Deals & Offers — My Money Blog

Pepper Rewards App: $20 Bonus w/ $200 Gift Card Purchase (New Users), Amazon 8X, Sam’s Club/Walmart 5X

Posted on December 30, 2024 // 29 Comments

Update 12/30: Pepper has some extended sales from now until January 5th. Don’t forget that you can stack with current sales and/or a cashback portal. I check the Pepper app first thing every morning to see the limited-time Flash Sales and to redeem all my available points that arrived from past purchases.

Amazon/Amazon Fresh 8X/8%.
Sam’s Club 5X/5%. Sam’s Club gift card codes work at Walmart too.
Lowe’s 8X/8%.
Nike 8X/8%.
Sephora 8X/8%.

– Pepper points will now expire if 60 days pass without a purchase. If you made a purchase prior to 11/15/24, you’ll enjoy a grace period; this policy change will not take effect until February 1, 2025. Keep in mind you can buy a $1 Amazon gift card.

– Pepper has changed their referral offer to a fixed $20 bonus after spending $200 in your first 15 days. Stack with AmEx offer and a flash sale, if possible.)

Look to stack it with this $15 off $50 AmEx Offer which expires very soon 12/31. Search for “Pepper” in your AmEx app:

See new offers daily in-app with the Inbox 📩 envelope icon. Confirm the Boosts on screen before you click “Buy gift card”, as quantities may be limited. 2,000 points = $1.

Original post, updated:

Pepper continues to offer up “flash sales” that offer big discounts on gift cards from Amazon, REI, Sam’s Club, and so on. Plus you still get whatever credit card rewards from the Pepper purchase. Examples are Amazon at 12X/12% back (Amazon Fresh = Amazon), Sam’s Club (= Walmart) at 10% back, IKEA 18% back, Airbnb 14% back in the form of points. Stock up quickly when you see the sale in the app. Redeem instantly into your respective store accounts, if you wish. (Tip: The math will work out. Every 2,000 points is worth $1 in future gift cards. 10,000 points = $5, and so on. Must redeem in increments of $5.)

Here’s the current offer for new Pepper users:

Download the Pepper Rewards app and be sure to enter a referral code 588494 on the first screen when joining. Thanks if you use it!
Get $20 after spending $200 in your first 15 days. This bonus has changed from the previous offer, but still not bad astheir old double offer only applied on their standard 4X rates, while their daily flash rates are 12X to 14X.
You’ll also earn rewards from using your credit card for purchase. Use a 2% or better cash back rewards card, or use it to satisfy a credit card bonus spending requirement that is even better than 2%.

Pepper is an iOS and Android app that sells discounted, new gift cards in exact amounts that are delivered instantly on your phone. This lets you to wait until the moment before purchase when you already have the final purchase price (in-person or online), and then go buy a discounted gift card via the app down to the penny. The main problem with gift cards is when you don’t use up the entire balance. This helps to avoid the waste. I load my Amazon/Amazon Fresh cards into my app the moment after purchase.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 30, 2024

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Bilt Mastercard: Earn Rewards For Paying Rent w/ Any Landlord (January 1st Rent Day / Accor Hotel Elite Status)

Posted on December 30, 2024 // 12 Comments

Update for Rent Day 1/1. For Rent Day on New Years Day, Wednesday 1/1, Bilt Rewards is offering the following additional perks. If you are a renter, this program offers steady stream of free monthly points and a variety of promotional perks.

Accor All Elite Status through end of 2025. Accor Limitless Live (ALL) is a hotel rewards program that is mostly in Europe, but they also operate some excellent Fairmont Hotels in the US and Canada. You must first be enrolled in Accor Limitless Live (“ALL”) to participate in this Accor Status Match Offer. Do this first and don’t forget to activate your free status on the 1st.

Even the base Bilt Blue level gets you Accor Silver Status through the end of 2025, which otherwise would require 800 Euros of spending or 10 nights of stays. Accor Silver gets you Priority Check-in, Late Checkout, and a Welcome Drink. Higher Bilt levels can get higher Accor levels if you spend some Bilt points.

Accor is also a Bilt points transfer partner and actually a good value redemption for stays at Fairmont hotels. Accor has a fixed redemption of 1,000 Accor points = 20€ of value towards a hotel stay. Bilt points transfer to Accor at a 3:2 ratio. At current currency exchange rates, this means 3,000 Bilt points = 2,000 Accor points = 40 Euros of value = $41.61 of value. That works out to a 1.4 cent value per Bilt point, which is not bad. I might still prefer a Hyatt hotel redemption, but it’s worth shopping around depending your specific date and location.

Rent Day always means their 2X double points promo where you can get 6X on dining, 4X on travel, and 2X on other purchases (except rent). As of October 2024, there is now a cap of 1,000 bonus points, so it’s not as exciting as before. Really, I just try to remember to put any dining on the card on that day for some extra Hyatt points.

You can still earn lots of Bilt points just for paying monthly rent to any landlord with no transaction fees, which is their most important feature. I don’t know the status of all the other smaller bonuses listed below for new customers.

Just joined recently? Look for these free Bilt Points opportunities (any day). Bilt lets you earn bonus points for a variety of different small activities, which can add up to 1,000+ easy points. I don’t know if these are officially listed anywhere, but I got them.

After I first got approved for the Bilt card, they offered me 5X Bilt points on all purchases (except rent) for a limited period of time (reader Eileen reports 5 days). This is a good opportunity to earn 5X points for everyday larger purchases like insurance, tax payment, charitable giving, or utility bills. Max 50,000 points.
100 points for linking each transfer partner. Link Hyatt? 100 points. Link Air Canada Aeroplan? 100 points. Link them all! 10+ partners = 1,000+ points.
500 points for Amazon Shop with Points. Link your Amazon account and you can buy stuff with Bilt points at the usual mediocre 0.7 cents per points value. Linking gets you 250 points, and using the program (spend at least 1 Bilt point) and get another 250 Bilt points.
100 points for each credit card linked to Bilt Dining (up to 300 points). Bilt Dining lets you earn 5X points per dollar when you pay at an eligible restaurant using a linked credit card. Link three different credit cards, get 300 Bilt points.

Important reminder: You must use your card to make 5 purchases (of any amount) each statement period to earn points.

Full review:

The updated Bilt Mastercard is a unique credit card that earns rewards on rent payments to any landlord. Bilt is a rent payment platform and they will send your landlord a check or ACH bank transfer so that your landlord will not have to do anything. The credit card itself is issued by Wells Fargo. Bilt has bonus categories and a variety of points redemption options like many other rewards credit cards. Here are the highlights:

Up to 1X points spent on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
3X points on dining.
2X points on travel including hotels, rental cars, and cruises when booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies.
1X points on other purchases.
Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments automatically reported by Bilt to the three major credit bureaus each month; Experian(TM), TransUnion(TM), and Equifax(TM).
No annual fee.
World Elite Mastercard perks like cell phone insurance and purchase protection.

That means your rent can be up to $100,000 per year ($8,333 per month) and you would still be able to take full advantage of the 1X points per dollar spent on rent payments. They do require you to make at least 5 transactions per month (rent can be one), otherwise too many people might just put their rent on the card and not use the card otherwise.

Bilt has partnered with the owners of over 2,000,000 apartment units to create the Bilt Rewards Alliance. The easiest way is find out if you live in a qualifying property is to simply type in your address into the Bilt app.

Bilt also offers Double Points on “Rent Day”, aka the 1st of every month. This means that on the 1st day of every month, you can get 6X on dining, 4X on travel, and 2X on other purchases(except rent). They also offer other promos on this day.

Bilt Rewards Points redemption options

Travel partners. Bilt Rewards points transfer on a 1:1 basis to the following hotel and airline partners. You can also get 100 bonus points for every loyalty program you link to Bilt.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (NEW)
Air Canada Aeroplan
United Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM)
Miles & Smiles (Turkish Airlines)
Emirates Skywards
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
British Airways Executive Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Aer Lingus Aer Club
Turkish Miles & Smiles
Iberia Plus
TAP Air Portugal
World of Hyatt
IHG One
Accor ALL

Hyatt hotel points, Alaska, United, and Hawaiian miles are likely the most useful points for the average US traveler. I am conservative when valuing points and miles due to their redemption hassles and steady threat of devaluation, so I would place the value here a 1 cent a point even though I definitely plan to exceed that. You may wish to use a different value.

Home Downpayment? Bilt says that your points can be redeemed at 1.5 cents per point when used towards a home downpayment. This seems like it might be rather complicated to actually redeem, so I would keep it mind but wouldn’t count on it. If you racked up 100,000 points over time, it would be nice to have $1,500 via this method.

Shop with Points at Amazon. You can link your Bilt Rewards points to Amazon and pay for your purchases at rate of 0.70 cents per point.

Rent. Bilt will let you convert points towards your next rent payment at 0.55 cents per point. This is not a good redemption rate when compared to the miles/Hyatt option. It’s too bad there is no easy, decent cash-out option.

Statement credit. Bilt will also let you convert points towards a statement credit on your credit card statement at 0.55 cents per point.

Other options include fitness classes or physical items like “limited-edition” home decor or art in the “Bilt Collection” catalog. Personally, I like being able to add to my Hyatt and Canada Aeroplan stash.

Possibly help your credit score? When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, your on-time payment activity can be automatically reported to the three major credit bureaus. In addition, with the optional “BiltProtect” feature, your rent payments will be immediately withdrawn from a linked bank account so your credit limit is not decreased (and ideally your rent won’t contribute to your credit card debt).

How do I pay my landlord or property manager? They don’t take credit cards due to the transaction fees. Bilt will provide you with a bank ACH routing number and account number that you can use to perform an ACH transfer, or they will simply send a paper check on your behalf. You don’t actually pay with the credit card, nor do you or your landlord have to pay any credit card transaction fees.

Free cell phone protection. Pay your monthly cell phone bill with your Bilt Mastercard and get up to $800 of protection (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft. For complete coverage details, visit wellsfargo.com/biltbenefits. To file a claim, call 1-800-316-8051 or visit mycardbenefits.assurant.com.

Bottom line. The Bilt Mastercard offers a unique rewards structure targeted specifically at all renters with any landlord. At $2,000 a month in rent, the 1X rewards would add up to 24,000 points per year in rewards = 24,000 Alaska/United/Hawaiian miles or 24,000 Hyatt points with no additional transaction fees and no credit card annual fee. You may even do better if you wait for a “Rent Day” promo on the first of the month. Something to consider if you already have to pay rent anyway.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 30, 2024

Last-Minute Healthcare FSA Reminder (Average Loss $441!), Amazon $10 FSA Offer

Posted on December 29, 2024 // 13 Comments

Updated for 2024, new $10 Amazon bonus. Here’s a year-end reminder to get back all the money sent into Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (HC FSA) due to their “use it or lose it” structure (see possible extensions below). According to the latest analysis by EBRI, roughly half (!) of FSA accountholders forfeited funds to their employer in 2022. The average forfeiture was $441.

I am picking up an extra pulse oximeter and forehead thermometer after our multiple fun journeys with kids and respiratory illnesses this year.

Quick ideas. If you didn’t exhaust your funds with insurance copays or deductibles, here are eligible items that you can still buy over-the-counter without a prescription. Just order things online and then submit the receipt. Amazon even has a special FSA-eligible page that directly accepts FSA/HSA debit cards, complete with an “under $25” and “little-known eligible items” section. Consider using this time to stock your hurricane/earthquake/snowstorm emergency kits.

Right now, they are also offering $10 Amazon credit when you spend $50 on eligible FSA items.

(You may need to view this page on the website to see all the Amazon links.)

Eye care including reading glasses, prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses, contact lenses, solution, and drops. Ex. Renu Contact Lens Solution Multipurpose Disinfectant
First aid supplies (bandages, gauze, tape) for emergency kits. Ex. Band-Aids
Wheelchairs, walkers, & canes. Ex. Medline Lightweight Transport Adult Folding Wheelchair
Family planning products (condoms, birth control, pregnancy tests). Ex. SKYN Elite Non-Latex Lubricated Condoms, 36 Count
Home testing aids (blood pressure, diabetes, thermometers). Ex. Omron Silver Blood Pressure Monitor
Sunscreen and sunblock (SPF 15+ broad spectrum). Ex. Sun Bum Original Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion and Baby Bum Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Face Stick (personal favorite for kids)

The 2020 CARES Act added the following categories for 2021 and beyond:

Over-the-counter drugs like pain, cold/flu, and allergy meds. Ex. Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil Severe, Cough, Cold, Flu, Sore Throat
Personal protective equipment including hand sanitizer, masks, and disinfecting wipes. Ex. PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Variety Pack
Menstrual care products such as tampons, cups, liners, and pads. Ex. EcoBlossom Reusable Menstrual Cup Set – The Most Reliable Medical Grade Silicone Period Cups

Ideally, if you use an FSA card and shop through an eligible FSA store, things will be auto-approved. Otherwise, when getting a receipt, make sure it clearly includes the following:

Date of service or purchase
Name or description of the item
Amount of purchase

Deadline extensions. Employers have the option of adding one of the following:

Some plans allow a grace period until March 15th of the following year as opposed to a December 31st deadline to use your funds, but it may only apply to claims and not late purchases. Check with your employer on if they opted-in to these extensions.
Some plans allow participants to carry over up to $500 in unused FSA funds into next year. Check with your employer.

Big, exhaustive lists. Some of these are searchable by keyword as well.

FSAFEDS, Federal Flexible Spending Account Program
WageWorks
HSA Bank

But remember, your FSA administrator has the final say as to the exact guidelines for reimbursement according to your plan. Every year, I have to deal with claim rejections and extra paperwork. The skeptic in me suspects that this bureaucratic nightmare is part of their business model. (Remember mail-in rebates?) Guess who gets to keep unreimbursed FSA funds? The employer, which can then use the money to pay for… the FSA administrator.

Got a Health Savings Account (HSA) and think you are ineligible for an FSA? Look for a “limited-purpose FSA” option that is restricted to dental and vision care services. These have the same max annual salary deduction.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Frugal Living, Taxes //

Last updated: December 29, 2024

Capital One 360 Savings Deposit Promo ($300 to $1,500 Bonus)

Posted on December 25, 2024 // 27 Comments

Offer is back again/still around. Capital One has brought back a deposit promotion worth up to $1,500 for new 360 Savings accountholders. It’s a good bonus, but only for “new” customers and those that are willing to keep an eye on things. Here’s their definition of “new”:

If you have or had an open 360 Performance Savings, 360 Savings, 360 Money Market, Savings Now or Confidence Savings account as a primary or secondary account holder with Capital One on or after January 1, 2022, you will be ineligible for the bonus. If your account is in default, closed or suspended, or otherwise not in good standing, you will not receive the bonus.

Note: Some readers have reported in the past that they were not able to apply the promo code even as valid new customers, and Capital One responded that this was a targeted promotion even though there is no such language on the offer page nor in the terms and conditions. This offer seems clearly available to the public, however. After applying, I would contact them and make sure that the promo code “BONUS1500” was accepted before making a large deposit for this promo.

The steps:

Open a new 360 Performance Savings account with promo code BONUS1500 on or after April 3, 2024.
Deposit $20,000+ of external funds during the 15-day Initial Funding Period after opening your account.
Hold the deposit(s) in your account for an additional 90 days after the 15-day Initial Funding Period ends.
$20,000+ deposited = $300 bonus.
$50,000+ deposited = $750 bonus.
$100,000+ deposited = $1,500 bonus.
See the bonus in your new account within 60 days after holding.
You’ll also earn their normal interest rate (variable, but currently 3.80% APY as of 12/22/24). No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.

Note that the 90-day “maintain balance” period is after and in addition to the end of the 15-day “initial funding period”. So if you are counting from the opening day, that is a total of 105 days after opening. This is important as other readers have gotten denied for the bonus when withdrawing after 91-100 days. You may wish to chat with Capital One to confirm the exact date.

As long as you hit the tiers exactly, you are getting 1.5% of your deposit with technically a minimum holding period of 90 days, but you’ll probably want to send it in a little early and take it out a little late to be safely within the deadlines. Let’s call it 120 days for a conservative round number. This works out to the equivalent of (a little more than) a 4.5% annualized yield. Add in your expected interest rate for the total annualized yield for those 120 days.

Again, this one is only for new customers or those that have closed their previous CapOne360 savings-type accounts by January 1, 2022. Thanks to reader playc for the heads up on it coming back.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 26, 2024

Top 10 Best Small Business Credit Card Bonus Offers – December 2024

Posted on December 21, 2024 // 23 Comments

Updated December 2024. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Freelance, Uber/Lyft, DoorDash, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Airbnb? A small business credit card separates your personal and business expenses and can build up your business credit profile. If you are not a corporation or LLC, you can apply as a sole proprietorship, with your name as the business name and your Social Security number as the Tax ID number. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Recent changes:

Added Hilton 175k, Citi AA 75k, Spark $2,000, Amex Gold 100k, United 75k, Platinum 150k.
Removed Ink Unlimited $900, Delta Gold 90k, Marriott 5FreeNights, Hyatt 75k, Southwest 120k.

This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers for personal cards. Notice that small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

$2,000 cash bonus after $30,000 in the first 3 months. Additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. See link for details.
Unlimited 2% cash back spent on all purchases with no limit.
$150 annual fee; Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year.

American Express® Business Gold Card

100,000 Membership Rewards points after $15,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Up to $240 Annual Flexible Business Credit. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. Enrollment is required.
Up to $155 Annual Walmart+ Credit. Get up to $12.95 back in statement credits each month when you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. Enrollment is required.
Annual fee is $375. (See Rates and Fees)
Terms Apply.

United^SM Business Card

75,000 bonus United miles after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip).
5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when you have both the United^SM Business Card and personal Chase United credit card.
Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
Intro $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

150,000 Membership Rewards points after $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months.
$1,000+ in value per year via statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless. Enrollment required. See link for details.
$695 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
Terms Apply.

Capital One Venture X Business Card

150,000 Miles (worth $1,500 towards travel) after spending $30,000 in the first 3 months. See link for details.
$300 annual travel credit. Get up to $300 in statement credits when booking through Capital One Travel.
Additional 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass(TM) and Plaza Premium Group lounges access.
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
$395 annual fee.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

90,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $900 straight cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel) after $8,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.
Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
$95 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

$750 bonus cash back. (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no limit.
No annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after $8,000 in purchases in the first six months. Offer Ends 1/8/2025. See link for details.
Up to $240 in Annual Hilton Credits. Get up to $240 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases made on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, with up to $60 in statement credits per quarter.
$195 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard

75,000 American Airlines miles after $5,000 in purchases in first the 5 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 4 companions (Up to $80 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

3 Free Night Awards (Worth Up To 150K Total Marriott Bonvoy Points) after $6,000 in eligible purchases within first 6 months. Each Free Night Award is worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points redemption level. See link for details.
New award night top-off option: Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. For example, the 50k Award can be used to book a hotel at 65,000 points level if you spend 15,000 points of your own. This opens up the number of potential hotels available in expensive areas.
Additional Free Night Award upon card anniversary (worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points). Earn another additional Free Night Award after spending $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
Annual fee is $125. (See Rates and Fees)
Terms Apply.

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Up to $750 bonus cash back total (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points). Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. See link for details.
5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year.
No annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

60,000 Bonus Points after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits – spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and earn $50 statement credits up to two times each anniversary year.
$199 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

60,000 Bonus Miles after $4,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. See link for details.
60,000 Skymiles are worth at least $600 in Delta airfare with “Pay with Miles” option.
First checked bag free on Delta flights ($70 value per roundtrip, per person).
$200 Delta flight credit. Get a $200 credit to use toward future Delta travel after $10,000 in purchases within a calendar year.
$0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
See Rates and Fees

Hawaiian Airlines Business MasterCard

50,000 Hawaiian miles after $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days. See link for details.
Receive a one-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
$99 annual fee.

BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards card

$500 statement credit after $5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. See link for details.
1.5% cash back on all purchases, which can be increased to 2.62% cash back when combined with the Preferred Rewards program.
No annual fee.

US Bank Business Leverage Card

75,000 bonus points after $7,500 in purchases (on the Account Owner’s Card only) in first the 120 days. 75,000 bonus points can be redeemed for $750 in cash back. See link for details.
Availability may be restricted to certain states.
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $95.

JetBlue Business Card

60,000 TrueBlue points 50,000 points after $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus points when a purchase is made on an employee card in the first 90 days. See link for details.
First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when tickets are purchased with your JetBlue Plus Card.
$99 annual fee.

Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card (Bank of America)

50,000 Alaska miles + Companion Fare Voucher after $4,000 in purchase within 90 days. See link for details.
Companion fare voucher is “Buy one ticket, get one for $122” ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23).
Free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation (worth $60 roundtrip per person).
$70 annual fee for company, plus $25 per card.

Capital One Spark Cash Select Card

$500 cash bonus after $4,500 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Unlimited 1.5% cash back spent on all purchases with no limit.
No annual fee.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

60,000 Southwest points after $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Southwest still gives everyone two free checked bags.
$99 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

* Note: Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards on your credit report within the past 2 years. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, please visit here. For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please visit here. For rates and fees of Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, please visit here. For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please visit here.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 21, 2024

Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – December 2024 (Updated)

Posted on December 21, 2024 // 45 Comments

Updated December 2024. That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. By being smart and picky, you can find offers worth $500+ for a single card, all to encourage you to apply and try it out. This adds up to thousands of dollars in extra income (over $5,000 in 2023). These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Notable recent changes:

Added United 60k, IHG 80k/140k, BarcAA 70k, Alaska 75k, Air Canada 100k, Hilton 100k+noAF
Removed JetBlue 80k, British Airways 85k, CitiAA 75k, Sapphire 60k+$300, Amex Gold 60k+$100, Delta Gold 80k, Bonvoy 185k, Venture 75k+$250, IHG 5FreeNights

This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Business Card Offers. Small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.

Aeroplan® Credit Card

Up to 100,000 Aeroplan points. 75,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, 25,000 bonus points after $20,000 in purchases in the first 12 months. 100,000 points are redeemable for $1,250 against any travel purchased with Pay Yourself Back. See link for details.
Free first checked bags on Air Canada flights: one free checked bag for the primary cardmember and up to eight other travelers on the same itinerary.
Aeroplan 25K Elite Status benefits for the remainder of the first calendar year, plus the following calendar year.
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
$95 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months Limited-time offer. See link for details.
No annual fee.
Terms Apply.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

$400 statement credit + 40,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points after $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months. See link for details.
Southwest still gives everyone two free checked bags.
Timing for Companion Pass. If you can sign up for this one and perhaps also the small business version, and time the points to post in 2025, you can qualify for a Companion Pass for 2025 and 2026.
$69 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

75,000 Avios after $5,000 in purchases within first 3 months. See link for details and redemption tips.
10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
Free Travel Together companion ticket when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year.
$95 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

60,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $750 towards travel or transferrable to miles/points) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
$50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel^SM, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases.
$95 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*
Upgrade pick: Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card. Higher travel perks including airport lounge access, higher annual fee.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

80,000 IHG Rewards club points after $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
4th Award Night Free (Book 3 nights in a row with points, 4th is free)
No annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard

70,000 American Airlines miles after any single purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($80 value per roundtrip, per person).
$99 annual fee.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

140,000 Bonus Points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Free Night after each account anniversary year (valued up to 40,000 IHG points).
$99 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.
Don’t like annual fees? The no-annual fee Traveler version also has a competitive offer with no annual fee.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 Membership Rewards(R) points after $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
Up to $200 Hotel Credits, up to $240 Streaming Credits, $200 Airline Fee Credits, $200 Uber Cash, $199 CLEAR Plus credit, $300 Equinox credit, up to $155 Walmart+ credit and more annually! Enrollment is required.
Up to $120 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck fee credit.
Premium airport lounge access through the American Express Global Lounge Collection®.
$695 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Capital One Venture X Rewards Card

75,000 miles (worth $750 towards travel, or transferrable to airline miles) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
$300 annual travel credit. Get up to $300 in statement credits when booking through Capital One Travel.
Additional 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
Priority Pass + Capital One airport lounge access. Additional cardholders are free, and also get their own Priority Pass!
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
$395 annual fee.

United^SM Explorer Card

60,000 miles after $3,000 in purchases within 3 months. See link for details.
Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your United ticket.
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Subject to 5/24 rule.

Citi Strata Premier Card

75,000 points (worth $750 in gift cards, or transferrable to miles/points) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
3X points for every $1 spent on Hotel purchases, Air Travel, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas Stations, EV Charging.
Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Premier or Strata Premier card in the past 48 months.
$95 annual fee.

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

75,000 miles (worth $750 to offset travel purchases, or transferrable to miles) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
2 Miles per dollar on all purchases.
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
$95 annual fee.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card

60,000 points (worth $600) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
$100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
$95 annual fee.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

60,000 points (worth $600 towards travel) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
$50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
$95 annual fee.

Alaska Airlines Visa Card (Bank of America)

75,000 bonus miles + Companion Fare voucher after $3,000 in purchases within first 90 days. See link for details.
Companion fare voucher is “Buy one ticket, get one from $23” ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23).
Free first checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation (worth $70 roundtrip per person).
$95 annual fee.

Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard

70,000 Hawaiian miles after any purchase (of any amount) within the first 90 days. Try any 6-digit code, like “012345”. The normal offer has a higher spending requirement. See link for details.
Two free checked bags for primary cardmember when you use your card to purchase tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
One-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
$99 annual fee.

American Express® Gold Card

60,000 Membership Rewards(R) points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. See link for details.
$84 Dunkin’ Credit. Up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at US Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment is required.
$100 Resy Credit. Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Broken down into up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment is required.
$120 in Uber Cash annually (good towards Uber Eats or Uber rides in the US). Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
Up to $120 in annual dining credit at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment is required.
4X points at restaurants on up to $50,000 per calendar year.
4X points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year.
$325 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

95,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. See link for details.
$300 in Annual Dining Credits, valid at restaurants worldwide.
Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership.
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
Free Night Award upon card anniversary (worth up to 85,000 Bonvoy points).
$650 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

50,000 Bonus Miles after $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See link for details.
50,000 Skymiles are worth at least $500 in Delta airfare with “Pay with Miles” option.
$200 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
First checked bag free on Delta flights ($70 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $150.
See Rates and Fees

JetBlue Plus Card

50,000 bonus TrueBlue points after $1,000 on purchases and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. See link for details.
First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when tickets are purchased with your JetBlue Plus Card.
$99 annual fee.

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card

50,000 American Airlines miles after $2,500 in purchases in first 4 months. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($80 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.

If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. I mostly use my rewards points on family trips – domestic economy flights, mid-range hotels, and cheap car rentals. If you have credit card debt, you should focus on paying that off first as the interest charges could offset most of the perks.

* 5/24 Rule? Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 24 months (2 years). This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.

Delta SkyMiles(R) Gold American Express Card: See Rates and Fees

American Express(R) Gold Card: See Rates and Fees

The Platinum Card(R) from American Express: See Rates and Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant(R) American Express(R) Card: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers // Tagged: uqui

Last updated: December 21, 2024

Amazon Last-Minute Gift Card Sale: Up to 20% Off (Lowe’s, Nordstrom, DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Combos) + $200 No Fee Visa Gift Card

Posted on December 17, 2024 // 1 Comment

Tick, tock… Amazon is having a big last-minute gift card sale with up to 20% off many retailers. These aren’t the best deals ever for yourself, but they are useful as in-stock and on-time gifts for others. Accordingly, I like the combo cards with multiple options ($7.50 off $50).

In addition, you can get a $200 Virtual Visa eGift Card for exactly $200 (the $6.95 purchase fee is waived with promo code VISA). No physical card; Online use only. Notably, this card is both shipped and sold through Amazon, so it can trigger many of the Shop with Points promos from credit cards issuers mentioned in my Black Friday post. Use your Discover Cash Back, American Express Membership Rewards points, etc. and your net price may easily be much lower than $200.

“Happy Birthday” Combo: Lowe’s, Cheesecake Factory, AMC Movies, Outback, Gap
“Let’s Eat ” Combo: Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, Panera Bread
“Fun & Fabulous” Combo: Sephora, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom
“On The Run” Combo: Panda Express, Krispy Kreme, Taco Bell
“Season’s Greetings” Combo: Macy’s, Gamestop, Lowe’s, Ulta
Lyft
Bath & Body Works
Instacart
DoorDash
Uber/Uber Eats
Google Play
Meta Quest
Panera Bread
Victoria’s Secret
Taco Bell
Under Armour
Domino’s
Petco
VUDU
Golden Corral
H&M
Chuck E. Cheese
Fandango
Foot Locker

(Please click here to view full post with Amazon links if viewing on RSS/email. I am an Amazon affiliate.)

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 17, 2024

TrueMed: Use Your Pre-Tax HSA/FSA Funds on Exercise Equipment

Posted on December 16, 2024 // 2 Comments

It’s that time of year, where I will soon remind you to use up your Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) funds before they expire. However, if you somehow have a large unused balance that you can’t offset with sunscreen and cold medicine, you may be interested in the possibility of using it towards exercise equipment.

While shopping for a Zwift smart trainer bike, I came across a new checkout option called TrueMed that lets you “pay with HSA/FSA”. TrueMed claims to “unlock tax-free HSA/FSA spending for the leading exercise, healthy food and supplement companies”.

In order to use your HSA/FSA funds on these types of things, you need a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) – a signed document from a licensed healthcare provider that asserts that a product, treatment, or device is medically necessary for a patient. The LMN is valid for one year from the date it’s signed.

Check out this IRS alert: Beware of companies misrepresenting nutrition, wellness and general health expenses as medical care for FSAs, HSAs, HRAs and MSAs. For exercise equipment, you must be treating a specific medical condition (like a knee injury vs. general health):

Exercise equipment must be used to treat a specific medical condition in order to be considered eligible for reimbursement. Exercise equipment used for general health and wellbeing is not eligible for reimbursement.

It appears TrueMed provides the LMN after you fill out their online questionnaire. In some cases, I notice that they will charge you a fee like $15 to take the online questionnaire.

There is a movement redefining healthcare, focusing on proactive, root-cause solutions like fitness, nutrition, and innovative health technology. When you shop with Truemed merchants, you can seamlessly qualify for a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN), enabling you to use pre-tax HSA/FSA funds for these transformative health interventions—saving you an average of 30%.

I’m not affiliated with TrueMed. I have not tried TrueMed and I have not submitted a claim for any exercise equipment using their Letter of Medical Necessity. In the end, it is still dependent on your specific claims administrator to approve the claim and accept the documentation you provide. I’ve come across a few examples of rejections, but also other reports that TrueMed later adjusted their practices in order to qualify. They appear to work with you:

My Claim Was Denied… Now What?

If you receive an alert of a denied claim, we are here to help! To best support you, please compile the following information.

– Denied Claim Information
– A screenshot or copy of the denial notice. This should include the denial reason clearly stated and also the denial code, if provided.
– The name of your HSA/FSA administrator, if not clearly shown on the denial notice.

Once you have this information compiled, please email support@truemed.com and include this information in the email body.

This may be worth further investigation if you are already committed to a specific exercise program or equipment as treatment. I’d prefer a bike as treatment for joint issues, hypertension, or obesity over more pills. As a checkout option, I like that it should come into play after you grab any other available discounts. I’ve historically had bad experiences with FSA claims administrators, so I would tread carefully.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 17, 2024

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, ETFs – December 2024

Posted on December 15, 2024 // 12 Comments

Here’s my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of December 2024, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. There are lesser-known opportunities available to individual investors, often earning more money while keeping the same level of safety by moving to another FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you could earn from switching. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 12/15/2024.

TL;DR: Slightly lower overall in the short-term. Only a few around 5% APY now. Still some 4%+ APY 5-year CDs. Compare against Treasury bills and bonds at every maturity, taking into account state tax exemption. I no longer recommend fintech companies due to the possibility of loss due to poor recordkeeping and/or fraud.

High-yield savings accounts
Since the huge megabanks still pay essentially no interest, everyone should at least have a separate, no-fee online savings account to piggy-back onto your existing checking account. The interest rates on savings accounts can drop at any time, so I list the top rates as well as competitive rates from banks with a history of competitive rates and solid user experience. Some banks will bait you with a temporary top rate and then lower the rates in the hopes that you are too lazy to leave.

The top rates at the moment are from newcomers TIMBR at 5.05% APY and Pibank at 5.00% APY. I have no personal experience with either, but they are the top rates at the moment. Most others have dropped at least a little. For example, CIT Platinum Savings is now at 4.55% APY with $5,000+ balance.
SoFi Bank is at 4.00% APY + up to $325 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount (even $1) each month for the higher APY. SoFi has historically competitive rates and full banking features. See details at $25 + $300 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
Here is a limited survey of high-yield savings accounts. They aren’t the top rates, but a group that have historically kept it relatively competitive such that I like to track their history.

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

No Penalty CDs offer a fixed interest rate that can never go down, but you can still take out your money (once) without any fees if you want to use it elsewhere. Marcus has a 7mo/9mo/11mo No Penalty CD at 4.00% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. Farmer’s Insurance FCU has 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.50% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit. Consider opening multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
Langley Federal Credit Union has a 10-month certificate special at 5.25% APY ($500 min, $50,000 max). This is a promo for new members only. Anyone can join this credit union nationwide; you must maintain $5 in their share savings account. Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest.

Money market mutual funds
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). Note: Money market mutual funds are highly-regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms.

Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 4.54% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 4.64%, which is better for comparing against APY). Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund (VUSXX) is an alternative money market fund which you must manually purchase, but the interest will be mostly (80% for 2023 tax year) exempt from state and local income taxes because it comes from qualifying US government obligations. Current SEC yield of 4.49% (compound yield of 4.58%).

Treasury Bills and Ultra-short Treasury ETFs
Another option is to buy individual Treasury bills which come in a variety of maturities from 4-weeks to 52-weeks and are fully backed by the US government. You can also invest in ETFs that hold a rotating basket of short-term Treasury Bills for you, while charging a small management fee for doing so. T-bill interest is exempt from state and local income taxes, which can make a significant difference in your effective yield.

You can build your own T-Bill ladder at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a brokerage account with a bond desk like Vanguard and Fidelity. Here are the current Treasury Bill rates. As of 12/13/24, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.31% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.24% annualized interest.
The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 4.88% SEC yield (this looks old) and effective duration of 0.10 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 4.42% SEC yield and effective duration of 0.08 years.

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. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest. The annual purchase limit for electronic I bonds is $10,000 per Social Security Number, available online at TreasuryDirect.gov.

“I Bonds” bought between November 2024 and April 2025 will earn a 3.11% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
In mid-April 2025, 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.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops which usually involve 10+ debit card purchases each cycle, a certain number of ACH/direct deposits, and/or a certain number of logins per month. If you make a mistake (or they judge that you did) you risk earning zero interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others would rather not bother. Rates can also drop suddenly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling.

OnPath Federal Credit Union (my review) pays 7.00% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and login to online or mobile banking once per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization. You can also get a $100 Visa Reward card when you open a new account and make qualifying transactions.
Genisys Credit Union pays 6.75% APY on up to $7,500 if you make 10 debit card purchases of $5+ each per statement cycle, and opt into online statements. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 6.25% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases of at least $5 each per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization, Louisiana Association for Personal Financial Achievement ($20).
NEW: Falcon National Bank pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make at least 15 debit card purchases, 1 direct deposit OR ACH credit transaction, and enroll in online statements.
Credit Union of New Jersey pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit, online bill payment, or automatic payment (ACH) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
Andrews Federal Credit Union pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit or ACH transaction per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization.
Find a locally-restricted rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
CDs offer higher rates, but come with an early withdrawal penalty. By finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider building a CD ladder of different maturity lengths (ex. 1/2/3/4/5-years) such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account. When one CD matures, use that money to buy another 5-year CD to keep the ladder going. Some CDs also offer “add-ons” where you can deposit more funds if rates drop.

Credit Human has a 59-month CD at 4.11% APY. 48-month at 4.11% APY. 35-month at 4.25% APY. 23-month at 4.30% APY. 1-year at 4.40% APY. $500 minimum. The early withdrawal penalty (EWP) for CD maturities of 36 months or more is 365 days of interest. For CD maturity of 1 year, the EWP is 270 days of interest. This is actually a credit union, but is open nationwide with a American Consumer Council (ACC) membership. Try promo code “consumer” when signing up at ACC for a free membership.
Synchrony Bank has a 5-year certificate at 4.00% APY (no minimum), 4-year at 3.50% APY, 3-year at 3.75% APY, 2-year at 3.50% APY, and 1-year at 4.00% APY. Early withdrawal penalty for the 4-year and 5-year is 365 days of interest.
BMO Alto has a 5-year CD at 3.90% APY. 4-year at 3.80% APY. 3-year at 3.80% APY. 2-year at 3.80% APY. 1-year at 4.20% APY. No minimum. The early withdrawal penalty (EWP) for CD maturities of 1 year or more is 180 days of interest. For CD maturities of 11 months or less, the EWP is 90 days of interest. However, note that they reserve the right to prohibit early withdrawals entirely (!). Online-only subsidiary of BMO Bank.
You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I see a 5-year non-callable CD at 3.90% APY (callable: no, call protection: yes). Be warned that both Vanguard and Fidelity will list higher rates from callable CDs, which importantly means they can call back your CD if rates drop later. (Issuers have indeed started calling some of their old 5%+ CDs during 2024.)

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk (tbh, I don’t use them at all), 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 long-term certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. You might find something that pays more than your other brokerage cash and Treasury options. Right now, I see a 10-year CDs at [n/a] (non-callable) vs. 4.40% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.

All rates were checked as of 12/15/2024.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing //

Last updated: December 15, 2024

Mint Mobile Holiday Deal: 12-Months of Unlimited Plan at $15/Month (50% Off, $180 Savings)

Posted on December 11, 2024 // 7 Comments

This year will make it six years with Mint Mobile cellular service. They have provided reliable service at a low cost, and it fits my needs. They use the T-Mobile GSM 4G LTE and 5G networks, which means most phones are compatible and switching just requires swapping in a new SIM card (more recently I just use eSIM for instant over-the-air switching). (Mint was so successful that T-Mobile bought them.) I am an affiliate for them, but I’m also a loyal user.

This is their best deal in recent memory: New customers can get 12-Month Unlimited Plan for only $15/month. This is 50% off their normal low pricing of $30 a month for 12 months ($360 a year), for a savings of $180. Usually they only offer this discount for 3 months, so make sure you don’t buy the 3-month plan by accident! Offer ends January 2nd, 2025.

Want a new phone too?

Google Pixel 9 for $299 ($500 off) along with the year of unlimited from Mint Mobile for $15/mo.
Samsung A15 for only $60 along with the year of unlimited from Mint Mobile for $15/mo.

Note: “Unlimited” data still means speeds are throttled after 40 GB per month. Video streams at 480p. My personal primary complaint is that as an MVNO they are lower data priority, so at concerts or large public events, I feel my cellular data is slower than others. But I can’t bring myself to pay the full price of regular T-Mobile over that.

Use their phone compatibility checker first to see if you can bring your current phone over. All of their plans offer the slower 128 kbps speeds after you use up your LTE data, which is nice as you can still check your email and access basic services. (New customer means your phone hasn’t been on Mint within the past 90 days.)

7-Day “No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee” (starts upon SIM activation) so you can test them out before making any commitment.

All of our full phone plans and See for Yourself Kits feature a 7-Day Money Back Guarantee for all purchases made on mintmobile.com or using the app. You can cancel your wireless phone plan service for any reason within 7 days of activation and we will refund you 100% of the purchase price, including any fees and taxes. Shipping is not refunded.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may be compensated.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 12, 2024

Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card: 500 Mile Bonus For Joining Waitlist (No Commitment)

Posted on December 11, 2024 // Leave a Comment

Alaska Airlines is teasing a new credit card, currently called the “Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card”, and you can get 500 free Alaska miles just for joining their waitlist by December 31st, 2024 with your name and MileagePlan number. There is no commitment, so I’ll take the free miles. If you later apply and get approved, they will also add on another 5,000 bonus miles. The application is not set to open until “Summer 2025”.

1 – Register your interest in the Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card by Dec 31, 2024, and you will receive 500 miles for registration and, upon approval of your application for the Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card, 5,000 miles in addition to any other new account bonus offer you may qualify for. To qualify, applicants must apply via a link that will be emailed to them using the email address provided in their offer registration within 14 days of receiving the exclusive application link. Must provide valid Mileage Plan account information to be eligible. Limit of one registration offer per valid Mileage Plan account. By registering for this offer you agree to receive communications from Alaska Airlines about, and how to apply for, the Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card. Communications sent and managed by Alaska Airlines. You may opt out at any time.

There are a bunch of features and perks teased, but a lot of this stuff ends up being changed before launch.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 12, 2024

Pet Deals: Amazon $30 Credit w/ $100+, Chewy $30 Gift Card w/ $100+ Purchase

Posted on December 10, 2024 // 4 Comments

Offer is back for 2024. Chewy and Amazon are both offering some decent discounts on pet products. Keep in mind that each retailer has a different list of “eligible” items, so hopefully the brand you use is on at least one of their lists.

Amazon: $30 credit when you spend $100 on eligible pet items. Must be “sold by Amazon.com”. Over 1,000 qualifying items. Limit one usage per customer. Promotional credit expires at 11:59 p.m. (PT) on April 21, 2025.
Free $30 Gift Card w/ $100 purchase at Chewy. Use promo code CHEER. Limit 1 use per order, limit 3 orders per customer.

You may wish to try to stack your Chewy purchase with a cashback shopping portal. Many offer new customers bonuses if you make a qualifying purchase, including Swagbucks ($10 bonus), MyPoints ($10 bonus), Rakuten (formerly eBates) ($40 bonus currently, varies), TopCashBack (varies), and BeFrugal ($10 bonus). So you could sign-up and stack this deal to trigger the bonus. I have cashed out of all of these in the past.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Last updated: December 12, 2024

Pepper Rewards App: $20 Bonus w/ $200 Gift Card Purchase (New Users), Amazon 8X, Sam’s Club/Walmart 5X

Bilt Mastercard: Earn Rewards For Paying Rent w/ Any Landlord (January 1st Rent Day / Accor Hotel Elite Status)

Last-Minute Healthcare FSA Reminder (Average Loss $441!), Amazon $10 FSA Offer

Capital One 360 Savings Deposit Promo ($300 to $1,500 Bonus)

Top 10 Best Small Business Credit Card Bonus Offers – December 2024

Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – December 2024 (Updated)

Amazon Last-Minute Gift Card Sale: Up to 20% Off (Lowe’s, Nordstrom, DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Combos) + $200 No Fee Visa Gift Card

TrueMed: Use Your Pre-Tax HSA/FSA Funds on Exercise Equipment

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, ETFs – December 2024

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