Saving For College

Don’t put off saving for your child’s future. I’ve been a Upromise member since 2001 and can honestly say that this is the easiest way I’ve found to save money for college. Best part is I earn money without doing anything special.

Here’s what I did to set Upromise up:

• I registered for a Upromise account.
• I added the account numbers from all the supermarket discount cards we use (ShopRite, Wegmans, Pathmark, A&P, etc.).
• I added the account numbers from the pharmacy discount cards (e.g. CVS, RiteAid, GNC, etc.)
• I got a Citibank Upromise credit card and linked that to the Upromise account.
• I asked my parents and in-laws to create their own Upromise accounts, add their supermarket/pharmacy/Citibank accounts, and designate a child on my Upromise account as the beneficiary.
• I designated how I wanted the earnings to be distributed. There are several options, even contributing to an existing 529 savings account.

Sounds like a lot, but it really doesn’t take much time at all. Basically you set it and forget it.

Here’s how we generate earnings from Upromise:

• We use the Citibank Upromise card for most purchases. (Earns me 1% of each purchase. I think the maximum each Citibank Upromise card account can earn in a year is $300.)
• We go grocery shopping like we always do, being sure to use the supermarket discount card and pay the bill with the Citibank Upromise card. (Earns me 1% from Citi plus any discounts from specific brands we bought.)
• I pay any recurring monthly bill I can (i.e. newspaper, satellite, utilities, etc.) with the Citibank Upromise card. (Earns me 1% of the bill amount I’m paying.)
• When shopping online, try to go to Upromise.com first, click through to participating online retail site (i.e. Buy.com, LLBean.com, Apple.com, Staples.com, BestBuy.com, etc.) and paying with the Citibank Upromise card. (Earns me the discount specific to the retailer and 1% from Citibank.)
• Occasionally eat out at local restaurants that participate in Upromise. (Earns me the discount specific to the retailer and 1% from Citibank.)
• Fill the gas tanks at participating stations. It’s only one cent per gallon, but it adds up over time when filling two cars each week. (Earns me the discount specific to the retailer and 1% from Citibank.)

See what I mean? It took very little effort to setup and we earn passively every week from our normal spending behaviors: grocery shopping, paying bills, getting gas, eating out.

Don’t hesitate.

Sign up with Upromise today and turn your everyday spending into college savings. The sooner you get started, the sooner you start earning money.

Earn money towards college savings with Upromise

I really like Upromise. I signed up in 2001 and during that time I’ve managed to earn over $1,900 to apply toward my kids’ college education fund. That’s money earned for basically doing nothing out of the ordinary. I’m going to keep taking advantage of it. I have no idea how long this will last, but there’s no evidence it’s going away anytime soon.

So how do you get in on this action?

1. Create your own account.
2. Link all your grocery shopping cards, pharmacy cards and credit cards.
3. Open an Citi Upromise Card and link it to your Upromise account.
4. Create a network — Encourage your parents and in-laws to open their own Upromise and Citi Upromise Card accounts and link to your Upromise account.

Once you have the accounts created and everybody linked to you, some slight alterations to your buying habits will help you maximize the potential earnings.

For example:

• I closed all our other credit cards and exclusively use the Citi Upromise for everything. I can earn up to 1% of my annual purchases, up to $300 per year.
• I try to make purchases from companies that are affiliated with Upromise. There are thousands of popular companies, and their earnings cary from 1%-10%.
• I pay my recurring bills with the credit card, too. Phone, utility, newspaper — anything that accepts a credit card — it all adds up.

Seriously, sign up for Upromise right now. If you spend a little time setting it up and getting support from family, you can earn quickly for very little effort. It’s never to early to start saving for your child’s college education.

I hope you find this useful. Get started now!
Roland