enRICHed: Volume 5

Written By Rich BFF

Stars and Miles

This week we are highlighting a Starbucks/Delta partnership, pay transparency, the repercussions of the potential November rail strike, CVS’s pink tax announcement and a new subscription tier for Netflix. The Your Rich BFF team all signed up for the Starbucks and Delta rewards program immediately - if we are getting coffee anyway, why not earn some travel perks while doing it!

ALSO THE STUDENT LOAN APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE. Follow my instructions here to put in your application at studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application.

A few administrative reminders below:

  • HYCU, pronounced ‘haiku’: how the news impacts you and your wallet, aka How You Can Use

  • Spilling the Prosperitea 🫖 : our hot tips for you on all things money. Think discount codes, hacks, non-boring finance articles, sales, etc. 

Now that you’re up to speed, let’s get you enRICHed.

Starbucks and Delta Team Up

  • Via a newly announced partnership, Delta SkyMiles and Starbucks Rewards members can link accounts to earn one mile per $1 spent at Starbucks, and double Stars on days traveling with Delta.

  • Whether you are a frequent flier at your local Starbucks, local airport, or both, this partnership should be on your radar. These two companies are making it easy for customers to earn back points, hoping it will draw some new or more frequent customers along the way.

  • HYCU; You can link your accounts at deltastarbucks.com or starbucksdelta.com and start earning! The biggest news: customers who link their accounts between October 12th and December 31st will earn 500 miles, and 150 Starbucks Stars. Best part - you can double dip and still pay using your credit card to not only get credit card points but also stars/miles via these loyalty programs.

Salary Range Transparency

  • Pay transparency is coming soon to job postings in California and New York. Job managers will now be required to include the salary range for all hiring positions.

  • Managers expect this will save them time with candidates, since this law shows the absolute floor for what candidates can be paid. But that means there is also room for negotiation.

  • HYCU; while these laws are obviously helpful to those applying, they are also helpful to see what your company is willing to pay candidates in the same position as you. Pay bands are wide because they depend on a lot of variables, but if you’re doing your job well, this information can help you negotiate that raise you’ve been wanting.

Potential November Rail Strike

  • Members of the nation’s third-largest rail union rejected a five-year contract that would have raised wages and provided an additional paid day off for rail workers - they didn’t think it was enough.

  • The main concern is over sick days. The union workers requested 15 paid sick days as well as the option to take unpaid sick days, but the proposal only included one with no mention of the unpaid sick days.

  • HYCU; A strike could start as early as November 19th, the busiest shopping season in the US. Because the strike could stop up to 7,000 trains from operating, distribution of goods could come to a standstill, costing our economy up to 2 billion dollars a day and making it way more difficult for you to get your holiday gifts.

CVS Pays the Pink Tax

  • This week, CVS announced that they will cutting prices of CVS branded menstrual products by 25%.

  • On top of the price cut, CVS will pay for the sales tax on these items in 12 states where it is allowed. 23 states already exempt women’s items from being taxed, though for the most part these items are taxed like luxury goods not basic necessities like they are.

  • HYCU; while this a big win for women, it’s also a big win for CVS. With tampon prices being up 12% since last year, a 25% price difference in monthly necessary items like tampons is a huge win for low income family budgets. More women will ultimately opt for CVS over other pharmacies, as well as CVS branded products vs. brand name items.

A New Tier of Netflix

  • After years of rumblings, Netflix finally has announced a new subscription tier for $6.99 a month.

  • The tier will be ad-supported, and will include 90% of the same content available in Netflix’s higher tiers. The ads will be 15-30 seconds at the beginning and middle of shows and movies, with an expected 4-5 minutes of ads per hour.

  • HYCU; if you recently got kicked off of your family or ex’s Netflix account, this is a good way to access the platform without handing over too much of your monthly budget. It’s $1 less than Disney’s ad tier, which likely isn’t a coincidence as more streaming services challenge Netflix’ dominance in the space.

Rich BFF
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