![]() “This is not the first one I’ve seen,” he said of the coin-for-rewards deal. Rick Seaney, founder of, a website that monitors airline fares and fees, said frequent fliers are always trying to find shortcuts to boost their airline reward points to win free flights and get seating upgrades or other perks, such as access to VIP lounges. Representatives for Chase and Citibank declined to comment. Industry insiders say the real losers in such schemes are not the airlines but the banks that buy the rewards points from the airlines and offer the rewards to cardholders to encourage them to spend on their cards.Ī spokeswoman for Bank of America said the bank was aware of the matter and was looking into it. Credit cards typically do not give reward points for cash advances. In the future, credit card purchases will be recorded as cash advances rather than credit card purchases. The mint is now making a permanent fix to the problem, Jurkowsky said. Jurkowsky said some of the people who responded to the letters had legitimate explanations, such as owners of coin-operated laundromats who need the coins to operate the washers and dryers.īut so far about 20 people who couldn’t explain the need for so many coins have been barred from ordering more coins, he said. ![]() In the letter sent to the biggest coin buyers, the mint asked the cardholders to explain their unusually large purchases. Jurkowsky said the mint believes fewer than 1% of those orders may have been made to generate airline miles. Since the program began, the mint recorded about 40,000 “direct ship” coin orders. Jurkowsky said the mint already has a program to distribute the dollar coins in bulk to banks. Under the scheme, the coins were deposited directly into banks. Mint said the deal conflicted with the intent of the program, which was to circulate the coins throughout the economy. Thanks.”Ī member with the moniker “chasethemiles” called the coin-for-miles deal “one of those fantastic deals that only come once in a great while.”Īlthough no laws were broken, officials at the U.S. “I just placed my order,” said a Flyertalk member dubbed “matagal.” “A painless way to get miles. Other frequent fliers picked up the idea online and immediately ordered the coins in bulk. He told the Journal that he pulled off the scheme by using several banks and numerous credit cards. Pickles and claimed he bought $800,000 in coins with his credit cards to jack up his rewards point total. The Wall Street Journal, which broke the story last week, quoted a frequent flier who identified himself as Mr. Word spread about the scheme on Internet blogs, such as. (Some banks charge to count coins others offer the service free.) Several savvy frequent fliers got the idea to buy the coins with credit cards to accumulate reward points and then pay off the credit card balance after depositing the coins at a bank. The mint allowed people to buy the coins with credit cards and offered free shipping in the continental U.S. But the mint set no limit on purchases of a sixth coin, which bears an image of Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition. Under the program, individuals could buy a maximum of 500 of each of five presidential dollar coins issued by the mint (Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Jackson). ![]() Mint launched a “direct ship” program to sell dollar coins directly to the general public in hopes of increasing the use of the coins, which last longer than paper currency. The trouble began in June 2008 when the U.S. Mint has written letters to about 75 cardholders who may have tried the scheme to collect airline rewards points. “It’s not what the program was meant to do.” “It’s not the right thing to do,” said Tom Jurkowsky, a spokesman for the U.S. In the end, the cardholders were out no money but their credit cards registered thousands of dollars’ worth of spending, and thus they earned thousands of rewards points or miles from the airlines. They then deposited the coins in the bank to pay off the credit card balance. Under the scheme, people used their credit cards to purchase dollar coins from the U.S. Mint recently broke up a scheme by cardholders who figured out a way to get money for nothing and rewards for free. The idea behind credit cards that offer airline rewards is simple enough: The more you spend on the card, the more free airline miles you get.īut the U.S.
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Plus, the company offers a 30-day refund policy if you try it and decide it isn't for you. But if you're willing to make the daily commitment to applying the serum, it seems like the Lavish Lash serum is a great option for the price. It’s USDA-approved, cruelty-free, and all-natural This lash serum is made of castor oil enhanced with vitamin E, proteins, and minerals to help mend lashes damaged by various circumstances. Is it worth it?Īs with any topical solution, the experience will vary from person to person and users should exercise caution and monitor for any potential adverse reactions. For those on a budget, Fraiche Organic Castor Oil is a cost-effective option. "The effectiveness of different brands will vary your physician can walk you through which options are the best for your goals."įor example, Sobel noted that Latisse, the first FDA-approved prescription eyelash serum, is more favorable than over-the-counter serums, although it is usually more expensive. "The benefit of these products is proven enhancement of your natural lashes with regular use," Alex Sobel, President of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery told TODAY. Others recommended reaching out to your doctor if you have specific concerns you'd like to address. The Lavish Lash serum includes hyaluronic acid to plump lashes and biotin to stimulate growth. Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic & Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “They generally contain ingredients like panthenol and argan oil to smooth and condition lashes, humectants such as hyaluronic acid to plump lashes, and peptides to stimulate the lash’s hair follicle," said Dr. I look like I wear fake eyelashes and I LOVE it!" How do eyelash serums workĬertain serums may produce different results, but the formulas usually don't differ too much from brand to brand, according to the experts we asked. I've been using it for 2 months now and OMG.its legit. Good reviews, reasonable priced, why not. "I researched some options on Amazon and settled on this one. Please visit product websites for more information."Before trying Lavish Lash, I had tried another (much more expensive) product with 'meh' results," one reviewer wrote. *Results are based on the Smarter Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Grande Cosmetics offers a 90-day return policy if you're not 100% satisfied with their product or experience adverse side effects. Their formula comes in 2 different sizes, the larger containing 4ml of product, which still falls short of our top pick. And unfortunately, GrandeLASH-MD's formula contains a prostaglandin analog, which may be responsible for some users reporting discoloration around their eyes after use. However, it's also missing a lot of key ingredients: peptides, biotin, and hydrolyzed keratin. Its formula includes panthenol, amino acids, and other lash-supporting ingredients. GrandeLASH-MD's award-winning lash serum is infused with a potent blend of ingredients to help promote the appearance of longer, thicker lashes. Look for the following ingredients to ensure a lash serum can back up its claims: "Y ou're not getting those longer, thicker, denser-looking lashes that you're really looking for because it doesn't have enough of the quality ingredients that you need,” adds Simmons. “Some of the lash serums that are on the market today-the lower quality ones-they're not effective," says Beverley Simmons. This bestselling serum is made with polypeptides, biotin, panthenol, amino acids, soybean oil and pumpkin seed extract to nourish and rejuvenate lashes and brows. This affordable lash serum is infused with the brand’s HEXATEIN 1 COMPLEX, containing six super concentrated ingredients that promote the look of lash length. However, consumers should be aware that many lash serums fall short of these results. Mavala Double Lash Night Treatment, £17.50, Boots. So, if you want to experience the full effect of a lash serum, we recommend sticking with your new lash serum for at least three months. L’Oreal Paris Clinically Proven Lash Serum, £11.99 (was £14.99), Superdrug. This is when many women report seeing a “night and day” difference in the appearance of their lashes. You may also find that you don’t need as much mascara, now that your lashes are visibly longer and thicker. Month 2Īfter a couple months of nourishing the natural lash growth cycle, many people notice their overall lash line looks denser. Significant, visible changes to the lashes take time. However, be wary of companies claiming to deliver dramatically longer lashes in a single month. If you look closely at your lashes, you may begin to notice a visible difference in their length and volume. ![]() The firm has a strong base in Africa already, but that is just a tip of the iceberg – mainly because they have branches in other continents of the world too. Sage One is business software that is targeted at small businesses with the aim to help them perfect all areas of their financing to aid easy and smooth operations. Used by over 100,000 businesses worldwide, invoicely brings with it all the basic functionality expected of billing and invoicing software such as invoice creation, payment schedules, and automatic reminders, workflow automation, managing of business accounts, and client information management, multi-currency support, and data import and export, to name some. ![]() Invoicely is a cloud-powered invoicing solution targeted at small businesses and freelancers. Automatic reminders, late fees, and the ability to accept deposits for work not yet done all make FreshBooks a great option for small business owners and freelancers.Īlso Read: 7 Essential Digital Marketing Strategies For Small Business Owners 5. You can customize your own invoice to match the style and message of your brand, and the ability to accept credit card payments right from the invoice adds to the sense of professionalism. ![]() Mobile invoicing makes Zoho a good choice for people on the go, and mobile access to their wide variety of other business tools is great for freelancers and small business owners who do a lot of traveling.įreshBooks’ invoices stand out as looking extremely professional. Zoho Invoice also integrates well with Zoho’s other suite of apps, which includes marketing, email, HR, and business process tools. Even with the free account, you’re able to customize every little detail on your invoice to reflect your brand. Zoho makes it easy to create and send well-designed invoices. And if you use the Wave Accounting app for your small business, the invoices integrate right into your financial tracking. Automatic status updates and payment receipts mean you don’t have to spend extra time managing the entire invoicing process. Waveapps offers customizable invoices, recurring billing, and payment reminders, too. Waveapps offers a complete suite of billing and invoicing tools for small businesses and freelancers. It also supports collaboration as users can easily add team members and contractors to access accounts and projects.Īlso Read: Building A Small Business Vs. And at the same time, it also delivers the financing basics and intuitive customer experience any accounting newbie can appreciate. It provides more in-depth, specialized features than basic invoicing management software. The wonderful thing about Invoice is that it can work for almost everyone: it’s a good solution for freelancers and also business owners with a dozen employees. ![]() With Invoice, you can manage expenses, create invoices and estimates to send to your clients. What’s the best online billing software for you? To save you time answering that question, we’ve researched the most popular small-business billing software available on the market for Nigerian businesses. All you need is the right invoicing and billing software. Thanks to technology, it’s easier and more cost productive for non-accountants (such as yourself) to manage small-business finances. Especially if you’re just starting out, maintaining a positive cash flow can make or break your business. Financial management and bookkeeping is a challenge for most entrepreneurs and business owners. ![]() They’re also struggling with their grim backstories, with that of bespectacled gunslinger Percy de Rolo (Taliesin Jaffe) taking center stage in the first handful of episodes. Vox Machina is the name of the eponymous group of mercs at the center of the show’s story, a down-on-their-luck crew of murder hobos whose immediate concerns include an astronomical bar tab and poor local reputation. (Nothing! Let it fly!) The Legend of Vox Machina takes the setting and characters from the Critical Role show, removes the inconvenience of dice, movement restrictions, and spell slot limitations, and turns it into a proudly R-rated cartoon. If, like me, you believe it should be less about overblown lore and more about the feeling of getting together with a bunch of your pals to mainline pizza and crack jokes while you collaborate on how to best the monsters in a friend’s bespoke adventure (that is peppered with references to whatever books or movies they’ve just watched), then The Legend of Vox Machina’s first six episodes available for review (out of 12) could serve as a proof of concept for that approach.Ĭritical Role is an “actual play” experience, a web show (or oftentimes a podcast) which gives the viewer a tableside seat as a group of people play through a tabletop roleplaying game, complete with all the nail biting over what to do when the group encounters a door, and delays when one of the participants needs to look up what you need to roll to use magic missile. ![]() I’ve pondered the challenges of adapting something like D&D to a film or TV format before. While the show doesn’t have any official connection with the game, Critical Role-the web show the characters and world are based on-is transparently grounded in the storytelling of the tabletop roleplaying game that game master Matt Mercer is running, and the characters his group of professional voice actor pals are portraying. It’s amid conversations exactly like these within the wider consumer and fan base of tabletop gaming that Amazon Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina arrives, just as D&D’s corporate owners are also making moves to bring the property back to the big screen. (This is all a world away from the controversies the pastime contended with when it first came out.) That’s not how it is in real life, right?”ĭungeons & Dragons comes from a lot of things, some of them deeply problematic, and it has diverged from them so fundamentally in its nearly 50 years that the entire industry and the many people who enjoy the hobby are in the midst of reexamining basically everything about it. “It’s not a good thing to say all people of a certain culture are evil. One kid who seemed like he’d read a lot of the books and knew all sorts of stuff about the game’s decades of lore paused on the option to create a dark elf and acted confused, because they’re supposed to all be evil. This involved walking them through the hundreds of pages of character creation options, trying to figure out what they wanted to play, and why it probably shouldn’t be six paladins. Before the pandemic hosed it completely, I was running a Dungeons & Dragons game at a local game store aimed specifically at introducing tweens to the game. |
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