Why didn’t I sign up for Upromise earlier? Oh wait, I did! When my oldest was just a baby, I signed up for the Upromise savings program thinking it would get our family in the groove for saving for our daughter’s college education. I signed up, but we got so caught up in diapers and bottles that I forgot to use the program.  I am kicking myself that we didn’t take full advantage of it years ago. Just imagine how much we would have racked up if we bought all those diapers through Upromise! It’s never too late to get back on track. Upromise is a pretty simple program, once I got the hang of how it works. It took me about 5 minutes to get enrolled and it’s free to join! How To Save Money With Upromise Go to Upromise.com and become a member and start saving today.

1. Shop online through the Upromise site. Through Upromise.com, you can access hundreds of online stores and services including travel sites at participating companies and a portion of your spending goes to your Upromise account.
2. Link your existing credit/debit cards with your Upromise account. When you use your linked card at a participating restaurant, for example, you accumulate cash back for college from that purchase. You can link up to ten credit cards.
3. Redeem coupons at participating grocery stores. Link your grocery card to your Upromise account and each month select paperless coupons on Upromise.com.  At the register be sure to have your grocery card scanned and hen the savings automatically go into your Upromise account.

Even Greater Savings

1. Get a Upromise MasterCard and save an additional 5% on each online purchase, 4 % on participating restaurants, 3 % on gas, 2% on movies and 1% on everything else.
2. Put the savings into any one of the 31 529 programs administered by Upromise Investments.
3. Take advantage of Upromise to help pay down a student loan through Sallie Mae.
4. Invite friends and family members to also save on behalf of your children.

Is There A Catch? Well, not that I have found! You probably won’t be able to rack up enough to send the kids to college for four years, but you might be able to save enough to offset the costs of some books, supplies, and travel expenses to and from university. Saving Through Travel & Travel Expenses Travel is where I find I can take full advantage of what Upromise has to offer.

1. Book your flight, hotel, cruise, and resort stay.
2. Rent a car and purchase gas and auto expenses.
3. Dine at participating restaurants or buy groceries.
4. Purchase clothes, shoes, toiletries and even suitcases.
5. Book activities including golf, spa treatments, and tours.
6. Download books and music to make the trip more enjoyable.
7. Buy travel games, toys and electronics to keep busy and have fun.

Debby Hohler, Upromise Director of Corporate Communications reported,  “Upromise by Sallie Mae has helped its members save over $1 million this year simply by earning cash back for college through  40+ travel partners.  Through Upromise, spending the average $762 on travel arrangements can translate into $38 or more toward a college savings fund, all while using companies you know and trust.” The Bottom Line When it comes down to it, you are going to spend money when you travel. So why not spend it through the Upromise program and accumulate savings just from your daily purchases?  And it is money that you are saving, not points.  So when you are ready to redeem your savings to help pay for some school costs, simply click on the redeem button and follow the instructions to receive your check.  Ah, sweet success! My mother always told me that travel would be the best education.  I just didn’t know that travel could help me pay for education!  Through Upromise, it can!