How to Make 150 Dollars Per Hour

No, I don’t make that much from blogging and it’s not about the sign-up bonuses. And yes, the title is a bit sensational. Should be Google search magnet, don’t you think? Speaking of, did you know that some people make $60 per hour by offering platonic cuddling services? Yes, really! Say what you like, but it sure beats ROI on blogging…

Anyway, last year I saw something on Southwest website  that intrigued me. You could sign up for credit score  and ID monitoring services and get 3,000 rapid rewards points for each after 2 months of paid membership. I will not bore you with details because they don’t partner anymore, but it was a pretty favorable way to buy Rapid Rewards points.

I had no interest in ID monitoring service, but got some value out of the credit score watch. The plan was to cancel them both as soon  as the points posted. Well, my 3rd month ID watch fee was billed, but no sign of points. So I sent an  email to Southwest getting ready to fight for what is rightfully mine. A couple of days later I got a call (!) from a nice lady from Rapid Rewards department. Here is the conversation:

Her: I just wanted to let you know, your 3,000 points for credit watch service have posted and I am just crediting you the other 3,000 points.

Me: Thanks, but I think  you are referring to my Ultimate Rewards transfer I  did recently, when talking about  the 1st one.

Her: Oh no, it’s from promotion.

Me (rolling my eyes): I doubt it, but let me log in and see. Oh yes, you are correct. Sorry!

Her: It’s no problem, we want to make sure you get  what you are entitled to. Have a nice day!

Wow, I was impressed. She had no clue I would write about this incident. I am so used to fighting for missing  points or  miles, it’s a nice surprise to not have to do that for once! I suggest you keep a close eye on your  promotions and write it down if you have a hard time remembering.

I bought some flowers from Teleflora through Southwest shopping portal  a few months ago and the points didn’t post after 8 weeks. I emailed  them and  about 7 days later they did show up in my account, though without a follow-up call this time. It was certainly worth a few minutes I spent writing my email.

In this case I got 1,000 Rapid Rewards points, worth about 12.50 dollars to me, all for just 5 minutes of my time. That would be an equivalent of 150 dollars per hour. It’s easy to forget about stuff like that, though, especially after a couple of months.

Most families are busy with more important things. But it is your money or points. Airlines or cash back portals get reimbursed for them. You are not taking them away from poor widows or orphans.  Some companies like Cartera (manages several  airline portals) are notoriously bad. Just ask Flyertalker who goes by the name Marathon Man. But get a snack first, seriously.

I have had some problems with Topcashback before, with some of my promotions not posting. In fact, I would recommend you buy Amex gift cards through another portal if given a choice. I’ve always gotten my money eventually, but it is bit of  a pain to follow up on these things.

Speaking of, my latest cash back transaction for Amex gift cards from BeFrugal.com was canceled, presumably due to the usage of a coupon code, which was listed on the site. It was a very small amount (6 dollars), but I’ll probably still send an email to follow up. Honestly, I pretty much assume that there will be issues and factor in the hassle factor when participating in any given deal. So, my two points that I want to make with this post are:

1)  Make sure you don’t miss out on what’s rightfully yours.  You’ve spent your time and energy to participate in these deals and promotions. Technically, you are not making money, you are just getting what belongs to you.

2) Try to give people the benefit of the doubt, like I should have done with that Southwest customer rep.  Many times it’s the faulty  system that is to blame, not the individuals.