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Citi ThankYou Points Cyber Monday Gift Card Sale (Redeem 20% Fewer TYPs on Nov 30)

Updated on 11/29/20 at 11pm PT: According to the Citi ThankYou Gift Card page, it looks like this 20% discount only applies to Apple, Happy Dining, Fandango, Petsmart, and Top Golf gift cards.  All other gift cards are at the same price.


Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I just received an email from Citi about their upcoming Cyber Monday Gift Card Sale.  If you redeem Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs) on November 30 between 12:00am ET and 11:59pm ET, you will be able to redeem 20% fewer TYPs.  For example, a $25 gift card normally costs 2,500 TYPs (1.0 cents per point), but during this promo, you will only need to redeem 2,000 TYPs (1.25 cents per point).  The 1.25 CPP rate is the same value you would get if you redeemed TYPs for travel.  You may be able to get more than 1.25 CPP if you transfer your TYPs to transfer partners, so keep that in mind.

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Intro to Venmo Rewards & How to Order Venmo Debit Card

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your Thanksgiving weekend is going well.  A few days ago, I ordered my Venmo debit card and I wanted to provide an introduction to the Venmo Rewards program and show the steps to order, activate, and use your Venmo debit card.  The Venmo debit card has a clean design and is available in a few different colors.  Here is the front and back of the card (it is a little strange that the front is vertical but the back is horizontal).

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ExpressVPN Cyber Monday Deal: 49% Off + 3 Free Months (Expires December 13)

Updated on 11/29/20 at 8am PT: The Cyber Monday Deals are live through December 13.


Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  ExpressVPN (the VPN service I have been using for years) is currently running their Cyber Monday deal where you can get 49% off a 12 month subscription + 3 free months.  ExpressVPN works across many devices (desktop, laptop, browsers, tablet, phone, video game consoles, and more) and many different operating systems (Apple, Windows, Linux, Android, Chromebooks, and more).  Plus, a single ExpressVPN subscription can be used simultaneously across 5 different devices, so the whole family can be protected online.  Click here to review their plans and start protecting your online information.

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Buyers: Watch eBay Items to Get Discounted Offers (YMMV); Sellers: Send Discounted Offers to eBay Watchers

Good morning everyone, I hope your Thanksgiving week is going well.  I have been an eBay buyer and seller for 16+ years, so I thought I would share a tip for buyers and sellers.  If you are an eBay buyer, you might be able to get a discount by watching items that you want to buy (more details to come on how this works).  And for eBay sellers, you might be able to sell your items faster by sending discounted offers to interested buyers (who watch your items).  These 2 tips are related and act as 2 sides of the same coin.  There is no guarantee that this works 100% of the time, but it does work some of the time.  Let’s get started with eBay buyers first.

Buyers: Watch eBay Items to Get Discounted Offers

To get started, sign into your eBay account and go to your Watchlist.  As you can see, I am not currently watching any items.  It doesn’t matter if you are watching any existing items or if old watched items have ended.  Now, start browsing eBay for Buy It Now items you are interested in buying.

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Wells Fargo Discontinues Instant Issue Debit Cards (Effective November 30)

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  I just reviewed my recent Wells Fargo checking account statement and noticed this “Important Account Information” section at the bottom of my statement.  “Effective on or after November 30, 2020” (strange way of wording this change), you will no longer be able to request Wells Fargo Instant Issue Debit Cards or Wells Fargo Business Instant Issue Debit Cards.  After November 30, if you need a replacement debit card (if your current debit card was lost or stolen), you can no longer get a temporary debit card at a Wells Fargo branch – you will need to use the Wells Fargo app or call Wells Fargo (1-800-869-3557) to request a replacement debit card.  Once your request is submitted, your replacement debit card will arrive via mail in 5-7 days.

I don’t usually use or carry my Wells Fargo debit card (but I do have it saved in my ApplePay Wallet), but this is obviously a negative change if your Wells Fargo debit card is you only form of payment.  If your debit card is lost or stolen, you will need to wait 5-7 days (or however long it takes for your replacement debit card to arrive in the mail) which could be an eternity if you need your debit card to pay for items.

I haven’t tried this in years or at Wells Fargo, but I think if you show up at a branch with your driver’s license and provide verification information, you should be able to withdraw cash from a bank teller (YMMV with this tip).

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