This week’s Rewarding Moment comes from relative newbie Josh Brown (although no stranger to rewards program having joined our sister site, Swagbucks a year prior).
Here is his story:
“I found out about MyPoints from seeing it affiliated with Swagbucks.
Paying for our daughter’s first photo shoot with a couple different gift cards from Old Navy and also Target that we purchased with the Visas I earned on MyPoints.
We were able to buy her a few different outfits to change into, shoes from Old Navy and the outfits from Target. Then also we were able to buy the majority of our outfits from the same places as well.
MyPoints gave us the peace of mind of not having to worry about the costs associated with for buying individual outfits for myself as well as my wife and our daughter
My wife and I have both been members of MyPoints since December of 2018 and we both generally redeem our points for $50 Visas which then buy gift cards with for whatever we need coming up. Examples for that could be groceries, outfits, or various dining restaurants.
All three of us are very thankful for the opportunities MyPoints provides for us.”
Thanks for sharing your story, Josh! In appreciation, we’ve added 1,500 Points to your account.
Got a Rewarding Moment made possible by MyPoints? For details on how to share it and get 1,500 Points if selected, check out this post!
The COVID-19 crisis had led to some ingenious hacks. Here are a few to help you prevent the spread of the disease.
With hand sanitizer in short supply, here’s a recipe for making your own from Healthline. It should be noted that washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds is the gold standard and far preferable to using hand sanitizer, whether store-bought or homemade, but this will do in a pinch.
The CDC recommends using a face covering to slow the spread of COVID-19 and many municipalities are requiring them when in public or if you’re entering or working in an essential business.
CNN has a guide to make a no-sew face mask using a bandana, t-shirt or square cotton cloth, coffee filter and rubber bands or hair ties.
If you’ve run out of Lysol, this YouTube video demonstrates how to make disinfectant spray at home using CDC and WHO methods and this Komando.com blog post has a comprehensive rundown of how to make disinfectant wipes.
One of these days things will get back to normal and we can go grocery shopping without having to wear protective masks. When that days arrives, we’ll be ready with Points for products you buy at your local grocery chain.
Shoply allows MyPoints and Swagbucks members to add offers and upload receipts on-the-go. If you are member of both sites, you just need to select which site you want to earn for and login using those credentials:
Once you’re logged in, you can filter offers by in-store or online. You can also filter offers by store to see if your next grocery or drugstore run can score you Points!
To add an offer to your list, just tap it to open it and then tap the + sign:
On Tuesdays and Thursday, adding offers to your list via Shoply checks one off your Daily 5!
First, tap Redeem in the menu at the bottom of the app. Then select the store from which you made your purchase by tapping its logo.
Then select the item or items from your list purchased at the selected retailer from your list. If you don’t see the item, you may need to go back and add it to your list or the offer may have expired.
Click the Upload Receipt button
Click Continue and use your smartphone’s camera to take a legible photo of your receipt. Make sure your image contains Retailer name, date and items purchased.
In the near future, Shoply will also allow members to earn Points for scanning barcodes and more!
Vital Choice offers home delivery of wild seafood from responsible fisheries and farms. Vital Choice stands out amongst the competition due to their commitment to organic seafood and meat. This commitment allows customers to eat high-quality food without any guilt about how the fish and animals were raised.
Products available include wild salmon, scallops, shrimp, lobster and much more. In addition to their wide selection of seafood, Vital Choice also sells customers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken and much more. If you’re interested in giving Vital Choice a go, here are five recipes you can consider when your Vital Choice seafood delivery order arrives!
5 Scrumptious Recipes for a Vital Choice Seafood Delivery
Seafood soup makes for a great meal on the cooler days. This one includes both medium shrimp and salmon filets, which are available from Vital Choice. Before ordering, use a Vital Choice coupon to save money on your order.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound salmon filets, skinned and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
To make this delicious seafood soup, simply heat oil in a saucepan, and add onion and green pepper. Once those veggies are softened, you can add the carrots and garlic. Let it cook for a little while before adding tomato sauce, tomatoes, wine and seasonings. Let it boil and cook for 30 minutes. Finally, you can add the salmon, shrimp, and parsley and cook it for 7-10 minutes.
This is a protein-packed soup with lots of good flavor. It cooks in the slow cooker, so be sure to get started early. Vital Choice offers a variety of shrimp so you can find organic ingredients for this recipe.
Ingredients
1 can of coconut milk (398 ml)
500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock (low sodium)
30 ml (2 tbsp) red curry paste
15 ml (1 tbsp) ginger, minced
15 ml (1 tbsp) garlic, minced
15 ml (1 tbsp) brown sugar
10 ml (2 tsp) fish sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
1 red pepper, diced
Pepper to taste
1 bag (340 g) medium shrimp (31/40 count), raw and peeled
1/2 package (250 g) rice vermicelli
30 ml (2 tbsp) cilantro leaves
First, you will need to combine stock, curry paste, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, coconut milk, and fish sauce in the slow cooker. Add onion, carrots, and pepper and stir. Let it cook for 6 to 7 hours. After 6 to 7 hours, add the shrimp and rice vermicelli to the mixture. Let it cook until the rice vermicelli is al dente. Then, add some cilantro on top before serving.
This Fisherman’s Style Seafood Stew has a great blend of several types of seafood. It includes squid, shrimp, snapper, cod, clams and mussels. Add some ciabatta bread and you will have a tasty and complete meal for the whole family.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, divided
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (32-ounces) jar tomato sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 pound mussels, scrubbed
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
12 ounces cod filets, cut into 2-inch pieces
12 ounces skin-on snapper filets, cut into 2-inch pieces
10 ounces raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 ounces cleaned squid, bodies cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
To make this hearty stew, thinly slice the garlic cloves. Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally. Add the wine after about 5 minutes and boil until it’s been reduced by half. Add the tomato sauce and vinegar, then let it simmer. Next, add the clams and mussels, letting them cook until the mussels open. Move the mussels to a large bowl and do the same with the clams. Add salt to the snapper, cod, and shrimp and add the seafood to the pot and cook on medium heat, letting it simmer for 6 minutes. Then add the squid and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the mussels, clams and parsley. Remove from heat and let it stand for 2 minutes before serving.
This cod and asparagus bake is made with tender cod and delicious fresh veggies. A little bit of lemon and grated cheese adds extra flavor. Plus, it only uses one pan.
Ingredients:
4 cod filets (4 ounces each )
1 pound fresh thin asparagus, trimmed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
First, you will need to preheat the oven to 375°. Put the cod and asparagus in an oiled baking pan. Place tomatoes in the pan, cut sides down. Brush the fish with lemon juice and add lemon zest. Then, sprinkle cheese on top of it all. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the fish is flaky. Finally, broil the cod mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly brown.
If you love fish tacos but want something heartier, fish burritos are a great way to go. You can follow the recipe, but feel free to add in different vegetables, spices, and salsas to your liking!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil divided
two 4 oz. filets of mild white fish
salt pepper, and smoked paprika to taste
1/4 medium onion thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 small zucchini sliced into thin matchsticks
1/2 medium carrot shredded
1 cup cooked seasoned rice or other grain
1 small tomato chopped
1/2 of a ripe avocado chopped
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro optional
juice from 1/2 lime
2 large flour tortillas
To make these delicious fish burritos, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the filets, season them with salt, pepper and paprika, and let the filets cook for 5 minutes on each side. Then, move them to a plate. Wipe the skillet and add the rest of the olive oil. Add sliced onion and bell pepper and stir while they soften. Then add zucchini and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the carrot shreds and let them cook for a few seconds. Then, assemble your burritos and enjoy!
As making sure our pantries and refrigerators are stocked becomes more and more of a challenge, here are some COVID-19 stories related to the care and feeding of our families.
Curfews and quarantines are making is harder to ship food around the world according to this Bloomberg.com article.
“Food moves from farm to table through a complicated web of interactions. So problems for even just a few ports can ripple through to create troubling slowdowns. For example, wheat grown in Europe can be shipped off to India, where it’s processed into naan bread for eventual export into the American market. Disruptions along the way are causing heavy delays.”
Some folks are opting for delivery to maintain their quarantine. Unfortunately, some of those people are also ripping off the delivery workers by playing bait-and-switch with tips according to NYPost.com.
Perhaps even worse than the tipping rip-offs is this story about a woman who was arrested after licking $1,800 worth of items at a grocery store according to CNN.com.
Finally, here’s a literal palate cleanser: The Washington Post reports that as many people have taken up or increased cooking and baking while in quarantine, DoubleTree has released its iconic chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Special occasions often make for Rewarding Moments–whether they be holiday celebrations, graduations, weddings or even birthdays. Member since 2014 Rosanna Vega knows this all too well and here’s her story of how MyPoints came to the rescue for her son’s birthday celebration:
“My most rewarding moment with MyPoints is when I did not have enough money to buy food and a cake for a birthday celebration for my son. Times were tough.
I remembered that I had accumulated enough points to be able to get an e-gift card from MyPoints. I felt so happy to be able to use that e-gift card at that store as it arrived to my email.
Once I open the e-mail and followed the instructions to view my barcode of the card I knew I was saved from the stress, I was getting ready to ask for a loan! With MyPoints e-gift card, I got my purchase done and that made me so very happy and also ready for the celebration of my son’s birthday. “
That cake looks like it was delicious, Rosanna! In appreciation for you sharing your story, we’ve added 1,500 Points to your account.
Got a Rewarding Moment made possible by MyPoints? For details on how to share it and get 1,500 Points if selected, check out this post!
Need a break from all the Coronavirus news? Here are some things to get your mind off the crisis:
Actor/director John Krasinski of The Office fame has created a YouTube channel called SomeGoodNews. Dedicated “entirely to good news,” episodes have featured Steve Carell, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the original cast of Hamilton.
If you’re on Twitter and need a dose of adorable, make sure you’re following Cute Emergency. Dog lovers should add We Rate Dogs to their Twitter follows. For more cute Twitter accounts, check out this Ranker listing.
There have been updates to our Customer Service process to make them more efficient. If you have a question, here’s how to navigate the new system to get your issues resolved.
Most member questions can be answered via our Help Articles. Our Help Center has dozens of articles divided into categories like Shop, Surveys, Redemptions, etc. So step one of the process is to determine which category your issue related to.
Once you’ve determined which category relates to your issue, click on it to see all the Help articles within that category.
Read through the article titles to find the one or ones that may apply to your issue. Then click on those articles and read carefully to see if they help resolve your issue.
In many cases, the articles will provide step-by-step instructions on how to resolve your issue. If not, they will provide a timeframe in which you should follow up with our Customer Service team.
For example, for shop transactions in which Points have not yet been awarded, you must wait at least 30 days before submitting your request. Please refer to the relevant Help Article and offer terms/details to see if it’s too early to follow-up with a ticket.
If after reading the article and following the steps within your issue is still not resolved, scroll down the page to the button which says “Still Need Help? Submit a Customer Service Ticket.”
Click the button to fill out a form to submit your request.
PLEASE NOTE: Make sure that the article you are submitting your request via is the correct category and most relevant article because this not only determines the submission form, but also the team that handles your request. If you submit via an article which is not relevant, it will delay the resolution of your issue.
Make sure you fill out all the fields and attach screenshots or order confirmation details if possible.
During business hours, you may have access to chat with an agent via the Help button in the lower right:
Please only use the chat function for easy, quick issues or follow-ups on submitted tickets if deadline provided for response has passed.
Issues regarding missing Points should be submitted via a form request as documentation is required in order to resolve the issue.
Busy moms love MyPoints because it allows them to earn Points while still caring for kids, running errands and one million other things they have to juggle to take care of their family.
Although sometimes these persevering parents use MyPoints to score a well-deserved treat for themselves, more often they selflessly use their rewards to take care of their family.
This is the case for Jessica Olivearez, who has been a MyPoints member for a little over a year now.
Jessica joined MyPoints in January 2019 via a search for “survey sites that pay.” And her most rewarding moment?
“My rewarding moments have been the moments where I have been able to buy my daughters clothes and other items using the gift cards I have redeemed with MyPoints.
I’m a stay at home mom so I have zero income, but MyPoints helps me to contribute when it comes to providing for them.”
Thanks, Jessica! We’re adding 1,500 Points to your account. We hope you use it to treat yourself, but we know you’ll probably use it for your family.
Got a Rewarding Moment made possible by MyPoints? For details on how to share it and get 1,500 Points if selected, check out this post!
In last week’s post, we provided options for keeping in shape physically. This week we’re going to look at how to keep you mind sharp with a number of online learning options. We’re stuck at home, might as well learn a new skill, right?
While many schools and universities are offering students online options for continuing their education, there are also virtual options for career development or just learning for learning’s sake. Coursera has a list of online course options that are free to take or free to audit.
Similarly, Udemy has a listing of almost 200 free courses to balance out your Netflix binge-watching.
Got a public library card? Then most likely you’ll be able to access LinkedIn Learning (aka Lynda.com). Just log into your library website with your library card number and PIN and look for Online Learning Resources and Lynda.com in the navigation.
Once you click through, you’ll be prompted to enter your library card and PIN again. You will then be prompted to set up your profile (name, email) after which you’ll have access to thousands of online videos instructional videos covering the latest software, creative, and business skills. All for free!
For more online learning resources, check out this comprehensive list courtesy of Medium.com (free resources are indicated with an *).
