Year: 2020

MyPoints COVID-19 Response

Like everyone, we have been monitoring the Coronavirus situation over the past 2 weeks. We have paid particular attention to how it might affect our employees, our partners, and – especially – our community of members.

We recognize that the current climate will introduce uncertainty for everyone, some more so than others. Knowing that we’ve been able to make a difference in your lives – whether small or large – is what motivates us every day. And today, we take that mission more seriously than ever before.

In any effort to support our members, we’ve put on-sale certain gift cards in the MyPoints Rewards Store and increased Point offers on select gift cards purchased through MyGiftCardsPlus. Below are the details on the sale and increased Points.

In addition, we’re committed to keeping fun alive at MyPoints. That means, we’ll run Social Games on Facebook and Instagram, continue with Point Perks, and we’ll remain committed to creating rewarding moments.

1. Rewards Store Gift Card Sale

To assist members with unexpected or larger-than-expected grocery, food or drugstore purchases, MyPoints is putting all relevant gift cards on-sale in the rewards store. In addition, we’re putting on-sale select, game & entertainment related gift cards, effective now through March 31, 2020.

Food & Drugstore

Safeway: 3% mark-down on $25, $50 and $100 gift cards

CVS: 12% mark-down on $50 and $100 gift cards

OmahaSteaks: 12% mark-down on $25, $50 and $100 gift cards

Domino’s: 7% mark-down on $25 and $50 gift cards

Home Entertainment

Google Play: 5% mark-down on $25 and $50 gift cards

2. Increased Points on select gift cards purchases at MyGiftCardsdPlus.com

MyGiftCardsPlus.com, our gift card mall where you can buy gift cards and get Points back, will increase the Points back on all gift cards in the grocery, food delivery, drugstore and entertainment categories, effective now through March 31, 2020.

Food, Drugstores & “Staples”

Safeway: cash back increased to 1.50%, up from 1%

CVS: cash back increased to 4% up from 3%

Domino’s: cash back increased to 7.5% up from 4%

DoorDash: cash back increased to 3%, up from 2.5%

Petco: cash back increased to 7.5%, up from 5.5%

UberEats: cash back increased to 1.25%, up from 1%

Staples: cash back increased to 3%, up from 2%

Entertainment

Audible: cash back increased to 6%, up from 4%

GameStop: cash back increased to 3%, up from 2%

Sony Playstation: cash back increased to 5.5%, up from 3%

xBox Live: cash back increased to 8%, up from 6%

3. Monthly Goals Adjustments for those who submitted In-Store goals

If you’ve submitted March Monthly Goals and set goals that either require you to buy a product at a participating retailer and upload a receipt or make an in-store purchase for a linked offer, those goals will be marked as completed. We do not want our members to unnecessarily endanger their health during this time.

As we collectively wade through uncertainty, MyPoints hopes these measures are able to make at least a small difference in your life over the next few weeks.

And, please, we encourage members to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s safety guidelines for hygiene and travel.

Rewarding Moments: March 12, 2020

This week’s Rewarding Moment comes to us from Kelly Thompson who’s coming up on a “lucky” 13 year anniversary with MyPoints!

Here is her story:

“I first came to MyPoints in 2007. Wow, 13 years of click-thrus, surveys and shopping Points.

In those 13 years, I have cashed in $730 worth in gift cards. To some that may not seem like a lot, but when you are on a budget every little bit helps.

My most rewarding moments with my MyPoints experience is with my grandkids. In the 13 years I have been here, I have gained two amazing angels: grandsons that are now 10 and 7. During this period of time, I have been single for over half and MyPoints has allowed me to give to my grandsons.

Taking them out to eat became an adventure, when it always seemed like one or the other was in a high chair–just special times with their Mimi. It has also allowed me to give them cards as gifts where we can go on a shopping excursion and they can pick out a treat for themselves.

MyPoints is a daily ritual with me and will continue to be. Thank you MyPoints for some very special rewarding times with my loves!

Thank you, Kelly for telling us how MyPoints rewards you! In appreciation for 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!


Tuesday Tips: Why Did I Get Zero Points for My Purchase?

So you’ve shopped via MyPoints, making sure to click through the merchant’s MyPoints page or the Score! pop-up, but when you check your account statement, it looks like this:

What happened? Why didn’t you get the stated Points per dollar?

In most cases, this is due to “Merchant Exclusions.” Some of MyPoints retail partners have specific categories that are eligible for commission (Amazon) or product categories that are excluded from commission (for example: Target, Walmart, HP, etc.).

Because MyPoints does not get paid commission on these items, we cannot award Points.

In the case of Amazon, the eligible categories are limited and are identified on their MyPoints page:

Some of those Amazon categories may have exclusions within them which will be displayed in a gray box like this:

For other merchants, the exclusions are outlined on their MyPoints page in their Terms and Conditions:

It’s best to make note of any exclusions prior to making your purchase, but if you forget and see zero Points a few days later, check the merchant’s Terms and Conditions to see if that is the issue.

Please keep in mind these terms are determined by the merchant, not MyPoints, and will apply to any partner program.

In some cases, you may not get zero Points but fewer Points than expected. This could mean that some items in your purchase were eligible for Points, while others were not per the merchant’s Terms.

In some cases, the zero Points is a placeholder until we receive reporting from the merchant confirming your purchase. For example, the Disney+ states that it may take up to 45 days for a monthly or annual subscription to be credited and during that time you may see “0 Points” in your account statement.

It’s MyGiftCardsPlus Bonus Time Again!

Now through 3/13, each MyGiftCardsPlus brand purchase of $50 or more will earn you a 100 Point Bonus in addition to the Points per dollar for your gift card.

This bonus is good once per brand so this is a perfect time to stock up on retailer, restaurant, movie theater or travel gift card.

If you’re planning a shopping trip to Macy’s or Banana Republic or you’re going out to dinner at Olive Garden or Applebee’s, why not buy a gift card and earn Points?

MyGiftCardsPlus has over 170 gift card brands to choose from, so shop now!

Friday Round-Up: Anything Other than Coronavirus Edition

It wasn’t easy, but this week’s round-up is dedicated to stories on the web that don’t have anything to do with the virus that will not be named…

Not THAT virus, but another virus might be cured if Amazon has any say in the matter. According to this article from The Verge, Project Gesundheit is working on a cure for the common cold.

Filed under “Feed a cold, starve a fever,” Dunkin is giving away a free donut with drink purchase on Fridays this month. For details on how to score yours, check out the details in this post from Delish.com.

Speaking of freebies, Money Talks News has a round-up free stuff you can score this month in addition to donuts.

Before you know it, March will be over and we’ll be days away from Tax Day. The Washington Post’s personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary asked accountants for the most outlandish deduction claims their clients tried to claim. No, your pooch cannot be claimed as a dependent!

Finally, you may have heard the expression “getting along like cats and dogs,” but this heartwarming Twitter video goes to show that’s not a bad thing at all…

Have a great weekend and keep washing your hands!

Rewarding Moments: March 5, 2020

MyPoints users have a myriad of ways to reward themselves. Saving up for the holidays is a popular option as is treating yourself and your sweetie to the occasional date night. But MyPoints also has a lot of travel-related rewards which is how Bruce Hernandez, who has been a member for almost 10 years, experienced his Rewarding Moment.

Here is his story:

“[I joined] back in 2010, when I was looking for ways to save on travel and gas. Loved the gift card rewarding options. 

There are too many rewarding moments to chose from but the most recent just happened now for my 1 year wedding anniversary. I redeemed for 2 free nights in a lovely hotel in Mobile, Alabama. We visited the whole southeast.”

We love that we were able to help you and your lovely wife go on adventures, Bruce (though we’d personally not get so close to those ‘gators!). In appreciation for 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!

And for more inspiration, check out these ideas for planning a budget-friendly date night. 

Tuesday Tips: How to Use eGift Cards

MyPoints has started the process of phasing out physical gift cards in favor of electronic rewards. As of April 1, physical gift cards will no longer be available for redemption.

If you’ve never redeemed for an eCard, here are some tips to help with the transition:

  • eCards can be used online and in-store (if the merchant has a brick and mortar location). For online purchases, just copy/paste the gift card number and (if applicable) the PIN at the retailer’s checkout under the payment section.
  • For in-store purchases, you can print out the gift card and give it to the cashier at checkout. Don’t have a printer? Most retailers will be able to scan or manually enter the gift card info off your mobile device.
  • Do you give your rewards as gifts? Print out the eCard and enclose it in a card. Again, if you don’t have a printer, many gift cards offer the option of emailing your gift card to yourself or another person.
  • If you still REALLY want a physical card, you have options:
    • Redeem for a free Amazon gift card and use the balance to purchase any of a variety of physical gift cards.
    • Redeem for an eBay gift card and search for physical gift cards (NOTE: You may be able to find discounted cards, but make sure the authenticity is verified and seller is reputable!)
    • Redeem for a Visa gift card. Digital Solutions offers the option of converting your eCard to a physical one for a fee, or you can use the funds to purchase the physical gift card of your choice.
    • Redeem for PayPal. Once the funds are transferred to your PayPal account, you can use them to purchase the physical gift card of your choice.

There are a number of benefits that eCards have over physical gift cards:

  1. They don’t contribute as much to landfill. Plastic waste is an environmental issue and what happens to a physical gift card once funds are depleted? Even a printed out eCard is less environmental issue than a plastic gift card.
  2. They won’t get lost in the mail. Since they are sent to your email inbox, there’s no worry that they will be lost or stolen on route to your address. If you can’t find your eCard after it’s been sent, you can resend it.
  3. They are less likely to be misplaced or stolen. If you’ve ever lost a gift card, you know how frustrating it can be. Even if you delete your eCard accidentally, it can still be re-sent or retrieved via Customer Service.

MyPoints Maintenance, Monday March 2nd

Just a heads up that MyPoints website and apps will be down for maintenance starting at 8 pm PT on Monday, March 2nd.

The outage is projected to take an hour, but most likely will be completed much sooner.

During this scheduled outage, there will be no access to the MyPoints website or mobile app, the Android Daily Scoop app or the Score! browser extension, until maintenance is completed.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. Please plan your Point-earning activities accordingly.

Earn up to 1,750 Bonus Bonus with March Monthly Goals!

Once again, US members can earn up to 1,750 Bonus Points and Canadian members can earn up to 1,250 Points for March Monthly Goals.

Submit your March Monthly Goals by 11:59 pm PT on March 7, 2020 and complete your goals by 11:59 pm PT on March 31, 2020 to get your bonus.

Activities for March include:

Daily 5: You must complete at least 7 Daily 5 lists to participate in the Monthly Goals Bonus. The Daily 5 is a list of eight MyPoints activities for which you will earn 5 Points if you complete 5 of the 8 on any given day.

PLEASE NOTE: We changed the Daily 5 on February 10th to add linking Dining Deals offers for Mondays and Saturdays. In-Store Shopping offers will change from Fridays and Saturdays to just Fridays, adding In-Store Deals offers on Thursdays and Sundays remains the same and having Score! activated will be only Tuesday and Wednesday.

Surveys (optional): SurveyZone surveys completed from March 1 through March 31 count towards this goal. Peanut Labs surveys taken via MyPoints Deals, Guaranteed Incentive surveys, surveys where the completion award is fewer than 6 Points and those with delayed crediting do NOT count towards this goal.

Video Playlists (optional): Every MyPoints Video playlist or Daily Scoop mobile playlist you complete between March 1 and March 31 will count towards this goal. Sponsored videos will not count towards this goal. Keep in mind video inventory can fluctuate, so take care when setting this goal. If you are an iOS user (iPhone/iPad), please note that the Daily Scoop is no longer available for your device, so set your Video Playlist goals accordingly.

nCrave Playlists (optional): Every nCrave playlist you complete between March 1 and March 31 will count towards this goal. Keep in mind that nCrave inventory fluctuates based on member demographics and playlist availability so take care when setting this goal.

Grocery coupon prints (optional): This is the number of grocery coupons printed (and credited) between March 1 and March 31. MyPoints relies on data from Coupons.com to award for coupon prints and redemptions, so if you have had issues getting credit for coupon prints, please keep that in mind when setting this goal. Also note that Coupon prints will be delayed showing up on your Progress Tracker for up to 48 business hours.

As with surveys, videos and nCrave, please keep in mind coupon inventory can fluctuate.

MyGiftCardsPlus gift card transactions (US Only – optional): This is the only activity that requires a purchase. MyGiftCardsPlus aggregates purchases made during the same transaction, so if you are setting a goal greater than 1 for this activity, please make sure you make your purchases in separate transactions.

Add an In-Store Deal to your list: Add up to 10 In-Store Deals to your shopping list to receive Bonus Points! (US Only –No purchase necessary)

Upload an In-Store Deal receipt: Complete ONE In-Store Deal by successfully uploading your receipt and earning Points to complete this activity. (US Only)

Link an In-Store Shopping offer to your credit card: Add a maximum of ONE In-Store Shopping offer to your MyPoints wallet to complete this activity. (No purchase necessary) (US Only)

Earn Points for your In-Store Shopping: Use your linked card at the retailer you linked to your wallet and earn Points to complete this activity. (US Only)

REMEMBER: All activities completed between midnight PT on 3/1 through 11:59 pm PT on 3/31 will count towards your Monthly Goals regardless of when you submit.

Friday Round-Up: Coronavirus Edition

Many are understandably stressing about the possibility of a global pandemic. Here are some recent posts and articles on the Coronavirus.

FYI: The Coronavirus has no connection to Corona beer so partake of this beverage for happy hour without worry. Unfortunately 38% of Americans wouldn’t buy the beer due to the outbreak, most likely under the mistaken belief that it transmits the virus.

The virus has also disrupted production of at least one medication according to the Los Angeles Times and could eventually affect production and distribution of at least 20 more medications that are exclusively sourced from China.

Drugs are not the only products affected by the spread of the virus in China. Harvard Business Review projects impacts to the global supply chain by mid-March affecting automobile production due to disruptions in supply of parts to wedding gowns.

Adding to the misery, fears of the coronavirus affecting the global economy has led to Wall Street’s worst week since 2008.

Billionaire Bill Gates warns that the virus is a “once-in-a-century pathogen” and has committed $100 million to contain the outbreak according to Business Insider.

For everything you ever wanted to know about the coronavirus, especially how to prepare for it, check out this Washington Post article.

Stay well, folks!