I used to think that referral bonuses just weren't worth the trouble. But I'm going through phase at the moment that's basically, "Hey, free money is always welcome."
I try to pick the best investments with the lowest fees. I try to pick savings accounts or money market accounts with good rates. A lot of these actions only make the difference of a few dollars either way. A $25 sign-up bonus or a $10 referral bonus is no worse an investment of time than a lot of these other things.
These are the referral bonuses that I participate in.
INGdirect.com has one of the more popular online savings account programs. Their rates are generally good, and they offer sign-up and referral bonuses. If you deposit $250 in your savings account, they will give you a $25 sign-up bonus (you have to maintain the deposit for six months). They will also give $10 to me for referring you.
I have most of my savings in an Emigrant Direct account which pays better than ING (another reasonable choice is Amtrust Direct). But I have $250 in my ING account for at least six months. The $25 sign-up bonus is a 10% return, something you could not expect to get from any other savings account or CD.
It is a bank account, so you will need to give appropriate identification when you sign up (i.e. you'll have to give your social security number so they can report your interest to the IRS).
If you want a referral and intend to open your account with $250, send me an email:
RevolutionMoneyExchange is a person-to-person electronic payment system. They have a $25 sign-up bonus, and they will give me $10 when I refer you. It is (currently) free, but if they change their terms in the future you can always cancel.
I've not actually used my RevolutionMoneyExchange account to pay any of my friends, but I have nothing against the idea (it's just never come up). The web site has been pretty easy to use, and frankly I think there ought to be some competitor out there for PayPal.
Although run by banks, this is not a bank account. It is more like the account you would have with PayPal. But you will still need to give appropriate identification when you sign up (i.e. you'll have to give your social security number).
If you want a referral, click on the referral link or send me an email: