Amazon Prime: Buying Add-On Items Without Minimums w/ Alexa

Posted on October 14, 2017 // 14 Comments

alexaboxOn of the main benefits of Amazon Prime is that you can buy things whenever you want with no minimum purchase requirement, shipped to you for free. Mostly. Amazon classifies some of their lower-priced products as “Add-On” items, which must be bundled with $25 of items shipped by Amazon, excluding gift cards.

I understand the reason for this. I usually don’t even use 1-day or 2-day shipping even on larger orders. I pick up the No-Rush shipping credit and then let Amazon bunch up my orders and ship them more efficiently. However, I like actually making the purchase, otherwise some things will languish in my cart and I wonder why it never came. Also, this lets me lock in the current price for items that are temporarily discounted. Sometimes I want a $6 item but I just ordered $100 off stuff yesterday and I don’t need anything else.

You can have Add-On items ship without meeting the minimum purchase requirement by ordering it via the Alexa voice assistant. If you don’t have an Echo Dot or similar, you can also access Alexa on-demand via the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Amazon Dash Wand with Alexa, and now through the Amazon Music app. These also let you access Alexa-only deals.

Here’s an additional time-saving trick, picked up from minisnoey of SD:

  • For example, let say you need Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews, Small Dog, 30 count. It costs $8 but is an add-on item.
  • If you tried to order via Alexa and say “order dog chews”, there are a hundred types of dog chews. It might take a long time for Alexa to figure out the exact type, size, and count of dog chews that you want. Some people have resorted to spelling out the product name letter-by-letter. T-E-D-I-O-U-S.
  • However, this time place the Add-On item in your online shopping cart via website or Amazon app. Do not buy it yet.
  • Now using Alexa, ask to buy the item “order dog chews”. Alexa should now know that you want the dog chews that are in your cart. She will verify the name and price, and you can now buy it via Alexa without any minimum order requirement. Frustration-free ordering.

Many times, I already have another order in process so it just gets bundled along.

Bonus tip: This deal is still working: $10 bonus on your first RE-order via Alexa ($10 minimum order).

In order to qualify for the $10 credit offer, you must: (1) be an Amazon Prime member that has never made a reorder with Alexa Voice Shopping and (2) order a physical product in your Amazon.com Order History of at least $10. The reorder must be made using voice shopping on your device with Amazon Alexa.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

MoviesAnywhere: 5 Free Digital Movies After Linking Accounts

Posted on October 12, 2017 // 2 Comments

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MoviesAnywhere is a service that links up movies that you bought online at one retailer and lets you view them on another retailer. For example, you might buy a movie from iTunes and watch it from Amazon Video. This “digital movie locker” service used to be called Disney Movies Anywhere, but just expanded to include Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. Per e-mail from iTunes:

We wanted to let you know that Disney Movies Anywhere has expanded its list of participating studios to include Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. As a result, the service has rebranded to Movies Anywhere.

As Disney Movies Anywhere transitions to Movies Anywhere, you’ll need to create a new Movies Anywhere account in the Movies Anywhere iOS app or at the Movies Anywhere website before you can reconnect it to your Apple ID.

To encourage people to switch over, they are offering up to 5 free movies after you sign up at MoviesAnywhere for a new account and link up retailers (Vudu, iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play). There is no promo code required (scroll down to see banner), but it is a limited-time offer.

  • Link one retailer, and get Ice Age and Ghostbusters (2016) for free.
  • Link a second retailer, and get Big Hero 6, Jason Bourne, and The Lego Movie for free.

I’ve used this feature for Disney movies, and I like the added convenience. I got my 5 free movies without issue instantly after linking.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Amazon Cash: Add $25, Get $5 Bonus Credit

Posted on October 11, 2017 // 9 Comments

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Updated. Amazon is running a new promotion that gives you $5 Amazon bonus credit if you add $25 via Amazon Cash. Amazon ran a similar promo earlier this year that expired, so note that this one is only valid if you haven’t used Amazon Cash before.

Amazon Cash let you load cash into your Amazon account and buy things online. You get a unique barcode linked to your Amazon account, and then bring it in to a participating physical store. You can either print it out or use your smartphone. There are no fees. Participating stores include GameStop, CVS Pharmacy, KwikTrip, Fred’s Pharmacy, Cumberland Farms, and more.

Ask the cashier to scan your barcode like you’re buying a physical item. The cashier may not be familiar with the program, but as long as they scan it/see screen/enter $25, and you pay, it will go through. You can pay with pay with cash or credit card, and the funds will be loaded onto your Amazon balance (same place as where gift cards go).

Try Amazon Cash for the first time by adding $25 or more to your Amazon Balance and earn a $5 Amazon Credit towards your next purchase on Amazon.com. Your discount will automatically be applied at checkout. This is a limited time offer, one per Amazon customer account. The promotional credit expires on December 31, 2017.

Something easy to do if you are already in a mall with a Gamestop or shopping at CVS. Note that the $5 free credit must be used on products shipped and sold by Amazon.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Best Interest Rates on Cash – October 2017

Posted on October 2, 2017 // 7 Comments

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Interest rates are slowly waking up from their multi-year slumber. Don’t let a megabank pay you 0.01% APY or less for your idle cash. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. I focus on rates that are nationally available to everyone (not restricted to certain geographic areas or specific groups). Rates checked as of 10/2/17.

High-yield savings accounts
While the huge brick-and-mortar banks rarely offer good yields, there are many online savings accounts offering competitive rates clustered around 1.0%-1.2% APY. Remember that with savings accounts, the interest rates can change at any time.

  • The Mega Money Market accounts of both Redneck Bank and All America Bank (they are affiliated) are paying 1.50% APY on balances up to $35,000. Note that amounts over $35,000 earn only 0.50% APY.
  • Other sample top rates: DollarSavingsDirect at 1.40% APY, CIT Bank at 1.35% APY up to $250k, Synchrony Bank at 1.30% APY, Goldman Bank at 1.20% APY, and UFB Direct at 1.41% APY ($5k min).
  • I’ve experienced the “bait-and-switch” of moving to a new bank only to have the rate lowered quickly afterward. Until the rate difference is huge, I’m sticking with a Ally Bank Savings + Checking combo due to their history of competitive rates (including CDs), 1-day interbank transfers, and a overall user experience. I also like the free overdraft transfers from savings that let’s me keep my checking balance at a minimum. Ally Savings is at 1.20% APY.

Money market mutual funds + Ultra-short bond ETFs
If you like to keep cash in a brokerage account, you should know that money market and short-term Treasury rates have inched upwards. It may be worth the effort to move your money into a higher-yielding money market fund or ultrashort-term bond ETF.

  • The Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund currently pays an 1.12% SEC yield. The default sweep option is the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund, which has an SEC yield of 0.98%. You can manually move the money over to Prime if you meet the $3,000 minimum investment.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 1.46% SEC Yield ($3,000 min) and 1.57% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The current average effective duration is 1.0 years.
  • The following bond ETFs are not FDIC-insured, but if you want to keep “standby money” in your brokerage account and have cheap/free trades, it may be worth a look. The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 1.58% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 1.60% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months. More info here.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
I am often asked what to do with a big wad of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My standard advice is to keep things simple. If not a savings account, then put it in a short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • Ally Bank No-Penalty 11-Month CD is paying 1.50% APY for $25,000+ balances and 1.25% APY for $5,000+ balances. The CIT Bank 11-Month No-Penalty CD is at 1.45% APY with only a $1,000 minimum deposit and no withdrawal penalty seven days or later after funds have been received. The lack of early withdrawal penalty means that your interest rate can never go down for 11 months, but you can always jump ship if rates rise.
  • Advancial Federal Credit Union has a 6-month CD at 1.63% APY ($50k min) and a 12-month CD at 1.78% APY ($50k min). If you don’t otherwise qualify, you can join with a $5 fee to Connex Professional Network and maintaining $5 in a Share savings account. Via DepositAccounts.

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. There are annual purchase limits. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest.

  • “I Bonds” bought between May and October 2017 will earn a 1.96% rate for the first six months, and then a variable rate based on ongoing inflation after that. While that next 6-month rate is currently unknown, at the very minimum the total yield after 12 months will around 1% with additional upside potential. More info here.
  • In mid-October, 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.

Prepaid Cards with Attached Savings Accounts
A small subset of prepaid debit cards have an “attached” FDIC-insured savings account with high interest rates. The negatives are that balances are capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). The other catch is that these good features may be killed off without much notice. My NetSpend card now only has an eligible balance up to $1,000.

  • Insight Card is one of the best remaining cards with 5% APY on up to $5,000 as of this writing. Fees to avoid include the $1 per purchase fee, $2.50 for each ATM withdrawal, and the $3.95 inactivity fee if there is no activity within 90 days. If you can navigate it carefully (basically only use ACH transfers and keep up your activity regularly) you can still end up with more interest than other options. Earning 4% extra interest on $5,000 is $200 a year.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with some risk. You have to jump through certain hoops, and if you make a mistake you won’t earn any interest for that month. Rates can also drop quickly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling. But the rates can be high while they last.

  • Northpointe Bank has Rewards Checking at 5% APY on up to $10k. The requirements are (1) 15 debit card purchases per month (in-person or online), (2) enrolling in e-statements, and (3) a monthly direct deposit or automatic withdrawal of $100 or more. ATM fees are rebated up to $10 per month.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
You might have larger balances, either because you are using CDs instead of bonds or you simply want a large cash cushion. Buying finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider a custom CD ladder of different maturity lengths such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account.

  • Advancial Federal Credit Union (see above) has increased their rates a bit since last month, with their 18-month CD at 1.96% APY ($50k min) and a 24-month CD at 2.04% APY ($50k min). The early withdrawal penalty is 180 days of interest.
  • Ally Bank also has a 5-year CD at 2.25% APY (no minimum) with a relatively short 150-day early withdrawal penalty and no credit union membership hoops. For example, if you closed this CD after 18-months you’d still get an 1.64% effective APY even after accounting for the penalty.
  • Hanscom Federal Credit Union is offering a 4-year Share Certificate at 2.50% APY (180-day early withdrawal penalty) if you also have Premier Checking (no monthly fee if you keep $6,000 in total balances or $2,000 in checking). HFCU also offers a 3% APY CU Thrive “starter” savings account with balance caps. HFCU membership is open to active/retired military or anyone who makes a one-time $35 donation to the Nashua River Watershed Association.
  • Mountain America Credit Union has a 5-year Share Certificate rate at 2.60% APY ($5 minimum) with a 365-day early withdrawal penalty. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution, 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 certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer the same FDIC-insurance. As of this writing, Vanguard is showing a 10-year non-callable CD at 2.65% APY (Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs.) Unfortunately, current long-term CD rates do not rise much higher even as you extend beyond a 5-year maturity.
  • How about two decades!? Series EE Savings Bonds are not indexed to inflation, but they have a guarantee that the value will double in value in 20 years, which equals a guaranteed return of 3.5% a year. However, if you don’t hold for that long, you’ll be stuck with the normal rate which is quite low (currently a sad 0.10% rate). You could view as a huge early withdrawal penalty. You could also view it as long-term bond and thus a hedge against deflation, but only if you can hold on for 20 years. Too long for me.

All rates were checked as of 10/2/17.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Treasury Bills and Bonds //

Amazon Prime: Spend $25, Get Free Caramel & Cheddar Popcorn

Posted on October 2, 2017 // 4 Comments

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Amazon Prime members who spend $25 or more can now get a free bag of Sweet ‘n’ Cheesy Popcorn Mix, Caramel & Cheddar. The page for a free bottle of Amazon Elements vitamins is still up, but readers report the code coming back as expired. Many readers have reported that you can get the deals multiple times (with a separate $25 order) even if you have gotten it before.

To redeem, you must add $25+ worth of products that are sold by Amazon.com or Amazon Digital Services LLC to your cart. Amazon gift cards don’t qualify, but the a $25 physical gift cards from Whole Foods, Starbucks, or Panera Bread should work.

Next, add the bag of Amazon-branded Chicago Mix popcorn, which appears to just be a private label version of the caramel and cheddar popcorn made by G.H. Cretors. (That brand is available at Costco, which I have tried and liked.) You should see the popcorn charge removed.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Tomorrow App: Free Will & Trust, Optional Term Life Insurance

Posted on September 26, 2017 // 8 Comments

tmrwapp0The newly-launched Tomorrow app brings estate planning to your smartphone. The app includes software that will guide you through the creation of a legal will and trust for your family, and it makes money by also selling term life insurance (which you can use to fund your trust). You can use the free will and trust feature on its own and buy life insurance elsewhere. More press at TechCrunch.

The ready-to-sign wills are legal in 47 states (AK, LA, NC coming later). Here’s a diagram from their website:

tmrwapp

Is this an adequate replacement for an estate lawyer? Estate planning is strange because it is so important, but people always procrastinate about it. Nobody wants to think about death. Meeting a lawyer can be intimidating and potentially expensive. So while you could argue about what is best, most people have nothing. Is it a positive to have free will & trust software that fits many situations, making it more readily available for the public? Can it provide a positive start to a conversation with family? I think so. Are there cases where an estate lawyer would create a better product customized to your personal situation? Certainly.

Here’s what The Consumerist (owned by Consumer Reports) had to say about other DIY will-making software back in 2011:

Our wallet-watching cousins at the Consumer Reports Money Adviser newsletter took a look at three DIY options for will-making — LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer and Quicken WillMaker Plus — and found that while all three are better than not having a will, none of them is likely to meet the needs of anything more than the most basic of estates.

I’ve always been a little disappointed with legal software products when they say “we are not a law firm and this is not legal advice”. Okay, they probably have to say that. But really, if they are explicitly providing you with a ready-to-sign will and trust (and historically charging a fee for this service), then aren’t they… kinda… providing you legal advice? I certainly don’t understand it all on my own.

I did download the app and poke around for a bit. I liked the mobile-friendly Q&A format (similar to tax prep software), but as I’m not a lawyer I don’t know about quality or whether it covers the proper scenarios.

Competition. There are many established legal software websites that will guide you through the creation of a will and trust for a fee. For example, the LegalZoom Living Trust package includes a living trust, will, financial power of attorney, advanced medial directive, free revisions, and review from an independent attorney for $299. Willing.com currently offers a basic will for free (no minor children), but their cheapest package that includes a revocable trust also runs $299. A traditional local lawyer will certainly cost more than that, closer to $1,000 and up.

It appears that Tomorrow hopes to subsidize this cost by encouraging you to buy optional term life insurance from them. I think this is a reasonable idea (assuming its not too hard of a sell) as term life insurance is also one of those things people regret not buying until it’s too late. Comparison sites like PolicyGenius life insurance quotes are helpful because premiums are the same no matter which broker or website you buy it from. That means Tomorrow can’t mark up the price.

Our family already has a will & trust set up in-person with traditional lawyers. We bought term life insurance years earlier. On the other hand, I did use a software service to form my business (S-Corporation vs. LLC). Motivating myself to finish our estate plan was hard but I’m definitely glad we did it. I recommend getting something down in writing and starting the conversation, no matter which way you choose to do it.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Family //

SlingTV: Buy 2 Months, Get Free Indoor HD OTA Antenna

Posted on September 24, 2017 // 2 Comments

winegardSling TV streams live cable channels over the internet, with bundles starting at $20 per month. They have added some new promotions to help you add local HD broadcast channels via an OTA Antenna and a AirTV streaming box which integrates everything together to feel like a traditional cable box. No switching inputs back and forth.

  • Free Winegard FlatWave Indoor Amplified Antenna when you prepay two months of Sling TV. For as little as $40, you’d get 2 months of Sling TV and an antenna that costs $53 on Amazon.
  • Winegard Flatwave Indoor Amplified Antenna and AirTV Bundle for $70 when you prepay three months of Sling TV. The AirTV bundle costs $130 direct, but comes with $50 in Sling credit.
  • AirTV Bundle (Box + Adapter) for $50 when you prepay three months of Sling TV.

I hadn’t heard of the AirTV box before ( Wired review), but it strikes me as a time machine product. You can get live cable TV and old-fashioned channel surfing for about $20 to $30 a month. Both the product and price point feel like 1995. Sling TV has added cloud DVR recording on selected channels (no Disney/ABC/ESPN) for an extra $5 a month.

Alternatively, there is a product called Tablo that is a DVR with software designed to record OTA channels. Both AirTV and Tablo offer easy OTA channel lookup tools to see what is available in your area.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Amazon Prime Restaurants: $10 off $20 Minimum Order

Posted on September 24, 2017 // 1 Comment

az_restAmazon Restaurants is a restaurant delivery service open to Prime members. Enter your ZIP code too see if what restaurants are available in your area. They claim to deliver in an hour in most cases. Alexa skill available. What a world we live in.

Get $10 off your first order of $20+ with promo codes 10EATNOW or AMAZON10. With a $20 minimum order, the delivery fee is usually $4.99. Right now, delivery is free for $40+ orders. Tipping is optional but be aware there is a default value set during checkout.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Fandango Movie Tickets: Buy 1 Get 1 Free (3D/IMAX) – Sold Out

Posted on September 22, 2017 // 3 Comments

(Update: Sold out.)

Fandango has been offering the equivalent of Buy 1 Get 1 Free movie tickets on weekends when you use Visa Checkout and promo code DEALSTHATCLICK9. Limited quantities, otherwise runs from 9/22 to 9/24/17. Technically, you have to buy 2 tickets and one of them will be free. Up to $25 value so 3D/IMAX/etc should work, and the convenience fee is also waived for one ticket. Perhaps in response to pressure from MoviePass, which doesn’t include 3D/IMAX?

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Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Robinhood: Free Share of Stock for New Users – Estimated Value

Posted on September 19, 2017 // 30 Comments

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Robinhood is a sleek smartphone app that’s a brokerage account with unlimited $0 trades with no minimum balance requirement. They’ve been around for a few years now and I’ve been impressed that they’ve kept up the free trade business model, partially by recently rolling out premium paid features. I enjoy the minimalist and intuitive interface.

Right now, if you a referred by an existing user you get a free share of stock. The existing user also gets a free share, so thanks if you use it! As I write this, that share is randomly selected from a pool of “widely-held companies”, which includes Apple ($158), Facebook ($172), or Microsoft ($75). Too bad they don’t offer Berkshire Hathaway Class A shares ($274,000). Okay, but there are also shares of companies that are worth $1 or less.

What share value should I expect? Here are screenshots from my phone showing some odds:

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For some reason they try to use the World’s Smallest Fine Print™, but here are selected details from their FAQ:

The stock bonus is one share selected randomly, when the bonus criteria are met, from Robinhood’s inventory of settled shares held for this program. When shares are purchased into this inventory, Robinhood purchases shares from the three to four companies representing the highest market capitalization in various ranges of share prices between approximately $3 and $175, limited to those companies that are widely held among Robinhood accounts. There is an approximately 98% chance of the stock bonus having a value of $2.50-$10, an approximately 1% chance of the stock bonus having a value of $10-$50, and an approximately 1% chance of the stock bonus having a value of $50-$200, based on the price of shares at the time of purchase. The Robinhood platform displays approximate odds of receiving shares from particular companies at the time the screen is generated. These odds do not necessarily reflect the odds of receiving stock in those companies at the time the stock bonus is awarded.

So… basically 98% chance of getting something $10 or less, and 2% chance of something higher. This means the weighted average share price can’t be more than ten bucks.

By the way, you can cash out your bonus by selling after 2 days and withdrawing your balance after 30 days:

Limit one offer per qualified referral with a maximum of one account per referred client. Stock bonus will be credited to the enrolled account within approximately one week after the bonus is claimed. Stock bonuses that are not claimed within 60 days may expire. Shares from stock bonuses cannot be sold until 2 trading days after the bonus is granted. The cash value of the stock bonus may not be withdrawn for 30 days after the bonus is claimed.

Bottom line. The Robinhood “Get Free Stock” promotion is clever and it certainly appeals to the hopeful gambler within us with a $200 potential value, but most people are likely going get a share of stock valued at $10 or less. (Don’t sell it and wait 30 years – see what happens!) I would just treat as a fun game if you otherwise want to be able to trade stocks for free on your smartphone. Robinhood is a good value on its own, see my full Robinhood review.

Sign up for Robinhood and get your free share here, and I’ll report back on any shares that I win.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

Free 100 Air Canada Aeroplan Bonus Miles

Posted on September 14, 2017 // Leave a Comment

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New offer. Even small amounts of bonus miles can be handy as Air Canada requires activity every 12 months to prevent Aeroplan miles expiration. Give some feedback on a short video at get 100 bonus Aeroplan miles.

100 bonus miles will be credited to your account in the next 6–8 weeks.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Amazon Prints Promotional Code: 50 Free 4×6 Photo Prints + Free Shipping

Posted on September 14, 2017 // 4 Comments

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New code for 50 free prints. Amazon Prints is offering another round of 50 free 4×6 photo prints, with free shipping for Prime members. Use promotional code FREE50PRINTS by September 17, 2017 11:59pm PT. This current code should work again even if you already got 50 free prints using a previous code. Supposedly the actual printing is done by Snapfish.

Amazon Prime Photos includes unlimited online photo storage, plus 5 GB for videos and files. These free prints are a little push to get you to upload your photos with Amazon instead of Google, Apple, Facebook, Shutterfly, etc.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //
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