Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with rewards

How do you thank someone for an extraordinary act?

clarkstonian — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:32:30 -0800

What do you do for someone who has saved your child's life. Literally. I'm looking for a thoughtful way to thank two complete strangers who saved our teenager's life. I know nothing about them except their names and addresses. They do not live near me. I have already nominated them for a heroism award, which they very much deserve, but I have no idea if they will actually get it.

If you had done such a thing, what would be a meaningful thank you?

We thank you for your patronage.

2bucksplus — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:24:07 -0800

Do consumer loyalty programs make sense or is it generally better to pick hotels and flights based on price and convenience? My boss and I travel together on business about 12-15 times per year and all but one or two trips per year are domestic.

My boss is tied to one airline (American Airlines, ugh) and has 2-3 preferred hotel chains that he will go out of his way to patronize, often at a price premium. I prefer to travel on whichever airline is most direct and best for our schedule at a lower price and generally stay in the hotel most convenient to our event.

Is there any general consensus as to whether reward programs ultimately pay off versus lower priced and more convenient schedules? Should we factor in the time spent on a layover when a competing airline offers a direct flight or cab fares to get us across town? Did reward programs make sense at one time and have they worsened over the past 10-15 years? Has anyone ever done the math or should I keep a running tab of the cost and time differential?

I should also mention that I am mid-twenties while my boss is in his fifties and I believe there is a generational difference at play here. Yes he is my boss and also the owner of the company so this question is ultimately academic. Neither of us use our points for "personal" travel (I would but I fly JetBlue personally). To my knowledge, we have never accumulated enough hotel points to get anything free and we only use our frequent flyer miles to upgrade our flights to first class.

Help me earn 4.5% APY in my rewards checking account!

charlesroper — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:40:30 -0800

In order to earn 4.5% APY in my checking account, I need to make 12 debit card purchases/month. What is the cheapest, most automatic, least time consuming way to do this? I have this rewards checking account.

This question has been asked before, but there were only a couple answers that fit my situation. The ones I liked the best were the AmazonS3 idea (@ $0.15/charge) and the Google checkout idea (@ $0.20/charge).

Let me make this very clear - I will not use my debit card for regular purchases (groceries, gas, coffee, etc.), so please refrain from suggesting that. I am simply looking for very cheap items/services to pay for online that can be setup to charge automatically every month - I probably won't even use the service - I'm just trying to earn that 4.5% APY on a sizable balance in my checking account.

What ideas do you have that are automatic and can beat ~$0.20/charge?

Best travel points plastic for a Canuck?

unSane — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:05:47 -0800

What's the best Canadian credit card to earn travel miles? I have lots of credit but am looking for a credit card to earn travel rewards. It will be paid off in full each month. Will probably have an average of $50-60,000 going through it each year. I had Aeroplan for a while, which was fine, but can I do better?

What does a credit approval today say about my formerly-bad credit?

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:32:37 -0800

What does it indicate about my formerly-bad credit that I could be accepted today for a regular contract by a cell phone company? How can I tell when it's the right time to apply for a credit card again? I've been repairing my credit for a while now, so this is the first time I've applied for a credit-check-based account in a couple of years. I was approved and I'm excited about that, but I'm wondering what it indicates about how my credit is now. Could cell phone companies be called less picky, more picky or about as picky as other places that check credit, like a credit card company or a landlord? Or is that so much of a generalization that I really can't predict anything?

If it matters, my new phone is with T-Mobile and they said my credit indicates I could have up to three phone lines with them (don't know if that's average, low, or high number for them).

I have a few months before I can request any of my free annual credit reports again, so other than those, what other ways could I check up on my credit?

I know it would be useful to hold a credit card, charging only things I can repay immediately, to further establish good credit. (Last credit card I had was 9 years ago, in college, and I flunked on that one; its balance turned into a chargeoff.) If I should apply now for a credit card, can I pick any kind? I was thinking about one with a points system that rewards something I naturally do (one example is the Amazon card which rewards Amazon buying most).

Reward me for shopping!

kidsleepy — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:06:04 -0800

Which credit cards have the best rewards? I have looked at
This question, but it is over two years old, and I'm hoping for some updates.

The cards I have considered are Amazon, some type of gas card, or possibly one of those Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic cards.

Which cards give you your favorite types of benefits? Cash back, discounts, air miles, gas points? On the flip side, which cards are too good to be true, and not worth the hassle?

I am now free to move about the country

disillusioned — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 01:22:29 -0800

Rapid Rewards Filter: Am I going insane? Plastered all over Southwest's site is:

Rewards are closer in a world without miles. Fly just eight (8) roundtrips in 24 consecutive months and we'll give you a roundtrip Award valid to any of more than 60 destinations Southwest serves. Rapid Rewards—where flying is what counts.

So here's what's confusing me:

June 24, 2006 - September 22, 2006
Credits earned 06/24/2006 - 09/22/2006: 8
Credits needed to earn my next award: 8
My 16th credit must be earned by: 08/11/2008
DateFlight
NumberOrigin
CityDestination
CityCredit
EarnedCredit
UsedDescription09/11/061044DTWPHX2 09/03/062988PHXDTW2 08/12/062368LASPHX2 08/11/060523PHXLAS2

So I'm earning 2 credit per leg, and 4 credits per RT, which equals 4 Roundtrips per free ticket, yes?

Is this just something they're running lately? Is my relatively low-volume account special? Am I just horrible at math? Is anyone else able to see a source from Southwest or a FF forum talking about 4 RT RR's? (It's a pretty big deal when it happens, or so I thought.)

Thanks for keeping me sane!

On my way to another magazine subscription.

sled — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 18:08:10 -0800

I've lost a website that correlates rewards in frequent flyer miles for money spent various retail partners. Somehow I've lost my link to a website that was a large graph of frequent flyer mileage programs vs the various business partners and their values. In example, I spend $100 at Staples it will show me what program it's best to click through for the maximum redemption. Originally found it via flyertalk if I remember.

Best Aussie credit card reward programs?

skybeedoo — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:57:17 -0800

Aussie Mefites: Are there any credit card reward programs worth using? More inside... I have recently arrived back in Australia after many years abroad. My wife and I could easily spend together $50,000 a year on purchases etc. We would pay the full balance each month so as not to incur any interest. Is the ANZ QANTAS card, Fly Buys or AMEX cash back reward programs worth using?

This link suggests that that the days of good value reward programs are over.

How do you get through mind-numbing tasks?

WCityMike — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 05:27:14 -0800

I'm dealing with some boring things to do at work. I'm wondering what things you do (mentally, emotionally, procedural 'tricks', self-benefits/rewards, discipline, etc.) to get yourself through stuff you find excruciatingly boring, but necessary. One of the reasons I enjoy doing what I'm currently doing (being a legal secretary) is that my mind is kept challenged and alert throughout most of the day by a variety of tasks.

However, I recently changed positions, and this position includes filing duties. (At my old firm, we had separate file clerks.) This task is very unexciting to me -- it involves filing paper away, creating necessary subfiles, etc.

I'm wondering how other people get through tasks they very much dislike ... what things you set yourself up with, what reward/punishment system, what things you tell yourself, and so on.

(I should note that this fortunately is not a huge part of my job, probably more a weekly-type duty -- except for right off the bat, where there will be a very large portion of "make-up" filing that my predecessor didn't accomplish.)

Favorite credit card rewards?

sirion — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 18:46:57 -0800

What's your favorite credit card and why? I'm currently using a Bankone Amazon.com Visa, which corresponds to 3% back for amazon purchases and 1% back for all other purchases in the form of $25 amazon gift certificates. I pay off my balance in full every month. Anyone particularly happy with the rewards they're getting from their credit cards?

Customizable geek schwag?

pomegranate — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:21:40 -0800

I've recently trained a person in each of our branch offices into roles where they will be the IT Liaisons for the 40 or so people in that office. What should I get them for "graduation?" Id like to get them something to signify their newfound expertise in computers to those around them, but I want to customize it with our logo. Shirts are out b/c I want it to be something people can see every day. (By the way, geekdom is relative. In this case we're talking Windows Basic and setting up printers. Makes you feel like a genius, right?)

Using Miles to Upgrade

mathowie — Mon, 11 Oct 2004 00:53:28 -0800

This may sound like a dumb question, but I can't find any basic info online. I've never used my airline miles before, and I'm trying to take a vacation to London and Ireland this xmas. But how do I try to score business or first class upgrades using the miles I have? (more inside) I have about 25k miles at both United and Alaska (which is supposed to work with American). I've heard major continental flights require about 20k miles to upgrade from coach to business/first, and that's only if they have space for the upgrades.

I've never used these miles and I'm ready to try this, so how should I go about this? Do I find the cheapest fare at Orbitz or United or Alaska's sites, then call the airline for the upgrade? Or do I have to order completely through the airline directly? Are there any lists of how many miles upgrades take on each program?

All the info seems to be gear towards helping folks acquire miles, but I can't find anything at either airline site about actually using the miles. Thanks in advance!

Using Frequent Flier Miles

stupidsexyFlanders — Mon, 20 Sep 2004 08:46:16 -0800

I have about 100K FF miles on USAir and I'm wondering if I should try to use them now or sit tight. Anybody else in the same boat? If so, what are you doing?

Shopping Surprises

Smart Dalek — Wed, 10 Dec 2003 06:16:15 -0800

While chasing down a $16 dollar copy of $30 Film School, I learned Half.com
has been doing business with Reservation Rewards.

In spite of ignoring the offer to join the service, I may still end up becoming
an "instant member", as shoppers on buy.com and other sites have.

Anyone else discover any suprises while shopping for the holidays?