40% off Showtime, Starz for 3 Months via Amazon

Amazon is running a promotion for 40% off of select channels right now.

You can get 40% off for 3 months on :
Starz, Showtime, PBS Masterpiece, Lifetime Movie Club

Its a limited time offer through January 17th.   Also looks like its only for new subscribers via Amazon.


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This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Amex Offers for $15 back on fubutv, $5 back Hulu & 30% back CBS Online, Showtime & Sling TV (YMMV)

American Express has a number of offers currently for cash back on several online steaming services.


The deals I've got from them are :

30% back up to $15 on  Sirius XM Radio Inc. (including both internet-based and satellite-based), Pandora, Spotify, Sling TV, CBS All Access and Showtime. (expires 3/6/19)

Spend $5 or more get $5 back on Hulu up to 4x (expires 3/28/19)

Spend $35 and get $15 back on fubutv up to 3x  (expires 7/1/19)

Amex deals are YMMV so check your offers to see if you've go them or not.



Also Ebates currently offers $5 cash back on Hulu (new users)


Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.  

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

up to 62% cash back on Tracfone, Straight Talk and Simple Mobile

I just noticed that Ebates is offering "up to" 62% cash back on Straight talk.     And I checked and their related companies Tracfone and Simple Mobile also have "up to" 62% back today.

The terms on the 62% cash back vary and are limited.    See the Ebates page for each vendor for the specifics.     But generally the 62% cash back is not available on the more expensive phones.   

EDIT to add :   cash back does NOT apply to purchases of just airtime.

Even so if you pick a good phone and plan combo you can find a  good deal right now after cash back.

The examples below are theoretical and I have not tried them.   

An example with Tracfone would be :  a reconditioned Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro for $24.99 and the 1 year plan for $125 totaling $149.99.   After the 62% cash back net cost would be $57 
Note that the Tracfone terms are not totally clear to me.    It says 62% cash back on phones under $100, accessors and airtime.   If you buy a $25 phone and $125 airtime plan then I'm not sure if that falls under the "less than $100" entirely or not.   So this example deal MIGHT not work, depending on the exact terms of the cashback. 

Another alternative with Tracfone would be : reconditioned ZTE Zfive 2 for $9.99 plus the $35 two month 1GB plan.   This has a $4 discount as well so cost at check out is $40.99.   After 62% cash back the net cost is $15.58.


An example for Simple Mobile  :   Samsung Galaxy On5 phone for $19.99 plus a 3GB one month plan for $25 would be $44.99.   After 62% cash back the net cost would be $17.07   



Specifics on the 62% cash back for Tracfone and Simple mobile copied off the Ebates  site :

Tracfone :

• 62.0% Cash Back on phones less than $100.00, accessories and airtime (when purchased in conjunction with a phone) 
• $30.00 Cash Back on phones $100.00 or more
• Cash Back will be automatically added to your Ebates account tomorrow.
• Exclusions: Cash Back is not available on airtime only purchases and a plan purchase that does not include a device.

Simple Mobile :
$30.00 Cash Back on the iPhone 6s 32GB, iPhone 6s Plus 32GB, iPhone SE 32GB, iPhone 7 32GB, iPhone 7 Plus 32GB, iPhone 8 64 GB in Space Grey, iPhone 8 Plus 64GB, iPhone X 64GB, Samsung Galaxy S8 in Black, Samsung Galaxy S8+ in Black, Samsung Galaxy S9, and Samsung Galaxy S9+ in Midnight Black
62.0% Cash Back on most other orders
Cash Back will be automatically added to your Ebates account today.
Exclusions: Cash Back is not available on orders including only airtime or service plans.
Special Terms: Use of coupon/promotional codes not listed on Ebates may void Cash Back.



Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.  

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Hulu for 99c a month for 12 months + $5 for Showtime + maybe $10 Ebates cashback

Hulu is running a promotion for their limited commercials plan for just 99¢ per month for 12 months.   The deal is good for new subscribers.   Previous subscribers who have not had active accounts for a year can also qualify.

Hulu is also running a promotion to add Showtime for just $5 a month for the first 3 months. 

Showtime is usually $11 a month.   If you would be buying Showtime anyway you can actually save $4 by getting Hulu for a year ($12) and three months of showtime ($15). 

Ebates also offers $10 cash back for Hulu.    I'm not sure if this 99c deal qualifies but its certainly worth trying since you'd get $10 cash back and that covers the discount Hulu price for 10 months.   I don't think I can test the $10 cashback since I've already had Hulu myself and I can't get this deal.

Assuming the Ebates  deal qualifies then you'd get a total cost of $7 for 12 months of Hulu and 3 months of Showtime.   Or you could possibly even just do 1 month of Hulu and cancel after

Note I'm not 100% sure the $10 cash back from Ebates works on the 99c deal but I can't see why it won't.

Note that this is the 'limited commercials' version of Hulu which kind of a misnomer since there are several commercials.   Their 'commercial free' option is the more expensive version and you can NOT upgrade from the 99c deal to the commercial free without paying the full cost of commercial free.   Still for just 99c a month its a good deal for all the programming on Hulu but you do have to suffer through their commercial breaks.   Its usually a few minutes of commercials per hour or something like that if I remember right.   Its similar to the amount of commercials you see when watching video-on-demand on a cable network or streaming programs free online.


Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.  

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

8x11 Custom Photo Wall Calendar for $7 shipping at Shutterfly

Shutterfly has a promo deal for a free 8"x11" photo wall calendar with $6.99 shipping costs.   

Promo :  FREECAL

Or if you prefer you can get the 12" x 12" calendar for $6 plus $6.99 shipping.

This deal expires today.


--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Switch to PureTalk for 3 months & Get $50 Amazon GC per line

PureTalk USA is offering Amazon gift cards of $50 per line (up to $200 for 4 lines) for switching to their service.

Link to the promotion

Plans start at $20/mo and you can get a SIM and BYOP (bring your own phone) if you have an unlocked phone.      You have to have an active plan for 3 months to get the Amazon gift card.

I've been using Puretalk myself for a while and I've been happy with it.   They use the AT&T network.   

I"m not getting a commission or kickback from Puretalk for promoting this.   (but if PureTalk wanted to send me money I wouldn't send it back)


promotion detail fine print :
Customers are eligible to receive a $50 e-gift card per line on their account (up to $200 per account). Gift cards are issued during the customer's third active month of service. Each line must be active and account must be in good standing for the consecutive three months following customer's initial activation to receive the gift card for each line. Gift cards will reside within our online customer portal under the "MY REWARDS" page as a digital redemption code. Once gift card is claimed within customer portal, it does not expire. Customers have 90 days from their third billing date to claim the gift card in the portal. If customer does not claim gift card within 90 days, the gift card is cancelled and no longer eligible for redemption. Lines are not eligible for gift card until line is activated. If line is not activated within 90 days of original order date, gift card is forfeited. Promotion is valid for new customers only. Only lines ordered during initial order are eligible for promotion. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Restrictions apply, see amazon.com/gc-legal.

--This article doesn't contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

FREE Photo Magnets at Shutterfly - pay S/H of $4 for 1st and $1.75 addn

Shutterfly has a promotion today only for free photo magnets. 

Offer is good for either 3"x 5" size or 4" x 5.5" size. 

Use promo code : GOODIES

You get the magnet for free but you have to pay for shipping/handling.    The  magnets are $3.99 shipping for the 1st and then $1.75 for each additional.     So for example you can get 4 magnets for $9.24 shipped. 

1 magnet = $3.99
2 magnets = $5.74
3 magnets = $7.49
etc.

I've bought magnets off Shutterfly a few times and there are a good product.   

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This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Current Discover Deals promotions

The Discover Deals promotions are one of the reasons that I keep my Discover card.   

Right now you can get 5% bonus cash back for purchases at Restaurants until the end of September.   On top of the quarterly 5% deal there are several other good discounts and promotions on Discover Deals.

Below are some of the more notable (to me) deals and discounts currently offered on Discover Deals:

Note all these deals are subject to expiration dates.   Many last to the end of 2018 but some expire at the end of July 2018.

Instant Discounts
Peapod = $40 off your 1st purchase of $100+
Target = $5 off online purchase of $50+
Budget auto rental = 25% off base rates
Avis auto rental = 25% off base rates
National auto rental = 20% off
Sames Club = $10 gift card when you join or renew
Carter's babies/ kids = 20% off of $40+
Big 5 sporting goods = 10% off
Wayfair.com = $15 off $100+
Shutterfly = get a FREE 8x8 photo book (shipping extra)
Aamco = 10% off any service
PODS storage = 10% off select services

5% cash back bonus : 
Microsoft
Sams club
Groupon
Macy's
QVC
Nike
Old Navy
Samsung JCPenney
Dell Home
Gap
Lego
LL Bean
Crate&Barrel

10% cash back bonus 
The North Face
Under Armour
Finish Line

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

$10 off and a Free Box of Honey Nut Cheerios with Prime Pantry promotion

Amazon is having its Prime Day annual promotion.   One of the deals is for $10 off of a $40+ order on Prime Pantry.   A second deal offers a free box of Honey Nut Cheerios for a qualifying $40+ order.    You can get both deals on a single order.     Prime Pantry is usually $4.99 a month addon but you can get a free 30 day trial.

--This article contains referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

400+ Stores Giving 15% Cash Back at Ebates Today

Today Ebates is celebrating its 15th anniversary by offering 15% cash back across 400+ stores.

Some example stores you can get 15% at are : 

Macy's 

Dell

Overstock

Shoes.com

JCPenney

Dicks Sporting Goods

Lenovo

Ace Hardware

Avon

Some even higher like : 

ProFlowers 30% 

Magazines.com 45%

And a long list of others.

Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.  

-- *This article contains referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Hulu + HBO for $13 for 6 months plus possible $15 cash from Ebates

Hulu is currently running a discount deal to add HBO for just $5 per month for 6 months.     You can add that to the $8 basic Hulu subscription for a total of $13 per month for both Hulu and HBO.    Thats a $2 monthly savings versus HBO Now alone and you get Hulu for free. 

Here's the link with the info on the Hulu deal

On top of that if you're a new Hulu subscriber you can also get $15 cash back via Ebates for signing up for Hulu.



Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.  

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

If You're Buying Prescription Drugs Via Insurance, Also Ask About the Cash Price

Just saw this article posted from the New York Times :

Why Your Pharmacist Can't Tell You That $20 Prescription Could Cost Only $8  (paywall)

The article exposes a practice by which pharmacists are gagged from telling customers that drugs would be cheaper with cash purchases.      Now I don't know how common those gag orders really are.   But it seems they happen.     It also highlights the fact that cash prices for drugs may be less than the negotiated insurance rate.   

In any case, the take away here for me is that if you're buying a drug at a pharmacist then you should ask them what the cash price is.


--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Cord Cutting - Mediasonic HOMEWORX : Is A Good Basic $30 OTA DVR

Just after Christmas I bought a Mediasonic Homeworx HW220STB*  DVR.   Right now they sell for $29.99 at Amazon.   My verdict on the device is that its a good value and works well.     However the interface is fairly simple and a bit clumsy.

I've found that we watch less and less cable television while our cable TV bill goes up and up.    The value we get out of paying for cable TV has dwindled.   At the same time the different choices and ways to watch TV has increased.     I've been testing out OTT (over the top) streaming TV services.   However most of the OTT options have limited broadcast network channels.   For example, Sling TV is pretty good but they only have ABC, NBC and Fox in select markets and where I live I can only get them on demand.   Of course you can watch the broadcast networks via an antennae but I've come dependent on a DVR.    Hence the personal desire for a OTA DVR.

So how well does the Mediasonic Homeworx HW220STB  work?     The main points good and not so good :

Features
- Works well
- Cheap
- Did I mention its cheap?
- Also functions as a karaoke box.  (programming not provided)

Limitations
- Only watch or records one channel at a time
- Very limited program guide based on info within the broadcast feeds.
- Requires USB media bought seperately
- Clumsy, crude interface and remote control
- Needs reliable TV signal to be effective as a DVR

If you want a well working OTA DVR for cheap then this is a good device and I'd recommend it.    The very reasonable $30 price tag makes this thing a great value.    However I would point out the limitations.     

The box records fine and I've had no problems other than signal issues (see point on that below).    Reception is good and it tunes networks as well as my TV does with the same antenna.    

The interface is functional enough but its not fancy looking and reminds me of something from 20 years ago.    Some of the controls on the remote and the functions are't intuitive.     It will take a bit of getting used to and I still find myself searching on the remote for the right button sometimes.

The program guide only gives you maybe 24 hours of information and its totally dependent on what the broadcast network imbeds in their signal.    If you want to set a few recordings days in advance before you go on vacation you'll have to look up the air times somewhere else and set them manually.   

The box comes with no storage and you need to provide a USB drive to store your shows on.   I used a USB hard drive that I had handy and it works fine.     The maker recommends using a HDD with it but it does support USB flash.   Users report mixed results with USB flash so you might want to make sure you've got a better speed device if you try USB flash.    And lastly a big point: 

You need a good and consistent TV signal

I figured out after buying the DVR that a poor or unreliable TV signal makes an OTA DVR  worthless.    Well not exactly worthless but not really good enough.     As much as people praise cord cutting and the great channel selections now available OTA I don't recall anyone pointing out that TV reception can be unreliable.    Some of us will remember having to get up in the middle of a TV show to adjust the TV antennae.     Well that hasn't changed in the 21st century with HD TV.    TV signals are still variable and you can still get random interference that causes your signal quality to fluctuate.    This isn't so much of an issue if you're watching a show live.   It may be an inconvenience to have to adjust your antenna a little but its just that - a bit of an inconvenience.    However if you're recording a show via DVR and your signal goes bad you're not there to adjust the antenna and the DVR records a pile of digital garbage instead.  If your TV signal is prone to random fluctuations then it could make recording programs with a DVR a pretty frustrating and unreliable experience.      To be clear this has nothing to do with the DVR box itself of course.   It can only record the signal it gets. 


While I recommend this box and do think its a great value the last point really hobbles its usefulness for me.  I don't know about you but I really don't want to sit down hit 'play' to watch a recording, get 10 minutes into it and then get hit with 50 minutes of a screen full of recorded digital garbage because the TV signal went wonkey two nights ago in the middle of the show while it was being recorded.

Update - May 7, 2018 : 
After writing this I figured out my antenna problem and my reception is now very dependable.   I've been using the Mediasonic box a little bit over the past few months and it has been ~90-99% reliable.   I have had it mess up my programming schedule a few times and it failed to record a show because of it.   The box does also occasionally lock up and crash but it is easily fixed with a power cycle.   I've successfully recorded dozens of hours of TV with it and it works great but its not 100% dependable.


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* yes thats a commission link, if you like my articles and decide to buy one of these please follow my link.   The commission isn't impacting the nature of my review at all. 

12% at Ebates on 500+ Stores Today

Ebates*  has 12% cashback promo on 500+ stores today. 

A few examples :


Barnes & Noble
Travelocity
Shutterfly
JCPenney
Levis
Staples
HP
priceline.com
Dell
Hanes
Mcafee at 48%
Mellissa and Doug
Microsoft (on digital goods)

..and many others.

The 12% promo rate is for today only.    Also make sure to check the specific merchants if they have limitations.  Like Microsoft store is "up to 12%" and they only give 12% on their digital goods.    Other merchants may have other caveats to the deal.

Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.  

-- *This article contains referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

$25 SYW cash at Raise.com

Shopyourway is offering 25% cash back ( up to $25) on their online partners today.

Raise.com is one of the partners.    So you can use this deal to get $100 worth of gift cards at Raise.com and then get $25 back to spend at Sears or Kmart.

Note that the SYW cash does expire in 60 days.

Raise is also offering $10 off of a minimum $100 order today with the promo code CMRAISE.  However these might not stack.    The SYW rules say that 'coupon/promotional codes may void' the points.    Note I highlighted the word 'may' there which implies it might work.   Up to you if you want to risk using the promo.

To get the deal:
1. go to the SYW site 
2. find the Raise.com link there and follow it to Raise.com
3. Buy a gift card of any value from Raise.com
(optional step use the CMRAISE promo when buying, which might void the SYW points)


There are exclusions for the SYW points offer.


Terms & Conditions
Earn Shop Your Way points on qualifying purchases. Maximum points that can be
earned is $25 in points per member. Points valid for 60 days. Points awarded after
gift cards and discounts and before taxes and other fees are applied. Offer cannot
be combined with other Shop Your Way offers and promotions. Void if purchase is
cancelled or returned. Use of coupon/promotional codes may void Shop Your Way
Rewards. Must initiate offer online through ShopYourWay.com. Points may
require up to 10 days to be awarded. Not valid for Sears, Kmart and the following
partners: Energy Plus, LifeLock, Lingo, local restaurants, Sears licensed
businesses, Sirva Home Benefits, Sirva Mortgage and Home Depot. Offer valid for
original recipient only. We reserve the right to cancel or modify the offer at any
time in the event of fraud, abuse, unintended virality, or if technical or other issues
arise. By accepting Shop Your Way ® member benefits and offers, you agree to
the Shop Your Way terms and conditions, available at
www.shopyourway.com/terms.

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

500 Amazon Coins ($5 value) for $1 at HumbleBundle

The current E3 digital ticket game bundle on HumbleBundle has 500 Amazon coins included at the $1 purchase level.  500 coins would cost you $4.90 to buy at Amazon so this is basically $5 worth of app purchases.    You can get the bundle for as little as $1.   Of course you can pay more if you want to donate to the charity in question too.    There are some video game items too but it looks like "digital content" or downloadable content more than full games.

Note :  Make sure you've got a good use for Amazon coins.    Their app store doesn't have everything and theres plenty of free alternatives.    Some of the games I like aren't on Amazon at all.  


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$5 per Month Cell Phone Service from Speedtalk

Speedtalk has a $5 monthly plan for cell phone service.   You can get their preloaded SIM at Amazon for $5 plus $4 shipping.

The service level includes 250 minutes OR 250 text or 250MB data per month.   So its pretty limited, but for $5 its a pretty decent offering for light users.

You can also get 12 months of service from Speedtalk for $60 at Amazon with free shipping.    That works out to $5 per month and the shipping is free.  However it does NOT have rollover so the monthly allotment is use-it-or-lose-it.

Speedtalk is a reseller that uses the T-mobile network.   I haven't used them myself.



-- This article contains a referral link which will pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.

Cell Phone and 12 Month Service for $50 = Under $5 / month

Right now you can get a Tracfone LG Rebel phone plus 12 months of service for just $49.99 via ebay

Thats a great deal and works out to $4.17 per month for the 12 months.    

It is limited service with 1200 minutes, 1200 text and 1200MB of data.   The phone is pretty low spec too so don't expect to play high end games or anything.      But you can't beat this price for a phone and 12 months of service.

I used Tracfone myself for a year or two and it worked perfectly fine for me.

I heard about this at Fatwallet.


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I'm receiving no commissions on this.

Entertainment.com Books for $8.25 After Ebates Cash Back

Entertainment.com has their coupon books for $10 with free shipping.

Ebates is running 17.5% cash back on Entertainment.com.  

So using the Ebates site and buying a book you can get it for $8.25 total after the cash back.

The Entertainment.com site says its a "flash sale" so I don't know how long it will last.


I can't vouch for the quality of the coupon books nowadays and its going to depend on your local market and what you want as far as coupons.    Last time we bought a book we didn't use it but you may get better value out of it.  


Standard Ebates blurb: To get cash back from Ebates you need to be signed up with Ebates.  Then simply go to Ebates to get the referral to the store before you do your shopping.  I also get a referral bonus if you use my links to sign up with Ebates.   

--This article does contain referral links which will hopefully pay this site a big commission for purchases made at the sites.

$15 Toys R Us Gift Card with Purchase of $15 Gift Card for New TopCashBack Members

If you sign up for TopCashBack as a new member you can get a $15 Toys R Us gift card after purchase of a $15 Toys R Us gift card.

Use my referral link to sign up.*

To get the deal :
Join TopCashback and sign up for a FREE account.
Follow the 'get offer now' link at the link above to go to Toys R Us
Purchase a mail delivered $15.00 Toys R Us gift card.   Note this has to be a MAIL delivered card, not an egift emailed card.
Shortly after you've made your transaction, you will see the transaction in your TopCashback account.
Once confirmed, your transaction will become payable within 14 days.


Open until 11:59pm PT on Dec. 6th 2016 or supplies run out whichever happens irst

*I do get a referral bonus if you sign up using my link, so I thank you to do so.

--This article may contain referral links which pay this site a commission for purchases made at the sites.