Starwood’s SPG.com lets you make changes for free online

October 15th, 2010
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Today some members of the Starwood Preferred Guest program received emails stating that the SPG.com pilot program has came out of beta and now everyone can make modifications online. These changes could result in fees being avoided for leaving your reservation the same. If you have changes to make you better log-in and make them before the first day of your reservation at most hotels.

Thank you for participating in the recent pilot of our newest SPG.com feature: the ability to modify any aspects of your reservations online — including dates, rates, room types, Free Night Awards and more.* Your feedback was invaluable as we prepared to make this feature available to all SPG® members.

I’m happy to announce that the pilot program was a success, and we’ve now permanently added the modify reservations feature to SPG.com. This is the first of several enhancements aimed to make your travel planning faster and easier. We’re also launching Facebook “like” buttons on hundreds of our hotel property pages so you can “like” your favorite hotels and receive news, events and exclusive offers. Check out the W New York – Times Square, or search for your favorite hotels to start connecting.

And with our new SPG app for iPhone or BlackBerry, you can access your SPG account anytime, anywhere.

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Mint.com Security Breach or Email Error?

October 15th, 2010
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We have been receiving for the last few days blank emails from Mint.com, which is strange because we only signed up for one of their notifications when we get bank fees. We wondered why some spammer was sending us Mint.com blank emails with no links. Was it Mint.com sending these by mistake, had they been breached, or has a virus somehow effected the site? After this happened more than once we really started wondering and then finally tonight we received an email from Mint.com responding to the strange blank emails.

Mint.com, a company recently bought by Quicken responded with the following statement:

A flood of emails were recently sent from
stage-mini@mint.com to some Mint users.
It was a misconfiguration with our email provider causing blank emails to go out.

This was not a security breach and no data was
compromised. We are putting measures in place to ensure this never happens again.

We apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused you.

Sincerely,
The Mint Team

Everything seems to be fine in our Mint.com account and hopefully nothing is really tampered with by some bad employees. It just goes to show the scare that goes on when we give out data to a website and using apps on an iPhone or a Blackberry and then turn around and either worry or feel safe that they will take care of our information. The bottom line is to be cautious of any data you give sites and the passwords.

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Chase Website Hacked? Fake Chase Emails Follow

September 15th, 2010
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My friends and I have all been trying to access the Chase.com website all this afternoon and late evening and keep getting errors.  It says the site is having maintenance but I almost think that is up to make us think the site is secured.  The strange thing is either the email spammers are really quick on the scene or they are the ones who have hacked the site.  The Chase.com site has been down at least since 8pm or so and is just now back up here it is at 1am CST.

The email that I had received from Chase@emailinfo.chase.com stated:

Dear client of Chase Bank,

Our servers is under system maintenance. and we need to verify our clients billing information.
And we need to verify your billing information.
We noticed that your email client and your internet providers might be blocking or returning our
alerts to you or sending it to your spam folder or blocking our website.
In order to resolve this please denied any fake alerts from your internet providers or from your
email client.
To get started, please click the link below:

http://www.chase.com/cmserver/users/default/confirm.cfm

This instruction has been sent to all bank customers and is obligatory to follow.
Thank you,
Customers Support Service.

If you mouseover the Chase link it says the URL is headed to a highly suspicious site called interiorwoodworkltd.com/images/chase/online/user/cgi-bin/ which brings people to a logon form and this is where they begin hacking into your Chase account. Be careful to trust emails from your bank even if the timing seems like its really from them.

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Craigslist Seller Security Breach Hits Your Inbox

June 23rd, 2010
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If you are a money making Craigslist seller online and received an email from security@craigslist.org make sure that you do not click the link. The email sent to us today in our seller account email noted that we are trusted already yet we need to register our ip address. The link they want us to click on goes to a fraudulent link that is not even related to Craigslist sellers accounts. There is so much fraud on the web that you always need to make sure you put your mouse over the link to see where it goes before you click on it. Maybe cut and paste it into a notepad or text window first. Remember that no emails containing links should be trusted 100%.

Dear Craigslist Seller,

Craigslist has update the security program in other to keep our classified ads postings clean of Internet thieves We can now assure you that we try our best to make it almost impossible for them to even access our website . That is why we blocked all the ip ranges in us, and send this notification to all our trusted users, such as you. We only want to keep trusted members that follow our rules and guidelines. Please access your account to register your ip address. Craigslist will only require this verification once.
To approve your posting just click the following link and log in your account.

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Ebates and Online Shopping sites saving money with cash back

March 29th, 2010
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For your retail shopping, sites such as ebates.com and online malls can save you money by giving you cash back on your purchases. These sites direct you to the product or stores you want and for that they get a commission, which they use to pass cash back to you. There are no forms, points to redeem or fees. You get top quality, name brands at discount prices plus a percentage of cash back.

Shopping online is supposed to be easy and cheap. Easy because you can get almost anything you could possibly want delivered to your doorstep without leaving your desk and cheap because most online stores have such huge inventory they can sell it at discounts. Now, websites are there that save you the trouble of shopping around. They look for the best deals for you and when you inquire about a product, they send you to the right place. If you make a purchase because of that referral, they get a commission.

There are also hundreds of coupons available for 15% to 25% discounts on first purchases from top companies such as eBay, JCPenney, Macys, Nordstrom, Sears, Walmart and Dell Home. Your spending power can go much farther on these shopping sites. There is no reason to ever pay the retail price again. You will also find free gifts, limited time offers, sales, free shipping and money off coupons. You can even choose coupons according to the item you want to buy. For example, there are clothing or travel coupons, electronics, games, toys and food coupons.

In the clothing category you can have the latest trends for less. Some of the designs from Project Runway are available for ebate.com members at affordable prices and with 3.5% cash back included. When you see a look that suits you, you will be able to afford it. And what about the health and beauty products you would like to have but can’t afford because in department stores or even discount drug stores they are always very expensive. At drugstore.com you will find the top line beauty products at discount prices, sometimes as much as 30% off retail price and with a cash back included.

For those of you who prefer to give your purchasing power to green companies, you can also have great deals and cash back. Some even give double the cash back to attract a clientele to their organic, eco-friendly products. Barns and Noble also gives cash back for back to school items as well as DVDs and best sellers. In the home and garden category there are big discounts for spring plus cash back from Urban Outfitters, Macy’s, JCPenney, Target, Crate and Barrel and many more for dishes, tables, knife sets, lamps and vintage-themed accessories such as telephones and chairs. Also, from designer shops like Burke Décor, Alessi, and Horchow amazing products are on sale with 3.5% cash back.

Ebates.com has its own Daily Double where the cash back is double at a different store each day. For one day, on a specifically chosen item, the cash back is raised by as much as 50%. Plus there are coupons on the Daily Double page where the higher cash back is given for other merchandise.

You can get a list online of the top 20 stores for cash backs. It is the place to start your online shopping because you know you will be getting what you want for the best possible price. There is a list of newly added stores so you can keep up to date on who is joining the shopping revolution. There is also a Buzz section where you can find out the latest sales, tax coupons to save on your taxes, which stores offer free shipping and delivery, special deals and free prizes, possibly a trip to Hawaii.

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Chase Freedom 3 Percent back on Dining, Childcare

January 20th, 2010
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3 percent cash back educationMany offers come and go in rewards credit cards but this one really stood out to me when I saw it advertised earlier tonight.  Chase bank’s Freedom Card is offering a 3% cash back in four major categories from January to March 2010.  These categories include dining, utilities, childcare, and education.

This could not be a better time to offer the 3% back on college tuition and childcare.  It is too bad they do not offer this year round but then again if you have a grandfathered-in Freedom card you may be able to get 3% back on any of the top 3 categories you use the most so this really means nothing.

This promotion is great for students, parents who have children in childcare centers, people who eat out frequently, and consumers with high heating bills this Winter.  Utilities would be better of course in the Summer when we spend the most on those heat wave electric bills.  Gas bills are normally pretty steep too though during the first few months of the year.’

Get this card while you can and start saving on these categories at three percent.   You can apply for Chase Credit Cards online or goto yourchasefreedom.com for information on how to sign up with your existing card.

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The Hassle of Applying for a Pre-Approved Business Card Offer

December 29th, 2009
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Capital-One-approved-businesscardNo one can complain when you get credit card offers in the mail during one of the worst markets and housing bubbles of all time. It has truly been awhile that I have gotten any offers from Chase or a few of the other banks that I used to get mailings each week. Back then they would bug me but now I am excited.

Capital One sent me a 0% APR on purchases until 2011, $0 Annual Fee, and an offer for a card that will result in Double Miles for purchases for 12 Months. The bad thing is that earlier this year I was denied twice from the same bank. I was just trying to get a credit card to use for foreign purchases while traveling which is really one of the only reasons to have a Capital One card. Their rewards are good but I am pretty content with my Chase rewards.

The only downside to this offer from Capital One is that when I goto fill out the application it kept giving me errors. I had to try over ten times to get this application to be error free. This thing is picky as to dashes and what phone numbers you have listed. For instance, you cannot have your home phone number and your business phone number the same or it will come back in an error. I filled out the application a few more times trying to see where the other error came from and it said it was from the Business Tax ID where it automatically took out a number when I copied and pasted it with a dash originally. I then had to go back in and fill out the Capital One Business Platinum Credit Card application with the full set of Business tax id numbers and without the dash.

I was then approved. This will be my first Capital One Business card and I am very excited!

Some information is missing or incorrect. Please update fields to continue.

# Date of Birth is a required field
# Business Phone is a required field
# Business Phone Prefix is a required field
# Business Area Code is a required field
# Business Tax ID Number (TIN) or Employer ID Number (EIN) must be 9 digits

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Navigating Food Stamps, Medicaid and other State Programs

December 3rd, 2009
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More and more people need to seek state aid in today’s economy. If you’ve never needed assistance of any sort before, navigating the paperwork and meetings required for food, medical and job education problems can be a challenge and source of considerable stress. While unemployment benefits can typically be applied for and managed on-line, state assistance cannot be.

Start by gathering paperwork. You will need proof of income, including proof of change of income if you have recently lost your job. You should also have social security numbers for each family member, the previous year’s tax forms, and bank statements. You may also need evidence of any assets, depending upon the type of aid. You will find that it is easier and more efficient if you arrive with everything you need in hand. While specific state requirements differ, it is far better to have too much information available. Be sure that you provide an honest accounting of your financial situation.

Allow plenty of time when you visit your local Division of Family Services office. You may find it helpful to call beforehand and see if appointments are available. If not, arrive early in the morning, but be prepared to wait. You can expect to fill out a several page application, and may have a personal interview as well. Copies will be made of all of your supporting information. If your financial situation is especially dire, emergency aid may be available; however, in many cases you will wait 30 days for a decision.

Typically medical coverage for children and pregnant women is available with relatively generous income limits. Child care assistance, food stamps, and cash assistance have somewhat more stringent requirements depending upon the state. Many employed individuals or those on unemployment will still qualify for child care assistance and even food stamps. If you have taken a lower paying job or a pay cut in order to stay employed, these options may help you to stay afloat until your personal situation improves somewhat.

Social workers at the Division of Family Services in your county may also be able to provide you with resources for other aid within your community. Energy assistance and food pantries are available in some communities. Additional job training resources, financial aid programs for further education, and vocational re-education may also be available. Community health care centers may provide sliding scale care to help those struggling financially.

While applying for and accepting aid can be a difficult, demeaning and unpleasant process, it can also provide your children with health care access and ease your financial burdens during rough economic times.

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“Chase Away Debt” Relief Scams

November 21st, 2009
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debt spam exampleI received a disturbing email today from Jill West today with an address of Alvera@aybyra.com. I first thought it was from Chase because the logo was so similar but then I scrolled down the page and the MSNBC logo was on there to make it look reputable. The email just looks plain legit if you are one to just click on logo’s that look like the real thing. When you examine the email more closely it has some characters at the bottom that do not make sense and then when I mouse over the click-able Chase-like logo ad it sends me to a page that is hosted at vczzmt.com. A site that sounds nothing like true Debt Consolidation. I would not click any link with that type of mouse over.

Chase Bank will most likely be disturbed by this email. This is clearly copyright infringement using Chase’s logo and MSNBC’s logo for inappropriate use. The logo looks so close to Chase to confuse people and is highly misleading. Making this our phishing scam of the week. Comment your phishing scams you have dealt with but NO links please.

Chase has nothing to do wi

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Finding a Credit Card is Easy!

November 6th, 2009
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You know I dislike debit cards.  I have never understood why so many people use debit cards instead of credit cards. With credit cards you get at least a 20-day free loan but you have to have the self governing power to pay the bill off before the end of the month or when it is due just like any other bill.  You do not want to pay the high interest rates you get charged by the banks in this day in time.

When searching for the credit card that fits your lifestyle you need to consider rewards versus interest rates.  The other factors in finding a credit card is your credit if you have good credit you can normally get better rewards but if your credit stinks then you better just start out with a lesser card such as the Orchard bank or Buy Right.

Most of us have average credit and should apply for that card.  A good site to compare the various cards online is here at 123 Easy Card.  This is a simple site for those card shopping before the Holiday season race begins.

Here you will find offers such as the Freedom and Sapphire cards from Chase Bank.   You may also see Citibank, American Express, Discover Card Platinum, and many others.  My favorites are the Discover and Chase cards because I dislike these annual fees that banks such as Bank of America are threatening over our heads.  Say no to annual fees and yes to rewards.

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