Tag Archives: Gift Cards

$5 Minimum Payouts for Ebay Bucks Reward Program Starting January 1, 2014

$5 Minimum Payouts for Ebay Bucks Reward Program Starting January 1, 2014

If you are unfamiliar with Ebay Bucks, it is basically a rewards program that gives you 2% cash back (in the form of Ebay gift certificates every quarter) on almost everything you buy on Ebay. Very straightforward program and a great way to encourage buyers to shop more on Ebay. To learn more about the program, read this post.

A few minutes ago, Ebay sent out the following email regarding changes to the Ebay Bucks program:

To earn more than $5 in Ebay Bucks each quarter, you will have to spend more than $250 on Ebay each quarter ($250 x 2% = $5). Previously, you would receive an Ebay gift certificate no matter how much, or how little, you spent each quarter. I just sent Ebay a tweet asking if they can roll over rewards from one quarter to the next, but I doubt that will happen.

If you need help reaching the $250 quarterly spending on Ebay, just look at the gift card category. You can easily spend more than $250, earn Ebay Bucks, and get a (great) discounts on gift cards.

If you have any questions about Ebay Bucks, please leave a comment below. Happy holidays!

4 Plink Accounts + 4 Ink Cards = 1,035 Free UR Points and $2.55 Profit

4 Plink Accounts + 4 Ink Cards = 1,035 Free UR Points and $2.55 Profit

Plink is an online website where you earn Plink Points (worth 1 cent each in terms of gift cards) for shopping at certain merchants with certain credit cards. Currently, you can earn 300 Plink Points (worth $3.00 in gift cards) for shopping at Staples and using your linked (or should I say “Ink”ed) card and spending more than $60 in a single transaction.

Let’s image a world without Plink. All you have is a Chase Ink card, a Staples store, and want to purchase a $200 gift card. The total price is $206.95. You earn 5 UR Points with your Ink card for a total of 1,035 UR Points for $6.95 = 0.67 cents per point. Pretty good deal right?

Now let’s image a world with Plink. Sign up for Plink and register your Chase Ink card (you can only link 1 credit card per account). Now repeat the above steps. Your total is still $206.95 and you earn 1,035 UR Points. Now include the $3.00 in Plink points in your activation fee, which lowers your activation costs to $3.95 ($6.95 – $3.00). 1,035 UR Points for $3.95 = 0.38 cents per point. Even better right?

Here is my math:

Card Value	Card Cost	Net Cost	UR Points	Plink Points	CPP	Profit
$200.00	$6.95	$206.95	1,035	$0.00	$0.67	$0.00
$200.00	$6.95	$206.95	1,035	$3.00	$0.38	$0.00

Now that you have a couple million Plink Points, it is very easy to redeem for gift cards. They have Amazon gift cards which are arguably the best gift cards to choose.

Order is complete as soon as you click one of the green circles.

As soon as you order your Amazon gift card, the Plink points are deducted from your account.

I received an email from Plink in a few minutes with the gift card code.

Adding the gift card balance to my Amazon account is quick and easy.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Stuck in Card Snagger’s Web

Stuck in Card Snagger’s Web

I am a big fan of Gift Card Granny and use it to check the buy/sell value of various gift cards. My latest purchase included 2 Barnes and Noble gift cards from Card Snagger. Learn more about Gift Card Granny (Buy Gift Cards for up to 30% Off!).

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Quick Notes: Gift Cards with PINs do not work right away and Staples FAR deal troubles

Quick Notes: Gift Cards with PINs do not work right away and Staples FAR deal troubles

I was in CVS this afternoon and bought a $20 Home Improvement Gift Card to test out (you can read Million Mile Secret’s post from yesterday for more info). Walked next door to Walmart and tried to load this card to my Bluebird Card. I even clicked “other payment options” and debit, but still didn’t work. I had 2 MasterCard Gift Cards from Staples that I had just called to add a PIN. Neither of those cards would load to Bluebird either.

Therefore, it looks like it takes at least 20 minutes (probably longer) for the PIN to be registered with the Home Improvement Gift Card and the other gift cards. Let me know if your experiences are similar/different than mine. My dad always goes to Home Depot, so I just gave the Home Improvement Gift Card to him in exchange for a $20 bill.

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How to Add a PIN to a Visa or MasterCard Gift Card

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Grant. 60 Replies

UPDATED 3/16/14 at 12PM: Simplified some of the steps and updated the PIN activation process.

There are hundreds of types of gift cards out there, but I will show you how to activate and create a PIN for 2 of them. Your gift card may work similarly or may be entirely different. Up first, I will show you how to add a PIN to a $200 Visa Gift Card.

All you have to do is go to the Gift Card Mall website (link) and click the Update Card PIN button.

Enter your gift card’s number, expiration date, and CVV code on the back.

Now you can create any 4 digit PIN you want. I usually go with the last 4 digits of the gift card you are working with, but any 4 digit PIN will work.

Congratulations, your PIN has been successfully updated! You can now use your gift card to load onto your Bluebird Card (link).

Up next, I will show you how to add a PIN to a $200 MasterCard Gift Card.

Follow these steps to add a PIN to your gift card:

Call 1-866-952-5653
Press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish
Press 2 for all other inquires
Enter the 16 digit card number followed by the # sign
Enter the last 3 digits printed on the signature panel followed by the # sign
Press 3 to change (or create) your PIN
Enter a 4 digit PIN followed by the # sign (I usually use the last 4 digits of the gift card I am using, but you can use any 4 digit PIN you want)

Re-enter your 4 digit PIN followed by the # sign
Congrats, your PIN has been successfully activated! Hang up and repeat the steps for your next MasterCard Gift Card.