November 2005 Archives
I've referred a lot of folks to QuizPoints because they have great shopping rates (see the 2005 Shopping Comparison chart) and they have friendly and receptive customer service. But do they pay? And how quickly?
I recently requested my first cashout there, for an Amazon GC, and I received it by snail-mail within about 5 days! Nice!
The key to getting your redemption fastest is to pick a redemption that is marked "one day shipping." Other redemptions will come fairly quickly, too; they just have to order them first, so figure on a few extra days. And if there's a particular redemption you'd like that they don't have, just email them about it! I think they have other options available that aren't posted.
Also, I wanted to note that QuizPoints credits for offers completed fairly quickly (within a few days, although the site indicates it can be longer...I think they're just trying to be conservative in their estimate so they can surprise everybody with how fast they actually do credit). AND you can earn 2 free points a day just by submitting a freebie in their Freebie section!
I just placed a big order through QP for a LCD monitor at Dell. Waiting to see how long shopping takes to post to my account; will update this when it does. Update, 12/4: My points credited to my account today!
Last week, CreationsRewards.net announced their new shopping promotion for the holidays: through December 23, all orders placed through their site OVER $20 will qualify for an additional bonus to be awarded on December 26. The amount of the bonus depends on the number of orders placed:
1-3 Orders Over $20 = 50 Points (25c)
4-6 Orders = 250 Points ($1.25)
7-10 Orders = 500 Points ($2.50)
11-20 Orders = 1,000 Points ($5.00)
21-30 Orders = 2,000 Points ($10.00)
31+ Orders = 5,000 Points ($25.00)
Remember, each order must be over $20 (after all discounts but before shipping/tax) to qualify. So, to get a $25 bonus you'd have to make 31 orders of $20+ each to qualify (that's $620 or more...and works out to a maximum of about 4% assuming you only spent the minimum of $20 on each order).
Eh. I guess any bonus is good, though -- after all, this is in addition to CR's already competitive rebates (see my 2005 Shopping Comparison here).
PCHPoints.com sent out an email this afternoon stating that they were shutting down the program.
Anyone surprised? Anyone?
Okay, I admit. I AM a little surprised. I thought they'd at least try to make it through the end of the year. This is the Christmas shopping season -- lots of money to be made by shopping portals like theirs...but maybe they wanted the tax write-off they could get by shutting it down by year-end, I don't know.
Anyway... They're allowing users to continue to earn points through 11/30 and redeem until 1/15/06. They've eliminated the 5,000 point Burger King redemption and now the cheapest non-charity redemption is 9,000 points (for various $10 GCs). I'll do some digging and try to find some non-spending point-earning opportunities on the site for those folks needing more points to cash out. Remember to do trivia every day between now and then (that'd be 140 points). (Need help with the answers? Click here.)
I get a lot of comments about like this about the QuickRewards.net program: "I've heard you rave about your great experiences with that site but I'm having trouble understanding how it works. Can you help?"
Well, I aim to please.
I've put together a list of the most common questions I've gotten or read on the deal forums about QuickRewards and posted the answers to them. I hope that my QR Tips Page will help the newbies and perhaps some folks who've been there a while but are still getting used to the format.
I've been a huge fan of QuickRewards.net since shortly after the program's launch 2.5 years ago. I've been paid more times than I can tell you (my favorite redemptions are PayPal and Amazon). They have wonderful customer service and great shopping rates. If you're not a member of this one, you're missing out!
Please click here to join. If you have any other questions about QR, please let me know and I'll add them to the FAQ!
Greenpoints.com's website is back up today and seems to be intact and operating normally. They had been down for a while due to Hurricane Wilma.
They have a new offer on the site, 800 points for a free signup to Points.com. Non-spending points at Greenpoints are pretty rare; this is one you want to jump on. They say the points will be credited within 7 business days. And if you haven't completed it yet, they do still have the 100 point member survey up on the home page.
Their cheapest redemption is 1200 points (for a cheap looking pocket magnifier; 4500 is the cheapest $5 GC) so this alone won't be enough to cash out but it would definitely help if you're needing some extra points.
Just three weeks after MyPoints' last press release, they released another today urging shoppers to not wait until the last minute to do their holiday shopping but instead to shop today through their site. They gave examples of some typical purchases, what they'd add up to in points, and what those points could be redeemed for. They mentioned the instant win game, their credit card, and their gift guide.
I'm sorry, but this just smacks of desperation to me. Do you know why a company that has "more than 10 million members" needs to do this much marketing to get sales? Because despite their efforts to keep it on the down-low, word is getting out that they intend to sell the site... and people are doing the rational thing and taking their business elsewhere.
Ever hear of a "lie of omission"? Here's a good definition: "A lie of omission is to remain silent when ethical behavior calls for one to speak up. A lie of omission is a method of deception and duplicity that uses the technique of simply remaining silent when speaking the truth would significantly alter the other person's capacity to make an informed decision." MyPoints, that is exactly what you're doing by not sharing with the public what was announced to a bankruptcy judge over two months ago.
Why don't you just throw us a little bone here? Reassure us that, yes, although MyPoints is for sale, you'll still honor any points we earn on our holiday shopping through your site. THAT would do way more toward generating sales than all of these press releases and marketing gimmicks.
Update, 12/5: MyPoints just hired a company to do their search engine marketing (source here). Outrider, located in St. Louis, MO, is charged with improving MyPoints' search engine results. I think this confirms my theory that MP is hurting. It'll be harder for them to get top dollar when they sell if the site is floundering.
Today's Boston Globe ran an article about BzzAgent, a site I've mentioned here many times and I enthusiastically support.
BzzAgent uses your demographic info to target you for specific "campaigns" in which you are given a free sample of a new product and are asked to try it out, offer it to other people, talk it up if you like it, and report back to the "Hive." Not only do you get to try out new products, you earn points for your reports and you can cash those points out for prizes.
I've been with BzzAgent for two years now and have gotten some neat freebies out of it (like the 20Q handheld game and a Home Cafe Coffeemaker) and some lousy freebies out of it (the new Citrus Listerine PocketPaks...yucky). But it's always fun to try out new stuff, and when I like something, I DO tell people...lots of people.
Today's article talked about how the BzzAgent founder, Dave Balter, was able to use his BzzAgents to generate positive Amazon reviews for his book (he's been sharing parts of it on the website plus he gave out some advance copies), while it was not enthusiastically received by professional reviewers. Dave addressed this on the BzzAgent Blog about a week ago.
The Globe article suggested that since BzzAgents don't always identify themselves as such when they are talking about a product, that it's somehow deceptive. I don't buy that, personally, because BzzAgents are not encouraged in any way to push people to buy a product that they don't believe in. I just filed a BzzReport for the abovementioned Listerine PocketPaks in which I stated that I hated the taste, but I offered one to someone without comment to see if it was just me, and they hated it, too. Companies need to know NEGATIVE reactions just as much as positive ones, and I hope my feedback helps the company realize those darned things are gross!
The Globe also gave some stats about BzzAgent: there are only about 117,000 BzzAgents (which really surprised me -- it's such a fun program) and they are run by a staff of 50.
Anyway... I enjoy BzzAgent and if you'd like a referral link to join, please email me.
The Vesdia Corporation, the owner of some college-savings-themed rewards programs like BabyMint, StockBack, NestEggz, FundraiserRewards, announced yesterday that it was buying a "significant equity interest" in Schoolpop.com and would become the manager of that program.
The news release is here.
This will allow Schoolpop to take advantage of Vesdia's more extensive list of merchant partners, plus expand their program's marketing. The press release indicates that Schoolpop members will be offered a rebate credit card in the near future (a feature all of Vesdia's programs offer). This makes me think it will remain a separate entity, instead of being rolled into another of Vesdia's existing sites.
If you're a current Schoolpop member, I wouldn't be too concerned -- Vesdia is a strong company with a lot of experience running rewards programs; I can only see this as being a change for the better for you.
Greenpoints has a note up that their site is down due to Hurricane Wilma but that all data is secure and they'll be back up as soon as possible.
If you're a Greenpoints user, this is an excellent opportunity for you to try out some different rewards programs. As my annual shopping analysis revealed, Greenpoints is a very poor option for earning rebates on your purchases.
Check out the analysis if you have a second, and if I can make any personalized recommendations for alternatives, based on your shopping habits or redemption preferences, please give me a shout in email.
MyPoints has brought back the scratch-off game they had running this May, but with a few changes. There will be 2002 total winners (vs. 433 in May) but this time you can either win 1,000 points, or the 100,000 point grand prize (in May, you could also have won 10,000 points). So they eliminated that middle tier prize level to offer more 1,000-point prizes. Hey, that works better for me, anyway -- I'd rather more chances to win SOMETHING than a lesser chance of winning more.
The game runs through midnight on 12/31/05, and MyPoints members can play up to 3 times daily, by clicking a link at the top left of MyPoints.com when logged in. There are 2,002 computer-generated winning times, and the person playing at or nearest after that time will be generated a winning card worth 1,000 MyPoints (MP values this as being worth $6.10; I calculate it as worth a little more but it depends on the particular redemption chosen)...but ONE lucky person will win 100,000 points instead (they say it's worth about $610).
If the winner is Canadian, he'll have to answer a special time-sensitive question to receive his points. No respect for the Great White North, eh?
When you get a non-winning game card, you may be offered double points at Macy's, Overstock, or BestBuy. MyPoints is already paying a ridiculously high rate for Overstock purchases (10 points per dollar translates to 8.3%, the closest other rewards program, according to my 2005 shopping comparison chart, is at 4%), so doubling that would make a VERY tempting offer.
Just remember that they're going to be sold, and that shopping through them is a risk (either that the program will close down or that your points will be devalued by the new owner). If you're cool with that, go ahead; their Overstock double-points offer IS a good deal.
(Please note also that double BestBuy points would be nice; their current 2 points per dollar = about 1.7% while their closest competitor is at 1.6%; doubling that would be great. But if you're offered double points at Macy's, you should pass: there are several other sites that already pay more than double MyPoints' current rate for Macy's. See the link above to the shopping comparison for more details.)
**Update, 11/7: PCHP sent out a three-link email; it was for a total of 5 points instead of the former 9. Also, they're removed their only 5000 point redemption, for $5 in Burger King GCs. Now the cheapest (non-charity donation) redemption is 9000 points.
Users of PCHPoints have noticed that their paid emails have recently dropped in point value, to one point from 5 points each or three 3 point links. Site visits up in the Earn Points, Visit Websites section have also been dwindling in number lately. Now today, the site has dropped the value of its Site of the Day from 10 points to 2 (they dropped from 25 to 10 in February) and the site visits in Earn Points, Visit Websites from 3 points to 1.
This is all coming just about six weeks after the other two sites that were operated under license from Memolink, LuckyPoints and SavingsRegisterRewards, announced that they were closing shop. The signs were there in advance for those sites' demise, too -- besides the same point drop for the SOTD that PCHPoints had in February, in June both LP and SRR eliminated site visits entirely...and LP dropped its SOTD to 5 points while SRR eliminated theirs. Four months later both sites announced they were closing.
PCHPoints has always been the most popular of the three sites, probably due to its ownership by a big-name corporation, Publisher's Clearinghouse.
IMHO it would be stupid for a rewards site with a significant number of members to shut down before the holidays (whether we're talking about PCHPoints or MyPoints, another site with an iffy future). This is the biggest shopping season of the year coming up and they'd be forfeiting a lot of potential revenue. No, it'd make more sense to wait until after Jan. 1 to shut down, and that's my prediction of what's going to happen with PCHPoints. (MyPoints' situation is slightly different -- they've announced they're selling the program, and hopefully, and if they find the right buyer, the site won't close down entirely but will just switch names and lower point values.)
Anyway -- my advice for PCHPoints members, as has been my advice for members of MyPoints, is to please consider taking your shopping business this holiday season to a more stable rewards program. Those 2%s and 5%s and 10% rebates add up, and you don't want to gamble with being paid.
...and America yawned.
If you earn 50,000-99,999 points, you get 5,000 tokens, a magazine subscription, and a t-shirt. The tokens are worth about $5, the magazines can be bought anywhere on the 'net for about $5, and how much is a t-shirt worth, anyway? Based on the value of their other redemptions, they're charging the equivalent of about $18 to cash out for it...c'mon, it's a t-shirt! Anyway, give 'em the benefit of the doubt, and these three items are worth $28.
There aren't many merchants listed that qualify (24), but they say they're adding more soon. The average number of tokens per dollar that these merchants pay is 55. So, to earn 50,000 tokens, enough to get this great $28 value prize, you'd need to spend around $909 through them between now and December 31. It works out to, on average, about a 3% bonus. Now you could get this great $28 prize package by spending just $500 at Collectibles Today (at 100 tokens per dollar), or $2,500 at Macy's (at 20 tokens per dollar).
They're also offering to folks who earn 100,000 tokens or more a $25 GC, the magazine subcription, and the t-shirt. That comes out to about a $48 prize. At the 55 token per dollar average that these merchants are offering, you'd have to spend around $1,818 to qualify, and it works out to around a 2.6% bonus. Again, that $1,818 is average -- you could spend just $1,000 at Collectibles Today to qualify, or $5,000 at Macy's.
(Quickly doing mental arithmetic to figure out if hubby even EARNS $5,000 between now and December 31...)
The person who spends the most *at specific merchants* gets a "Holiday Gift Pack worth $500." No specifics on what it is and who determined its worth. It could be 28 of their t-shirts. ;)
In summary: In its latest incarnation, Freeride seems to be a nice enough site and it pays about average for shopping vs. other rewards programs, but unless you're planning to spend around a thousand bucks online between now and 12/31, and only at the specific merchants that participate in this promotion, these bonuses (not worth all that much to begin with) are out of your reach.
This is only available to folks who have shopped through QuickRewards.net before -- if you haven't yet, go make a purchase there to get an invitation to join the Frequent Shopper Club so you can take part in this deal!
Through December 15, QuickRewards is paying an additional bonus on all shopping orders that earn you over 25c in their regular, very competitive rates! The more you shop, the higher the bonus. Here's the chart:
1 order: $0.05 bonus for each order
2-3 orders: $0.10 bonus for each order
4-5 orders: $0.15 bonus for each orders
6-10 orders: $0.25 bonus for each order + mystery bonus on every order
11-20 orders: $0.35 bonus for each order + mystery bonus on every order
21-24 orders: $0.40 bonus for each order + mystery bonus on every order
25+ orders: $0.50 bonus for each order + mystery bonus on every order
The mystery bonus will be some amount between 5c and $5, depending on the merchant and the size of your order. Ebay purchases have to exceed $25 to qualify. Can't be combined with rate matching, special cashback bonuses or other specials (contact them before you order if you have any doubt).
In a surprising turn of events, the OTXsx survey site admitted today that their site had been having problems with properly crediting members for their referrals' earnings. I've been going 'round and 'round with Emma about this since mid-July.
The problem I've been having, and in talking to the folks who joined with my link way back in late January, they're having, also, is that we're not seeing the promised "20% of your referrals' points earned from surveys following their first 30 days of membership." I've gotten exactly zero points from my original 5 referrals. Now I did receive the 100 point referral signup bonuses from my new referrals that they offered when changing up the referral structure in August (when they began allowing unlimited referrals instead of the original 5)... but I still haven't received the 20% part.
OTXsx says that they've found the problem, it's fixed, and that they've credited everyone who had points due them. Unfortunately, that's not the case, at least with my account. Please go check your account as well, and contact emma@otxsx.com if you also find you're still missing points. If you referred people to the program with my help (I sent my downline folks to refer when I hit my 5-member-limit, then I sent THEIR downline folks to refer when they hit THEIR limit --and I did keep records on this), please email me if you need a reminder of who you referred and I'll be glad to get it to you.
p.s. If you would like to join this site, or would like more info about how it works, just gimme a holler in email. I just cashed out for a $10 Amazon GC and it was instantly delivered to my email! THAT part I like!! ;)
