These Bills Are Draining Your Bank Account. Here’s How to Cut Back $1,616
Bills, bills, bills. They never seem to end, do they? They take more and more out of your account each month before you even realize it.
You can’t escape them entirely (wouldn’t that be great?), but you can stop them from being so darn painful every month. All it takes is ending your loyalty to a few companies you currently use for bills and fees that come every month.
Trust us, they won’t miss you. And you definitely won’t miss them — especially when you realize how much money you’ve been needlessly throwing away every month.
1. Your Credit Card Bill: Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company
If you have credit card debt, you know. The anxiety, the interest rates, the fear you’re never going to escape…
And the truth is, your credit card company doesn’t really care. It’s just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates — some up to 36%. But a website called AmOne wants to help.
If you owe your credit card companies $100,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 6.40% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
You don’t need a perfect credit score to get a loan — and comparing your options won’t affect your score at all. Plus, AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
It takes less than a minute and just 10 questions to see what loans you qualify for — you don’t even need to enter your Social Security number. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but don’t worry — they won’t spam you with phone calls.
2. Your Car Insurance Bill: Save up to $610/Year
Here’s the thing: your current car insurance company is probably overcharging you. But don’t waste your time hopping around to different insurance companies looking for a better deal.
Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once.
EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you’ll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you.
Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.
3. You Can Own a Slice of a Company When You Pay Your Bills
We’ve all got shopping to do and bills to pay. Whether you’re paying for your monthly streaming service, filling your tank or grabbing groceries, shouldn’t you be rewarded for your loyalty¹?
When you bank with Stash, your Stock-Back® Card² does just that. When you swipe your card at popular brands like Costco, Netflix, Amazon, McDonalds, AT&T, BP and CVS, you’ll automatically get a piece of stock in that company. Or, get rewarded with a default investment that you choose when you shop local or at privately owned companies
The Stash Stock-Back® Card² has no overdraft or monthly balance fees³, and monthly subscriptions start at just $3. Then when you deposit at least $1 in your Stash banking account, you can start banking immediately.
Your stocks can grow over time, plus you’ll automatically diversify your portfolio by shopping at different brands. More than 50 million pieces of stock have already been rewarded.
It takes just a few minutes to download the app here and get started.
4. Grocery Shopping: Add up to $526.44 to Your Wallet When You Shop at Walmart
Chances are, you do some of your shopping at Target / Walmart/Macy’s. But we seriously doubt you’re getting paid for it.
It sounds weird, but a free site called Rakuten will pay you when you shop online at Target, Walmart, Macy’s, and tons of other stores.
They work with just about every online store you probably shop at, and they can make sure you get some cash back every time you buy — up to 15% cash back.
We talked to Denver resident Colleen Rice, who’s earned more than $526.44 in cash back since she started using Rakuten. For doing nothing. She just uses Rakuten for things she already has to buy, like rental cars and flights.
It takes less than a minute to open a Rakuten account and start shopping like you normally would. You just need an email address.
They’ll pay you with a check in the mail every few months or deposit it to your PayPal account. Talk about money for nothing.
5. Your Car: Let This Free App Save You $40/Month on Gas
How far out of your way should you drive to find a great price on gas? At what point are the savings no longer worth it?
An app called Upside makes saving on gas straightforward with cashback offers that don’t involve any mental math. It maps out participating local gas stations where you can beat the pump price by as much as 25 cents per gallon.
People who use the app regularly save as much as $40 a month. That’s cash money deposited straight into your PayPal or bank account. Or redeem it for a gift card from popular brands like Amazon and Starbucks.
Here’s how to pay less for gas: Just download the Upside app, set up a free account and check the map to find participating stores near you. When you’re ready to fill up, claim an offer, tap “Check In” when you’re at the pump and pay with your linked card — easy money for a few seconds of your time.
You can cash out any time, and you’ll get your money within two days of initiating a transfer.
How many free tanks of gas can you get with an average of $148 in annual earnings? Download the Upside app and use code PENNY25 to get an extra 25 cents per gallon off your first purchase.
Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Paid non-client endorsement. See Apple App Store and Google Play reviews. View important disclosures.
Nothing in this material should be construed as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation to buy or sell any security. All investments are subject to risk and may lose value.
¹ All rewards earned through use of the Stash Stock-Back® Debit Mastercard® will be fulfilled by Stash Investments LLC and are subject to Terms and Conditions. You will bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the investments that you earn, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash. In order to earn stock in the program, the Stash Stock-Back® Debit Mastercard must be used to make a qualifying purchase. Stock rewards that are paid to participating customers via the Stash Stock Back program, are Not FDIC Insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, and May Lose Value.
² Stash Banking services provided by Stride Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. The Stash Stock-Back® Debit Mastercard® is issued by Stride Bank pursuant to license from Mastercard International. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. Any earned stock rewards will be held in your Stash Invest account. Investment products and services provided by Stash Investments LLC and are Not FDIC Insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, and May Lose Value.
³ For a complete list of fees please see the Deposit Account Agreement for details.
