SaveUp

Today I'd like to make you aware of a rewards program. This isn't your run-of-the-mill credit card rewards program either. This rewards program has nothing to do with credit cards, at least not spending money on them. This rewards program is about saving money. Even better, it's free.

What is it?

The program I'm talking about is called SaveUp. Basically, it's a free program that rewards you for being financially responsible. Instead of rewarding you for spending, SaveUp rewards you for things like depositing money into your savings account or making a mortgage payment.

How does it work?

I'm still pretty new to it, but I'll sum it up the best I can. After you sign up you start to earn credits. You get 200 credits for adding financial accounts, 1 credit for each $1 you add to savings, 1 credit for each $1 deduction to your mortgage balance, you get the idea. As you get credits you redeem them for plays. Plays are what you use to play for rewards. You get 3 plays per day. Plus, you can redeem credits to get up to 5 more per day. So each day you can play 8 times.

What do you play?

There are three different ways to use your plays on a bunch of different rewards. The three ways are instant win, drawings, and jackpot. Instant win has three different little "games" that you can choose from. Sort of like scratch and win lottery tickets, only instead of scratching you're clicking, which sounds much more appropriate. The drawing plays just give you a number and then you are emailed if you win after the drawing ends. For the jackpot you pick six numbers and pray, lots and lots of praying.

What can you win?

There are many different rewards that are changing all the time. You actually can vote and/or suggest what you would like to see as a reward. Current gift cards include $100 for Whole Foods (best grocer ever), $5,000 Best Buy, and $100 Southwest, just to name a few. Some of the other rewards are cruises, cars, vacations, and my personal favorite, straight cash homey.

How do I get started?

It's easy to get started. All you do is sign-up for a new account and then start adding your financial accounts, using your normal online access logins. SaveUp will then automatically update your accounts and award you credits. Then start playing.

Bonus

There will also be occasional financial videos that show up on the SaveUp home page. You can watch them, learn a little about whatever the topic is, and then get 30 credits for acing the quiz at the end. It's a quick way to grab a few credits and maybe learn a little something at the same time.

Another thing that sometimes shows up on the SaveUp home page are challenges. These are cool little goals that you can accept for credits when you complete them. Things like two days of no spending for a certain account or depositing $50 into your savings within the next seven days are a couple of examples.

There you have it. A free program that rewards you for being financially responsible and doing things that you should already be doing. So why not keep doing what you're and maybe win a little something on the side. I haven't won anything yet, but I'll make sure to let you know when I do.

I'd like to thank Greg @ Club Thrifty for making me aware of this website.

Note: If you sign up using one of the links in this post, I'd get a few credits and eventually maybe a play or two. So no big deal, but it's awfully convenient that the link is right there.