Coinstar kiosks count your physical coins for you and take a pretty big 11.9% cut, unless you redeem for a gift card (where they still get a cut from the retailer). Walmart and Amazon are my favorite options, although I usually save up my coins for their occasional bonus promos. I just received this peculiar $15 BTC promo from them:

Curious about crypto? Try purchasing at a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM powered by Coinme. Through June 30, 2022, when you create a new Coinme account and purchase $100 or more of crypto at a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM you’ll get $15 in bitcoin!* Use the promo code CoinstarBTC and be sure to use the same email address when you create your new Coinme account.

Purchasing crypto at a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM is simple:

– Create a Coinme account
– Find a Coinstar Bitcoin ATM
– Purchase a crypto voucher with cash (coins are not accepted for crypto transactions)
– Redeem your voucher to instantly claim crypto with Coinme

Did you catch that? You can’t buy Bitcoin with physical metal coins. Even at a Coinstar kiosk, of all places! Why not? How are paper bills somehow different??

*Terms apply. Valid for new Coinme accounts only. The $100 crypto purchase must be made in a single transaction at a participating Coinstar location using your Coinme account. This offer begins May 16th and ends June 30th, 2022. If a qualifying purchase is made during the offer period, $15 in BTC will be deposited to your Coinme wallet within seven (7) business days of purchase. See Official Rules for more details.

In addition, there are some serious fees:

Each crypto purchase carries a transaction fee of 4% and a cash exchange fee of 7%.

So you put in $100 in paper bills (don’t even get to return coins back into circulation), only get $89 of Bitcoin plus $15 of bonus Bitcoin, but then when you sell you have to pay another fee. All this along with BTC high price volatility. And you have to sign up for another crypto broker. Pass.

New deal March 17th, 2022. The US Mint regularly releases limited-edition coins to collectors. The coin sets are often limited to one per household, but end up with a market value greater than the initial cost. PFS Buyers Club is a website broker that recruits regular folks to buy their allotted coin set with a set markup amount, with the agreement that they will sell only to PFS Buyers Club. For example, you might pay $300 for a coin and they’ll agree to pay you $350 for it – a fixed profit of $50.

On Thursday, March 17th at 12:00 pm Noon Eastern Time, there is a new guaranteed profit opportunity. A limited edition American Eagle Four-Coin Set will be released then, with a purchase limit of one per household. The cost of the Four-Coin Set should be either $5,332.50 or $5,240.00 (depends on the spot price of Gold). Shipping will cost $4.95.

PFS will pay you a fixed commission of $162.55 for each Four-Coin Set, on top of your cost for the set.

You’ll also earn credit card rewards on your ~$5,000 purchase (worth another ~$100 here at 2% cash back), or also possibly satisfying the requirements for some $500+ value credit card bonuses. This makes the total net profit safely over $250.

Note that the eventual value of the set may exceed that elsewhere – you may see a higher bid on eBay, for example – but if you want to make that bet, don’t promise to sell to PFS Buyers Club. Just buy it on your own and try to sell it yourself. Keep in mind that eBay seller fees can be quite high (12.9% of the final selling price + PayPal fees), and you’ll be responsible for other costs like the proper shipping with adequate insurance. PFS Buyers Club will send you a free prepaid mailing label (including insurance) and pay you via eCheck, paper check, or PayPal. I enjoy the low-stress experience.

My past experience. I used PFS last year for the first time, and everything went smoothly and I was paid my money in full without issue. The amount of communication was great and better than expected; I was kept up-to-date every step of the way. The total time commitment was about 30 minutes for $400+ profit, including the stop at the Fedex store to drop off the box with prepaid label. The eCheck option worked great – I printed the check out at home and deposited immediately via mobile app. PFS has a very solid reputation online, although some folks were unable to buy the coins from the US Mint before it went out of stock. I have done over six deals with them myself with no issues whatsoever.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. Sometimes these deals fill up, so I would sign-up (it’s free) and opt-in sooner rather than later. You can still opt out of the deal until an hour prior to the coins going on sale. They will provide very detailed instructions. Follow them carefully, and it was pretty easy for me as a first-time buyer. If you use that link, I will receive a referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it last time! I would sign up, but I will unfortunately be skipping this round because I am currently on vacation and at that moment I will be on a dogsledding excursion!

The Chase Freedom Flex® Card is the new 5% cash back rotating category card for Chase, with the notable addition of 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. All of the popular features from the old Freedom remain as well: Up to 5% cash back on select categories throughout the year, no annual fee, and the ability to earn Ultimate Rewards points (useful in combination with Chase Sapphire cards). Highlights:

• $200 cash bonus (20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $500 in purchases in your first 3 months.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers. 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days your account is open, with a minimum of $5. After that, the fee for future balance transfers is 5% of the amount transferred, with a minimum of $5.

Here are the ongoing features of the Freedom Flex:

• 5X points (5% cash back) on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating categories each quarter you activate.
• 5X points (5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R).
• 3X points on dining out, take-out, and eligible delivery services.
• 3X points on drugstore purchases.
• 1X points on all other purchases.
• Cell phone insurance is one of the noteworthy World Elite Mastercard benefits. “Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year in cell phone protection against theft or damage for phones listed on cardmembers’ monthly bill.”
• No annual fee.

Enroll after logging into your online account (look on the right-hand side). 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

Remember that these cards earn Ultimate Rewards (UR) points, which can then be redeemed for cash at 1 UR point = $0.01. Therefore, you can either view a category as 3X points per dollar points, or 3% cash back. When UR points are transferred to a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they can become much more valuable when converted to frequent flier miles or hotel points. For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, 5x points = 5 United miles per dollar spent, 5 Hyatt points per dollar spent, or 7.5% value back towards travel redeemed at the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

This is a new card (different than the regular Chase Freedom Visa), so everyone should be eligible for the bonus, but Chase does have an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers.

If you have an existing Chase card like the original Freedom card, you may be able to convert to this card by calling them directly. You won’t get the sign-up offer, but you will get the new ongoing features.

Bottom line. The Chase Freedom Flex® Card is a unique rewards card that lets you earn 5% cash back on select categories each quarter, in addition to a constant 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. If you have a Chase Sapphire card, this card is a great way to earn Ultimate Rewards points while using the additional redemption options of the Sapphire (hotel points, airline miles, and travel redemptions).

The information for the Chase Freedom Flex® Credit Card has been collected independently by My Money Blog. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Many hotel rewards programs offer free night and upgrade certificates as a perk, and many of them were set to expire on December 31st. However, many programs are offering a courtesy extension and/or points credit. Some may have quietly extended it automatically, but you may have to ask directly for this courtesy. Here are credit cards that offer free night certificates:

• The World of Hyatt Credit Card
• IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card
• Radisson Rewards Premier Card

For example, I just received 10,000 Hyatt points for my Cat 1-4 Free Night Award that expired December 31, 2021. I logged into my World of Hyatt account and asked politely via their Live Chat feature. It only took about 5 or 10 minutes, while 10,000 Hyatt points are worth at least $100 to me. If I didn’t ask, the award would have simply expired worthless. Definitely worth the effort. If you are logged out due to inactivity, just log back in and the chat history should be preserved.

I also have a free IHG night certificate with an expiration date that was extended from mid-2022 until the end of 2022 (without asking). You may wish to call in to ask about certificates that expired in 2021.

Hilton also extended many of their free nights certificates, so I’d check that too.

Check again to see if targeted for latest promo. If you have a Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points, you can redeem them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 1 ThankYou points = 0.8 cents to spend at Amazon, which may not be the best value available. However, here are targeted promotions where you can save money after redeeming just 1 single MR point (a penny’s worth). (To see the link, you may need to visit this page on the internet if viewing this via e-mail or RSS.)

• Get 40% or 50% off (max discount $10 or $15), valid on items shipped and sold by Amazon. Must redeem at least 1 Citi ThankYou point. You may be eligible even if you’ve done similar promos before.

Here are some additional tips:

• If you haven’t linked yet, you can link your ThankYou points balance to your Amazon account here.
• If you have already linked your cards and aren’t targeted, you may consider removing your Citi card from your account completely, and then linking it again after a day, and then checking the offer page(s) again after another day.
• Items must be marked as both sold AND shipped by Amazon.com.
• Be sure to select your Citi credit card as your payment method and redeem at least 1 point or $0.01 in value of ThankYou points.
• Savings should be reflected on the final order checkout page, before you commit to purchase.

Notably, the Citi Double Cash card, Citi Custom Cash card, and Citi Rewards+ all now earn ThankYou points. You may want to try linking them to see if you qualify for this promotion now or in the future. For redemptions, I’d probably stick with the 2% cash back option for the Double Cash, and look at the new airline transfer options for the premium travel cards like Citi Premier.

Check again to see if targeted for newest discount. If you have Ultimate Rewards points from Chase credit cards, you can use them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 1 Ultimate Rewards points = 1 cent at Amazon, which is the same rate as their statement credit redemptions. However, here are targeted promotions where you can save money after redeeming just 1 single MR point (a penny’s worth). (To see the link, you may need to visit this page on the internet if viewing this via e-mail or RSS.)

• Get 50% off (max discount $15), valid on items shipped and sold by Amazon. Must redeem at least 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point. You may be eligible even if you’ve done similar promos before.

Here are some additional tips:

• If you haven’t linked yet, you can link your Ultimate Rewards points balance to your Amazon account here.
• If you have already linked your cards and aren’t targeted, you may consider removing your Chase card from your account completely, and then linking it again after a day, and then checking the offer page(s) again after another day.
• Items must be marked as both sold AND shipped by Amazon.com.
• Be sure to select your Chase credit card as your payment method and redeem at least 1 point or $0.01 in value of Ultimate Rewards points.
• Savings should be reflected on the final order checkout page, before you commit to purchase.

Keep in mind that you have options to earn 25% more value (1.25 cents per Ultimate Rewards point) from travel redemptions via the Chase portal and the Pay Yourself Bank tools if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and 50% more value (1.5 cents per UR point) with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You can transfer over any UR points earned elsewhere from the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited. You may get even better value by converting them to frequent flier miles like United Airlines or hotel points like Hyatt.

The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is a rewards credit card that earns 2% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee. There are no rotating categories, activation deadlines, no earning caps, or miles/points to redeem. It was previously invite-only, but is now open to public applications subject to credit approval.

Here are a few minor but notable ways that make this 2% cash back card unique from the competition.

Cash back is credited automatically to your statement every month. Other competitors may require you to accrue either a minimum like $25 before you can redeem, or require you to manually request the rewards. With this card, your cash back gets credited to your statement every month, automatically. You don’t have to do anything.

World Mastercard perks. As a “World Mastercard” – a notch above the standard Mastercard – it includes a few unique benefits that most other 2% cash back cards don’t have. These include cell phone protection, DoorDash, Lyft, and Shoprunner benefits. Details at the World Mastercard official page, but here the perks I found most useful:

• Cell phone protection. World Mastercard comes with $1,000 in yearly coverage ($600 max per claim, 2 claims per year) should your cell phone get stolen or need certain repairs. Simply pay for your cell phone bill with your World Mastercard to activate coverage. There is a $50 deductible.
• DoorDash DashPass perks. Get free delivery, reduced fees and exclusive offers with DashPass, the monthly subscription service from DoorDash. New members get 3 free months of membership. In addition, World Mastercard DashPass members get $5 off their first 2 orders per month until 9/30/2022. Details.

If you aren’t into chasing bonuses or maximizing the value of points and miles, I recommend that everyone get some sort of flat 2% cash back credit card. Many people I know who prefer simplicity use a debit card with at most 1% cash back, while they could be earning double the cash back while getting better consumer fraud protections and still paying off the balance each month. For example, $2,000 in credit card spending a month is easily calculated at $40 month in cash back rewards, or $480 a year.

If you do like juggling multiple rewards cards, it’s still good to have a 2% cash back card as your “catch-all” back-up card. Traditional, for me this has been my Citi Double Cash card.

Bottom line. The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard offers 2% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee. This simple, flat structure minimizes any work on your end – even the cash back is automatically credited to your statement every month.

It’s been a while since I’ve redeemed any airline miles or hotel points, so I’m excited to start doing so again. We still had thousands of dollars in airline credit balances from early 2020, and I just booked a flight and two hotel nights in Vancouver, Canada. This also gave me an opportunity to check out the current value of some of my currency. I have to work around school schedules so it’s hard to fully maximize the value of every point.

The cash price for a junior suite during Spring Break at the Hilton Vancouver Airport for our family of 5 was CAD $343, which is US $$277 per night.

The same room with the same cancellation policy costs 50,000 Hilton Honors points per night, which equates to a value of 0.55 cents per Hilton point. This compares well to my standard valuation of 0.5 cents per Hilton point. This is making me take a second look at the current Hilton Honors American Express offer of up to 130,000 Hilton points with no annual fee.

American Express is currently running a transfer bonus to Hilton Honors points, such that 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 2,600 Hilton Honors points. The promo ends soon, but the transferred points posted instantly for me.

This means that 20,000 Membership Rewards points would equal 52,000 Hilton points. That equates to a value of 1.4 cents per Membership Rewards point, much better than my standard valuation of 1.0 cents per MR point. (I would have gotten about 1.1 cents much without the transfer bonus.) Even better, I already had around 30,000 Hilton points lying around, so I only needed another 8,000 Membership Rewards points to reach the first night award. Later, I made another transfer of 19,000 Membership Rewards for the second night since I had about 1,000 Hilton points left over. This ability to “top off” a variety of accounts is why people love the flexible points so much.

In the end, I’m happy to finally convert some points into cash savings (and then into family memories). I’ve still got more planning to do, more hotel nights to book with my IHG/Hyatt stash, and I have a few award night certificates that I hope I can use up as well.

My point is that sure, I’d rather get $1,000 cash than 100,000 Membership Rewards points, but the fact is that it is a lot easier to get a big pile of points and miles for trying out a new credit card while never carrying a balance. I try to value them conservatively, but they definitely still hold value for me. I hope that you all are able to redeem your points and miles for memories soon as well.