your credit card is a piece of shit

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > YOSPOS > your credit card is a piece of shit

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Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

Malcolm XML posted:

gently caress no cashback for life

just get a check at the end of the year for $X

yeah this, no min/maxing required

now, otoh, getting the most out of the shopper's drug mart optimum reward program requires some mad min/maxing skill, yo

quote:

It�s not often that you will see me buying a cart full of groceries at Shoppers Drug Mart (the store is WAY overpriced for most things), but when you do, I have a very good reason for it. That reason is likely because I am getting a boatload of Shoppers Optimum Reward points for buying a whole whack of stuff (or, I�m redeeming those points for a ton of free goodies).
In my opinion, the Shoppers Optimum Rewards program is the best rewards program that is offered in Canada. I am not paid by Shoppers Drug Mart to promote their program (I wish!), but I love it so much that I tell everyone who will listen.
It really is quite simple to rack up lots of Optimum points in a short period.
Tips on How to Earn Shoppers Optimum Rewards Points Fast:
1. Only shop on Bonus Point Days
This should be obvious, but many people don�t know that the only time you should ever set foot inside a Shoppers Drug Mart location is when they are hosting a bonus point promotion (20x the points, 8,000 points when you spend $50, etc.).
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule (prescription pick-up, checking out clearance deals, or only buying their special sale items), but generally I tell people to avoid Shopper�s Drug Mart until a special points promotion is going on.
Tip: Coupons count towards your out-of-pocket total. If you need to spend $50 to earn 20x the points on your transaction, and want to use $20 worth of coupons, you will only spend $30, but will earn points on that $50 price.
2. Watch for Bonus Point Coupons and Offers
There are always special bonus point offers available that you can use to bump up your points faster.
Check out the Shoppers Drug Mart website for printable point coupons and notifications of in store points offers, and always pay attention to the shelves while you are shopping in store, because some products will advertise special offers (buy 2 Windex, earn 500 points, for example).
3. Always check out the clearance rack
Almost every Shoppers Drug Mart store has a clearance rack inside. Find this rack at your location and make it a habit to check it out regularly. The clearance deals at Shoppers Drug Mart are some of my favourites.
Keep in mind that just because something is on clearance, doesn�t mean you can�t earn points on that item. Check out this area of your store for great deals that you can pick up, and earn points in the process.
Tip: Some clearance items also offer special point offers, so watch for these stickers, too!
4. Buy a Shoppers Optimum gift card
Although you don�t earn points when you buy other store gift cards at Shoppers Drug Mart, you will earn points when you purchase gift cards for Shoppers Drug Mart.
Note: You will only earn regular points on these cards, not bonus points (so no buying a $50 gift card on 20x the points day and expecting to earn 20x the points on that gift card purchase).
Tip: Make sure to purchase a gift card before you shop to earn these extra points.
Like I mentioned, I really do believe that the Shoppers Optimum program is the best rewards program in Canada. There�s no other program out there (that I know of, anyway) that will reward you with so many points for so little cash out-of-pocket.
Be sure to check out my Free E-Book, The Ultimate Guide to Shoppers Optimum Rewards for many more tips on maximizing your points at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Editors Note: I agree with Cassie about the Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Rewards program being the best of its kind in Canada (aside from Canadian Tire ermmm tools are good too). Over the past year we redeemed over $1300 in points to furnish our home with 3 televisions, 2 net-books blue ray player, hard drive, cologne, perfume, and food. Shopping on 20x points events, using coupons with flyer deals and being part of the Optimum plus program also helped. As for the electronics they are still working like a charm! Check out Cassie�s Free E-book and shop Shoppers Drug Mart like a pro!
Guest Post By: Cassie Howard is a work at home mom living in Vaughan, Ontario. She writes daily on her coupon blog, MrsJanuary.com a website dedicated to frugal living. She�s what many would call an extreme couponer and saves an average of 50% off her grocery bill every week. You can connect with Cassie on Facebook and Twitter.

ur welcome

# ? Aug 6, 2014 12:55

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 05:39

jokes: Dec 20, 2012; Uh... Kupo?

if you dont just get a cashback credit card then i just dont know what to tell you.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 13:55

PuTTY riot: Nov 16, 2002

Sagebrush posted:

i get so loving much junk mail from amex, discover and chase it's ridiculous. at least one offer per week.

amex is the worst because i already have a goddamned amex. why are you still sending me AMAZING OFFERS i'm already extremely aware of your product holy hell

u can stop this btw... https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

# ? Aug 6, 2014 14:52

PuTTY riot: Nov 16, 2002

WHAT A GOOD DOG posted:

if you dont just get a cashback credit card then i just dont know what to tell you.

smae

# ? Aug 6, 2014 14:52

Malcolm XML: Aug 8, 2009; I always knew it would end like ｔｈｉｓ．

couponing is the ultimate expression of middle class poverty

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:01

Perplx: Jun 26, 2004; Best viewed on Orgasma Plasma; Lipstick Apathy

my stepdads beer posted:

do you guys really min/max your lives with credit card reward schemes

i signed up for 4 credit cards and now have 96000 aeroplan miles, enough for 2 people to goto Hawaii,
but it annoying signing up, spending the minimum to get a bonus and cancling the card before you pay the annual fee

from here on out it cash back only

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:20

Egan Yardley: Jun 11, 2010

lol if ur credit score is less than 750

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:21

Bloody: Mar 3, 2013

Malcolm XML posted:

couponing is the ultimate expression of middle class poverty

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:33

Bloody: Mar 3, 2013

Egan Yardley posted:

lol if ur credit score is less than 750

lol

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:33

PuTTY riot: Nov 16, 2002

Egan Yardley posted:

lol if ur credit score is less than 750

i just bought a house so my credit score is probably now like.. 12

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:54

PuTTY riot: Nov 16, 2002

it was >700 before tho!!!

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:55

Mr. Glass: May 1, 2009

as long as you're paying your mortgage on time it has probably actually improved your credit score

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:23

Jonny 290: May 5, 2005; [ASK] me about OS/2 Warp

I have absolutely awful credit and nobody will ever loan us money again in my entire life, it sucks but i have figured out how to get by

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:35

MORE CURLY FRIES: Apr 8, 2004

Jonny 290 posted:

I have absolutely awful credit and nobody will ever loan us money again in my entire life, it sucks but i have figured out how to get by

with these two cats one haus bus and this one weird tip

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:36

Jenny Agutter: Mar 18, 2009

yeah having long-term debt is really good for your credit score as long as you're paying it off. im pretty sure your score takes a hit when you do actually pay off a long-term loan. it really irks me that as an adult i have to play this stupid credit score game where the rules are unintuitive, contradictory, and constantly changing, and the score is mostly hidden

Migishu posted:

so are all those tap2pay bullshit things still horribly insecure and easy for scimmers to set up and steal all your information or did they actually find a way to secure it?

I never understood why they don't add a physical layer to the cards where you actually have to create a circuit with your finger so the rfid would work

as a card holder i don't really care at all. as long as the credit card companies hold the liability convenience will always beat security

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:38

The Leck: Feb 27, 2001

pram posted:

wtf is up with discover? what a fail card

idk my dad was in love with discover for super bonuses or something, so it was the only card i used for like a decade. surprisingly had no major issues with acceptance or anything and got some sweet 10% cash back on apple purchases and stuff.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:38

Egan Yardley: Jun 11, 2010

Jonny 290 posted:

I have absolutely awful credit and nobody will ever loan us money again in my entire life, it sucks but i have figured out how to get by

you could do what my mom did and declare bankruptcy literally a day after she pays you back and you get sued by the bankruptcy trustee because apparently that's an easy way to gently caress someone over

easiest way to lose 6k ever

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:42

Bloody: Mar 3, 2013

easy solution don't care about credit pay with the money you have

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:42

prefect: Sep 11, 2001; No one, Woodhouse.
No one.; Dead Man’s Band

Jonny 290 posted:

I have absolutely awful credit and nobody will ever loan us money again in my entire life, it sucks but i have figured out how to get by

same

had some problems back in the day with credit cards and impulse control and forgetting to pay bills and not having enough money

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:42

Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

Jonny 290 posted:

I have absolutely awful credit and nobody will ever loan us money again in my entire life, it sucks but i have figured out how to get by

are you making a lot more money than you did in arkansas?

because they'll overlook a lot once you're making stacks and paying your bills on time for a year or so

# ? Aug 6, 2014 17:19

Mr. Glass: May 1, 2009

btw i just logged in to discover the other day and they appear to be offering your fico credit score for free now

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:11

Smythe: Oct 12, 2003

Bloody posted:

easy solution don't care about credit pay with the money you have

thats cool until u want to buy something really big

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:14

Bloody: Mar 3, 2013

yeah like what

oh, a house?

lmao no thanks

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:16

Wild EEPROM: Jul 29, 2011; oh, my, god. Becky, look at her bitrate.

I'm amazed at the average persons credit card debt. actually no I'm not people are retarded.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:26

Jonny 290: May 5, 2005; [ASK] me about OS/2 Warp

Cold on a Cob posted:

are you making a lot more money than you did in arkansas?

because they'll overlook a lot once you're making stacks and paying your bills on time for a year or so

im making over twice what i was 4 years ago, and 3 times what i was making 5 years ago. I have gone up very very fast. Hopefully we can get costs under control because we had creeping-quality-of-life syndrome, and never learned to save or fix as much as we should have.

TBQH probably three grand in payments would get my credit empty again, i'd like to get that done by christmas
We're never buying a house ever again, but it'd be nice to have the ability to get a car loan if need be.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 19:44

Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

yeah if your credit is thrashed and you can't do it until you're in your fifties then don't buy another house unless you're paying cash, imho

are you going to profit at all when you sell your current house?

# ? Aug 6, 2014 19:56

Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

Jonny 290 posted:

creeping-quality-of-life syndrome

and yeah this is my life right now, mostly from eating out but also buying poo poo for the house (carlin was right)

# ? Aug 6, 2014 19:58

PuTTY riot: Nov 16, 2002

Cold on a Cob posted:

and yeah this is my life right now, mostly from eating out but also buying poo poo for the house (carlin was right)

same.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 19:59

duTrieux.: Oct 9, 2003

mishaq posted:

lol if you don't use a credit card and pay the balance in full monthly instead of using a debit card

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:00

Jonny 290: May 5, 2005; [ASK] me about OS/2 Warp

Cold on a Cob posted:

yeah if your credit is thrashed and you can't do it until you're in your fifties then don't buy another house unless you're paying cash, imho

are you going to profit at all when you sell your current house?

LOL gently caress no.

because we were house poor and stupid loving kids and bought too much house for our income, then i got a raise and the last thing you want to do with a new raise is erase it on an old house that you're starting to hate, so i didnt dump it all back into the house.

basically we made some very very big mistakes and now I have a house that WOULD go for ~120 right now, but is unsellable, so I'll be lucky if we break even, which is somewhere around the 92k range.

It's a big regret and embarrassment of mine that I basically failed as a homeowner, but it's okay, because it doesn't mean that I'm a piece of poo poo, just that I can't keep myself motivated enough to be my own groundskeeper.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:01

Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

that's not too bad, at least you're not totally underwater

if the market tanks where i live i'm so hosed, i paid 460k with 90k down

i really ought to consider renting out the basement

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:09

Jonny 290: May 5, 2005; [ASK] me about OS/2 Warp

Cold on a Cob posted:

that's not too bad, at least you're not totally underwater

if the market tanks where i live i'm so hosed, i paid 460k with 90k down

i really ought to consider renting out the basement

i.....i think we're from different worlds

thats cool tho

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:12

GameCube: Nov 21, 2006

Cold on a Cob posted:

90k down

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:14

GameCube: Nov 21, 2006

hey coac you wanna spot me 10k for a house downpayment

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:14

duTrieux.: Oct 9, 2003

Jonny 290 posted:

It's a big regret and embarrassment of mine that I basically failed as a homeowner, but it's okay, because it doesn't mean that I'm a piece of poo poo, just that I can't keep myself motivated enough to be my own groundskeeper.

the greatest trick ~~the devil~~ capitalism ever pulled was to get people to attach moral values to financial decisions

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:20

Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

Jonny 290 posted:

i.....i think we're from different worlds

thats cool tho

half of my childhood was spent in trailer parks in rural alberta and bc but i get what you mean :shobon:

reminder to all that the 90k is composed of:
- bonuses i got so i wouldn't quit current job
- double income no kids (wife makes like 1/3 of what i make but still, it's 100% savings)
- approx 9 years of savings
- cashing out our rrsps (first time homebuyer can cash out rrsp, which is a tax deferral investment plan in canada)
- cashing out our tax-free savings accounts

also this was our first house and i'm 34 and i've been working since i was 21 as a programmer

i full expect to take a 10 to 30k/ year paycut when i find $NEWJOB after i get laid off at end of the year too

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:21

GameCube: Nov 21, 2006

Cold on a Cob posted:

(first time homebuyer can cash out rrsp, which is a tax deferral investment plan in canada)

if i could do this i would have a house and no retirement savings by now, lol

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:24

Jonny 290: May 5, 2005; [ASK] me about OS/2 Warp

the 90k is fine whatever, a ridiculous sum but doable, the 460k is what gets me

no man needs a half million dollar house i'm sorry to get judgey on you and i'm sure you're in like van or sf and have some weirdo housing market but i have a guttural response to numbers like that that i cannot easily suppress. like, how do you start talking about four hundred thousand dollar houses, whats the icebreaker there

BUt maybe after a year or two after this depression starts to clear i'll feel differently. SORRY NOT TRYING TO E/N AROUND HERE

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:25

Cold on a Cob: Feb 6, 2006; i've seen so much, i'm going blind
and i'm brain dead virtually; College Slice

Werthog 95 posted:

if i could do this i would have a house and no retirement savings by now, lol

current rrsp balances

wife: $215.76
me: $682.27

that'll buy us a lot of cat food when we retire i guess lol

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:29

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 05:39

Sagebrush: Feb 26, 2012

Migishu posted:

I never understood why they don't add a physical layer to the cards where you actually have to create a circuit with your finger so the rfid would work

and pollute my precious bodily fluids with electricity!??!?

PuTTY riot posted:

u can stop this btw... https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:30

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > YOSPOS > your credit card is a piece of shit

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