Getting the Most from Your Amazon Purchases

If you are America’s largest online retailer, you don’t have to offer coupons or cash back deals to get people to buy from your web store. But if you are an Amazon customer, there are still ways to maximize the savings you get when making purchases on Amazon.com. First, there’s Amazon Prime, which, for $79 [...]

Chipping Student Loans Away through Shopping

New Year’s is just around the corner, and it looks like I’ll get to celebrate fulfilling one of my 2011 resolutions: pay off one of my graduate school student loans! In three years, I chipped away a $15,550 student loan balance, which now stands at just over $200. I’ll use some Christmas money to finish [...]

ev’reward: An Awesome Shortcut for Miles and Cashback Comparison Shopping

Late last week, I learned about a great website that I think is worth sharing: ev’reward. I strongly believe in going through a portal whenever I online shop, so once I find something I want to buy, I put it in my check-out basket and then visit several portals to find out which one is [...]

Now, Go Through a Portal to Buy on Amazon

To save when shopping online it is well established that you should (1) run a quick search for coupons and (2) shop through an online portal if you can. But until recently, if you were buying anything on Amazon, there was no way to double-dip. You could of course get points/miles through your credit card, [...]

The MarketPlace is Not Unique, but Isn’t Bad Either

MasterCard has been heavily advertising its new MarketPlace online portal, and it in fact offers some valuable deals. When it comes to online shopping, portals for discounts, cash, points, or miles already abound.  These are websites that, if you visit an online store through one of their links rather than by typing the store’s name [...]

Start the New Year with a Bang – for Your Buck

We are back from the Holidays with some tips to help you tackle your financial resolutions for 2010.  Let’s start with three simple things to do during this short work week: Sign up for free loyalty programs and emails from your favorite stores, including the local pharmacy you frequently visit. As covered in previous posts, [...]

Rewards in Checking: Bank of America

Barring the rare interest-yielding accounts, it is hard to get much out of your checking account besides the money you already deposited into it and some checks.  But using programs associated with you bank may get you a little more.  Two weeks ago, I wrote on how to make the most of your Citibank account [...]

Shop Around for Miles and Cash Back Too

With so many online portals offering miles or cash back if you shop through their website, it pays to look around for the best rewards out there.  So after you’ve done your research for the item you are going to buy and have found the perfect coupon code, you should look for bonus deals on [...]

The Art of Double and Triple Dipping

Most stores do not allow the use of multiple coupons for the same item (an exception is Harris Teeter – I have never shopped there, but apparently the grocery chain allows up to 20 double coupons, and, on some days, triple coupons), but there are other ways to get more than just the coupon discount.  [...]

Upromise: One Bad News and Two Redeeming Factors

Last week, I wrote about Upromise, a program that gives members cash back for purchases at certain stores, websites, and restaurants, which can then be transferred to Sallie Mae student loan accounts or 529 Plans.  But here’s an update, straight from my inbox: As of July 1, 2009 (never mind that I only got the [...]