Archive for January, 2008
The Citibank Ultimate Money Account is offering a $25 Banking Bonus when you apply for a new Citibank Ultimate Money savings account by February 29, 2008.
Just apply for the Citibank Ultimate Money Account either online or by phone and use promotional code CYJW to receive a $25 banking bonus.
Check out the Citibank Ultimate Money Account $25 Bonus Link to apply online for this $25 cash bonus.
Here are some more details of the Citibank Ultimate Money Account $25 bonus offer.
The $25 Account opening bonus offer is available only for first-time Citibank deposit account customers, and will be paid only once to any individual.
To qualify for this offer you must apply for and open an Ultimate Money Account and a new regular checking account in the Citibank EZ Checking package and fund the Ultimate Money Account by February 29, 2008.
The $25 will be credited to your regular checking account within 120 days from the end of the statement period in which you met the above requirements.
Take advantage of the Citibank Ultimate Money Account $25 Bonus Offer to get a cash bonus when you open this savings account.
Remember, you can apply for this Citibank cash bonus online or by phone at 1-877-624-9600, and be sure to mention promotional code CYJW.
Check out these Bank of America Banking Bonuses as well.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.
The American Express FreedomPass Business Credit Card offers a simple way to earn travel rewards that are redeemable at any airline, any hotel, any car rental company, or any cruise line.
This American Express travel rewards business card has no annual fee, plus you’ll get 5,000 bonus points after your first purchase, which is 2/3 of the points you’ll need to earn a $100 cash rebate, and your points will never expire.
The best thing about the Platinum Business FreedomPass® Credit Card from OPENSM the small business team is that you redeem your cash rewards after you have rented a car or stayed at a hotel.
That means you don’t have to plan out your vacations around your credit card rewards program, and you aren’t subject to blackout dates or reservation requirements, since you apply your cash rewards to your travel purchases after you make them.
You’ll earn 1 point for every $1 you spend, and once you earn 7,500 points, you may redeem them for a $100 credit towards any flight, hotel, car rental, or cruise purchase, including purchases made through travel agencies and online travel sites. Once the qualifying purchase appears on your credit card statement, you simply request that your $100 cash bonus be credited to your account.
The $100 cash bonus for every $7,500 in purchases is roughly a 1.33% rebate on all purchases, and with the 5,000 bonus points you earn after your first purchase, you’ll only need to earn 2,500 more points before you receive your first $100 cash reward. That means you’ll earn a 4% cash rebate on your first $2,500 in purchases, since you’ll get the first $100 cash bonus after only spending that amount.
The Platinum Business FreedomPass® Credit Card from OPENSM the small business team offers a 0% APR introductory rate for the first 12 months on purchases.
It also offers a 7.99% fixed APR on balance transfers for the life of the balance on any balance transfers made within the first 6 months, and there are no balance transfer fees with this introductory offer, which makes this travel rewards credit card a pretty decent Balance Transfer Credit Card.
The American Express FreedomPass card has no annual fee, including no annual fees on any additional employee cards, although you don’t necessarily have to own a business to apply for this card. Just use your personal name for the business name on the application, and they prompt you to leave the business tax ID field blank if you are the sole proprietor of a business, which means you can apply for this card if you are just getting a business started.
American Express also offers the OPEN Savings program for this FreedomPass business rewards card, which provides savings on purchases at many companies including FedEx, Hyatt Hotels, Delta Airlines Discounts and more, and you can save up to 20% on airline, hotel, and car reservations when you book them through the American Express Business Travel Center.
You’ll also get travel and car rental insurance benefits, purchase protection services and all kinds of other American Express benefits and services.
Check out some more benefits of the American Express FreedomPass Business Credit Card.
Platinum Business FreedomPass® Credit Card from OPENSM the small business team
- 5,000 point welcome bonus with first purchase
- Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend
- Redeem for savings on any flight, hotel, car rental or cruise
- No blackout dates and no travel restrictions
- 0% Introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months
- No annual fee and the option to pay over time or pay in full
- Fee-free Additional Cards
- Save 3-25% on business purchases at companies like FedEx®, Delta®, Hertz®, and more.
The American Express FreedomPass Business Credit Card allows you to earn unlimited points that never expire, and with the 5,000 points you’ll receive after your first purchase, you’ll be well on your way to earning your first $100 cash bonus.
You may also be interested in this article on the Best American Express Credit Cards.
American Express Credit Card Discounts and Bonuses offer many ways to save and earn some extra money.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing your money.
Budget Rent a Car is continuing to offer various car rental discounts through December 31, 2008.
These Budget car rental discounts can save you from 10% to $50 off your next car rental from Budget including daily or weekly car rentals, business car rentals or long-term car rentals.
If Budget doesn’t suit your needs, you may also be interested in these Car Rental Discounts from various national car rental companies.
If you travel often and rent cars frequently, you may also want to consider these Gas Rebate Credit Cards, which can save you money on all of your gas purchases.
The American Express SimplyCash Card is especially beneficial for business travelers and frequent travelers, as it offers a 5% rebate on gas purchases, wireless services and certain office supplies.
Check out the following car rental discounts that don’t expire until December 31, 2008.
25% Off Business Travel car rentals at Budget.
Save up to 25% off business travel! Book now with Budget Rent A Car.
$25 Off weekly Budget car rentals.
Enjoy $25 off weekly rentals at Budget Rent A Car!
10% Off Budget car rentals.
Get 10% off car rental with Budget!
$50 Off Budget long-term car rentals.
Take $50 off a mini-lease with Budget Rent A Car. Click here.
Budget discounted car rentals for business meetings or US Conventions.
Take advantage of these Budget car rental discounts to save money on your next car rental.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.
This Chase $125 banking bonus offer has been extended to July 31, 2008.
Please see the current Chase $125 Checking Account Bonus Offer.
Just open a new Chase Free Checking Account with Direct Deposit with a minimum opening deposit of $100 at a Chase bank location near you, and you’ll receive the $125 banking bonus, but you must print out the promotional certificate, which has a unique promotional code.
Chase $125 Checking Account Bonus Link
The tricky part of this promotional link is that you must first be logged into your currently existing Chase account in order for the promotional link to open to the correct page and not redirect (due to cookies), so you must have a current Chase credit card account or some other non-checking account.
Since you must open the promotional link to receive the unique promotional code and print out the bank bonus offer page, if you don’t have an existing Chase account, you may be out of luck.
However, MaximizingMoney.com has created 10 PDF promotional offer pages with unique promotional codes, which we will provide to readers who would like to receive the $125 Chase banking bonus, but don’t have an existing Chase account to open the offer properly.
Email us at MaximizingMoney@gmail.com if you would like us to send you the promotional page with a unique promotional code, and we will only send out one offer each to the first 10 requests, so you can be sure to receive your $125 bank bonus when you bring your promotional offer to a Chase bank near you.
Print out your $125 Chase banking bonus offer, bring it to your local Chase bank to open a new Chase Free Checking Account with Direct Deposit (with a minimum opening deposit of $100 and a repeating direct deposit), and you will receive your $125 bonus.
The following is an example of the promotional page for your review, but Do Not Attempt to Use this Example Promotional Page to receive the offer, because only one person is allowed to use each unique promotional code.
Chase $125 Checking Account Bonus Example Page Only (Do Not Use)
Please email us at MaximizingMoney@gmail.com to receive one of our 10 unique Chase promotional codes if you don’t already have a current Chase account.
Take advantage of this Chase Free Checking Account with Direct Deposit $125 banking bonus while it lasts.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.
Thrifty Rent-a-Car is currently offering car rental discounts for American Express card members and Florida rental discounts that are available to everyone.
American Express members receive a 10% discount on car rentals anywhere and discounted rates in Florida that include a free toll road pass.
If you don’t have an American Express credit card, than you may want to review our article on the Best American Express Credit Cards by Category.
There are many Credit Card Discounts available to American Express members that make it worth applying for an American Express card.
American Express Thrifty Car Rental Discounts
American Express card members receive a 10% discount on all Thrifty car rentals when they use promotional code AX10 and pay with their American Express card.
Florida American Express Thrifty Car Rental Discounts
American Express members who rent a car in Florida will also receive discounted car rental rates, which include access to the Thrifty Pass24 Prepaid Toll Service, at participating Florida Thrifty locations.
With the Thrifty Pass24 Prepaid Toll Service, you can use the SunPass Only and E-Pass Only express lanes on the Florida toll road system, which will bypass waiting in the cash lines, and it can be used with any class of vehicle that you rent.
5% Thrifty Car Rental Discounts
Thrifty car rentals also offer 5% discounts on all of their car rentals if any of the above options don’t fit your needs.
Save 5% at Thrifty Car Rental on your travel reservations!
Take advantage of these Thrifty car rental discounts for American Express card members and Florida rentals while they lasts.
Check out current Car Rental Discounts from national car rental companies.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.
AnchorBank is offering a $50 checking account bonus to customers who open a new personal checking account by April 30, 2008.
This AnchorBank Checking Account Bonus Offer is available to residents of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota, and you can apply online, by phone or in person to receive your $50 banking bonus.
To get your $50 AnchorBank checking account bonus, simply apply for a new AnchorBank Free Checking account with a minimum opening deposit of $100.
The AnchorBank Free Checking Account has no monthly fees, no minimum balance requirement, and no direct deposit requirement, plus you’ll get a free debit card, free online banking, and a free sample pack of 25 checks.
There are several other AnchorBank Personal Checking Accounts available if you need additional features or would like an interest-earning checking account, and when you open any new personal checking account, you’ll receive the $50 banking bonus.
After 45 days, new AnchorBank Free Checking account customers will also receive Overdraft Access, which allows checking account holders to overdraft their accounts up to a minimum of $300 in case of an emergency, with a flat fee of $29 for each item overdrawn. Although it’s not necessary the best way to finance a large purchase, it’s nice to know the extra money is available in case of an emergency.
Transferring your current account to AnchorBank is easy as well, as their Smooth Move Packet makes it simple to transfer direct deposits, automatic payments, and withdrawals to your new AnchorBank checking account.
If you don’t live in one of the states that AnchorBank serves, you may want to consider this ING Direct $25 Banking Bonus, which is a completely online account with a great interest rate that is available to anyone, or you may be interested in some of these other Banking Bonuses as well as these Cash Bonus Credit Cards.
Take advantage of the AnchorBank Free Checking account by April 30, 2008, to get your free $50 banking bonus.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing your money.
The Clear from American Express card is a free cash rebate credit card with no fees of any kind.
The Clear From American Express® cash rebate card offers a 1% cash rebate on all of your purchases, and each time you reach $2,500 in spending, you will automatically be issued a $25 American Express gift card in the mail, so there are no hassles to redeem your cash rewards.
The Clear from American Express card also features absolutely no fees.
There are no annual fees, no late fees, no over the credit limit fees, no cash advance fees, No Balance Transfer Fees, no additional card fees, no dishonored check fees, no wire transfer fees, no stop payment order fees, and no statement copy fees. Those are a lot of ways that you’ll save money over other credit cards.
If you want to finance a large purchase with a 0% interest rate, the Clear from American Express card offers a 0% APR for up to 12 months on purchases, with a 1% cash back rebate on everything you buy.
If you want to transfer a balance, the Clear from American Express card offers a 5.99% fixed interest rate on balance transfers submitted during the application for the life of the balance, with no balance transfer fees.
If you want to save money on your everyday purchases, simply make all of your purchases with your Clear from American Express card, and you’ll get a 1% cash back rebate on everything you buy, with no fees.
Clear from American Express
- No fees of any kind. No annual fee, no late fees, no over-limit fees, no balance transfer fees, no cash advance fees.
- Automatic Rewards. You’ll get an American Express branded shopping card worth $25 delivered straight to your door every time you spend $2,500.
- Flexible Payment Terms. You can pay in full, or carry a balance. The choice is yours.
- Flexibility to pay over time
- No annual fee and 0% intro APR for up to 12 months.
- World class Cardmember benefits including Purchase Protection Plan, Buyers Assurance Plan, and Return Protection.
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
Although there are no fees for cash advances with this card, cash advances do carry a pretty high interest rate, so you’re better off making your purchases with your Clear from American Express card instead, so that you can take advantage of the 0% introductory offer and the 1% cash rebate, which is only valid for purchases.
Clear from American Express members will also receive additional services and benefits.
When you sign up for your Clear from American Express card, you’ll receive a Complimentary Credit Report with your credit score once every 12 months, which can save you money if you otherwise plan to pay for your credit score.
American Express also provides buyer protection services including a return protection service that guarantees your satisfaction on designated items within 90 days of the purchase, a buyer’s assurance plan that extends manufacturer warranties for covered products for up to one additional year, and a purchase protection plan that protects covered items for up to 90 days from the date of purchase if it is stolen or accidentally damaged.
American Express also provides travel benefits including emergency check-in that allows you to check into a hotel and charge your stay even if your card has been stolen, assured reservations that guarantee your hotel reservations even if you arrive late (or the hotel will provide comparable accommodations and transportation), and travel accident insurance for up to $100,000.
Additional American Express services include a global assistance hotline, 24/7 account access and customer service, and a year-end summary of your expenses.
However, the best feature of the Clear from American Express card is its simplicity, as it offers a 1% cash rebate on everything you buy with cash rewards that are automatically issued to you, plus there are absolutely no fees.
Take advantage of the Clear From American Express® cash rebate credit card to earn cash back rebates on everything you purchase, and get additional fee-free cards for your family members or friends who are 15 or over to earn automatic cash rebates for their purchases as well.
You may also want to consider the American Express SimplyCash Business Card, which offers a 5% cash back rebate on gasoline, office supplies, and wireless services and a 1% rebate on everything else, with no annual fee, plus you don’t even have to be a business owner to apply for this card.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.
TrustedID identity protection services are designed to help protect your identity and provide security from credit fraud.
However, even though TrustedID provides a valuable service to help protect you from identity thieves, many of the credit protection services they provide can be performed on your own for free.
These simple steps can help protect your identity against credit fraud, and save you money and time.
We’ve outlined the services provided through the TrustedID IDFreeze product and show you how to perform some of these steps on your own for free, although you may decide that TrustedID is worth the fee for these services, plus the additional features that you can’t get on your own.
TrustedID provides the following services to protect your identity:
1. Lender DoubleCheck
2. CreditLock
3. Credit Report Evaluation
4. Stop Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers
5. Credit Card Monitoring
6. $1,000,000 Identity Theft Insurance
1. Lender DoubleCheck
TrustedID places Fraud Alerts on your credit reports at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and it automatically maintains those Fraud Alerts for you.
Fraud Alerts are an indication to potential creditors that they must double-check your identity before issuing you a loan, credit card, etc. by calling you, sending you a letter, or cross-referencing your information.
Although TrustedID does provide Fraud Alerts, you can also set Fraud Alerts on your own for free by requesting an Initial Security Alert for 90 days, which you can then renew regularly, or an Extended Fraud Victim Alert for 7 years.
Although Fraud Alerts provide additional protection against identity theft, especially in regards to new accounts being opened in your name, they do not provide complete protection for your existing accounts or for accounts that don’t require a credit check.
You also have to consider that Fraud Alerts will be placed on your credit reports, but it is up to the creditors themselves to verify your information, which means the credit card issuers and personal loan providers, and they can’t exactly be trusted to perform this function effectively.
Even though Fraud Alerts are guaranteed under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, and the law indicates that the creditors must use “reasonable policies and procedures” to verify your identity before issuing credit in your name, the steps potential creditors take may not always alert them that the applicant is not you, and inside sources indicate that in the real world, creditors often don’t notice or simply ignore Fraud Alerts during their credit report reviews, especially the less reputable companies.
Visit Experian Fraud Alerts to activate Fraud Alerts.
You’ll only have to set your Fraud Alerts with one of the credit bureaus, because they must then notify the other credit bureaus to also set Fraud Alerts for all of your credit reports.
2. CreditLock
TrustedID provides CreditLock, which places a Security Freeze on your credit reports.
When a Security Freeze is set for your credit reports, third-party creditors will not have access to your credit reports without your consent, and this blocks identity thieves from opening new credit accounts in your name.
Security Freezes protect your identity, but they can also delay the process of applying for new credit, as you have to grant creditors temporary access to your credit reports, and there are also fees involved that vary by state, with a standard fee of $10 per credit bureau initially and for any subsequent temporary authorizations. The fee is waived in most states if you’re a victim of identity theft.
It’s important to understand that TrustedID does not pay for your fees, but they do provide assistance in placing the Security Freezes on all 3 of your credit reports from Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, and they also assist in managing temporary authorizations to creditors.
Security Freezes must be set at each credit bureau. Visit the links below to see the requirements and contact information for each credit bureau.
TransUnion Security Freeze (also includes listing of Security Freeze fees per state)
3. Credit Report Evaluation
TrustedID offers their Credit Report Evaluation service, which provides you with your credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion once every year.
However, this service is provided to consumers by law for free once a year already, and the credit bureaus have set up a central site to provide your with your free credit reports online.
If you haven’t obtained your credit report this year, we recommend you review your 3 credit reports for accuracy, as this is one of the first steps in identifying if you have been a victim of credit fraud.
Read our article on Ordering Your Credit Reports for Free to monitor your credit files.
4. Stop Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers
TrustedID prevents you from receiving pre-approved credit offers in the mail, which are a result of your information being sold by the credit bureaus to credit lending companies.
However, you have the right to choose not to receive these offers, and you can do so for free on your own.
This will prevent identity thieves from stealing these offers from your garbage and opening new accounts in your name, plus it will reduce your junk mail.
Simply visit the official website to opt out or call 1-888-5-optout.
5. Credit Card Monitoring
TrustedID does provide a Credit Card Monitoring service that monitors the Internet on a 24/7 basis and alerts you in real time to instances of your credit card numbers being used in fraudulent activity.
This is a unique service provided by TrustedID, but it’s hard to measure its true protection value, as your credit card numbers may never appear in the particular databases or networks being monitored, although it definitely adds an extra level of protection to the IDFreeze service.
Read our article on Credit Monitoring Services for more information on monitoring your credit reports.
6. $1,000,000 Identity Theft Insurance
TrustedID does provide a $1,000,000 guarantee to protect you in the event that your identity is compromised under their protection, which provides some extra comfort and peace of mind, and that’s something that doesn’t always come for free.
Is TrustedID worth the money?
Overall, TrustedID does provide a valuable service, but as you can see, many of these steps to protecting your identity can be taken on your own for free.
However, at $12.95 per month or $109.95 per year, you may decide it’s easier to hire TrustedID to protect your identity for you.
Read this additional article on Blocking Identity Theft for more information on protecting your identity from credit fraud, which includes information on a similar credit protection service provided by LifeLock.
LifeLock Identity Theft Prevention provides similar services to TrustedID, although they don’t provide such features as Security Freeze assistance and Credit Card Monitoring, but they do come at a slightly cheaper price.
Whether you choose to use TrustedID identity protection services or decide to protect your identity on your own for free, it’s important that you take some precautions against credit fraud and identity theft.
Thank you and enjoy maximizing money.
Budget Rent a Car is currently offering up to $50 off car rentals, plus a free ski rack and unlimited mileage.
From now through April 30, 2008, rent an SUV from Budget and get $50 off the weekly rates, or rent a compact car and get $20 off the weekly or weekend rates, and you’ll get a free ski rack with unlimited mileage.
This is a great way to save money on a ski vacation this winter if you need to rent a car, or if you just want to rent an SUV to have some extra room during your next vacation, whether you’ll be skiing or not.
Get a FREE ski rack rental and unlimited mileage PLUS up to $50 off your rental.
Here are some of the details on this Budget Rent a Car discount and free ski rack offer.
Offer of $50 off valid on an SUV (Groups W, Z, and L), offer of $20 off valid on Compact (Group B) and above. Dollars off applies to the time and mileage charges on standard discretionary Budget leisure weekly rates with a minimum of five days and a Saturday night stayover.
Offer of up to $20 off valid on Compact (Group B) and above and applies to time and mileage charges on standard discretionary Budget leisure weekend rates, which include a Saturday night stayover. Weekend rental period begins Thursday noon and car must be returned by Monday 11:59 p.m.
Unlimited mileage is included on all Ski Saver Package rentals.
Dollars Off offer is available at participating Budget Ski locations in CA, CO, CT, ID, MA, ME, MT, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, UT, VT, WA, WY and participating Budget Ski locations in Canada, on rentals check out by April 30, 2008.
An advance reservation is required.
Take advantage of this Budget car rental discount offer for up to $50 off your next car rental, plus a free ski rack.
Get a FREE ski rack rental and unlimited mileage PLUS up to $50 off your rental.
Even if you are not going skiing this winter, you may still want to consider this offer just to get $50 off an SUV or $20 off a compact car, or check out these other Car Rental Discounts from national car rental companies.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.
Bank of America is currently offering a $75 checking account bonus that expires on March 31, 2008.
Sign up for a new Bank of America personal checking account with a minimum opening deposit of at least $100, and you will get a $75 banking bonus for opening your checking account.
Bank of America $75 Checking Account Bonus Offer Link.
To receive this $75 banking bonus, either apply online or print out the checking account bonus offer and bring it to any Bank of America location.
If you want a checking account with absolutely no fees and no requirements to avoid fees, then you’ll have to apply online for the MyAccess Checking Account.
The MyAccess checking account has no fees with no minimum balance or direct deposit requirements when you apply online, but if you apply in person, there is a direct deposit requirement to avoid the $5.95 monthly maintenance fee.
However, many of their personal checking accounts are free if you meet certain requirements, so there are plenty of other checking account options that will fit your needs.
Student checking accounts and secondary checking accounts are not eligible.
Go to the Bank of America $75 Checking Account Bonus Link to apply online or print out the $75 banking bonus offer, and be sure to use the offer code AOU260108.
Take advantage of this Bank of America checking account bonus to get a $75 cash banking bonus.
Thanks and enjoy maximizing money.

