Apr
27
UPDATE: Received Check from PayPal Alternative
Filed Under Business, Deals, Finance, Freebies, Money, Reviews | 1 Comment
Several days back I wrote about Revolution Money, a new company that allows people to send and receive money, offering a nice alternative to PayPal. In my post I mentioned a promotion that the company was running, which is still on until May 15, 2008. The company is offering $25 to anyone residents of the United States who register for free. I said that I would post a photo of the payment once I received it, and the time has come. I chose to receive the check through mail, and received a check for $22.50. This being because there is a $2.50 processing fee for checks.
So here it is, a fast and easy $25.00 for anyone who signs up. You can read more about this offer if you are not sure what I am talking about. And for all of you who are still interested in this offer, sign up through my green banner link if you would be so kind. I receive $10 for anyone who signs up through me. If you sign up, you can do the same and refer this great offer to others and receive additional money as well. Remember that the offer is only valid until May 15, 2008, so if you want a few extra bucks in your pocket you’ll have to sign up soon.
Apr
25
I’m finding quite a few people asking that question. The answer is quite simple for most everyone. The IRS has set up a special Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center where you can have just about all your questions answered. The site has been up for some time, but most people are first starting to inquire about the status of their tax rebate checks first now.
The Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center provides an Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator which will help you determine what your payment will be, as well as an Economic Stimulus Payment Schedule to help you determine when your check will be dispersed. The tax rebate schedule is based on your social security number, and weather or not you chose direct deposit or a paper check when filing your 2008 taxes.
Apr
19
Alternative to Paypal, Plus Receive $25 For Free
Filed Under Business, Deals, Finance, Freebies, Internet, Money, Reviews | 1 Comment
I have discussed my unpleasant support experience with PayPal in the past, so I won’t go through the details again. I’ll just say that I am always on the lookout for some possible PayPal alternatives simply out of curiosity. I have been a PayPal member for a very long time, and continue to use their service primarily based on the needs of my customers. I just welcome competition that can make things a bit more interesting, something I think is much needed in this particular industry.
I came across a website titled Revolution Money which caught my interest. I read that if I signed up for a Revolution Money Exchange account that I would receive $25 completely free. There aren’t many people that would walk away from someone or something handing over $25. Some people are skeptical or cautious, which is how I think everyone should be. Others don’t really care and will do almost anything for free money. I myself will investigate things before jumping into free offers.
I did a little snooping around to find out about Revolution Money and thought I’d share what I came up with. I did an internet search on the company and came up with mostly other websites offering a free money pitch. Basically, something like I am doing right here and now. Most sites offered nothing but a sales pitch, while very few offered personal experiences with the company.
After I really didn’t come across any negative experiences, I moved on to my next step of a BBB search. The Better Business Bureau shares details about Revolution Money Inc which can you view. Any issues that were experienced show up as being resolved, which is a positive from my perspective.
Upon completing a general web search, blog search, and Better Business Bureau search, I decided to visit the official website of the company. I was pleased with the professional looking main page design and layout, very easy to understand. I will always look for a privacy notice, disclaimer, and terms and conditions page. I have a habit of reading through fine print, even though I am not a lawyer and don’t understand most of it. I believe I just like to take this simple precautionary approach so that I can at least say I made an effort to read the fine print.
I didn’t come across anything out of the ordinary. I did see that I had the choice to opt-out by filling out an opt-out notice that was shown on the Privacy Policy page. This is an important detail and should not be overlooked. If you are reluctant with giving private information, I suggest you make use of the opt-out notice. Again, I am not a lawyer by any means, but this is my take on the whole deal.
Continuing on, I followed the link to create a Revolution Money Exchange account since this was what I initially read about. In order to receive my $25 I would have to create this account. I viewed the steps which all seemed simple enough. Throughout the years I have signed up for hundreds of different things here and there, so this procedure was quite familiar to me. The website shows that registration only takes 2 minutes, which it did. I filled out the necessary info, which included basic information like your name, address, phone number, user id, password, security questions, etc. I was then asked to provide my social sec. number for security purposes. This of course made me pause for a bit. Everyone knows that they shouldn’t give that number to just anyone, so I thought I would check things out a little bit further.
I remembered reading articles in Bloomberg, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, all offering a good share of details about the company. I really didn’t think this was a scam, but I was still not one hundred percent sure why I was required to give my SSN during registration. What I was able to find out was that your Revolution Money Exchange account is held at First Bank & Trust in Brookings, SD; a member of FDIC. This basically means they are FDIC insured. I was very glad to see this. Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. Therefore, providing your social security number is simply for protection. Odd, I know, but I do believe this is the truth. Besides, this is not something you get with PayPal, because PayPal isn’t a bank or financial institution. Paypal really offers no solid protection.
So, with all the information I have gathered, I was confident enough to continue on with registration. I continued to provide the required info, and the rest was very quick and easy. I was instantly sent an activation link through email to verify my account. I verified, logged in, clicked on the transactions link, and there it was, the $25 as promised. My account balance was $0 until I clicked the “accept” button in the transactions list so that I received the $25 from Revolution. My available account balance then went to $25. In order to receive the money, you must withdraw it from your account balance, just like PayPal. You are given the option to have it sent directly to your bank account, or you may choose receive a check through the mail.
I did not link my account with my bank, so I chose to receive a check through the mail which is said to require 7 to 10 business day processing time and requires a $2.50 processing fee which is fine with me. I did not have to provide any additional information to withdraw the money, fast and easy, something I thought was fantastic. By electing to receive the $25 check through the mail, I only withdrew $22.50 so that the $2.50 was available for the processing fee, leaving me with an account balance of $0 when all said and done. There is no processing fee if you choose to send the money directly to your bank account, which only requires 2 to 3 business days of processing time. Here’s a screen shot of my transaction:
Now, all I have to do is wait for the check to arrive. When it does, I will provide an image of the scanned check to offer some proof of receipt. If received, I must say it’s one of the easiest ways to get a few extra spending bucks, something we all enjoy. In addition, you may also refer friends, family members, etc, and receive $10 for each one that completes the same registration.
Now it’s my turn to refer you, that is only if you would like to receive $25 for free and try something new other than the same old PayPal experience. I’m not hiding anything here, if you sign up through my link by clicking the green Sign Up Now banner, I will receive $10 for referring you. Keep in mind this is for residents of the United States. Register your free account now, because you only have until May 15, 2008 to receive your free $25. Spread the word of your experience, and try and make some extra money for yourself. Remember not to spam everyone when referring. Revolution Money will allow you to make up to $500 in referral money within one calendar year, through promotions etc, which I think is very fair. If this info has helped you, give it a shot. And remember, I will post a scan upon receipt of payment. Now go on, get some free money the easy way!
UPDATE: I received the free check from Revolution, see the latest information here.