You can win big in Facebook and Twitter contests

May 23rd, 2011
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We scoured the web for endless Lists of Facebook and Twitter Contests and came up with people winning everything from iPads to dinner for two at local restaurants. If you have the time there are many contests to enter and sometimes all you have to do is click LIKE or Tweet about a company to win.

In addition to being a great way to reconnect with friends, Facebook is one of the greatest ways a business can convey promotions to large masses of people. There are always hundreds of contests surfacing on Facebook at any given time. This article will give a list of the most popular, current contests on Facebook.

1. DHC Skincare: Spring Clean Sweepstakes

DHC Skincare is giving out 200 bars of DHC Moisturizing Clear Soap to winners. The value of each bar of soap is about $20. Entrants have one chance to enter.

2. Speed: All Star Giveaway

By simply liking “speed” on Facebook, you can win over $10,000 and other great prizes. Because you can enter this contest once a day, you have greater odds of winning this contest with consistent daily entries.

3. Travelsmith: Taste for Travel Sweepstakes

The Travelsmith sweepstakes contest also allows entrants to have a greater chance of winning. Entrants can enter this contest up to three times a day. Winners will receive Travelsmith gift codes worth $25, $50, or $250. In addition, the grand prize winner will receive a week-long cruise on a European river.

4. Pottery Barn: Summer Party Contest

Pottery Barn is hosting yet another one of its contests for stylish home interior goods. The Summer Party sweepstakes allows entrants the possibility of winning a Fruits de Mer party for 20 guests. The total worth of this prize is $10,000. Entrants may enter the contest at least once a day.

5. Dunkin Donuts: Unfreeze It Contest

Entering this contest on Facebook, one has a chance to win a true variety of prizes. One of the best prizes is an entertainment package worth over $1,600. Other prizes include gift cards from Mountain Dew and Dunkin Donuts, Flip video cameras, snowboard, skate decks, and other prizes. Entrants may enter this contest once a day.

6. Cooking.com: Wacky Photo Contest

This fun contest calls for entrants to take a wacky photo of a favorite kitchen item and submit it into the Cooking.com contest. There will be more than one winning entries. One can win an Apple iPad or giftcards to Cooking.com. There are unlimited entries into this contest, so a person has a very good chance of winning this contest.

7. OxyClean: Brighten Up Your Ball Game Contest

This special contest will award $10,000 to a child’s baseball team or league. This is a great contest that seeks to give back to the community. Entrants may only enter this contest once.

8. Quaker Oats Sweepstakes

The Savor the Moment sweepstakes through Quaker Oats allows entrants to win a number of prizes. Some of the leading grand prizes are a home entertainment center, family night at the movies, and a digital camera. There are also samples of Quaker Oatmeal available for winners of this contest. One may enter this contest once a day.

9. Burt’s Bees Contest

The winner of this Burt’s Bees contest will get a trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York. There are also a limited number of Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm sets available through this contest. A person can enter this contest in person or through email once a day.

10. California Pizza Kitchen Facebook Contest

This California Pizza Kitchen contest is one of the most popular contests on Facebook, because the prizes are simply incredible. The grand prize of this contest is $100,000. Other prizes include $50,000 or $35,000 in cash. Another fun prize available through this contest is free meals for one year at California Pizza Kitchen. Entrants are able to enter this contest once for every visit they have to a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant. The odds of winning a prize from this contest are great, since millions of other prizes are being awarded.

11. Entenmann’s Sweepstakes

Through this contest one can win one of many Apple iPad devices. Entrants can enter this contest once on a daily basis.

12. Jergens Contest

In this contest, one can win fabulous prizes in addition to Jergen’s body care goods. Other prizes include a flip camera, iPod touch, or $50 SpaFinder gift cards.

These are some of the hottest contests on Facebook right now and allow entrants to enter multiple times, thus increasing the odds of winning! Have you won any contests through social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook? Let us know in the comments section or link us to a contest that is going on right now that you would like our readers to enter.

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Scottrade Review

April 21st, 2011
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Scottrade is a piece of trading software which provides you with three different trading platforms: Scottrade, Scottrader, and Scottrade Elite, so it facilitates a wide range of trades. It also offers training support for everyone, from beginners to expert traders. It may not have level 2 software but it does include columns for both Comtex and Dow Jones, and level two quotes. The basic trading plan provides basic quotes and research tools. It is among the best of tools for trading with large stocks, but it is not without its disadvantages too.

Online, this trading team has many investment calculators on their website and so they equip you with the information you need for a good trading strategy. They even provide their clients with free trading seminars to help you to get grips even with complex markets. In terms of the charts and information provided, Scottrade compares well with other brokers such as E*Trade and TD Ameritrade, both of whom are much more expensive. Just as they do, the trading team provides traders with the option to save their chart settings, which can have fundamental and technical indicators incorporated. One downside, though, is that their charts do not offer traders a PE history indicator.

Scottrade’s tools are unfortunately nothing out if the ordinary. The stock screener online gives the opportunity to screen 32 different categories, but one thing it doesn’t allow you to screen for a specific market cap. There are a few other options not available here that are standard in most trading software which costs more than this specific trading tool.

On the good side, Scottrade gives frequent stock market updates with links to Reuter, MarketEdge, and Standards & Poor’s so you are always working with the most up to date market information. They also have good trader support, by telephone or email or through more than four hundred branches throughout the US. Unfortunately, though, they do not offer a 24-hour help service. To mitigate against this, some of their Brokerage special features include Smart Text, which explains all the charts in simple to understand language that beginners will find really useful.

For standard stock and options trades they compare to Ameritrade and E*Trade. You can usually get the best price possible with them as their site is usually fast and reliable. They have now updated their system to accept electronic funding or wire transfers to make the whole process easier, too.

Registration is through an easy online process. You are then sent a conformation email. Having completed the sign-up, you can instantly fund your account via Money Direct. Scottrade will allow your account to be instantly funded, probably as soon as you have read the email!
The advantages offered by this trading company are numerous, one of the main ones being the cost benefit. You can start with just $500 and that gives you access to wide range of investments on international markets, with low margin rates.

Unfortunately, there is also a downside to Scottrade, especially the necessity to use different platforms for trading stocks and options. A big disadvantage is that this software cannot be used to FOREX trading. Also, there is no Live Chat option for when you have a problem.

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Discover Card Loyalty does not pay off

February 18th, 2011
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The brand loyalty to the Discover Card just does not pay off I found out recently. In my recent Discover billing statement I got a notice that they want to thank me for my loyalty with a special card design. The old design of the Discover Card – let me jump up and down now! SO I get to pretend I am living in 1990 when I first got the card and thought it was kind of a trendy looking thing but yet reminded me of that Discover travel outdoor magazine more than a money having piece of plastic. This is what I get for my loyalty to you for over 15 years?

What they should have given me for my loyalty was a better credit line. My credit is excellent yet I only have a 5,000 limit with them and I recently applied for another Discover Card for a 0% Balance transfer offer which did not help at all. They told me I would have to split my old line of credit in half for $2,500 to make it even lower. A Balance transfer of $2,500 is nothing compared to what other card issuers give out.

It seems my loyalty to Discover is not doing much for my side of things. This is telling me I will use them a few months for this BT offer then cancel EVERYTHING Discover. I am not only frustrated with Discover but am insulted with my income and credit history being Excellent they cannot give me more than $5,000 limit. I get to carry around a card that looks like 1986 with the black and orange but not reap the benefits of being a long term Discover card holder?

My message to Discover card is to pay attention to your cardholders if you want to be around another 25 years. There is a reason you are the underdog it is because you barely give us a credit limit to stand on and while we are going through hard times as a country you need to step up the game. If you want to compete with the big dogs such as MasterCard and Visa you have to offer something more than UP to 1% for your loyal cardholders. You need to offer something better than a redemption level of $40 if you want cash which is worse than American Express. Your card was exciting back in 1986, but now it offers nothing to stand out from the 3% offers, 5% offers, and FULL 1% offers.

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Hospital Insurance Plan Offered from Credit Card Company

January 14th, 2011
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I recently canceled my Travel Medical Insurance so I am pretty open to things when they come in the mail to be somewhat of a supplemental insurance to my existing insurance. I canceled the Travel Medical Insurance I had on my American Express Hilton HHonors card because it was $59 and I really only used it for international travel. It turns out my international travel is covered by my Oklahoma Blue Cross/Blue Shield Policy so there is no need for this anymore. Plus the fact that I have not used the Travel Medical Insurance in several years and have my own insurance policy it really does not seem to act as supplemental insurance.

Today I found an interesting offer in the mail from Household Bank Credit Card that said they would allow me to collect up to 365 days of cash benefits for each covered hospital stay. This would include $200 daily benefit adding up to $73,000 a year and $146,000 overall. I noticed they keep putting the zeros in the letter behind the $73,000.00 making it look like $73 Million or so to the weak sighted or those who do not proofread carefully.

They then use the scare tactics by saying this $73,000 a year could be used as cash for utilities, groceeries, lost wages, mortgage, or rent in such an emergency as this hospital stay. The letter goes on to say the hospital confinement cash benefit doubles up to $400 a day for 365 days of costly intensive care up to $146,000 a year in addition to any other insurance.

The cash comes to me or someone I choose from what the letter says which sounds nice so it is not going to the hospital directly. It also states I can spend the cash anyway I want including everyday expenses, bills, at-home assistance, etc.

They only want $10.25 a month to cover me but an additional $7.30 to cover my family. While it is cheap it sure does not cover much. It would pay for itself if you ended up in intensive care at $125 a year cost but then the small emergency room coverage of $100 is not much.

I called a rep and asked if this is a loan or an actual cash payment. They claim it is a payout where we would not owe them back the money we paid out. It sounds like a deal to me but it does make me want to ask some more questions such as Will they cover me if I do not charge my hospital to this particular credit card? Will they cover me if I do not call them before going into the hospital? I assume they will because I do not see it state otherwise.

The plan is paid the first 60 days by HSBC and is Underwritten by Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company. Keep in mind it does not cover those trying to commit suicide nor those intoxicated or with drugs in their system. Don’t be trying to commit suicide because your hospital bills are too high then claim it on here.

The bottom line is that $146,000 of supplemental coverage for hospital bills is not that much when it comes to the medical world of bills but it might help out since the cost to me or you is only $125 a year.

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Pinpoint Credit Card Fraud App for Cell phones needed?

December 22nd, 2010
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The Fear of Fraud has been taken one step further with the introduction of Pinpoint. Pinpoint Fraud’s website shows a video of them scaring you into thinking someone could be using your debit card somewhere without you knowing it. The Piinpoint service is there to monitor your purchases and your location of your cell phone at all times then they analyze it and text you if they see something suspicious.

What PinPoint is not telling you when they want you to sign-up with them and pay $6.95 a month is that your credit card company already provides this. Chase, for example will call you if you have made purchases in other states or made too many large purchases. The card companies look at your geographic location but they do not need you to slow down your cell phone with an app to do this.

Another reason PinPoint is not worth your time is because when you purchase something online it will not be in the location of where you are. This is because online businesses may have their processing center far from their store address or it could be with a company like Paypal that is not exacly local.

Most of these add-on credit card or debit fraud detections are worthless and a hassle you do not need. Even though the PinPoint service is Free with just one card it is not worth your time.

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$50 Bonus from ING Direct

December 9th, 2010
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I noticed this on my Tivo which the discount could work for anyone even if you do not have a Tivo if you just type in the promo code. This promotion is for a $50 bonus ING Direct account opening.

Notice they use the words No Drama after the no Checking Fees.  Nice wording when your speaking to an audience that wants to be entertained such as Tivo.  We want drama but not with our Checking accounts like we get with the old-fashioned banks.

Electric Orange works like a Checking account but earns like a Savings with No Fees.  Keep in mind you have to get the money to your ING Direct account it does not just appear and you will not be able to drive-thru and speak with a teller.  But who can turn down Fifty bucks!

See more at INGDirect.com/nofees or just click on your home screen on the Tivo controller and you may see the advertisement at the bottom.

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Foursquare Apps can save you this Shopping Season

November 23rd, 2010
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Say you are shopping for the Big Black Friday weekend or just out doing some Christmas shopping on your vacation time you may not think about taking time to Check-in with Foursquare. Foursquare is an app made for the iPhone and also on Android that lets you Check-in just like Facebook places. The only thing is it normally is time consuming to have to pull up the app and check in to every store you pull up to or every restaraunt. This Foursquare app does it with ease but now gives you a better reason than just earning badges and being able to brag to your friends that you were shopping at Neiman’s or Dining at Three Forks with your other half.

Facebook places and Foursquare are both now adding coupons to their inventory of check in locations and making it well worth the effort of checking to see if your store has a coupon. If you cannot find a coupon close or promotion then keep seearching because I bet it is closer than you think. I was eating at one restaurant and almost left to go over to Chili’s to use their appetizer coupon then caught my self shopping in the mall and headed to the stores that offered better savings. Check it out on your iPhone and you will be addicted to this app.

One example of this app coming in useful is if you are shopping in an area that is close to a restaurant that is offering a special on Foursquare. Say you are inside Toys R’ US and you check-in to find that Pei Wei has a free appetizer. Ok, time to head over and unlock the Free appetizer badge.

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Discover Card Orange Bowl Experience

November 4th, 2010
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Do you want to be treated like a VIP at the Orange Bowl coming up in 2011? Discover is the new sponsor of the Orange Bowl for the next few years and they are bringing it to college football fans in a major way. Your Cash Back Bonus can not only start paying your Discover Card bill and buy you gift cards for retail stores but now it can get you to the game. Look at it this way if you start putting all of your Christmas and Holiday shopping on your Discover Card you could well be on your way to these exclusive tickets, Fan Zone, Tailgate, and maybe a glance at the halftime act. Starting December 1, you can redeem Cashback Bonus towards the purchase of an exclusive Discover Orange Bowl experience that includes:

* Lower-level, sideline tickets to the game
* A sneak peek at the halftime entertainment the night before the game
* Snacks and entertainment at the pre-game Discover Tailgate
* Admission to the Game Day Fan Zone

This experience is available to Discover cardmembers with a minimum of $20 Cashback Bonus. Redeem $225 Cashback Bonus (per ticket) for this experience or apply at least $20 Cashback Bonus and pay the rest with your Discover card.

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Texas Energy Provider Rate Comparison

October 21st, 2010
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It’s that time once again to compare energy companies here in Texas. I have had service from Reliant, Gexa, and TXU Energy. Recently I received a $250 welcome bonus from Reliant and a $150 welcome bonus from TXU Energy but both come with contacts and cancelation fees.

Reliant Energy tells me that they have the cheapest plan that I can still use my welcome bonus of $250 at an average of 10.6 cents p/kw. There will also be a 12 mo commitment and a $3.08 separate Oncor Delivery charge. Most of the Reliant plans contained an Oncor Delivery charge of $3.08.

Reliant’s Cap and Save plan is the newest of their plans where they put y ou in a 12 month contract and then cap out the rate at 8.2 cents based on natural gas prices. If natural gas goes up it will not go above the 8.2 cents but if it goes down it will decrease and save you money. You still have the extra $3.08 charge on this account.

Another 12 month plan which was cheaper but where I would not get my welcome bonus of $250 was the 9.3 cents plan. This would include a surcharge as well. My favorite plan with Reliant was the 7.3 cents per kwh which sounds cheaper than other electric companies in the Dallas area but its only for 6 months and it has a base charge of $5.00 plus a $3.08 Oncor charge. The rep insured me that it will not go over 8 cents per kwh. This could be the cheapest plan available but there will be no welcome bonus payout and there will be no AAdvantage miles with this plan.

TXU Energy gives you a $150 welcome bonus on their 10.8 cents kwh for 2,000 kw used but it will be 11.3 cents based on 1,000 kw. The former monopoly is charging 9.6 cents per kwh on a 6 month plan with no base charge. Furthermore, Their super secure plan is for 12 months at 10.3 cents per kwh. I am not to impressed with the $150 welcome bonus because it is a gift card and who really needs more of those prepaid plastics.

What about early termination fees? With TXU the fee is $200 and with Reliant the early termination fee is an astounding $250 setback. That kind of makes your welcome bonus walk right out the door.

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Care One Credit Counseling A Scam?

October 19th, 2010
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During today’s economic crisis, many people are looking for some type of debt solution with many turning to credit counseling. As consumers search for the best credit counseling company, many ask “Is Care One Credit Counseling a Scam?”. This question can only be answered by each individual or client of Care One and what he or she believes in.

Care One Credit is considered by many people to be a reputable service. Some clients state they have had positive experiences and continue to make new payment plans with them. There are some people who are not as happy with the company and complaints can be seen of rip-off reports today. The website of Care One Credit looks professional and includes a community forum with a good amount of activity within it.

Care One Credit Counseling claims to have helped more than 4.5 million people become free of their debt and successfully doing this without lending money for any debt consolidation loan. Debt management solutions are provided and not loans. Care One also claims to have established 249,000 relationships with creditors.

Each of Care One Credit’s member companies meets professional standards and has around-the-clock access to account data. Excellent customer service along with making monthly statements available to clients are just two of the many things the member companies within Care Once Credit abide by.

Care One Credit was created in 2002 and is a group of five credit counseling companies that provides credit counseling. Three of these groups include American Financial Solutions, Clarion Credit Management and Debt Management Group. Just as other debt negotiation agencies, Care One does not operate in every state. For clients who are living in a state where Care One does not operate, the company will offer their referral service to another law firm.

Care One Credit became a BBB Accredited business in June 2004. Their BBB rating is A+ on a scale running from A+ to F. The Better Business Bureau has processed 88 complaints with Care One Credit in the last three years and 32 of those complaints were closed within the last year. This means that Care One Credit supports the services of the BBB that are given to the public and also meets the BBB Accreditation standards.

Care One complaints filed with the BBB concern:
1. 24 collection or billing issues
2. Contract issues
3. Customer service issues
4. Delivery issues
5. Warranty issues
6. Exchange or refund issues
7. Sales practice issues
8. Service issues

Of the complaints that were filed against Care One Credit and closed, 71 were resolved regarding collection or billing issues. The company either resolved the complaint and the consumer accepted or the company addressed the issue and the consumer did not acknowledge the acceptance.

Care One Credit offers consumers two basic services: CCCS (credit card counseling services) and debt negotiation. Care One’s CCCS is referred to as a Debt Management Plan (DMP) where a consumer makes one payment to the agency each month. The agency takes out its fees from this payment and then distributes payments to creditors. A DMP typically aims at repaying an entire debt plus accrued interest within a total of five years.

Debt negotiation is called a ‘Settlement Plan’ by Care One Credit. It is usually seen as an aggressive choice made by consumers. It can be a more risky option, but the possible savings are greater. The agency works with creditors to lower a client’s principal balance and because the principal debt is negotiated and not the interest rate, consumers have debts solved within three years time.

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