British Airways Credit Card – 100,000 Miles Offer

Posted on November 6, 2009 // 52 Comments

Here’s a nice credit card offer for those interested in international travel. The Chase British Airways Visa Signature card is offering 50,000 BA Executive Club miles for new cardmembers with first purchase, and another 50,000 BA miles after spending $2,000 within 3 months, for 100,000 miles total. Regular features include earning 1.25 miles per dollar spent. The card does have an annual fee of $75 as well.

50,000 British Airways miles is enough for an economy class transatlantic flight from USA to their “Europe Zone 1”, which includes the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland. Note that “all reward flights are subject to taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, including airline surcharges.”, which can add up. I did a quick search and for a random San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) flight in March 2010 that cost $807, the taxes and fees alone were $387.

You’ll also need to fly out of a major city that BA services. Still, two free flights from US to London even for a few hundred dollars each is a big discount for those looking to buy such a ticket anyways.

What if you like to fly in style? 100,000 miles is good for a single business class ticket from USA to Europe Zone 1… and the fees are more reasonable on a relative basis. A business class flight from SFO to Paris (CDG) in March 2010 would have cost around $4,700 in cash, but the fees/taxes are only about $400 as well:

Finally, if you can manage to spend $30,000 a year on the card, you can even earn a 2-for-1 companion voucher. Time to buy some coins? Thanks to reader Paul for the tip.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Prosper P2P: $50 For New Lenders + Up to 2% Rebate Bonus

Posted on November 4, 2009 // 13 Comments

Prosper.com was the first big name in the person-to-person lending space. Things have been quiet recently, as they took a while getting SEC approval for their investment notes. In addition, the problems with “old” Prosper included the fact that they let just about anyone apply for a loan in the beginning, including people with horrible credit who had been basically turned down everywhere else. Many lenders thought charging a 35% interest rate was enough – it wasn’t. But as this recent Washington Post article outlines, things are picking up in the P2P space.

The way I see it, LendingClub (review, $25 bonus, performance update) basically looked at all the problems that Prosper had and tried their best to fix them. So now, Prosper is back, and in turn looks a lot like LendingClub. For example, LC requires a 660 minimum credit score to qualify for their lowest grade loan (amongst other things), and now Prosper requires a new borrower to have at least a 640 credit score with their new ratings system. With both, you can have them automatically construct a portfolio for you based on your risk/return preference, and you can buy/sell notes before maturity on a open trading market.

Prosper still has their “reverse auction” eBay-style method of determining the interest rate, but lenders are now are restricted to a specific range of interest rates. (LendingClub simply sets the interest rates for you.)

In order to stimulate lending activity, they have a few incentives going on. If you sign up as a lender and bid on two loans (minimum total investment of $50), they will provide you a free $50 bonus. Click here and on the orange “Invest Now” button and you’ll see it. You must reinvest this $50 by the end of 2009. On top of that, Prosper is also offering a 1% or 2% “rebate” back if you invest at least $1,000 or $5,000, which would help juice your returns. Details:

Starting on October 12 if you invest $1,000 – $4,999 you will receive a 1% cash rebate into your Prosper account or, invest $5,000 or more and receive a 2% cash rebate into your Prosper account. Lenders must invest the funds during the promotional period of October 12 through November 15 by being a winning bidder on loan listings that result in funded loans. Notes purchased through the trading platform are excluded from the promotion. Once you have bid and invested on the loan listings your 1% or 2% cash rebate will be deposited into your Prosper account by December 4.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

529 Plan Promotion: Couples Get $150 Jumpstart to College Savings

Posted on October 30, 2009 // 11 Comments

This is a reminder that the Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan is offering some excellent incentives for those looking to start putting some money aside for college. Open to residents of any state, the best part is that this is one of the nation’s best 529 plans for those looking for low-cost investment options and a good customer experience. Here’s an example of how a couple can earn a free $150 jumpstart on their college fund. While I use the term “parent”, this would work for any two people – grandparents, aunts, brothers, friends, etc.

  • Parent #1 opens a new Ohio 529 account using a referral from an existing user (details below). They list the child’s name as beneficiary. Parent #1 earns $25 incentive.
  • Parent #2 open a new Ohio 529 account as well, using a referral from Person #1. This account can also list the child’s name as beneficiary. Parent #1 earns $50, and Parent #2 earns $25.
  • Both people also start a automatic savings plan with just a $25 minimum monthly deposit (details below). This earns another $25 each.
  • Add them all up, and that amounts to $150 in free money towards college. All the applications and deposits are done electronically quickly and with minimal hassle. Keep up the automatic deposits, and make saving for college easy.

Refer-A-Friend Bonus
If you open a new account and enter the referral code of an existing member, the new member will get a $25 bonus into their account. The referring member will get $50. My referral code is 2439350. This current promotion expires December 15, 2009. Many more details here.

$25 Systematic Savings Bonus
If you start a new recurring electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your bank account into your 529 account of at least $25 per month for 3 months, you will receive a separate bonus of $25. This recurring transfer must be started by January 31, 2010. Many more details here.

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

Use Google Voice To Enhance Your Cell Phone Voicemail

Posted on October 27, 2009 // 5 Comments

You can now add the voicemail features of Google Voice to your existing cell phone service for free. Check out the Google Blog post and Engadget.

More specifically, if you sign up for Google Voice with your existing number, you’ll get:

* Online, searchable voicemail
* Free automated voicemail transcription
* Custom voicemail greetings for different callers
* Email and SMS notifications
* Low-priced international calling

If you already have a Google Voice account, go to Settings and look for a link by your cell phone number. If you want one, people have been getting their invite requests filled within a few days. Don’t forget all the ways you can save money with Google Voice.

It would be convenient to have voicemail-to-text sent automatically via SMS. However, currently it appears that Sprint does not support free call forwarding and charges 20 cents per minute, so I’m left out for now. A short explanatory video from Google is below:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

American Express 15,000 Membership Rewards Points Bonus

Posted on October 24, 2009 // 11 Comments

American Express has a new card called the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card, which offers these primary perks:

  • Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card membership. MR points are very versatile, and can be converted to 15,000 frequent flier miles in a number of programs (or 10 Southwest credits), or you can simply get $150 in gift cards at several stores like Home Depot, Crate & Barrel, or Macy’s. I think you can also get cash equivalents at a reduced ratio.
  • Offers 3X points on airfare, 2X points on gas and groceries, and 1X points on everything else.
  • Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards bonus points when you spend $30,000 per calendar year.
  • No annual fee for your first year. After that it is $175.

There are two ways to maximize this offer. The easy way is to simply sign-up, grab the 15,000 MR points bonus, and then cancel anytime within the first year, that’s a quick $150+ bonus which is rare these days.  The only other scenario is that you are a big spender and purchase a lot of airfare, because triple MR points is pretty rare and you’ll have to reach that $30,000 spending target to offset the $175 annual fee after the first year.

American Express Mandated Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Free Google Voice Invite Giveaway

Posted on October 20, 2009 //

I almost forgot, I’m wanted to give away my Google Voice invite to a randomly chosen reader. So if you liked the features and money-saving opportunities, you can enter for a free GV invite by leaving a comment under this post with your First name (or nickname) only and valid e-mail address (will not be shown or shared). You can leave the actual comment box blank. For the first drawing, I’ll run it for 24 hours until 10/21 at 6pm Pacific. I’ll give out more if they put some more in my account.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Winners chosen randomly. One entry per person. Good luck!

Update: 6 winners were picked and sent an e-mail. Thanks to readers MattG, Gopi, Greg, and Pete who offered 5 additional invites. For those that didn’t win, I’ve gotten several comments that asking Google directly works and only take about 2 days to get your invite.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Free Edible Arrangements Box of Chocolate Dipped Fruit

Posted on October 20, 2009 // 8 Comments


Get a free 6-piece box from Edible Arrangements via their Facebook page. I was a little skeptical, but I got my coupon in less than 24 hours. Valid for first 100,000. Delivery is not included. Get one for your significant other and be romantic for a day on the cheap! 😉

Bring this coupon to any participating Edible Arrangements® locations and redeem it for one (1) box of 6 FREE PIECES OF CHOCOLATE DIPPED FRUIT. Valid at participating Edible Arrangements® locations throughout the (50) United States and District of Columbia as well as Canada. Six pieces of Chocolate Dipped Fruit may vary and include one or more of any of the following types of fruit: Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Pears, Strawberries, and Pineapple. Fruit selection is not specified and options are at the store’s discretion. Delivery costs are not included. Offer may be picked up from any participating Edible Arrangements location to avoid delivery charges.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Chase Freedom Credit Card

Posted on October 16, 2009 // 48 Comments

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Existing Sprint SERO Plan Upgrade Tips & Tricks

Posted on October 14, 2009 // 263 Comments

This post is targeted for those who have the grandfathered cell phone plan called the Sprint Employee Referral Offer (SERO) plan. This plan is no longer available to the general public, but for $30 a month it gave us 500 minutes per month, unlimited 7pm nights and weekends, unlimited text messages, and unlimited data.

Many of us love the plan, but it appears that Sprint really wants to phase us out, or at least upgrade us to their new Sprint Everything Plus Referral Program (EPRP)* where a similar plan costs $60. They are doing this by not allowing many newer phones to be activated on SERO, including the Samsung Instinct HD, Palm Pre, and HTC Hero (Android OS) phones. It seems like they will continue to ban all the best new phones. Here’s what I did to keep my $30 SERO plan and still get a relatively snazzy phone for a net cost of $130.

$70 Credit For Extending Contract By 2 Years
Do this first! Follow the abbreviated directions below exactly from user t-bob of SlickDeals. Do not call in. It will extend your contract by 2 years, but you’ll still be eligible for the $150 phone upgrade credit.

At 22 months you are eligible to renew your contract. When you are eligible, login to your account at sprint.com and click on the “contact us” link at the top right of the page in the black bar. Click on the “Email us” link. Search for something like “renew contract”. Now you should finally be at the web form to submit an email to Sprint eCare. For topic select “Plans, features, and services” and for subtopic select “Plan inquires.” In the text box say that you have heard that there is a $70 service credit available for renewing your contract and you would like to take advantage of that.

HTC Touch Pro2 for $199
You should get a reply within 24 hours that you can get the $70 credit. Verify online by checking that you now have a negative balance. Now, what’s the best phone that you can get to work with SERO? The answer in my opinion is the HTC Touch Pro2. Previously, the issue was that it cost $350 even after a $100 mail-in rebate. However, simply visit this link first, and then you’ll see the Touch Pro2 for only $199 on Sprint.com with no rebates. I thought it was just Sprint.com, but it was because I first saw this thread on Fatwallet. It checked out fine for me, and I already have my UPS tracking number.

Update 10/15/09 3pm Pacific: It appears this may no longer work on SERO plans. If you already got the $70 credit, you can either use eCare and tell them you changed your mind and have them reverse it, or you can wait to see if the price will drop again as the holidays near. Samsung Intrepid which runs Windows Mobile 6.5 is also available. Again, your contract will just shift to 2 years past your new purchase date.

You can read reviews of it here, here, and here. When you buy the phone, your contract will be extended again just slightly to 2 years after your purchase date.

It may not be the best phone out there now, but it does have a nice-looking touchscreen, a big physical keyboard, and access to a decent number of useful applications including Twitter, Facebook, Opera Mini, and Skyfire. All for $130 net. I can even tether it using PDANet and make it a wireless modem for my laptop, which I’ve been doing with my Motorola Q for the last 2+ years.

If you really want an iPhone or other specific phone and are willing to pay $30-$40 more per month for it, then I would say go for it because this plan won’t last forever. I’m just not ready to pay an additional $1,000 over the next 2 years just yet. 😀

* Russ.S.McGuire@Sprint.com / 383

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Frugal Living //

Free Suze Orman Will & Trust Kit Gift Code

Posted on October 7, 2009 // 15 Comments

You can get the SuzeOrman.com Will & Trust Kit for free if you enter the gift code STAR on this page. Save the resulting activation code. Retail price is is $13.50.

Based on a question-and-answer format, this online software includes the ability to create a:

  • Will
  • Revocable Trust
  • Financial Power of Attorney
  • Advanced Directive / Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare

I’m not sure how this compares to a more established legal service like LegalZoom which I had considered using up until now (I used them to incorporate my side business), but they charge about $70 for a basic will. I would think that this SuzeOrman option might be an acceptable temporary solution for those with very simple estates. However, for those who have enough assets to actually require a revocable trust, hiring an attorney would be worth the extra cost.

As for the advanced healthcare directive or power of attorney, I think that this could be useful at least to get the discussion started on what your wishes are with your family if you do become incapacitated.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Insurance //

100 Free Continental OnePass Miles

Posted on October 7, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Continental Airlines is offering 100 free OnePass miles for registering and learning about Continental’s PetSafe® and PetPass® programs. Valid through November 30, and the miles will post 4-6 weeks after that. Via Gary of View from the Wing. Like the American Airlines 150 miles offer, this is handy for resetting the expiration date of miles if you don’t fly frequently.

Continental likes to state that their miles have “no expiry date”, but “if no mileage is deposited in your account for 18 consecutive months, your membership may be canceled, and your miles may be forfeited”. Gee, that sure sounds like an expiration date to me.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Prime Dime Rewards Checking Account $300 Bonus

Posted on October 6, 2009 // 18 Comments

I haven’t posted a bank promo in a while, but this one isn’t too shabby. Dime Savings Bank is offering up to $300 in bonuses for their Prime Dime Rewards Checking. You can get:

  • $100 for account opening, bonus paid immediately
  • $100 for setting up a monthly recurring direct deposit
  • $100 for completing two Online bill payments

Minimum opening balance is just $1, but there is a $15 monthly maintenance fee if average daily balance is under $5,000. Takes 6 months to get direct deposit and billpay bonuses. Expires 11/15/09. Selected fine print:

*Bonuses for Prime Dime Rewards Checking are $100 for account opening, $100 for setting up a monthly recurring direct deposit, and $100 for completing two Online bill payments. The bonus for account opening will be paid at the time of account opening. The additional two bonuses will be paid 6 months after the opening date if the direct deposit service is established and the bill payments are completed within 3 months of account opening. There are neither account minimum balance nor balance time requirements to obtain the bonuses. If you close your account within 6 months of the opening date, any bonuses paid will be deducted at the time of account closing. Bonuses will be paid for new checking customers only. Bonus accounts are limited to one per household. Promotion is in effect until 11/15/09. All bonus payments will be reported as interest on IRS Form 1099-INT.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //
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