Changes to Redemptions

[SunshineGirl]

This is going to be going out in a newsletter, but I figured I would tell you all here first.

Over 90% of our cashouts at SR are either PayPal, Disney Gift Cards, or Amazon gift cards. For various reasons, we have decided to test out scaling back to only those redemptions effective December 1. Because of the way that it will streamline our processes, we will be able to do them more often. PayPal will now be done twice a month instead of once so that you do not need to wait as long for your funds. We'll also be speeding up the others to try to keep them more at the 4 week mark than the 6.

We'll still do some different things every now and again based on member feedback. Super Members will also still get special rates on the Amazon and Disney Cards.

I want everyone to have a chance to cash out for other cards if you were saving up or planning to use them for Christmas, so you will not see any changes until December 1.

I'm hoping that this will work out better for everyone. At least the 90% of you who want your Paypal, Disney, and Amazon faster!!

[29apr00]

:clap: i hope this makes things easier for you guys too!!!

[Hedy]

Sounds good to me!

[PSL1013]

Fantastic! :clap:

[disney_girl]

Sounds good! I hope that it streamlines things and helps you all out!! :sunshine:

[RENITA]

Awesome Idea!:thanks:
I am all for whatever makes :sunshine2: run smoothly.

[lanny76]

you mean no more of any cards like Old Navy or the restaurant cards? I would like faster processing for Amazon gc or paypal but please don't take away ALL the other cards - generally the only way to justify my love of Old Navy kid clothes to my DH is that I can use gc's so often & I'm earning the money for them rather than spending all of his!
I never cashout for Disney but know that that is what most people want - or all they want. So in that sense I see the logic here....but would be sad to see the variety of gc's/rewards offered go away because that is one thing that has always appealed to me. But as my voice is in the minority I'll just deal with the changes......

[mmm611]

you mean no more of any cards like Old Navy or the restaurant cards? I would like faster processing for Amazon gc or paypal but please don't take away ALL the other cards - generally the only way to justify my love of Old Navy kid clothes to my DH is that I can use gc's so often & I'm earning the money for them rather than spending all of his!
I never cashout for Disney but know that that is what most people want - or all they want. So in that sense I see the logic here....but would be sad to see the variety of gc's/rewards offered go away because that is one thing that has always appealed to me. But as my voice is in the minority I'll just deal with the changes......

Lanny, you could always cash out for Paypal and use that money for your Old Navy purchases.

[lanny76]

Lanny, you could always cash out for Paypal and use that money for your Old Navy purchases.

does Old Navy have paypal as a payment option - I guess I haven't noticed that if it does!

[SCard]

I too am in the minority as I like the other gift card options. Especially Target and Walmart as I use those redemptions to suppliment my monthly budget and make ends meet with my SR earnings. Or add a few extras for the family with the gift cards.

I only go to Disney every 2-3 years and do love to be able to save for those vacations which is so appreciated.

Can you use Pay Pal to pay for orders with Target.com and Walmart.com? I am not familiar with Paypal.

Thanks for the heads up on the changes and the chance to cash in for other gift cards before December 1st.

[SunshineGirl]

I think that PayPal has become our most popular cashout option because people do use it to pay for more of their "every day" stuff now than ever before. We literally have about 5 Walmart and Target cashouts a month and have to make special trips there just to buy the cards. And then because Cindy is in Florida and I am in Indiana, they reject her credit card and we spend hours on the phone with the bank. It's such a mess. Plus then people lose their cards and get mad at us when we can't send them new ones. With Amazon, we can always have gift certificates resent for free. Paypal obviously can't get lost. And we have a special relationship with Disney because of how we buy so many cards with them.

I know that a few of you will miss the other cards, but we will run some specials now and again on ones that are easy to get because we can process them online (like Old Navy and Gap). But I would definitely encourage everyone to check out the PayPal option. We pay the fees on our end so their is no fee to you at all.

[LuvMyBoys]

I believe most people who use paypal regularly have it linked to their bank accounts, I know I do. That's how I get money into and out of my paypal account, it's linked with my checking account. It's free to do that and it only takes a few days to transfer from paypal to my checking account.

So really doing that you can use it for anything b/c it's the same as cash :)

[SCard]

I believe most people who use paypal regularly have it linked to their bank accounts, I know I do. That's how I get money into and out of my paypal account, it's linked with my checking account. It's free to do that and it only takes a few days to transfer from paypal to my checking account.

So really doing that you can use it for anything b/c it's the same as cash :)

Thanks, that is great to know! Makes Pay Pal an option that I can use for anything. :)

[mmm611]

does Old Navy have paypal as a payment option - I guess I haven't noticed that if it does!

That I'm not sure of, but with Paypal, you can either have them deposit the money to your bank account or spend it via a Paypal debit card.

[sammielynn]

Now I have to make some decisions............. To get Landry Cards before December or just go with my thought of skipping Rainforest this year and doing a character meal instead. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
On the other hand I do like the shorter turn around time!

[mollyeilis]

does Old Navy have paypal as a payment option - I guess I haven't noticed that if it does!

Not sure, but when I've used paypal as an option I just have it moved over to my checking account, and go from there.



Tricia, love that you're keeping amazon as an option. :sunshine::love:

[SunshineGirl]

Can't you also get a PayPal debit card for free that you can use anywhere that takes MasterCard?

[brandiramirez]

Thanks for letting us know ahead of time of the changes. I love sunshine rewards, I usually do cash out for Disney cards but this time I believe i'm doing paypal on the 31st of this month. I am treating myself to a nook color. :cooldance: I just cashed out on September 28 for a $500 disney gift card and now 1 month later i have almost enough to pay for half of my nook. I've been trying forever to decided if I wanted the nook or the kindle, so glad I waited now i can get the color nook. Thank you so much Sunshine rewards, without you there is no way I could treat myself to such a great present right before Christmas without feeling guilty.

[Blessing and Miracle]

Sounds good to me.:)

[ShanPooh]

Super Members will also still get special rates on the Amazon and Disney Cards.

Would that be similar to a couple years ago when Supermembers could get 25 Disney dollars for $24? (That would be a stretch, I know) Or would that be the Disney e-gift card?

A faster turnaround and less work for you all would be a win/win ;)

[chipndale]

you mean no more of any cards like Old Navy or the restaurant cards? I would like faster processing for Amazon gc or paypal but please don't take away ALL the other cards - generally the only way to justify my love of Old Navy kid clothes to my DH is that I can use gc's so often & I'm earning the money for them rather than spending all of his!
I never cashout for Disney but know that that is what most people want - or all they want. So in that sense I see the logic here....but would be sad to see the variety of gc's/rewards offered go away because that is one thing that has always appealed to me. But as my voice is in the minority I'll just deal with the changes......

You could always cash out for Paypal - wait until it shows in your account, trnasfer to your checking/savings account and then use the money in your account to pay for your Old Navy pruchase. Personally, I would put the purchase on a credit card that has benefit and use the money in my checking/saving to pay off the credit card. I had always cashed out for a gift card but once I tried Paypal, I'm hooked. I like that I can transfer the money to my savings account and let it earn interest until I have to use it to pay off something.

[mdapiggy]

Sounds great to me anything to make things run smoother.

[Love2Shop]

I love the idea of faster cashouts and things being more streamlined for you guys but I will miss having the Landry's GC option. :cry:

Is there any way that some of the gift cards could be an option only during certain times of the year? Or would this be too much of a pain for you guys?

[SunshineGirl]

I love the idea of faster cashouts and things being more streamlined for you guys but I will miss having the Landry's GC option. :cry:

Is there any way that some of the gift cards could be an option only during certain times of the year? Or would this be too much of a pain for you guys?

It is possible that we will get set amounts of each card and do them on occasion. Like just get 25 of one type of card and put them up and then when they are gone, they are gone. We'll still have the capability in our system to add cards whenever we want.

[warner440]

:cooldance:It's fine with me :thanks:

[spring]

Totally understandable. I always wondered how you and Cindy could possibly keep up with so many different gift cards. I'm all for the faster turn around time! :clap::clap::clap:

[Alice28]

sounds good! :sunshine:

[SunshineGirl]

And the way that the PayPal will work is that if you cash out before the 15th, you will be paid before the 15th of the next month. If you cash out between the 16th and 30th, you will be paid by the 30th of the next month. You could potentially cash out on the 15th AND the 30th of every month so that you would start seeing money roll into your paypal every two weeks.

[toystoryduo]

Sounds good to me! :sunshine: :clap:

[tkkerber]

If I need my Disney gift cards by January 15, when should I cash out? I know with the new redemption it should only take about 4 weeks, but when are the redemptions going to be done? For instance, if they are done on the first of the month then I can probably expect my gift cards by the first of the following month. Or maybe I should ask are the redemptions going to be done around the same time every month? I hope that wasn't too confusing. Just trying to figure out the last possible day I can cash out and still get the gift cards in time.

[SunshineGirl]

If I need my Disney gift cards by January 15, when should I cash out? I know with the new redemption it should only take about 4 weeks, but when are the redemptions going to be done? For instance, if they are done on the first of the month then I can probably expect my gift cards by the first of the following month. Or maybe I should ask are the redemptions going to be done around the same time every month? I hope that wasn't too confusing. Just trying to figure out the last possible day I can cash out and still get the gift cards in time.

I would still cash out 6 weeks before your trip because we won't be phasing out the old cards until December 1. Which means we'll still be sending out the old cards the whole month of December. It will be January before we only have Amazon, Paypal, and Disney to deal with.

The other thing is that mail is sllllllloooow from about December 15 until January 5 because of all of the holiday time in there and the extra mail that goes through the post office.

[iluvamystery89]

tricia, will you still be offering the e-gift certificates/cards, such as barnes & noble and home depot?

[29apr00]

And the way that the PayPal will work is that if you cash out before the 15th, you will be paid before the 15th of the next month. If you cash out between the 16th and 30th, you will be paid by the 30th of the next month. You could potentially cash out on the 15th AND the 30th of every month so that you would start seeing money roll into your paypal every two weeks.

so it's still going to take a month for the paypal cashouts, you'll just have 2 options to get it? If I need my cashout by 12/30, I"ll still need to cash out by 11/30?

[SunshineGirl]

so it's still going to take a month for the paypal cashouts, you'll just have 2 options to get it? If I need my cashout by 12/30, I"ll still need to cash out by 11/30?

A month at the longest. Right now people who cash out December 1 wouldn't get it until January 31. Now they would get it January 15. So you could cash out on December 15 and get it January 15 instead of having to wait until January 13 to get it. And I actually usually process them a few days before the end of the month as well. Sometimes even a week early. So that is the absolute longest you would have to wait (4 weeks).


tricia, will you still be offering the e-gift certificates/cards, such as barnes & noble and home depot?

Depending on how things go, the e-gift certificates and cards that we can get in bulk would be the most likely to be the ones that we use for our "specials" each month. Some of them work easier than others. Some of them give us a LOT of problems. Like they won't deliver them to a PO Box (Home Depot) or they will only let us send so many a month, etc. Others are really easy.

[Love2Shop]

It is possible that we will get set amounts of each card and do them on occasion. Like just get 25 of one type of card and put them up and then when they are gone, they are gone. We'll still have the capability in our system to add cards whenever we want.

:thanks: Something like this would be perfect!!

[sammielynn]

:thanks: Something like this would be perfect!!

I agree!

[jnorth1007]

I LOVE IT! With no vacation on the horizon I am now going in to full debt repayment mode around here. I pay bills on the 1st and 15th of the month. I love that I could start cashing out twice a month and use it to apply to my bills and get things paid off sooner so I can buy DVC LOL! (perspective people...you didn't I was paying off debt just cause I wanna be out of debt did you????)

I haven't used paypal with SR very much because I have always cashed out for Disney. I DO use paypal for alot of other things though, mostly payments for blog posts and such, and I love it because I can just go in and click how much I want and in a few days it is in my checking account. Easy as pie!

[jnorth1007]

Tricia, should we start expecting the bi-monthly paypal option on December 1st also? Like if we cash out before Nov 1 we will see it by November 31 and if We cash out by November 31st would we see that on December 15th or 31st? LOL my brain is frying just thinking about the possibilities!

[SunshineGirl]

Tricia, should we start expecting the bi-monthly paypal option on December 1st also? Like if we cash out before Nov 1 we will see it by November 31 and if We cash out by November 31st would we see that on December 15th or 31st? LOL my brain is frying just thinking about the possibilities!

The whole thing will take effect December 1. So December 1-15 PayPal cashouts will be done by January 15.

[jnorth1007]

Thanks! Ya know I have been thinking about this and it really has me excited. I had gotten in a rut since my trip started and ended. I didn't really have much to look forward to because I didn't have a trip to plan and cashing out would take a while to recieve so I wanted to have something great in mind to buy before I considered cashing out. Now I feel like I can cash out just because and boost my savings, by little things I might want but wouldn't spend my budget on (through SR of course) or pay off bills. Great idea Tricia! I know it isn't really lessening the cashout time by much but the fact that I can do it so that I can get payout every two weeks or so spurs me to want to be able to have a good cash out each time. Thanks again!!!

[kristenrice]

Not that it will *ever* effect me, but I am assuming that the PayPal cashouts will still be limited to $500 a month total, right?

We leave for our spring break trip on April 1, 2011 so under the new system, I am thinking that I will need to cash out by March 1, right? I have the PayPal debit card that will be fully-loaded with SR funds before I leave and I want to maximize its value.

I really like this idea.....great thinking!

:thanks:

[SunshineGirl]

Not that it will *ever* effect me, but I am assuming that the PayPal cashouts will still be limited to $500 a month total, right?

We leave for our spring break trip on April 1, 2011 so under the new system, I am thinking that I will need to cash out by March 1, right? I have the PayPal debit card that will be fully-loaded with SR funds before I leave and I want to maximize its value.

I really like this idea.....great thinking!

:thanks:

Correct on all of the above. You will still be limited to a total cashout of $500 a month. And you will want to cash out by February 28 so you get the money on March 31. Or February 15 to get it on March 15 if you want to have it cleared before you leave on April 1.

[mmm611]

Not that it will *ever* effect me, but I am assuming that the PayPal cashouts will still be limited to $500 a month total, right?

We leave for our spring break trip on April 1, 2011 so under the new system, I am thinking that I will need to cash out by March 1, right? I have the PayPal debit card that will be fully-loaded with SR funds before I leave and I want to maximize its value.

I really like this idea.....great thinking!

:thanks:

I'm not sure if it applies to the debit card or not, but Paypal also limits you to a max withdrawal of $500 per month.

[happymom]

Thank you, Tricia!:thanks:

[megnick1822]

I too would rather have more options for the gift cards. I love ******** specifically for that reason. It seems very limited if you are getting rid of everything except 2 gift cards and the paypal option. Also I recommended this to 2 friends recently and they loved the idea of the different gift cards available.

[fronisgl]

Can anyone tell me what the average cost of using paypal is? Do they take 20% or what is the amount to use them?

[mmm611]

Can anyone tell me what the average cost of using paypal is? Do they take 20% or what is the amount to use them?

There is no cost to use Paypal. :love:

[29apr00]

you don't get charged anything with Paypal......if you cash out for $300.....there is $300 in your paypal account for you to use.

[LauraLea]

you don't get charged anything with Paypal......if you cash out for $300.....there is $300 in your paypal account for you to use.

But doesn't Paypal then take out a fee when you transfer the money into your checking account?

[mollyeilis]

But doesn't Paypal then take out a fee when you transfer the money into your checking account?

They don't for me.

But I think that different sorts of accounts do different sorts of things. I've bought on ebay with my pp account, but never sold. I have it directly funded from my checking account (with a card as backup). And I never get charged.

[MamaO]

They don't for me.

But I think that different sorts of accounts do different sorts of things. I've bought on ebay with my pp account, but never sold. I have it directly funded from my checking account (with a card as backup). And I never get charged.

They don't for me, either. One of my checking accounts is linked to PayPal, and if I debit $25 from PayPal, I get $25 transferred to my checking account.
I do pay a fee if when I sell on eBay - a percentage of the sale is taken, but that goes to eBay not PayPal.

[fronisgl]

Thanks!!! That is good to know.

[PSL1013]

But doesn't Paypal then take out a fee when you transfer the money into your checking account?

Not for a personal account...for business accounts they take a percentage, at least that was the case the last time I transferred cash to my bank. I've never had a fee taken from mine...but my sister has her account set up so that she can accept payments when she sells on ebay and they take a percentage from her account when she goes to transfer, even when I've sent her cash not connected with ebay at all they still took it because that is the way she set it up initially.

[~Kathie]

You can get a debit card/CC that is linked to your PayPal account and last time I checked if you use it as a credit card you get $ back. That might be linked to the type of account you have business or personal.

I haven't sold anything on ebay in a while but PayPal ALWAYS took a fee from the payments I accepted into my account. Never when I transferred to my checking account. PayPal and ebay are 2 separate companies. What ebay takes in fees has nothing to do with what Paypal takes in fees.

I think Tricia stated that they pay the fees if you use PayPal.

I'm getting back into selling on ebay....I'll have to look into this further.

The fees for withdrawal depend on what kind of account you have. I found this along with a graph for MY fees. I did a search for Withdrawal Fees - PayPal


PayPal may charge a minimal fee for withdrawals to non-U.S. banks. We charge you at the time of withdrawal.
Some non-U.S. members may have U.S. bank accounts, so make sure the bank account and delivery information for your withdrawal is complete and correct.

HTH

[jgates8]

Not all paypal accounts have the monthly limitation either. I think ??? that may only be in effect if you don't have a credit card backing it? I am one of the few odd quirks that still has both a business & personal account. I had to confirm (or whatever their term is) on the 2nd one when someone sent my a massive payment for old silver. It seems like all I did was add the c.c. (or debit) to it & was then able to transfer a 4 digit amount into my account.

[LauraLea]

I just checked my account. I have a Premiere account. I also looked under Withdraw and it says it is free to send to my checking account, so we shall see. When I looked at old transactions, I got charged a fee from people who sent me $ for DVC point rentals, but then no fee for sending it to my checking account.

Laura

[PSL1013]

I just checked my account. I have a Premiere account. I also looked under Withdraw and it says it is free to send to my checking account, so we shall see. When I looked at old transactions, I got charged a fee from people who sent me $ for DVC point rentals, but then no fee for sending it to my checking account.

Laura

That must be it...I sent my sister money into her paypal account and they did charge her a fee, so it wasn't to transfer into her bank account but because she received money into her Premiere account. Thanks for the clarification.

[mmm611]

For those that only have a Premiere or Business Paypal account, if you have a second bank account, just sent up a second account and make it a regular personal one. No problems then!