January 2008 Archives

QuickRewards.net (aff), the program that won the 2007 BeenPaid Seal of Approval Program of the Year, is once again up for the honor. Voting ends tomorrow. Update, 2/1: Congrats to QuickRewards on its very respectable third place showing!

Why do I love QuickRewards? Great customer service, fast email replies, willingness to locate coupons for you or add your favorite merchants, lots of ways to earn every day (by visiting websites, doing email offers, answering trivia, completing surveys, playing Guess My Number, completing on-site offers, doing shopping), and...my favorite...no minimum required to cash out for PayPal! Cash out as often as you like, and get paid within 24 hours! Or save up for other redemptions, like Amazon GCs!

Dmitry and his staff are conscientious and hard-working. It's not unusual for you to get an email response back to a question late at night or on a weekend. They've started two new blogs this year to foster better communication with and among their members. These guys bust their butts on a daily basis to meet or exceed their members' expectations, and they do...consistently.

I hope you'll join me in taking a few seconds out of your day to cast your vote for QuickRewards here.

And while you're there, spend some time on BeenPaid.com. They've got a lot of great information, especially on paid to read email programs, on which programs are reliable and which to avoid. Great site; definitely worth a bookmark!

Very noticeably AWOL from Jellyfish's Talk'n Smack for two months, Smack Daddy appeared in the daily noontime chat with one lone plaintive request: "help me". See for yourself here (thanks, drewcp).

The response from the chatters in attendance was simultaneous and unanimous -- the Smack wanted their Daddy back.

Mark, Brian, Bill...you've got the power. Make it happen. Despite the heroic efforts of many substitute hosts, the Smack isn't the same without SD. You know it, and we know it. Set the pink-tighted one free!

Sign my petition to that effect here (using your JF screen name, if you would). Thanks.

The Netwinner game site (earn points by playing games and cash them in for prizes, or earn cash instantly) has expanded to include a new member forum, NetwinnerCentral.com. In addition to chatting with other Netwinner addicts, you can participate in one of several points giveaways only available to forum members.

My favorite blogger at SmarterTravel, Tim Winship, made a great post yesterday that talks about the history of airline miles, how to earn them, and why you owe it to yourself to pursue them. The post is called, "The Joy of Miles: Frequent Flyer programs... from the beginning." It's definitely worth a read.

You see this question in the deal forums pretty often -- does anybody reward for shopping at Amazon? The answer is, "Nope." At least, not in the United States. Amazon's affiliate agreement, which websites must agree to in order to receive commissions on purchases made through our links, explicitly prohibits websites from offering incentives or rewards for Amazon purchases.

If you can't get cash back for Amazon purchases, why not make them through CompareRewards and help support the site? Thanks!

And as an added benefit to my fellow Amazon shopping fans, I've set up a newsletter through YahooGroups to help Amazon shoppers find good deals, as well as to share tips on where they can earn Amazon credit for free, or as a reward for various activities on the 'net (like completing surveys, visiting websites, doing searches, and more).

Interested? Oh, c'mon, you know you are -- give it a try and you can unsubscribe at any time! Just enter your email address into the form below.

On Tuesday, Upromise announced that their members have earned $400 million through the use of their program. They calculate this to be the equivalent of full tuition including housing for 7,000 students. Their press release goes on to say that they've added some new retailers to their online shopping portal, bringing the total to over 575, and that new offline partners include H&R Block and Budget Truck Rental.

So, that's the good news. But, they're leaving out a few other unpleasant details.

Upromise is owned by Sallie Mae, the huge college loan company. An investor group that wanted to buy Sallie Mae last April, bailed on the deal due to bad economic conditions, but Sallie Mae's trying to make the investors pay $900 million for walking out on the deal, something the two sides are battling out in court. SLM lost $344 million in the third quarter of 2007 (the fourth quarter earnings will be announced next week). They downgraded their earnings estimates for 2008 by about 20%. The last week of December, Sallie Mae was hit with TWO racial discrimination lawsuits alleging SLM steers African-American students to loans with higher interest rates. SLM stock recently hit a 52-week low, when they announced they were tightening requirements for new student loans. Last week they hired a new Chairman and a new Chief Financial Officer, obviously in a scramble to get things under control. Update, 1/18: Sallie Mae announced it's laying off 350 people and won't comment on whether more job cuts are coming.

All of this turmoil is starting to freak out the colleges. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities sent out a letter on January 7th to the presidents and chancellors of state-run colleges urging them to stay calm because Sallie Mae's troubles wouldn't cause student loans to become unavailable. Association president Constantine Curris said that "federally guaranteed student-loan program lending banks and agencies have adequate access to capital without needing to have transactions with Sallie Mae."

Obviously this "Upromise Members Have Earned $400 Million" press release was intended to spin some good PR, but if their owner, Sallie Mae, isn't stable...well, we can connect the dots.

It's been a year (and two weeks!) in the making, but here's my annual review of the big events in the rewards program biz from last year! It was a long and eventful year, and not a terribly good one overall, so strap on your helmet and body armor, and let's recap 2007!

This blog entry, from 2005, explains succinctly why it's important that Microsoft return Smack Daddy to Jellyfish.

Another blogger's take on this, "Big vs. Small," also applies.

Don't get so big that you don't listen to your membership. It's a thin line between love and hate, and you're just one wrong move away from losing us.

On Thursday, Vesdia Corporation announced it would be offering a credit card for each of its rewards programs (BabyMint, NestEggz, Stockback, and FundraiserRewards) that will deposit 1% of purchases into the member's rewards program account. CEO Peter Davis calls it "sav[ing] with a purpose." I call it spending.

If you're going to pay your credit card off in full every month, this is a good way to get something for nothing... Otherwise, remember, your 1% in earnings will be offset by the 14% interest you're going to have to pay on those purchases.

The cards (regardless of the program they're affiliated with) are offering you $25 to your rewards program account if you get the card and use it by June 15.

I'll admit it. I've been slacking off on Jellyfish's Smack Chat lately. I've been using the site often for shopping and price comparisons, but my ability to keep up on the day-to-day chat drama has been impeded by, oh, I dunno, REAL LIFE lately. I have had an ongoing saga with a Smack Shopping purchase from November that still hasn't been delivered, and I've never had to wait this long before for anything I purchased through the Smack. So, I figured it was time to stop in and how Jellyfish is doing, especially in light of their purchase by Microsoft.

Sorry to say, the news isn't all good.

First of all, I found out by checking the My Info page on the site that Jellyfish has shut down its refer-a-friend program. This was done as of January 4, and although I have referred 401 people to Jellyfish's site, THIS WAS THE FIRST I HEARD OF IT. While I am happy to see that they will continue to pay referral earnings on referrals made prior to that point (for their first year of membership), it irks me severely that Jellyfish made no attempt to communicate this MAJOR change in policy to its members. One can only assume that they don't want this policy change publicized immediately because it removes people's incentive to bring new members into the site. The "old Jellyfish" wouldn't have operated like this. This is sign #1 of Microsoft getting its dirty little hands on the program.

Second new change: Smack Daddy, the host of Jellyfish's noon-time weekday chats, is no longer there. According to his (her?) member page, he hasn't been online for 1+ months. How long that is, exactly (2 months? More?) isn't clear [Update, 1/12: Jellyfish member BlackFriday tells me SmackDaddy's last appearance was the noon show on Black Friday -- thanks, BF!] and I don't know first-hand, but one would have to be deluding one's self to not connect the dots and connect this to the Microsoft buyout. Why does it matter where Smack Daddy is? It's simple. Jellyfish as a site did not explode until Smack Shopping appeared. Smack Daddy hosted Smack Shopping. He kept everyone amused, kept order (okay, not so well but he tried), and kept the chat going with ongoing dialog that had some continuity from one day to another. There was even a Smack Daddy drinking game for a while! Smack Daddy served as Jellyfish's Representative to the People...and now he's gone -- a victim of the megaconglomerate that is Microsoft.

And Microsoft wonders why people hate them?

On the pro side, there have been other changes to Jellyfish in recent weeks. Smack Coins can now be used to purchase $25 gift cards (though it takes 2500 coins, requiring luck and/or significant effort to earn). Jellyfish has also increased their everyday shopping rates pretty much across the board since my shopping rebates comparison chart in late October (examples: Book Closeouts went from 7.5% to 10%, Brookstone went from 7.5% to 10%, Classic Closeouts went from 15% to 20%, Crucial.com went from 5.2% to 7%, Eddie Bauer went from 4.5% to 6%, Fossil went from 7.5% to 10%, Gap went from 3.7% to 5%, Joann went from 6% to 8%, Magazines.com went from 26.2% to 35%, MrsFields went from 6% to 8%, Personalization Mall went from 7.5% to 11.5%, Shoebuy went from 15% to 20%, Shoes went from 10% to 17.5%, Starbucks went from 7.5% to 10%, Target went from 5.2% to 7%)...harnessing the gargantuan buying power of Microsoft, I suppose.

The net effect of all of this: Jellyfish feels less personal and more corporate. The members that at one time rallied behind Jellyfish as not just a website but a community, that felt such a strong personal connection with the management of the Jellyfish program that they sent in home-baked goodies, a crocheted cap, beer, even flowers "just because," now find themselves with no figurehead at the helm. It's disconcerting as a long-time member (I joined on day 2).

Microsoft, I think you underestimate the importance of the personal connection Jellyfish members had with their staff. Bring back Smack Daddy, and bring back Carl (the cartoonish head of finance that served as Smack Daddy's foil). Without strong, friendly personalities to represent management, it would be really easy for the community that once rallied behind the program to turn against you, and this would not be a pretty sight. (Boston Tea Party, Jellyfish-Style!) Update, 1/11: Sign the petition to Bring Back Smack Daddy here!: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/smackdaddy

I will continue to refer interested people to Jellyfish, even without the referral incentive. But you're on notice, NuJellyfish: you have the stink of Microsoft upon you now. It won't take much to turn those fiercely loyal members into just plain fierce. Don't screw up Jellyfish (any worse). We're watching you.

According to Digital Transactions News, Pay By Touch, owner of S & H Solutions (aka Greenpoints), filed for Chapter 11 (reorganization) bankruptcy last month in Los Angeles. They've laid off some folks (according to their January 2007 Company Overview, they had employed 700 worldwide), cut operating expenses by 75%, and they're now trying to sell some of their "non-core" units. They're planning to keep Greenpoints, but the company's former (current?) director, and current board member Robert Morris, hinted that if the right offer came along, the whole company might be sold.

Just FYI for those of you still using Greenpoints. If you're carrying a large point balance, you might want to rethink that strategy. ;)

The Vesdia Corporation, which runs several rewards programs including BabyMint, NestEggz, and StockBack, announced today that Peter Davis, their founder, CEO, and President since the company's start in 2000, would relinquish his position as CEO (but remain on as President). The new CEO is James Douglass, a current Vesdia board member.

Interesting, and indicative of some discontent on the board with the company's leadership and direction. Changes are afoot at Vesdia, so expect some changes at their rewards programs as well.

The Rockford (IL) Register Star reports that FatWallet moved into their new offices on Monday, and they had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. The company has 40 employees and the website boasts 750,000 members. The new location, a former resort called the Wagon Wheel, features an open lobby, video and pinball games, foosball, air hockey, and pool tables... and room for an additional 60 employees. Founder Tim Storm says that FatWallet had 500,000 unique visitors on Thanksgiving and experienced record growth in December, so it sounds like they'll be hiring soon!

The Goldpoints program is one I don't usually cover here on CompareRewards, but I think it's worth mentioning that it was announced yesterday that the program would be shutting down. You can earn points through the end of March, and your points won't expire, but the site will be up for redemptions only starting 4/1.

Gold Bond Stamps, similar to Green Stamps, was a grocery incentive program that started in the late 1930s by a guy named Curt Carlson. He eventually diversified his business to include hotels and the TGIFridays chain. In 1996, the Goldpoints online incentive program was founded, offering rewards for hotel stays and restaurant purchases as well as purchases through their online shopping portal.

TGIFridays will be developing its own incentive program, while Goldpoints Plus, spun off from the Goldpoints program, will take over the travel-related side of the incentive business. Points won't be transferrable from Goldpoints to Goldpoints Plus, so be sure to earn enough by 3/31 to cash out, or you can use the Points.com portal for a few other redemption/transfer options.