Target 15% Off Everything 11/27 and 11/28, Online & In-Store

targetcyberTarget is offering a flat 15% off your entire purchase on Sunday 11/27 and Monday 11/28, both online at Target.com and in-store. This is a nice and easy way to save some money on your everyday shopping at Target, and it stacks with the 5% off with Target REDCard.

Alternatively, you can try to buy something specific that rarely goes on sale otherwise. Examples of eligible items include Apple iPads, Apple Watch, Beats headphones, and Kitchenaid appliances. There restrictions include no gift cards and no prepaid phone cards (though you can get 10% off select phone cards as part of a separate ongoing sale):

*Offer excludes all gift cards, prepaid cards (airtime, entertainment, iTunes, and online gaming), Beauty Advent Calendar, Elf on the Shelf, LEGO, Cards Against Humanity, Joking Hazard game, Vitamix, Simple Human, Weber, DSLR cameras and lenses, LG TVs, Samsung TVs, Google products, Bose, Sonos, GoPro, alcohol, dairy milk, Tylenol, CVS pharmacy, clinic, Target Optical, and Portrait Studio. Target.com orders also exclude Traeger and Company Store purchases.

Finally, if you shop online, you can use a cashback shopping portal. Many offer new customers bonuses, including eBates ($10 bonus), TopCashBack ($10 bonus, you see it after entering e-mail), and BeFrugal ($10 bonus). I have cashed out of all of these before.

T-Mobile Black Friday: Free Apple iPhone 7 with Trade-In and $200 Per Line Switched

Here are the details of T-Mobile’s Black Friday deals. Three separately available offers:

  • Free Apple iPhone 7 32GB, or Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB, or LG V20 64GB with trade-in. Free when you trade in a qualifying device with T-Mobile ONE or Simple Choice Unlimited, after 24 monthly bill credits. This deal is available until Sun., Nov. 27 at 11:59pm PT. Details on Apple iPhone 7 qualified trade-in devices here.
  • Get $200 for every line you switch to T-Mobile (up to $2400) with trade-in. For a limited time, when you switch a number to T-Mobile with T-Mobile ONE, we’ll give you $200 per line to spend however you want on a prepaid Mastercard. Valid 11/24-12/31/16.
  • Free hour of In-Flight Wi-Fi for Everyone – even AT&T, Verizon & Sprint Customers. Starting today through Sat., Nov. 26, the Un-carrier is giving everyone a free hour of Wi-Fi for their smartphone on Gogo-equipped domestic flights. Now, everyone can enjoy one of the perks T-Mobile customers already enjoy during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

If you prefer to set up your service with T-Mobile over the phone, you can call 855-407-3034 and ask for this offer.

Supposedly, Verizon Wireless will be matching these deals as well. It should be shown on this Verizon Wireless Black Friday deals page.

Barnes & Noble Black Friday Weekend: 30% Off Any One Item

bn0Barnes & Noble is offering 30% off any one item with coupon code BNBFRIDAY16. Offer is also valid in-store with Store Coupon #30164100000. For each customer, this coupon can be redeemed only once at any Barnes & Noble retail store or only once per billing address online. Valid from 11/24 to 11/27 (technically until November 28, 2016 at 2:59am ET). The discount will be applied to the most expensive eligible item in the order.

American Express Small Business Saturday 2016

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This year, Small Business Saturday will be on November 26th, 2016. Although it was started in 2010 by American Express on the Saturday after Thankgsiving, since 2011 this day has been officially recognized by Congress.

As was the case last year, there will be no flat statement credits in 2016 for shopping at a small business. Instead, American Express is offering double points or double cash back through the end of 2016 for shopping at small businesses from now until December 31st, 2016. You must register here first. Find local, participating small businesses on their Shop Small map.

The 2X promotion works these various flavors of American Express. When you use your enrolled Card at small businesses:

  • Membership Rewards cards will earn 1 additional Membership Rewards point per dollar spent.
  • Delta Skymiles cards will earn 1 additional mile per dollar spent.
  • Blue Cash cards will earn an additional 1% back per dollar spent.
  • Blue Sky cards will earn 1 additional Blue Sky point per dollar spent.
  • Hilton Honors cards will earn 3 additional Hilton HHonors points per dollar spent.
  • Starwood Preferred Guest cards will earn 1 additional Starpoint per dollar spent.
  • Plenti cards will earn 1 additional Plenti point per dollar spent.
  • Schwab Investor cards will earn an additional 1.5% cash back per dollar spent.

Rewards cap applies; 2X Rewards valid on up to $100,000 in purchases per enrolled consumer card and $250,000 in purchases per enrolled business card.

American Express has also been adding a lot of new offers – including local small businesses! – to their AmEX Special Offers. Log into your account online and see what you have targeted in your area. You may also see 10% off your cable or Satellite TV bill, 10% off your cellular phone bill, $25 off Verizon Wireless, $20 off $100 at Staples.com, or double/triple points at merchants like Amazon, Target, and Home Depot.

If you have a small business and accept American Express but aren’t shown on on their Shop Small map, here’s how to get yourself added:

Please contact the Shop Small Team at 1-800-235-8916, Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, EST and have your federal tax ID handy. We look forward to hearing from you!

Participating small businesses can also sign up for additional marketing materials here.

This Fortune article discusses the positive impact that American Express’s statement credits from 2010-2014 had on small businesses after the 2009 recession. It felt good that this promotion supported independent retailers, whereas most promotions go towards the big chains. Small Business Saturday was also a clever way for American Express to tell the public that they’ve increased acceptance of their cards at small businesses, which has always been their relative weak spot due to their slightly higher fees for the merchant.

[Read more…]

Uber American Express Promotion: 2 Free Rides From Airport (up to $65 each)

uberlogo200 Just in time for the holiday travel season! Uber and American Express are running a new promotion for 2 free Uber rides from an eligible airport up to $65 each. This promotion is valid for both new and existing users.

  • Enter code AMEXAIRPORT in your Uber app under Promotions or Payment.
  • Be sure that an American Express card is linked to your Uber account and selected as your payment method for the ride. (Prepaid cards not eligible.)
  • Good for two rides, up to $65 each. Any amount over $65 will be charged to your American Express. Valid on all Uber options.
  • Your ride must originate from one of the eligible airports listed below.
  • You must complete your trip by 11:59pm on 12/31/16.

Hera are the eligible airports:

  • LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
  • Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
  • Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
  • Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
  • Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
  • McCarran International Airport (LAS)
  • George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
  • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
  • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

If you don’t have an Uber account yet, you can get $20 off your first ride via this special link or by using promo code uberMYMONEYBLOG at signup. But remember – Uber promo codes cannot be combined or stacked. When you enter multiple promotion codes in the Uber app, the most recently entered code that is eligible for the ride will be applied to that ride. Once you have added a promotion code to your Uber app, you cannot delete it.

FreeCreditReport.com Review: Free Experian Credit Report Every Month, No Credit Card Required

freecreditreport0Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, has bought the domain FreeCreditReport.com and converted it to a place where consumers can view their Experian Credit Report for free. There is no credit card required, no trial membership required. Like most of its competitors, “free” does mean that you’ll see advertisements and offers for paid premium features. Checking your own credit will not hurt your credit scores.

All things equal, why not get your credit reports “straight from the source”? If I get my Experian data directly from Experian, that means one less third-party that may have access to my personal information. (I admit, I do sign up for a lot of such sites anyway, and I signed up for this one as well.) Here’s a screenshot (click to enlarge):

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Sign-up process. You will need to provide your personal information like name, address, birthdate, and Social Security Number. You’ll also need to verify your identity by answering some multiple-choice questions based on your credit report data.

I’m okay with some unobtrusive ads and upsells in exchange for free monthly credit reports. I have not tried any of their paid premium features. I did notice that when you sign up, it is not mandatory to sign up for their special offers. You can still proceed even if you uncheck the box.

How can I refresh my report? You can refresh your Experian credit report as often as every 30 days, but only if you log in to the website. Many sites operate this way, as it reduces their costs of grabbing your score if you are no longer interested. Also, they want you to log in so that they can show you advertisements.

Bottom line. FreeCreditReport.com is legit, owned by Experian, and offers free access to your Experian credit report. Experian already has all your information anyway. No credit card is required. Being able to get an updated report every 30 days is more frequent than other options.

See also: Get a free copy of your TransUnion credit report (another of the three major credit bureaus) through the TransUnion-owned site called TrueIdentity.

Amazon Prime $20 Off Grand Tour Promotion (11/18 Only!)

grandtour0If you’ve been in withdrawal from “proper” Top Gear, the new Amazon series The Grand Tour premiers on Friday, November 18th (press release). The three original stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have gotten back together and there are 12 new episodes that will stream weekly.

To try and attract these new gearheads, Amazon is running a one-day Grand Tour Prime promotion on Friday 11/18 from 12:00am ET to 11:59pm PT.

For one-day only, eligible new Prime members can join Amazon Prime for $79 (normally $99) and save $20 on your first year’s membership in celebration of The Grand Tour launch.

The promotion does not apply to existing or gift memberships. I’m not 100% positive on this, but I believe that a “new” membership simply means that your account must not currently have an active Amazon Prime membership, not that you’ve never had one in the past.

Here’s the official trailer on YouTube. If you already have Amazon Prime, here is the Grand Tour streaming link. I’ll definitely be watching. 🙂

IKEA In-Store Discount: $25 off $150 Coupon

ikea0Back again for this holiday season, IKEA has a printable $25 off $150 coupon [pdf] that is valid until December 24th, 2016. The coupon states that you can also show it on your phone at checkout. Valid in-store only.

These are pretty rare. Here is the fine print:

Valid November 14 – December 24, 2016. One coupon per household. Valid in stores only. No cash value. Cannot be combined with other IKEA offers or discounts, except IKEA FAMILY product offers. Not valid on IKEA Kitchen Event offer, IKEA services, Eat for Free or Kids Eat Free IKEA Food Offers, IKEA FAMILY Individual Kitchen Planning Service Offer. Not valid on previous purchases or the purchase of IKEA Gift Cards. See store for details.

Amazon 20% Off Promotion Code With Wedding Registry

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Amazon is offering a Registry Completion Discount for people who open a wedding registry with them. Within a month of your stated event date, you’ll receive a promotion code good for 10% off an entire order of up to $1,000 ($100 max discount). If you have Amazon Prime, the discount is bumped to 20% off an entire order up to $1,000 ($200 max discount).

Selected terms and conditions:

  • Promotional code expires within 90-days from the date in which the promotion was received via email.
  • If you created your registry less than 30 days before your wedding and no purchases were made off your registry, you will not be eligible for the promotion.
  • The Wedding Gift may be used only one time for one order of up to an aggregate of $1,000 USD (a maximum discount of up to $100 USD) for non-prime members. Prime Savings Wedding Gift may be used only one time for one order of up to an aggregate of $2,500 USD (a maximum discount of up to $500 USD).
  • The Prime 20% off Wedding Gift promotion will be limited to Prime customers who are members of Campus, Fresh, Prime Members with Shipping Benefits, Prime members with Mom benefits. This excludes trial, Student and Invitee members.
  • The Wedding Gift applies only to select items sold by Amazon.com. It does not apply to the same items sold by other sellers.
  • The Wedding Gift may only be redeemed through the Amazon account of the primary registrant of the Wedding Registry.
  • You may not qualify for another Wedding Gift for 2-years following the use of the Wedding Gift.
  • Promotional code may not be applied toward the purchase of gift cards, sales tax, gift wrap, or additional shipping costs.

Notably, you do not have to submit any documentation about your event. However, your registry must be active for at least 30 days and someone must have bought something off the registry in order to qualify for this promotion.

Hilton Hotels Free Status Match Link

hiltonhonors0Hilton Hotels has a promotion which matches the elite status of any other hotel loyalty program free for 90 days. You can register online at this Hilton Honors Status match link. If you complete four stays in those 90 days, you can keep your Gold status extended through March 31, 2018. If you complete eight stays in those 90 days, you can keep your Diamond status extended through March 31, 2018.

Eligible hotel chains include but are not limited to Choice Hotels, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Starwood Preferred Guest. As long as you might have even a single Hilton stay in the next 90 days, it may be worth registering in order to get the perks.

True Identity Review: Free Unlimited TransUnion Credit Reports, Free Credit Lock, No Credit Card Required

trueidentity0TrueIdentity by TransUnion is an identity protection website that is free with no credit card required and no trial memberships. The highlights:

  • Free TransUnion credit reports. Unlimited reports and refreshes.
  • Free Credit Lock feature. Stop access to your TransUnion report with a single swipe or click.
  • Free instant alerts. Includes alerts for new accounts, inquiries or address changes.
  • Free mobile app. Android and iOS.

I decided to sign up and dig around. Here’s a screenshot of the main dashboard (click to enlarge):

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Free TransUnion credit report details. A partial screenshot of my report page is below. As one of the three major credit bureaus, TransUnion already has all your other personal information. I’m glad they let me see it for free. Note that you’ll have to pay to see reports from the other two credit bureaus, Equifax and Experian (see below). The report is free and current, although I can’t seem to find how often you are allowed to refresh your report.

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Free Credit Lock feature details. When you credit report is “locked”, it can’t be accessed by creditors, landlords, or employers. If they ask for it, their request will be denied. Credit Lock appears to be another layer created by TransUnion that is separate from a formal credit freeze (which I believe is regulated by law). A credit freeze is free only if you are already a victim of identity theft, otherwise it costs a fee and you often have to call in to get it lifted. I believe the requests must be submitted during the following times for immediate processing:

Monday-Saturday, 2 a.m.-11 p.m. Central Time
Sunday, 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Central Time

During these times (only a 3 hour gap around midnight during weekdays), the credit lock is pretty much instant (they warn that it may take up to 5 minutes). Therefore, you can theoretically keep your TransUnion report locked at all times, and then lift that lock just minutes before you actually apply for a loan or credit card. That’s my plan. Here’s a screenshot of my post-lock page:

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Free instant alerts details. You can pick from instant e-mail or SMS text alerts. I believe there are alerts via the mobile app as well. They will e-mail you weekly or monthly to confirm that you have no new alerts.

If it’s free, how will TransUnion make money? First, you will see ads for credit products (much like similar credit-related sites). Second, you can upgrade to their TrueIdentity Premium tier, which costs $9.99 a month and adds the following features:

  • TransUnion credit score (VantageScore 3.0).
  • Credit report data from the other two credit bureaus, Equifax and Experian.
  • Phone access to Identity Restoration & Lost Wallet Specialists with up to 1,000,000 in Identity Theft Insurance.
  • Premium alerts which monitor additional databases including black market websites, courtroom records, and payday loan databases.

Bottom line. TrueIdentity by TransUnion offers some handy features for the excellent price of free. No trials, no credit card required. You might be able to get your TransUnion credit report data elsewhere, but the real-time Credit Lock feature is unique. You’ll have to upgrade to $9.99 a month for features like cash insurance or an army of helpers to guide you if you do become a victim of identity theft. But again, there is no need to upgrade, ever.

Amazon 2% Balance Reload Rewards Promotion

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Amazon has a targeted promotion for Prime members that offers you a 2% bonus when you reload your Amazon gift card balance using a checking account. For example, if you load $100, you will get $102 in Amazon credit. To see if this promotion is available to you click here to visit the Reload Your Balance page. If you are eligible, you will see the banner below.

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For qualifying transactions, a reward equal to 2% of your qualifying reload amount will be automatically applied to your Amazon Balance after the qualifying transaction has been completed. You must reload your Amazon Balance using the payment method that includes a checking account and linked debit card. The maximum single reload amount to your Amazon Balance may not exceed $2,000.

I’m usually not targeted for these promotions and I saw it, so perhaps it is relatively popular. Note that this promotion isn’t all that valuable if you already purchase things on a 2% cash back credit card, or even better on a 5% back credit card with Amazon as a rotating category. Prime members can also get 5% back with the Amazon Store Card, which is basically a credit line that is only good for Amazon purchases.

However, if you avoid credit cards in general and usually buy things on a debit card, this is an easy way to get a little extra towards your Amazon shopping. Load your balance first via this promotion, get the 2% extra, and then go shopping.