posted on February 3, 2012 06:37:59 PM new
I was kind of annoyed when I open my AMEX statement and found out I owe them $2.99.
But then on the right corner of the statement,I see I have earned a whopping 78,678 points which I can redeem.
So I waste no time and redeem these points for 11 $50 Walmart Gift Cards,thats a whopping $550 for shopping !
How did I earn that many points>
Well,by agreeing to spend $3k with my AMEX card in a month,I earn 75,000 points !
So thank you,this is what capitalism is all about!
*
posted on February 3, 2012 08:01:11 PM new
I LOVE IT!
Good for you....I agree. Enjoy spending your Gift Cards!
I also love redeeming my points at Stores and on my Visa Avion Credit card.
I just wish there had been all these little 'perks' when my children were young and I was trying to stretch a dollar that didn't stretch as far as it needed to!
posted on February 9, 2012 08:05:07 AM new
So I went to Walmart yesterday and see if I can spend $550 worth of giftcards.
I aim to buy mostly staples such as canned goods,computer paper,ink cartridge,toilet paper,trash bags etc so they can be kept for a long time.
It is not easy,unless I am buying electronic goods,it takes a long time to find enough small items I would like to stock up.
I look for ink cartridges for my wireless printer,there were 3 packs on the shelf and 2 of them have been ripped open,how do they expect anyone to buy them? How do we know if these cartridges have been used ?
The selection is not that great,whether it is Campbell soup or Pepperridge farm cookies or ink cartridge or instant coffee or dental floss?
Has Walmart changed its business model?
In the end,I managed to spend $205 ,so there is $345 left to go.
*
posted on February 9, 2012 08:10:53 AM new
It's tough trying to spend 'free Money'....
I have noticed that since WalMart moved to the Superstore model they have a very poor selection within each type of merchandise and don't seem to have shelves filled.
They used to always have a great Sewing & Crafts section with yard goods and yarn. They do not have that Department in the new Stores and have taken it out of most of the older stores too.
posted on February 9, 2012 11:41:00 AM new
They do have an aisle of sewing and craft related items,but nothing really stand out.
I remember the old Woolworth,they have an entire second floor of threads,fabric,zippers and patterns,those were the days women love to sew.
Yesterday I try to get some fresh produce and they don have a good selection ,neither does their bakery section/
*
posted on February 9, 2012 03:45:11 PM new
The 2 walmarts near me are great. Filled shelves, good variety. They are not super walmarts & I like it that way. The Target near us that went "super" is annoying to shop. They have the same # of checkers, but now people are buying whole grocery shopping orders instead of a few toys, clothes, etc. I buy my groceries in a grocery store. Better selection, better service, fresher food.
posted on February 9, 2012 04:20:52 PM new
merrie...I agree regarding food.
Last week Walmart's flyer had really good prices on some 'Name Brand' staple items for my cupboards but I just couldn't face driving there, parking in the Parkade, going up an escalator, getting through the crowds, standing in long checkout lines with my few items and then doing the reverse on the escalator and parkade thing!
I went to my usual Supermarket where the prices were only a little more...Parked almost at the door, picked up my stuff and I was outta there in 10 mins tops and on my way!
My time was worth more than the couple of $$ I would have saved at Walmart.
posted on February 9, 2012 06:27:22 PM new
I earned 75,000 points by using my AMEX card to charge 3000 dollars worth of goods and services.
May be it was 6 weeks ,I dont remember.
If I dont spend 3k within their specified period 4 or 6 weeks,I dont earn that 75000 points.
I am not even a new AMEX member,I was a member then I dropped out after a year when membership fee kicks in and this has been going on for years.
So I was kind of surprised they made this offer to me,may be they sent so many out they dont care ,anyway when I found out I have 78,000 miles in my account,I went to their website and looked for gift cards to redeem.
the only giftcard they have is Walmart and it was on sale ,it was 10,000 points and now 7xxx points,so I figure there will always be something to buy at Walmart,so I redeemed all my points/
Other credit card issuers have deals as well,Citicard offers me some points,could be 35,000 AA miles which I redeem as Paypal cash.
Sony offers 50 dollars if you make one charge in first month etc etc .
There are good deals out there !
I signed up my Kroger card with Paypal and when I use it for making Paypal payments,I earn Kroger points which earn me some grocery certificates for buying grocery at Kroger,I think it is 1000 points for $7 worth of grocery.
All of you must know Ebay also gives away Ebay Bucks so I use these bucks to pay for Ebay purchase.
I also use my Paypal debit card as a credit card to pay Ebay fee and other purchases and I earn 1 1/2% rebate from Paypal.
All these sure add up ,look at your wallet now and see if you are missing some good deals!
*
posted on February 10, 2012 06:56:18 AM new
Amex card is free the first year and then there is a fee.
Kroger Visa card has no annual fee.
Most cards have no annual fee,but the Airline ones may have a fee.
*
posted on February 13, 2012 08:33:04 AM new
I went to a different superstore to spend the remaining 345 dollars .
I saw they do have an aisle of yarns and what not.
I really want to buy some ink cartridge for my printer,once again,they have only 3 cartridges for my printer and they all looked like someone has attempted to open them.
I bought 2,one of them has a tag which said if you find this for sale outside Walmart.com,please call this toll free number.
I bought some packing tapes,some kitchenware,some fresh produce,some frozen entrees,potting soil,soldering iron,toothpaste,vitamin pills,dental floss,dish detergent,Britas water filters,finally spent 326 dollars,so now I still have 24 dollars left.
Thank you American EXPRESS !
*
posted on February 24, 2012 08:38:18 AM new
The whole reward program is such a scam. Yes, you may have reaped $550 in gift cards, but at what cost to our society? Seriously, nobody can blame you for taking advantage of this promotion... we all fall for it, but there are hidden costs involved in these ploys to get consumers to use plastic when they pay.
First, there is the annual fee for the credit card paid by the cardholder. People often sign up for credit cards for the "no annual fee" for the first year. Little do they realize that when the first year ends and they cancel their credit card, it damages their credit rating. This leads to higher interest rates down the road.
Second, the cost to merchants. AMEX is the highest fee credit card out there. Merchants pay higher fees to cover the costs of those rewards cards. AMEX doesn't give you the money out of their pocket. In fact, AMEX make money on the deal on the backs of small businesses. That money is taken out of local communities and put into the pockets of stockholders.
Third, all of these freebies are factored into the cost of goods. Meaning, the more we fall for these schemes, the more our goods are going to cost. Merchants have to cover those fees somehow, and they are simply going to pass the buck onto the consumer when you go buy your ink cartridges, paper, or knitting supplies. People who choose to pay in cash or with debit cards are paying higher prices for those goods as well, as they don't get discounts on the sticker price for the item when they pay for it. So in essence, everybody pays for it and companies like Wal Mart and AMEX make more money on the deal.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't use a reward card as that is your choice, but you should at least know how these credit card companies are making their money on this. They don't put this in the details of getting $550 in rewards for spending $3000. Why should they? It only makes them look bad.
posted on February 24, 2012 09:08:05 AM new
I understand what you are saying ,this thread is about capitalism -
-I dont believe if you sign up for AMEX which offers free membership the first year and then cancel it the next year when fee kicks in hurts your credit rating.
I have done this several times with AMEX,because I just dont need so many credit cards,so why should I pay fee for a card I dont even carry in my wallet.
But it keeps coming back,trying to entice me to sign up again.
- as to how it ultimately hurts the consumer,it goes into the same bin as shoplifting,excessive returns,reward points etc.
But this is a form of advertising like AMZN Bozo likes to say,instead of spending money on advertising,why not just offer free shipping and/or lower price?
If you have 20 millions to spend for Xmas advertising and you decide to lower your price and/or offering free shipping and the total comes to 20 millions,thats just another form of advertising,AMZN does it one way,Bestbuy/Target may choose to take out ads in newspaper and TV ,all roads lead to Damascus,MORE SALES !
Unfortunately in my case it does not convince me I should keep my AMEX card or shop more at Walmart.
Now,come to think of it,why does Walmart wants to offer its gift card to AMEX members,could it be that they want to entice wellheeled individuals to shop at Walmart and track what they buy to improve their chance of getting them to come back regularly.
before the 2008 financial tsunami,Walmart was planning to carve out one area of some of their superstore to stock up on pricey items such as imported gourmet cheese,wine etc .
Based on my recent shopping experience at Walmart,I decide I can do better elsewhere-
officejet cartridge goes for 27.35 at Walmart showing signs of wear and tempering,I can do better at Office depot which offers me $2 in store coupon for returning empty cartridge and points for purchase or Bestbuy which offers me reward points and a 15% discount on all office supplies every Wednesday(may be 20% I dont remember) .
Grocery section-fresh produce is not that impressive,selection is not as good as a traditional supermarket and the prices are not that cheap,in fact some are more expensive.
As for staples such as toothpaste,socks etc,you dont always find the brand or size you are looking for and the place is disorganised,too many people picking and handling and msiplacing the merchandise.
May be at one time Walmart has every day low price but no more,the other stores have lowered their prices and they are cleaner,well stocked and less crowded,making it a more pleasant experience.
*
posted on February 25, 2012 08:36:58 AM new
there are many factors that affect credit scores including racking up a bunch of charges, even if you pay it off immediately.
closed credit card accounts do affect your credit rating. Up to 15% of your credit score is based on how long you have had continuous open credit with a company. If you are closing accounts after a year, then you are hurting your credit score.
additionally, credit companies can remove your credit history at any time once your account is closed. current law allows negative reporting to remain up to 7 years, but positive credit reporting is a whole other scenario. there is no incentive for a company to continue reporting history on a closed account.
posted on February 25, 2012 08:51:49 AM new
I have too many credit cards already,as to credit score,it is between me and my lender,there are more than one way to secure loan.
I dont spend my waking hours worrying if my credit score is low,medium or high,there are better things to do in life,someone once cited the cause for the fall of the Roman Empire is when all its suppliers get together and said 'CASH ONLY'.
*
posted on February 25, 2012 08:53:11 AM new
Now I am thinking of returning those inkcartridges,they look pretty crummy,how do I know they have not been tempered with?
*
posted on February 25, 2012 10:30:55 AM new
I salute you, HWAHWA, if promos, discounts, freebies are available, take advantage of them.If they are out there the concerns shag mentions are already there. We did not create them and other people will take advantage of them, so we should, also.
I read the link re credit ratings that shag put into on of these replies and it said it was a very small decrease of your credit rating if you close an account.
I only use reward cards and CC promoters are fighting for my business.
posted on February 25, 2012 12:09:11 PM new
Remember there was a time all the phone companies offer us cash rebate if we switch provider,thats was in the 90s.
The electric utility companies are still doing it now.
*
posted on February 26, 2012 11:09:02 PM new
I'm with you ladies!
Nothing better than coming home from a shopping trip like we did yesterday.
One of our good Drug Stores has a Rewards Points card and were offering 20 times the number of points earned when you spent more than $50.
I found that all but one item on my list was on a good sale so I bought two of each item and I spent $101.00 so I got 20X the Points PLUS I used my Visa Rewards Card which we use to cash in on flights.
We then went to a store that is similar to your Target Stores and they have actually been bought by Target who have decided to enter the Canadian Market. The current Stores are closing in October to be revamped and morphed into Targets. This store always has good prices so I bought knitting yarn at Buy one Get one free. Stocked up on enough paper products to last a year and a couple of other items. They have a Rewards card too so I racked up points and will cash them in and spend them prior to their closing the store PLUS used that trusty VISA again.
Final trip to the Grocery Store, used their Rewards Card and bought sale items and....surprise...used the Visa card once more.
Of course the biggest problem I have is that the numbers and name on my Visa are beginning to flatten out from use!! LOL!
I hate shopping but love to spend an afternoon buying necessities and getting great prices, Store rewards and points for our next trip!
My adult daughter is amazed when we tell her of some of our buying trips but I tell her it is so easy, you just have to spend a few minutes planning and it can be fun.
I am not at all ashamed to use a Rewards card and Coupons and I am actually boosting the local economy by buying.
I know how the cards work for the retailers ( I was in the Credit Card business) however I have had to learn to be totally selfish and as we are now retired and on fixed incomes we have to look after ourselves first and be proud of it!
