Monday, February 13, 2012

Money Monday: Making Money from Thin Air

Artists know – every penny counts. So why not make sure your money is making you money?

Here’s how my money makes money every time I spend online or offline:
  • Credit Card Rewards - I prefer the cash back kind of credit card over those that offer mileage or reward points. With my Costco Credit Card, I earn 3% cash back on gas, 2% cash back on travel or restaurants, and 1% cash back on everything else. (The cash only pays out once a year, but there’s no annual fee.) Research the best incentive credit card for you at Bankrate.com.

  • Dining Rewards - I’m also signed up for MileagePlus Dining, which earns me United Airlines miles every time I use my Costco Credit Card at one of their participating restaurants. Yup, that’s double dipping rewards! The program is also available for other airlines, so check your favorite airline’s Web site for dining rewards.

  • Airline Shopping Malls - Any time I need to shop online, I click through one of the airline shopping malls first to earn miles. I usually check them all to see which airline mall will give me the most miles for my purchase at any given store. There are several to check –

  • Upromise by SallieMae – Earn dollars for a child’s college plan by registering your credit cards and grocery reward cards and then spending on particular brands. They also have a shopping mall that can earn you money when you clickthrough to shop online. (I’m saving for my goddaughter to go to MIT.)

  • GoodShop – If I can’t make money for me, I’ll make it for someone else. GoodShop gives money to the charity of your choice every time you clickthrough their site before shopping. They also offer exclusive coupons and offers! Plus they’re the only incentive program I can find that earns money from shopping at Amazon.com, so I clickthrough their site every time I need a book. Right now, I’m contributing to the East West Players every time I shop!
Any other incentive programs out there worth mentioning?

6 comments:

  1. If you have a Kroger and use their shopper's card, you get double fuel points on gift cards (they have a HUGE selection). 100 fuel points saves you $0.10/gal on fuel. So if you go out to eat at Applebees, shop at best buy, or purchase apps or music on itunes you should buy gift cards from Kroger to get the double points to save on fuel. And you can use your credit card that allows you to collect points/miles at Kroger so you double dip there as well!

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  2. If you shop online often, sign up for an account on Ebates and access your store's website through Ebates. You'll get a small percentage back in what you spend. I get a check every month just for shopping using Ebates!

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  3. These are *great* suggestions! Keep 'em coming! :)

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  4. This is such a great post wherein I enjoyed and at the same time learned a lot. There are only a few posts that are worthy to receive a good appreciation, and this is one of those. Thanks for giving time sharing great idea.

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    1. Thanks Christian! I hope to write many more Money Monday posts that are this good!

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