This CashCrate review is based on my own experience of using the site, and takes an objective look at the aspects I like and dislike about it.

First of all, what is CashCrate anyway? It’s basically a site that enables you to earn some extra cash from home, in a variety of ways, including completing offers and surveys, referring others, getting cashback when you shop online, and taking part in their regular contests. You also earn points when using the site, and these can be exchanged for prizes.

How CashCrate Works

The main way to make money is by completing offers and surveys. CashCrate features a number of links to various advertisers, who want people to visit their sites to try out their products and services. If you sign up through CashCrate, they get paid a commission by the advertiser, and then in turn pass some of it on to you. The majority of these offers are totally free to complete. There are some involve using a credit card number when you sign up for a free trial membership to an advertiser’s site. So long as you cancel before the free trial is up, you won’t be charged anything. There are also a few that involve paying a small fee, such as a postage charge. However, you don’t have to do any of the offers requiring a credit card if you want to (though they do usually pay more) - you can stick with the 100% free offers, and make a nice chunk of change just with those.

The second way to make money is to refer others to the site. There is a two-tier referral program that pays you a commission based on the earnings of the active members that you refer, as well as on the members that they refer too. It’s important to note that this isn’t an MLM-type scam where you have to refer others to make any money - you can make money on CashCrate just by doing the offers alone, and there’s absolutely no need to refer anyone if you don’t want to. But the referral program is a good one, as you can make quite a bit of extra money, while pointing others in the direction of a legitimate site where they can make some extra cash too.

The third way to earn cash is to go through CashCrate’s links when shopping online. They have a list of retailers, and if you’re going to be buying stuff from any of these anyway, you might as well go via the site, who will get a commission from the retailer for sending your custom their way. CashCrate will then share the commission with you, so you basically get a rebate on your shopping.

Is It Any Good?

So, as you can see there are different ways to earn some extra money here. In my experience, the offers track and are paid for reliably the majority of the time (occasionally there is one that doesn’t track, or isn’t validated by the advertiser - meaning that neither CashCrate nor you will get paid), but this is rare. They also pay out regularly, and the payment threshold is low, at just $20 - so once you earn your first $20, you get your money (by check). The site’s easy to use, and there’s a great forum with lots of activity, so you can ask any questions, and meet others who are using the site too.

CashCrate isn’t perfect however. For one thing, the number of offers available to those in non-English speaking countries is by all accounts pretty low. People in the US get the most (though there seem to be quite a lot for people in the UK, where I live), and the referral system is also rather US-centric, as your ‘level’ (which determines the amount of referral commission you get) is based on the number of active US referrals you make. It would also be nice if they had an option for being paid by Paypal or bank transfer for those (like me) who live outside the US, as it can be expensive for some to cash US dollar checks, and they can get lost in the post.

These gripes aside though, I’m very happy with CashCrate on the whole. Unlike some so-called ’survey sites’ and the like, it’s not a scam - on the contrary, it’s a very reputable site which is helping many people around the world to make extra money from home. You definitely won’t get rich doing this - many people make an extra couple of hundred dollars a month, sometimes a lot more if they get lots of referrals - but it’s great for students, stay at home parents, or just anyone who wants to supplement their main income from home.

Click The Banner Below to Sign Up and Earn TODAY!!

Click the Banner Above to Sign Up and Earn TODAY!!

For a more in-depth CashCrate review, check out my blog at http://cashcrate-review-tips-and-tricks.blogspot.com which also has other articles on getting the most from CashCrate, including tips and tricks, FAQs, advice for increasing your referrals and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_Rowan

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This past week has brought up a ton of awesome articles throughout the personal finance blogging ring on the web. Here’s a glance at what the buzz has been around The Money Bloggers network of blogs:

Ben, at Banker Saver, wrote a very informative article on maximizing your savings income by discussing the basics of building a CD ladder. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a CD ladder, be sure to check out this post and educate yourself in this. It’s well worth the read!

Johnathan, author of Debt Loans, shared a great descriptive of personal loans. The post covers  everything from the definition of an unsecure loan to the miscellaneous fees that you may face when paying off a loan. If you’re unsure of what you’re getting into going into applying for a loan, this post is for you.

At MilkingTheDollar Matt has compiled a wholesome list of 20 ways to make an extra $100 per month. Who can resist taking a peek at such an enticing concept? Honestly, if you’re well off enough to not want to think about earning an extra $2000 a month, my name is Bradley Jones, I accept checks, Paypal, debit or credit. I leave it up to you =)

Over at Wallet Wise you’ll find a great article on how stocking up can save you money. If you’re budgeting yourself and need to figure out how to cut back a bit on that nasty grocery bill that you just can’t avoid, make a smart click and check out what Wallet Wise can offer in advice.

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In case you don’t already know, ING Direct offers a $25 sign up bonus to new customers who are referred by existing customers. It’s quick and easy. All you have to do is sign up for an Orange Savings Account or Electric Orange checking account with a referral link and deposit at least $250. You will then be credited an additional $25 for opening your account!

Please Remember:

• You MUST use the referral link to get the $25 welcome bonus.
• The $25 bonus is only available for new Customers opening a new account as a primary owner.

That being said, here is a list of referral links that you can use to obtain your $25 bonus! Remember, though, each link is only valid for one account. If you click a link and it shows a message in red starting with “Sorry..”, the link has been used. If you sign up with a used link you will not receive the $25 bonus. I will update the list with new links as they are used up.

Orange Savings Account Links

1. ING Direct Orange Savings Account $25 Bonus
2. ING Direct Orange Savings Account $25 Bonus
3. ING Direct Orange Savings Account $25 Bonus
4. ING Direct Orange Savings Account $25 Bonus

Electric Orange Checking Account Links

1. ING Direct Electric Orange Checking Account $25 Bonus
2. ING Direct Electric Orange Checking Account $25 Bonus
3. ING Direct Electric Orange Checking Account $25 Bonus

Use any of these links to open an account (you must be a new ING Direct customer) to receive the $25 bonus! Enjoy!

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With the economy coming down in late 2008 and still flip-flopping now over halfway through the year of 2009, it’s hard to find a safe place to put your money to work for you.

Don’t worry, though. There are still many options out there. There are still several safe places to stash your cash and make a sizable return on your deposits.

Here is a list and comparison of savings accounts with great interest rates that you should make use of:

1. Discover Bank - 2.00 %
   Online Savings Account
   $500 minimum to get this rate
   All products: Savings Accounts, Certificates of Deposit, Money Market.
2. Ally Bank - 1.85 %
   Online Savings Account
   No minimum, no monthly fees.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Certificates of Deposit, Money Market.
3. WTDirect - 1.76 %
   Online Savings Account
   Minimum balance required for this rate is $10,000, no fee.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, Credit Cards
4. CapitalOne Direct Banking - 1.75 %
   Online Savings Account
   $10,000 minimum to get this rate.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Certificates of Deposit, Money Market.
5. Bank of Internet - 1.70 %
   Money Market
   No Monthly Miniumn Balances, No Fees
   All products: Money Market, Certificates of Deposit, Checking, Savings
6. ING Direct - 1.60 % (Email me to get a link. When you use this link and deposit $250 or more you will get a $25 bonus and I will get a $10 thank you for referring you. Email brada7x@gmail.com for the link!)
   Electric Orange Checking
   Minimum balance required for this rate is $50,000.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, IRA, Mortgages
7. HSBC Direct - 1.55 %
   Online Savings Account
   No minimum, no monthly maintenance fees.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, Credit Cards
8. Univest Direct - 1.50 %
   Anytime Savings Account
   No minimum, free two-way funds tranfer between Univest and other banks, no monthly maintenance fees.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, Certificates of Deposit, Business Savings, Business Checking
9. E-Loan - 1.21 %
   Online Savings
   $5,000 minimum to open an account,
   $100,000 deposit to get this rate.
   All products: Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, Credit Cards, Mortgages, Home Equity Loans
10. E*Trade - 0.95 %
    Complete Savings Account
    No Minimum Deposit, No Fees
    All products: Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, Credit Cards, Brokerage Accounts, IRA, Mortgages, Home Equity Loans

Information courtesy of SavingsAccounts.com. Personally I use ING Direct and E-Trade. I have had great service out of the both of them. ING Direct offers several options for investing and also allows creation of separate accounts for individual purposes (i.e. savings, spending, bills, etc.)

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After being slapped with over $300 of overdraft fees last year due mainly to mistakes made by my bank (Wachovia), I decided that I needed to really research banks before jumping into accounts with them. So, I went out and collected information from a lot of the major banks such as BB&T, Bank of America, Wachovia, and so on. After going over the information that I had found on these banks I realized they pretty much offer the same exact services and fees. Not one stood out in the crowd.

So the next step I took was finding out more about credit unions. After looking at just two I found that the benefits of using credit unions instead of traditional banks were outstanding. I want to show you some of the main attributes that brought me to this conclusion.

Benefits of Credit Unions:

• Non-profit: Credit unions are non-profit. What does this mean? It means that there are no stockholders looking to make a quick buck on the money you take out for loans or put in for that matter.
• Lower Fees: Many traditional banks will charge you an arm and a leg in service fees and many fees that aren’t even clearly defined. Credit unions hold some of the lowest service fees and also much, much lower overdraft fees. ($14 in comparison to close to $40 from traditional banks)
• Lower Interest Rates on Loans: Credit unions are known for having better interest rates on loans than banks. They are typically leaders among giving great auto loans. The reason their rates are so much lower is being that they are non-profit they do not have to pay taxes on loans.
• Easy Account Creation: Credit unions boast easy account set ups and also very low minimum balances to open accounts.
• Customer Service: In comparison to banks, credit unions’ customer service is greatly better. They provide a more personal experience and offer help more than you would find at a bank.
• ATM Fees: Many credit unions have very low ATM fees. Some even have free use of ATMs. A few credit unions also reimburse fees accumulated throughout each month via ATMs.
• Higher Interest Savings Accounts: Credit unions make it easier for you to put your money to work for you by offering very competetive interest rates on savings accounts.
• Credit Unions are Insured: Just like traditional banks, credit unions are insured by the National Credit Union Administration and all deposits up to $250,000 are insured by the FDIC.
• Many Free Services: These can include ATM services, checking and savings accounts, personal finance guidance, investing guidance, and much more.

After reading up on and experiencing using a credit union myself, I highly doubt I will going back to using a traditional bank anytime soon. I highly recommend using a local credit union for your banking needs. The customer service is amazing, you don’t have to wait in long lines at the bank, and the fees are very nominal if they even exist.

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