Upromise question

[DisneyGlitter]

Does anyone here participate in upromise? How does it work and is it worth signing up? Can anyone tell me how much you can expect to save toward college each year?

Thanks for any info you can share!

 

[MichiganKris]

It's very easy to use, you just attach your credit/debit cards to your upromise account and the money is automatic. They have shopping where you get a percentage back if you go to the online store through upromise. I mainly use it when I get gas at Mobil/Exxon stations, so it doesn't add up quickly. I think you get more back through other rewards sites for online shopping. The amount you earn, is based on how you use the program.

 

[Pigeon]

I've had it for probably five years and have earned a whopping $200. I always hunt for coupon codes and bargains when I shop online, so very rarely do I get Upromise credit. Mine is also mostly from Mobile gas.

 

[danygirl]

I think if you use their credit card it adds up. I have made afew hundred dollars over maybe 28 years so you don't make much . Lately mine comes from gas and dining. The way I figure any little bit helps

 

[Dakota731]

We made $200 in twenty years not much but hey it's free money!

 

[HM]

I also have been a long time member and have made about $300 or so.
My problem is I forget to go through their website when I'm ordering online. I've missed a lot of money because of that, I'm sure.
I also used to get about $1-3 a month through grocery store purchases until they changed how that worked.

 

[amomma23]

We made about $100 in 11 years. I cashed it out last year. I get more back with ebates or top cash back. By the time my oldest started college, we would have had enough to cover a book.

 

[mrsap]

Haha I just checked mine, I totally forgot I set one up until I saw your post. In 7 years I made a whopping $17.00! LOL My account hasn't earned a penny since 2012! Is there a way to cash out? I'd rather put it straight into her 529. Thanks!

 

[amomma23]

Haha I just checked mine, I totally forgot I set one up until I saw your post. In 7 years I made a whopping $17.00! LOL My account hasn't earned a penny since 2012! Is there a way to cash out? I'd rather put it straight into her 529. Thanks!

Just log on, click on "My account" at the top. When that come up, click on "request check" on the left, at the bottom.

 

[RitaE]

Yeah, just get the money from them. I use to earn much more before I switched to eBates and other online cash back portals. Now it trickles in from gas station purchases and I think my Mom's grocery card. I just looked and I have $2 there but their minimum check amount is $10.

BTW, when you request the money you don't have to put it into a college savings account. That's just kind of their marketing gimmick. The money isn't restricted to 529 etc savings until it actually gets into the 529 account. If you want to put it to another use, totally up to you.

 

[AlohaNow]

$2,600 over the eight years since I opened it. Like any loyalty program, you need to be loyal to it. I got the credit card early on, always start my online shopping by logging onto Upromise, and did the gas through Mobil/Exxon when I lived in a state that had Mobil/Exxon. Their program used to be a bit more generous. I recall once cashing in some useless amount of American miles to get $50, which is a huge Upromise amount to get at one time! I haven’t seen anything like that in a long while though.

As someone mentioned above, the money you ‘earn’ is not automatically placed into a 529. A 529 is a financial account that you must open and link to Upromise. Once opened and linked, transfers of Upromise ‘earnings’ automatically go quarterly. Mine is through T. Rowe Price as that was the option that they linked with at the time. I hold other investments through T. Rowe as well, as their expense ratio is low. I love seeing my little transfers and updating the balance in my Quicken program. I’m like, “I got that money for free and it is earning interest tax-free. Boo-yah.”

$2,600. For free.

 

[LightMayo]

I signed up for this program in Feb 2011. Since then I have earned over $1,400. I have the Upromise Mastercard, which earns me 5% on online shopping when I go through the Upromise site, and 1% on everything else I use the card for. I have my Upromise account linked to my 4 year old son's 529 plan, and the earnings transfer to that account on a quarterly basis. I just figured if I am going to use a credit card to consolidate my purchases and pay it off at the end of each month, that I might as well earn some extra cash for college as I do it.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

I've been using it less than a year. The key is to attach your debit/credit cards. Also download the tool bar for you browser. I normally hate those extra tool bars on my browser. But this one is actually helpful, because if your shopping on a site that is eligible for upromise it automatically prompts you to activate cash back. This has helped get me money back. I also use the app on my phone, and if we're thinking about going out to eat, we'll check for a restaurant on the upromise list first.

It's money you're already spending mine as well get some of it back.

 

[ellochka]

I have had it for ~3 years, and earned around $400 without opening their credit card. It pays to check the site before ordering something expensive. I hate all those gimmicks, but managed to attach it to most of my online purchases, and I shop online a lot. The fattest deals are on travel. If you spend $3K on a vacation package, and get 5% back, it's $150 right away.

 

[platamama]

Year to date (7 months), I'm at $513 with Upromise. I signed up for their credit card, use it almost exclusively for online purchases through the Upromise portal and that's where it adds up the most for me. Usually I end up with 10% "cash back" - 5% through the portal, 5% for using the Upromise MC. This was quite the bonus on a purchase this year from Blue Nile.

I almost never use it for regular spending (I have a plethora of other credit cards I juggle for that purpose) except for dining out at restaurants that participate in the Upromise dining program. Currently I get 8% back on those restaurant purchases.

I always check evrewards.com to see what portal is offering the highest amount of cash back and go through that portal.

DD's 529 plan is linked to my Upromise account, so funds are automatically transferred every 3 months.

It is offered through Barclays, and they recently added the perk of checking your FICO score for free once a month.

I highly recommend Upromise.

 

[3boymthr]

I signed up when oldest DS was a toddler back then you could link various utility accounts (cell, landline, etc.). I accrued 200 in a very short space of time. I never linked my cc accounts because when we dine out we pay cash. Anyway fast forward to now. I have only a little more than I had 15 years ago but its still enough to make a tiny dent in DS OOP expenses fo college - those things not covered by his 529 like linens and a fridge. Imagine my disappointment when I go to cash out and find out we won't get the check until the middle of september because disbursement takes 45 cdays.

 

[ThisIsTheYear]

Thank you for posting this! I haven't logged in for years. When I searched my email for login info, I found an email stating that if I don't claim my $78 by 8/31/14 (!), that 'unclaimed money may be transferred to the state of NJ'.

 

[jeaneg]

Thanks! I had almost $50 and requested a check. I'd forgotten about this program.

 

[ThisIsTheYear]

Thank you for posting this! I haven't logged in for years. When I searched my email for login info, I found an email stating that if I don't claim my $78 by 8/31/14 (!), that 'unclaimed money may be transferred to the state of NJ'.

Update: I received my check. Then I received a letter a few days later stating that they closed the credit card. Lol!