Archives for May 2008

Sign up for the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express and earn 10,000 Starpoints instantly (just make one purchase in the first 12 months) and if you spend $15,000 within 6 months you earn 15,000 more Starpoints. There is no annual fee the first year and $45 per year after. Apply Now!

Here are some of the benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex

Earn travel rewards faster than ever before and use them anyway you want.
The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card lets you earn free nights at over 825 participating hotels and resorts in 95 countries, including Four Points^® by Sheraton, Sheraton^®, W^® Hotels & Resorts, Le Meridien^®, The Luxury Collection^®, Westin^® and St. Regis^®.

• No blackout dates and free nights start as low as 2,000 Starpoints.
• Transfer Starpoints to over 30 major airlines, almost always on a 1:1 basis, and enjoy a 5,000 Starpoint bonus when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to miles (enough to get you to the 25,000 miles you need for a free domestic ticket in most programs).

How to Earn Starpoints

• Earn 10,000 Starpoints with your first purchase - enough for up to three free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel.
• Earn one Starpoint for every dollar of eligible spending.
• Earn double Starpoints^® on stays and purchases made at select Starwood retail outlets - that’s in addition to the Starpoints you earn as a Starwood Preferred Guest^® member.

Benefits of the Card
The first year of Cardmembership is fee free, with an annual fee of just $45 per year thereafter. There is a six-month 2.90% introductory APR on purchases, then Prime plus 9.99% and a grace period up to 20 days. Additional cards are fee-free, so you can share virtually all the benefits and services with family members and watch those Starpoints add up even faster!

Transfer Balances Fee-Free
Transfer balances from your higher-rate MasterCard^®, Discover^®, and Visa^® cards to your American Express^® Card account with no transaction fee! Then enjoy the low APR: 2.9% for first six months of Cardmembership, on Balance Transfer requests submitted with this application and/or within the first 30 days of Cardmembership.

Apply Now!
 

Still waiting for your tax rebate or can’t find any information on when you will receive your rebate?

Check the IRS’ website at https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/irfof/IRServlet?app=IRACTC . Information won’t be listed until about a week before your check is supposed to be issued . Check for your date using the schedule below. If filing or preparation fees were deducted from your 2007 Refund or you received a rapid refund, you will be receiving a check instead of a direct deposit.

DIRECT DEPOSIT PAYMENTS
If the last two digits of your Social Security number are: Your rebate should be sent to your bank account by:
00 - 20 May 2
21 - 75 May 9
76 - 99 May 16

PAPER CHECK
If the last two digits of your Social Security number are: Your check should be in the mail by:
00 - 09 May 16
10 - 18 May 23
19 - 25 May 30
26 - 38 June 6
39 - 51 June 13
52 - 63 June 20
64 - 75 June 27
76 - 87 July 4
88 - 99 July 11

Way back when I was growing up, my family used Christmas Club Savings Accounts to save for Christmas. I remember at the time, my parents would send a payment voucher along with a check, usually $10 per week. It was and still is a great way to save for the holidays.

These days, with direct deposit and online banking, it is a lot easier to setup a Christmas club account with very little effort. You earn interest on your account throughout the year, plus the accounts are FDIC insured. Payments are usually mailed to you in October or November just before the holidays, but there are also early withdrawal penalties and fees for closing your account before the end of the term.

Just think, by using a Christmas Club Savings Account you will have saved for the holidays and  earned interest on your savings instead of paying interest on your credit cards.

Here are a few Banks and Credit Unions that offer Christmas Club Accounts.  

Farmers Bank & Trust

Home Bank

The Cooperative Bank

Shell Federal Credit Union