Virgin Mobile Full Year of Unlimited Service for $1 w/ iPhone Purchase

Posted on August 18, 2017 // 5 Comments

virginmobie

Virgin Mobile has extended their promotion offering a full year of unlimited service for $1 for new customers who buy an iPhone and transfer their number, as well as current Virgin Mobile customers who upgrade to an iPhone. Auto-pay required. It has officially been extended through 8/31/17.

Virgin Mobile USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint and is thus on the Sprint network. Unlimited talk, text, and data with de-prioritization after 23 GB each month. Although taxes are technically not included, people report being charged only 8 cents per month, so apparently it’s not a concern. After the first year, the unlimited plan costs $50 a month including all taxes as this is a prepaid service.

The cost of the newest iPhones from Virgin Mobile is comparable to buying direct from Apple. For example, iPhone 7 32GB version is $649. However, there are discounts for older models: iPhone 6 32GB is $320. iPhone SE 32GB is $280.

Compare this offer with the Sprint Free Year of Unlimited offer. For the Sprint offer, you must bring your own eligible device and qualify via a hard credit check. If you don’t want an iPhone, you could buy a New Unlocked Moto E4 for $99 from Amazon. For this Virgin Mobile offer, you must buy a new iPhone for at least $280 but there is no credit check. Sprint includes mobile hotspot tethering, while Virgin charges an extra $10 a month.

Per this press release, Virgin will also throw in the following perks:

  • A round-trip companion ticket to the United Kingdom on Virgin Atlantic
  • One night’s stay at Virgin Hotels
  • $170 savings on an introductory offer to Virgin Wines club
  • Up to 20% off flights on Virgin America
  • 20% off on the Virgin Sport San Francisco Festival of Fitness (Oct. 13-15)

If you wanted to buy an iPhone anyway (a new model is coming out soon) and are okay with the Sprint network, this can work out to a good deal. You could get a new iPhone 6 (which is still perfectly useable in my opinion) and a year of Unlimited talk/text/data service for $321. After the first year, you’ll still have the iPhone 6 which you can use on another network.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Alaska Airlines Dash For Miles Promotion: 3,000 Bonus Miles, Reset Expiration

Posted on August 15, 2017 // Leave a Comment

alaskamilesAlaska Airlines has a Dash for Miles promotion where you can earn up to 3,000 bonus miles: 1,000 bonus miles times three partner sites through September 30, 2017. You must register at the link above first, and then complete at least one transaction from any of the following:

All of these sites are relatively easy to participate in. Mileage Plan Dining has a relatively wide restaurant network and you could link a credit card and buy a $2 soda. Mileage Plan shopping can be triggered with a $5 purchase at Staples.com, Gap.com, or Groupon. The Opinion Terminal only takes the time commitment to fill out an initial survey. (I was able to get the 400 miles after about 15 minutes. Some people only get 5 miles, but that’s enough to trigger the 1,000 point bonus.)

This promo can also be used to reset the expiration of your Alaska Mileage Plan miles for another 24 months. If a Mileage Plan account is inactive for 2 years, Alaska Airlines may close the account, delete any mileage balance and reassign the Mileage Plan number. Deleted mileage can be reinstated for a fee for up to 1 year.

Dash for Miles Challenge Offer Terms & Conditions:

Limited time offer valid August 7, 2017 through September 30, 2017: Mileage Plan™ members who register for this offer and complete at least one transaction with each of Mileage Plan Dining, Mileage Plan Shopping, and Miles for Surveys during the promotional period will receive 1,000 bonus Miles for each partner they earn with. Registration is required prior to the first qualifying transaction. Bonus Miles do not count towards Mileage Plan Elite Status. Bonus Miles will be awarded within six weeks of the last qualifying transaction posting to a member’s account. All terms and conditions of the Mileage Plan program apply. Offer subject to change without notice.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

1,000 Marriott Rewards Points for New Visa Checkout Customers

Posted on August 15, 2017 // Leave a Comment

visacheckoutHere’s another promotion for Visa Checkout (they are really pushing this thing). Create a new Visa Checkout account from Marriott.com and earn up to 1,000 free Marriott Rewards points: Earn 500 points when you sign up for Visa Checkout on Marriott.com and 500 points when you use Visa Checkout within 15 days of signing up.

Stack with the Starbucks / Visa Checkout promo. You can have multiple Visa Checkout accounts (each one needs a separate e-mail/phone number and credit card). For this promo, the e-mail address must match between Visa Checkout and Marriott Rewards, so you might need to change one or the other beforehand. Fine print:

Offer valid through 9/24/17 while supplies last. Only new Visa Checkout users eligible. Address on Visa Checkout account must match email address associated with Marriott Rewards member account. […] Allow 6 to 8 weeks from the end of the Promotion Period for delivery of the bonus points award. Marriott Rewards members who have elected in their account profile to earn miles are not eligible for the Promotion.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

$20 Starbucks Gift Card for $10 with Visa Checkout

Posted on August 15, 2017 // 2 Comments

sbux_cupFall promo is live. Starbucks is selling $20 Starbucks Gift Card for $10 if you buy it using Visa Checkout instead of credit card directly. Limited to the first 225,000 loads, but if you can still buy a gift card at the link, then the promotion is should still be alive. Otherwise valid 8/14/17 to 9/30/17.

Hey, Starbucks finally figured out that it would be nice to have all this reflected during checkout! A screenshot from my order:

sbux20

Selected terms:

Promotional Offer Terms: Read the following terms to see how you can get a promotional $10 added to the value of your Starbucks eGift Card while supplies last (“Bonus Load”). Starbucks will give away 225,000 Bonus Loads between 8/14/17 and 9/30/17 (“Promotional Period”). To receive a Bonus Load, you must purchase a minimum $10 Starbucks eGift Card with your valid Visa Checkout® Account during the Promotional Period and meet other eligibility requirements below.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Free 1,000+ Marriott Rewards Points Promotion

Posted on August 3, 2017 // 6 Comments

marriottchirp0

Back again, but different? I’m not sure if this works if you’ve already done it before, but there is a new Chirpify promotional page with a new #RewardsPoints hashtag (instead of #MRpoints) showing the following opportunities:

  • 750 free points. 250 points each for linking your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
  • 250 free points. 125 points each for following Marriott Rewards on Twitter and Instagram.
  • ???. There is a vague reference to additional points earning opportunities. “A maximum of 45,000 points per Marriott Rewards account can be earned each calendar year through #RewardsPoints.”

Here’s a link to the FAQ. I don’t know why all these things ask for the ability to post on your behalf, but then promise “we won’t post on your behalf”. So why ask for it? Just as with secondary e-mail accounts, some people choose to keep secondary social media accounts…

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Free Collection of Investing Books by Meb Faber

Posted on August 3, 2017 // 7 Comments

investwiththehouse

Free again. Asset manager Meb Faber is promoting the launch of his new book, The Best Investment Writing: Selected writing from leading investors and authors (Vol. 1), by making all four previous self-published books free in Kindle format for a limited time (ends Saturday 8/5). Below are direct links to each book. Check first that the Kindle price is $0 (“0.00 to Buy”), then buy it to own permanently. Do not click “Read for Free”.

Grab them now while they are free, and read later at your convenience. You can read Kindle eBooks on smartphones or on any computer via web browser.

I enjoy reading these books, but I’m always careful when reading about finely-diced backtested strategies that worked well in the past. Before you put your hard-earned money at risk, please realize that even if they continue to work (which is in no way guaranteed given how markets tend to weed out edges), they will still be hard to stick to in real life. At some time, you will underperform other strategies for an extended period of time. You must ride out those low periods in order to achieve any sort of market-beating returns. In my opinion, the fancier the strategy, the harder it is to keep faith.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

Best Interest Rates on Cash Savings – August 2017

Posted on August 2, 2017 // 6 Comments

percentage2

Interest rates are slowly waking up from their multi-year slumber, so I’m paying closer attention to the various changes each month. Don’t let a megabank pay you 0.01% APY or less for your idle cash. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Rates checked as of 8/1/17.

High-yield savings accounts
While the huge brick-and-mortar banks rarely offer good yields, the online banks with a history of competitive rates offer online savings accounts clustered 1.0%-1.2% APY. Remember that with savings accounts, the interest rates can change at any time.

  • The Mega Money Market accounts of both Redneck Bank and All America Bank (they are affiliated) are paying 1.50% APY on balances up to $35,000. Note that amounts over $35,000 earn only 0.50% APY.
  • Other sample top rates without a balance cap: DollarSavingsDirect at 1.40% APY, BankDirect at 1.35% APY, Synchrony Bank and Goldman Sachs Bank are at 1.20% APY.
  • As I’ve been “bait-and-switched” a few times, I’m still sticking with my Ally Bank Savings + Checking combo due to their history of competitive rates (including CDs), 1-day interbank transfers, and a overall user experience. I also like the free overdraft transfers from savings so I can keep my checking balance at a minimum. Ally Savings is at 1.15% APY.

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 inching upwards. It may be worth the effort to move your money into a higher-yielding money market fund or ultrashort-term bond ETF.

  • The Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund has increased their SEC yield now to 1.10%. The default sweep option is the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund, which only has an SEC yield of 0.92%. You can manually move the money over to Prime if you meet the $3,000 minimum investment.
  • The following bond ETFs are not FDIC-insured, but if you want to keep “standby money” in your brokerage account and have cheap/free trades, it may be worth a look. The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 1.52% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 1.52% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months. More info here.

Short-term guaranteed rates (under 1 year)
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). Honestly, I wouldn’t get fancy or take unnecessary risk. Just keep it safe in a short-term CD or online savings account that in insured under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • The Ally Bank No-Penalty 11-Month CD is now paying 1.50% APY for $25,000+ balances and 1.25% APY for $5,000+ balances. The lack of early withdrawal penalty means that your interest rate can never go down for 11 months, but you can still jump ship if rates rise.
  • Salem Five Direct is advertising 1.25% APY on balances up to $500,000. The good news is that this rate is guaranteed until 7/1/18 – more than a year away – and since it is a savings account you can still move your money in and out without penalty. The bad news is that this rate is for new customers only.

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 and October 2017 will earn a 1.96% rate for the first six months, and then a variable rate based on ongoing inflation after that. While that next 6-month rate is currently unknown, at the very minimum the total yield after 12 months will around 1% with additional upside potential. More info here.
  • In mid-October, 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 high interest rates. The risks are that balances are capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). The other catch is that these good features may be killed off without much notice. My NetSpend card now only has an eligible balance up to $1,000.

  • 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 4% extra interest on $5,000 is $200 a year.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with some risk. You have to jump through certain hoops, and if you make a mistake you won’t earn any interest for that month. Rates can also drop quickly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling. But the rates can be high while they last.

  • Northpointe Bank has Rewards Checking at 5% APY on up to $10k. The requirements are (1) 15 debit card purchases per month (in-person or online), (2) enrolling in e-statements, and (3) a monthly direct deposit or automatic withdrawal of $100 or more. ATM fees are rebated up to $10 per month.

Certificates of deposit
If you have a large cushion, it’s quite likely to just sit there for years. One option is to keep your money in longer-term investments where you can still take it out in a true emergency and pay a reasonable early withdrawal penalty. Alternatively, you could create a 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.

  • AmboyDirect has a 12-month CD at 1.65% APY if you deposit $10,000. Additional deposits can be made within 6 months of account opening. Note that early withdrawal penalty is a hefty 6-months of interest, however. If asked, provide offer code 601611.
  • Ally Bank also has a 5-year CD at 2.25% APY with a relatively short 150-day early withdrawal penalty and no credit union membership hoops. For example, if you closed this CD after 18-months you’d still get an 1.64% effective APY even after accounting for the penalty.
  • Hanscom Federal Credit Union is offering a 4-year Share Certificate at 2.50% APY (180-day early withdrawal penalty) if you also have Premier Checking (no monthly fee if you keep $6,000 in total balances or $2,000 in checking). HFCU also offers a 3% APY CU Thrive “starter” savings account. HFCU membership is open to active/retired military or anyone who makes a one-time $35 donation to the Nashua River Watershed Association.
  • Mountain America Credit Union is offering a 5-year Share Certificate at 2.60% APY (365-day early withdrawal penalty). $500 minimum deposit. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution, 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 the same FDIC-insurance. As of this writing, Vanguard is showing a 10-year non-callable CD at 2.65% APY (Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs.) Unfortunately, current long-term 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). You could view 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. Too long for me.

All rates were checked as of 8/1/17.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers //

Costco New Membership Discount – LivingSocial

Posted on July 31, 2017 // 3 Comments

costco0LivingSocial has a Costco Gold Star Membership Package where for $60 you can get $215.63 value:

  • 1-year Gold Star membership ($60 normally), which includes a membership card for the primary cardholder as well as one free Household Card
  • $20 Costco Cash card
  • $$35.63 in free coupons – Free Paper Towels Create-a-Size 12/160 ct ($15.69 value), Free VitaRain Zero Flavored Water 24/20 oz bottles ($9.99 value), and Free Food Court Whole Pizza ($9.95 value)
  • $25 off an order of $250 on Costco.com
  • $75 Costco Cash Card toward Costco Travel to the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, or the South Pacific (excludes cruises)

Valid for new members only, which here means the primary cardholder can’t have a current Costco membership or a membership that expired after April 1, 2017. Offer is valid at all U.S. Costco locations.

The last $100 is harder to redeem, but the $20 gift card and $25 in free paper towels/pizza still makes it a pretty good deal if you have a household member without a current membership.

Remember that you can save a bit more on your LivingSocial purchases with cashback shopping sites like eBates ($5 new customer bonus) and Mr. Rebates ($5 bonus).

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Dorco Coupon: 1-Year Supply (28 Razors) for $24 + Free Shipping

Posted on July 18, 2017 // 8 Comments

dorcodude0My strategy for saving money on shaving is simple. I buy a bunch of razors once every 2 years, and use one razor per month. I try not to pay more than $1 per razor, so my total shaving bill is under $12 a year. To make sure they stay comfortable, I dry thoroughly after each use (some people use alcohol or mineral oil). I also hone occassionally with my forearm or jeans.

Here’s an example deal for under $1 per razor. Dorco USA (which also makes the blades for Dollar Shave Club) is currently offering 50% off their Frugal Dude Pack with promo code AFFDP717 good through 7/21/17. It’s a mix of 3-,4-, and 6-blade systems. The combo includes 2 handles, 16 cartridges, and 12 disposables. They call this a 1-year supply (at 13 days per razor), but this would last me 2 years (at 26 days per razor) as my facial hair is wimpy.

That’s a total of 28 razors for $23.85 with free shipping included, which works out to $0.85 per razor. Here’s a screenshot:

dorcodude

I’ve been quite satisfied with the quality of Dorco razors. If you want to try it out first, you can get Pace 6 For Men (1 handle, 2 cartridges) for $1.99 shipped with promo code AFPACE6718. Good through 7/21/17. That’s still $1 per cartridge. Note that you should pick budget shipping, go to the end where you enter the promo code, THEN update the shipping cost, THEN it will show budget shipping as $0.00. Screenshot.

I know that some folks prefer safety razors, for which you can buy a quality handle for $24 and then buy refills for 12 cents each after that, which also sounds perfectly reasonable if you enjoy that style of shaving.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

JetBlue Free Mosaic Status Match + Challenge

Posted on July 17, 2017 // 1 Comment

mosaicJetBlue Airlines has a free status match program where they will upgrade you to JetBlue Mosaic status if you have elite status with another airline loyalty program. Here are the qualifying levels at other airlines:

  • Virgin America: Elevate Silver, Gold
  • Alaska Airlines: Mileage Plan MVP Gold or MVP Gold 75k
  • American Airlines: AAdvantage Platinum, Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum®
  • Delta: SkyMiles Medallion Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond
  • Southwest Airlines: Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred or Companion Pass
  • United: MileagePlus Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum or Premier1K

If you become/are a TrueBlue member and submit proof of your qualifying status, you will get Mosaic status free through the rest of 2017. You can then enjoy the perks listed below.

In addition, anyone (even without elite status) can take on the Mosaic Challenge. If you earn 3,750 base flight TrueBlue points in 90 days, you will get Mosaic through through December 31, 2018. This basically means you must spend $1,250 on JetBlue-operated flights for yourself within those 90 days. (Points earned via credit cards or other people’s flights don’t count.)

Mosaic benefits include:

  • Waived change and cancellation fees. Waived for Mosaic members and others on their itinerary.
  • Two free checked bags. Mosaic members and companions on the same itinerary can check both the first and second bag for free.
  • Priority security line access.
  • Early boarding access.
  • Bonus points. Earn an additional 3 TrueBlue points per dollar on your JetBlue flight, for at least 9 points per dollar if you book on jetblue.com.
  • Dedicated phone number. Get access to a dedicated Customer Service Line available 24/7.
  • Free drinks. Enjoy complimentary alcoholic beverages onboard.

Also see: JetBlue Credit Card from Barclaycard Review

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Choice Hotels Free Elite Status Match

Posted on July 16, 2017 // Leave a Comment

choicehotelslogoChoice Hotels is also offering a public free status match to Gold or Platinum Elite status from another hotel program. Potential perks include point bonuses on qualifying stays, longer booking windows for reward nights, and a free welcome gift.

If you status match between July-December, you’ll get up to Elite Platinum level for the rest of this current year and the following year. If you status match from January-June, it only runs for the current year.

Simply email Status_Match@choicehotels.com with the following information:

  • Full Name
  • Choice Privileges Member Number
  • Proof of Elite status in other hotel program:
    Screenshot or copy of your other program’s loyalty card (with expiration date)
    Or, screenshot or copy of other program’s current statement or account status page

Choice Hotels include the following brands:

  • Comfort Inn
  • Comfort Suites
  • Quality Inn
  • Sleep Inn
  • Clarion
  • Cambria hotels & suites
  • MainStay Suites
  • Suburban
  • Econo Lodge
  • Rodeway Inn

Here are other status match programs:

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Amazon Prime Day 2017: List of Deals Still Available

Posted on July 12, 2017 // 4 Comments

primeday2017Updated. Amazon Prime Day is now over, but some offers are still available. I’ve removed the ones that I notice are expired. Hopefully you picked up some credits and savings to offset that membership fee.

Many deals still require Prime. New members can sign up for a 30-day free trial (6-month free trial + 50% off afterward with student .edu address).

Deals that are still live.

Alexa-Only Deals. View all the Alexa-only deals here. Must be ordered via Alexa Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Tap, Fire TV, Dash Wand, or compatible Fire tablets. The prices you see on the pages below will be different.

Other Amazon-related deals:

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //
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