Plastiq Promotion: Pay Bills w/ No Fee with Masterpass ($250 Max Per Bill)

Posted on May 28, 2018 // 91 Comments

plastiq_logo

New promo. Plastiq has a new promotion where you can pay a bill using a Mastercard in Masterpass with no fee. Expires 9/30/18. Thanks to readers Jon and Bill. Here are the restrictions and details:

From now until September 30, 2018, we will waive the Plastiq fee when you use Mastercard in Masterpass for the payment. This promotion applies to any bills or invoices up to a maximum of $250 each.

To qualify for this promotion, you must:

Use a Mastercard in Masterpass for the payments (read here on how to add a Mastercard in Masterpass to your Plastiq account).
Submit or schedule payments between June 1, 2018 12:00 a.m. ET and September 30, 2018 11:59 p.m. ET.
The payments’ delivery date must be before or on September 30, 2018.
There is no minimum or maximum amount required for the transaction.
If the amount is over $250, you will incur a Plastiq fee on the remaining amount over $250.
If you have signed up with a referral code, you will need to hit the required minimum of $500 in successful payments and receive the fee-free dollar credit in order to be eligible for this promotion.

To clarify, there is a $250 limit per payment, but no limit on the number of payments. You could split up a larger bill into $250 increments if the payee accepts that. You could convert a mortgage, home equity loan, student loan, tuition, or property tax payment into a credit card payment that earns rewards or fulfill a sign-up bonus. For example, with the Citi Double Cash Card, the 2% cash back means every $5,000 in purchases could earn $100 cash back.

Original post:

Plastiq.com lets you pay bills and invoices with a credit or debit card, even if they don’t usually accept them. The standard service fee is 2.5% for credit cards and 1% for Visa and MasterCard debit cards. However, they run limited-time promotion with lower fees. They will charge your card and send out a paper check to the payee (direct bank transfers to a few), so you’d want to plan ahead for any snail mail delays. They recommend 10 business days to be safe. More ideas from their site:

  • Rent or Mortgage
  • Homeowners Association (HOA) dues
  • Tuition
  • Childcare costs
  • Buying a car, RV, or ATV
  • Income or business taxes

plastiq2

(Note: This was only an example given during a 1.5% fee promotion. The current fee may be higher or lower.) Why would I want to pay a 1.5% service fee?

Sign-up bonus spending requirements. Sign-up bonuses often having spending requirements. For example, you might get a $500 value bonus but need to spend $5,000. Well, that’s effectively 10% back so if you need a little help to get over that hurdle, it’s okay to pay a 1.5% fee. Here are some recent cards with big $500 value bonuses but also spending requirements:

2% cash back credit cards, or similar. If you have a rewards credit card that offers 2% cash back (or equivalent value in points), then you can still make a slight profit by putting them on your credit card. A simple example is the Citi Double Cash Card. For example, if you have a tuition bill or tax bill of $5,000 and you earned 2% cash back while paying a 1.5% fee, your net 0.5% is $25.

Combine a rewards card + 0% APR on purchases. Many credit cards offer 0% APR on purchases for an introductory period of 12 months or longer. If the card also has a half-decent rewards program on purchases, the combination of purchase rewards and spreading out the payments over a year at no interest could be attractive.

Referral program. Plastiq has a somewhat confusing referral program. If a new user signs up via a referral link and pays $500 worth of bills, they will then get $500 “fee-free dollars”. So first you’d have to pay the fee on a bill, and then on your next bill, $500 of it will be “fee-free” (at 2.5% that’s a $12.50 savings). The referrer will get $1,000 in fee-free dollars. If you take advantage of the promo above, that should trigger the bonus. Here’s my referral link. Thanks if you use it.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Google Express: 25% Off First Order, Free Google Mini for Existing ($125+ Order)

Posted on May 25, 2018 // 5 Comments

gexpressUpdated offers. Google Express has a couple more coupon codes that may be of interest.

  • 5RTC4Q545 – $10 credit towards your first order (i.e. $10 off $10). This is my referral code where you get $10 and I get $10 as well. After joining, you can also refer friends for $10 credits.
  • APPSPECIAL – 25% off your first order ($30 max). Supposedly must use Google Express App (iOS or Android). Use the best option between this one or the $10 off $10 above for your first order. Expires 5/27/18.
  • FREEMINI – Free Google Mini with $125+ purchase. Good for existing customers. Google Mini will appear in your cart after adding code. Does not stack with other codes. Expires 6/5/18 or while supplies last. Time order a lot of toilet paper?
  • $15 off any Target order. Good for existing customers. Must order through Google Express via Google Assistant. Expired.
  • SHOPCOSTCO25 – 25% off your Costco order, good for existing customers. Max discount $40. Expires 4/1/18. Expired.
  • APPFEB20 – 20% off for existing customers. Max discount $20. Must use Google Express app. Expires 2/27/18. Expired.
  • NEWYEAR20 – 20% off for existing customers. customers. Max discount $10. Expired.
  • APP20OFF – 20% off for existing customers. Max discount $20. Expires 2/11/18. Expired.

Google Express delivers things directly to your door from participating merchants like Costco, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Target. Free delivery is usually included above a certain amount that varies (i.e. $35). There is no longer an annual membership fee.

Note that some prices may be higher than from in-store. You will usually see a banner noting if this is the case. For Costco, there are reports that the “coupon book” items are still at the store price. Otherwise, a 20% off coupon may still offset the higher costs.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Frequent Flier Miles: Which Airlines Are Easiest To Redeem Economy Awards?

Posted on May 21, 2018 // 3 Comments

Cashing in your frequent flier miles for a free flight can be hit or miss, especially around a holiday. Which airlines are the most generous with making seats available? Each year, IdeaWorks tries to run a fair comparison of all the major airlines to keep them honest. This WSJ article discusses the results:

During March, IdeaWorks made more than 7,000 trip searches among 25 airlines, looking for two seats at the basic “saver” award level—25,000 miles for a domestic U.S. round-trip, for example—on 14 specific travel dates June through October. Each airline’s 10 busiest long routes and 10 busiest medium-length routes, both domestic and international, are queried to get the fullest picture of award availability.

frequentwsj2018

Most improved goes to American, which admitted that they significantly increased their overall seat availability, especially to Hawaii and Europe. Worst decline goes to Alaska, which says it didn’t change the amount of seats released, so perhaps there is simply more competition and usage of the program. Note that the survey focuses on economy tickets (not business or first class).

Southwest and JetBlue remain on top at close to 100% availability, but that is a bit misleading since both of their points are revenue-linked with no blackout dates. For example, 25,000 Southwest points will buy you basically any “Wanna Get Away” ticket that costs up to about $340. So the results are really just saying that Southwest’s busiest routes almost always have a flight that costs under ~$340. Southwest doesn’t fly to Europe at all, but they do have plans for Hawaii soon (which I look forward to, but will probably hurt their numbers).

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Frugal Living //

iPhone 6S Plus + New Apple Battery = Best Used/Frugal Phone?

Posted on May 17, 2018 // 11 Comments

iphone6srose

Update 3/17: DailySteals just added new stock in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S at under $200 (Verizon + Fully GSM unlocked). Compare with Swappa.

More and more people are being scared away from paying $1,000+ for a new smartphone as they realize that every September there will be another one that is a bit newer and shinier. I think the absolute amount that the iPhone improves each year is getting smaller and smaller. If you’re not committed to staying on the bleeding edge, why not save some bucks?

I recently took advantage of the special pricing on iPhone battery replacements on my iPhone 6, and it definitely made a difference in speed (and of course battery life). They performed the battery swap in the Apple Store in about an hour while I shopped elsewhere. This made me think about what the current best value would be for an iPhone (functionality/price).

My choice as of mid-2018 is the iPhone 6S Plus. They currently start in the $220 range, compare prices at sites like Swappa (person-to-person) and DailySteals.com (refurb deals). You have Touch ID. You get the bigger 5.5-inch high-resolution “Retina” screen for easier reading. From a superficial perspective, it’s really hard to tell it apart from an iPhone 7 or 8 (especially with case). The speed is adequate, even if you update to the current iOS. Of course, this assumes that you add a new battery ($29) direct from Apple. (You even get a physical headphone jack!)

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

eBay: Spend $150+, Get Free Google Home Mini ($49 Value)

Posted on May 14, 2018 // Leave a Comment

ebaymini

Google is offering eBay customers who spend $150+ in eligible items a free Google Home Mini ($49 retail). Eligible items exclude items from the Coins & Paper Money, Gift Cards & Coupons, and Real Estate categories. Expires 5/20/18 or while supplies last.

How to redeem your Coupon:

Include a Google Home Mini worth $49.00 direct from Google in your cart.
Shop for $150+ in Eligible Items. (See below for exclusions).
Enter the Coupon code in the redemption code field: PFREEMINI
Check out by 11:59 PM PST on May 20, 2018
Free Google Home Mini to arrive within 10 (ten) business days.

Not a bad deal if you were already considering such a purchase, or if something $150+ you wanted was a similar price on eBay. An alternative idea is to buy $150 worth of US Postal Service Forever Stamps.

Remember, you can also stack with cashback shopping portals like eBates ($5 new customer bonus), Mr. Rebates ($5 bonus), and TopCashBack ($5 right now, but varies).

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Urbanr: Pay Rent With Credit Card – 1.5% Transaction Fee

Posted on May 10, 2018 // 2 Comments

urbanr0Urbanr is an apartment rental website that allows renters to pay rent to landlords using a credit card. Urbanr accepts all Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit and debit cards. The 1.5% transaction fee can be paid by renter, paid by the owner, or split evenly between them (owner pays 0.75% and the renter pays 0.75%). The owner/landlord must sign up on the service first to accept payments (direct deposited to their bank account).

Urbanr wants to make it so that everyone pays rent with a credit card, and they claim that they are not losing money on the transaction fees. If so, they must be very good negotiators. You’ll need both parties interested for this to work. That means renters perhaps with a 2% cash back credit card or similar miles/points card, and an agreeable landlord (easier rent collection?).

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Card Review

Posted on May 3, 2018 // 2 Comments

The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is the new co-branded card from Chase and the newly-merged Marriott/Starwood/Ritz-Carlton rewards program. The current bonus is 75,000 bonus Marriott Rewards points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Here are the card highlights:

  • Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months.
  • 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
  • 6X points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Rewards & SPG hotels.
  • 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • Automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year.
  • Get upgraded to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
  • 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
  • Free in-room, premium internet access while staying at participating Marriott Rewards® and SPG® Hotels.*
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $95 Annual Fee.

Note the following:

The product is not available to either:

(1) current cardmembers of the Marriott Rewards® Premier or Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus credit card, or
(2) previous cardmembers of the Marriott Rewards Premier or Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.

The Marriott and Starwood merger is now complete, and you can use these points at either Marriott properties (Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites) or Starwood Properties (Westin, Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Méridien, Aloft).

Here’s the new award chart information:

You could use 70,000 points on two free nights at a Category 5 hotel like the Courtyard Waikiki Beach in Hawaii on a standard date, or you could get 4 free nights at a Category 3 hotel like the Residence Inn Austin Arboretum.

You can still turn your points into airline miles with a bonus. 60,000 Marriott points = 25,000 airline miles. Similar to the old Starwood bonus structure, they will add 15,000 points for every 60,000 points you transfer to airline miles.

Finally, Marriott points are also convertible to gift cards, but it takes 60,000 points to redeem for a $200 gift card for Marriott or retailers like Best Buy, Home Depot, or Nordstrom. That ratio isn’t all that great so you’ll definitely get the most value via hotel night redemptions or airline miles transfer.

After your account anniversary and paying the $95 annual fee, you’ll get an Anniversary Free Night Award automatically deposited into your account within 8 weeks. The Anniversary Free Night Award is valid for a one night hotel stay at a property with a redemption level up to 35,000 points. Getting $95 value out of hotel night is pretty easy to achieve, as long as you use it before it expires after 12 months.

Bottom line. The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is an updated version of their Premier card and is currently offering 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. As with all hotel cards, the value is dependent on your unique travel preferences. If you stay at Marriott/Starwood properties regularly, the free annual night award should easily cover the annual fee. If you have the old card you may be able to get a bonus for upgrading.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Barron’s Best Stock Brokerage Rankings 2018

Posted on May 2, 2018 // 9 Comments

barrons2018Barron’s has released their 2018 online broker rankings. The considerations include trading experience/technology, usability, mobile trading, range of offerings, research tools, customer service, and cost.

The Barron’s list always comes from the perspective of their subscriber base – high-net-worth active investors – which may or may not describe you. The overall winner this year was Interactive Brokers. Last year’s winner Fidelity Investments was pushed back to #2. Thankfully, Barron’s also supplied separate rankings for novice investors, long-term investors, and those that value in-person service:

Top 5 Brokers for Novice Investors

  1. TD Ameritrade.
  2. Fidelity
  3. Merrill Edge
  4. Charles Schwab
  5. Ally Invest

Top 5 Brokers for Long-Term Investing

  1. TD Ameritrade.
  2. Fidelity
  3. Charles Schwab
  4. Merrill Edge
  5. E-Trade

Top 5 Brokers for In-Person Service

  1. Merrill Edge.
  2. Charles Schwab
  3. Fidelity
  4. TD Ameritrade
  5. E-Trade

Commentary. A few thoughts on the rankings and other overlooked brokers:

Interactive Brokers is hard to argue against for very active traders. Their average account made 476 trades last year! However, they have a minimum commission of $10 a month for accounts under $100,000, or a minimum commission of $20/month under $2,000. You must pay them $120/$240 a year no matter what. That doesn’t work out for me, as some months I don’t trade at all. IB is not for newbies.

TD Ameritrade recently showed a lack of commitment to their commission-free ETF list and went for quantity over quality. The free ETF list is still decent, but that move didn’t scream “long-term” in my book. I think the customer service is solid, and some people may feel better knowing that they merged with Scottrade and their physical branch network. (E*Trade ate OptionsHouse. Schwab ate OptionsXpress. TD Ameritrade ate Scottrade. Ally ate TradeKing, now Ally Invest.)

Vanguard was included this year for the first time in recent memory, and they were promptly knocked to the bottom for being the most expensive broker due to their high trading costs on non-Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds. Vanguard doesn’t court active traders, and active traders probably won’t like it at Vanguard.

Robinhood was ignored again this year, despite the fact they have free trades and recently added a web interface for trading and free options trading. They probably would have also ranked low due to limited feature set.

M1 Finance is another free investing app that just popped on my radar. It lets you pick a customized basket of individual stocks (or ETFs) and then lets you buy them with zero commission. I used to worry that Robinhood was alone, but now there is competition. Maybe Barron’s will notice one day.

I keep most of my long-term assets directly at Vanguard along with a Solo 401k at Fidelity. My (much more modest) individual stock trading is done through Merrill Edge. I’m happy with them so far. If you have $50,000 in assets across Merrill Lynch, Merrill Edge, and Bank of America accounts, you get 30 free trades per month. That’s already more trades than I need, but $100k in combined assets gets you 100 free trades per month.

Disclosure: I am now an affiliate of M1 Finance and TD Ameritrade, and may be compensated if you click through my referral link and open a new account. I am not an affiliate of Interactive Brokers, Fidelity, Merrill Edge, or Vanguard.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

Best Interest Rates on Cash – May 2018

Posted on May 1, 2018 // 19 Comments

cream225Interest rates are rising. Rate-chasing is becoming more worthwhile again. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to get an idea of how much additional interest you’d earn if you switched over. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 5/1/18.

High-yield savings accounts
While the huge brick-and-mortar banks rarely offer good yields, there are a number of online savings accounts offering much higher rates. Keep in mind that with savings accounts, the interest rates can change at any time.

  • Popular Direct is at 2% APY with a $5,000 minimum opening deposit. SalemFiveDirect is at 1.85% APY, albeit for new money only/not valid for existing customers. DollarSavingsDirect is at 1.80% APY (no min). CIT Bank Money Market is at 1.75% APY (no min, $100 to open).
  • My “hub” bank account is the Ally Bank Savings + Checking combo due to their history of competitive savings/CD rates, 1-day external bank transfers, and overall user experience. The free overdraft transfers from savings allows to me to keep my checking balance at a minimum. Ally Savings has been raising their rates, but it still lags a bit at 1.50% APY. I’ve been keeping more money in no-penalty/short-term CDs.

Money market mutual funds + Ultra-short bond ETFs
If you like to keep cash in a brokerage account, you should know that money market and short-term Treasury rates have been rising. The following money market and ultra-short bond funds are not FDIC-insured, but may be a good option if you have idle cash and cheap/free commissions.

  • Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund currently pays an 1.82% SEC yield. The default sweep option is the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund, which has an SEC yield of 1.58%. You can manually move the money over to Prime if you meet the $3,000 minimum investment.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 2.23% SEC Yield ($3,000 min) and 2.33% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The average duration is ~1 year.
  • The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 2.12% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 2.22% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months.

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

  • CIT Bank 11-Month No-Penalty CD is at 1.85% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit and no withdrawal penalty seven days or later after funds have been received. The lack of early withdrawal penalty means that your interest rate can never go down for 11 months, but you keep full liquidity. Full review. You can open multiple CDs in smaller increments if you want more flexibility.
  • Several banks have 12-month CDs at 2% APY and above. Watch the early withdrawal penalties. For example, MidFirst Direct has a 2.25% APY 12-month CD, but the early withdrawal penalty is a fixed 1% of the amount withdrawn + $25. Meanwhile, Ally Bank has a 9-month CD at 2% APY and a 12-month CD at 2.10% APY with $25,000 minimum deposit and early withdrawal penalty of 60 days interest.

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. There are annual purchase limits. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest.

  • “I Bonds” bought between May 2018 and October 2018 will earn a 2.52% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More info here.
  • In mid-October 2018, 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 have another post up at that time.

Prepaid Cards with Attached Savings Accounts
A small subset of prepaid debit cards have an “attached” FDIC-insured savings account with exceptionally high interest rates. The negatives are that balances are capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). The offers also tend to disappear with little notice. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others do.

  • Insight Card is one of the best remaining cards with 5% APY on up to $5,000 as of this writing. Fees to avoid include the $1 per purchase fee, $2.50 for each ATM withdrawal, and the $3.95 inactivity fee if there is no activity within 90 days. If you can navigate it carefully (basically only use ACH transfers and keep up your activity regularly) you can still end up with more interest than other options. Earning 3% extra interest on $5,000 is $150 a year.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops, and if you make a mistake you won’t earn any interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others do. Rates can also drop quickly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling. For example, Northpointe Bank was mentioned for several months here but later dropped to 1% APY. That’s just how it goes with these types of accounts.

  • Consumers Credit Union offers up to 4.59% APY on up to a $20k balance, although getting 3.09% APY on a $10k balance has a much shorter list of requirements. The 4.59% APY requires you to apply for a credit card through them (other credit cards offer $500+ in sign-up bonuses). Keep your 12 debit purchases small as well, as for every $500 in monthly purchases you may be losing out on 2% cashback (or $10 a month after-tax). Find a local rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
You might have larger balances, either because you are using CDs instead of bonds or you simply want a large cash reserves. 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 a custom CD ladder of different maturity lengths such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account.

  • Synchrony Bank has a 14-month CD at 2.35% APY ($2,000 min). Live Oak Bank has an 18-month CD at 2.35% APY and a 24-month CD at 2.50% APY ($2,500 min). Early withdrawal penalty for both banks is 90 days of interest.
  • Ally Bank has a 5-year CD at 2.60% APY ($25k minimum) with a relatively short 150-day early withdrawal penalty. For example, if you closed this CD after 2 years you’d still get a 2.07% effective APY even after accounting for the penalty.
  • Mountain America Credit Union has a 5-year Share Certificate at 3.00% APY (minimum deposit varies). Anyone can join via a partner organization for a one-time $5 fee, usually right on the online application. However, note the early of withdrawal penalty of 365 days of interest. You can also find a 5-year non-callable brokered CD at 3.20% APY from both Vanguard and Fidelity. More info below.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk, 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 certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable fixed early withdrawal penalties. As of this writing, Vanguard is showing a 10-year non-callable CD at 3.25% APY (Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs from Fidelity.) Unfortunately, current CD rates do not rise much higher even as you extend beyond a 5-year maturity.
  • How about two decades? Series EE Savings Bonds are not indexed to inflation, but they have a guarantee that the value will double in value in 20 years, which equals a guaranteed return of 3.5% a year. However, if you don’t hold for that long, you’ll be stuck with the normal rate which is quite low (currently a sad 0.10% rate). I view this as a huge early withdrawal penalty. You could also view it as long-term bond and thus a hedge against deflation, but only if you can hold on for 20 years.

All rates were checked as of 5/1/18.


CIT Bank No-Penalty CD

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers //

Amazon Price Hike: Gift of Prime Membership Still $99

Posted on April 29, 2018 // 23 Comments

amazon200Amazon Prime has announced the following price increases to $119 per year:

  • Starting May 11, 2018, new members will be charged $119/year for an annual Prime membership and $59/year for an annual Prime Student membership.
  • Starting June 16, 2018, existing Prime members with an annual membership will renew at a rate of $119/year. Prime Student members with an annual membership will renew at a rate of $59/year.

You can still buy a Gift of Prime Membership for $99 (plus applicable taxes). I assume this will also go up in price as of May 11th, but I’d buy it sooner rather than later. I debated for a while whether it was worth the trouble, but since I had 5 minutes this weekend I decided to save 20 bucks. Here’s the rundown.

  • You can cancel the auto-renewal of your Amazon Prime membership in your account. You’ll have to go through a lot of “Are you sure?” prompts. They make it feel like you’re canceling your membership right then and there, but again you’re just canceling your auto-renewal. Your Prime membership will still continue through your anniversary date. Mine was in October 2018.
  • Buy a Gift of Prime Membership for $99 (plus applicable taxes) and send it to yourself or alternative e-mail. Note that if you try to apply the Amazon Gift of Prime when you have an active membership, it won’t work. You just get the exact value paid (including any taxes) in the form of an Amazon gift card. The goods news it that you don’t lose any value.
  • Set a calendar reminder of when your Amazon Prime year expires, and keep that e-mail with the gift membership link (perhaps in a special folder). If you apply the Amazon Gift of Prime the day after your current membership expires, then it will renew you with one year of Amazon Prime. You don’t need to start a new Amazon account or change your e-mail, everything will carry over from before. You’ll simply not have Prime for a day or less. Easy.

az_gift

Note that if you have an older grandfathered Amazon Prime that lets you have 5 household members share the benefits, you may not want that to expire.

Amazon Prime has a bunch of features beyond the faster shipping that are useful to me, as I don’t pay for Netflix video or Spotify radio subscriptions and use the Amazon Video and Amazon Music apps instead. There are also Prime-only deals throughout the year that save me money.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Audible Returning Trial Members: 2 Free AudioBooks + $10 Amazon Gift Card (Targeted)

Posted on April 25, 2018 // Leave a Comment

dalioIf you’ve already done a free trial of Audible.com and gotten some free audiobooks… Amazon might like to offer you another trial with two more free audiobooks plus a $10 Amazon gift card! This offer may be targeted and appears to be open to those who have been an Audible member or participated in an Audible trial in the past.

  • The first 60 days are free including 2 free audiobooks. After that, it’s just $14.95 per month.
  • Don’t like a book exchange it for another.
  • In two weeks, you will receive an email with your $10 Amazon.com gift card.
  • No commitment. Cancel anytime and keep all your audiobooks.

The two books that I plan to listen to are Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio and Born Standing Up by Steve Martin.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Amazon Prime: Buy Sample Box, Get Equal Credit Towards Similar Products

Posted on April 23, 2018 // 2 Comments

snackaz

Updated with new Snack and other sample boxes. Amazon Prime members can buy sample boxes that come with a credit towards a future purchase in that specific product category. Right now, you can buy a snack sample box for $9.99 and then you’ll get an equal $9.99 credit towards a future purchase of any eligible items in that category. You’ll still get Amazon Prime free shipping. Here are the currently available sample boxes along with the eligible products:

Due to the way this deal is structured, I choose to view it is a “free box of goodies” if you would already otherwise purchase something on their eligible item lists. That way you’re not buying something you don’t need anyway.

The sample boxes do go out of stock for extended periods of time, so if you see something you like, I would buy it now. A week after your product ships, you will receive an email with instructions on how to use your promotional credit.

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