An Introduction to SmartyPig and a $100 Giveaway

If you follow any of the finance blogs out there, you’ve probably come across a few SmartyPig giveaways. Well, it is no different here. I have some prizes to give away as well. Before getting into the details of the giveaway, I did want to briefly introduce the new service and highlight some recent changes to their fee structure.

About SmartyPig

Opening an account on SmartyPig is absolutely free. In fact, you can open your account, create a goal, reach your goal, and redeem your goal, and SmartyPig won’t charge you a thing. Some highlights of the service:

• SmartyPig savings accounts are held in West Bank and are FDIC insured, so consumers can be confident their financial information and savings are secure. SmartyPig also utilizes the services of VeriSign, HACKER SAFE and TRUSTe.
• SmartyPig is the only online savings initiative that allows family and friends to help consumers reach their savings goals.
• SmartyPig currently offers the highly competitive interest rate of 4.3% (Annual Percentage Yield) and will always maintain a competitive interest rate for account holders.
• SmartyPig gives consumers even more for their money by offering additional incentive boosts (up to 5%) from best-in-class retailer partners like Pottery Barn, Best Buy, Royal Caribbean and Home Depot when they reach a savings goal.
• SmartyPig’s smart, simple and secure approach to savings teaches the benefits of good financial habits, reverses the “buy now, pay later” mentality and makes saving money a fun and easy experience.
• SmartyPig was recently awarded “Best of the Web” by NetBanker.com.

How it Works

Unlike your typical savings account at the bank, the unique feature of SmartyPig is that you have the ability to create goals and then use your savings to fund these goals. This puts a personal touch on your savings, and for many people, this can make all the difference in actually reaching those goals. Another unique aspect is that you can share your goals and make them public. In doing so, you allow an opportunity for others to help you fund your goals.

The first thing you need to do is go to the SmartyPig site and create an account. You can then link the account to an existing bank account and electronically fund your SmartyPig account via ACH. What is great is that SmartyPig offers a current rate of 4.3% regardless of your balance. So even if you just deposit $100, you’ll still qualify for this great rate. Once you create an account, you are then encouraged to set specific savings goals.

Once you have saved enough money to fund one of your goals, you then have a few options. The default option is to take the money out via a SmartyPig Mastercard debit card. Another attractive option is to receive the money through a preferred retailer gift card. Preferred retailers give an additional 5% on your savings, which is a nice incentive.

Breakdown on Fees

Thanks to some recent changes, there is very little to report in terms of fees. Opening a SmartyPig account costs absolutely nothing, and there are no maintinence or annual fees. In addition. if you withdraw your money out with their Mastercard debit card, there are also no fees. There are a few fees to at least be aware of:

• Funding a public goal with a credit card incurs a 2.9% fee, which is comparable to sending money with PayPal. Funding a public goal with an existing SmartyPig account costs nothing.
• Purchasing a physical or electronic SmartyPig gift card with a credit card also has a 2.9% processing fee. Using ACH for purchase is free.
• Choosing to receive money via check: $25 .
• Unsuccessful attempt at funds transfer: $25.
• Replacement of a lost, stolen or discarded SmartyPig MasterCard Debit Card: $20.
• Overdrawn accounts: $27 per overdrawn item.

As you can see, the service costs absolutely nothing unless you choose to receive your money via check, have overdrawn accounts, make purchases/deposits with credit card, or need to replace your Mastercard debit card. I think these fee changes are great, and it puts SmartyPig at a competitive advantage with the interest rate and other added benefits of the account.

The Giveaway

I’m sure this is what everyone was waiting for, so here it is. I have two (2) $50 SmartyPig gift cards to give away.

* To redeem the SmartyPig gift card, you must have an active SmartyPig account. SmartyPig Gift Cards can only be redeemed into an active SmartyPig Savings Goal. If you have a SmartyPig account but do not have an active Savings Goal, you will need to create a new Savings Goal to redeem your gift card.

To be eligible for this contest, you must be a resident of the U.S. and have a valid email address. To enter, simply reply to this post and let me know what you’d use the money to save for.  It is as simple as that! This contest will remain open to comments until 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 10th. Upon closing comments, I’ll select two random numbers from random.org to select the winners. Good luck!

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