ING Direct - 4.25% APY

ING Direct is finally making an effort to match the competition. Well, 4.25% still doesn't cut it. The leading competitors are currently offering 4.65%-4.75%.

How to Get the Most Movies from Netflix

Netflix is, of course, the best way to get movies as a college student. I just became a Netflix user when I recently won three years of Netflix from two different contests. I've only received three movies so far because my returns haven't been processed yet. I expected Netflix to be faster, based on what I've read about it. So, I did some research to find out how to get my movies returned faster and to get my queued movies shipped sooner.

First, even though there is a window on the envelope to show the barcode. This is only for shipping purposes and won't increase the return process time. Apparently, many users have wondered what the purpose of the window is.

Because Netflix bases the shipping priority on the amount of DVDs you rent, it seems that renting a lower amount of DVDs will give you faster service. That's kinda pointless though. One article that I read, "How To: Hacking Netflix", suggests keeping your queue short so that Netflix will be unable to choose a movie that you have given a lesser priority. I'm not sure if the author of that article actually read the Terms of Service that he quoted because it states:

those subscribers who receive the most movies may experience that (i) the shipment of their next available DVD occurs at least one business day following return of their previously viewed movie, (ii) delivery takes longer, as the shipments may not be processed from their local distribution center and (iii) they receive movies lower in their queue more often than our other subscribers

Therefore, even if a subscriber who receives a lot of DVDs has a short queue, it's possible that Netflix will just delay shipment for a day.

For now, all the DVDs in my queue have no wait time. This might be because I'm a new user or it could be because Netflix has expanded so much that the "throttling" that users have complained about is just something of the past.

I'll keep you updated about my Netflix experience. It seems like a great service, especially since I'm using it for free.

Free T-Shirts and Laptops Tonight at the new Apple Store on 59th

Grand Opening

When the Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, opens it will stay open 24/7/365, so we can help you around the clock. To celebrate our new store, we’re giving away an amazing new MacBook every hour for 24 hours straight*. And the first 2,500 customers receive a commemorative T-shirt. Please join us Friday, for the first of many all-nighters.

The Apple Store, Fifth Avenue is located at 767 Fifth Avenue at 59th Street.

For more information, visit http://www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue

HSBC Direct - 4.65% APY

HSBC Direct raised their interest rate today, as expected. They didn't quite match Citibank though. 4.65% is still pretty good and HSBC is still my Online Savings of choice.

Sign up at http://www.hsbcdirect.com

Citibank e-Savings now 4.75% APY

Citibank's e-Savings just raised their APY to 4.75%.
HSBC Direct and Emigrant Direct are still offering 4.5%.
ING Direct is offering 4.15%.
Hopefully the competitors will match Citibank's APY soon.

The only reason that I do not have a Citibank e-Savings account is that it requires a linked Citibank checking account. The checking account has a required minimum balance and minimum monthly activity, and will be charged a fee if that minimum balance and activity is not met. However, if you already use Citibank for your primary checking, this is a great deal.

To open a Citibank e-Savings account and checking account, visit http://direct.citibank.com

The Semester is Over

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been busy with finals and moving out of my dorm. The semester is over so I won't be in NYC for the summer. I'll still be updating my blog though, since I'm now unemployed and will have to do more to save money until I get a job. I'll be back at NYU in August but keep visiting my blog throughout the summer.

-JB

Bank of America: May is For Museums on Us

During the month of May, Bank of America is giving free access to several museums in the Northeast to their cardholders. This includes ATM, check, and credit cardholders. You are entitled to free admission for yourself and a guest.
Museums in NYC include Guggenheim (which is regularly about $20 per person).

For more information, visit http://www.bankofamericapromotions.com/museums/

Free Comic Book Day is May 6th

The fifth annual Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday, May 6rd. Select comic book stores across the country and the world will be giving out free comic books made specifically for this event. Sponsors include Archie Comic Publications, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics, among many others. Additionally, comic book creators will be at stores signing their comics.

This is a great opportunity for anybody to get some free comics. There are several comic book stores in NYC participating, including Virgin Megastore in Times Square.

To find a participating comic book store near you, visit http://www.freecomicbookday.com.

ING Direct - 4.15% APY + $25

I wrote an entry about HSBC's current APY a couple days ago because HSBC Direct offers the highest rate. However, it appears that there is no active promo code for HSBC. Therefore, it might just be more practical to sign up for ING, if you don't already have an account. ING Direct just increased their standard rate from 4.00% to 4.15%. Add an additional $25 sign up bonus, and you've got a great deal.

To get the $25 sign up bonus, you need someone to refer you. So, if you're interested in opening a new account, just click here: Open! (If that link doesn't work, leave a comment.)

Online Instant Win Contests: Superman & Dole

There are many contests that have really bad odds of winning. However, these two online instant win contests have great odds of winning. You can enter to win each one once per day and it only takes about one minute. I've already won a Superman Uno Card Game.

Quaker Oats - Find Superman
http://www.quakeroats.com/findsuperman
Code: LOISLANE01
Most of the prizes for this are Superman video games or other Superman toys, but it's really quick to try to win. You can enter once per day. Once you win a prize, you can't keep trying to win. So, if you don't get a great prize, you can't get anything better.
What I Won: "8,750 Sixth Prizes: Superman Returns Mattel Uno Card Games. ARV: $5.49."

Dole Pack Up For Paradise Instant Win Game
http://dolejuice.promotionexpert.com/prizeparadise/splash.html
Codes: Brazil, Barbados (or any of the locations that you can win a trip to)
I haven't won anything from Dole yet but there are thousands of prizes. The easiest to win is, of course, a free Dole 64oz. Juice Blends product. You can enter once per day. Actually, there is one prize per household with this contest also. So, if you win the Juice Blends, that's all you'll get.
EDIT:
What I Won: "Ten Thousand (10,000) Third Prizes: One (1) Dole 64 oz. 100% Juice Blends product. ARV of Third Prize: $1.99 each"

Good luck!
If you win anything, please post a comment!