Month: November 2014

25 Days, 25 Chime Offers! in December

Posted on November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 by admin

Every day from December 1st to 25th, you will receive new offers. Each offer expires within 24 hours. You can check all offers in advance at www.chimecard.com/users/holiday. If you don’t have Chime card yet, please read “Chime Card Reviews.”

There are many great offers. I plan to redeem ten offers out of 25. In the website, you can set up a reminder by clicking “Remind Me” on each offer. You will receive an email on the day the offers of your favorite stores are available so you won’t miss them.

Starting with amazon.com, “Free $5 Store Credit.” Free $x Store Credit means there is no minimum spending requirement. $5 will be back instantly to your Chime account after a check-out. We had the same offer just a few weeks ago. I redeemed it by purchasing $5 amazon E-gift card.

There are many other offers of the same type, as well as “Spend $XX Get $X” type of offers for major and popular stores. Check for yourself.

Payback Rewards of PayPal Prepaid MasterCard

Posted on November 27, 2014November 27, 2014 by admin

I applied PayPal Prepaid MasterCard a few months ago. The primary purpose of having this card is to earn interest from its savings account (see details here), but I have been making purchase with the card to see what kind of reward they offer. Their reward program is “targeted.” They review how you use the card and give you offers that are relevant to your spending. Thus, when I just received the card, there was no offers. I searched online to see some examples of offers so that I could use the card efficiently. However, I couldn’t find any examples.

So, I carried out an experiment. I exclusively used the card at supermarkets. To boost up the process (from my guess), I also asked cash back as much amount as each store allowed. About a month later, I received three offers for the first time.

1. Walmart

Shop at Walmart.com and receive 5% Cash Back on every purchase until a maximum of $500 in combined total spend is reached! Offer valid on purchases through 12/8/2014! Purchases must be made through this link. Offer not valid toward shipping and handling, taxes and other surcharges. Offer applied after all discounts and coupons. Offer not valid toward purchases from Sam’s Club and Samsclub.com, pharmacy, travel, financial services, tires, optical, Wal-Mart Connect Internet Service, gift cards, and online gift cards. Walmart.com – Save Money. Live Better

I wonder why I received an offer for the store I have never used the card. It is a very common offer. You can find the same one in many cash back portal sites. I was expecting offers that are similar to Amex Offer so I can use the card in stores and redeem the offer. But this offer is online only, and purchases must be made through the link. This is just typical cash back offer you can find in portal sites any time.

2. Peapod by Stop and Shop

Online Grocery Delivery: Shop with Peapod by Stop & Shop in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey to earn 15% Cash Back on a purchase amount up to $100. Shop at Peapod by Stop & Shop to find some of your favorite national brands, plus money-saving store brands! View the Peapod by Stop & Shop website to learn more. Peapod by Stop & Shop – Grocery shop anytime, anywhere!

Offer expires 12/13/2014. Payment must be made on or before offer expiration date. Payment must be made with your eligible debit or credit card. Offer valid online only. Offer valid one time only.

Another offer for online shopping. The terms don’t mention about the link. So, if I click the link of cash back portal site and use the card, I may earn both rewards. For example, BeFrugal offers $10 cash back for new customers. If I can earn both rewards, I will get $25 cash back in total. The problem is that Peapod charges $11.95 for each delivery and $2.95 for each pick-up. Besides, all my neighbor Stop&Shop stores are somehow excluded for pick-up locations. The closest store is 12 miles away. However, this will be an interesting experiment.

3. Verizon FiOS

Switch your TV, Internet and home phone services to Verizon FiOS & earn $75! Verizon FiOS gives you the ultimate in home entertainment. Plus, redefine what TV can be by upgrading to FiOS Quantum℠ TV and get more storage, more control and more access.

Verizon FiOS order must be placed online through this link. Account must be active for 60 days to receive reward. Reward can take up to 90 days to post to account. New customers with 2 year term only. Offer valid one time only. Other conditions apply. Offer expires 12/16/2014.

Like the offer for Walmart, I have no idea why I got this offer. And I’m not interested at all. So, I don’t check anything further. Probably, you can find the same offer in cash back portal sites any time.

Summery

These are three offers from PayPal Prepaid MasterCard for the first time. They are a lot different from ones I expected. I found an offer for Peapod interesting. Cashback portal sites pay only new customers. If I continue to receive an offer, it’s worth keep using the card at supermarkets.

Target MasterCard Gift Card is similar to Vanilla Visa Gift Card, But….

Posted on November 22, 2014November 22, 2014 by admin

My order at Target.com arrived. It’s Target MasterCard gift card. When I placed the order, there were no purchase fee, and somehow REDcard 5% discount was applied (see detail here.) The back of the package says almost the same as one from Target Visa gift card.

Select any 4 digit PIN at first use………………………………………..Card issued by the Bancorp Bank…………………………..For card information, the Cardholder Agreement, refunds, or to request a replacement card, call 1-800-698-4952 or visit www.mybalancenow.com…………………………………

The only difference is that “pursuant to license by MasterCard International.” instead of “pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.” I can check the balance, reset PIN, and assign ZIP code in the same website, mybalancenow.com.

You can do the same things in the websites, vanillavisa.com and onevanilla.com, for Target Visa or MasterCard GCs, and vice verse. It means that all those cards, Vanilla, One Vanilla, Target Visa and MasterCard GCs, have all the same features.

So, I thought I could reload American Express Serve with these gift cards at Family Dollar. But, it failed. After I swiped the card and entered PIN, a PIN pad said, “invalid card number.” I tried another card, but it was the same result. Only a week ago, I loaded with Target Visa GCs at Family Dollar. So, unless POS system has changed since them, the problem is it’s MasterCard.

Well, now I need to spend all GCs by purchasing. When I visit Walmart, I will try to use the card at Walmart ATM. I don’t think it will accept it, but it is worth a try.

Unloading Prepaid Card – Walmart MoneyCard by Green Dot

Posted on November 20, 2014November 21, 2014 by admin

I had my Walmart MoneyCard Preferred shut down by Green Dot because they don’t like the way I used it. I can’t reload or pay bills anymore. All I can do is spend the remaining balance. Just before the shut-down, I set up bill pays that could unload almost all the balance. However, they were canceled. So, I need to unload over $2500 by purchasing.

Unloading Visa or MasterCard prepaid cards is easy. Since they have the feature of debit card, you can use at ATM and get cash back at register. But the fastest way to unload is reload BlueBird or Serve with them.

You can reload up to $1000 per day and choose any amount (minimum $20.) I went to Walmart twice and made two reloads to finish the Walmart MoneyCard. There is a transfer to Chime card between two reloads. At that time, I found a lot of new Chime offers. I reload Chime card so I can redeem new offers. Chime doesn’t charge a reload fee. As long as I know, the debit card that Chime charges a reload fee is PayPal Business Debit card. I have tested all other debit cards I have (Mango, PayPal Prepaid, Walmart MoneyCard, and Chase,) and none of them are charged a reload fee. (see details here.)

Anyway, my Walmart MoneyCard is completely dead now. It has no money in it, and it can’t be added any money, either. The last transaction (reloading my Serve card at Walmart) is like a funeral for Walmart MoneyCard. So, I chose Walmart for its funeral as a courtesy.

Lots of New Chime Offers! Amazon/Sears/Lowe’s/CVS

Posted on November 18, 2014November 18, 2014 by admin

My Chime app on my cell phone had frozen after I received a notification. I opened the app, but the screen was all blank. So I logged in from PC to see what was new. Then I found a lot of new offers. (Click here to see details of Chime card)

The offers of Amazon, Sears, Lowe’s, and CVS are redeemed by purchasing gift cards. And Amazon’s offer has no minimum purchase requirements. No matter how much you spend, you will receive Chime credit up to $5. If you spend $3 today and $10 tomorrow, you will get back $3 today and $2 tomorrow. But I think this offer is too good to be available for a long time. So, it is better to redeem now by purchasing “Amazon.com Gift Cards – E-mail Delivery.” You can choose an amount between $0.50 and $2000 in any increments. Just buy $5 e-gift card now otherwise the offer may be gone tomorrow.

As for Chime app on my cell phone, it works fine after I cleared data and re-entered email address and password. I guess that there are too many new offers for the app to handle.

I may be going to buy Amazon GCs at Sears, Lowe’s and CVS, too. Currently, there are 4th quarter of Chase Freedom, Citi divinded, and Discover credit cards (5% cash back.) Plus, Discover offers another 5% cash back in October and November. I’m very busy to buy a lot of GCs now!

Green Dot Shut Down my Walmart Money Card Preferred

Posted on November 15, 2014November 20, 2014 by admin

I have Walmart MoneyCard Preferred for several months, but recently it has been shut down. It happened all of a sudden.

I received the following email one morning.

Important Update About Your Walmart MoneyCard

Dear
We have temporarily turned off your card and have an important update regarding your card.

What you need to do:
Call us immediately at the number on the back of your card
Have your card number ready
Choose Option 3 (For Support)
We look forward to speaking with you.

Thanks,
Walmart MoneyCard Customer Service

The day before, I set up three bill-pays for my credit cards. And I had reloaded $2400 in the previous week. I though they didn’t like the way of using the card and would give me a warning over the phone. However, it wasn’t a warning, but a shut-down.

I called the number on the back of the card and followed the instructions of automated voices. I reached another automated voice message and knew that they closed my card. I can use the remaining balance by purchasing, but can’t reload anymore. I can’t pay bills, either. The pending bill pays I set up the day before was canceled.

walmart moneycard shut down

Although the email says, “We look forward to speaking with you,” I never spoke with human from the beginning to the end. The message also said, “You are no longer able to open a new card with us.” I don’t know if “a new card” means only Walmart MoneyCard or includes all Green Dot prepaid cards, such as GoBank. GoBank is the same type of prepaid card (Visa or MasterCard prepaid debit card which is reloadable with gift cards at Walmart for free.) I plan to apply for it, but not so soon.

I learned a lesson. As a rumor says, Green Dot are very happy to shut down their customer’s accounts without giving a single warning. If I get approved GoBank card, I will use the card mainly for a regular purchase. Since it is also a debit card, I can unload more and faster by getting cash back at registers. You can get cash back at self-cashier, too. For example, the maximum amount for cash back at self-cashiers of:

Pathmark – $50
Stop and Shop – $80
CVS – $40
Walmart – $100

By using self-cashiers, you don’t feel awkward when you ask a large amount of cash back with a small purchase.

And I won’t reload more than $1000 per week. I reloaded $2400 to my Walmart MoneyCard in the same week and used almost all of it by paying bills the following week. I guess this series of transactions had pulled the trigger of shut-down. Was the trigger pulled by a human? Or there may be the system that is fully automated (from pulling the trigger, shutting down the card, sending email, setting up answering machine.)

For those who have or plan to have Green Dot prepaid cards for manufactured spending, be careful how to use it. Reload moderately. If it has bill pay feature, use it moderately. You can unload the cards mainly by purchases with cash back at registers.

Staples Stores Sell eBay Gift Cards

Posted on November 13, 2014November 14, 2014 by admin

I saw this news yesterday. To see eBay Gift Cards with my own eyes, I went to Staples today. I was worried that the store I went hadn’t been in stock yet or the GCs had sold out within two days. But, I found a bunch of them. They were placed in a gift card rack with other gift cards. There was nothing to notify the return of eBay GCs. The GCs sit quietly on one portion of the rack as if they had been there for a long time.

The denomination of GCs is only $50. That was all I found at Staples, and I don’t know if there are others. I picked up two of them with other gift cards (two $50 Shell GCs) to make the total more than $200 (for Visa SavingEdge) and checked out with Chase Ink Cash credit card.

In this way, I can get any gift cards at Staples with 6% discount (5% cash back from credit card + 1% back from Visa SavingEdge.)

Is this coincidence? eBay offers “3X eBay Bucks” promotion yesterday and today. It is usually 2% back. So, 3X is 6% back. Normally, eBay Bucks promotion has minimum purchase requirements, such as $200 or more. And the requirements are prices of a single item, not the total. Due to this, I sometimes can’t get deals because I can’t find items that meet requirements. But this time, there is no minimum. So, I can get this deal with only two $50 GCs I just purchased today.

I bought “$100 Sears Gift Card – Email Delivery.” I earned 3x (=$6) eBay Bucks with this purchase. Combined with credit card reward and Visa SavingEdge, I got 12% discount!

Now that eBay GCs are available in stores, I will be able to save a lot of money. I purchase a lot on eBay, mostly gift cards. I buy a lot of discounted gift cards on eBay to save money, but now ever more!!!

MasterCard Gift Card & Target REDcard & Target Gift Card

Posted on November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 by admin

The order I placed yesterday has been shipped. I bought MasterCard Gift Cards online, but Target didn’t charge a purchase fee and applied 5% REDcard discount.

I checked the site today. It seems that “No fee” deals has ended, but 5% REDcard discount is still available.

A purchase fee of a $100 MasterCard GC is $6, and REDcard discount is $5.30. So, it’s not a good deal unless if you can use other payment methods and still get 5% REDcard discount.

First, I changed the payment method into the other credit card. When I did, the page was automatically refreshed, and REDcard discount disappeared.

Next, I chose REDcard again to let it reappear 5% discount, and then clicked Target Gift Card. I entered numbers and clicked “save & continue.” 5% REDcard discount was still there. I got Target GCs with around 7% discount. So, if the order goes through, I will get $100 MasterCard GC for around $93!

From my experiences, I’m pretty sure that I would be able to place an order and receive a confirmation email. The point is, after that, whether or not Target would cancel the order.

I got canceled some orders of Visa GCs before. (I tried to buy Visa GCs with Target GCs.) I received a confirmation email and then a cancellation email minutes later. But this time, I guess the order will go through. That’s because REDcard discount doesn’t appear when Visa GCs is in the cart. That means MasterCard GCs are treated as a regular merchandise (at least for now.)

However, I decided not to order. If I didn’t order twelve GCs yesterday, I would be excited to perform this experiment. I don’t want any potential problem while twelve GCs are on the way.

I will perform the experiment some other time.

eBay Gift Cards are back! Check your Local Stores

Posted on November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 by admin

Since eBay removed their own gift cards from racks of retail stores last years, the GCs are available on eBay only. Discounted eBay GCs were rarely found on GC exchange sites or private listing on eBay. They are just so rare with so little discount that you shouldn’t waste your time to look for them.

Now, eBay has officially announced GCs are available in some retail stores. Here is the list of stores you may find the GCs.

AHOLD
HANNAFORD
HY-VEE
KROGER
KROGER C
LOWES
PRICE CHOPPER
RALEYS
ROUNDYS
SAFEWAY
SHOPKO
STAPLES
STATER BROS
WAKEFERN
WAWA
WEGMANS
WEIS MARKET
WINN DIXIE
BASHAS
BIMART
BOOKS-A-MILLION
CIRCLE K
CUMBERLAND FARMS
HASTINGS
HEB
IGW
JACKSON FOOD STORES
KINNEY DRUG
KVAT / FOOD CITY
MURPHY
NTR SUPERAMERICA
SAVE MART
TA PETRO
THE PANTRY
THORTONS
TIMES SUPERMARKETS
TOWN PUMP
TWEC

I haven’t checked at stores for myself. I will stop by Staples tomorrow. If they have, I will buy at least $200 of the GCs with Chase Ink Cash credit card. Ink Cash offers 5% cash back on purchases at office supply stores. And, Visa SavingEdge offers 1% back in statement credit on total $200 or more purchases at Staples. So I can get 6% discounted eBay GCs.

Staples has already had a great selection of GCs. They sell amazon GCs. Amazon and eBay have a lot in common, but discounted GCs are found only on eBay. Amazon sells other store’s GCs, too. However, those GCs don’t have discounts, and you can’t use amazon GCs to buy other store’s GCs, anyway.

eBay has their reward program called “eBay Bucks.” It is normally 2% back in eBay certificate. You can earn eBay Bucks on the purchase of GCs, too.

There are many sellers listing GCs on eBay. Most of them are honest, but some of them are trying to trick you. You’d better avoid sellers that have the low number of feedback (especially zero) and a listing of high value of GC. In case you have some sort of troubles, you should keep a package in which GCs are sent as well as a packing slip until you redeem GCs completely. And you also need to keep a record of spending and use it up as soon as possible.

Of course, you can buy regular stuffs with eBay GCs. This holiday season, you may find something with great discount. One extra step to go buying eBay GCs in retail stores will save you extra money.

$100 Target MasterCard Gift Card for $95

Posted on November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 by admin

The Visa gift cards have arrived today. I checked the balance, and they have the correct amount on each card. I ordered the GCs on November 5th. I paid $150 for $100 and $50 Visa GCs. They didn’t charge a purchase fee on that date. That was a perfect opportunity of manufactured spending, but they started charging a fee next day and keep doing so since then.

However, I found another new gift card today. It is MasterCard. They have the denomination of $25, $50, and $100.

The listing page still shows that $100 MasterCard GC costs $100.

When I added it to a shopping cart, there was another surprise. 5% of REDcard discount was applied on this order!!!

I don’t care if this is an error. I don’t want to miss this opportunity, but I don’t know about Target MasterCard GCs. Can I load my AmEx Serve with them at Family Dollar? Do they have PIN, anyway? And probably, Target limits on a number of cards you can purchase. So, I purchased moderately.

$100 MasterCard GC x10 + $25 x1 +$50 x1

The total of value of GCs is $1075. There is no fee. REDcard discount is $53.75. I spent only $1021.25!

I don’t know if this deal (or maybe an error) will last. You’d better check out today.

Ways to Save Money when Shopping

Money Saving Strategies