Basket must be over $15. Only available while supplies last.
  • $10 Walmart Cash w/ two Walmart+ Week offer redemptions from above list. Available to paid Walmart+ members only when you redeem two Walmart+ Week offers. Valid 4/28/25 – 5/4/25.

I joined Walmart+ in the past, but I didn’t really find value in it. I mostly just use the pickup service because my experience with their delivery service hasn’t been the best (broken/missing items, unexpectedly cancelled deliveries, etc). I suspect this varies by location. I prefer their pickup service as you can add items up until pretty last-minute, and then you can also reject their substitutions all the way up to the time of pickup.

I did notice that Walmart+ members can now use Scan & Go at Walmart (this is popular at Sam’s Club for faster checkouts).

Walmart+ is also offering all expired Walmart+ members a “half off” $49 Discounted Membership Offer until 5/4/2025. If I grabbed all of the Walmart+ Week offers that are actually useful to me, it adds up to about $25. It would be easy to start the 6-months of Paramount+ and use Scan & Go. Is a net price of $25 worth it? 🤔

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Aven Advisor: Track Your Finances, Get $5 Starbucks Gift Card Every Week (Homeowners w/ 700+ Credit)

Posted on April 22, 2025 // 35 Comments

Update June 2025: This offer now appears to be severely limited very soon to occasional gift cards.

Update April 2025: I’ve continued to receive my $5 in SBUX credit every week with no issues, up to over $50 so far. Honestly, getting $5 worth of caffeine every week feels better than it should, no wonder Starbucks is effectively running its own currency. You do need to remember to log into the app every week (Fridays for me, not sure if same day for everyone). Now you can either sign up for Starbucks or Dunkin credit (thanks to DoC).

You can still get an additional one-time $5 cash bonus if you open through Aven.com/advisor and use my invite code JP25DJVG7K during the app sign-up. You’ll need to link a bank account via Plaid to get the $5 transferred to you.

Some caveats: Don’t accidentally sign-up for their credit card, it is not required to get this $5 weekly credit. They have also added new fine print that the offer is limited to residents of AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, UT, VA, WI, WY. This was not the case originally.

Original post from 2/3/2025:

Aven Advisor is a new app that promises to help to track your financial situation. Kind of like the old Mint app, you have to give them your personal info and link up bank accounts/credit cards, and then they offer a unique mix of things:

  • Free weekly credit score (VantageScore 4.0 for me, even though some screenshots show FICO).
  • Find your hidden subscriptions by mining your transactions.
  • Track your home value, neighborhood home prices, and show you nearby house listings.
  • Get a free lien report on your property.
  • Track your bank balances, brokerage balances, and credit card debt.
  • Track the value of your car.
  • Shows you nearby Facebook Marketplace listing for cars and other random things.

So why give them your data? Well, if you are a homeowner with a good credit (700+), they will give you $5 in Starbucks credit once every week. You have to manually open the app and tap the link on every Monday (so they know you’re actively using it), but I’ve successfully gotten my credit. Loads right onto my Starbucks app, see screenshot below.

Join at Aven.com/advisor (remember, only homeowners get the Starbucks offer). You can also get an additional one-time $5 cash bonus with my referral code JP25DJVG7K. Thanks if you use it. You’ll have to link a bank account via Plaid to transfer the $5 into your account.

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

Frontier Airlines Gold Status Match for All Southwest Rapid Rewards Members

Posted on April 21, 2025 // Leave a Comment

Frontier Airlines is offering a status match promo to their Gold Status for all Southwest Rapid Rewards Members. The status match lasts through December 31st, 2025. Offer is set to expire April 30, 2025. It costs $40 to apply for this status match, but my understanding is that as long as you have a single Frontier flight sometime during 2025 where you’d like to bring any sort of luggage, you’ll basically break-even or better. A single carry-on baggage fee paid at booking starts at $30 and can cost up to $55 ($60 if checked at gate). Standard seat assignments cost from ~$17 to $55.

If you fly Frontier regularly, then this could be a very valuable deal. (I’ve never flown Frontier myself, but I understand that between certain cities, they are often the best deal by far, even with all the various add-on fees.)

Gold Status includes:

  • Priority boarding (Zone 1)
  • Free seat assignment at booking (Preferred). Possible free Premium seat upgrade at check-in.
  • Free carry-on bag.
  • No change or cancellation fees (+7 days from departure).
  • Priority customer care.
  • 14X points per $1 spent at flyfrontier.com.

Selected terms from the fine print:

· All applicants must be current members of the FRONTIER Miles? program. If you’re not currently enrolled, you may do so here.

· Eligible members must hold a valid Southwest Rapid Rewards membership (joined Rapid Rewards before April 16th, 2025) and provide details.

· The FRONTIER Miles Elite Gold Status offer is valid for purchase for a limited time. The offer may change or be withdrawn at any time, including but not limited to the fees and validity period.

· The Instant FRONTIER Miles Elite Gold Status offer provides eligible and approved members Frontier Elite Gold Status through December 31, 2025.

· The upgrade to the member account will be processed within 24-48 hours.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, ETFs – April 2025

Posted on April 20, 2025 // 2 Comments

Here’s my monthly survey of the best interest rates on cash as of April, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Banks love taking advantage of our idle cash, and you can often earning more money while keeping the same level of safety by moving to another FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you could earn from switching. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 4/20/2025.

TL;DR: Short-term savings accounts dropped again slightly overall. Short-term T-Bill rates at around 4.3%. Top 5-year CD rates are ~4.25% APY, while 5-year Treasury rate is ~4%.

High-yield savings accounts*
Since the huge megabanks still pay essentially no interest, everyone should at least have a separate, no-fee online savings account to piggy-back onto your existing checking account. The interest rates on savings accounts can drop at any time, so I list the top rates as well as competitive rates from banks with a history of competitive rates and solid user experience. Some banks will bait you with a temporary top rate and then lower the rates in the hopes that you are too lazy to leave.

  • The top saving rate at the moment: Roger.bank is at 4.65% APY (no min), but does require an additional companion checking account. OnPath FCU has a new account paying 5.00% APY but requires $25,000 min. CIT Platinum Savings is now at 4.10% APY with $5,000+ balance, but also has a $225/$300 deposit bonus you can stack on top. There are many banks in between.
  • SoFi Bank is at 3.80% APY + up to $325 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount (even $1) each month for the higher APY. SoFi has historically competitive rates and full banking features. See details at $25 + $300 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
  • Here is a limited survey of high-yield savings accounts. They aren’t the top rates, but a group that have historically kept it relatively competitive such that I like to track their history.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
A common question is what to do with a big pile of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (plan to buy a house soon, just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My usual advice is to keep things simple and take your time. If not a savings account, then put it in a flexible short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • No Penalty CDs offer a fixed interest rate that can never go down, but you can still take out your money (once) without any fees if you want to use it elsewhere. Marcus has a 13mo No Penalty CD at 4.00% APY ($500 minimum deposit). Farmer’s Insurance FCU has 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.25% APY ($1,000 minimum deposit). Kinecta FCU has 9-month Liquid CD at 4.25% APY ($10,000 minimum) that allows for daily penalty-free withdrawals of up to 50% of the start of day balance. Consider opening multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
  • Security State Bank has a 12-month certificate special at 4.65% APY ($25,000 min). Early withdrawal penalty is 180 days of interest.

Money market mutual funds
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). Note: Money market mutual funds are highly-regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms.

  • Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 4.22% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 4.30%, which is better for comparing against APY). Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
  • Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund (VUSXX) is an alternative money market fund which you must manually purchase, but the interest will be mostly (100% for 2024 tax year) exempt from state and local income taxes because it comes from qualifying US government obligations. Current SEC yield of 4.23% (compound yield of 4.31%).

Treasury Bills and Ultra-short Treasury ETFs
Another option is to buy individual Treasury bills which come in a variety of maturities from 4-weeks to 52-weeks and are fully backed by the US government. You can also invest in ETFs that hold a rotating basket of short-term Treasury Bills for you, while charging a small management fee for doing so. T-bill interest is exempt from state and local income taxes, which can make a significant difference in your effective yield.

  • You can build your own T-Bill ladder at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a brokerage account with a bond desk like Vanguard and Fidelity. Here are the current Treasury Bill rates. As of 4/17/25, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.32% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 3.99% annualized interest.
  • The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 4.18% SEC yield (0.09% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.09 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 4.13% SEC yield (0.136% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.15 years. The Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL) hasn’t been around long enough to generate an SEC yield (0.07% expense ratio).

US Savings Bonds
Series I Savings Bonds offer rates that are linked to inflation and backed by the US government. You must hold them for at least a year. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest. The annual purchase limit for electronic I bonds is $10,000 per Social Security Number, available online at TreasuryDirect.gov.

  • “I Bonds” bought between November 2024 and April 2025 will earn a 3.11% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
  • In mid-April 2025, the CPI will be announced and you will have a short period where you will have a very close estimate of the rate for the next 12 months. Read all the details about your options here.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops which usually involve 10+ debit card purchases each cycle, a certain number of ACH/direct deposits, and/or a certain number of logins per month. If you make a mistake (or they judge that you did) you risk earning zero interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others would rather not bother. Rates can also drop suddenly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling.

  • OnPath Federal Credit Union (my review) pays 7.00% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and login to online or mobile banking once per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization. You can also get a $100 Visa Reward card when you open a new account and make qualifying transactions.
  • Genisys Credit Union pays 6.75% APY on up to $7,500 if you make 10 debit card purchases of $5+ each per statement cycle, and opt into online statements. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
  • La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 5.75% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases of at least $5 each per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization, Louisiana Association for Personal Financial Achievement ($20).
  • First Southern Bank pays 5.50% APY on up to $25,000 if you make at least 15 debit card purchases, 1 ACH credit or payment transaction, and enroll in online statements.
  • Credit Union of New Jersey pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit, online bill payment, or automatic payment (ACH) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
  • Andrews Federal Credit Union pays 5.50% APY (down from 6%) on up to $25,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit or ACH transaction per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization.
  • Find a locally-restricted rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
CDs offer higher rates, but come with an early withdrawal penalty. By finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider building a CD ladder of different maturity lengths (ex. 1/2/3/4/5-years) such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account. When one CD matures, use that money to buy another 5-year CD to keep the ladder going. Some CDs also offer “add-ons” where you can deposit more funds if rates drop.

  • KS State Bank has a 5-year certificate at 4.15% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.15% APY, 3-year at 4.15% APY, 2-year at 4.20% APY, and 1-year at 4.25% APY. $500 minimum. The early withdrawal penalty (EWP) for the 5-year is a huge 540 days of interest.
  • Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has a 5-year certificate at 4.25% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.25% APY, 3-year at 4.25% APY, 2-year at 3.95% APY, and 1-year at 4.25% APY. Early withdrawal penalty for the 4-year and 5-year is 365 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee (or try promo code “consumer”).
  • Lafayette Federal Credit Union (LFCU) has a 5/4/3/2/1-year certificates at 4.28% APY ($500 min). Slightly higher rates with jumbo $100,000+ balances. Note that the early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is a relatively large 600 days of interest. Anyone nationwide can join LFCU by joining the Home Ownership Financial Literacy Council (HOFLC) for a one-time $10 fee.
  • You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I see a 5-year non-callable brokered CD at 4.00% APY (callable: no, call protection: yes). Be warned that both Vanguard and Fidelity will list higher rates from callable CDs, which importantly means they can call back your CD if rates drop later. (Issuers have indeed started calling some of their old 5%+ CDs during 2024.)

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk (tbh, I don’t use them at all), but I still track them to see the rest of the current yield curve.

  • Willing to lock up your money for 10 years? You can buy long-term certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. You might find something that pays more than your other brokerage cash and Treasury options. Right now, I see a 10-year CDs at [n/a] (non-callable) vs. 4.34% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.

All rates were checked as of 4/20/25.

* I no longer recommend fintech companies due to the possibility of loss due to poor recordkeeping and lack of government regulation. (Ex. Evergreen Wealth at 5% APY is a fintech.)

Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing // Tagged:
« Previous Page
Next Page »