Yes, I’m a points junkie

I have to admit it, ever since I’ve been a kid, I have loved getting points and saving up for things. I remember my dad going to the gas station and getting the green stamps. Ah, analog…

Then when everything went digital, a whole new world opened up.

I was the general manager at a Country Inn & Suites By Carlson (now Radisson), when Gold Points came out and I was all over it! I signed up fast and worked my butt off to get our guests signed up. At the time, it was going to be one of the best programs out there.

I took the program and turned it into an employee benefit. A rewards program where they could earn points for hitting goals or completing tasks. Well worth it.

Flash forward to today

With the advent of the smart phone, everything changed. Now everywhere you look, there are points, rewards and cash back apps. There are even apps that automatically invest for you. I can’t recall how many I’ve tried.

Again, Points Junkie here!

Now, there are only a few that I use on a regular basis and I thought I would share them with you.

I’m all about helping people and if I can get more money in your pocket, cool!

Fetch

I’ve been using Fetch since covid and was running Instacart. You shop, scan your reciept and get points. 25 for every reciept and bonuses on certain products. I think my highest was close to 5,000. You can convert your points to gift cards. I’m saving up for Amazon. I have my eyes on a certain $1000 Star Wars Lego set.

Here’s a trick I use, everywhere you go, pick up receipts. People drop them and lose them. Pick it up, scan it, and you have points! I love getting points on all the junk other people buy.

Upside

This is one I used for a long time when it first came out. When you get gas or eat out, you get cash back. The problem when I first started, there weren’t a lot of places and I was driving to work. Then I started working from home, at it was worthless.

When I was traveling, It was AWESOME! Someone else was paying for the gas!

Now, there are lots of places and it’s easier to claim your cash back. For gas, claim the reward, get gas, pay and tell the app you paid. Done! When on vacation, I found a restaruant that gave me 6% back, That’s almost ½ the tip. (I top 20% for good service)

You can get gift cards, or my favorite, CASH. I let it get to $20 and pull it. Why cash? I like to take free money and stick in it my investments. Put it to work.

I like that you can shop around for the best deal.

I hope this letter didn’t feel salesy. That’s not me. I hate sales.

Let me know on Facebook or replying to this email what your favorite points and cash back programs are. I have a few others I use and will share them in future letters.

Have a great weekend and thank you for being a subscriber!

Bill, The Boring old Guy