Got a special giveaway for y’all today! We haven’t done one on Budgets Are Sexy in a while, so when my friends at Perkstreet wanted to do something together, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity :) Y’all like free stuff right? $250 worth, even? I’d enter myself if I could, haha… But today is all about you – my damn sexy readers. So I hope those who need this the most wins! You’ll have two chances to enter today, and we’ll be giving away a total of THREE prizes – good luck! :)
A little about Perkstreet Financial (Update: Defunct)
Perkstreet is the only national bank account that personal finance guru Dave Ramsey (In case you were wondering who he was ;)) endorses. They offer unlimited 2% cash back on a debit card for spending on all things you would normally buy anyways. (2% cash back for 3 months after account opening, and after 90 days it’s 2% cash back when your balance is $5K or greater. Or 1% cash back for balances below $5K).
The founders believe that banks should align their goals with their customers’ best interests – to give them what they want and need – and that it’s possible to build a successful business this way. If you haven’t heard about ’em before, totally check them out.
And now for the THREE prizes!
Yup, we have THREE things for you to win today :) And each one is hot in their own right – even if I have to admit I have still yet to read anything from Dave Ramsey! Haha…
It seems like everyone and their mom has at least leaned *something* from him, but not I (yet). He’s still on my list to check out one day, but that list is getting longer as the weeks go by ;) One day I’ll do my due diligence, though. I hear people either LOVE him, or HATE him, and that’s exactly my type of guru! But enough yammering – here are the 3 prizes you can win today:
GIVEAWAY #1: (TWO) Dave Ramsey Starter Kits (est. $100) – If you’re just starting with Dave’s principles, this is a great way to get immersed in the basics that will transform everything you do from here out. Dave covers his Baby Step plan in-depth, shares testimonies from other people, and teaches you step by step how to set up a cash flow plan and pay off your debt in a way that really works for you. (I stole this from Amazon ;)) Here’s what it includes:
- The Total Money Makeover Hardcover Book ($24.95)
- Financial Peace Revisited Hardcover Book ($24.95)
- Cash Flow Planning DVD ($19.95)
- Dumping Debt DVD ($19.95)
- Starter Envelope System ( $12.95)
GIVEAWAY #2: A $50 Mastercard! For you to spend on anything your heart desires – no questions asked ;) I wanted to give away something else in case some of y’all are in that “Hater” group of Ramsey’s, so make sure you’re entered for a chance to get these 50 free dollars!
To Enter These 3 Giveaways:
You have TWO ways to enter today – but make sure that each entry is in its OWN separate comment. This is the easiest way for me to track all this, and give y’all your entry # when I Random.org it (I know, I’m taking the easy way out. But I want all people to have a fair chance! :)). Each entry will go into the SAME pot, and you’ll be entered for both the Ramsey Starter Kits AND the $50 Mastercard. So don’t worry – you’ll have a chance at all three :)
Here are your two questions:
- Visit Perkstreet Financial, and tell us what you think! Have you heard of them before? Would you ever use them? Be as open and honest as you can – you’ll be entered no matter what you say ;) Just make sure to leave it in the comments below…
- Tell us how much debt you have! And if you don’t have any (even mortgages? loans??) tell us that. You can round up to save some time :)
Remember, you have to leave each answer in its own separate comment for it to count. And you can enter one, or both, of these – whatever you wish. Feel free to guestimate to save some time.
——————
This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only, 18 years old and up, and the winner will be chosen by random.org. You have until this Sunday at midnight (EST time), August 21st , and I’ll pick the winners shortly there after.
PS: If you don’t feel like waiting, and you REALLY want those Ramsey books, here is the link to the kit on Amazon: Dave Ramsey Starter Kit
PPS: All links here are affiliate links :)
***GIVEAWAY OVER*** The lucky winners can be found here: Dave Ramsey giveaway winners
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I found Perkstreet Financial’s landing page confusing,I wasn’t sure what they offered. I believe that they are a bank.
The total debt in my family is: $250.
Perkstreet’s homepage was definitely a bit different. Quite honestly, if I hadn’t read about it on here, I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to click through the bottom of the links. Which by clicking on them, you get to see way more information that the “short blurb” of tabs on the home screen. Even though you get a 2% or 1% cash back, there are still plenty of folks who want to know more about a company before even thinking of placing money into an account….
My total debt is about $400K which covers mortgage, student and car loans. Thankfully we’ve gotten into the habit of not carrying credit card debt.
PerkStreet sounds like a good idea but I’m not sure how comfortable I would be using them… something about not being able to actually walk into a bank if I needed to.
My husband and I have about 100,000 in student loan debt… and growing (he is still in medical school.
I agree that the landing page seemed a little unusual to me. It actually looked a little “spammy,” with the big, promotional-looking image up top surrounded by lots of white space and little detailed information. If I’d just clicked through on it while searching for something, I’m not sure I would have stayed very long because it looked more like an ad page than a page for a legit, trustworthy site.
My household’s total debt? Good lord–around $20K credit card, $60K mortgage, $15K car loans, and $150K student loans. Grand total: $245K. Holy Moses, that doesn’t sound good…
Totally didn’t read the directions carefully. debt= 100,000 in student loans
The landing page was confusing, but I liked their stay on a budget section. There were some useful articles there. I would consider banking with them.
We have $57,000 in credit card and student loan debt. Most of it student loan, but still, ouch.
I had never heard of PerkStreet before reading about them here. That in itself makes me hesitant to trust my money with them but with an offer such as 2% back, they are definitely worth looking into :-) right now we use a Citibank debit card that gives us 1 AA mile for every dollar spent. As most rewards cards are CC, the fact that thus is a debit card makes us even more interested in checking it out.
Our family has about $60,000 in student loans, no mortgage (yet) or car loans fortunately.
I’ve heard of Perkstreet and should probably use them but I have 7 accounts with my current bank and I like the convenience of having everything in one place. Maybe I’ll get motivated by some of their rewards and shake things up a bit.
1st-Perkstreet: Never heard of them. After landing on the page, I couldn’t figure out where I should go or what to do at first. I felt like I was being bombarded with adverts (I know there technically wasn’t any but that’s how I feel). No, I don’t like the page at all.
Now, I looked thru at what they had to offer which sounds nice, but unless I can walk into a branch/home office that is nearby, I won’t be putting my $ in. Besides that, I don’t have that kind of $ just sitting there to earn that amount nor do I spend that much on my debit card each month.
2nd-Debt: Been working on it for quite a while now and I’m happy to say that we have gotten it down w/mortgage to 80k. We started out 5 yrs ago @ 147k. Just a little longer and we will be done. Yay
Never heard of perkstreet before. I just opened a new account with another bank, had I seen this first I would have seriously considered it. Cash back option is nice. Although there is a cap on it, of course.
I can see why Ramsey endorses this bank because it really gives you a good incentive to put some extra cash in the bank.
Kari
I have mortgage left (about 90k) and pay off all other stuff already.
I never heard of perkStreet but it seems like a good company to check out. I especially love the 2% cash back.
Total debt: $21300 – student loans. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Expecto Patronum charm worked on that. ;-)
Kari
I have $117,837.63 left on my mortgage and that is all the debt that I hold. I feel too reliant on others when hold debt and my mortgage eats me up inside. I’m on a frenzy to get rid of this bad boy and when i do, 4-5 years from now, I’ll finally feel truly independent….but then I’ll feel too reliant on my employer for income and I’ll be on a frenzy to turn that home in a revenue stream….and then….well this could go on forever.
Actually signed up for PerkStreet just the other day and have not received the info yet. I highly recommend anything Dave Ramsey says or writes.
Thanks to Dave Ramsey and his way of living, my debt total is $0.00. Took me awhile to get there but following his way of doing things does really work.
PerkStreet Financial’s services sound good enough. The website design could use a little work, but if that’s saving them money which helps their customers save money — then OK. Our family’s total debt is roughly $185k. : (
Seems decent enough. I never use my debit card for purchases though. I try to use one card to maximize its rewards so if I spread my spending out, I think that would hurt some. If I was in the market for a new bank, I’d look into them.
As of 08/16/2011 my total debt is $55,241.91 in student loans.
Perksteet seems pretty cool with their 2% cash back on debit transactions, I might have to look into this a bit more.
I have never heard about PerkStreet Financial’s services . I clicked on their site, but would really have to check more into it before deciding if it was right for me. I was intrigued with the cash back on debit purchases.
I have heard of Perkstreet before! The company I work for does design work for them. I would definitely consider opening an account with them.
As far as debt goes… I have $21,725.72 in student loan debt. Want it gone!
My current debt is almost 3,200. I rent an apartment…but we struggle week to week. My boyfriend got laid off last month and I am pregnant and due in January. I am trying not to use the credit cards for anything, but we have had to charge groceries and gas for the car the last 2 weeks. I am trying to stay positive, but not sure of my future because it looks like I might get laid off in October and who is going to hire a very pregnant person. I could really use the Dave Ramsey prize.
I have never heard of Perkstreet Financial, but I am definitely intrigued. I want to explore the site a little more and do some more research, but my interest has definitely been peaked.
Debt : car – $18500, rental house mortgage – $42000, home mortgage – $85000, credit card – $23300 – grand total = $168800. Yuck and Ouch!
Ahhh… debt. Well… I currently owe somewhere in the ballpark of $60,000 in student loans for undergraduate and graduate. What’s awesome though, is that I make half of that each year, so kudos to me for owing for the rest of my life.
As far as other debt, my husband owes a personal loan for $1,200 and we both owe my mother $235 for my wedding ring (it broke and she paid to fix it). So, in total, we’re looking at about $61, 435. Ouch.
On Perksteet, I like the 2% cash back. I’ve used ING Direct for savings, but it is a mindset change to not have a brick & mortar to go to for banking.
We have about $6k in debt. But way down from where it used to be!
I currently bank with ING, and love my different available accounts (we have ~12 accounts and I couldn’t imagine my life without them!) Unfortunately, I don’t know what’s going to happen to them in the next 2 – 3 years, and that’s where PerkStreet comes into play! I LOVE the cash back on debit trasactions – that’s awesome! I’m honestly not seeing a lot of great perks besides the cash back, at least on the initial page. Maybe if they had more information I would be enticed to check it out more thoroughly.
We have $120k in student loan debt. That’s it! (Dislike.)
Perkstreet is gonna get another look when I’m on my laptop later! Mobile site left a little to be desired.
Debt, oh man… $10K credit cards, $8K left on school loans. Seriously considering Dave Ramsey’s methods, I’ve got friends who say it worked for them!!
Perkstreet: If I were going to go credit-card free, this seems like a good banking system. The cash back system includes 5% back on special categories, but only up to $250 a year. I get better cash back rewards with my credit card so I don’t see myself changing banks. I did like the blog topics. I think it’s odd that you get a fine for NOT using your account. It’s $4.50 if you don’t use your account during a month. The international fee is only 1%. That’s actually pretty good. A lot of my cards charge a 3% international fee. I still don’t think I’m going to sign up.
Debt: I have about $15K in deferred student loans. Other than that…debt free.
The home page looks a little like spam. I believe they offer checking acounts and other bank products virtually. I don’t know why they chose to put in huge bulk letters information about signing up for a credit card and how easy it is. That just seems like a scam and people would stay away from that.
I have about $20,000 in student loans. Private Colleges will do that to you……
I have heard about Perkstreet before when I listened to The Dave Ramsey show on the radio. I would consider using Perkstreet, but my wife is skeptical of non “brick and Mortar” banks.
I actually used to have a Perkstreet account, but I never used it. It may still be open…I should check into that. The only downfall about them was that at the time, I liked have an actual branch that I could walk into. Now that I use ING and USAA though, my love for online banking has increased. Maybe I will give them another shot :)
This is the first time I’ve heard of Perkstreet and if I hadn’t read J’s blurb on what they did, I would have kept going. The first indication that they are a “bank” is after clicking on one of the widgets and continuing on. At first glance it looks like a rewards-type program, and even the name suggests its a corporate rewards program. After clicking through the screens, it looks interesting and the user interface is pretty slick albeit very Mint-esque. I’ll be reading on and seeing what they have to offer. I noticed the first bank they compared themselves to was USAA!
I have about $215 in debt, give or take, including student loans, House, and cars.
OK – this is gonna make me sad, but here we go:
Mortgage – $106,000
Hubby’s motorcycle – $9,000 (should be paid off early next year! yay!)
Undergrad Loan – $3000 (should also be paid off early next year!)
I hate to say it, but I have 25k in debt between credit cards, student loans, car loans. I’m not even counting my mortgage yet!
Perkstreet: I have never heard of them, but what they offer is exactly what one of my credit unions offer. Even the debit card perks. Additionally, the cashback rewards they offer are great, but let’s be serious, how many people can really maintain a $5,000 balance. Did they not hear recently about the study from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling stating 64% of Americans can’t even afford to save $1000 for an emergency fund? I’m just saying.
I have approx $40K total and 90% of that debt consists of student loans. Almost done paying off my LAST credit card and then I have an auto loan for about $5K.
I’ve been banking with perkstreet since late last year. I love the 2% back. They also do 5% back on certain things that change monthly/quarterly.
I have about 260K on my mortgage.
I like Perkstreet. I think I will definitely join and try to use it as a Savings Account.
Including student loans, my car, my mortgage and credit cards, I have about $170K in debt.
I have student loans that are around $14,000. Considering that amount got me through four years of undergraduate work and two master degrees that totaled about 5 years of my life, I’m pretty happy with that amount!
I’ll echo some of the above comments — PerkStreet’s website didn’t initially make it clear what services were being offered. However, it seems like a pretty good deal with some great endorsements. I guess I’d have to look into it more before making a decision.
I’ve never he heard of Perkstreet and don’t know if I’d use it or not. Seems like a pretty good deal…almost too good to be true. Getting cash back just for linking your existing bank account. How do they make their profit?! Hmmm! But would be interesting though.
My total debt is close to $150K..with the bulk of it being student loan debt :-(
I’d have to think about Perkstreet before signing up. Not for trust issues or whatever, they are obviously legit. But there always seems, to me, something counterproductive to the idea of “spend money to get money back.” I realize that the math works out better than an interest-earning account, but it doesn’t make me any less crabby about spending my $$$.
I have never heard of Perkstreet. I don’t think I would be interested in parking $5k in a checking account just to get 2% on debit purchases. I love my rewards credit cards and the “float” between the time I charge and the time I pay. I rotate the cards by what’s giving the best cash back or the most convenient closing dates.
Total Debt? We’re lookin’ at about 40K now that my wife is almost finished with grad school.
I have heard of Perkstreet Financial previously when listening to DR’s show. He advertises for them and mentions them on occasion. I’m not sure if I would ever use them mostly because they do not refund the ATM fees like USAA does. It is tedious to try and locate a free ATM for you to use. I found their site to be interesting given that it is a wordpress style site and they really have made it uncluttered so it drives your attention to the big button in the middle to sign up.
We are debt free. It rocks!
My family has $21,124.58 in debt, all of which is student loans from Direct for my MBA. I’m not including the mortgage which is prob $136,000ish.
I’ve never heard of Perkstreet. I’m happy with the financial institutions I’m currently using, so I don’t think I’d use their services.
I have about $12k in debt, all of which is student loans, and it’s on its way to being paid off next year!
I am debt free thanks to websites like this and other PF sites!
Perk Street is a really good company! I have the card for a couple months now and think the 1% or even 2% cash back is tough to beat for a checking account. However, keeping $5000 in a checking account just to get another % cash back or what not seems counterproductive. Interest rates are definitely low, but investors can still find better than 1% for that extra $5K.
I have 20k in debt still. It’s student loans and a second mortgage. This is good because I started with over 60k in debt a few years ago.
I have about $15,000 in cc and loans (home improvements) debt and $52 on mortgage. Working to payoff cc/loan in 24 months.
77,512.18 in debt – that’s student loans, car loan, and a little bit of consumer debt – so ready to be out from under the debt!
I have been looking for new banks that are offering incentives to join. The perkstreet one seems interesting. I’m interested in learning more about that $600 back… and I’ll look into that for more details as soon as I leave this comment.
We just opened a bank account with ING and I’ve been really satisfied with them so far. I don’t think I’d switch, but if I’d heard of PerkStreet Financial before we opened the ING account, I would have given them both a harder look to compare.
I have been listening to Dave Ramsey and have heard of PerkStreet. I have been to the site to check it out. I am on the fence about signing up for it, mainly concerned that I will have it and not use it. Anyhow, I think that it is great to have a debt card that offers rewards.
I don’t think I would consider Perkstreet since I try not to use my debt card for most things (would radther use a CC). Like others I have an ING account I am happy with and my local credit union is nice aswell.
total debt is a 14K student loan. Wish it was gone, but it is not and the interest rate is too low to really accelerate the payments much.
Total Debt: right around $134,600
Ouch! It hurts when you add it all together.
includes one credit card, one house, and two sheets of paper (my Student Loans).
Q1: I’m not really into a bank that is just online (btw, their website does not look very professional). I like the brick & morter as I make a lot of cash deposits.
Q2: about $1300 on a medical bill. The month I paid off all my debt (excepting mortgage) my appendix had to come out. Was lucky that my insurance company paid about $45k but I had to pay about $2500 out of pocket.
1) I’m not quite sure if I would ever use Perkstreet Financial. I am getting weary of all the new financial sites and starting to protect my info more.
2) I have a car loan of about $18K that I am aggressively paying off. Cars are my vice, so to say ;(
I honestly am not sure what my opinion is. A Bank card that pays out perks in music downloads and coffee… I’m a little taken aback. I don’t know what to think.. Personally, I probably wouldn’t try it. I am happy with my bank and am very hesitant to change it. I know what my fees are and I know that I get free ATM transactions and Free checking.. more than that would just be too much to keep track of for me. I like to keep it simple. :)
I actually know the answer to this!! I have $33,652 in student loans and another $1,000 left on my car loan. Luckily, in another month or so, I will be able to BLAST away $10,000 of my student loan debt thanks to AmeriCorps. Best use of two years of my life ever!! :) I hope to have my car loan paid of by December too!
But as of right now, my debt is $34,652. But it is manageable and going down every month!
I’m a Perkstreet customer, and I’m very pleased with them. It’s easy, user-friendly, good customer service and, best of all, you earn perks just for using your debit card! I am quite satisfied with this bank.
How much debt do I have?
Mortgage: $160k
Car: $9k
CC: $5k
Yuck!
1. I have heard of PerkStreet before but I do not know what they are all about. I saw a landing page for a DEBIT card but I do not use debit cards so that really held no interest for me.
2. I am DEBT FREE baby!!!! I don’t owe anyone and I love it. My car is fully paid off and I can buy the next one cash if I want to. My goal is to buy a house so at some point in the future I guess I will have mortgage debt but for now I am sailing free and clear!!!!
Total debt of me and the wife according to Mint today is 29,877. And yes that is factoring in the mortgage versus the Zillow value of the house. Besides the mortgage, we each have student loans and there is a SBA loan out there but that is what we are down to :)
I actually was a Perkstreet user and ended up closing the account just because I wasn’t using it enough. For some reason it just didn’t take. The having to have a separate brick and mortar bank was just too much of a pull for me to be able to give completely into PS. I use cashback credit cards and pay them off every Saturday so it’s not about the money difference to me so I guess it came down to hassle of no brick (therefore shifting) versus playing with snakes who I just pay every weekend to ensure no balances.
1. I have Perkstreet – and I love them!!!! I heard about them earlier this year and finally signed up in April. I use my debit card for 98% of my purchases, so it’s GREAT to get cash back – not to mention cash back on BILLS (I have them set up to pay automatically from PerkStreet). I admit, the sign-up process wasn’t as easy as some other online-only institutions, but it was worth the hassel. I have already received my first $50 cash back card Mastercard! If you use a debit card for almost everything anyway, it’s a great option.
$850 in credit card debt – that’s it! I’ll be COMPLETELY debt free by the end of the year.
My total debt is $270,902.09. It is all in student loans and my mortgage. I just defeated all of my 6.8% student loans. Now I officially have no debt higher than 5% interest, which feels great.
I’ve heard of Perkstreet and I’ve checked them out. I use my credit card for large purchases or online (2-5%) and my debit for smaller purchase (attached to my high yield checking) which gives me about $50/month. I just can’t see moving my money to it. Debit has less protections than credit and it is does not give me anything my credit card doesn’t. My husband and I have $80,000 in debt. It is our mortgage (4.75%), student loans (5.75% and deferred at 0% for now) and one small personal loan at 3.5%. I’m not paying any of those off in a hurry, would much rather put money in my IRA for now.
I’ve had a Perkstreet Financial account before and it was really nice. However I applied again and couldn’t reopen my account :(
I have approximately $11,000 in debt, including credit cards and a personal loan.
I’ve looked into perkstreet and it sounds really good. I’ve been debating to switch over. But I love Ally very much. They have always helped me out, plus the free atms and free everything is great. perkstreet would be good if I could attach their card to my checking account in Ally. then i would switch immediately. but as far as another checking account. That was last year. But come 2012, i will be looking at it again.
as far as debt goes, i owe only 85k on my house and I am paying off a what i call a debt consolidation loan that got rid of 3 credit cards down to a monthly payment for me with a lot lower interest rate.
so total i’d say about 100k. wish i had never bought that house! never! buying a house was a the worse decision of my life. quitting smoking was the best!
I’ve not heard of or have used Perkstreet Financial and not sure that I would use them just because I’m too lazy to switch everything around.
Currently around $98,000 in debt (student loans, cc, and house).
Not into Perkstreet….I didn’t like the website and I’d be wary of putting my $ into a bank that is not very well-known
Perkstreet Financial seems to have some decent perks for a checking account, however, I would not want to keep $5,000 sitting in a non-interest bearing account to get the 2% cash back. With a rewards credit card, if you are good about paying it off regularly each month, you can keep your reserve funds invested with a (hopefully) decent return AND generate cashback from your spending at the same time.
Altogether I have about $16K in student and car loan debt, but it’s going down!!!
We have $21,000 of debt and climbing… it’s all student loans, and my husband is still in school for another 3 semesters or so. We’ll be able to pay it off pretty quickly once he gets a job, thankfully (software engineering FTW).
I have about $500 in debt that I pay off each month, now that I finished paying off nearly $20k in credit card debt about a year ago.
I have $150 in debt. It’s a credit-building loan so I’ll finally have a credit score!
I don’t like to carry 5K on a debit card so I don’t know that PerkStreet has much to offer me.
I checked them out when I was leaving ING but hadn’t heard much about them so went with Ally bank… I use USAA for checking and with USAA losing their cash back piece next month PerkStreet is very appealing! If they have MobileDeposit I’ll join! :)
I’m currently 66k in debt with a student loan… :( Pay, pay, pay I go, someday I’ll be freeeeeeeeee…..! :)
I’ve only heard their name before. I’m not sure if I would use them right now, my current rewards are pretty good, maybe sometime in the future. Not sure really.
As of today, I have $1,019.94 in debt. That’s in the Evil Credit Card though and is quickly being paid off. ;-)
I have been reading a lot about Perkstreet. I think I am going to open an account with them to direct deposit our monthly budgeted amounts for utilities, house payment, food, etc into to pay from…and leave the rest in my acct now for a slush fund/misc acct. I like the idea of separating out the budgeted amounts and only having that much available in the account, and then getting 2% back on all of it.
We have been funneling everything thru our Paypal debit card for 1% cash back…it slowly adds up. So far we had gotten over $200 cash back…but it could be double with Perkstreet, not to mention the specials they run where you get even more back.
So that is my plan, now I need to stick to it.
Perkstreet looks great at first glance. We will be checking it out some more, especially if Dave Ramsey has good stuff to say about them! We also like the cash back part.
It looks like a cash back off of your debit purchases site. The looks a bit like a phony-spam site, though upon further inspection it is accredited and FDIC insured. I think it should be tweaked a bit to look more professional, removing the big headlines, exclamation points, and the huge banner that appears on the homepage imploring the visitor to join without explaining what the service entails in depth (or at least with a bulletpoints)
We’re $50 K in debt, thank you student loans.
Yeah, I don’t know about them. I don’t ever use debit but the 1% cash back (on balances below 5k) is a nice addition — however, there’s a 4.50/month inactivity fee? That’s about as far as I got. I don’t need another thing to remember to do to avoid a fee. You don’t get the same protections with a debit card as you do a credit card either.
18k, which I could pay off but it’s at a low rate so I’m keeping things as is…
Debt:
Mortgage $65,000
Student Loans $25,000
No car loans, Yay!
Misc bad debt from the past, that we are working on paying off $7,000
Current Credit cards, which we just use to help build up our credit again, paying it off in big chunks, making extra payments every month $1000.00
In regards to Perks, have heard of them. I must admit, this type of bank is not for me. I am not one to use debit cards that much at all. It would require me to keep a large amount of $$ in checking acct which I don’t Have it spread out in different location. I use credit cards (which I pay off every month) that has larger cash back rewards.
As for debt, no credit card debt. Just mortgage (285k) HELOC (37K) car loan (29k)
Perkstreet looks pretty cool! I haven’t heard of it before now, but I may have to do some more investigating!
We have too much debt! Credit cards mostly, our house, small student loan, one car. But we’re doing Dave’s total money makeover!
PerkStreet, I wasn’t impressed with the site. I have also read mixed reviews from several blogs – Seems to center on Customer Service.
I am happy with USAA!
Debt level is around 60K but I am bringing it down!
Perk Street seems ok, but I like having my primary checking account at a bank that I can walk into. If PS had a physical branch where I could go speak to someone in person, I would be much more inclined to try them out.
We owe about 251k on the house, 42k on the second mortgage, and 32k on our rental. Ugh – $325,000. I am happy to say that we have no other debt though :)
We bank with our friendly hometown bank in the town where we grew up, and they know us by name. But if we didn’t, Perkstreet looks like a great option. Our bank is actually in a town 1.5 hours away, so not having a physical location to go to doesn’t bother me.
Our only debt is on our home, for 167K.
1. I’m ready to sign up with PerkStreet now that I’ve actually looked into their site! Anyone done so??
I have about $45k in student loan deck and $600 in credit card debt
PerkStreet Financial looks like an interesting concept. I guess I wonder how much they can actually promise given their dependence on interchange and merchant fees. Hopefully, their overhead is low enough that they can still offer a 1-2% cash back if the processing fees get lowered through legislation.
I think I would definitely be interested in opening an account with the PerkStreet. May if ING ends up being corrupted by Capital One.
Total debt? $0 baby!!!!
1. I would definitely use Perkstreet, in fact I signed up with them a month or two ago. I’m already making more in cash rewards than I am with my high yield savings account – with a substantially higher balance. Go figure! Gotta love making money for things you already buy anyway.
As far as my debt goes, it is a sad picture:
$340,000 Mortgage
$55,000 Student loans
$3,000 Unforeseen moving expenses
———————-
$398,000 TOTAL
It hurts to look at it, but we have a plan to tackle it.
2. Our only debt is our home mortgage where we put 20% down on the house. While our home value has dropped in the last 5 years, at least we’re not underwater like a lot of folks because we put so much down. We’re working on paying off the home early after investing 20%!
PerkStreet Financial seems interesting, I do like that they have an ATM network. if I ever make the jump to a bank w/o physical branch locations, I would definitely consider this one.
I’ve never heard of Perkstreet, but 2% cash back sounds awesome to me! And it links to my current bank account? I may try it.
We have about $5000 left on a car note. That’s it! I hate having even that much, so we’re paying it down as quickly as possible.
I have never heard of Parkstreet before, and I am glad you told me about it! Although it is much different than what I am personally used to, I love the idea!
The only debt I have is my mortgage… although I am going thru a divorce, so I will be bought out! Whoo-hoo! Debt free is oh so close!!
I think Perkstreet may be too good to be true. It seems like they do the same type of thing as Mint.com except you have to open up a bank account in order to get started. I’m not sure it’s worth it to open up another account.
I was not impressed with Perkstreet. I probably would not open an account with them. Website was confusing also.
My only debt is my mortgage. Feels good!
I have a LOT of debt i would say around $415,000 and that includes my mortgage, the mortgage on my investment property, student loans and a small car loan.
I have never heard Perkstreet before today. I looked at their website and wasn’t all that interested.
I love the design of the website!!!! Every other banking site is very very corporate and just stuff. This was easy on the eyes and great for my designer self. It made me interested just by looking!
Debt=0. I’m very very lucky.
PerkStreet Financial,
The website looks very welcoming and intresting but after going through what it offers, it is not something I would use. That is probably because I already use ING and like them and have reward cc. I think it would be great for someone looking for rewards and no fee banking with a larger range of ATMs. Again, I like ING and it would seem extra for me to use their services at this point.
The PerkStreet Financial page is very clean and pleasing to look at, however it doesn’t give much information about the product/service. I think they offer a credit card? Also they need to compare themselves to other cards that offer similar “perks” or rewards.
As for financial debt I have none however I do need to get a job soon and move out.
How Much Debt do I have?
School loans: about $37,000 (need to increase payments or i will be paying utnil im 60)
and thats about it. NO car payments, several hundred in cc bills that will be paid. However i did do a balance transfer loan for a friend for $8000 and hoping tha will be paid soon.
PerkStreet Financial –
I have never heard of them until now. Looks interesting and I will dedicate some time researching them to see if it’s a service that I would like to use in the future.
Household current debt is $280K, which includes mortgage, student loans, auto, etc.
2. We’re working on $68k of debt – card, credit cards, student loans. Thankfully, the majority of the debt is student loans!
I have close to $200,000 in student loans now. I finished my undergrad at an expensive private university last year, and am close to finishing my master’s degree in library science at a private college this year. Some may say that I should have chosen a more frugal path for my education, but my parents did not have any savings for me to attend college and I had to come up with all of the funding myself. When I was 18 and was accepted to the private university, I knew it would be a struggle when I graduated, but I could never have imagined how much.
Unfortunately, the Library Science field requires a master’s degree for even entry-level positions, and so I’ve racked up a significant amount of loan debt for a career that pays $40,000/yr on average. I love the field, but sometimes wonder if it justifies the expense. I just hope that I will be able to find a job soon after graduation.
I’d never heard of PerkStreet before, but it’s an interesting concept. For those averse to credit cards, it seems like a good alternative to a cash-back credit card. However, it doesn’t seem to be a very straightforward program. You have to have a $5k balance to get the 2%, which means you can’t touch that $5k to keep your 2%, so you’ll need additional on top of that for your spending. And the cash back is only on non-PIN debit card transactions, so you’ll have to remember to use it as a credit card every time, not using your PIN. Any other transaction wouldn’t earn you anything (including utility bank drafts, checks, etc.). That’s a lot of caveats, so it makes it difficult to determine how much you would actually benefit from it, versus whatever rewards programs and interest rates you utilize now.
Debt totals just shy of $200k (mortgage & student loans – no CC debt)
I have a Perkstreet account, and I love it! I rarely carry cash anymore so the Perks are definitely adding up for me. It’s great to get money back on things I was buying anyway. Like many others, I was also hesitant at first to open an account because they don’t have branches. I actually have 2 other brick and mortar bank accounts and honestly I rarely have the need to go into the bank. I have direct deposit set up with Perkstreet, and they also offer free methods to mail checks, moneygrams, etc. in order to fund your account.
I agree that their websites could use some work–they definitely should look more official.
I recently switched to PerkStreet for my daily transactions and love it. Since becoming a customer I’m October I have earned $250 I’m rewards.
My total debt (all student loans) is almost $60,000.
Never heard of PerkStreet Financial but it looks like a really great option. I like to keep $5K of e-fund in liquid funds so meeting the balance requirement to get the 2% wouldn’t be an issue. It looks like it deserves real consideration so I plan to discuss it with my husband tonight.
Total Debt: $0
Debt free as of 2007
Between student loans and CC debt, w’ere looking at ~$100,000. Oy.
Debt:
Roughly $6,500 in CC debt – either paid off each month or sitting at 0% interest
$5,000 in Car Loan (plan to pay off in the next week)
$232,500 in mortgages (2 houses which are rented out)
$15,000 in student loans
Total: $259K
I have heard of Perkstreet from Dave Ramseys show… I listen on occasion. I get nervous about it not being a brick and mortar bank. Since all those banks collapsed a few years back, I am nervous about sending my money into cyberspace. That’s why I closed my ING account.
Debt… here goes.
Car – paid off this year!
Credit Card – $0!
Student Loans – $49000. Ouch.
I’ve never heard of PerkStreet before. Their website index page was a bit off putting though. I had to figure out where to go for more information and even then it was limited. 2% cash back is nice, none of my cards have any incentives like that.
The website was a bit confusing and I didn;t know what the company was really about…
My total debt right now is $320 on a credit card. A soon to be mortgage debt of $35,000 will take place next week, I close on the 23rd. yay!
I agree that their page is a little confusing. Doesn’t really look like a bank. I signed up for an account though. :)
Our total debt including mortgage, student loans and everything else -est $200,000
I might be interested in Perkstreet Financial. The fact that it isn’t B&M doesn’t bother me that much. My wife and I will go over it later tonight.
Between car, motorcycle and credit cards – about $12K debt
Perkstreet’s website kind of looks like it’s trying to imitate Mint in its simplicity. However, I have to agree with many readers that it’s user-friendly style makes it feel a bit in-authentic. I’m really interested in Perkstreet’s offers since my boyfriend and I were just talking today about setting up an emergency fund, and this seems like it might be the kind of place we’d want to store our money. On the other hand, I, like many of the other commenters, am also a bit afraid of banking with a web-based institution that has no brick and mortar presence.
Perkstreet looked OK. I am very happy with my local credit union and have a lot of auto transactions, so it would be hard for me to change – I do like the debit card cash back!
I have heard good things about this company. Its only a debit card so that is a plus. I also can’t see where you could go wrong with 2% cash back.
Just paid off the last of my student loans (graduated college 16 years ago!!!). Now we just have an $8k truck loan and a brand new $265k mortgage (which we put $40k down on)…we will pay off the truck in the next year and then start cranking on the mortgage!
Perkstreet – love 2% cashback on debit cards.. nice
I have $217,000 total in debt.
I wish I did not have debt, but I do…
Mortgage – $164,315.89
Student Loans – $43,000
Credit Card – $0
Car – $8500
Total – $215,815.89
I’ve heard of PerkStreet, mostly from http://www.enemyofdebt.com/ and Dave Ramsey. I’ve thought about checking out their products but I’m pretty satisfied with what my bank is offering and we pay off our credit card every month (use it like a debit card).
We have just under $200K in debt, including our mortgage. Working on a few more pressing financial goals and then aggressively paying off remaining car loan.
Perkstreet is very interesting….I may have to do more research and trade in my ING account/ rewards credit card. I guess you give up minimal interest for actual cash back. Cool.
The only carry over debt we have is our mortgage at approximately $265K. We have no car loans and pay our CC off each month.
I had never heard of Perk Street, but I found their site helpful. It appeared to be geared towards new customers than present customers. All the marketing information about the bank was large and well designed, but then you didn’t even notice the “ATM locator” button on the top right, which a customer would need.
I did find its content quick and to the point, which I appreciated.My first instinct was that I doubt they have ATMs that are near me, but I found several near both my work and home. I would use them for checking and am considering setting it up.
1. I feel like I spend enough money at this point. Getting money back is great…but at what point am I spinning my wheels just trying to get a little bit here, a little bit there? I would love it if Chase (my current bank and mortgage holder) would just funnel as many perks as they could. I feel at some point, I’m going to lose myself in trying to earn ten bucks.
And we owe $200,000 – we are a young couple and we just bought our first house :)
I hadn’t heard of PerkStreet Financial before, but I may look into them more, as USAA’s cash back debit program is going to be ending. Looks interesting, anyway.
I have about $35,000 in student loans and about $300,000 in my home mortgage. Yikes.
Never heard of PerkStreet before, but it looks like a very attractive and highly competitve product. I’m definitely going to investigate further.
I have debt comprised of the following:
$106K Student Loans
$53K Personal + Consumer Debt
le sigh…
PerkStreet Financial seems gimmicky to me. I’d have to give it a more in-depth look to consider it, but I actually think I did that when I heard of it in the past. I watched the CEO video and he mentioned that debit cards are going to be the way to go in the future instead of using credit. Well, that’s what we do anyway.
I’d love to win the $50 MasterCard. I don’t care at all about Dave Ramsey, not looking for that type of “guru”, and the fact that he is so popular makes me take a step back! I don’t trust the masses, LOL.
Oops, I forgot to tell ya that we have no debt and avoid credit like the plague that it is.
Mortgage $96K
Student loans $35K
Credit card $3200
Car $7500
Total: 141,700
Never heard of PerkStreet. Don’t really understand what they provide. Would have to look into it more.
I have no debt.
PerkStreet seems almost too good to be true…but these days competition is really pushing businesses to be truly good for customers, so I just may give it a shot. Although they’re not a brick and mortars type of business, the cut in overhead is probably what affords them to give great incentives and rewards. I travel a lot and rarely walk into a bank, so am not so turned off by that….but it would be nice if they had a head quarters some where that people COULD walk into if needed, it would make everyone feel more confident about them I think. I really like how there isn’t a fee to transfer between accts…will do more research on them and very likely going to try them out if its all good.
I have about $6000 in debt :(
Perkstreet Financial’s website left me pretty confused. Are they a bank? A credit/debit card company that offers kickbacks for purchases? Hmmmn- looked interesting but all the small print at the bottom in black scared me a bit!
I have 35,000 dollars in student loan debt. Yuck.
Re Perkstreet: I’m not that impressed. Yes, it’s good if you’re a debit card user AND you have a good chunk of money available to put in the bank to get the 2% return after 3 months…but there are credit cards that offer great perks including cash back and no limit. It seems like because of a DR endorsement it’s encouraging you to save but $2500/mo in purchases is alot! I get 1 point for every dollar spent with my BOA card and would earn $330 cash back with the same spending needed to earn $250 from Perkstreet. And if I have that much money to spend on a debit card-every month- I can charge my purchases, pay my bill in full each month, and still reap better rewards. It isn’t for me.
$4,313 left in student loan debt…and boy I’m working hard to get rid of it by the end of the year.
Havent heard of perkstreet before. After reading over their terms though, I’m going to stick with USAA & ING. Perkstreet is checking only, no savings. They also dont pay interest on their checking. Also, no benefits/points if you use bill pay instead of the debit card (most of my bills dont accept debit w/o an extra fee charged)
As for debt, with cc’s & student loans, I’m down to 26176.88
1) I’ve never heard of Perkstreet Financial before! They look too good to be true. Personally, I will wait on taking up their services until I research them a little more and hear feedback about them. That’s the thing, Chase was offering things too good to be true as well and they have actually stopped offering these great things and have instituted fees. It just seems that the too good to be true things always end up that way later in the game.
2) I have exactly $472 in debt. A lot less than I have had previously, but I’ve been working on it! I actually had it almost all paid off. I mean, I was down to the last $50 dollars and then we had a family accident/emergency and I ended up having to use my credit card. I know, I know, I should have an emergency savings account for this kind of thing right? But when I’m only able to save the little bit that I do in one account for just about everything(I save 10%, but it’s not a lot on my salary), it’s hard to have a savings AND an emergency savings as well.
Hi J$,
1. I would probably not use Perkstreet Financial. I prefer to track my expenses myself using the old pen and paper method. i find that when i actually have to write down what i am spending, i spend less. when my spending is just input into some random internet calculator, i spend more.
2. I have $0 debt, but not many assets either (I own my car and thats it, i rent an apt). I just paid off my student loan debt ($90K). my husband has $70k in student loans still left to pay. then we get to save for a house, which in CA is no small feat.
thanks for the giveaway!
Perkstreet seems similar to ING direct except with Incentives. I bank with ING but only savings accounts. Not comfortable enough to put my checking in an online bank. If perkstreet offered savings accounts (which I didn’t see on their site) then I would consider them. Especially if they offered higher interest rates than most banks like ING does.
I’m $40,000 in debt which includes student loans.
Just got the email offering a chance of a prize, and then found out this is only for US/Canadian followers!! Not pleased!
This is not going to be pretty:
Approx. $219k = Mortgage: $185k, Car: $9k, Student loans: $25k and growing, credit card: $0k
Payback period if 100% of my salary went to debt = 3 yrs. That sucks. If 35% of my salary went to debt = 8.5 yrs. Thank goodness I have life insurance.
I previously hadn’t heard of Perkstreet Financial. I think the rewards sound great, but I would not personally use their services. If something goes wrong, I like having the option to go to a branch and speak to someone face-to-face!
I currently have no debt! I paid my car off last year and it felt great.
Debt: $142k – J$ my comment was too short without adding this sentence.
Perkstreet Review: I kind of looked at it, but have it bookmarked to read more later. Of course free $ gets me all excited, but I have to read all the fine print.
They should note their bank affiliation higher up on the page. When you first look at the site you can tell if it’s a cash back site, a shopping portal or a scam.
I have $0 debt.
how humiliating, answering #2 in public but since we’ve decided to get things in order I guess putting it out there makes us accountable
1 – I’ve never heard of them before but from the brief time I was able to spend looking around the site, I will DEFINITELY be back to check it out more thoroughly!
2 – WAY too much….between mortgage, home equity loan and credit cards…somewhere in the neighborhood of 241k. Thank goodness both vehicles are paid in full!
Perkstreet appears to be an alternative type of savings account. I doubt that I would ever use it.
I have over $100,000 in student loan debt…
I hadn’t heard of Perk Street before. Looks like they have good incentives, but I’m not sure I’d use it.
My debt:
$12,084 student loans (started out with $23,906 9 months ago)
$5,453 auto loan
$143,684 mortgage
Perks are decent, but the best feature for me is the surcharge free atm access. After a quick search, found a few 7-11’s near me that are included.
I might apply for an account in the future.
Debt: $6K automobile.
I have heard the commercials for Perk Street on Dave Ramsey’s shows in the past. It looks too good to be true, just doesn’t feel right to me, so I wouldn’t use it.
Debt free except a whopping 350K mortgage. Ughh.
I would consider joining Perkstreet. I like that they have tips on saving money and on budget. I think that is awesome.
sassysasha817 at gmail dot com
I have $89,673.00 in debt, which is my mortgage. Much less than some people but it is still a lot in debt.
55000 plus a 140000 mortgage
Perkstreet financials debit card is an interesting concept and I will have to give it some thought and look for online reviews. Frankly, I did not find their landing page all that enticing or informative so they might want to work on that lol.
I have around $37k in debt, Mainly in student loans. *sigh*
Perkstreet Financial website stated that you get 2% cash back on debit purchases. I like that.
How much debt do I have?
One car loan with a balance of $5,387.
Perk Street looks awesome, I would use them
Ive got about 10k in student loan debt
At first glance, I really didn’t know what kind of website this was. It doesn’t look very user friendly and honestly, didn’t look all that legit. I would not use them.
We have $140k on a mortgage loan about to refi at 3.125% on a 15 yr fixed. No other debt.
For debt, we have $250,000- $240,000 on a 15 yr mortgage and $10,000 on a car.
The perkstreet site was a bit confusing and seemed spammy. It did not appear as professional a site as I would like to feel comfortable having my money there.
I have only one debt, my mortgage, which I have been paying off as fast as possible. 5-1/2 years in, my remaining balance is $55,000.
Our current debt equals 385,000 in mortgage and student loans.
I am intrigued by the 2% back on debit card purchases, but I don’t like that you have to run it as a credit card. Might as well just use a credit card, the merchant is going to get stuck with the same high fees.
A while back, I could have gotten LOTS of cash back with PerkStreet, but I am now trying to use cash for my purchases- helps to keep it real! Might consider going with them if I ever go back to my swiping ways.
Total debt? Just under $5K student loans. Ug!
Hadn’t heard of Perkstreet, a little confused as to how it works even after visiting the site. Will look into it further, though.
never heard of- a bit confusing
The landing page was too busy and I wasn’t really sure what they do. The video on the right seemed to make the site a bit low brow too. Our family dept is around 249K, with about 99% of it being mortgage.
I wouldnt use them, not sure what exactly they do. My debt is $0.
Never heard of Perkstreet. Would consider using. Will have to look into it further.
Total debt approx $160,000 mortgage
$9,000 – All student loans (started with 15k, 3 years removed from college).
Perkstreet seems like a reasonable way to do a checking account while getting rewarded; however, I wouldn’t open an account with them. I prefer to have a bank in person for those one off times I need a bank check or money exchanged.
With mortgages and car loans we have about $125,000 of debt.
Liked Perkstreet however I trust Dave Ramsey but still seemed like I would have to pay something to open the account or have a direct deposit. Will have to do more research on that one.
The debt that we have with mortgage, student loans, car payments, credit cards has to be close to $350,000
I have a mortgage of 48,000 and 54,000 in parental student loan debt that my son is supposed to pay off but he is underemployed! Talk about stupid tax!!!!! sigh….
Visited Perkstreet. While is looks interesting I do not see any advantage for me to use it at this time. It would just be one more thing. I already bank on line with my current bank and I am happy with that for the time being.
No debt. Paid off my students loans last year!
Haven’t heard of Perkstreet before. The 2% back is nice, but my understand is that it’s using a debit card like a credit card? Why not just get a credit card? Maybe I misread, the site is slightly hard to navigate.
I have too much debt at the moment.
Credit Card – $2000
Medical – $1600 (dental crap is expensive! plus a hospital visit for my son.)
Mortgage – $96000 (currently working on a short sale though – moving)
Car – $11000
mortgage 170, 000 car $3000. debt $10,000
I have to be honest that I didn’t like Perkstreets site. First of all it was way to confusing and there seemed to be what might have been alot of spam going on. I did gather that it was a bank, but considering what I said above, I dont trust them like I would an actaul bank that I could walk into.
We actually have no debt. Not even a mortgage as we were able to just pay that off at 40 years old. But I have to admit that since we did that, we have been a little to careless with our money. We are spending way more than we are saving when we should be putting that former mortgage amount away for a rainy day. I am interested in the Dave Ramsey program so that we do not suddenly find ourselves in a bad situation after doing so good all of these years. Thanks for the chance.
Perkstreet- I didn’t like all the little fees involved with the checking account i.e. inactivity fee. I also didn’t like that this bank was all about spending and rewards for that, but not saving.
Total debt:
Credit cards-$1060.06
Surgery approx. cost: $3000 – $6000
Total: approx. $7000
I don’t have to add surgery to my debt because I have the money saved, but since I know I owe it, it is a debt.
Im doing good on the debt repayment, so close!
Only $1500 to go!!
But then Ive got hte emergency fund to build and a house to save for someday :)
Perk street would be great for americans hit hard by the economic downturn.
At first glance, the site seems kind of confusing but once I played around with it, I liked it. I also liked the fact that I could link it to my Wells Fargo account to transfer funds. That’s what I’ve been thinking about for my savings, to sort of keep it hidden and not readily accessible.
debt 10k Automobile.
I’ve never heard of them but it does seem like something I should bookmark and go back to play around with.
Debt – Mortgage, student loan, car payment, credit card
Total Debt
Car 2000
Student Loans- 28,000
Medical- 3000
I’ve been able to pay off about 8,000 in two and a half years after starting my blog. I’ve paid $4,000 off of my car balance and another $4000 towards medical debt from when I was younger. I haven’t accquired any new debt and I’ve been able to do a lot of savings. Yay!
i saw perkstreet about a month ago and it’s been on my ‘hmmm’ list ever since. my husband and i have one shared checkings and savings acct and use debit purchases for nearly everything. right now we’re determining how to split the money up. try perkstreet for our debits and then put savings into ing and/or ally? stick to what we have and just keep putting something into the savings? not really sure! but a little bit of a perk (pun….intended???) is better than nothing. currently we don’t get any rewards for any purchases, so it’s definitely up for consideration.
debt includes car payments, student loans, and one credit card….$15k
Question One:
I think I’ve heard of PerkStreet before. I think they are the bank that shows up on a facebook ad, saying, “USAA is taking your [debit] rewards away! But we offer 2%!”
I did take a look at the bank’s site, but that 2% on debit purchases requires you to have 5k in the bank at the start of the day. It’s 1% on everything else.
Furthermore, I hear horror stories about other banks. But with USAA? I feel safe and comfortable; I trust them with my money. They have superb customer service. For example, with the government’s shenanigans going on, USAA stepped up to say they’ll back up their members if things don’t work out! I ask USAA random financial questions and get thorough responses very quickly. I had someone who who apologized for a late response, saying it had been a busy day. Late? I asked my question only the day before!
Question Two:
My husband has a remaining 4k on his car loan.
I have student loans: 3.5k from freshman year, 4.5k from sophomore year, and I have two more years of college left (expecting a cost of around 20k each year, 40k total).
Total debt currently is 12k.
I hadn’t heard of Perkstreet before, although it looks like a good online bank. However, I am really happy with my credit union and wouldn’t think of switching at this point.
No debt at all! :)
(But I rent and don’t own a home.)
sounds like a good idea
PerkStreet Financial seems great, but only for those that can maintain $5,000 in their PSFinancial account. For me this is not too convenient. It does have a few attractive features, such as the 2% cash back on debit. Before this, I’ve never heard of it. I’m happy enough with my current banking institution though.
Sadly, currently I have about 6,000-8,000 dollars in debt, which I hope to pay back in the next couple years.
If Dave didn’t recommend this bank I’m sure they site would scare people off, however sounds like a good deal to me.
I thought it was interesting how Perkstreet offered the cash back reward in money, music or coffee — that’s gotta to appeal to a wide variety of people (I want the cash!).
I have about $64K in debt including the mortgage. The good news is that it goes down every month! :)
Glad to see you back!! Like Dave Ramsey money management principles but the $50 MC is very much acceptable. Many financial gurus and institutions are catching the wave of do-it yourself financial repair and show an interest in helping us get to that debt free status.
I have a mortgage and a student loan with a combined total of $154,000. The student loan is scheduled to be prepaid by the end of the year — wahoo! The mortgage just gets extra dollars thrown its way every month.
I love Perkstreet! I have an account there!!
I love perkstreet…I have an account there already
between cars and student loan debt, we owe around 50,000. dave ramsey’s material could really help us pay this down faster! :)
I’ll almost definitely open a PerkStreet account soon! I love the idea that you can earn rewards using a debit card. I doubt that I’ll keep the $5k required in my account to earn 2%, but it still seems like 1% can be a decent return, and the opportunity to earn more is nice, too. I’m glad there are minimal fees involved with having an account, which makes it more likely for me to open one.
I have only about $8,500 in debt in the form of student loans, and I expect all of that to be wiped out by the end of 2011!
Perkstreet financial sounds interesting. I am likely to use them…I like online banks such as ingdirect and hsbc because you get higher intrerest rates
The only debt is our mortgage which we owe about 160K on.
Debt is 45,500 which includes mortgage, auto and credit cards.
Perk Street-I want to know up front what is in it for me-I have to click around a bit more than I wanted. I am reading good stuff about it, but had to search the site and google to make sure. Not complete info that is easy to access. It says east transfers between internal and external accounts. Is here a charge. It talks about the huge ATM network. I have several free ATMS with my bank within walking distance and up to a mile. I would have to drive to the closest one with Perk Street. I am committed to doing more research, however, because of the decrease in rewards and increase in fees in banks. Thanks for the referral, and I will spend more time looking at the site.
PerkStreet – it’s a bit confusing to me actually. I do plan on looking into it a bit more, but I wanted to make sure I entered the giveaway! ha.
For debt..mortgage at around $70K
I have about $15k in student loan debt, $110k in home loan, and $20k to my parents… yieks!
I have less than $500 in debt right now.
We’re debt freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :)
I’ve listened to Dave Ramsey’s radio show and always meant to check out Perkstreet sometime…. thanks for finally getting me to the website :)
the dreadful college loans……….. enough said.
never heard of them before but it is an interesting site. We are almost debt free after 8 years. We no longer carry credit cards. Looking forward to being debt free soon! aggiegrad02@gmail.com
We have about 3000 of unsecured debt. aggiegrad02@gmail.com
I have never heard of them. Their site is nice, but I wouldn’t use them ’cause i have no money :) Maybe if I win this giveaway…. :D
I have $15k is school debt, and probably some other debt floating around that I’ve forgotten about ’cause I don’t check my credit :)
I have not heard of Perkstreet Financial, but I was impressed by what they offer. I am going to do some more research on the company and may very well open an acct.
I have not heard of Perkstreet Financial before. It would not work for where I live though, because there are no atms from them anywhere near me.
laurieahigh at yahoo dot com
I had never heard of PerkStreet Financial before I read your blog, but based on their services, I’m definitely considering using them now. The free online banking and strategy to beat debt really appeals to me.
I currently have over $50k in student loans as debt
Have heard of Perkstreet before and checked them out today – thanks for the giveaway! :)
e-mail: lucky02130 (at) gmail (dot) com
I have one student loan left – 1,000! :)
e-mail: lucky02130 (at) gmail (dot) com
I have never heard of PerkStreet Financial before. It looks like they have good offers and definitely a nice site. I also like that they are FDIC insured of course!
I have about ~13k in debt. The vast majority of that is because of my car loan!
Well, if you know something about PerkStreet Financial, then the site isn’t bad….. simple and user friendly…… However, if you have no idea, then it takes some searching in the FAQ.
Roughly 120k between mortgage, student loans, and credit card
This would be a great help to anyone
Never heard of them…and am still unsure if they offer anything that a more well-known company offers. I wouldn’t use them until I’d heard more about them.
wolverina401 at gmail dot com
About $4500 in credit card debt.
wolverina401 at gmail dot com
I like that you can get 2% back from debit card transactions.
Ok my debt…
Credit Cards 5000
House 78000
Car 3000
I paid a lot off, I’m glad it is down to only these three!
I listen to Dave Ramsey and have heard him talk about this program. It was the first program I have heard about that gives cash back on a debt card. I like that idea because I don’t use credit cards.
We just have our mortage debt of 65,000.
No, I have never heard of PerkStreet. It does sound interesting though. The cash back for using your debit card and staying out of debt sounds awesome!
I have $5000 worth of student loan debt.
I went to the Perk Financial website and the premise is very similar to other accounts I have seen. I get rewards through chase bank.
The only debt we have is our care approx 11,000
I would love the starter kit. Love the site and Dave, my husband and I are HUGE fans and radio listeners…. beans and rice LOL, ty
jm.harrelson@yahoo.com
Total debt with mortgage and cars around 150k
Thanks for the great contest!
bahjeep@aol.com
perkstreet looks interesting, and i’ll be investigating further thanks
no debt – okay no cash either, but no debt
I love Dave Ramsey. I would love to win this so I could begin following his plan. We need his help!
**GIVEAWAY OVER**
Watch for the winning post soon! And thanks for participating everyone!! Really really interesting seeing what you guys honestly thought here, haha, hope they were ready for it ;)
Upon attempting to close my account after I found out that you had to have $5,000 to get the 2% cash back, I was told by a customer representative that I should leave my account open so I could return to it and use the funds if I ever wanted to in the future. 6 months later I realized I would not be using it, called back to cancel the account, and was told I only had $7 left in the account due to an “inactivity fee” of $4.50 a month. After informing Perkstreet what I had been told by the previous customer service representative, I asked for each inactivity fee to be refunded but they refused saying that the $4.50 fee was in the mice type disclosure statement and would be in full force no matter what I was told by a representative. Go with Perkstreet if you want no customer service. Go with a local credit union if you want an actual human to interact with and be understanding.
Ouch, sorry to hear my man – that’s frustrating for sure :( I’ll agree local credit unions are usually pretty good – big fan of them.
I’m new to the site and have catching up to do. Is parkstreet closed now?
Yup! Per their wikipedia page:
“With no bank branches, PerkStreet Financial had low operating costs. However, a cash-back rewards scheme that approached 2% for some debit card accounts turned out to be unsustainable, and contributed to the company’s closure in 2013.”