Where are all the mypoints?

[cooldude222]

Anyone know of any recent Mypoints programs? I need some more easy points. I've been looking all around and can't find anything. Any help?

Thanks

[lttlwtch]

MyPoints has just added some new programs at the site. Looks like they are starting to gear up now that the holidays are over (and the first quarter of the year!) I just got an email for double shopping points, and there is one for a paid email address (around $10). Have you signed up for the newsletter at art.com? It is under the earn points section, and you get 50 for signing up for the news letter, and points if you purchase.

[luckyme123]

Uuumm.. the first quarter of the year is not over..the first quarter doesn't end till March 31.
I have been getting one or two e-mails every week. I can't see any pick-up in that. they change the "banner" icon for sites the first of almost every month by adding and subtracting them. personally my "visit sites" has gone all the way down to only 3 yearly sites for the month of March.

[lttlwtch]

Most businesses have a FISCAL year that commanly ends on October 15. That would mean the FISCAL year runs from Oct. 16, to Oct. 15 of the next year. Therefore, the first fiscal quarter for most large businesses and corporations is over and the 2nd quarter is beginning.
I've been getting 3-5 bonus emails weekly. Have you updated the profile? I did earlier this year, and checked off everything, and get point offers reguarly.
The site HAS been adding new offers, and pulling the older ones. Everybody's page offers are different according to their profiles. I have five yearly offers, but that doesn't matter, as I do alot of my shopping through them, and earn the bulk of my points that way. I've been AVERAGING 50 points daily.

[luckyme123]

Guess it depends on the business you happen to be looking at. I have no idea at all what MyPoints chose for a year ending and I don't much care. What I care about is the availability of points to earn without shopping..

At any rate nothing is picking up there. We have no daily points except e-mail and the daily tour. There are no weekly points and there are no monthly points..I call that a definate downhill run from the point hunter's point of view..

Many of us do not "shop" to get our points. I believe the poster was asking what happened to all the links as well the discontinued daily, weekly and monthly points that were around in Dec and January.

[Edited by luckyme123 on 03-04-2001 at 11:03 PM]

[adc406]

Hi,

I agree with you Lucky. Many of the venders probably did not have a good last quarter, or as high of sales as they had hoped for the holidays. They also knew most customers wouldn't be spending as much in January and February because of Christmas bills.
They probably cut cost by not having to pay points programs and other advertising until after the P & L statements were out and they could see where they were and what their advertising budget for 2001 would be.
Since many people are visiting, but not buying. (Like me these day...) They get little benefit or sales from paying for the advertisments if we don't buy their products.
But...They also know that "Income Tax" refund checks are coming out and people will have more spendabe cash. Now they are ready to shop again, so I also agree, and feel the points will probably pick up the next few weeks. (In fact, mine already have.)
I know that it REALLY doesn't matter, but I thought I would try to set the records straight on the fiscal year verses the calendar year thing. They can elect the option of fiscal year vrs calendar year when they "incorporate." I have been a CPA for over 20 years and out of my 3,000 to 5,000 continuous clients over those years, only 6 were on a fiscal year. Most companies HATE them. Especially if they end mid-month of a mid-quarter and not the end of a "regular" IRS calendar year quarter. (3/31, 6/30, 9/30 or 12/31).
It becomes a REAL pain. You have to keep one set of numbers for the fiscal (non-calendar) year for the corporate tax return and financial reports. Then another kind of records or books to set up for payroll and reports that HAVE to work with the IRS calendar year. (This is in order to have the correct yearly amounts for unemployment reports, W-2's, and 1099's.) You can only imagine what a pain it is to try to do all of that mid-quarter &/or mid-month, especially at year end. (Ex. If you had a May 15 - May 14th fiscal year. The business income tax year is over on the 14th of May, but the 2nd quarter payroll report would STILL be April 1 - June 30. You'd have to add those extra weeks. AND keep up with it differently so your W-2's and payroll reports, reflect the 4 quarters of the Calendar IRS year. Of course with computers it does make it somewhat easier, but it is STILL a pain. It is a lot of work anyway, but then to have to divide mid-month, mid-quarter or mid-year... It makes the work be almost twice as much. (And you HAVE to do it that way to get everyone's W-2 correct for their Calendar year personal income taxes.)
The 6 that I did have each year, were all on a 7/1 to 6/30 fiscal year. (Or half-year because they worked with the school system or government.)They are usually set up to work with the school systems time table for reporting and getting grants and other funding.

I feel that many of the long "waiting periods" are because most big companies DO have a date set up to cut off accounts payable and accounts recievable and to "cut" or issue checks. If they only issue checks &/or rewards on say... the 20th of the month,... then they probably cut off the "counting" data on the 15th or so. (Much the same way as the phone, utility or credit card company does.) If you order on the 16th,... you'd be too late and have to wait until the next month to get counted on the next "15th.
With any of these point programs, you also have the extra waiting time of the merchant getting back to my points (Or who ever) to tell them that we did purchase/register/visit, etc. their site. Sometime this can take weeks and it is not the points program's fault. (It took almost 3 weeks to clear one of the purchases I made at Christmas.)

ALL corporations are supposed to make this public. If you search the Q & A sections on the My Points page, you get this:

A CALENDAR YEAR.
*********************************************************
Q: What is MyPoints.com’s fiscal year?
A: MyPoints’s fiscal year is based on the calendar year, with the first day of the fiscal year on January 1 and the last day of the fiscal year on December 31. MyPoints.com’s first quarter ends March 31, its second quarter ends June 30, its third quarter ends September 30 and its fourth quarter ends December 31.
***********************************************************

so,...it probably has something to do with their accounting department one way or another...

I'm sorry I have run on and on.... I thought this might clear up a few things,
Any day in any month can end a corporation's fiscal year.
& My Points is on a calendar fiscal year.
I guess you can tell, I cannot think (or type lol) clearly. I've been up for 32 straight hours doing tax returns and should be sleeping.... but,...
I needed to get a "deals" fix.
Hope this helps somebody. :-)

[luckyme123]

Very well said, thank you adc405.

I was so surprised to see someone actually thought most businesses had E.O.F.Y in Oct. Very glad you took the time to put in your 2 cents to clear that up. I used to do taxes before I retired and am well aware of the rules, However I was never a CPA, and did not feel it was my place to correct anyone's thoughts on year endings.

Personally I feel Mypoints has done away with things we are used to like daily, weekly, monthly points because they are going to change. I believe during the year we are not going to gain many points there at all without shopping. That does not make me a happy camper at all..but I do feel that is what's going to happen.

We have seen many many "clicking" programs go down the drain..so to stay afloat it looks to me like MyPoints is basically doing away with any points for just clicking.

[cashhound]

Not to stir the pot...just to add my 2 cents

The 3 major corporation (50k+ employees) that I have worked for ran a fiscal year Oct to Sept. The smaller companies ran Jan to Dec.

Of course, that has just been my experience. That certainly doesn't mean that's the way the majority of companies do it

And I agree. It seems that a LOT of the rewards programs have geared down...not gearing up. Not a lot of opportunities left for us reward junkies...lol.

[adc406]

Well said cashhound. That is why I interjected that they can technically be any day of any month. Many people are not told that they can choose and are stuck with what the lawyer sets up or the date of incorporation. (What a pain. lol)

I am getting a lot more my points offers... hope this is a good sign. :-)