March 2004 Archives

Wow...this sucks.

"JCPenney partnership is expiring
ClubMom members will no longer earn points for purchases at JCPenney after March 31, 2004. Your membership card will no longer be swiped at the JCPenney registers."

That was one of the really exciting features I thought ClubMom offered. I guess you can still show your membership card in-store to earn points on RadioShack and Payless Shoes purchases...

There's a new service out called AOL Call Alert. You do NOT have to be an AOL subscriber to use this service!

What it does is, if you're dialed into the internet and someone tries to call you, you'll get a popup on your screen that tells you who's calling, like Caller ID.

But it gets better. You can decide to take the call, and can talk to the person WITHOUT DISCONNECTING FROM THE 'NET!

OR, you can click a button and the caller will hear one of a couple of messages including, "I'm online, please call my cellphone," or "I don't recognize your number; if you're a telemarketer take me off your calling list."

I think this service is really cool. Wish I had it when I had dialup access! If you wanna check it out, please support CompareRewards by using my link, thanks!

I found a site that has a nice summary of promotional incentives (percent savings, free upgrades, etc.) by type of major credit card (Visa, M/C, and AmEx) with descriptions, expiration dates, and links! Assuming it's kept updated, this is worth a bookmark: http://www.cardweb.com/cardincentives/

QuickRewards.net Shoppers Advantage Program

- Check other reward programs and if you see a lower rebate %, mail them BEFORE placing your order and they'll tell you if they can beat that rate

- If you're placing a large order, mail them first and they may be able to offer you a better rate

- Mail them before ordering to see if there are coupons available for your merchant

- If you've shopped with them before, mail them to be put on their frequent shoppers mailing list for extra shopping bonus offers

I won't post the email here because I'd hate them to get spammed but it's on the QuickRewards website - Click on Shopping then go down to the bottom and click on the Promo banner for a recap of the above and the contact email address.

Not a member of QuickRewards yet? Please click here to join!

Found an interesting article that discusses Ebay Anything Points (and loyalty programs in general): http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,1438151,00.asp

I used my ClubMom Membership Card for the first time yesterday at JCPenney in the Mall of Louisiana. The cashier was clueless about what to do with it; so was the assistant manager. They decided to total my sale, then swipe the card, and a menu popped up on their screen saying to press 10 for ClubMom Card. They were like, wow! This must be new! Never saw one of these before! How does it work??

I told them about it -- join ClubMom Rewards and earn points for shopping online, which you can redeem for GCs and other rewards. Plus when you use the ClubMom Membership Card you can earn OFFLINE for purchases at JCP, Radio Shack, and Payless Shoes. (Actually, if you register your JCP credit card at ClubMom's website, you can earn for offline purchases that way without even using the Membership Card.)

I wanted to use my Membership Card though because the first time you use it, you get 500 points (no matter what your purchase amount). And you actually PAY for your purchase however you want -- cash, check, or CC -- the Membership Card isn't a CC, it just tracks your offline spending.

Anyhoo...just wanted to share my experience with ya. If you use your card offline, since it's a kinda new perq of ClubMom, the cashier and even manager might not be familiar with it, but it does work! Just have them total you up and swipe the card before you pay.

For more info on ClubMom Rewards, see my review here.

Redeemed on 1/29 for a $15 Walmart GC. It was mailed on 3/9 and I received it on 3/12. That's around 6 weeks from redemption to receiving it... not bad at all!

Interesting bit of trivia: my GC was mailed out from Memolink's office in Lakewood, Colorado. Maybe that's what all those Memolink employees are doing -- mailing out redemptions for LuckyPoints and PCHPoints. God knows they aren't mailing out Memolink redemptions.

For more info on LuckyPoints, read my review here.

(Updated 7/05/05)

Here's a list of current paying search words for SearchCactus.com. Search for these terms and click on the listings that come up with an eyeball next to them for 1c each! Remember, you can only click on a max of 15 links a day, and you have to skip a day before repeating the same clicks. These words can come and go, so if one doesn't work today, check it again tomorrow!

bingo
elvis (click 1st link only)
free
las vegas weddings (6 links)
projector
publishing (2 links)

Not a member? See what you're missing out on! Click here to join!

Like getting paid to do searches? Check out CashForAction, NetsReward, and DollarForAction!

Trying out a couple new programs, here's the info in case you wanna check 'em out:

Jamiesmagicmail - have earned $1.50 without referrals in three days! And they have a $5 signup bonus. They sent out a 10c solo email yesterday, among others! My suggestion: uncheck the box in your interests for Contest Emails (they send a lot). Here is my link to join if you wanna try it with me.

Praetorianmails - this one just started. It has no minimum payout to Paypal. Here is my link to join if you wanna check it out.

Last one: Lightning-Emails - another brand spankin' new program, it promises random payouts and no points. Join here.

Thanks in advance, if you join with my links. Lemme know what you think about these!

ClubMom Rewards is planning a Mother's Day national rollout of new national sponsors and expanded member benefits. That's May 9, if ya wanna mark your calendars. CMR is a nice program already, IMHO -- in addition to offering some very competitive rates for online shopping (#3 out of 13 rewards programs I analyzed in Feb 2004 -- see the full report here), they also have a membership card that allows you to get credited for offline purchases at several merchants. Click here for my review of ClubMom Rewards, or click here to go ahead and join.

I mentioned recently that there is a new rewards program out called Savings Register Rewards, another site "powered by Memolink" like PCHPoints and LuckyPoints. It's a carbon copy of the other two sites, as a matter of fact -- same points offered, same costs to redeem, same terms of service.

Memolink's affiliation with PCHP and LP has been a concern to some, as we all know about Memolink's tense financial situation. But we've been assured that PCHP and LP would not have the same payment difficulties, as they were financially backed by Publisher's Clearinghouse.

So, who backs Savings Register Rewards?

You're not gonna like this.

The URL "SavingsRegisterRewards.com" is registered to SilverCarrot, Inc... who are the same folks who own...guess who...MILESOURCE!

Yep, that's the same Milesource that at least doubled the cost of its participants to cash out just a few weeks ago. They're the financial backers of Savings Register Rewards. And the guys operating it are Memolink, widely touted as a fraud for not sending rewards and for cancelling accounts (and thus outstanding redemptions) to reduce their debt load.

Interesting bedfellows, don't you think?

Why did SilverCarrot lease Memolink's software (and technical staff? not really sure what it means to be a licensee) to run their new rewards program? Could be a couple of reasons. 1. Maybe Milesource's rep is so tarnished, nobody would want to join it if their name was attached? 2. Maybe no one at Milesource could modify their own software (changing names, logos, etc.) for SavingsRegisterRewards? 3. Maybe SilverCarrot is planning to merge/partner with Memolink, maybe phasing out Milesource altogether? 4. Maybe Memolink's software is just easier to customize and it's more cost-effective to license out the technical side.

HellifIknow. But I did email one of SilverCarrot's VPs, and I hope he will enlighten us.

Meanwhile, use good common sense when it comes to all rewards programs. Don't put all your eggs in one basket so you don't lose it all should that one program go under. Don't carry a huge point balance in any program. And right now, the smaller programs are the ones with the best reputations: QuickRewards, ClickToTheMagic, and CreationsRewards. Please see my reviews of (and users' comments on) all of these programs before you decide where to earn larger amounts, like shopping and signup rewards. And I'm here if you have any questions at all -- just mail me.

This is a kinda cool service -- it's an email newsletter that offers local coupons, grocery coupons, online coupons, free stuff, discount shopping, and free samples. And your signup helps support CompareRewards.com, too! Please click here to register.

Congrats to the winners of our March giveaways, who are as follows:
Ray - $2 PayPal
Stella - $1 PayPal
Utonia, Froggi999, and Renee - 200-point PointPool codes
rwarren1969, Betty, and Terri - jewelry surprises

Thank you for all who continue to support CompareRewards.com through your visits, comments, tips, word-of-mouth advertising, and financial support via searches and signups. I have the greatest visitor base on the 'net -- you are wonderful!

And if you didn't win anything this time, stay tuned: there will be more giveaways to come!

QuickRewards.net is now offering $1.00 Disney Dollars as a redemption option! If you save those up for your big annual trip to one of their theme parks, this is a cool deal. You can earn around 9c a day at QuickRewards without spending a dime. Great program, great webmaster, and now another with the addition of Disney Dollars, another great redemption option!