The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to the Universe

As a Budget Smart Girl, I’ve always been keen to find ways I can make my money work for me. One way to do that is to sign up for a program that lets you get money back or earn points to put toward further purchases. Now more than ever it’s important to get the biggest bang for your buck. And one program that lets you do that is MyPoints www.mypoints.com. What I like about this program is you not only earn rewards on purchases, but you also get points for using coupons too. Here to explain the idea behind the program is John Lane, senior vice president of consumer marketing and product development with MyPoints.

Budget Smart Girl (BSG)-Who started the site and when did it launch?
John Lane (JL)- MyPoints began as a class project at the University of California’s Haas School of Business in 1996. MyPoints founders realized early on that a loyalty program would be a perfect match for the then-new online shopping world. The premise was as straightforward then as it is now, reward members by saving them money and thanking them for their loyalty by giving something back.

BSG-If I’m new to MyPoints, how do I get started? Walk me through shopping on the site and how I can earn points.
JL-Registration is the first step and it’s simple, fast, and free. New members simply click on the “Join Now” link at the top right of the MyPoints homepage, enter their registration information, and confirm their email address and they’re ready to earn points. Shopping through MyPoints is easy and rewarding, and is only one of many ways to earn points. The first step is to find the merchant you want to purchase from. Members can search for merchants by brand, by category, by special deals, and by searching with our toolbar. MyPoints has over 400 partner merchants that provide MyPoints members savings on literally thousands of products, from flat screen TV’s to pet food. After identifying the merchant you want to purchase from, simply click on the merchant link and you will be taken to their page. Now all you have to do is make your purchase and you’ve earned your points. The key to maximizing your points is to make MyPoints your first stop when shopping online.

BSG-How are points determined and do they have an expiration date?
JL-Points in active accounts do not expire and can be redeemed for gift cards or online certificates from stores, restaurants, airlines, hotels and more. The points you earn will vary based on whether you are shopping, taking a survey, responding to an email, etc. As I mentioned earlier, shopping is only one of the ways to earn points. The points earned for shopping will vary by partner and each merchant will indicate how many points you will earn by making your purchase with them.

BSG-I noticed the site has an area where you can print free coupons, tell me more about that and can it save me money?
JL-Yes, the MyPoints Coupons Center will save you money and you’ll earn points at the same time. MyPoints makes it easy for members to earn points just for doing the things they would do every day. The MyPoints Coupons Center is a perfect example and all you need is a printer. First visit the MyPoints Coupons Center, then download the coupon clipper program which allows you to print manufacturer’s coupons that are redeemable at your local grocery store. Once you’ve got the coupon clipper program running you simply select the coupons you are interested in and print. It’s that easy and each coupon you redeem earns you 10 points. Plus if you redeem 5 or more coupons that you printed from the MyPoints Coupon Center you’ll earn an additional 25 points.

BSG-Is there anything else you’d like my readers to know about MyPoints?
JL-I mentioned earlier that shopping is only one of the ways MyPoints members earn points. In fact, simply becoming a member earns you free points and provides you with several other opportunities to earn more free points. By completing your profile you earn 60 points, downloading the MyPoints toolbar will net you another 100 points and all referrals earn you another 250 points. Members also earn points by responding to email offers, taking surveys, booking travel, and playing online games. Then you can redeem points for gift cards and certificates from the same wide range of stores, restaurants, airlines and hotels. MyPoints membership goes a long way towards stretching your hard-earned dollar which is important to everyone these days. MyPoints also provides members with special savings and promotions throughout the year. We just ran a special Valentine’s Day promotion for MyPoints members where we gave away hundreds of free bouquets from FTD. Members will want to check our site regularly to see what new offers are available. We can’t give away the details yet but, plans are being made for this year’s Mother’s Day promotion to be one of our biggest promotions ever.