Tag Archives: Free Stuff

a blue yellow and green logo

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.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading

a horse drawn carriage with horses

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).

a screen shot of a credit card

Continue reading

a logo for a university

Buy a $49 Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Online Annual Membership & Attend First Virtual Seminar December 12

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I just received an email from Frequent Traveler University (FTU) about their new online annual membership.  I have attended many FTU events in previous years and “attended” the virtual Chicago Seminars organized by Stefan at Rapid Travel Chai a few weeks ago and had a great time.  The cost for the FTU online annual membership is only $49 and comes with a variety of benefits and a private Facebook community.  Read on to see everything that is included in the membership.

a screen shot of a computer

Continue reading

a blue text on a white background

Great Wyndham Timeshare Vacation Package Deal: 3 Days / 2 Nights for Only 7,500 Points (Book by Dec 26, Stay by Jan 2)

Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I’ve written about this Wyndham timeshare vacation package deal a few times (September 8 and October 7), but they keep getting better and better each time.  With today’s update, there are 3 new properties participating in San Francisco, Poconos, and Atlantic City.  The details have remained the same.  You have to book by December 26 and complete your stay by January 2, 2021.  As a reminder, you can get a 3 day / 2 night vacation package for only 7,500 Wyndham Rewards Points.  That’s 7,500 points total, not per night.  You must book through this special link and attend a 2 hour timeshare presentation.  Keep reading to see the 9 cities / resorts participating in this timeshare vacation package deal.

a screenshot of a hotel

Continue reading

a close-up of a logo

My Experience Using Experian Boost to Increase my Credit Score (Mixed Results)

Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I’m sure most of you have seen the Experian Boost commercials on TV or online, but how many of you have actually checked to see if it would boost your Experian credit score?  According to the Experian Boost small print, the average credit score increase is 13 points (which is not a lot), but it’s better than nothing.  Speaking of nothing, some customers may not see any score increase at all (which is what happened to me).  The last thing to keep in mind is that this will not improve your Equifax or TransUnion credit scores and some financial institutions may use a different FICO score or model.  Your credit score will not increase 100 points with Experian Boost, so keep your expectations in check.

The entire process took about 10 minutes and involved logging into my Experian account and linking my financial institutions that I use to pay recurring bills (like Netflix, phone and utilities).  After you link your financial accounts to Experian, Experian Boost will scan your accounts and recent statements to find recurring bills.  Once they find recurring bills, you will be asked if you want to add those recurring bills to your credit report, which may or may not increase your credit score.  In this post, I will walk you through all the steps.  To get started, go to the Experian Boost page and sign in or create an account by clicking the Start Your Boost button.

a woman smiling at her phone

Continue reading