Search found 1166 matches

by MisterBill
Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

I can't speak to the "free" offer part. I can confirm that you can have/use multiple TurboTax/Intuit accounts. But I'd advise "using caution" doing so. A few years back I filed minor child's tax return (under Kiddie Tax limits), using the "federally free" version of TurboTax - as their federal taxable income was $0. Since the online version works in the browser, and browsers use things like "cookies" to ostensibly "help" the user experience - I had lots of issues trying to switch between "accounts". IIRC it kept wanting me to pay for child's "free" return... Ultimately, I had to use separate logins on my computer (or separate computers, browsers, etc.) to get it to work ...
by MisterBill
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

nalor511 wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 11:43 am
N.Y.Cab wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 5:27 pm I tried using TurboTax online but was uncomfortable with not being able to see the actual forms. Should be easy to efile at most State website with the printout from the desktop version.
You can see the forms (after you "check out") by going to print center
With the download version you can switch in and out of forms mode to see them while you're going through the process. You can also enter information directly into the form if you want.
by MisterBill
Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Does anyone know if you can prepay for your state filing before you are ready to file? I recall the price goes up as the filing deadline approaches. If you have the free Turbotax from Fidelity, it's free. If you don't, you're in the wrong thread. My understanding is that the free TurboTax from Fidelity includes one state, but not the state filing fee. If you use TT Online, federal + state + federal e-file + state e-file are all included. If you use TT download federal + state + federal e-file are included, state e-file fees are extra. Also, if using online, multiple states are free. Both the software and filing, since they price it as a single item. As opposed to the download version where you pay separately for the state software (one inc...
by MisterBill
Mon Feb 26, 2024 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

kojima wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:27 am One question for you - do you know if I have to pay my estimated taxes directly through TurboTax or can I e-file, ignore the payment options through TurboTax, and then file directly through my IRS account?
You can pay the estimate taxes however you want. I recommend charging it if you have a rebate credit card that pays 2% or higher.
by MisterBill
Mon Feb 26, 2024 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

GeraniumLover wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:49 pm Does anyone know if you can prepay for your state filing before you are ready to file? I recall the price goes up as the filing deadline approaches.
If you have the free Turbotax from Fidelity, it's free. If you don't, you're in the wrong thread.
by MisterBill
Mon Feb 19, 2024 8:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

I just checked and I see that my Fidelity account has the free TurboTax promotion. I confirmed by clicking on the link through Fidelity and seeing the price of TurboTax Premium drop to $0. Seems like it does not apply automatically to my TurboTax account, meaning if I log out and log back in, the original non discount price will be reflected until I click on the link through Fidelity. Does anyone know how long this promotion will last? I'm sure until the tax deadline in April? Also, I owe a few thousand dollars in taxes this year - do I have to pay directly through TurboTax or can I e-file, ignore the payment options through TurboTax, and then file directly through my IRS account? It should be sticky and stay free on future visits. But the...
by MisterBill
Sun Feb 18, 2024 10:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878482

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

tj wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 9:51 pm I guess it's inflation. I got $81 for a $100 card 2 weeks ago.
Not sure what inflation would have to do with it. I'm sure it's a matter of supply and demand. More supply = lower prices offered.
by MisterBill
Sun Feb 18, 2024 9:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878482

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

tj wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 2:12 pm
hap_ca wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:37 pm Has anyone done a conversion from Premium Rewards to Ultimate Cash Rewards? I don't want to pay the annual fee anymore now that it's not possible to sell AA gift cards easily.

Do you lose reward points during the conversion process?
Not possible? CardCash started buying them again.
News to me, but you're right. They're offering $78 for a $100 GC. The PR card is worth $17 a year (net cost after selling the gift card).
by MisterBill
Sun Feb 11, 2024 8:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

HueyLD wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 9:23 am
Leif wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2024 11:34 pm This afternoon I saw an offer for a free download of Turbotax Premium on the Fidelity main page. This evening it is gone. I wonder what is happening?

P.S. Just talked with Fidelity. They could not explain why I saw the offer, but insist that they cannot offer me a free TurboTax download. I need 120 trades/year, they tell me.
Whoever told you about 120 trades lied.
That's not necessarily true. If you do not qualify on balances, being Active Trader Pro (120 trades) is supposed to be one of the ways to get TT free.
by MisterBill
Wed Jan 31, 2024 11:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What frugal thing did you do today?
Replies: 4521
Views: 616965

Re: What frugal thing did you do today?

Chv396 wrote: Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:02 pm Donated many usable items to Goodwill today. Old clothes, old electronics, books, kitchen items, old bedding.

Donated $ to the local animal shelter. (My spouse and I love pets!)
Both great things to do.

I do a lot of grocery deals where I get stuff for free (or better) using the rebate apps and coupons. If I am able to get something free or better (and that includes sales tax) and can't use it (which is often the case), we give it to the local food pantry (food and pet items) and Goodwill (household and HBA stuff since the pantry does not take those). Both are thrilled to get my donations. My wife used to work at Goodwill, and they love it when she shows up with boxes because they can put the stuff right out on the floor and sell it.
by MisterBill
Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

They want to share the license key to their daughter who also needs State, but I'm reading that it's tied to their TT login so probably not a good idea. Shouldn't be an issue. I've gotten TT free from Fidelity for several years now. I've always shared it with my two brothers and we've never had any issues with filing federal or state. Each of us had to pay the fee to e-file the state return but that's it. I think there is a limit of 5 federal e-files for each TT license. You're obviously forgetting about this year's change that ties the activation key to a TT account and requires you to login to said TT account on each install. So if you're sharing the key, you will need to allow your brothers to login to your TT account. If you also use M...
by MisterBill
Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

I am sure it would be cleaner if you are able to purchase from the account that plans to use it, but in this case I did not want them to share their user/pass and give me the ability to look at how much income they have made in previous years :D Funny you should mention that. I actually had to do that on my son's account to give him access to the online version (he files two states, so it makes sense to use it) and inadvertently saw his AGI from last year. I know they don't expect people to be logging into your TT account bu they really shouldn't show it when you're just starting your new return and just copying stuff from the previous year. Normally I do it in person when we see him and I bring my laptop and let him do the TT work, but we...
by MisterBill
Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

fetch5482 wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:12 pm I don't see why not. I bought one for my BIL and from what I can see that option is still available on my TT account to purchase at $5.
Did BIL install it using a TT login different from the one that you purchased it on?
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

I tried to help a relative get the online and 1 State for free using the tips here, but it didn't work right away, and they lost patience over Facetime so they went ahead and just bought the download $5. They want to share the license key to their daughter who also needs State, but I'm reading that it's tied to their TT login so probably not a good idea. Can they purchase ANOTHER download for $5 and give the license key to the daughter to use with her own TT login? The key gets loaded into the TT account when you purchase it online. It's unclear whether you can then use that key on another account, even though you haven't installed using it. The relative might want to login as their daughter's TT account and buy it there. But they could al...
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

pakle wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:48 am THIS!!!! I followed your directions *exactly* (even did it in Edge non-private lol), and finally got it to show $0! I locked it in so I don't have to worry about it again. I think the key was to Clear & Start Over. THANKS SO MUCH!
This also worked for me. Two states free, as usual. And yes Clear and Start Over from the Tax Tools on the left menu after opening the return is the key.
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What frugal thing did you do today?
Replies: 4521
Views: 616965

Re: What frugal thing did you do today?

Bought some pain reliever cream for my wife at Walmart today using my Medicare Advantage plan's OTC benefit. Paid $35 (but it was free to me since we each get $40 per quarter) and got back $7 from Ibotta and $8.50 from Shopmium (both rebate apps). So I monetized $15.50 of the benefit and we got the product that she needed.
by MisterBill
Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would you do if you found someone else's lost credit/debit card?
Replies: 42
Views: 3590

Re: What would you do if you found someone else's lost credit/debit card?

maineminder wrote: Sun Jan 28, 2024 9:03 pm
Normchad wrote: Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:42 pm I’d just drop it in my shredder.
+1

I've actually done this after finding a card.

If I had dropped the card and someone returned it, I'd report it lost anyway.
This was my point. You can't just assume that the person who found your card was honest and won't do something with the card information a week or a month later. And it would be foolish (and borderline financial malpractice) for the bank to return that card to the owner after they knew that someone else had it.
by MisterBill
Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would you do if you found someone else's lost credit/debit card?
Replies: 42
Views: 3590

What would you do if you found someone else's lost credit/debit card?

Strange question to ask here I know. But there's a discussion on the Nextdoor site where someone reported finding a debit card in a parking lot and posted on the site to see if they could find the owner and let them know. Nice enough, but then the person decided to drive it to a bank branch and was convinced that the banker was calling to get the customer's number to let them know as they were leaving to return the card to them. My take is that they should have cut up the card, and that the banker was more likely calling their back office to cancel the card. No bank is going to return a card to a customer that has been in someone else's possession since they could easily have written down the information and use it later on. Naturally other...
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 23, 2024 9:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

buzzz_buzzz_buzzz wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2024 11:20 pm I had access to the free/$5 offer in December and it now only offers $20 off. I suspect this is a sign I should start paying someone to do my taxes... :/
That's a rather big leap, from getting the software for free/cheap to paying someone way more than the software would cost at retail.

Are you sure it's not at the bottom of your portfolio page?
by MisterBill
Mon Jan 22, 2024 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

mander75 wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2024 8:57 pm Could anyone advise a good TT training video(s)? Using TT to file taxes for 2023: having stock investments, real estate and K1. Thanks.
I've never heard of one. They step you through the filing process, and it's very straightforward. I remember that years ago they used to have built-in videos but not anymore.

There seem to be a bunch of videos on YouTube if you really think that you need help.
by MisterBill
Mon Jan 22, 2024 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

The free Turbotax offer has over the years always appear in mid-late January for me. True to form it showed up now in my Fidelity account but NOT on the home page. When I search for Turbotax in search, it takes me to a discount page. The discount page leads to a free Turbotax offer "You're eligible for an exclusive Turbo Tax® offer! You qualify for this year's free Turbo Tax program offered to select Fidelity customers. You'll see the link here by the end of January." I have no longer have an assigned rep. I have heard other people report seeing the free offer after searching on TT so I tried it again. The first time, I got the 20% offer, but when I went back, it showed the free offer placeholder. Tried it again and the same thin...
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 20, 2024 8:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

JazzTime wrote: Sat Jan 20, 2024 1:43 pm It's a little scary when you open TT in November, many months after you filed your return, and it starts to update. Makes you wonder: What exactly was changed and how does it affect my already filed return? It would be nice if TT included a note that says: "Don't worry. This update does NOT affect your return."
I was thinking about this today, when I opened the 2022 version for the hell of it and it found an update to install. I suspect that they keep the platform at a constant level across years, with the forms obviously being different. So that would explain the constant updates to the previous year's version. But it would still be nice if they said what they had changed.
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 20, 2024 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

TBillT wrote: Sat Jan 20, 2024 10:35 am
MisterBill wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 9:33 pm The contents of the SD thread on this topic have been deleted, it has this message "We’re sorry, but this thread had to be removed due to a legal complaint.". Presumably it's because the hack was discussed there. Happy to see it, although there are obviously other places where it can be discussed (although not with as wide an audience).
Forgive me, what is SD?
Slickdeals.
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 19, 2024 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

The contents of the SD thread on this topic have been deleted, it has this message "We’re sorry, but this thread had to be removed due to a legal complaint.". Presumably it's because the hack was discussed there. Happy to see it, although there are obviously other places where it can be discussed (although not with as wide an audience).
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

GeraniumLover wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 2:50 pm Turns out Intuit added the What-if form in the most recent weekly update.
I really wish they'd go back to having release notes so we could see what was changed in each update. Of course, it's never going to happen.

It's especially important when they update the software after the tax year is over so you can see if they fixed a bug that could have affected your return.
by MisterBill
Thu Jan 18, 2024 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

BatBuckeye wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2024 6:18 pm Last year the free Fidelity TT version did not include What If.
Did you use the online version last year or the download? I think it's already been said that the online version does not include that feature.

What we get from Fidelity is the normal product, it's not like they would remove a feature.
by MisterBill
Sun Jan 14, 2024 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Don't pay full price for SiriusXM radio
Replies: 649
Views: 112391

Re: Don't pay full price for SiriusXM radio

I had six months free of the streaming service from Samsung that just ended today. (obviously I cancelled before being charged) Streaming worked OK for me since I have wireless android Auto, and it starts up 30 seconds after I turn on the car, although having it on the radio is more convenient since it's easier to change stations. I need to decide what to do, I have at least three options. 1) $1 for three months, then need to contact them for a better price. 2) $4 a month for a year, the finally emailed me an offer. 3) Another six months of streaming for free, this time from T-Mobile, then cancel and think about what to do again. I clicked on the three years for $99 offer linked in this thread, and their website told me I was not eligible f...
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 12, 2024 9:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

TBillT wrote: Fri Jan 12, 2024 5:24 pm We got "You're eligible...check back later"
Hope it is downloadable same as last year, not sure I want online ver.
I'm sure that it will be the same that we had available for a few weeks starting a month ago. same as last year, download or online. Before they pulled it.
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

should have wrote: Fri Jan 12, 2024 11:45 am Yes last year like a lot of other forum members it is certainly confusing on the FREE TurboTax offer. I emailed my dissatisfaction and withdrew $250,000 to open a Merrill Edge Account :)
Well, at least you presumably got something even more valuable than TT for moving some assets. Not like people who say that they're going to move their money somewhere that won't give them a bonus or free TT, just out of spite.
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 12, 2024 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Since you cannot file Federal Income Taxes until Jan 29, 2024, and Turbotax is still missing some forms and schedules, and has some other bugs like penalties for belated Federal Disaster Area estimated taxes, I think that the Fidelity Free Turbotax issue will be resolved in time. Not to mention, Fidelity 1099's won't be available until at least 1/20. And that's the first group. Those who are in index funds or ETF's, and pretty much anyone who qualifies for the offer won't get theirs until later. Here's what it says for me "Due to investments in your account, this form will be ready later. On 01/20/2024, we'll have more information about this form's availability." and it says that even for my Bloom accounts which just have a money...
by MisterBill
Thu Jan 11, 2024 11:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

leland wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 7:50 pm Not Fidelity related, but work's legal insurance (via MetLife) has a similar free TurboTax offer. I just can't figure out how to get it to apply to the download version; seems like that went away when the Fidelity offer also broke.
Did they give you a code to apply, or is it a link like Fidelity? If it's a code, you can try contacting TT and see if they will apply it to the download version instead. I read somewhere (Either here or Reddit) about someone who got a code from their Fidelity rep and was able to get TT to substitute the download instead. If it's a link, find the download version on their site, it's not that hard to find, it's in one of the top menus.
by MisterBill
Thu Jan 11, 2024 4:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Chv396 wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 3:16 pm Just saw that I’m eligible for a TurboTax offer from Fidelity. No specific details yet.
I'm sure that it will be the same as it was before they took it down, just better secured against people hacking it to get it when they're not supposed to.
by MisterBill
Thu Jan 11, 2024 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

thenow wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 3:37 pm I see that some recently received a notice for a free turbo tax offer in the future. I’m supposedly a “private client status”…I’m assigned to the local office/regional branch manager.
Look on the Portfolio page. Not the tax page. If you don't see it on the Portfolio page, you're not going to get it. However, you should contact your rep since as Private Client with a group you definitely should get it. Some have reported being able to get a code for free online access.
by MisterBill
Thu Jan 11, 2024 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

fetch5482 wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 11:25 am This showed up for me today as well
Yes, I have it too. Smart of them to do it.
by MisterBill
Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Chuckles960 wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 2:01 pm
HueyLD wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 1:06 pm Moral of the story:

Get the offer as soon as it appears on your Fidelity landing page because the offer can be pulled without notice.
I did click on the offer when it appeared, but did not check the TT payment page at the time. Today I went to the payment page and it wants $89.

So maybe they have canceled the deal for everyone? I was going to be rich, but now I am poor...
The secret is to go to the payment page when you first get it. Mine still shows $0, but that's because I already "paid" for it. For now, the offer has been pulled, presumably until they can ensure that only the intended people get it.
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 09, 2024 12:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

While I appreciate the offer, if I were Fidelity I'd almost certainly throw my hands up at this point as say it's just not worth our aggravation to continue offering this. How many Fidelity person-hours have been spent on this (including reps attempting to answer questions about why or why not an individual client received the offer)? And yet, all publicity is good publicity, and they definitely have gotten people logging in and paying attention I'm not sure that I'd agree in this case. they probably piss off a bunch of people each year who don't get it and think that they should. As for Darth's suggestion that they give up on offering it, fortunately you're not running the program. There are certainly ways that they could run the program ...
by MisterBill
Mon Jan 08, 2024 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

So, here is the official Fidelity response on their Reddit. At least they're at least implying that it will return.

We appreciate your continued patience as we continue to work on a resolution. At this time, we do not have a timeframe to share.
by MisterBill
Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878482

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

calwatch wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:10 am I know some people on this thread had used the Merrill work around to get around Bank of America's ACH push fees when they were charged until 2023, but for those who didn't, they will refund some of them to you, unless you object. https://www.achfirstpartyfeesettlement.com/
Most of these class-action lawsuits seem like BS to me (although I am always happy to take the settlement money), but this one is well deserved, since they never should have been charging for that. The one that was publicized this week about Verizon being forced to pay for the bogus "administrative fees" they charged is also justified.
by MisterBill
Sun Jan 07, 2024 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

And the disappearing act is not Fidelity's fault. One could argue, partially their fault... They ultimately set it up in a way that was able to be exploited by others. Had it not been, they wouldn't have had to pull it... That said, I'd agree the bulk of the blame is on everyone that took advantage of the exploit. They ruined a good thing... And then apparently some had the audacity to contact Fidelity support because the exploit didn't work for them... :oops: The world never cease still amaze (or amuse) me... Ultimately, it's Intuit's fault since I'm sure that they were the ones who set up the interface for Fidelity to use to access the free product. Fidelity may have made it easier to hack by adding the new page that clearly showed the d...
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 06, 2024 10:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Jagger wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 10:18 pm All of these posts - 286 to date - about a now-you-see-it, now-you-don't offer from Fidelity that'll save folks a maximum of what, fifty bucks?

Don't y'all have better ways to spend your time??
Turbotax Premier download is currently $65 at Amazon, so $60.

The online version of Premier is $90 plus $40 per state (I think), so $130. Since multiple states are free with the Fidelity offer when using the online version, for two states it's $170.

And the disappearing act is not Fidelity's fault.
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 06, 2024 10:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Because making estimated payments is a payment as of Q4. Withholding is assumed to be timely over the whole year. Therefore, if the OP has huge income in Q1, estimated payment in Q4 will not mitigate 3 quarters of underpayment penalties/interest. Withholding in Q4 will. For me it is exactly this, I take the distribution from my inherited IRA late in the year (Nov/Dec) and use the withholding option from Fidelity's web site to make up any taxes I estimate to be owed to Federal and State, based on my tracking spreadsheet for the year. In past years it didn't matter much, but with short term TBills and SPAXX, etc paying 5%+, I can easily run over the federal limits and don't want to have to adjust my paycheck withholding throughout the year o...
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 06, 2024 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Was basking in the glow of receiving my free TurboTax from Fidelity earlier today. But, the buzz quickly wore off when I received my inherited IRA distribution check in the mail this afternoon. Sadly, the check did not reflect my request (from several weeks ago) that Fidelity route 99% of my distribution to offset fed and state taxes. Called the super secret Bat Phone 800 number to contact a private client group representative. She quickly confirmed with the back office that someone had dropped the ball on my prior request. She indicated that they will cancel the check and re-do things, but I need to call them back in “a couple days” to make that happen. I appreciate that “things” happen, but part of me thinks Fidelity should spend less ti...
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 06, 2024 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

I spoke to my Fidelity rep yesterday about the free TT offer. He found some internal page that listed the various criteria for free TT — I think he mentioned active trader, wealth management client, over $1 million in taxable accounts, etc. He also said that the internal page advised clients to toggle on the beta version of the Fidelity webpage to see the offer (if you don’t have the toggle button in the upper right hand corner, you’re probably already using beta). The problem is that I qualify per the internal criteria he cited but I still didn’t get the offer, so I don’t know how much help it is to know the official criteria. The reps seem to be as in the dark about how this system works as the clients, which I found reassuring somehow. ...
by MisterBill
Sat Jan 06, 2024 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878482

Re: Bank of America CCR affinity cards

spammagnet wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:53 am The page linked below is a compilation of available affinity cards. I spot-checked a few and they seem current. I gather that the page owner updates it as new information is learned.

Financial conditions, e.g., intro APR or new account bonuses, may differ from the regular CCR and SGK, but the 3% bonus categories and quarterly limits appear to be the same.

https://gist.github.com/evantobin/1040d ... 50fcb9bbc7
That's cool I assume there's no way to do a product change to one of these, you have to apply for a new card to get it.
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 05, 2024 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

tj wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:56 pm If they made it clear how people qualify, then people wouldn't have to try different links to figure out if they do or not. 😅
That's ridiculous. There are never different links to see if they have it or not. It's either on their Portfolio page, or it's not.

People who say "I only found the 20% off on the tax page" are not looking in the correct place because that's not where the free offer will be.
by MisterBill
Fri Jan 05, 2024 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 434
Views: 153844

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

grok87 wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:56 am i'm still getting the 20% off discount offer. clicked through and the pricing is still very unclear. it says federal only- no state.
honestly i think i'm just going to buy it at costco. bad idea?
The 20% off is never a good deal, especially for the download version. But it at Costco or wait for a better deal at Amazon. Unless you think you qualify for the free offer, in which case wait and hopefully it will come back.

Has anyone called Fidelity to get the official word on why it was pulled?
by MisterBill
Wed Jan 03, 2024 12:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 871
Views: 162029

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

czaj wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:41 pm Anyone have success with Vanilla Visas (MetaBank) on any processors recently? I used some using ACI a few months ago, but now I'm getting an error:
This card cannot be authorized. Please contact your card company for further information. To attempt your transaction with another payment option, please click the "Continue" button below.
I bought $1,500 of them last quarter and never got them to work for taxes. Won't make that mistake again.
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878482

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

KingofRMDtorpedo wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 10:34 am Regarding the PR card...just realized I'm retiring in 10 months :D and after that I probably won't have a reliable way to offset the annual fee...has anyone been able to downgrade a PR to a CCR recently? I know I could get the fee waived once maybe...so I'm still debating whether to apply for 2 CCR's or 1 CCR and a PR...the 2 CCR's would be handy . I would set one to "online" and one to "Gas", but in reality I don't spend 10K in gas. The online is mostly Amazon, for which I have the prime card at 5% (I know...5.25 IS better).
Yes, I downgraded my wife's PR to a CCR last month. We now have four (!) CCR cards.
by MisterBill
Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 871
Views: 162029

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

czaj wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:36 am
MisterBill wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2024 12:14 pm For anyone who paid their income tax via PayPal using your Chase Freedom card last month (when PP was a 5% category), check to see if you have an offer for no-fee My Chase Plan to take up to 18 months to pay it interest and fee free. I didn’t receive an offer via email, but when I test creating a plan, it shows no fees and the total payments equal my charge amount.
Thanks for the tip! I’ve never checked that before.
I always check since I've had no-fee offers from AMEX, Citi and US Bank in the past (and apparently Chase as well since I found an old email saying that I'd paid off a plan and I'd never pay to use it).

It appears to be one free plan per account, so do the largest purchase.