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Get a 10% Tax Refund Bonus with TurboTax 2014

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Intuit Turbotax Deluxe Federal State Refund Return Program

Tax season is nearly here! Over the last few months I’ve worked tirelessly to reduce my tax liability. One method I’ll use to receive an even larger bonus will be Amazon.com’s partnership with TurboTax. TurboTax is the leading tax preparation software and offers some of the best features for receiving your largest deduction ever. But for every dollar of my refund I put towards an Amazon gift card, I’ll get an extra 10% from Amazon!

For instance, if you receive a $1500 tax refund and download TurboTax from Amazon.com, you’ll be able to put up to $500 to a gift card with the 10% bonus! That can quickly give you an extra $50 for doing your taxes. By receiving the $50 Amazon.com tax refund bonus, you can effectively pay for the cost of TurboTax Deluxe 2014. And heck, Amazon can sometimes help us stay frugal!

What I like about TurboTax:

  • TurboTax is an Intuit product (they own Mint.com, too)
  • It automatically calculates deductions and checks to make sure I’m getting the largest refund possible
  • The company works with collegiate expenses and student loan payments to save even more money
  • Each year’s refund and return is collected for the next year, which saves a ton of preparation time
  • The program includes state and federal e-files for rapid returns and paperless refunds
  • By downloading from Amazon.com, it includes 5 free federal tax return files
  • Using TurboTax is a terrific preventor of getting audited, as it checks to make sure you’ve included everything
  • Instant download for Macs and PCs

Follow this link to get this year’s version: TurboTax Deluxe Fed, Efile and State 2014 with Refund Bonus Offer

Filed Under: Make Money Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon.com, Bonus, Gift Card, Mint, Student Loans, tax, taxation, taxes, Turbotax

How Amazon Prime Membership Helps Me Go Without A Car

By Frugaling 9 Comments

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Amazon.com Boxes Prime Shipping
Photo: Carl Malamud/Flickr

Two weeks without a car. What a crazy feeling! Every day I’ve experienced a sort of dull, phantom-car syndrome where I imagine driving somewhere, and then realize I don’t have a car. But each time, I feel comfortable with the decision I made to sell the car. Now, the trick is learning to live with less.

Oddly enough, it doesn’t feel like I’m compromising anything. I’m saving money, investing, and beginning to budget for a strong financial future. I think many people fear that not having a car will be restrictive, but it’s only been freeing for me.

Today, I wanted to highlight two essential Amazon products that I’m now using without a car.

1. Amazon Prime Membership

A few years ago I joined Amazon Prime with a student discount. It was under $70 for a year of two-day shipping, Kindle library books, and TV shows. I took advantage of a 6-month promotional trial, too. It was amazing. But after a couple years, I decided to cancel my membership.

With a car, it just made more sense to go to the local store. Since then, Amazon’s prices have been falling. And without a car, the whole cost curve changes. I’m willing to spend a little bit more on products to save a lot of time and money on auto payments.

There are some products that Amazon excels at delivering. For instance, on my bike, it’s not possible to bring home bulk supplies of toilet paper and towels. I’d be stuck buying 4 rolls at a time, at exorbitant prices. Instead, I order a 40 pack online. It’s delivered straight to my door within two days, too. Amazon is still offering a 6-month trial for free and it’s the best deal out there.

Here’s what I like:

  • Reliable service and amazing customer support
  • Two-day shipping for any amount of items
  • Free access to TV shows and movies (no need for a Netflix membership!)
  • A wealth of Kindle Library books that can be checked out for free
  • Bulk items delivered at comparable cost to local stores

2. Amazon Store Card

Amazon Prime Store CardAmazon beefed up the benefits to their store card, and I decided to apply for it. The Amazon Store Card is only for use on their website. While it offers special financing deals for certain expensive products, that’s not how I’m using it. See, if you don’t use the financing offers, it acts like a rewards credit card.

At the end of every statement month, I receive a 4% credit on all my Amazon purchases. And when I say credit, I don’t mean a gift card. It’s cash back. Now, I’m saving 4% off every purchase and combining that feature with Amazon’s incredible Prime shipping benefits. It makes going car-less effortless.

Here’s what I like:

  • Easy to apply for and get the credit card, as it doesn’t require especially high credit rating
  • Offers an immediate $20 credit on your next purchase
  • Provides a 4 percent discount on all purchases, as a statement credit
  • Automatic monthly payments can be setup for hassle-free service

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon.com, Free Shipping, kindle, Prime, Store Card

How Much Can You Make From Class Action Lawsuits?

By Frugaling 2 Comments

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Are you familiar with class action rebates? They can be pretty straightforward and an often forgotten way to get some extra cash. A couple weeks ago I received an email from Amazon.com saying that I had received money from a settlement. The lawsuit involved eBooks and something about unfair pricing tactics that impacted the ultimate cost to consumers. I’m surprised it didn’t get caught in my spam blocker, as the email seemed to be  a poor phishing attempt for my details.

To my surprise, it was real. If you purchased an eBook during the dates involved in the settlement, you should’ve received some amount of credit to your account. I saw people tweeting that they received anywhere from $1 to $60.

Amazon Class Action Lawsuit SettlementWhat caught me off guard was that I had no idea about the lawsuit — or the settlement. Honestly, I still don’t know much about the lawsuit’s fineprint or why my account was credited for eBook purchases. Regardless, I received a little infusion of $6.82. I’ll take it!

Class action lawsuits are sometimes frivolous and hurt productivity at top companies. But frequently they protect consumers, and correct wrongs. There’s an entire world of class action lawsuits that gets distributed to shareholders, car owners, household products; really, anything under the sun. You’ve probably received a letter from a law firm explaining that they were given your information and are now filing a class-action lawsuit. Most of the time, if a settlement is reached, you get a couple dollars.

But sometimes you don’t hear about them. For instance, if you go to your grocery store and buy Neutrogena moisturizer, the manufacturer doesn’t know you — individually — made that purchase. The only way for you to receive compensation is to submit your claim. Few companies have an interest in letting you know that an offer has been made. It’s a lot more work for them, when they have to payout all these checks and fulfill the full settlement.

Class Action Lawsuit Rebates Screenshot

To be a critical and informed consumer, there are various sites that can help. Over the last few months I learned about one that specializes in collecting class-action lawsuits. My favorite is called Class Action Rebates, and it’s free! When you go to the website, it explains three key steps to received settlement claims.

First, find products you purchased. Most products don’t even need a receipt; albeit, falsifying product purchases is a fast way to land in jail. If you kept the old receipts and documentation, you can often receive more.

Second, fill out an online claim form. Class Action Rebates tells you how long a form should take to fill out. Got five minutes? I guarantee you can fill one rebate form.

Third, wait an obscenely long period of time for a check in the mail. Most take about 6-8 weeks, but I’ve had surprise checks hit my mailbox about 2-3 months after submitting a claim.

That’s it. Once you’ve completed those three steps, you’ll be on your way to making money off companies that wronged you! You can find anything car problems, vitamins, batteries, and more. Pretty much anything in supermarkets is fair game. Both as a way to save and make money, filing class action lawsuit claims are exceptionally important.

While I’m not suddenly a millionaire, the money earned from the settlements probably totals more than $100. As I work to pay off my student loans, every little bit counts. Find out more about how it works on Class Action Rebates’ website.

Filed Under: Make Money Tagged With: Amazon.com, Class Action Rebates, Consumer, ebook, How it works, Lawsuits, Settlement

10% Tax Refund Bonus With Amazon.com And TurboTax

By Frugaling 5 Comments

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TurboTax has been updated for 2014!

Intuit Turbotax Deluxe Federal State Refund Return Program

This year, Amazon.com is bringing an awesome promotion that could net you a serious bonus on your tax refund. The online shopping company is offering anybody that downloads TurboTax through their website the opportunity to use a portion of their refund to get an Amazon.com gift card.

Let’s say you get a $2,000 tax refund after calculating all your deductions and savings. By downloading Turbotax with this Amazon.com bonus, you can select a portion of funds for the bonus. It’s pretty simple, too. Choose $500 from your tax refund to go into an Amazon.com gift card and you’ll receive an extra $50! Not only does this pay for the price of TurboTax Deluxe, it also offers you a rapid way to use your return.

Amazon.com Gift Card Federal Refund Bonus OfferWhat I like about TurboTax

  • TurboTax is an intuit product (they own Mint.com, too)
  • It automatically calculates deductions and checks to make sure I’m getting the largest refund possible
  • The company works with collegiate expenses and student loan payments to save even more money
  • Each year’s refund and return is collected for the next year, which saves a ton of time in preparation
  • The program includes state and federal e-files for rapid returns and paperless refunds
  • By downloading from Amazon.com, it includes 5 free federal tax return files
  • Using TurboTax is a terrific preventor of getting audited, as it checks to make sure you’ve included everything
  • Instant download for Macs and PCs

Follow this link to get this year’s version: TurboTax Deluxe Fed, Efile and State 2014 with Refund Bonus Offer

Filed Under: Make Money Tagged With: 10 percent bonus, Amazon, Amazon.com, Bonus, Deluxe, end of year, fiscal, Intuit, Return, Tax prep, tax refund, taxes, Turbotax

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