Google Pay App: Referral Bonus, Target, Walmart+ Subscription Offers

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Update: My apologies, Google is changing up the details of these promotions on everyone rather quickly. The referral bonus looks to be decreased and the Target promo is no longer taking new activations. Please assume this post is outdated and go by whatever you see on their website and in-app.

Original (outdated) post:

The newly-redesigned Google Pay app is offering several different incentives for you to try it out. It as available on both Android and Apple iOS devices. First up, if you join via a referral link (open on smartphone), you can get a $21 bonus after you either send $10 to a new friend or pay via a contactless NFC-enabled Android phone. That’s my referral link, but you could next refer another friend and then simply agree to send $10 to each other.

Download the new Google Pay app with my invite link – we’ll both earn $21 when you make your first qualifying payment of $10 or more. While supplies last!

$21 cashback at Target when you make a qualifying $50 transaction at Target or Target.com. As long as you enroll your credit card in Google Pay Rewards first, you don’t even need to pay with Google Pay. You can just pay normally with your linked credit card. It also appears a Target gift card purchase works, so that’s another $21 back on a $50 gift card without changing your spending habits if you already shop at Target.

$30 cash back on Walmart+ annual plan subscription. Walmart+ is the new direct competitor with Amazon Prime, including the free next day and 2-day shipping with no minimum and free grocery deliveries with $35 minimum.

Here are some other deals that caught my eye:

  • 20% cash back at REI (max $50 cash back).
  • 20% cash back at Burger King (max $10 cash back).
  • 20% cash back at Crocs online.
  • 10% cash back at Adidas, HM, Gap, Banana Republic, Asics, and more.

A couple more screenshots:

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Citi Credit Cards: 5% Back on up to $500 of Online Purchases

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

If you have an existing Citi credit card, log into your account at Citi.com and see if you are targeted for 5% back on up to $500 of online purchases ($25 max per card). It appears to be widely available on a variety of Citi-branded consumer and small business credit cards including the popular Citi Double Cash and Citi Costco cards (but not all of them). The offer does not start until 11/24 and ends on 11/30. However, you must enroll to get the bonus, so it is important to activate first.

Here’s what it looks like for my Citi Double Cash card:

If you don’t see it upon login or accidentally click past it, try to look under “Rewards & Benefits” and then “Offers for You”. You can also try this link. The wording suggests that this stacks on top of your normal earnings of cash back, miles, or points, so you could really be getting for example 7% cash back total (2% + 5%). Remember that you can enroll multiple cards as well, but you must activate each one individually.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Chase Sapphire Cards Add $60/$120 Peloton Membership Credits

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Chase has announced a new Peloton membership benefits for Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred cardholders:

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve card now includes up to $120 in statement credits on Peloton Digital and All-Access Memberships through December 31, 2021.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred card now includes up to $60 in statement credits on Peloton Digital and All-Access Memberships through December 31, 2021.

Cardmembers can activate their Peloton membership benefit simply by visiting Onepeloton.com/ChaseSapphire and enrolling in an eligible Peloton Membership using their Sapphire card. The statement credits will be applied automatically until reaching the full value offered on that card. Sapphire cardmembers are also invited to join the #SapphireSquad Tag within Peloton to connect to others in the community and find and motivate each other on the Leaderboard.

Peloton Digital membership is $12.99 per month and includes live and on-demand workouts streamed to your smartphone, tablets, and computers across 10 exercise categories including strength, yoga, meditation, cardio, stretching, and others like cycling and running. There is also a free 30-trial for new members that you should taken advantage of first. No Peloton hardware is required.

Peloton All-Access Membership is $39 per month and is their original service that works with the Peloton bike and treadmill.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Free Uber Eats Pass with American Express Gold, Green, and Platinum Cards

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

American Express has announced new Uber perks for US holders of the American Express Gold Card, the American Express Green Card, or The Platinum Card from American Express. First, consumer Platinum, Gold and Green cardholders can enroll now for a complimentary Eats Pass Membership for up to 12 months. Uber Eats Pass usually costs $9.99 a month ($119 a year) and includes:

  • $0 delivery fee + 5% off restaurant orders of $15+.
  • $0 delivery fee on grocery delivers of $30+
  • Unlike Doordash Dasspass and Grubhub+, these benefits apply to every restaurant available on Uber Eats, not just select participating restaurants.

Note the fine print:

Offer valid thru 12/31/2021 on U.S. subscription. Pass will auto-bill starting 12 months from initial enrollment in this offer, at then-current monthly rate.

If you haven’t signed up for Uber Eats yet, you can first use my referral link to get $20 off your first order of $25+. Or simply apply this promo code at checkout: eats-ubermymoneyblog. Thanks if you use it!

In early 2021, the American Express Gold Card will also be getting $10 a month ($120 annually) in Uber Cash, which works both on Uber Eats orders and Uber rides in the US. For 2021, there will still be the $100 incidental airline credit (baggage fees, etc) but it has been announced as going away in 2022. This is in addition to the other $10 a month ($120 annually) dining credit which works on Grubhub, Seamless, and other select restaurants.

So in 2021, Gold cardholders can get all three credits: $120 Uber Cash, $120 Grubhub/Seamless/dining credit, and $100 Incidental Airline Fee credits. Right now the American Express Gold is also running a 60,000 point limited-time offer (the highest I’ve seen), making this is the best opportunity in a while to apply as a new cardholder.

It certainly looks like American Express is working hard to make their Gold card a better competitor against the Chase Sapphire line-up. This follows closely on the heels of the Chase Sapphire Reserve including Lyft Pink and Grubhub+ memberships, in addition to Dashpass and Doordash credits.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve: New Benefits November 2020

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Newly added and extended benefits as of November 2020. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card have been very popular for their generous travel and dining perks, but right now travel and dining aren’t really happening. Chase has adjusted their rewards program for this new environment, including the following:

Chase Sapphire Preferred new changes:

  • New: 2X points at Grocery Stores. 2x total points on up to $1,000 in grocery store purchases per month from November 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021, including pickup and eligible grocery store delivery services. It’s automatic—no activation required.
  • Extended through April 2021: Redeem Ultimate Rewards points at 1.25 cents per points towards grocery store, dining, and home improvement stores. (Previously only travel through their portal.) Through April 30, 2021, your points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for statement credits after using your card at grocery stores and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services), home improvement stores and select charitable organizations. Footnote1(Opens Overlay) Just choose an eligible purchase made with your Sapphire Preferred card from the past 90 days. Then, apply the points for all or part of the purchase and receive a statement credit.
  • 12+ months of included DashPass membership. For a minimum of one year, enjoy a complimentary DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service that provides unlimited restaurant deliveries with $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 on DoorDash and Caviar. Activate by December 31, 2021.

If you earn 2x points on a grocery store purchase, and can use those points at 1.25 cents per point towards grocery store purchases using the Pay Yourself Back tool, that works out to 2.5% cashback towards grocery store purchases.

Chase Sapphire Reserve new changes:

  • New: 3X points at Grocery Stores. 2x total points on up to $1,000 in grocery store purchases per month from November 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021, including pickup and eligible grocery store delivery services. It’s automatic—no activation required.
  • Extended through April 2021: Redeem Ultimate Rewards points at 1.50 cents per points towards grocery store, dining, and home improvement stores. (Previously only travel through their portal.) Through April 30, 2021, your points are worth 50% more when you redeem them for statement credits after using your card at grocery stores and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services), home improvement stores and select charitable organizations. Footnote1(Opens Overlay) Just choose an eligible purchase made with your Sapphire Reserve card from the past 90 days. Then, apply the points for all or part of the purchase and receive a statement credit.
  • Extended through June 2021: $300 annual travel credit works on gas station and grocery store purchases. There are more ways to earn your annual $300 Travel Credit. Through June 30, 2021, gas station and grocery store purchases will count toward earning your Travel Credit. You’ll also earn points on these purchases. And, as always, after your first $300 in travel purchases, you’ll immediately start earning 3x points on travel.
  • 12+ months of Dashpass Membership plus $60 in Doordash food credit per calendar year. For a minimum of one year, enjoy a complimentary DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service that provides unlimited restaurant deliveries with $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 on DoorDash and Caviar. Activate by December 31, 2021. Plus, earn up to $120 in statement credits on DoorDash purchases through 2021—that’s $60 in statement credits through 2020 and another $60 in statement credits through 2021.
  • Annual fee renewal $100 discount. Sapphire Reserve annual fee renewals through the end of 2020 will be $450 instead of the normal $550. This is only for renewals, not new cardmembers.

If you earn 3x points on a grocery store purchase, and can use those points at 1.5 cents per point towards grocery store purchases, that works out to 4.5% cashback towards grocery store purchases.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Simple Credit Card / Brokerage / Bank Promotion Spreadsheet Template (Google Drive)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

gsheetsIf you can’t tell by now, I enjoy participating in various credit card, brokerage, and banking promotions throughout the year. I think of it as a profitable hobby, as I enjoy trying out different financial products in addition to the thousands of dollars in extra income each year. Below is the simple spreadsheet that I use to I track all of the various the requirements and deadline dates involved. I also set online calendar reminders using those dates.

I just moved it over to Google Sheets – the first link will allow you to make your own personal copy to edit as you wish. Please don’t ask for access to the original sheet, as that would mess it up for everyone else.

 

I intentionally keep it rather minimalist. This Reddit template by u/garettg is another example with many more bells and whistles.

See also: MMB Simple Portfolio Rebalancing Spreadsheet Template and How I store my physical credit cards.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Free Grubhub+ Membership with Lyft Pink (Chase Sapphire Reserve), $10 Off First Order

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Lyft has announced that Lyft Pink members will automatically get a free Grubhub+ membership (or Seamless+ if you live in New York City). Grubhub+ usually costs $9.99 a month and includes:

  • Unlimited free delivery from from nearly 200,000 restaurants ($12 minimum order).
  • Exclusive member discounts featuring free food, dollars-off and more from popular restaurants
  • Donation matching through Grubhub’s Donate the Change program with all proceeds currently going towards the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, supporting communities in need impacted by COVID-19

This is notable because Lyft Pink (reg. $199 a year) is included free with the popular Chase Sapphire Reserve card. This adds another potentially valuable perk to offset that high annual fee.

Receive up to 15% off car rides, plus other benefits, such as priority airport pickups, relaxed cancellations, and exclusive saving opportunities with one year of complimentary Lyft Pink, a $199 minimum value, when you or your authorized user activates with a Sapphire Reserve card by March 31, 2022. Lyft Pink will be registered in the name of the cardmember who first activates the benefits.

If you have not joined Grubhub yet, you can get $10 off your first Grubhub order of $15+ if you join via my referral link. I will get food credits as well. Thanks if you use it!

If you already have both Lyft Pink and Grubhub accounts, link them together and activate here.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve also gives a free year of Dashpass membership (free delivery on DoorDash) along with $60 in statement credits on DoorDash food purchases ($60 in 2020 and $60 in 2021). If you are new customer to DoorDash and sign up via my DoorDash referral link, you will get $10 off your first 3 DoorDash orders over $20 ($30 total savings). I will get food credits as well. Thanks if you use it!

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Southwest Companion Pass: Free 2-Month Pass With Paid Flight

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Southwest has a new companion pass promotion where can get a companion pass free for nearly two months at the beginning of 2021. Here are the requirements (you must make your ticket purchase soon):

  • Register at the promo link, and then purchase a flight by 9/24.
  • Travel by 11/15.
  • Companion flies free with you from 1/6/2021 to 2/28/2021.

The qualifying flight only need to be one person with a paid flight. Remember to register your Rapid Rewards (RR) number at the promo link first, then buy your ticket using that same RR number. Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualification for promotion.

I have written more about the Companion Pass here, including how the requirements are loosened for 2020. Obviously this promo won’t be of interest to everyone, but if you needed to fly anyway, it can be a good opportunity to try out the companion pass. Thanks to reader Mark for the tip.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Organize Credit Cards Physically Using Business Card Holders

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

A reader asked me how I keep track of so many credit cards, and I wasn’t sure what they meant. I track active credit card offers using online calendar reminders and a simple spreadsheet, but physically I keep them all in a business card organizer (if not in my wallet). I realized that I still had an old article published way back in 2007 about repurposing my old baseball card sleeves and a 3-ring binder. I’ve deleted that post since it’s very outdated and replaced it with this one, as I’ve actually used a business card holder for several years now. Mine looks almost identical to this 4.6 star item or this smaller 4.7 star version on Amazon (both around $7):

As a few readers back then noted, my baseball card sleeves were a little too big and the cards could fall out if the binder was tipped upside down. With these business card holders, the sleeves are smaller and the openings are on the sides for a much more secure fit. This also makes the overall package smaller, making it possible to keep nearly a hundred cards in a single, compact folder.

I have three of them altogether: one for credit and debit cards, one for gift cards and loyalty/membership cards, and one for business cards. Instead of a “sock drawer”, I have a subtle, black folder that blends in discretely on a bookshelf, and is also easy to quickly throw into a lockbox for added security. Of course, these days it’s also handy to keep all your credit card numbers in a password manager like Keeper or Dashlane.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


MMB Household Money Flowchart (Money Map)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

funny flowchart exampleA reader asked me to complete a money map to help visualize how I manage our finances, as per this neat Money Map chain. I wasn’t sure exactly how much detail to add, but the flowchart below is a good representation of how I organize things mentally. Specifics like brokerage or bank choices may change a few years from now, but this overall structure probably won’t.

Income sources. We receive income via business profits, W-2/contractor jobs, and our portfolio. A portion is automatically directly into 401k, HCFSA, DCFSA, and Solo 401k accounts. (We are not eligible for an HSA.) The dividend and interest income is a circular arrow because technically it is generated and then held in the brokerage account. One day, this might include Social Security, rental income, annuity payments, etc.

Long-term investments (5+ years time horizon). Historically, all our income flows directly into our brokerage accounts (most brokers allow direct deposits). I used to invest monthly, but now the business/job income flows are much smaller in semi-retirement. Dividends arrive into the taxable account quarterly, so I now check once every three months to manually reinvest and/or distribute funds as needed. Other than this check-in every 3 months, this tier is “consciously neglected” and designed to grow over time and eventually become self-sustaining. Here are my intermittent portfolio updates.

Short-term investments (1 month to 5 years). This tier is basically my “emergency fund”. In the accumulation stage, it was between 6 months to a year of expenses. Now, I keep five years of expenses as I am much more reliant on unstable portfolio income and there is less stable job income (human capital). Money comes in quarterly from above, and is taken out monthly for household expenses. This tier is “actively-managed” as I aim for higher returns without extra risk to principal (everything is US gov’t/FDIC/NCUA-insured).

  • Liquid savings. Roughly one year of expenses are kept in a 100% liquid savings account. The location can vary but the default is Ally Bank, as they have a good balance of decent rates, solid user interface for interbank transfers, and human customer service. You can also create multiple savings accounts, all with no minimum balance.
  • Certificates of deposit, etc. The other 4 years of expenses are moved roughly into a 5-year CD ladder, adjusted based on rates. Savings bonds and Treasury Bills may also be used if priced competitively. I tried to take advantage of CD rates when they were 3.5 to 4% APY. I write about these banking opportunities regularly and summarize them monthly.
  • Bank bonuses. If CDs rates are not worthwhile, cash may also be optimized via banking promotions. Banks offer you an incentive to try their product, and I accept the offer if the terms are agreeable. I also write about these opportunities here as they come up.

Day-to-day needs. Each month, a “paycheck” transfer goes from savings to checking. Wherever possible, our day-to-day expenses are put on credit cards to trigger the best credit card bonuses. After the float period, it is paid off in full from checking. A larger purchase may require a direct withdrawal from savings account (i.e. estimated tax payments) or one-time transfer to checking (i.e. fix the fridge). I also use Ally Checking, as you can assign one of your savings accounts as a no-fee overdraft backup source.

This design includes a few purposeful features.

  • Savings to 401k are automatic and first, which is critical when that is your major source of savings. It should happen without any energy requirement. No effort, no reminders.
  • Work income is separated from our spending. In the accumulation stage, you want to get bigger paychecks over time but try your best to ignore them when it comes to spending. Instead, all the income gets mixed together and the first place it lands is long-term investments. In semi-retirement, our incomes fluctuate (quite downward in 2020) and we smooth things out with portfolio withdrawals.
  • Portfolio fluctuations are also tempered by a big cash bucket. It’s easier to sleep at night when you have five years of expenses in safe cash readily available. We didn’t need this much cash in the accumulation stage, but when you rely on the stock market for part of your monthly income, it really helps. Is it psychological? Yes.
  • The “fun” hobby stuff is optional. Don’t feel like chasing rates? Just consolidate at one bank. Don’t feel like a different credit card every quarter? Just switch to one.
  • All accounts are joint where possible. That is simply what has worked best for us.

Anyhow, that’s how it works for us. That monthly transfer from savings to checking gives me a rough idea of our monthly and thus annual spending. As long as that number stays a reasonable percentage of our total portfolio, things are happy. We have had a lot of luck, and I don’t want to squander it.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Experian Boost Review: Improve Your Credit Score For Free By Adding Utility Payment History

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

If you’re also guilty of watching more TV these days, you may have seen this strange TV commercial (embedded below) for a product called Experian Boost that promises to “boost your credit score instantly”. Usually, good honest products don’t need a gimmicky commercial, so I was skeptical. I assumed that Experian would make you pay somehow to improve your credit score. It turned out I was wrong. The service is free and even makes logical sense, unlike the commercial.

Basically, the idea is that you can include your on-time payments to utility companies like telephone, internet, electricity, gas, and even cell phone bills. Here are some additional details:

  • Experian Boost only includes on-time payments, so it can only improve your credit score and never makes it worse than before. Note that unpaid utility bill debts have always been able to decrease your credit scores.
  • Proof of on-time utility payments are made by linking your bank or credit card accounts, where you must submit your username and password (much like linking between online savings accounts). They claim the usual SSL encryption and bank-grade security measures. When analyzing your transactions, they are looking for at least 3 payments within the last 6 months.
  • “Experian Boost applies to most credit scores that lenders use, including the base FICO® Score, as well as bankcard, mortgage, and auto scores.” Good that it includes the other FICO “flavors”.
  • Experian Boost only changes your Experian credit report, so it won’t affect your TransUnion or Equifax-based scores. Not all lenders check Experian.

How much can Experian Boost improve your credit score? Here’s what they say:

Based on data from Experian, 10% of people who previously didn’t have enough information in their credit file to have a credit score became scoreable after using the tool. Also, 75% of people with a FICO® Score below 680 saw an improvement in their score after adding utility payment information to their report.

The TV ad claims “my credit score went up 13 points!”, so we should have relatively modest expectations. In addition, the above quote suggests that the improvement will be more significant for lower credit scores. My scores are relatively high, but I decided to try it out anyway, if only to make sure that it is truly free.

Here’s the initial sign-up page, which confirms how they know you paid your utility bills:

Here’s my credit score before adding any utility information. I have an excellent credit history already, and it was an ominous sign that there was no number in the “average boost” section. I feel like it usually says something like “+10 points average boost” instead of a blank space.

I have an existing free account at Experian, and declined the option to upgrade to their paid tier. I was able to proceed without ever giving them any credit card or bank payment information, so this is not a free trial. It is completely free.

The process is just like linking other accounts via Plaid and similar services. You provide login information and also have to input any two-factor authentication tokens (text message codes, etc).

It does take a few moment for them to scan your transactions, but it should complete while you wait. (In other words, not quite “instantly”, but close enough.) This is where I got the information that they are specifically looking for a history of at least 3 payments in the last 6 months.

After completion, you will receive an e-mail confirmation:

After adding my self-reported utility accounts, I was rewarded with… no FICO score increase. Here’s the message I received:

I guess it makes sense. Previously, I already had a long history of evidence that I was highly likely to pay any debts. After considering this additional evidence… I was equally likely to pay back my debts. Experian Boost is probably best for those that have a few blemishes and could use a little positive evidence added to the mix.

Bottom line. Experian Boost is a free way to potentially improve your Experian-based credit score by adding on-time utility and phone bill payments. I tested it out and it was indeed free with no credit card required nor trials to cancel, although you will have to share your bank transaction data. Although free to all, this service will be more helpful for those with a few dings and blemishes on their credit report.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


AmEx Shop Small Offer: $5 off $10+ At Small Businesses (Up to $50 Savings Total)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

If you have any American Express credit cards, check your “Amex Offers” in either your online account or smartphone app. Most people are seeing the offer “Spend $10+, get $5 back, up to 10 times when you Shop Small by 9/20/20”.

Get a $5 statement credit by using your enrolled Card to make a single purchase of $10+ at a US business location on the Shop Small Map (or Online Directory) by 9/20/20. Limit of 10 statement credits (total of $50).

Before you click on that “Add to Card” button, be sure that you have selected the specific AmEx card that you intend to use for this promotion. Once you add this offer to one of your cards, the offer will disappear from the rest of them. You must enroll by 7/26/20. Here’s a screenshot:

You can find eligible businesses at americanexpress.com/shopsmalloffer or americanexpress.com/shopsmallonline.

Not a bad deal, you can support local small businesses and get up to $50 total back. (A couple with two cards in their own names can get $100 back.) Shouldn’t be too hard to support them ten times over the next 11 weeks, even if once-weekly at a local restaurant for take-out.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.