Bank of America (merged with MBNA) is offering a free baseball jersey as well as an iPod Nano with their MLB Extra Bases card. Looks like you need to spend $2,000 on the card with 90 days of account opening to get the iPod. Pertinent fine print quoted below.
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I’ve been too trained to read the fine print on all these offers, and I missed the big bold print on this TD Ameritrade iPod Offer (expired) I mentioned yesterday that reads “Open an additional TD AMERITRADE account and receive a FREE Apple? iPod? nano!” So this one will actually work for existing account holder like myself.

You must open with $10,000 and keep it in there for 9 months to get the iPod. Thanks to some research by reader Brandon, one low-risk option is to buy a 9-month CD from Ameritrade paying 5.10% APY. Currently, top 9-month CD yields are at ~5.60%. The 2gb iPod Nano has a retail value of $199. I’d estimate the resale value at about $150 since you will get it in 8 weeks. Overall, this deal has the potential to make the equivalent of about 7% APY on the $10,000, or at least $100 more than putting it in another CD. Not bad if already have $10k you won’t need for 9 months.

Just a quick note while I have some free WiFi on the road – the popular $20 Unwired Buyer bonus will be ending as of Wednesday, September 6th. That means if you want to sign up, do it by the end of Tuesday, September 5th! You just need to register by then, after which you will still have 30 days to complete a phone bid to qualify for the free $20. More details and helpful tips in my original Unwired Bonus info post.

I looks like I might not get back until Tuesday evening, so I’ll be catching up on e-mails then.

Everyone hears this sage advice: back up your files regularly. I am horrible at this, except for occasionally e-mailing files to myself. One solution is Mozy:

Mozy is a secure, automatic remote backup service for any PC in any home or office. It’s simple to install and configure. No external hard drive, expensive subscription services, CD’s or DVD’s to burn. All you need is a broadband connection and you are ready to go!

I’ve been trying out Mozy for the past week or so, and I must say that overall I like it. It tries hard to be stupid-proof and lazy-proof, and mostly succeeds by backing up your files on its own when your computer is idle so you don’t have to do anything.
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If you didn’t get in on the SunRocket deal, here’s another deal for 2 years of unlimited VoIP phone service for $199 from a different company – ViaTalk. Note that there is also a $10 shipping and $30 activation charge. Offer ends soon at 2 pm EST, Friday August 18th. I’ve never used them so I can’t offer any opinions, but the reviews at DSLReports are pretty good. Thanks to Brian for the tip.

In honor of its 2-year anniversary, Fat Pitch Financials is having a Open House for its pay section, Contributor’s Corner. This means if you hurry, you can get access to it for free (usually $10/month) all today 8/12.

What does it offer? Primarily a constantly updated list of “Going-Private” transactions, in which companies want to stop being publicly-traded and must therefore get rid of some shares. As a result, there is often a potential for profit. George has actually been giving me a free trial in return for a review for a while now, but I must admit I have not been putting it to full use. However, I recently did place one trade that may still have some potential upside. I’ll share it after I get permission, but until then go get access yourself!

I’ve mentioned the Discover Miles Card before, but the bonus has now been increased from 5,000 miles after the first purchase to 12,000 miles (1,000 for each month with a purchase). It still offers 0% APR for 12 months on both purchases and balance transfers, which means you can get the 12,000 mile bonus and earn interest on borrowed money without worrying about getting charged interest.

I got this card already, and outlined exactly step-by-step how I got my money from Discover. The deal is hotter now as you can get 7,000 more miles, and interest rates are higher than before. Assuming I got another $10,000 balance transfer, this deal would be worth about $500. Here’s how I got that number:

$10,000 x 4.75% x ~11 months of interest (to be conservative) = $435

12,000 miles can be used for:

10,000 miles = $50 cash
9,800 miles = $75 Gift Card to Gap, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Foot Locker, Macy’s, and similar
12,700 miles = $100 Gift Card to Eddie Bauer, Morton’s Steakhouse, and others

So if you estimate that 12,000 miles is worth about $65, then 435 + 65 = $500. This is an example of a deal that takes more work than an upfront bonus, but also has a higher reward.

Also don’t miss my Tips and Tools for 0% APR Balance Transfers.

The Discover More Card – No Balance Transfer Fee* is currently offering no-fee 0% APR balance transfers and 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. The fine print clearly says “If you make a balance transfer with this application, there is no balance transfer transaction fee.” I remember looking at this card before, and there was a fee back then.

On top of that you can get 5% cash back on Gas and Entertainment purchases from now until the end of March. The beauty of this card is that you can actually take advantage of both the balance transfer and the cashback at the same time since both purchases and balance transfers are at 0% APR. Just wait until after your first minimum balance payment, and you should have room under the credit limit to buy that gas. Finally, even after the 0% promotional period is over, you’ll still have a useable 5% back gas card.

See here for a detailed explanation on how to take advantage of 0% APR balance transfer offers (read all 3 parts). Also check out this example on how I got my money for a similar Discover card offer.

Here is the rewards fine print:

Earn cash rewards on every purchase made with your Card. Each year, earn a full 5% on your first $1,200 in gas purchases. In addition, earn a full 1% on other purchases in excess of $3,000; your first $1,500 in other purchases earns .25% and your second $1,500 in other purchases earns .50%. Gas purchases in excess of $1,200 earn Cashback Bonus at the same rate as other purchases. Purchases made at select warehouse clubs, discount stores and their affiliates earn .25%…. Increase your Cashback Bonus when you redeem your cash rewards for gift cards or certificates from our partners. Rewards are redeemable in $20 increments.

To summarize, the only special thing about this card is the 5% back on your gas purchases. Otherwise, the rewards program is pretty mediocre even though there are no caps on cashback.

I’m not sure how good the “Increase your Cashback Bonus when you redeem your cash rewards for gift cards or certificates from our partners” program is. I think you only get a $25 gift card in the place of $20 cash now. So unless you have a purchase at one of their partners already planned, I’d take the cash.

I still like these 0% deals a lot because as interest rates rise, these offers get even more lucrative. I would bet the average interest rate over the next year would be over 5%. That means, for each $10,000 in balance transfers you get, you’d get over $500 a year. It’s definitely more work than a simple signup bonus, but it’s also more money! As always, print out and save the Terms and Conditions for later when you apply.