CashDuck is back!

Even though the payout system has been dramatically revamped, CashDuck is back. Instead of cash rewards, the GPT site now pays in "feathers," which can redeemed for giftcards to a slew of retailers. Also new: members can now join a "team." Says Kira of CashDuck:

"Each team sponsors a charity. If you are on a team, the team earns a bonus of 2% of anything you earn. Once the team earns $50, the charity will receive a donation at the end of the month. Being on a team doesn't cost you anything, and you can start a team for nearly any charity. Invite your friends to join your team, and raise money for a favorite cause, a local charity, or even your PTA or Girl Scout troop."

I'm not sure how the feathers will work out, but it's good to see the site didn't go defunct. Check CashDuck out for yourself!

Test Check?

Recently received a message from CashDuck stating that "test checks" are now required to verify user information before users can accept $ via an online payment channel, like Paypal. I've been accepting $ via Paypal since January with no hassles or problems.

Now I'm an amateur with GPT sites, but the test check costs $3 on CashDuck, and the survey offers that I complete pay out between $0.35-1.00, and roughly 3 out of every 10 surveys that I complete don't pay, period.

Does any GPT user out there know: What is the actual purpose behind a test check policy?

ANSWER: Re-read the "test check" page, and users can opt to pay $3 for a test check to expedite verification -OR- accumulate at least $20 in order to request a check by mail, which would also verify your address & allow you to receive payment via PayPal in the future.

What I Would Do For 25 Feathers...

Kira at CashDuck, a GPT site that I've mentioned on my blog previously, recently rolled out a new feature called "kudos." "Kudos" are the site's newest reward for users achieving milestones, e.g. first 15 referrals, first $100 in referral earnings, a single cashout over $250, a review of the site...I think you see now where I'm going with this post!

Not having tried other GPT sites, CashDuck is a pretty easy way to make a free dinner every month. I've been using the site since January 2007, and so far, it's as easy as pie. Aside from one misguided incident of re-directing 20 feathers to a lottery jackpot prize instead of my habitual contribution to additional referrals, I've been pretty happy with the CashDuck experience. And keep in mind, it was by my own choice. But on to the review....

I enjoy the how all the offers are categorised: Freebies, Free Trials, Surveys, the ubiquitous Other, and the newest category, Paid to Shop. This makes it very easy for me to jump to Surveys, which is all I really do on the site, and it's netted me roughly $15 per month. (The other ~$15 comes from my referrals.) After completing a survey, I mark the offer "pending," and move onto the next.

Occasionally, some offers - guestimate: roughly 4.5 out of 10 - that I complete sit in my "Pending" folder until I delete it from the list & mark it "ignored." This is probably the only annoying absence of a feature I find on CashDuck: instead of having the Ignore button available from the Pending folder, you have to delete an offer from the Pending list & Ignore it when you somehow find it again on the site. But with so many offers on the site (over 270 as of this post, which is in itself quite a recommendation), re-doing a non-credited offer that I've previously deleted from my "Pending" list has been known to happen, and more than once. I wonder if this happens to other users...

Another recommendation for the site is the payout format & expediency of payment. On the last day of each month, I request payment and by the 15th of the next month, I get a "You've recieved a payment" email from PayPal - so simple!

Now onto the frills...

I can be a stickler for details, so here's some of the features of the site that I particularly enjoy:

• Account Balance
  This separates your Cash and Feathers balance histories, as well as keeping a separate overall count of referral earnings.
  
  
• Current Contests & Contest Stats
  Even though I'm not an active participant, these features are a great report card for those who are!
  
  
• Custom Banners
  Like this one:
  
  
  
  Okay, I just find these really cute. =)
  
  
• Response Time
  Even when my suggestion for an "Ignore" feature on the Pending list was turned down, it was turned down nicely & very quickly. The same expedience is applied to payment, assigning prize referrals, etc.

Overall, CashDuck a very user-friendly site, and a great way to make a few bucks on slow days at work!

The Power of Referrals

Been progressively busier at work since January, so I haven't had time to CashDuck...ever, really. Not since January. But since I recieved February's withdrawal in Paypal a few days ago, I logged in today to cash out for the month of March.

As I navigate through the site, I realize - to my happy surprise - that $50 of the ~$100 that I've earned on CashDuck so far has been thanks to a few of my referrals! I was so happy, I completed five surveys for a few extra bucks...hey, an extra dinner allowance never did a girl any harm, right? =)

And I'll leave you with my favourite banner:

My First Payout

In the blogosphere, there are a myriad of posts recommending GPT (or "get paid to") sites, and just as many caveats. Well, since work's been seriously syrupy-slow since January, I've find myself on CashDuck more. I only complete free offers, and I've created 5 email accounts thus far to hold the e-spam. The fruits of my labor?

But, of course, a number at the top of the screen telling you what you've "earned" does not equal $ in the bank. So, at the end of January, I requested payment via PayPal. And last night, I got my first GPT payout! $43 was deposited into my PayPal account, just for doing a few free surveys during downtime at work. Cha ching!

Helium isn't for everyone...

Since I so readily issued a caveat emptor for Restaurant.com, I'd like to apologise for suggesting Helium to you without doing so in the first place. I finally took the time to read the fine print at Helium, and I'd like to refer you to Helium's TOS, Item #6, entitled"Helium's rights to the content":

By submitting your content to Helium, you agree to the following:

• You grant Helium, and its affiliates, a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable, non-exclusive right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, display, create derivative works from and/or sell and/or distribute content posted to Helium.

• Helium’s rights to the content do also imply rights to use, in any way, the materials for our own internal business purposes, and reproduction and distribution for the purpose of marketing and publicity for Helium.

• Helium disclaims any obligation to legally protect your works or your copyrights, and you acknowledge that we will have no liability, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, for any infringement of any of your intellectual property rights.

• You acknowledge that we do not control other users' actions, including but not limited to their use of your content. We will have no liability to you for any user's violation of these terms and no responsibility to you to enforce these terms for your benefit.

• If your content includes one or more links to content hosted on servers other than ours, it will not be considered uploading or posting of content to the Helium site, and it is understood that we will have no right to use or distribute such content unless it is also uploaded or posted directly to the Helium site.

Writers be warned!!! When you submit your stories, you are forfeiting your intellectual property rights. If you should find own writing in Helium's Guide to Personal Finance, Helium's Big Book of Auto Repair, or Dating for Helium Dummies, don't bother looking for your name, a blurb of credit, or even a notice in your mailbox that your material has been used! But if you're okay with that, then Helium on.

From now on, I will take my own advice and read the Terms of Service BEFORE signing up, contributing, or recommending a site! D'oh!

myLot

For those looking to earn $ writing articles online, I've just joined myLot, which works much like Helium.

My 5¢ on Helium

My writing samples on Helium:

1. Frugal is a way of life (article)


2. Financial assets: What are they (article)


3. What to know when buying a gift card (article)


4. What to avoid when selling your car (article)


5. Spend wisely to save $ (article)

Every time you click on one, I will earn...drumroll please...1-¢ent! Feel free to click frequently! (Just kidding...unless you really do have some spare time...)

Update: I will no longer be submitting writings to Helium due to their intellectual property appropriation policies. (See my post.)

Earning $ on Helium.com

Having googled this and finding no sufficient answer, coupled with the fact that I'm actually recommending the site, I feel like I should address Helium.com's pitch that writers can make $...

From my whole 3 days as a member of Helium.com, here's what I have to report on earning $ via Helium:

• I've earned $0.01 for my article about Spending Wisely (as mentioned in my previous post); this article has been rated and bumped up to #1 - woot!
  
  
• I've earned $0.02 for my article on VISA giftcards, which was a previous post on this blog (see article). While this submission isn't rated #1, it is a respectable #12, meaning that it has jumped in ratings in its one day of existence on Helium.
  
  
• From the examples above, I have deduced that each "bump up" in ratings equates to the writer being paid 1-cent. If this somehow proves untrue, I will return to update this post. And if someone reading this knows otherwise, please feel free to disabuse me of a faulty notion!
  Update: For payment details, read this article.
  

Again, if I've got the wrong idea all wrong about Helium, feel free correct me. I couldn't find an actual payment schedule or a clear explanation at the site's FAQ's section or in their forum.

Update (as of 1/21/2007): I'd like to retract my recommendation of Helium...and here's why.

"Spending Wisely," on Helium

Having joined the online writing community at Helium, I wrote my first article yesterday! It was filed under the Personal Finance topic of "Spending Wisely to Save Money." My five tips for spending wisely included:

1. Know yourself.
2. Treat yourself.
3. Let your fingers do the walking.
4. Do it yourself.
5. Know your spending habits.

For the in-depth details, please read my article here!

Helium is, or seems to be (since I've only just joined), a way for websurfers to consult others for personal experiences and perspectives on anything, from Autos to Personal Finance, to Relationships. Although it advertises itself as a paid-for-writing enterprise, there's no explanation of the how's or when's. But you should sign up just for the fun of writing articles and/or giving advice about pretty much anything you want!

Citi Platinum Dividend Credit Card (et al) Referral

I usually ignore all the flashing advertisements on the left and right margins of most websites. Today, however, curiousity urged me to click a Citicards banner that said: "$25 Dividend Dollars for referring your friends!"

Apparently, a Citi credit card user can use the code "JA1" to earn up to $125 for five Citi credit card accounts successfully signed up. So if anyone is interested in signing up for a Citicard, email me so I can send you a referral and we can share a $25 referral bonus*!

*You'd probably be paid through Paypal, since I'd get the referral bonus in Dividend Dollars.

The Under 30 Honor Roll

"For the Under 30, By the Under 30."

Started by Kira, the Honor Roll's tagline says it all. The blogging network posts articles pertinent to twenty-something's, featuring financial how-to's that discuss topics like student loans, credit cards, budgeting, saving, investing, charity-giving, buying & owning a car or a home, taxes, and more. That being said...

...today is my first day as a member of the Under 30 Honor Roll!

---

And I also joined Kira's brainchild, CashDuck!

And in case you're interested in my progress on Cashduck...

ING vs. HSBC

Even thought HSBC Direct has a 5.05% APY right now, I'm still sticking to ING Direct. My main reason is the sub-account feature, which lets me compartmentalize your savings accounts and nickname them with labels like "Emergency," "Vacation," "Gift," and "Roth IRA." Not that you can't nickname your account at other online banks, but it's the ease with which you can open a new ING savings account that really sold me.

With my money clearly assigned to a purpose, I'm more likely to stop and think before dipping into my savings. When I want to take a weekend trip, taking money out of my "trip to Asia" really makes me stop to think; if I'm thinking about buying a new toy for my car, I stop to ask myself if the toy is actually an "emergency." (It isn't. But a happy story about this: After holding out for almost 3 months, I finally got a cargo cover through a friend - for free! The wait was definitely worth saving $90 for a new one!)

My favourite thing about ING (besides the very user-friendly interface) is the sub-account nickname feature that forces me to re-examine the opportunity cost of my "I-wants" by reminding me of what I was trying to save for in the first place. And any feature that helps me curb my frivolous spending is well worth the 0.65% APY.

For the interested, new accounts with at least $250 opening deposits can take advantage of ING's account $25 opening bonus by using the following links:

Link Me, Please.
Link Me!
Link Me, Baby.
Link Me Now!

You can also email me for an email invitation. Please note that I earn $10, you earn $25, and when you open your own ING account, you will be able to earn referrals as well! The link will be on the bottom of your Accounts page.