TradeKing: $50 Bonus For New Accounts

Posted on October 2, 2009 // 6 Comments

Online broker TradeKing has brought back their $50 sign-up bonus for new accounts, no referral required. You must open with $2,500 and make one trade within 30 days.

4) To qualify for this offer, new accounts must be opened and funded with $2,500 or more. Account funding must occur within 30 days of account opening, and one trade must be executed within 180 days of account opening, for account to qualify. Offer is not transferable or valid in conjunction with any other offer. Open to US residents only. One offer per household. TradeKing can modify or discontinue this offer at anytime without notice. The minimum funds of $2,500 must remain in the account (minus any trading losses) for a minimum of 6 months or the credit may be surrendered. Other restriction may apply.

TradeKing offers $4.95 trades with no minimum balance requirement. I’ve been using them for a while, they are a good basic broker. For more information, please check out my TradeKing Review.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

150 Free American Airlines Miles

Posted on October 1, 2009 // 6 Comments

You can get 150 free frequent flier miles from American Airlines by watching a two-minute video for Bose headphones.

This is handy for resetting the expiration date of miles if you don’t fly frequently. Currently, AA miles expire after only 18 months of non-activity.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Zecco Forex Promotion Code: $25 to $1,000 Deposit Bonus

Posted on October 1, 2009 // 5 Comments

Zecco Trading, best known for their free stock trade offers, is running another promotion for their Forex trading accounts where you can trade foreign currencies and gold/silver. I opened an account previously due to their last $200 promotion (now expired) and got the bonus successfully. Here’s the current offer for newly funded accounts with promotion code ZECCOCASH2TRADE1:

You can get up to $1000 when you fund your account and meet the trade requirement before November 13th, 2009 5pm (ET).

Just four easy steps:

1. Open an account with Zecco Forex
2. Make your deposit before 10/30/2009 5pm (ET)
3. Make the round-trip trade requirements before 11/13/2009 5pm (ET)
4. Collect your bonus!

Note: If you open a practice account first, remember to use promo code ZECCOCASH2TRADE1 when you open your live account.

Instead of just making one trade, you have to make a certain number of round-trip trades. Mini trades and metals trade only count for 1/10th of a “full” round-trip. With a 1 pip spread on $100,000 standard trade amount, that would mean $10 for a round-trip trade if you ignore any price swings. (I tried this by buying and then selling immediately.)

Consider the offer carefully. If you’re not looking to actually do any speculating, the “easy” money is to just trade twice and get the $50 for two trades minus spreads. If you are looking to speculate, the bonus essentially takes away the spread costs. Forex for an inexperienced investor is a lot like gambling, and this is similar to one of those online casino bonuses. If you know the ropes, you can use such deposit bonuses to grab an edge.

Credit card funding. An possible extra is that you can fund via a credit card. It does show up an a purchase, which means we can get miles or cash back, but when I withdrew it just went back as a credit on my card. Users have reported that if you can keep the initial funding in for 6 months and trade regularly (which this promo seems to require anyway), you might be able to withdraw via check and keep the rewards. There is a $5,000 cap on each credit card funding, but you can perform multiple transactions.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

80% off Restaurant.com: $25 Certificates for $2

Posted on September 29, 2009 // 10 Comments

Restaurant.com is offering a 80% off with the coupon code CHEF, resulting in a $25 “certificate” for $2. Offer ends September 30th.

Contrary to my skeptical remarks(I’ve never used one of these before), many readers responded that they indeed found these certificates very useful in savings some money.

Here’s a sample positive scenario. You find a restaurant on the list that you like that usually runs around $20 + tip per person (~$48 for a couple). You buy a $25 certificate for $2, which usually comes with a $35 minimum purchase + 18% required gratuity on full price.

Dinner for two = $40 regular menu priceMinus $25 certificate = $15

Plus cost of certificate ($2) = $17

Plus 18% gratuity on menu price = $7.20

Total price w/ tip = $24.20, or $12 a person + taxes

In that case, you can save around 50% on the total bill. Good thing I’m married and don’t have to worry about going on dates with coupons! 🙂

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Gogo Inflight Internet Coupon Code

Posted on September 29, 2009 // 5 Comments

Gogo Inflight Intertnet is now offering WiFi internet on select Airtran, American, Delta, and Virgin America flights. See here for participating flights. I signed up for their mailing list, and got a code for some free WiFi in case anyone is flying in the next few weeks. Here’s another code good until 10/31, but I can’t tell if it’s one-time use only: 222wifi21940a.

Jonathan, first timers surf the internet in flight with a free gogo session this month. Just look for the “gogoinflight” Wi-Fi signal at 10,000 ft and keep up with the world below.

Enter SURFGOGOFREE when you are prompted to purchase your session through October 15, 2009.

*Good through 10/15/09. Offer available on select American Airlines and Delta Air Lines flights. Offer is good for one use per person, may not be combined with any other Gogo promotional codes and applies only to single sessions, such as Gogo Flight Pass and Gogo Mobile Pass. Use of Gogo service requires registration. Terms and Conditions

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

New myFICO Coupon Code

Posted on September 26, 2009 // 4 Comments

Here’s a newly released coupon for 25% off real FICO scores and all other credit products at myFICO.com. Use the promotional code FINANCIALHELP25 to get 25% off and a FICO score for less than $12, the best discount currently available:

The code is good until September 30th (although try it anyways and see if it works after that date), so be quick about it. For the Equifax credit score only, you can get it for $10.95 using the code SW94608, which is over 30% off. You enter the promo code relatively late in the buying process, right before entering your credit card information. Look for this:

Experian no longer allows Fair Isaac to sell FICO scores to consumers at all (even though lenders still buy and use them). They sell their own “FAKE-O” version now. Lenders almost always use FICO scores in their decisions, so those are the only ones you should pay for.

For the diligent, a cheaper alternative is to sign up for a free 30-day trial of ScoreWatch, which includes two free Equifax scores and reports. Just remember to cancel as soon as you decide you don’t need it anymore. You are allowed to cancel online, without having to even call in.

You can always request your credit reports (not scores) once every 12 months at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you’ve already done that, you can still try these other direct methods for the unemployed, those denied credit, and victims of identity theft.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Starbucks: Price-Targeting, iPhone App, Free Birthday Drink

Posted on September 24, 2009 // 3 Comments

For some reason, I’ve managed to collect a bunch of random Starbucks news. Granted, I’ve been going there more often recently for the ability to read and work in a comfortable atmosphere outside the distractions of home. I’m okay with paying about $2 for some caffeine plus an few hours of productivity once in a while.

Price-Targeting
First, I found out that last month Starbucks lowered the price of their basic drip coffee and lattes, while increasing the price of their “complex” drinks like Frappuccinos. This is classic price targeting, which involves company extracting the maximum money out of the most customers possible.

People who are frugal and pay attention to prices will now find that a large drip coffee from Starbucks costs just about the exact same amount as a large coffee from a place like Dunkin Donuts. Result: Starbucks gets more price-comparing people. A person who was paying $4 for a Frappuccino before was already paying 100% more for extra sugar, whipped cream, and 5 seconds in a blender. They most likely won’t mind paying another 25 cents. Result: Starbucks extracts more money from non-price-sensitive person.

iPod Touch/iPhone App
Want to buy coffee? There’s an app for that. The Starbucks Mobile App, from what I can gather, tries to make your iPhone or iPod Touch act like your Starbucks card. And right now, if you use it to reload $25 or more using your Visa card, you can earn a one-time $5 bonus. That’s two free drinks for me… too bad I don’t have an iGadget.

Free Birthday Drink
I’m usually not big on gift cards, but there are some decent perks with using a registered Starbucks card. You get 2 hours of free Wi-Fi per day, unlimited refills on drip coffee, and now you also get a free drink on your birthday. I like the first two features better, but free is free.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Ohio CollegeAdvantage $25 Systematic Savings Incentive

Posted on September 15, 2009 // 5 Comments

Along with the $25 “Refer a Friend” bonus for new members (possibly more if you have more than one child), the Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 plan is giving out an additional $25 “Systematic Savings Incentive” if you start a new automatic transfer from your bank account or payroll deduction. Here is the fine print, but the major points are below.

To earn the $25 bonus, the electronic funds transfer (EFT) or payroll deduction must be started between September 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. The bonus will be applied to your CollegeAdvantage account 90 days after you start the EFT or payroll deduction and meet the following requirements:

  • A minimum of $25 must be deducted per month.
  • The EFT and payroll deduction must still be active at the 90-day mark.
  • For EFT only, a minimum of three EFT pulls must have occurred within the 90 days.
  • For payroll deduction only, at least one payroll check must be applied within the 90 days.

Got two 529 contributors? You can get $50:

More than one Systematic Savings Incentive bonus may be awarded per account in the case where the Account Owner and other Contributors sign up for a recurring EFT or payroll deduction for the same account. For example, the Account Owner could start a recurring EFT and the spouse could also start a recurring EFT or payroll deduction as a Contributor for the same account. In that case, the account would receive a total of $50 if all other criteria for the bonus are met.

If you are like me and already have an automatic transfer in place:

CollegeAdvantage direct accounts with a current recurring EFT or payroll deduction are eligible for the bonus offer if a “new” recurring EFT or payroll deduction is started for the Account by either the Account Owner or Contributor, provided they are not the party currently responsible for the current recurring EFT or payroll deduction. For example, if the current recurring EFT was established by the Account Owner, a Contributor could also start a recurring EFT or payroll deduction and potentially qualify for the bonus as a “new” recurring EFT or payroll deduction. In this case a $25 bonus would be applied for the new recurring EFT or payroll deduction. The Systematic Savings Incentive bonus is intended to reward new systematic savers. The account will not qualify for the bonus if a current recurring EFT or payroll deduction is stopped and a new one started between September 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010.

By this, I read that my wife could start contributing an automatic amount as well, and we could get one $25 bonus. However, stopping and re-starting an existing automatic transfer won’t work.

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

Lending Club Investors $25 + $2,500 Giveaway

Posted on September 14, 2009 // 2 Comments

Last month, peer-to-peer lending website LendingClub reached $50 million in issued loans. This month, they are expected to get their 25,000th registered investor, and are going to give that lucky lender $2,500 cash. The rules:

* To enter the contest simply open a free investing account by completing all three steps of the investor registration process: create a password, verify your identity and link your bank account
* No purchase is necessary to win
* The winner will be announced after October 31, 2009

$25 New Lender Bonus
In addition, you can still use this special $25 lender sign-up link to get a free $25 to try it out with no future obligation. There is no credit check and you don’t even have to deposit anything. After you are approved, the $25 will show up in your account balance, and you can lend it out immediately. You must reside in a state that allows such investments.

Want to learn more? See my previous posts on LendingClub. I’ve invested in everything from someone’s $38,000 house to a taiko drumming training center.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan: Free $25 Starter Bonus

Posted on September 10, 2009 // 16 Comments

The Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan is again offering a $25 refer-a-friend bonus if you open an account and deposit at least $25 by December 15, 2009. You can be a resident of any state, and there are no application or annual fees.

Rated a Top 529 Plan by Morningstar
In a recent article The Best and Worst 529 College-Savings Plans by Morningstar, the Ohio CollegeAdvantage plan was rated in the top 5 plans:

Features they liked included having a wide variety of investment options (including active/passive, multiple age-based options, and even ultra-safe CDs), as well as low total expenses. In-state resident can also deduct up to $2,000 of contributions per year, with excess carryover allowed.

My Personal Experience
So far, I am quite impressed with the Ohio plan. The website itself is functional and fast, there are a variety of investment choices (cash, index funds, active funds), they are upfront with the fees, and the expenses are very competitive – either the lowest or near the lowest in the nation. There are no inactivity fees, minimum balance fees, or other bogus fees. The only bad thing I can think of is that every time I make a purchase I get a snail-mail confirmation with no paperless option, which seems wasteful.

I have gotten the $25 bonuses plus several referrals, with no complaints from the people I referred. I have also started an auto-debit from my checking account for $50 a month. Right now, half of my 529 is in the Vanguard inflation-protected bond fund. This is an investment option that is unavailable in most state plans. I feel that since college is only at most 18 years away with a big lump-sum payment, I would prefer less volatility while marching towards that goal. This is in contrast to saving for retirement, where I currently have 35 years until I turn 65, and hopefully another 20 years after that as well.

Referral Bonus Instructions
Currently the newly referred person gets $25, and the referring person gets $50, and I’d love for you to help fund my kid’s college dreams. 😀 Here’s how:

  1. You can enroll online or via mail. The online process was quick and easy, and I didn’t have to mail in anything.
  2. The first step is to input your personal info and choose a login/password. Next, you’ll verify your e-mail and complete the application.
  3. After that, you’ll choose your funding amount and select an investment fund. Your initial deposit must be a least $25, and is funded using the account/routing numbers of your bank account. At the bottom, you will need to enter a referral code to get the bonus. Enter *.
  4. In 1-3 days, your initial deposit will be taken from your bank account, and in 5-7 business days you will get your $25 bonus. The $25 will be deposited directly into the 529 account, and will be invested in the same thing as your initial deposit.

If a child has two parents, one parent may sign-up and then refer the 2nd parent to get another bonus, while both can list the same child as the beneficiary. If your child is not born yet or does not have a Social Security number yet, you can choose yourself or another family member as the beneficiary, and then later on fill out a Change of Beneficiary form.

Here is a screenshot of me getting my $25 bonus successfully and as promised:

* Javascript is required. If you can’t see any numbers, please use 2439350.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Family, Investing //

Restaurant.com: $25 Certificates for $1

Posted on September 9, 2009 // 35 Comments

Restaurant.com is offering a whopping 90% off with the coupon code NINETY, resulting in a $25 “certificate” for $1. Starts midnight 9/9/09 and expires in 90 hours.

I have never bought one of these certificates, due to all their restrictions and fine print. Here are just a few:

  • The “retail” price of these things is $10, and they still have to discount, so that should tell you something about the true value.
  • Participating restaurants are limited, and usually offer either bad food with okay prices, or good food with really high prices. I have never seen a restaurant on their list that I have been a regular diner at already.
  • Virtually all restaurants require a minimum purchase of $35+, making these more coupons than gift certificates. Also, they can often only be used on Fridays or weekends.
  • You have to triple-check that any specific place still takes the certificate, because the website may be outdated and turnover is high. Showing up with friends, only to be turned away, is annoying.
  • You have to announce that you’re paying with a certificate before you order, which for some has affected food quality and/or service. Be sure to tip on pre-coupon amount. Some restaurants will mandate a 18% tip on the pre-discount bill.

Still at $1 a piece, it might be worth a shot if you can find one decent participating restaurant. For those that have used these before, how did it work out?

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Frugal Living //

Free Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches

Posted on September 7, 2009 // Leave a Comment

You can get a free Chick-fil-A Original Chicken sandwich today 9/7 if you show up wearing your team logo. You can also get a coupon by mail for a free Chick-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich if you sign up for their newsletter (first 250,000). More info and sign up at ChickenWave.com. I really miss eating these things. Thanks Pat and Sarah!

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //
« Previous Page
Next Page »