AP9 Consumer Gateway Weblog

AP9 Savings Stories Continued...

AP9 brings you even more comments from satisfied members.

-- AP9 AtHomeRewards member writes:

"My home was flooded during hurricane Katrina destroying everything inside of it. By ordering giftcards from At Home Rewards and other DealPass programs, I have saved over $2,500 and keep saving on home repairs and replacing the contents of my home."

Angela S., Slidell, LA

-- AP9 ShoppingEssentials member writes:

"It seems like everyone I know is getting married! And whether it's buying things off of a gift registry, or giving the much-favored gift of merchandise cards, Shopping Essentials gives me a big break off of gift essentials without the visibility of a bargain."

Paul M., Arlington, VA

-- AP9 TodaysEscapes member writes:

"Today's Escapes/DealPass does what they claim. We've used quite a few shopping, movie and restaurant cards and have always received our 20% rebates promptly. Cool."

Steven J.,  Vallejo, CA

-- AP9 HomeWorksPlus member writes:

"I have been a member for a couple of years. I did not use HomeWorks Plus. I thought it was a farce.  So, I found my membership and decided to try it. It works. I have been remodeling and started using  the Lowes and Home depot cards.  Yes! It works..And now I use the other cards as gifts. Such  A savings..I've telling all my friends. Thanks HomeWorks Plus."

Darryl K., Batavia, IL

See what other members have to say by going to DealPass.com.  We thank you for taking the time to visit the AP9 Consumer Gateway Weblog!

DealPass.com Preps You For Summer with Fun Ideas and Hot Savings!

Throw on a pair of Bermuda shorts and crank up the air because DealPass is sizzling with summertime savings. Schools will soon be closing their doors for summer break, which gives families a chance to spend much needed quality time together. Whether it’s a barbecue, a day at the beach or a relaxing getaway, creative ideas and a shopping list will help get the party started. DealPass.com, a one-stop online shopping portal provided by Adaptive Marketing LLC, offers a variety of tools and ideas as well as significant savings for practically everything on your summer’s “most wanted” list.

Worried about summertime spending, but still looking for ideas on how to peel the kids away from the television and video games this summer? Dealpass offers the following suggestions on how to get the entire family off the couch and into the sun without breaking the bank:

-- Go camping. There is something to be said about spending the night underneath a trillion twinkling stars. It’s calm, beautiful and a treat for any young person. So pack up the camping gear and head out into nature – even if it happens to be in your own backyard.

-- Take a Hike. Give the kids a chance to release all that caged energy they built up during the winter months by going for a walk in the outdoors. Hiking allows for family bonding as well as improving everyone’s physical and mental well-being. In addition, spending time in nature’s classroom provides an opportunity for parents to educate their children on the different species of flowers, trees, insects and animals they might come across.

-- Get to know your state. Most people think they have to travel hundreds of miles to visit exciting places. That’s not necessarily the case. Organize a family outing to areas in your own community or state: the zoo, the state capitol, national parks, or museums. The ride there and back provides an opportunity to talk and reconnect – the time at your destination provides an opportunity to learn and create memories that will last a lifetime.

-- Show and tell. Take out old family albums and let the children learn about the places you grew up, old hangouts or places you traveled. Visit the city or area where you lived when you were their age and drive past former houses. It will give the youngsters an idea of who you really are and, ultimately, who they are.

Looking to add a little more heat to summer activities – DealPass can still help by offering all visitors savings opportunities – giving them a jump start on their fun in the sun:

-- Online Savings & Discounts: These exclusive offers from DealPass are specifically chosen to provide timely savings on seasonal and holiday expenses. They are updated every month, so be sure to check back often!

-- Seasonal Special Offers: DealPass provides special offers for all seasons – be sure to check out this summer’s offers for hot savings!

-- Vacation Packages: Enjoy the kids’ time off by planning the ultimate vacation – for less – with DealPass Travel Reservations.

-- Price Comparison shopping: DealPass’ Shop by Price Comparison helps you get all your summer needs for less. Find savings on these key items: sunscreen, beach chairs, pool equipment, shorts & tee’s, sandals…and much more!

For more great summer ideas and savings, visit DealPass.com.

AP9 Companies Reminds Consumers That Mother’s Day Is Just Around the Corner

April showers bring May flowers, as the old saying goes, but what do May flowers bring? According to AP9 companies, they bring smiles to the faces of mothers all across the country. The same can be said about any number of other thoughtful gifts, of course, and with Mother’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to start looking for proper tokens of your affection for your mother.

While flowers are a traditional and appreciated Mother’s Day present, they’re not the only game in town. Members of AP9 companies know they can find great ideas -- and great deals -- when they log in at DealPass.com for members-only offers on clothes, jewelry, travel, personal care items, accessories and much more (including floral arrangements).

So what do you have in mind for your mother this year? If you’re looking for something new and different, AP9 companies have a few possibilities in store for you:

-- Say it with live flowers. Bouquets are beautiful, but live flowers and plants last a lot longer. And if your mother has (or wants to develop) a green thumb, a perennial plant can provide her with a nice centerpiece for her garden while serving as an ongoing reminder of the eternal bond between mother and child.

-- Pack up the memories. Mothers typically beam with pride at their children’s accomplishments. Put together a scrapbook of memories for your mom, from your best report card to a picture of you on prom night to newspaper articles recounting your athletic, academic or business feats. If you can’t find those but do have pictures of your children, an album of photos or even a collage depicting your kids in action will also do nicely.

-- Give her a break. This Mother’s Day, surprise your mom with a prepaid spa visit. As a daughter, you might even want to make a day of it and join your mother at the spa. If you’re a son, on the other hand, you can take great pleasure just from knowing that your mother is being pampered by professionals.

-- Give her a hand. A mother’s work is never done, but with a little effort, you can at least put a dent in it. Whether it’s arranging for someone (which could be you) to give her home a thorough spring cleaning, or getting down and dirty under her car to change the oil, there are probably any number of chores that you can do that would make her life easier.

-- Send her on her merry way. If you’re looking to splurge this Mother’s Day, look into a vacation package that will take your mother to places she’s only dreamed about before. Be it a Caribbean cruise or a visit to her grandparents’ native country, your mother will undoubtedly be thrilled to get away for a while -- and even more thrilled at how thoughtful you are.

Mother’s Day comes once a year, which might seem a little too infrequent, given all that mothers have done for us down through the ages. With a little time and consideration, though, you can find your mother a gift that will last the entire year -- or longer, according to AP9 companies.

AP9 Companies Offer Tips on Kicking Off Your Spring Cleaning Projects

Ahh, springtime, that refreshing season when days lengthen, sleeves shorten, flowers bloom, hearts throb, and our thoughts turn to … spring cleaning? Yes, indeed, it’s time to break out the mops, brooms, dusters and other implements of cleanliness, according to AP9 companies, which offer a variety of home and family savings programs.

For many of us, “March Madness” refers more to the maniacal chores we undertake to get our homes ready for the warm months ahead than it does to a basketball tournament. Members of AP9 companies can also go a little crazy on savings, simply by logging in at DealPass.com for members-only deals on home maintenance services, furnishings, supplies, accessories and other home-related needs.

While we’ve all heard that “cleanliness is next to godliness,” the act of achieving cleanliness in your home isn’t exactly a popular task. Who among us wouldn’t rather spend a weekend day in the spring on a golf course, getting a jump-start on your tan, or just kicking back with a book in a lawn chair?

Unfortunately, no home has yet been invented that will clean itself. The good news is that AP9 companies have a few tips for making your spring cleaning chores a little bit more tolerable than, say, a root canal:

-- Take inventory. Before you break out the cleaning utensils, make sure you have everything you need. A lack of essential supplies is one of the easiest excuses for not doing something that man has ever concocted. From dusters, paper towels and cleansers to mops, buckets, brooms and more, figure out what you have and what you need, then stock up before diving in.

-- Work downhill. Plan your project so you start with the biggest, dirtiest task, then move on to the second-dirtiest and so on. Your energy level will be at its highest for the toughest chores, and you’ll have easier tasks ahead as you work your way down the list.

-- Make it a family affair. Many hands make light work, and if you’re blessed with children, you might want to point out that they’re blessed to have a roof over their heads. Whether it’s dusting all the windowsills or cleaning their own bedrooms, there are any number of chores that even pre-teens are capable of doing.

-- Reward yourself (and your fellow workers). While working toward a state close to godliness is a good goal, it’s not always an effective pick-me-up when fatigue sets in. Schedule breaks after large pieces of the project have been completed, and reward everyone with a pizza lunch, extra cookies for dessert or some other treat that will both encourage and reward their efforts.

-- Rock on. Cleaning is often a mindless chore, so there’s usually plenty of room in your head for other thoughts. Crank up a favorite radio station, or take turns choosing CDs for the stereo. Not only can a good backbeat help you clean, you might even discover why your children listen to certain artists. (Okay, probably not, but it does offer you a chance to show your children the respect they tend to want.)

Very few people mark the change from winter to spring by crying out, “Yippee! Spring cleaning time!” Still, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll likely be done, and you can even save on your efforts as a member of one of the savings programs provided by AP9 companies.

AP9 PrivacyMatters123 Provides More Information on Jury Duty Fraud

As if anyone needed another reason to dread jury duty, a new twist on an old identity theft scam has surfaced within the last year, this one involving jury duty “no-shows,” reports AP9 PrivacyMatters123, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC®.

AP9 PrivacyMatters123 notes that identity thieves pretending to be local county clerks are calling various citizens to admonish them for failing to report for jury duty -- even though they were never officially asked to appear for jury duty. The caller then tells these unsuspecting folks that a warrant has been drawn up for their arrest as a result of this “violation.”

Next, the victims are asked for private, identifying information, including their Social Security Number or, occasionally, credit card account numbers, for “verification purposes.” Once the scammers receive this information, they use it to steal the identities of the victims. So far, AP9 PrivacyMatters123 reports, this scam has occurred in at least nine states, including Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and the state of Washington.

As a reminder, AP9 PrivacyMatters123 provides the following tips that can help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft:

-- Never give out personal information on a phone call you didn’t initiate. If you receive an incoming call and the caller is asking you for such information, ask for a callback number before you share any information. If you get a callback number, hang up, and do a little research, like Google the phone number to see if anyone has registered an online complaint about it. Alternatively, you can check the phone book or information for a published number for the organization that the caller claims to represent. Don’t call the number back until you verify that the call is legitimate. This approach also applies to e-mail and regular mail solicitations.

-- Store your personal documents in a secure place (a home safe or a safe deposit box in your bank), and shred any unneeded documents that contain your personal information, e.g., credit card applications, old bank or credit card statements, tax returns over ten years old, and other potentially identifying documents.

-- Report a lost or stolen driver’s license, and contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if your mail has been stolen. Your driver’s license contains unique identifying information about you that can be used by thieves to create a new identity. Similarly, thieves can use credit card offers and other direct-mail solicitations to establish new accounts in your name.

-- Don't use family names or birthdays as passwords or PINs. If a thief steals your debit card or your account numbers, family names and birthdays are the first passwords and PINs he or she will try. Also, be sure to guard the keypad when you enter your PIN in a public ATM to keep “shoulder surfers” from stealing the number right out from under you.

-- Monitor your credit card and bank account statements closely. If you find any questionable or unauthorized activity in these accounts, investigate it immediately; it may be a sign of identity theft.

AP9 PrivacyMatters123, a privacy and protection program offered by Adaptive Marketing, can assist you with managing and maintaining your private information. Members can log on to their members-only website at PrivacyMatters.com for unlimited access to their credit reports, a credit monitoring service that alerts them when something changes on their credit profile as well as when any new accounts have been opened under their name, and a slew of other personal safeguards, reports AP9 PrivacyMatters123.