Your Money Crasher Minute: Hot Diggity Dog

Welcome to this week's edition of your Money Crasher Minute [MoneyCrashers Logo] Having trouble viewing this email? [Click here]( [Weekly Hero Image](#) In this week’s newsletter: - How to donate your credit card rewards to charity - Keeping banks in line - Supersized cereal - And more [Kelly Ernst headshot] Kelly Ernst Managing Editor Quick Market Price Check Last updated: December 19, 4:30pm EST 21.34% Average Credit Card APR (New Offers) 0.19% Average Savings Account APY 7.07% 30-Yr Fixed Mortgage Using Your Credit Card Rewards for Good Do you have credit card rewards due to expire soon? Are you feeling inspired by the season of giving but short on cash to give? Many rewards programs allow you to donate the points you’ve earned to charity: General Credit Card Rewards - [American Express]( - [Chase]( - [Citi]( - [Discover]( Airline Miles - [Alaska Airlines]( - [American Airlines]( - [Delta Airlines]( - [Hawaiian Airlines]( - [JetBlue]( - [Southwest Airlines]( - [United Airlines]( Hotel Points - [Choice Hotels]( - Hilton Hotels & Resorts (through [PointWorthy]( - [IHG Hotels & Resorts]( - [Marriott Hotels]( - [Radisson Hotels]( - [Wyndham Hotels & Resorts]( You cannot claim donated miles or points on your taxes the way you can other charitable donations, but it’s still an easy way to give a little back to the world. [credit card heart.jpg] The Case of the Disappearing Safe Deposit Box If you’re thinking of getting a [safe deposit box]( to store your valuables, you might be in for more of a quest than you bargained for. With assets becoming increasingly digital and people opting for home safes, more and more banks have been [phasing out safe deposit boxes](. Customers in the market for one are finding shortages and waitlists as long as nine years. So if you’re looking for somewhere to store the Great-Grandma’s wedding ring, you’d better get started now. It could take a while. Surprise: People Don’t Use Cash Much Anymore Pew Research Center’s [striking findings from 2022]( include one I don’t find particularly striking: many Americans don’t use cash regularly. Almost half (41%) of respondents said they never use cash in a typical week. That’s up from 29% in 2018 and 24% in 2015. That said, [58% of respondents]( try to keep some cash on hand in case they need it. In an increasingly digital world, this hot take feels lukewarm to me. Much more noteworthy (and potentially distressing) is the finding that about a quarter of U.S. adults under 30 [regularly get their news from TikTok](. [empty pockets.jpg] If You Mess Up, Fess Up Speaking of banking missteps, the Department of Justice hopes to crack down on corporate misconduct using a technique your mom might have used when she found the cookie jar raided: If you come clean, you won’t be punished as harshly. At a recent banking conference, Department of Justice principal associate deputy attorney general (say that three times fast!) [Marshall Miller]( discussed the DOJ’s new approach to corporate crime enforcement: going easier on corporations who self-report their misconduct. Miller also stressed the importance of corporations "incentiviz[ing] ethical behavior." Miller specifically addressed growing concerns about the lack of cryptocurrency regulation, which have been in the spotlight recently with the collapse of FTX and its [dubious relationship]( with the bank formerly known as Farmington State Bank. And Now for Something a Little Lighter... Take a break from serious dollars and cents with these stories from the more random corners of the internet. - Hot Dog Wars. Costco’s legendary $1.50 hot dog combo, which has been the same price since 1985, has new competition. Sam’s Club threw down the gauntlet by [dropping its combo cost to $1.38](. Competition is just a part of business, but given Costco’s founder [threatened to kill the CEO]( if its combo went up, we’re curious to see how this plays out. - I Spy. What do you get the person who has everything? How about a spy gadget? [Covert Coins]( look like regular coins but have a secret compartment for stashing sensitive (but tiny) items like a micro SD card or a slip of paper. Just be sure to keep the coin separate from your other change. The last thing you want to do is lose your super-secret spy message to a parking meter. - We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Bowl. Have you ever thought, "I wish a piece of cereal could feed my entire family"? If so, good news: you can soon buy an enormous, half-pound [Big Fruit Loop](. Artist collective MSCHF (the group behind [the ATM that tells on you]( is selling the product for $19.99. Whether you eat it or display it as a collectible is up to you, but since it’s a whopping 930 calories, we’d recommend the latter. [man bath cerael.jpg] [Twitter Logo]( [Facebook Logo]( [Instagram Logo]( [Pinterest Logo]( Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Money Crashers, LLC, 1887 Whitney Mesa Dr #3030, Henderson, NV 89014, United States