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Because all our bills flow down my monthly cashflow “checkbook register” spreadsheet, copied and pasted each month in their order of payment, I see them each time I “balance the checkbook.”
By this, I mean confirming payments that automatically went through (or will in the month ahead) and manually scheduling a few others, while checking the balances match between my timelined spreadsheet and what my online portal says.
This is how I notice when Fios raises the internet bill by $4 per month. Or Disney+ decides to double the annual renewal price.
And then I can do something about it.
Disney and I were in a standoff for awhile. I canceled the renewal when, inevitably, they raised (read: doubled) prices last year.
First, I waited patiently to see what customer retention deal would come my way. Nothing (unlike most other streaming services, btw).
So instead I told the kids I’d subscribe after 6 months (paying 6 instead of 12 months would keep my absolute cost the same as the previous year).
Yes, I’m stubborn like that.
With the 6-month mark arriving, I recently did some quick research on getting the best Disney+ deal.
What I found was that if we pay for our Disney+ subscription with the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card, which we already use routinely for groceries, we would get $7 cashback per month.
Done.
This particular AMEX card has a $95 annual fee, but provides 6% cashback on groceries. So we more than earn back that fee using it for groceries alone ($360 back each year on $6,000 in grocery spending). Cashback on this one can be used as statement credit (1:1), so everything we bank up on this card, I use to take a big chunk out of our grocery bill later.
And now we’re getting a $7/month credit back on that $13.99/month Disney+ subscription.
If you decide to set this up for yourself, read the fine print. Seriously, never be afraid of the fine print; it’s key to getting these strategies right. You can read the basic details on this “$84 Disney Bundle Credit” here.
Some things to be aware of… first, you must log into your card account and “enroll” your card before paying. And you receive a $7 statement credit each month after a “qualifying purchase” of at least $9.99 is made in that calendar month. This means if you pay for the annual plan all at once, you only get $7 back. But if you have a monthly recurring subscription, you get $7 each month, up to $84 across 12 months. Make sense?
Free money is free money, so check it out. Taking advantage of these small opportunities when they take one small set-it-and-forget-it effort is a no brainer for paring back bills.
Now, I don’t know how long this program will continue, but for now, we’re enjoying having new selections for Friday Night Movie Night, having the nature documentaries back, and checking out Taylor’s Eras Tour (3.5 hours!!).
We’ll enjoy it now because the second rule (after reading the fine print) of using these strategies is you must be aware and willing to cut ties again when the deal is over.
Just this once, let it be easy.
Cynthia Lord in Rules
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Under 2, an email series designed to share quick bites of wisdom to empower your financial journey (while keeping it short). Be sure to sign-up below to get these messages in your inbox.
All for now,
Lindsey